December 15th 2024.
After suffering a devastating defeat in the Manchester derby, Bernardo Silva was livid. He had no desire to defend his team's performance, which he deemed as lackluster and reminiscent of a team of under-15s. Despite taking an early lead thanks to Josko Gvardiol's goal, Manchester City failed to maintain their momentum and ultimately fell to Manchester United in the dying minutes of the game.
With just minutes left on the clock and still holding onto their lead, City made a grave mistake as Matheus Nunes recklessly fouled Amad Diallo, resulting in a penalty that was converted by Bruno Fernandes. To make matters worse, Diallo then scored a goal of his own less than two minutes later, sealing an unexpected victory for United. This defeat marks City's eighth loss in just two seasons and Silva is not making any excuses for their poor performance.
"We deserved what happened," Silva expressed to Sky Sports. "We can't blame it on luck or bad fortune. This has been a pattern in our last ten games and it's not about luck. When you make foolish decisions in the 87th minute of a derby match and it costs you the game, you have no one to blame but yourself."
But it wasn't just this one game that has City in a rut. Silva acknowledged that their recent performances have been less than satisfactory and they need to take a hard look at themselves as a team. "We have to take responsibility for our mistakes. It's frustrating because up until the 86th minute, we were the better team. But then we made yet another mistake and played like a team of under-15s. That's not the level we expect from ourselves."
This defeat adds to City's already rough patch, as they have only won once in their last 11 games across all competitions. Silva believes there needs to be better communication and decision-making within the team, especially in crucial moments like the one they faced in the Manchester derby. "We need to be smarter and more experienced. Even if we are the better team, we can't afford to make these kinds of mistakes. We have to do better, both individually and as a team, because this is not the standard of Manchester City."
Manager Pep Guardiola was also feeling the weight of this defeat, admitting that he is "not good enough" as City's slump continues. He took responsibility for the team's failures and expressed his frustration with their lack of composure and poor decision-making on the field. "We have given away goals and it's our own fault. We need to improve and find solutions because the results and performances are not up to our standards. I know the situation and I understand it, but it's up to me to find a way out of this."
Despite the disappointment and struggles, Guardiola remains determined to keep pushing forward and improving. "The way I learn is to keep going. I am not good enough right now, but I am the manager and it's my job to find solutions. I haven't found them yet, but I will keep working until I do. We want to play better, but at the moment it's just not happening for us."
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