Pearce: "Owen Was The Difference"

 

 

 

"For the first 45 minutes, we gave Newcastle too much respect," he said. "We didn't get tight enough on the two forwards, we didn't win tackles, we didn't push up and it looked as thought we thought we just had to turn up to get a result.

"As I well know, in the Premiership that is not the case. If you are not at it for 90 minutes, you will get beaten. Our first 45 minutes cost us the game, basically. If we had played like we did from half-time onwards from the start, we would not have been beaten today and we might have won the game.

"I don't think Newcastle are firing on all cylinders at the moment and as I said to the players, 'they are probably a side waiting to give you a result, but at the moment, you are not playing well enough to go and take it from them'."

Stuart Pearce thought that Michael Owen was the difference between his Manchester City side and Newcastle. "Today we didn't compete for the first 45 minutes, we have given them a touch too much respect," said Pearce.

"After half time it got better and we shut them down and if we started like that we wouldn't have been beaten. Credit to Newcastle, they have played a lot of money for a lad who can put the money in the back of the net and he was probably the difference between the sides today.

"Second half we had enough pressure without creating any clear cut chances, as you find in the Premiership nowadays if you are not at it from the first whistle you will get turned over.

"We lost the game in the first half due to our desire, we have had a word with the players and it is up to me to put that right."