Pep Guardiola admitted he could have handled Manchester City’s slump differently in a period that has made him appreciate the team’s achievements even more.. The Blues headed to Leicester on an awful run of one win from 13 matches, with nine of his 72 defeats as City manager coming in that time. However, goals from Savinho and Erling Haaland put a smile on City faces for the manager’s 500th game in charge of the club; only Les McDowell can boast more.. Guardiola said that the dismal run has felt like it has gone on for 500 months, and do not think his team are anywhere near their best. They may actually not reach the best that they are known for, according to the manager.. If the Leicester game gave Guardiola the chance to reflect on a successful 2024 and a trophy-laden 500 games, he has also been doing plenty of thinking about the run that they have been on. While changes were contemplated for Leicester, the idea of it being a landmark game influenced his decision not to overthink.. “I am so pleased, I shared it all the staff and players have been with day one until now – there are a lot. I know the last 13-14 games have not really been good but comparing that to 500, we have to be so pleased and so happy with what we have done together,” he said.. “It’s a lot of games, I could not expect when I landed in this country. We have done a lot of things that will be a memory forever. Maybe that period, the month and a half to two months that feels like 500 months, will make you realise how nice it was, and hopefully we can come back. Maybe we will not be what we were but closer than now.. “I changed a bit against Everton, today I didn’t change anything what we had done. It’s one thing I reflected. We have to change a lot in this period or we change less – I don’t know. Today was quite similar to what we have done in the past but we are still a way from what we have to be as a team.. “I thought a lot to change, but the alternative was not as good. I thought with this 500 games, that’s why I didn’t change much. It was more to give the players calm and players back and other players fit. This is the most important thing.. “At the end it was not the only reason. The starting XI today was really good, against Everton was really good, against Aston Villa was really good. It was more in our minds. Intervening in the minds of the players is not easy, it is the toughest job.”
