My game plan was not good – Pep Guardiola takes blame for FA Cup final loss against Manchester United

Manchester City had entered the FA Cup final as favorites against derby rivals Manchester United but they were stunned by Erik Ten Hag’s team. United went on to win by 2-1 at the Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Youngsters – Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo – scored for the Red Devils in the first half but Jeremy Doku’s second-half goal was not enough to stage a comeback.

The Cityzens manager Guardiola took the blame for the loss on his shoulders as he admitted he got his tactics wrong.

“For my decisions, we were not in the right positions to attack them,” Guardiola told a news conference. “My mistake. My game plan was not good. Tactically, it was not good. I was not good, today.”

After conceding a 2-0 lead, the Spaniard added Doku and Manuel Akanji in the second half. Julian Alvarez also replaced Kevin de Bruyne early into the second half.

“You plan a game for different positions but it didn’t work,” Guardiola said. “Even with that, we arrived two or three times in the final third and byline and made nothing from crosses.

“They made one goal from one shot and the goal from Mainoo and no more than that. Always, when we play against United we have the control and we created in the second half but we were not able to do it.

“The second half was much, much better. We were more intense, in part because we were 2-0 down and had nothing to lose. It was a tight game.”

Guardiola disagreed that his team was underprepared for the summit clash as they rested on Monday and Tuesday.

“No, completely the opposite,” he said. “They were completely focused and how they reacted was so good. “Congratulations to Manchester United for winning the FA Cup. I think my game plan was not good.”