I never point fingers at my players – Guardiola defends Man City’s performance against Nottingham Forest
By Joel Masibo, March 5, 2026Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola has defended his players after the side was held to a 2-2 draw against stubborn Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, March 4, 2026.
City led Forest twice, thanks to new signing Antoine Semenyo and Rodri’s efforts, but failed to collect maximum points that would have continued piling pressure on runaway leaders Arsenal.
As his men dropped crucial points on the road, Guardiola said in his post-match remarks that he does not blame his players, no matter the outcome of a fixture, as Man City blinked first in the heated title race.
Guardiola concedes
“I would like to concede fewer, but it’s not about analysing one specific action,” said Guardiola. “I never point fingers at my players. We did everything. We had the chances at the end and in the first half and the momentum. But something always happens, and we could not win.”
At the same time, Arsenal held their nerves to edge Brighton 1-0 to extend their lead at the top to seven points. With Man City counting on the game in hand against Crystal Palace, the fixture could play a critical role in the final push of the title charge.
Even though Manchester City had 70 per cent ball possession and 21 shots at the Etihad, their inability to guard their lead against Forest could come to haunt them as the season enters the homestretch. The Wednesday’s stalemate means that City have now dropped a whole 13 points from winning positions this season.
Dropping crucial points
Touching on the worrying trend, Guardiola admitted that there are matches that his men could have easily won, but the results did not appeal.
“It is a lot but there are games that maybe we didn’t deserve it, but today we played, in general, well for 90 minutes,” said Guardiola. “You have to stop transitions, long balls you have to defend but it’s not about this action or that action, in general the game was well played.
“We created a lot against a team so defensive, a really good team, more dynamic.” Guardiola said in post-match reactions.