Guardiola 'questioning self' after latest loss

TURIN, Italy — Pep Guardiola admitted that he is questioning himself as his Manchester City team slumped to yet another defeat at Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday.

City fell 2-0 in a freezing Turin, its seventh defeat in 10 matches in all competitions putting its qualification for the last 16 at risk.

Asked by reporters whether he was questioning his management, Guardiola replied: "Yeah, of course."

"Of course I question myself in the good moments and the bad moments," said Guardiola. "I was stable in the good moments and I'm stable in the bad moments... My biggest challenge is when they give me the opportunity to be a manager and get results to continue to work.

"If I would miss the big challenge in the first season, the second season, I wouldn't be here."

But Guardiola still remained upbeat about his team.

"We played good, really, really good," Guardiola told reporters. "So we missed the last pass, the last action, of course, some transitions happen, but I'm so proud of these players, they give everything and they tried, and now we live in this period, and hopefully we can change and get results.

"I know it's difficult, it's difficult in Champions League in Europe, but we play really good."

The competition's new format sees the top eight teams after eight rounds of the league phase advance into the round of 16 and avoid a playoff, which is now almost out of reach for Guardiola's team.

"We have two games. We need one point maybe, one victory, the last one is at home, and the situation is because the game against Feyenoord (when City gave up a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3) and especially Inter Milan (a 0-0 draw)," the Spaniard said.

"But our three games away were really, really, really tough and you have to accept it. And when we turn around, we don't forget that period, we appreciate more what we have done in the past, what they are going to in the future."

English champion City is just one point above the bottom 12 places which bring elimination from the Champions League.

Five points separate City from the top eight places and automatic qualification for the last 16, with matches against Paris Saint-Germain and Club Brugge remaining in its league phase campaign.

City faces local rival Manchester United on Sunday in the Premier League, where Guardiola's team trails leader Liverpool by eight points.

Juve's solid defense

Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie scored to lead Juventus to the 2-0 win.

Vlahovic scored by the narrowest of margins in the 53rd minute when Kenan Yildiz swung the ball in and City keeper Ederson fumbled the Serb's header from close range and the ball sneaked just across the line, according to the goalline technology.

"The whole team played an excellent match, we prepared well and did everything what we had to do," Vlahovic told Amazon. "The result is amazing and can give us a great boost for the rest of the season."

City picked up the tempo in a desperate attempt to equalize and sent numbers forward, but Juve capitalized to double its lead against the run of play when McKennie hooked Timothy Weah's cross in with a sumptuous volley in the 75th minute.

Guardiola's team squandered several chances, one of the best falling to Erling Haaland late in first half.

Kevin De Bruyne sent a beautiful through ball to the Norwegian who got in behind the defense before trying to chip goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio who threw up his arm to block the shot.

Ilkay Gundogan unleashed a blistering strike from long range that Di Gregorio stretched to just push wide.

"We have done it really, really well, we didn't lose many balls that happened in the past, and we arrived in the positions," Guardiola said.

"But the Italian teams that defend so deep and so compact are not easy, they are masters of these kinds of situations."

Agencies