"My argument or reason [to] justify the team selection -- it's because I lost, we lost the game. But if you win, ah, 'genius.' How many times have I heard, 'Pep is a genius' for the team selection? I have to explain before and after? After 10 years? I would not convince you for one second. Why? Because we lost and that's all -- 3-0, destroyed."
"This is not the first time I've been hurt. I've lost many times in Champions League at all stages -- many, many, many times -- and have been massacred for decisions and what happened. It's normal. It's not the first time I've played in that competition, the Champions League -- 17 years playing in that competition -- and every time I lose, boom, my God 'peow, peow, peow'."
"I played a final of the Champions League without Fernandinho and Rodri as holding midfielder against Chelsea. I was destroyed in that moment. They are right but in that moment I knew how Rodri and Fernandinho were playin"
Pep Guardiola responded to criticism of his team selection following Manchester City's 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League last-16 first leg. He argued that tactical decisions are invariably judged by outcomes rather than strategic reasoning. Guardiola highlighted the inconsistency in how his selections are evaluated, noting that identical decisions receive praise when successful but criticism when unsuccessful. He referenced his 17 years in the Champions League and multiple previous defeats, emphasizing that losses inevitably trigger scrutiny of his tactics. Guardiola illustrated this point by contrasting the backlash from the 2021 Champions League final loss to Chelsea with the acceptance of his 10 changes in the recent FA Cup victory at Newcastle.
Read at ESPN.com
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