Once the match was over at the José Alvalade, Pep Guardiola attended the BT Sports microphones. He thrashed Manchester City against Sporting in the first leg of the round of 16, beating the Portuguese champions 0-5 and keeping a clean sheet for the first time this European season. The Catalan made a serious face despite the praise of his interlocutor. “Some players played below their level. We lost some easy balls, although we have been lethal. Every time we arrived in the first 20 minutes we scored. The difference was not 0-5, but they attacked with many players ahead of the ball. We have seen during the first minutes how good Sporting is. We defended well and were lethal”.
When asked to delve into the aspects with which he was not satisfied, Guardiola replied: “There is a basic rule in football. If you have the ball, try not to lose it. Especially the easy passes. If you make these mistakes against the greats of Europe, they counterattack you and punish you.
“We achieved a fantastic result,” he concluded. “We still have to play one more game to be in the quarterfinals. The players know me, they know how we work and that we can do better. I’m incredibly happy, understand me, but I think we can do better.”