Pep woke up and chose violence
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has fired back at former Manchester United players Dimitar Berbatov and Patrice Evra after recent criticism of his team.
Speaking ahead of City’s Premier League clash with West Ham United on Sunday, the Spaniard responded to comments from Berbatov and Evra about him being unable to manage “big characters”.
“Specialist former players like [Dimitar] Berbatov, [Clarence] Seedorf and [Patrice] Evra and these types of people weren’t there. I’ve played against them, and I didn’t see this kind of personality when we destroyed United in the Champions League final,” said Guardiola.
🗣 “I didn’t see when I played against them this kind of personality when we destroyed them.” 😅
Pep Guardiola responds to the comments from Dimitar Berbatov and Patrice Evra on him being unable to manage “big characters” pic.twitter.com/5JD8tixgH7
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) May 13, 2022
Pep and Evra clash
Guardiola recently hit back at Evra after he claimed the City boss intentionally builds teams of players without personality and leadership qualities.
Asked about Evra’s comments, Guardiola defended his players, suggesting the former France international’s words might have been fuelled by a desire to get a job back at Old Trafford.
What did Berbatov say?
Former United striker Berbatov suggested there was ‘no explanation’ for why City lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final.
“I don’t have an explanation about what happened to Man City against Real Madrid, they reminded me of Bayern Munich in 1999 against Man United,” he told Betfair.
“It was exactly the same, two goals in the final minutes. If a small team, who don’t have that much talent and class concede two goals at the end of the game, we’ll say it’s because they are a small team with a small mindset and with no winning mentality.
“With it happening to a team like Man City, I don’t even know how to find the right words to explain how this team of all teams, with so many winners, can let in two goals after the 90 minutes in a Champions League semi-final. Yes, they were playing Real Madrid and you can argue that they are a big team with big players, but come on, in the last minute of the game.
“They had to be more concentrated and focused, they should know how to hold that result. I don’t think it’s a mentality issue for City, it’s unexplainable.
“Sometimes you have games like this where you have a great team full of talent, class and champions. Unexpectedly they let goals in during the final moment of the game.”
City need just four points from their remaining two Premier League matches to retain the the league title. Guardiola’s side travel to the London Stadium to face off against the Hammers on Sunday, before ending their season at home to Aston Villa on May 22.
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