Manuel Pellegrini fumes after sloppy Manchester City blow the lead
Manuel Pellegrini accused his Manchester City players of complacency after they allowed a two-goal lead to slip away in a costly 2-2 draw against lowly Burnley.
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Manchester: Manuel Pellegrini accused his Manchester City players of complacency after they allowed a two-goal lead to slip away in a costly 2-2 draw against lowly Burnley.
An early second half effort from Burnley`s George Boyd was followed by a dramatic 82nd minute equaliser from Ashley Barnes which ended City`s bid for a club record 10th consecutive victory.
"The way we`re playing, we need to run a lot of metres," said Pellegrini.
"Maybe leading 2-0 we thought that the game was over but until the last whistle the game has never finished. We couldn`t continue with the same pace.
"In football, two balls can decide the score. At the beginning of the second half, Burnley scored a clear offside goal; after that, with a rebound, they scored the second.
"We played very well in the first half but it`s clear that we couldn`t keep the same intensity as we had in the first half.
"In the second half, they scored the early goal and that was very important for them. They grew a lot and had a lot of trust in what they could do."
Pellegrini, who revealed he had left Yaya Toure out of his squad as a precaution after the Ivory Coast international reported a slight groin problem, remained defiant about City`s title chances despite the setback.
"Of course, this was a chance to have two points more, but not a chance for anything else," he said.
"We have to play the complete second round (of fixtures). We have finished the first round with 43 points, which is a good amount of points.
"After leading 2-0, it`s more disappointing to lose the two points but we have all the second round to see who is the best team."
Stevan Jovetic returned as a second half substitute, meaning City`s run of games without a fit, recognised first team forward is over, but news about the fitness of club captain Vincent Kompany, laid off with a hamstring injury, is less positive.
"We will see tomorrow if he`s fit for the next game," said Pellegrini whose side next face Sunderland on New Year`s Day.
"It is very difficult to know for now. He still has some problems in his calf."
Pellegrini also blamed the fixture schedule, and the fact his players had to perform on a heavy, snow-bound pitch at West Brom on Boxing Day, for their poor second half showing.
But opposite number Sean Dyche not only named the same starting line-up that lost to Liverpool on Boxing Day but also resisted the temptation to make a substitution during the 90 minutes at the Etihad.
"I find it incredible people are making that point," said Dyche. "When I was playing, we would put out the same team if we were playing well.
"I don`t over-think it. If the team is ready to play, we play and today the players were ready to deliver.
"I keep reading about `struggling Burnley,` But the expectation was we had no chance at all.
"If you look at the way the team is performing, we`re not struggling, we`re playing really well and I`m delighted with all the players.
"I`m intrigued to see where the journey is taking us and I`ve been very much enjoying the way the team has been playing."