Man City manager Pep Guardiola expresses his satisfaction with his team’s display against a “wonderful” Inter Milan side in the Champions League opener.
The Premier League giants have been steamrolling domestic competition since the start of the season.
However, they found many difficulties against the Nerazzurri who harried them on counterattacks throughout the match.
In the end, the two European giants settled for a draw at the Etihad Stadium.
For his part, Guardiola insists he had already known it was going to be a tough test for his men.
“It was a difficult match, but we knew it beforehand,” said the Spaniard in his interview with Prime Video via FcInterNews.
“Inter are a wonderful team. They defended well and were dangerous on the counterattack. But we played well in the second half and had at least 4-5 chances.
“But we are also a fantastic team. I am very happy to coach this group and be able to attack against a team that defends so well. And let’s not forget they’re the Italian champions.”
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Guardiola also noted improvement on his team’s part compared to the last meeting between the two sides in the 2022/23 Champions League final.
“There was nothing that I disliked. I liked everything about my team. I’m very happy to be able to attack with 11 men who know how to cover and double up.
“When they had the ball, we had to work hard. We obviously had some defending to do. You ought to give Inter at least a couple of chances.
“At these levels, you can’t have 20 scoring opportunities. We had five and played even better than in the final two years ago, even if we didn’t win this time.”
Man City prevailed over the Nerazzurri in the 2023 final thanks to a solitary strike from Rodri. Nevertheless, Inter were praised for their courageous display at the time.