Manchester City saw their dismal run of form continue in their latest Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion.
City headed into this game off the back of three consecutive defeats, something that hadn’t happened to the Blues since 2018.
Pep Guardiola saw his side open the scoring through Erling Haaland in the 23rd minute and then enter the second half with their slim lead intact.
A five-minute spell in the second half saw Brighton bag two goals which eventually saw Fabian Hurzeler’s side secure their comeback victory and pile more misery onto the league champions.
Despite seeing his side fail to break their losing streak, Guardiola was full of praise for one particular figure who played against the Seagulls.
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Pep Guardiola praises Jahmai Simpson-Pusey after Man City lose again
Speaking to journalist Ryan Taylor after the game, Guardiola gave this verdict on what he saw from Jahmai Simpson-Pusey on this occasion.
He said: “The young lad played really good. It’s not easy for him. The young players usually come in with support from Rodri. He performed unbelievably & we have a central defender to help us for the future.”
Guardiola was also impressed with Simpson-Pusey’s efforts against Sporting
Having given the defender his first start for City in their defeat at Sporting, Guardiola praised Simpson-Pusey’s display in what turned out to be a difficult night for the Blues, saying this about him and Rico Lewis after the match.
He said: “The young lad [Simpson-Pusey] played incredible. Rico as well. When you play a lot of games, you can’t play with the same line-up or the same back-four.”
Across the 90 minutes he played against the Seagulls, the 19-year-old made two clearances, blocked one shot and made one tackle.
Having lost both games he’s started over the past week for City, this will undoubtedly be disappointing for the youngster, despite getting chances to play in the first team and getting praised on two occasions by Guardiola.
With City not in action again until after the latest international break, it’ll be interesting to see if Guardiola continues to play Simpson-Pusey regardless of which defensive options he has at his disposal.
