Pep Guardiola blown away by the Nottingham Forest player who ‘wins all of the balls’

Pep Guardiola blown away by the Nottingham Forest player who ‘wins all of the balls’

Pep Guardiola praised Nottingham Forest after Manchester City climbed to the top of the table with a hard-earned 2–1 victory at the City Ground.

The champions were held to a goalless first half before Tijjani Reijnders broke the deadlock early in the second period.

Forest responded quickly through Omari Hutchinson, who scored his first goal since joining from Ipswich Town in the summer.

However, City extended their winning run to eight matches when Rayan Cherki struck late on, leaving Forest rooted in 17th place.

Speaking after the match, Guardiola admitted his side had been pushed to their limits by a determined Forest team.

“I lost all the kilos I put on over Christmas today – I’m fit again,” he joked to TNT Sports. “What a team Sean Dyche has built. That was a really, really big three points.”

He continued: “They are an incredible side. The way they play is unbelievable. Igor wins everything, and they’re full of quality.

This team was close to the Champions League last season and are now competing in Europe. It’s such a tough place to come, especially in winter.”

Guardiola revealed City had prepared for the challenge in advance. “We spoke a lot about this game. Coming here in winter, you have to be fully ready. If not, you don’t win. The mentality today was outstanding.”

He also reflected on tactical adjustments after the break. “In the first half, there were too many players behind the ball and not enough presence between the lines.

Once we started breaking and moving inside and outside, we created more chances.”

Looking ahead, Guardiola stressed the long road still to come. “We’ve played 18 games now – that’s the first half of the season.

The Premier League only gets tougher, but it’s important to stay in the race. One result doesn’t decide everything.”

Reijnders echoed his manager’s thoughts, praising Forest’s home strength. “A lot of teams struggle here. I felt it myself today. They close the spaces so well, it’s very hard to find the free man.

In the second half we changed our shape and that helped us find more openings. It was a very important win and we’re right in the hunt.”