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Pep Guardiola praised winless Southampton and said he can learn from the way Russell Martin’s bottom-placed side made life hard in Manchester City’s narrow victory.
Having failed to win a single Premier League match since promotion and last week suffering added-time heartbreak against Leicester, it felt like a case of how many the hosts would win by on Saturday.
Erling Haaland’s fifth-minute opener only increased the sense of inevitability, but Southampton stuck to under-fire Martin’s principles and made life challenging for the champions at the Etihad Stadium.
Cameron Archer struck the crossbar on the stroke of half-time and City eventually ran out 1-0 victors, putting them top of the table ahead of Sunday’s clash between Arsenal and Liverpool.
Guardiola told Sky Sports: “Today it was not how (Southampton) defend deep, it was how good they play with the ball with the keeper and the movement.
“It’s a good game to learn as a manager. I am going to learn a lot with Russell because they did really well. We were humble and accepted that they did really well.”
It was an eye-catching remark by all-conquering City head coach Guardiola and picked up on in the post-match press conference.
“I’m a big believer for the process to the build-up,” the City boss said. “I prefer the players get the ball to the feet, not the teeth.
“When that happens it’s because it was an incredible process. We were not sloppy, we were not flat but we struggled to regain the ball because they are really good.
“I’m a spectator, when I see the opponent do the things I like to do with my team and they do it really well, I make a compliment. I’m sure I will learn. Some movements, the reasons why they do it.
“They make movements to link to the striker, over players on the side to bring you there.
“It’s not easy, but we created enough chances to win better. I like to win in that way, as it proved in the last two games against Wolves and Southampton, who right now are bottom of the league and look how difficult.
“When people say in the Premier League everyone can beat everyone, yeah, that is the truth. Every game is a battle, it’s so difficult.
“I don’t have any complaints about my team because when the opponent is good you have to accept it. This is what happened.”
Southampton were brave in possession and well drilled without it, but ultimately the result saw them equal their longest winless league start to a season.
Saints also went nine without a victory at the start of 1998-99 and went onto stay up by finishing 17th, with Martin saying the display against City increases his belief of beating the drop.
“Our job is to give them a team to be proud of, that plays in a way they can identify with, and that team today ran so hard and played with so much courage,” Martin said.
“I’ve believed since the start of the season that the players can play in this way in the Premier League and enable us to stay up, and today’s given me even more belief in that.
“But we have a massive two weeks coming ahead starting on Tuesday.”
Southampton host Everton and travel to Wolves in the Premier League after Tuesday’s Carabao Cup tie at home to Stoke.
Martin thought he would miss the Toffees clash having collected a third booking of the season for his reaction to Flynn Downes’ yellow card for a clean tackle on Bernardo Silva.
But the Football Association has confirmed to the PA news agency that the touchline ban will fall against Stoke.
“We had an apology last week about a decision that was made that we weren’t given (against Leicester in a 3-2 defeat),” Martin said.
“I didn’t say anything after the game in the press but today I am because I didn’t swear at the fourth official, I threw my arms up in the air at a bad decision and I get booked for it.
“I’m not happy because I miss a game next week. If I’m wrong and I deserve a yellow card, then I hold my hands up.
“But today I think that it’s nonsense. I’ll probably get a fine for that as well but it is nonsense.”
