Pep Guardiola showed respect for Celtic following Manchester City’s 4-3 loss in their first pre-season match in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Despite City fielding stars like Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish, it was Celtic who emerged victorious, with standout performances from Nicolas Kuhn and others pivotal in the match.
Post-game, Guardiola was forthright in his praise of the Scottish champions, particularly highlighting Celtic’s effectiveness on the break and their ability to exploit City’s defensive transitions.
As per RecordSport, Guardiola said: “Many things I saw were nice. We created a lot of chances, we scored, we could not control the transitions well, because they are really good with the pace and quality they have. They had a better rhythm than us. You have lived through these kinds of situations in the pre-season and we are going to build from here. They (Celtic) linked really well inside. We didn’t cover much well. But it is what it is. Sometimes it happens. I give credit for the quality of the opponents.”
Interestingly, this match marked the third encounter between Guardiola and Celtic, with Celtic remaining the only team he has yet to defeat. The Spaniard met Celtic for the first time in the Champions League when Brendan Rodgers was initially in charge of the Hoops. A 3-3 draw at Parkhead was followed up by a 1-1 draw at the Etihad. Now, Celtic have got one over Pep, winning in the pre-season encounter between the two.
It’s all eyes on Chelsea for Celtic now.
