By Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola suggested his side’s limited recovery time contributed to their surprising 2-1 loss to Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium. Antoine Semenyo and Evanilson scored to secure a historic league win for the Cherries over City.
The Premier League champions, who played Tottenham in the Carabao Cup just three days prior, faced a tight schedule, while Bournemouth benefitted from a week’s rest after their match against Aston Villa. City’s defeat means they drop to second place, two points behind Liverpool, who rallied for a 2-1 win over Brighton.
“We couldn’t match Bournemouth’s intensity,” Guardiola admitted. “They had six or seven days, while we had less recovery time after London. We created chances, especially towards the end, but we struggled with long balls and couldn’t defend deeply.”
Injuries further complicated matters for City, with key players like Ruben Dias, John Stones, Kevin De Bruyne, and Savinho unavailable. Guardiola highlighted the contributions of players such as Kyle Walker and Manuel Akanji, who returned despite recent fitness struggles.
Walker echoed Guardiola’s sentiments, stressing the need to play with “heart” against a well-prepared Bournemouth. “Going 2-0 down was always going to be tough. Bournemouth’s front three and their runners were challenging, and they’ve shown strong discipline and organization,” he said.
City fielded only 13 fully fit first-team players, while De Bruyne, Doku, and others remain sidelined or limited to the bench. As Guardiola’s team navigates a demanding fixture list and mounting injuries, they’ll be looking to regroup and refocus ahead of their next match.
