Pep Guardiola has said Inter Milan are ‘masters of defending deep’ after his Manchester City side were held to a frustrating goalless draw in their Champions League opener.
City were unable to find a route through the Italian champions at the Etihad, in a rematch of the 2023 Champions League final. Guardiola introduced Phil Foden and Ilkay Gundogan at half-time in a tactical change but the substitutions failed to transform a game that saw Inter defend deep and in numbers.
“We faced a really, really difficult team, the champions from Italy,” said Guardiola.
“They are physical and they have [strength in] all departments.
“They build up from Sommer and Bastoni, playing on the transition. I am really satisfied for the game we played.
“They are masters of defending deep. They help each other unbelievably so you cannot expect to create a lot of chances. We created some chances.
“We played much better than two years ago in the final of the Champions League. I like everything from my team today. We would prefer to win but still seven games, see what happens.
“There is a long way to go. For many years I don’t talk about trophies at all. In the Champions League, the emotions are completely different.
“We have advantage to play at home, but I admire teams who defend well. We defend really well also.
“We concede clear chances on the transition, but not much more than that. I know how good they are.
“They are top class team, and we behave really well. We prefer to win but I don’t have regrets, I like everything we have done today.”
