Pep Guardiola provoked concern following Manchester City’s late collapse against Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday evening when he emerged from the dressing room with scratches on his face.
City went into the game following five consecutive losses in all competitions – a first for Guardiola’s managerial career – and could only upgrade their latest result to a draw at the Etihad Stadium.
When he left the dressing room after speaking to his team to complete his media duties, the marks on the Catalan’s face were noticeable and had to be addressed by the press.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola explains the reason for the scratches on his face
Explaining the scratches around his face and the cut on his nose, Guardiola said: “My finger, here [pointing to nose]. My nail. I want to harm myself.”
Following Guardiola’s worrying admission, the Mirror reported that a journalist in the room attempted to console the manager, telling him that it will be okay.
It had without doubt been a stressful game for anyone connected to City, as they seemed to have finally got out of their rough patch when they went three goals up inside an hour, only to concede three all late in the second half.
Guardiola expanded, saying: “We’ve lost a lot of games lately. We are fragile and we needed a victory.
“It’s what it is. So difficult to swallow right now. The game was good. We scored three, we could have scored more, we do everything but at the end, we give away, especially the first one, and after we are not stable enough to do it.”
Unfortunately for City, things don’t get any easier from here: they face a rampant, league-topping Liverpool side at Anfield on Sunday when Premier League action returns this weekend.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, while it’s clear that City’s current results are crisis by the high standards set in Guardiola’s era, he must remember everything he’s given to the club, and not pile this much pressure on his own shoulders.
The Sky Blues have Guardiola and Erling Haaland – ranked the best manager in the world and the second-best player in the world right now, respectively, by FourFourTwo – along with Ballon d’Or nominees Ruben Dias and Phil Foden, with winner Rodri to come back in at a later stage.
In short, it will sort itself out. Take it easy, Pep!
