Thierry Henry issued an impassioned defence of his former boss Pep Guardiola on Monday Night time Soccer, however admitted the Manchester Metropolis supervisor could be “questioned” for the primary time amid their poor kind.
Henry queried why Guardiola had allowed free-scoring gamers like Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez and Cole Palmer to go away the Etihad with out being changed, and requested the place objectives would come from when Erling Haaland just isn’t firing on all cylinders.
Metropolis are on a run of eight defeats from their final 12 video games following the 2-1 loss in Sunday’s Manchester derby, which left them 9 factors off the highest of the Premier League desk, having performed a recreation greater than leaders Liverpool.
Although they’ve struggled defensively within the absence of Rodri, Guardiola’s facet have additionally recorded comfortably their lowest goals-per-game tally of any season since his arrival.
“We all know, it’s the first time and we’re allowed to say it, that we can challenge his decisions in the way of letting Cole Palmer go, Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez,” Henry mentioned.
“Ilkay Gundogan got here again and it isn’t the identical Gundogan who scored 17 objectives a season.
“You are lacking these objectives. Erling Haaland is scoring the identical objectives, a number of lower than in his first season however he is doing what he does often.
“I’ve seen him miss sitters in every season but where are the goals of Mahrez, Alvarez or Kevin De Bruyne, Gundogan – where are those goals?”
Henry mentioned he didn’t count on Guardiola to give up, solely weeks after signing a brand new two-year deal to take him by way of to June 2027, however defended the supervisor who he labored beneath at Barcelona in his first job for the extent of consistency he has achieved since then.
“One thing I will say about this team, it’s the first time it’s happening like this to him in his career. Let’s not kill the guy or this team because of what’s happening,” he mentioned.
“You can never say never [that he could quit] – but Pep is not that type of coach. He is really, really hard, and mean and intense when you win, because he wants to keep you there.
“And he is extra good when he is down. You may see when the staff did not play nicely, he’ll come out and say ‘I really like my staff, they performed rather well tonight’.
“And sometimes he will come on the pitch and have a go at his team when they won 3-0, you can see him arguing that someone who missed a pass.
“I like that. You alter while you’re on the prime, you attempt to change so you’ll be able to keep there. As soon as you might be right here, you are making an attempt to be the good man now.”
Carra: This is the first Pep rebuild that feels like one
Sergio Aguero scored 78 Premier League objectives throughout Pep Guardiola’s first 4 seasons at Man Metropolis
Jamie Carragher added that Metropolis’s issues solely highlighted the extent of rebuild required when their staff evolution had appeared extra seamless in earlier years, regardless of having to exchange membership legends like Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Vincent Kompany throughout Guardiola’s time on the membership.
He mentioned: “It’s the first time it feels like a rebuild, even though there has been but they’ve been so successful they haven’t missed the players you’re talking about.
“That is one thing each membership has gone by way of. You have a look at Jurgen Klopp a few years in the past, Man Utd beneath Sir Alex Ferguson the place you have a look at it and suppose it may take them a few years to get again to what they have been.
“As a result of Pep is that good, you’ve got by no means felt prefer it was a rebuild though it was.
