Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola expressed relief as his side ended their seven-game winless streak, stating, “We needed it.”
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Guardiola on City’s win: “We needed it”
City snapped their even-game winless streak with a decisive 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.
Guardiola’s side had lost their last four Premier League matches and were winless in seven games across all competitions.
This time, City controlled the pace and scored crucial goals through Bernardo Silva, Kevin de Bruyne, and Doku.
The win also ended Guardiola’s own worst run of results in his illustrious career, saying his squad needed that victory.
“We needed it,” said Guardiola. “The most important thing was to break this routine of not winning games and finally we won, but we have to continue.
“The club, the players, everyone needed to win. After recent events, we weren’t truly relaxed until the final whistle.”
There is still a downside
Meanwhie, De Bruyne made his first start since sustaining an abdominal injury on September 18, quickly making his presence felt at the Etihad Stadium.
The Belgian playmaker was behind City’s first two goals—an assist to Bernardo Silva in the eighth minute and a header in the 31st.
Although Guardiola was glad to see De Bruyne make a huge difference, he also cautioned about managing the midfielder’s workload.
“We’ll see how he recovers after a long injury layoff. The reality is he played few games last season and this season,” Guardiola said.
City defenders Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji were forced to leave the game in the second half due to injuries.
Ake departed late with a hamstring injury, raising concerns given his earlier five-week absence this season.
As for Akanji, he sustained a less serious injury but still had to exit the game in the second half.
“We’d love to have Manu and Nathan, and two defensive midfielders. They’re fantastic people and players,” Guardiola said.
