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Man City 0-0 Southampton: Pep guardiola claims his side struggled against Saints
Pep Guardiola, Manchester City manager, said that he felt guilty after Saturday's goalless draw against Southampton.
Guardiola previously refused to apologise to City fans for inviting them to the match in the wake of Wednesday's 6-3 Champions League victory over RB Leipzig.
In Saturday's deadlock, his side failed to score a single goal.
Guardiola stated, "I always feel bad when the game's not good."
"[The fans] come for a show, or to watch a game. It doesn't happen, I feel a little guilty that we didn't play well.
Official attendance at Etihad Stadium was 52,698 on Saturday - City's largest of the season and higher than the 38.062-crowd against Leipzig in week two - but the passionate home support failed to inspire Premier League champions Saints.
Guardiola stated that he misunderstood his comments following Wednesday's win in Group A.
He said, "I didn’t say anything wrong following Leipzig." "I stated that we faced an extremely difficult game against Southampton, and would need the support of the fans.
"I have never complained about how many people come and go. This is something I've never considered in my entire life. It's strange that people ask me this question. Even if 85 people or 100 people visit, I am grateful."
City were unusually poor in possession, and they lacked their usual attacking spark to defeat Ralph Hasenhuttl's team. Their only attempt on target came in the 90th minute.
After watching replays on the pitchside monitor, Jon Moss ruled that both the referee and the visitors had correctly awarded them a penalty in the second half for a foul on Adam Armstrong.
Guardiola said, "We weren't good at our build-up. We lost simple balls in the process because we weren't clever and a bit sloppy."
"That's why I must compliment Southampton. We are moving forward."
