After Manchester City’s 0-1 loss to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, manager Pep Guardiola addressed the media and shared his thoughts on goalkeeper Dean Henderson’s time-wasting tactics.
On Henderson’s time-wasting:
Guardiola said:
“He’s defending his team’s interests, just like we are. It’s time-wasting—I understand it in the final minutes—but from the first couple of minutes? He’s English, and in English football, you have to play the game.”
“I’m sorry—everyone can do what they want. We had to score. We didn’t lose because of Henderson’s time-wasting. In the final minutes, I understand it.”
“The referee gave us 9 or 10 minutes of added time, but the issue is rhythm. The fans are there to see 22 players constantly playing. When you watch Barcelona today, when they’re behind, they attack, attack, attack—and the other team attacks too. That makes for a brilliant match.”
“But I understand Henderson’s position. This is a matter for the referee, not me. We couldn’t find the rhythm. I get time-wasting in the 86th, 87th, or 92nd minute—but we never found our rhythm today.”
On his team’s playing style:
“My teams—I never try to do that (time-waste). I want the match to go on the way the spectators want it to. That said, congratulations to Palace—they defended very, very well, and we couldn’t score.”