City earned a hard-fought win over Brighton to end a run of two Premier League defeats and get their season back on track after hiccups against Wolves and Arsenal. But the reigning champions were far from their fluent best against Roberto De Zerbi's ebullient side, with Guardiola acknowledging City's ongoing hangover from last season's heroics.
“The Treble had an influence on all of us, me included,” said Guardiola. "So we need to be there, arriving in the final moments at the end of the season, being close to the opponents and trying to do it again.
“I said many times that no one has won four Premier League titles in a row, never ever, so that shows how difficult it is. But now it’s important to be there, especially in the Champions League, qualify for the next round.
“In this period now we have two games against Young Boys and after the second game against them at home, we can be there. After that, we can just focus on the Premier League, Premier League, Premier League. That's the target. That's why today was really important.”
City got off to a flying start, goals from Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland taking them 2-0 up after 19 minutes, only for Brighton to find a way back through sub Ansu Fati in the 73rd minute.
That ensured an anxious finale for City, who managed to hold out, although a second yellow card for Manuel Akanji in added time means he is suspended for this weekend's derby at Manchester United.
Haaland's goal ended a run of three games without a goal for City, his mini-drought proof of the high standards he has set after plundering a remarkable 52 last season in his debut campaign.“The expectations are so high, but he handled it really well,” said Guardiola. “He knows he could have scored more goals in that group stage and in the nine Premier League games.”
Guardiola sprung a surprise in goal, preferring back-up keeper Stefan Ortega to first-choice Ederson, the City boss explaining the reasoning behind his selection decision.
“It was just for the fact that the travel from Ede [Ederson], back from Brazil, is a long time,” said Guardiola. "Of course, it happened many times before, but he played two games there and the first day he arrived back he was so tired.
“Normally I like to play Ortega in the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, but we are out of the Carabao Cup and sometimes it’s also good for Ede too, to rest a bit and refresh your mind.
“Sometimes the players can be tired, keepers can be tired too, and with the ball, he's really good, he has good composure, he's patient, he has quality in his passing. That's why we decided on him.”
Victory saw City set a new Premier League record of 21 consecutive home wins, beating the previous best run of 20, set by local rivals United, who Guardiola's side face on Sunday at Old Trafford.
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