‘I will be crazy and play with nine strikers’ – Guardiola takes dig at critics after Man City’s 1-1 draw with RB Leipzig

PEP GUARDIOLA hit back at critics by joking he might play with NINE strikers in the return leg against RB Leipzig.

Manchester City drew 1-1 away in the first leg after allowing Leipzig back into the game.

GettyPep Guardiola joked he will play nine strikers in the return leg[/caption]

Guardiola promised the return leg will be more open and he seemed tense having previously dismissed claims his team are too predictable with Erling Haaland earlier in the week.

And after the Leipzig game he joked he would play nine strikers to guarantee progression.

He said: “I didn’t want to come here and lose 4-3. It will have to be more open in Manchester.

“We don’t have the team to compete with them with a lot of transitions, they are better than us and they are faster than us, except Kyle (Walker) and Erling (Haaland). The pace they have, we don’t have it.

“Maybe in the second leg I will be crazy and decide to play with nine strikers.

“But I’ve coached in this country and I analysed Leipzig and I needed this type of control.”

Guardiola appears to be feeling the pressure with City’s form stuttering, particularly away from home.

At the end of the game in Germany he even held a teamtalk with his squd on the pitch – reminiscent of when Phil Brown did the same with his Hull City side at the Etihad in 2008.

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The Spaniard is also fearful of being judged a failure if City fail to win the Champions League.

He said: “People say because we have this name or whatever [City should win it], but I always have the feeling it’s so difficult to do that [win the Champions League].

“Every season it’s more and more difficult.

“We want to do our best and get to the quarter-finals but what is going to happen is going to happen.

“At the end of the day, our destiny is already written.

“Sometimes we have been close, sometimes not.

“Whatever I have done personally in the past or in the future, I am going to fail. Nothing will be enough.”