Pep Guardiola celebrated his 500th game as Manchester City manager with a 2-0 away victory over Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
Manchester City won their first Premier League game in December thanks to goals from Savinho in the 21st minute and Erling Haaland in the 74th minute.
The reigning champions have had a difficult period, going winless in their last five matches across all competitions. Guardiola’s side was on a three-game losing streak in the Premier League, including a 2-0 loss to Juventus in the UEFA Champions League. Before Sunday’s match, they were held to a 1-1 draw by Everton on Boxing Day.
Reacting to the 500 matches in charge that have seen him win six Premier League titles, Guardiola said he was proud of his time in charge of City.
“Of course it is a lot of games, and I’m so pleased,” Guardiola said. “And to share it with the players and the staff. The staff and the players that have been there since day one until now, there is a lot.”
In his reign at the club, Manchester City has won the UEFA Champions League, the Club World Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup.
“We have to be so pleased” – Pep
Recently, the dominant City side has faced a nightmare with unexpected defeats, such as the late capitulation against rivals Manchester United in the Manchester derby at Etihad Stadium.
“I know the last 13, 14 games have not been really good, but comparing 13, 14 games of 500, we have to be so pleased and so happy with what we have done together. We have done a lot of things that will be in the memories forever,” Guardiola said.
Additionally, Guardiola applauded Leicester City for an inspired fight despite going down 2-0 at home to the defending champions.
“It was not the best performance; I give credit to Leicester for the way they played and give more credit to them, but in that moment we needed results to clear our minds, to see that we are in a better position; hopefully they can help us to be able to continue in the next games. At the end of the night, against Everton, we played better than we did today, but we didn’t win; now it is about winning.”
Guardiola is the second City manager to take charge of 500 or more matches, with Les McDowall holding a record of 592 games between 1950 and 1963.
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