Manchester City: 5 Lessons Pep Guardiola should learn from Celtic draw

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GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – SEPTEMBER 28: Moussa Dembele of Celtic celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League group C match between Celtic FC and Manchester City FC at Celtic Park on September 28, 2016 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images) /

1. No days off

Many people will have doubtlessly told Pep Guardiola before he arrived in England that the Premier League is absolutely nonstop. Incessant. 100 miles an hour. There are no days off in the Premier League. Every team believes that on that on any given day, they can beat you.

Well, Guardiola also learned that mentality goes for the whole of the UK. Guardiola, understandably so, probably looked at Celtic, their recent performances, and figured his team would dismantle the Scots. Who didn’t?

But there are no gifts and especially not in what was dubbed the ‘Battle of Britain’. British teams facing off against each other are always feisty affairs and Guardiola needed his team at their absolute peak for the game. They were not.

The intensity wasn’t the same as usual in the opening exchanges and their passing wasn’t the same all night. Some of that will be down to Celtic and their fantastic performance. But some of it is due to a team coming in with the wrong mentality.

The City mentality was not bad. It just wasn’t where it needed to be for an atmosphere and an occasion like this. If Guardiola didn’t know before that there are literally no days off in this job, then he sure does now.

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