Pep Guardiola expressed his frustration and disappointment after Manchester City’s 2-2 draw against Brentford on Tuesday night, particularly with the way his team allowed the Bees to come back in the final stages of the match. Despite Phil Foden’s two clinical goals giving City a 2-0 lead, Brentford mounted a late charge, with Yoane Wissa scoring in the 82nd minute and Christian Norgaard netting an injury-time equalizer.
Guardiola was visibly upset after the final whistle and directed his frustrations towards goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, who he seemed to blame for not handling the late equalizer well enough. In a somewhat odd interaction, Guardiola embraced Ortega repeatedly and appeared to engage in intense discussions with him, along with center-back Josko Gvardiol and winger Savinho. Despite the apparent tension, Guardiola later clarified that his comments to Ortega were constructive. He said that he was happy with Ortega’s overall performance, especially with his ball distribution and passes to striker Erling Haaland. Guardiola acknowledged that Ortega made good contributions throughout the match, but he appeared to be frustrated with the goalkeeper’s role in the late equalizer.
Regarding the game itself, Guardiola agreed with Foden’s comment that the players were “leggy” in the final stages of the match, confirming that Foden’s fatigue was one of the reasons he was substituted. The City boss noted that Brentford had always been strong in set-piece situations, especially since their promotion to the Premier League, and that the late goals reflected the team’s inability to manage those situations.
Guardiola also pointed out that while Manchester City played well and showed good composure for the majority of the match, their inability to close out the game at 2-0 left them vulnerable. After Brentford’s first goal, Guardiola seemed satisfied with his team’s response, but he acknowledged that their defensive management in the final moments could have been better.
Guardiola further mentioned a missed opportunity for James McAtee, who had a chance to shoot but opted to pass the ball instead, which he believed could have sealed the victory for City. Despite the result, Guardiola’s post-match comments highlighted his ongoing efforts to focus on the positives, but also pointed out the areas where City fell short, especially in defending their lead and closing out games.