Manchester City opened a wide lead against Sporting and has one foot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. After the 5-0 rout, Pep Guardiola praised Bernardo Silva, scorer of two goals, and put the player on a high level.
“I always tell him: ‘you are the perfect player’. He doesn’t just play football, he understands the game. Defensively he is intuitive and with the ball he is more than exceptional, he has the ability to do it. [na partida contra o Sporting] one of the most beautiful goals I’ve ever seen, for the technique, for everything. I hope he gains confidence. Bernard is unique. He is kind, generous. His parents need to be very proud. I hope he stays at City for many years to come,” said Pep.
The coach was not completely satisfied with the performance of his team in Lisbon. He warned players that they must maintain perfection in pursuit of the unprecedented title.
“We defended well and achieved an incredible result. We have a duty to look at the performance too, even if the result is a dream. The performance could have been better. The difference between the two teams is not the score, but we were very clinical” , he said.
“Last season we had a perfect season in the Champions League, then we lost the final. So we are seen as a failure. I will not hide behind a 5-0 win. There is a long way to go,” he added.
Manchester City return to the field next Saturday, at 14:30 (Brasília), against Tottenham, for the English Championship. Sporting plays on Sunday against Estoril, at 3 pm, for the Portuguese.
The return duel between the teams, in the Champions League, is scheduled for March 9, at 5 pm. This time the ball stage will be the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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