Football
Jonathan Smith, Manchester City correspondent 7y

Pep Guardiola keeps Man City players back after Southampton draw

MANCHESTER -- Pep Guardiola kept his players in the dressing room for 50 minutes after Manchester City's 1-1 home draw with Southampton.

Guardiola's side returned to the top of the Premier League but have now gone five games without a victory in all competitions after winning their opening 10 matches of the season.

The City coach said he had to analyse what was going wrong but said such a run was "part of football."

Asked at his postmatch news conference why he had kept the players behind, he said: "The red wine was good and I took a little bit longer with my glasses.

"We were together, we spoke but nothing special. We spoke about what is the situation we have and from this situation try to go up.

"I was a football player and I know this can happen. You are able to win 10 times in a row, and after you are not able to win five times.

"That is part of football. You have to accept that, but I am not a guy who regrets. So I have to discover the reason why and I'm going to fight for that."

Southampton were gifted a 27th minute lead when Nathan Redmond pounced on an underhit John Stones backpass to score before Kelechi Iheanacho levelled in the second half.

It was the latest in a number of individual errors that have cost City -- in midweek Claudio Bravo was sent off for handball after fluffing a clearance while Aleksander Kolarov made defensive mistakes in the draw with Celtic and the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

However, Guardiola said the reason for dropping points against Southampton had been a lack of intensity before half-time.

"Today I think the difference between the first half and the second half was obvious and that is what we have to realise," he added.

"Today with John and Wednesday with Claudio, that is not the reason. Against Everton we missed two penalties and we played amazing and didn't win. It is something more and about the team and how you rebel, how you react.

"When you see the second half it is because these guys are good and I have to help them to achieve and to reach in the second half, when it is 11 against 11 in Barcelona and in the second half against Everton."

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