Guardiola acknowledges that he is “suffering” as Martinelli’s late goal costs City three points

Pep Guardiola said that he was hurt as Arsenal controlled the ball until Gabriel Martinelli’s goal in stoppage time kept Manchester City from winning.

After Gabriel Martinelli’s equalizer in the 93rd minute negated Erling Haaland’s early goal, Manchester City was forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Pep Guardiola acknowledged that he was made to “struggle.”

For the majority of the game, City was under constant pressure, with only 32.8% of the ball in possession—the lowest percentage ever recorded by a Guardiola team—and Guardiola acknowledged that Arsenal “controlled the game.”

“Generally speaking, Arsenal was in control of the game,” Guardiola remarked. It wasn’t us. And that’s why 1-1 occurred at that time? I understand.

Haaland had given City the lead on the counterattack after just nine minutes, but Martinelli, a replacement, scored late to reward Arsenal’s perseverance and guarantee that the points were split.

Guardiola made a joke when asked about City’s record-low possession: “I’m really proud of that because I can’t live in this country with another record, you know that.” All well, once every ten years isn’t awful. I am now a transition team, as you are aware.

Despite Arsenal’s superiority, Guardiola commended his team for their fortitude over a taxing week that featured matches against Manchester United, Napoli, and Arsenal. He also emphasized how new hires, like as Gianluigi Donnarumma, the starting goalie, will need time to adjust. “His passing will become more fluid as he continues to adapt to our style of play,” he stated.

The City manager emphasized that the attitude and body language of his players especially struck him. “I’ve mentioned body language, celebrations, communication, and going out of our way for one another numerous times. We had a lot of setbacks last season. Additionally, I stated that this season, I don’t care about the outcome. I hope the spirit returns to the training sessions.

Despite starting Eberechi Eze, Gabriel Martinelli, and Bukayo Saka on the bench, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta justified his team choice. “We started the game really well and dominated, so it’s easy to say that [we lacked ambition].” Arteta stated, “City scored a goal and then did nothing.” “We dominated and maintained our control throughout the second half. Despite being really upset with the outcome, I am incredibly proud of my players and team.

Arsenal had the highest percentage of possession ever against a Guardiola team, 67.2%, but they were unable to convert their dominance into three points. Arteta maintained that despite currently being five points behind the league leaders, his team’s performance shown that they could still challenge Liverpool for the championship.

“We will be fine if we play at this level, like we did against Manchester City, but it’s going to be very difficult,” Arteta stated.