“I don’t know how many penalties we missed,” he admitted. Pep Guardiola after a 0-0 draw between Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund in the fifth round of the Champions League groups. Riyad Mahrez had a chance to open the scoring, but his penalty was saved by goalkeeper Kobel.

It was the second miss in a row for the Moroccan after a miss against Copenhagen. Penalties are an area where Pep Guardiola’s team is clearly lacking.

Since July 2016, when he took over at Manchester City, the Citizens have failed to convert 25 of 80 penalties. The percentage of misses reaches 31.25%, which is the worst among the teams participating in the Premier League.

“Of course it’s a problem as we’ve conceded 25 penalties, the most in the Champions League,” said Pep Guardiola. “This is not good. I have always admired players who take responsibility, but the problem is that we missed so many penalties,” added the Spanish coach.

An experienced technician also commented on Mahrez’s incorrect execution. The Moroccan footballer scored 10 goals in a row before missing a penalty in the Anfield derby against Liverpool in 2019.

“Riyad was great, two or three years ago he converted a penalty and made it 1-1 (against Borussia Dortmund in 2021, for example) to help us reach the semi-finals for the first time,” Guardiola added.

“Lately he misses penalties. Will return. Now he will take a break from penalties. The teams are physically strong and we give them an advantage by conceding penalties. This has happened many times. There are many players,” the Spanish coach explained.

According to TheAthletic