Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola insisted he was not frustrated by Everton’s game-management in their 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium. On several occasions, the Spaniard appeared to cut an exasperated figure on the touchline as the Blues held out for a well-earned point but when asked afterwards if he felt the visitors had been guilty of time-wasting, Guardiola claimed to be unmoved.
He said: “It’s Premier League. Listen, it’s a strategy for the opponent and if the referees do not intervene, I cannot do anything.
“For City, it’s a fact that I’m not absolutely frustrated, of course we dropped two points and it will be tough to get top of the league but we played really well. Since we came back from the World Cup, I feel the way we are playing is of a top, top level but we have to win and we could not do it.
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“They scored a fantastic goal, we congratulate them but we had enough chances and it’s always difficult when we play against eight players there with physicality like Onana, Tarkowski, Coady, all the defenders they stayed in the 18-yard box all the time so always it’s difficult. But it’s our way to play, and the positions were really good.
“You know the details, we had a chance in the last minute of the first half and the last minute of the second half, we cannot expect a thousand million chances when Everton defend that way and I was satisfied.”
Guardiola also maintained he was unconcerned over the potential of Erling Haaland crossing a disciplinary line after the striker was booked but again denied that he was frustrated with Premier League officials. He said: “I don’t have a relationship with the referees. I don’t want to.
“Before I have a meeting with my assistant coach, I never go, I don’t want to talk to them.
“The meetings for the Premier League referees, I don’t want to be there, I don’t care. They do their job, it’s fine, for me it’s fine.”
Guardiola believed that the champions did all they could to try and secure the three points but hailed Everton’s resilience. He said: “Everton made a fantastic goal from their first shot on target. It was a really, really, really good game – not quite similar because the approach from Liverpool and Leeds is completely different – how Everton played a good game tonight.
“The result was not expected but it’s football and it’s not the first time it happened. We did everything to win but they played really well, with and without the ball, especially in the second half when the referees were not ready and they break the rhythm, we did everything but unfortunately we could not win.”
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