Pep Guardiola called for more of his team to meet the standards of Nathan Ake and Rico Lewis if they are to chase down Arsenal in the Premier League.
The Manchester City boss was furious after the 4-2 comeback over Tottenham, laying into the players and the whole club as a "happy flowers" team who have lost the drive to win. Guardiola said he was trying to spark a reaction by coming public with his thoughts as he spoke at length about what he wants more of from the team.
No superstar was exempt from Guardiola's criticism, with the manager indicating that Erling Haaland was not following instructions in the first half to contribute to City's lack of threat up front. However, teenager Lewis and defender Ake were singled out by Guardiola as currently essential to the team.
ALSO READ: 'I want my fans back' - every word of Pep's post-match rant on Sky
"It's not about the way we play. Are you going to judge the quality of the players?" he said. "I love them. They are all fantastic players but there are the details.
"It comes from the success we had in the past. People say it's not success because you don't win the Champions League. Bull****. We won a lot. In this country two back-to-backs and the way we played, the consistency against this Liverpool? What a success.
"But we have to look ourselves, it is not enough. I said to Erling - runners, you cannot drop because runners. One run before half time. One. The quality is there. That's why we bought it. I want to help you but the quality is go there. One. I want more.
"I want more for everyone. It's not about performing well or not. It's no complaining. Tell me [about] Nathan, against [Dejan] Kulusevski - what a player. [Against Mo] Salah in the Carabao Cup. 10 duels and he won nine. It's not in the highlights but without Nathan right now we cannot play good.
"Rico Lewis. 18 years old. Why play him over him or him? Look at the Carabao Cup game against Chelsea; Carabao Cup against Liverpool; in Leeds, the team most aggressive in the Premier League, they don't give you two seconds in small spaces; Chelsea second half, he arrived and after one minute he changed the game.
"Why? Because he wants to live in the world, have a better contract and win Premier Leagues he has never won. That is what everyone needs to come back with because we need everyone. Today we played good but we don't have it. In football it is not just about playing good or bad, it is about something that is inside all of us.
READ NEXT
