16 February 2024 , 23:42
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Pep Guardiola insists it "doesn't matter" if Gary Neville finds his Manchester City side boring after comments he made earlier in the week.
City kept up their impressive winning run by seeing off Copenhagen in the first-leg of their Champions League knockout tie on Tuesday night. The European Cup holders ran out 3-1 winners despite being pegged back for a period, but were in total control in the Danish capital.
That is a familiar pattern for the Manchester outfit, who have largely dominated games ever since Guardiola arrived on the scene. The Catalan's demand for control often sees City run games with Neville suggesting they can sometimes be "unwatchable".
City have continued to pick up silverware with regularity and their philosophy has led them to five titles in six years, including the treble last term. Their manager maintains they will be their own assessors and believes people recognise how hard it is to do what they've done.
Guardiola said: "It depends on us and how satisfied we are - that is what belongs to us. If people don't appreciate it, it doesn't matter. It's not a big, big problem. We are still here, the importance is to feel still for ourselves. Not because of the compliments from outside or the regrets from outside."
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He also added: "What can I say?. It's so fine. Thank you [Neville] for the compliment. Everything is so difficult in football. We are admired, I am pretty sure of that, [by] the people in the world of football who know how difficult it is being six or seven years there in all competitions every week."
Neville had been discussing the European champions on his Stick to Football podcast. The pundit has admitted previously that he finds Liverpool easier on the eye due to their counter-attacking nature and didn't even tune in to watch City's game during the week.
Man City eased to victory in Copenhagen (AFP via Getty Images)He said: “I didn’t switch City on on Tuesday night. I felt a bit bored … It’s a bit of hornet’s nest because I think to call City boring would be wrong because the football they play is outstanding. I thought they were boring and found it difficult to watch them but since [Erling] Haaland’s gone [there] they are a bit more imperfect. I like them a lot more with the four big defenders and Haaland up front."
Roy Keane responded: “[Manchester City are boring] because they’re so brilliant! I get where people are coming from, but I wouldn’t agree when fans say that about City [being boring] – they’re very technical, and the stats the other night are unbelievable. I know it was just FC Copenhagen, but they beat Manchester United. I admire that stuff – I admire when a team can dominate so much, whether it be possession, the players, their style. I like their style of play because of the brilliance of it.
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