Pep Guardiola has played down concerns about the performances of John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi during Manchester City’s 3-2 defeat to Norwich.
The centre-back pairing endured a nightmare game at Carrow Road, with both players at fault for Norwich goals.
Stones’ blind attempt to play offside led to Norwich’s second goal, while Otamendi had his pocket picked in the box in the second half for the Canaries’ third.
While City fans up in arms about the defeat, Guardiola reacted to the display of his defensive duo.
He said: ‘They (Stones and Otamendi) play together a lot – they are the central defenders that we have. It happens.’
Stones was drafted in after usual first-choice Aymeric Laporte picked up a long-term injury.
Guardiola may dip into the transfer market in January for further cover at centre-back, but the City boss defended his players after their shock loss to Norwich.
‘It was a good game. They arrived three or four times [in front of our goal],’ he said.
‘At the same time I know what we can do. I love my players and it’s an honour to be with them.
‘The people cannot expect us to win or pick up 100 points all the time. We’re going to recover now and come back.
‘Normally I count how many chances they create. I don’t have that feeling that they had many chances to score a goal, which sometimes happens.’
MORE: Norwich stun Manchester City with thrilling 3-2 win against Premier League champions
