Man City boss Pep Guardiola’s actions after final whistle show increasing frustration
Manchester City were involved in a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
It was another match that showed that the Premier League champions are currently struggling.
In the last nine matches in all competitions, Pep Guardiola’s side have managed to win just one match.
Their win against Nottingham Forest last week at the Etihad Stadium showed signs of improvement for the Premier League giants but the draw against Palace brought them back to reality and proved once again that they need improvements in all areas of the pitch.
Erling Haaland returned to goal scoring form but the other goal scorer on the night, Rico Lewis, was sent off after scoring the second goal for Guardiola’s side.
Guardiola was frustrated after the match and he confronted the referee for two of the decisions that he made.
The Man City boss was unhappy with the decision to send off Lewis as well as referee Rob Jones blowing the final whistle when his side were attacking the Crystal Palace goal.
BBC Journalist Chris Wise reported: “Pep Guardiola was over wagging his finger in the direction of referee Rob Jones at the end of the game.
“I presume his irritation is two-fold – Jeremy Doku was breaking away when the full-time whistle went, but also he’ll have something to say about Rico Lewis’ second yellow card as well, which appeared a bit harsh.
“It came at a time when Manchester City had Palace pinned in as well.”
Guardiola cannot blame the referee for another poor Man City performance
It was a match that could have ended in a defeat for his team as Palace missed a number of clear cut chances in the first half.
Man City need to make improvements in the midfield and defensive positions if they want to challenge Liverpool and Arsenal for the Premier League title.
The right hand side of their defense where Kyle Walker plays is a position they should be concerned about. The English defender is weak defensively and teams have tried to expose that area of the pitch against City.
The performance of Josko Gvardiol is another concern for Guardiola because the left-back is out of form and struggling to perform to his usual high standards.
Liverpool now have an eight point lead against City with a game in hand now, putting Arne Slot’s side in the driving seat in the title race.
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