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PEP WARNS AGAINST ANOTHER 'DISASTER'
The Straits Times
|September 21, 2025
City boss doesn’t want ‘U-I4s’ defending that led to a 5-1 trouncing by Arsenal in February
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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said his side can ill afford a repeat of the “Under-I4s” defending that saw them thrashed 5-1 by Arsenal in February.
Guardiola’s men travel to the Emirates again on Sept 21, already trailing the Gunners and defending champions Liverpool in the Premier League title race.
City lost two of their opening three games to Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion, but have bounced back with comprehensive wins over Manchester United and in the Champions League over Napoli.
The thrashing by his former protege Mikel Arteta was one of the low points in a miserable campaign for Guardiola, who needed no reminding that City failed to win a trophy for the first time since 2017 and finished a distant third behind Liverpool and Arsenal.
“The game last season, we started like many times last season, like an Under-l4s team and gave away a thousand million goals,” said Guardiola when asked to reflect on his last visit to the Emirates.
This story is from the September 21, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
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