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has said that he took charge of selecting ‘s penalty takers in their Uefa Super Cup victory against Sevilla.
City scored all five of their spot-kicks to take home the trophy after the game finished 1-1 after 90 minutes in Athens, with Sevilla’s Nemanja Gudelj hitting the bar from 12 yards to hand Guardiola’s side the win.
The City boss took credit for the shootout success, saying he chose all five takers unlike against when he allowed the players to decide and the treble winners tasted defeat.
: ‘This time, they didn’t choose who were the takers, I chose the takers.’
Kevin de Bruyne and Rodri both failed to find the net with their penalties against Arsenal at Wembley, allowing Fabio Vieira to fire home the winning kick.
Pep Guardiola revealed he chose who took Manchester City’s penalties in their Uefa Super Cup win against Sevilla
City scored all five of their efforts from the spot to take home the Super Cup for the first time in their history
It handed City’s title rivals some early-season impetus, and Guardiola decided to take charge in the Super Cup final to claim the win.
Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez, Mateo Kovacic, Jack Grealish and Kyle Walker all scored against Sevilla to secure the victory.
Guardiola was particularly delighted with England defender Walker, who saw his attempt squirm beneath the body of opposition goalkeeper Bono before crossing the line.
He said: ”I’m very pleased, particularly with Kyle [Walker] because I think it’s maybe the first penalty he ever had in his life, and it was the last one.But he did it really well.
‘That reflects the mentality of the players because penalties are a mental issue.’
City have now won six of the eight shootouts they have been a part of since Guardiola became head coach in 2016, suggesting they have a good record from the spot regardless of who is picking the kick-takers.
The Catalan was also pleased to become the first manager to win the Super Cup with three different clubs, having already lifted the trophy with both Barcelona and Bayern Munich, meaning City currently have four pieces of silverware to their name.
Julian Alvarez slotted home City’s second penalty against Sevilla
City were beaten by Arsenal on penalties in the Community Shield final earlier this month
Guardiola took charge in Athens, Maglia Chelsea helping City win the Super Cup for the first time
He said: ‘It’s so nice to arrive at training every morning and see all four trophies there. I say ‘wow, it’s so difficult to do that’.We are really pleased, I’m sorry. But, we have to continue.
‘The nice thing is that it’s a trophy the club didn’t have, like the Champions League and I will always remember being a part of that for many, many years, that I was part of an incredible group of people to do something for the first time. A first kiss is a first kiss!’
A source of frustration for Guardiola may come from their pursuit of Lucas Paqueta though, with a move for the West Ham midfielder on hold after Mail Sport.
The Premier League champions continue the defence of their title against Newcastle United on Saturday.
