Zimpapers Logo

LONDON. — Pep Guardiola didn’t enter the dressing room or hold a post-match inquest with his players after Manchester City were dumped out of the Champions League football by Lyon, Oleksandr Zinchenko has revealed.

The English Premier League giants once again suffered elimination at the quarter-final stage for a third season in a row, but had been heavily tipped to finally break their European curse during the mini-tournament in Lisbon.

Guardiola’s agony in the competition was extended for another campaign at least after Lyon emerged shock 3-1 winners, leaving the Spanish tactician lost for words.

His reshuffle in formation led to widespread criticism after Moussa Dembele’s double, added to Maxwel Cornet’s first-half opener, saw Lyon seize the semi-final spot up for grabs.

And such was Guardiola’s crushing disappointment, Zinchenko has shed light on the silence that greeted the full-time whistle.

He told his partner, Vlada Seden, on her YouTube channel: “Guardiola didn’t even enter the locker room, and didn’t say a word after the match. What is there to say, if everything is clear?

“It’s a shame for David Silva and Claudio Bravo — they played their last match for Manchester City. We wanted to win first of all for them.”

Zinchenko also believes that Lyon were able to ease into the final four of the competition due to their “excessive desire”.

Team-mate Raheem Sterling was culpable for a horror miss with Lyon leading by a single goal in the second half, but the Ligue 1 outfit often harried their opponents on the ball and were devastating on the counter-attack.

“They wanted it more than we did, that’s all,” Zinchenko admitted. “It was visible.

“At this stage, in such tournaments, the skill of the team does not always play a leading role — desire, character, and such qualities come to the fore instead.”

Guardiola has often been accused of overthinking his team selection for crunch knockout European games – and the defeat to Lyon was perhaps no exception.

His choice to field three central defenders was openly questioned by many City supporters, and it appears even Zinchenko has realised that the set-up may have been misguided.

When questioned on Guardiola’s decision, he said: “A game of three defenders? Many footballers with vast experience are well aware that with such tactics there will always be a lack of one player in front.

“We needed one more player in front to use him offensively.” — Mailonline.