United manager Jose Mourinho argued some of the criticism his team have received this season has been unfair following the 3-2 victory at the Etihad.
He pointed out that his side's record this season shows they have improved on last term, saying: "We are doing a better season than last season - more points, more victories, more goals, less goals conceded.
"Everything is better for us, but is not enough because they (City) had this season of don't stop winning.
"But we are not the team that people think we are, we are not as bad as people think we are, I am not such a bad manager as some people think I am, the players are not so bad as people think they are and that's what we are going tor try to prove, that we are the second best in the country."
And Guardiola echoed Mourinho's sentiment in explaining his side's struggle to see off their neighbours.
“Football is a results business and the result was not good,” he said. “Jose was right, I was not right, it’s simple like that.
“But what I would say is I would like to correct that, to improve these kind of situations.
“But what happened in the first-half is what has happened all the season. The opponent is good. Alexis (Sanchez), (Paul) Pogba, (Jesse) Lingard, (Romelu) Lukaku, these kind of players are good players and we cannot deny that.
“They have ability from nothing to create chances. But we saw in the first-half and the last minutes, when you have two one against ones and the Gundogan chance, at 3-0, 4-0 the game is over. But at 2-0 the game is never over, especially here in this league."
The City boss fears United will have inflicted a psychological blow ahead of their Champions League quarter-final second-leg against Liverpool on Tuesday.
City are 3-0 down from the first-leg and Guardiola said: “It’s difficult for our mood not winning.
“I came here in the first half to try to do what we’ve done all season, but maybe it’s not enough to win at Champions League level or the Premier League.
“If that’s so I will have to recognise that I’m not good enough or the way we want to play is not able to do that, but I don’t think so because of what we’ve done this season.
“I like to watch my team, the way we play this season and the way we played in the first half, but when you play against Liverpool or in Europe when you have that momentum. You have to close the door. And we didn’t close it.”
READ:Ronaldinho: This is how Barcelona can cope after Lionel Messi
0 Comments