Guardiola said Inter Milan’s defensive structure made it hard for his side to create many goal-scoring opportunities on Wednesday night
By Kehinde Okeowo
Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola, has defended his team’s recent 0-0 draw against Serie A club, Inter Milan.
The Citizens began their Champions League campaign on a frustrating note at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Premier League champions managed 22 shots over the 90 minutes, but only five were on target.
After the intriguing encounter, the Spanish tactician insisted that he was delighted with the performance of his players despite the outcome of the match.
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He further noted that Inter’s defensive structure made it hard for his team to create many goal-scoring opportunities.
“We played so good, I love my team. We are a fantastic team. And that team defend really well, they are masters of defending and in transition they are really strong as well,” Guardiola told TNT Sports.
“We concede one and a half chances… you can’t expect to make many chances when a team defends with 11 players so deep.”
Meanwhile, Manchester City midfielder, Kevin De Bruyne, is now a major injury doubt ahead of this weekend’s Premier League clash against Arsenal.
De Bruyne was withdrawn at half-time of their goalless draw with Inter Milan in the Champions League.
This has led to concerns over the Belgian’s fitness.
Pep Guardiola, started a strong team but had to navigate the second half without De Bruyne after he clashed with goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
Despite playing on until half-time, the 33-year-old did not appear after the break.
De Bruyne missed 41 games for club and country last season, most of that through a hamstring injury.