PEP GUARDIOLA blamed calamity keeper Claudio Bravo for Manchester City’s Champions League thrashing in Barcelona.
Guardiola was left humiliated after crashing to the joint-worst defeat of his managerial career at his spiritual home.
Lionel Messi tore City to shreds with the 37th hat-trick of his glittering career before Neymar added a fourth.
To add insult to injury, Bravo got himself sent off before the hour mark on his return to his former club for handling a Luis Suarez shot well outside his box after gifting the ball to the Barca striker in the first place.
“Football can be a game of mistakes and he [Bravo] knows what he did,” said Guardiola. “I don’t have doubts about him. He’s disappointed and he’ll learn from that. To the last day as a coach I will try to play out from the goalkeeper. But there are still moments when you have to kick the ball out.”
His blunder made a fool of Guardiola, considering the Spanish boss got rid of Joe Hart for having poor footwork and brought in Bravo for £17million.
Guardiola admitted Bravo’s red card left them with no chance in the Nou Camp.“It’s difficult to play against Barcelona with 11 players – but with 10 it’s over,” he said.
“Before the red card it was a close game and we created chances to score some goals. We had some control but Barca’s strikers punish you. We gave our opponents too much.”
And Guardiola defended his shock decision to axe Sergio Aguero for the Group C showdown.
Aguero has scored 11 goals in nine outings this season and was left stunned when Guardiola told him a few hours before kick-off that he would not be starting.
But Guardiola believes it was still the right call despite seeing his side thrashed to make it four games without a win.
He said: “I wanted one more midfield player in that position, so he was OK about it. He didn’t warm-up but he is okay. I told him in the afternoon.”
Lionel Messi tore City to shreds with the 37th hat-trick of his glittering career before Neymar added a fourth.
To add insult to injury, Bravo got himself sent off before the hour mark on his return to his former club for handling a Luis Suarez shot well outside his box after gifting the ball to the Barca striker in the first place.
“Football can be a game of mistakes and he [Bravo] knows what he did,” said Guardiola. “I don’t have doubts about him. He’s disappointed and he’ll learn from that. To the last day as a coach I will try to play out from the goalkeeper. But there are still moments when you have to kick the ball out.”
His blunder made a fool of Guardiola, considering the Spanish boss got rid of Joe Hart for having poor footwork and brought in Bravo for £17million.
Guardiola admitted Bravo’s red card left them with no chance in the Nou Camp.“It’s difficult to play against Barcelona with 11 players – but with 10 it’s over,” he said.
And Guardiola defended his shock decision to axe Sergio Aguero for the Group C showdown.
Aguero has scored 11 goals in nine outings this season and was left stunned when Guardiola told him a few hours before kick-off that he would not be starting.
But Guardiola believes it was still the right call despite seeing his side thrashed to make it four games without a win.
He said: “I wanted one more midfield player in that position, so he was OK about it. He didn’t warm-up but he is okay. I told him in the afternoon.”
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