After Defeat, Guardiola Praises Salah and Marmoush Performances
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke about the performances of Egyptian stars Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush following his team’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.
Guardiola Reflects on the Match
Despite the loss, Guardiola praised his team’s effort. He noted that Salah, who scored and assisted, “had to take on more defensive duties than in Liverpool’s previous matches.” Speaking to Sky Sports, the Spanish manager said, “We played a good game. It was even at the start, but we couldn’t score. Maybe we lacked focus and effectiveness in our shots and final touch, but we faced a fantastic team.”
He added, “Liverpool defended deeply in the second half, and we managed to push them back to their penalty area—something we hadn’t done in past games.”
Praise for Young Talent
Guardiola highlighted the efforts of Savinho and Jeremy Doku against Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold. “We have strong wingers, and Salah had to work harder defensively than usual,” he said. “I know people won’t believe it, but we performed well today.”
The manager also commended Uzbek defender Abduqodir Khusanov and Egyptian winger Marmoush. “Khusanov did well against Real Madrid as a right-back, limiting Vinicius Junior’s threat. He was quick and disciplined today, but he can do even better given his unique abilities. The same goes for Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez—it’s not easy facing a team like Liverpool,” Guardiola explained.
A Bright Future Ahead
Despite the defeat, Guardiola remained optimistic. “I saw many things that give this club a bright future with this current squad. Except for Kevin De Bruyne and Nathan Ake, all our players are very young. I see a promising future in the coming years,” he said.
He acknowledged the challenge of transitioning from an aging core. “Everyone knows a few older players will stay, but we need to start building for the next step. It takes time, yet despite absences, we played well against Liverpool,” he noted.
Looking Beyond the Loss
Guardiola admitted, “We’re far from what we achieved in past seasons, and we’ll see what happens moving forward, but we showed good character today.” He emphasized that the club’s future remains bright with new signings in upcoming transfer windows.
On Erling Haaland’s readiness for Wednesday’s clash with Tottenham, Guardiola said, “I don’t know. But we didn’t lose to Liverpool because of Haaland’s absence—that would be unfair to the other players.”
