Guardiola hails ‘supermen’ Man City players after latest win،
Phil Foden's 16th goal of the season gave Manchester City a 1-0 win at Bournemouth, narrowing the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to one point and drawing widespread praise from from Pep Guardiola on Saturday.
Guardiola's side had to deal with a misfiring Erling Haaland and a second-half onslaught from Bournemouth before leaving the south coast with a 15th victory in their last 17 matches in all competitions.
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“I love my players, they are supermen,” Guardiola told Sky Sports. “They are so good. Where we have come from for many years, playing every three days — [Bournemouth] We had seven days to prepare for the match and we still have less.
“So when people say you play in the same conditions in the Premier League, no, no, we don't have the same equality, we have a lot more games to play than the others, and it's a difficult place to achieve., they are a fantastic team, they won 3-0 at Old Trafford.
“We demand too much from our players but they respond. I know people say 'they make a lot of money' but [the schedule] it's too much. Honestly. But business must go on and it surprises me every time how we are still here, they have amazing character and are so competitive even when they are tired they give extra.
“Our fans must be very proud of these guys.”
The latest victory was secured by Foden's 24th-minute strike after Haaland's shot was parried by Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto.
Foden, 23, has also contributed seven assists this season and has become one of City's leaders on the pitch.
“Forget the goals, of course they are important, but do you know how he played?” Guardiola told reporters during his press conference.
“How he controlled and accelerated. He has already become a top football player. From a little boy, he has now already become Phil, a world-class top player.
“He's so good. He can play everywhere, especially in the central position and play really, really well.”
It was Bournemouth who did most of the running after Foden's goal and were unlucky to lose, Marcus Tavernier wasting two good chances.
City were unconvincing but remained firmly in the hunt for another title ahead of a crucial March which includes league matches against Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.
It was City's second 1-0 victory in a row after beating Brentford by the same scoreline on Tuesday.
“The last 10-15 minutes were difficult. We won the treble and people think we have to win every game 4-0, 5-0, but that's not the reality and I hope we can soon take a week off and refresh our minds and legs,” Guardiola added to Sky Sports.
Kevin De Bruyne came off the bench for a late appearance for City after hamstring problems caused him to miss the Brentford game. The Belgian was booked and wasted a good chance after being played in by the excellent Foden.
City will be back in action in the FA Cup fifth round against Luton Town before facing a Manchester derby against rivals United the following Sunday.
Information from The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
