Guardiola: “Never, ever will I change my beliefs”

SME News UK. Pep Guardiola has doubled down on his unwavering footballing philosophy, insisting that Manchester City will not abandon their trademark style of play despite an inconsistent start to the new Premier League campaign.City opened the season in emphatic fashion, sweeping aside Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0 at Molineux, only to suffer a setback in their second fixture — a 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur. They now prepare to face Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday in their final match before the international break.Despite an influx of six summer signings following last season’s third-place finish and a rare trophyless campaign, Guardiola stressed that his core principles remain untouchable.> “Yes, after winning 18 titles, I will change my plan. Yes,” the 54-year-old said sarcastically.“I’m pretty sure after winning four Premier Leagues in a row, I am going to change the way I believe my teams should play. Never, ever will I change my beliefs in the way we are going to play.”Guardiola elaborated that while his side are encouraged to exploit quick transitions when regaining possession high up the pitch, ball retention remains fundamental.> “When the opponents do high pressing man-to-man and we break the first press, I want to attack quickly. But after that, I love to pass the ball a thousand, million boring passes. I love it.”City facing demanding scheduleAfter the break, City’s calendar intensifies with a Manchester derby against United before the start of their UEFA Champions League campaign. Guardiola’s men host Napoli on September 18, a fixture that could also see the long-awaited return of Kevin De Bruyne. From then until January, the reigning champions will face an unrelenting schedule, playing twice almost every week across domestic and European competitions.Guardiola admitted that his current squad is not yet at the level of his celebrated sides of the past — including the “Centurions” or the team that won four domestic trophies in one season — but expressed confidence in their progress.> “If we compare this team with those, we are going to lose. But I have seen things since pre-season in the United States that I really like. That doesn’t mean we will win titles, but it means we will have a good season, for the principles. I think we will be fine.”Even in the loss to Spurs, Guardiola said there were encouraging signs of his team’s identity returning.> “I want to do some of them much, much better, but that is normal at this stage of the season. When you are able to win four, five, six games in a row, conceding few and scoring more, then I will say: ‘Our consistency is back.’”