Pep Guardiola admits two Man City stars could not connect in latest Champions League collapse | OneFootball

Dramatic night in French capital leaves Premier League champions on the brink in Europe

Pep Guardiola admitted Manchester City could not cope with Paris Saint-Germain during Wednesday night’s dramatic Champions League defeat.

City raced into a two-goal lead early into the second-half after a cagey opening 45 minutes, with Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland finding the back of the net.

PSG, however, would strike back not long after when Ousmane Dembele pulled one back before Guardiola’s side collapsed in Europe again.

Bradley Barcola equalised before Joao Neves and Goncalo Ramos scored to seal a famous 4-2 win for the French champions.

Guardiola’s side sit 25th in the Champions League table and are at real risk of dropping out of the competition entirely if they cannot beat Club Brugge in their League phase finale next week.

The City boss admitted PSG’s aggressive pressing and speed in transitions made it difficult for the away side, highlighting the fact that the likes of Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva were unable to keep the ball to hold the Ligue 1 giants at bay.

Comeback: PSG fought back from two goals down to beat Man City 4-2

AP

“They [PSG] were more aggressive,” he said. “They jump really well, they squeeze really well and we could not make the process that we should.

“The connection with Bernardo and Kova was not possible, or was not good. We could not make the process and in terms of transitions, we cannot cope with them.

“They are faster and quicker, so we have to defend with the ball and we didn’t do that. It’s impossible to defend well if you don’t play.”

Guardiola also confirmed Ruben Dias asked to be replaced at half-time, potentially raising doubts about the defender’s availability for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Chelsea.