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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has taken the blame for his team's elimination from the Champions League on Wednesday night, claiming that he was unable to convince his players to attack in the second leg.
City went into the second leg of their final sixteen tie against Monaco with a 5-3 advantage from their game at the Etihad. However, Monaco have scored a huge amount of goals this season, and it was highly unlikely that Manchester City would keep a cleansheet against them in the second leg. In the build up to the match, Guardiola said that against teams such as Monaco, who are so dangerous on the attack, attacking is the best form of defence.
It appeared to be a different story on the pitch however, with the City players looking hesitant to push forward, the complete opposite to the tactics employed by Monaco. City's defence has been questionable at times this season, and the hosts were able to work their way through three times throughout the course of the game. The Premier League club were able to get on the score sheet, via a close range finish by Leroy Sane, however it ultimately was not enough to progress.
Speaking in a press conference since the game, Guardiola has taken the blame for how the match turned out, saying that it was his job to persuade the players to go out and attack the opposition, which he says his mistake was "not being able to convince them to do that."
This is the first time that a team under the management of Pep Guardiola has been knocked out of the Champions League at this stage, however he says "I tried, and I will try again."
Manchester City will continue to try and catch Chelsea in the Premier League, however the club's most realistic chance of silverware this season is the FA Cup.
Written by Matt Button
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