Pep Guardiola praised Manchester City’s attitude to defy a disrupted pre-season and get their Premier League title defence off to a winning start by beating Chelsea 2-0 on Sunday.
Goals from Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic inflicted defeat on Enzo Maresca in his first match in charge of the Blues.
City were shorn of all four of their Euro 2024 finalists — Rodri, Kyle Waker, John Stones and Phil Foden — from the start as Guardiola opted to give them extra time off to recover from their summer exertions.
The likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji did play the 90 minutes despite their late return to training after reaching the knockout stages of the Euros.
Yet, the champions were still able to lay down a marker against one of the few sides they failed to beat in the league last season.
“I really didn’t expect it. I know what these guys can do, but the first day and lack of training,” said Guardiola. “We had two or three days to prepare, but we solved this lack of many things with our commitment. You cannot imagine how privileged and fortunate I am to live these experiences with this incredible group of players.”
SUBSCRIBE TO KEEP READING
Start for $0 & enjoy free unlimited access for 30 days.
- Daily TV listings for U.S. and global soccer.
- Inside access to USA’s 2026 World Cup prep.
- Exclusive interviews with players and coaches.
- Expert analysis of top soccer headlines.
- Cancel anytime.
Already have an account? Sign in here.
CHECK OUT MORE STORIES
Not ready to subscribe? Sign up here for our free newsletter.
Already have an account? Sign in here.
