Why Pep Guardiola felt Man City were ‘sloppy’ in 6-3 derby win over Man Utd

Pep Guardiola has claimed his Manchester City side did not do the ‘simple things’ well in Sunday’s 6-3 victory over Manchester United.

The Premier League champions dismantled the Red Devils in the first half of the derby and were 4-0 up at the break. City simply suffocated United, retained the ball well, moved it quickly and were patient in their search for an opening while also immediately regaining possession on the rare occasion they conceded it.

Yet despite that, Guardiola said he felt his side were sloppy in certain areas and, while full of praise for the performance, added certain aspects could have been much sharper.

“It was really good. I think words are not necessary for how good we are in many things,” the Catalan said after the game.

“There are a few things we need to improve; sloppy, easy balls we are losing and we need to improve on that. We conceded some actions for opponents for the simple things we are not doing well and you have to improve.

“In our process, in our simple things, we are still not good enough,” he added, when speaking in the post-match press conference.

Guardiola’s comments perhaps relate more to the latter stages of the game, with City switching off defensively and allowing United to net two late goals from Anthony Martial, after Antony had also scored earlier in the second half.

But the six strikes from City ensured it was a comfortable win for the Blues. Phil Foden and Erling Haaland shared the goals equally, meaning the latter grabbed yet another treble, his third since joining from Borussia Dortmund in the summer.

Meanwhile, Foden’s hat-trick was the first of his senior career and puts him on six goals in all competitions across this season.

Next up for City is a Champions League clash with Copenhagen on Wednesday night.