Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has sarcastically dismissed suggestions that his lively, post-match discussions with players are driven by his ego.
The Spanish coach seemed frustrated on the sidelines during Sunday’s title clash with Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium and seemed particularly annoyed by substitute Jack Grealish’s lack of impact off the bench in the goalless draw.
At full-time, Guardiola had a long and lively talk with Grealish on the pitch and seemed to be giving him immediate, detailed feedback on his performance – though the England international seemed like he just wanted to head down the tunnel.
Guardiola is well known for discussing his players' displays on the pitch, even after victories, and has done so since he was managing Barcelona.
But his behavior, and the very public nature of the on-field exchanges, has been criticized in the past and he was once again under fire for his interaction with Grealish, with former Sky Sports host Richard Keys even accusing him of playing up to the cameras.
Guardiola seemed to be aware of the headlines Keys’ comments had made when asked about his exchange with Grealish on Tuesday, mimicking the criticism that had come his way in a very dry retort.
Asked what the thinking is behind his passionate chats with players, a clearly frustrated Guardiola responded ironically: ‘Yeah I do it for the cameras, for my ego.’
Probed further, Guardiola continued with his sarcastic tone: ‘I’m the famous person of the team.
‘And I don’t get recognised and I need the cameras for my ego, so I can go to sleep with an incredible satisfaction, so that is the reason why.
‘Always I try to criticize the players there, and let them feel how bad they are.
‘Especially when Erling [Haaland] scores three goals, the compliments have to be with me not with them. That’s why I use the cameras to do it there.
‘So my advice is, next time, don’t film us and it will not be a problem.’
City’s draw against Arsenal leaves them three points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool in the title race and they need to bounce back against fourth-placed Aston Villa on Wednesday evening.
At his pre-match press conference, Guardiola confirmed that Ederson, Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake would not be available but John Stones could be involved, while Ollie Watkins will miss the match for Villa after being subbed off at the weekend with a hamstring injury.
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