- Man City overcame Burnley at Turf Moor
- Only won by a single goal
- Pep Guardiola pleased with his team
Pep Guardiola has heaped praise on Manchester City’s performance against Burnley, but his words do not appear to match his actions.
Manchester City have overtaken Arsenal in the Premier League table, defeating Burnley by a one-goal margin.
Erling Haaland gave his team an early lead and there were chances at both ends early in the match, with Burnley having their moments too.
However, it turned into a rather dull affair in the end, with City failing to capitalise on a number of chances throughout the night.
Pep Guardiola says Man City were ‘really good’
During the second half in particular, Pep Guardiola made no attempt to hide his frustration in the dugout, as he marched up and down bellowing instructions at his players.
Despite this, the manager was far more relaxed in his post-match interview, as he claimed that he was actually please with what he saw.
"I'll keep agreeing until he moves on" 😅
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 22, 2026
An unfortunate seat for Nathan Ake 🤣 pic.twitter.com/0NhZIQtL4d
Guardiola told Sky Sports: “Winning is the main target. We made an extraordinary game, except the first-half where we defended not good two actions in-behind.
“The line was not correct. Second half in general was good. Just wow, the chances we created we could’ve scored more goals. But the important is every game winning.
“I think we played really, really good!”
Man City had the chances to win by more
Although Burnley had the odd chance, Man City were very dominant during Wednesday night’s fixture, maintaining 65 per cent of the possession.
The Citizens had 28 shots and achieved an xG of 3.54, but somehow only managed to find the net on one occasion.
Ultimately, Guardiola has a point when it comes to the number of times that City gave themselves the platform to score.
However, to say his team’s performance was extraordinary is an overreaction, especially as it is clear he was not happy during the match.
Man City are still on course for success
Guardiola’s approach to focus on the positives is not fooling anyone about what he really thinks, but in a way it is commendable.
After all, City have just won a fifth match in a row and the Premier League title is now in their hands, at least for now.
On top of this, the Sky Blues will make the trip to Wembley Stadium on Saturday, with the aim of reaching the FA Cup final.
Therefore, while there were obvious issues with Man City’s performance against Burnley, the club are still heading in the right direction.
The possibility of a domestic treble is still very much alive, so Guardiola and his players deserve a lot of credit for the way they have turned things around.
