Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola’s mask has slipped from the cool character that first arrived in Premier League
THE MASK has slipped for Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.
Normally so cool, the Catalan suddenly seems like an angry man.
Those easy, smiling days of his first few months at the Etihad feel a million years away from the awkward, shuffling, agitated posture he adopted yesterday despite BEATING Burnley.
And his manner after seeing his team win a fourth game in the last five played into the feeling this is his toughest job so far — and then some.
In the opening weeks, as his team romped to ten successive victories, Guardiola was all grace as he faced the cameras.
Even after the run came to an end, he still had a charming, almost flirty manner — enjoying the banter with reporters.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you guys” he smiled after being asked whether he would ever change his football philosophy.
When he was asked how he was settling into his new surroundings, the answer was always the same — ‘I’m so, so happy here’.
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Surrounded by his close pals Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain and at a club with a strong Catalan influence, you got the feeling he was too.
Yet a run of six games without a win at the end of October, later became four victories in 15 games.
Three straight wins either side of Christmas seemed to have papered over the cracks — but they resurfaced again this week.
Pep was clearly angry with his team’s no-show at Liverpool on New Year’s Eve — even though he did not show it in the media afterwards.
The players revealed he had got out the ‘hairdryer’ at half-time after a lacklustre first 45 minutes.
And he showed his true feelings in an animated post-match chat with his pal and director of football Begiristain outside the away dressing room at Anfield.
Here though, a tetchy Guardiola could not hide his feelings as he carried out his press duties after the game.
He was clearly furious that a seventh red card of the season had been dished out to his team after Fernandinho was sent-off after 32 minutes following a challenge on Johann Berg Gudmundsson.
But it is hard to argue with at least four of them. Clarets boss Sean Dyche reckoned City were fortunate not to end with NINE men as Bacary Sagna could have got a second yellow card.
He kicked out at George Boyd after Burnley’s goal — but it was not spotted by the officials.
Dyche said: “I don’t think linesman saw enough of it to realise it was an actual kick out.”
Guardiola felt Ben Mee’s consolation goal had been allowed to stand despite what he saw as a foul on keeper Claudio Bravo.
His post-match interview with the BBC was a head-scratcher as he threw questions about the key incidents back at the reporter.
And it was no different as he faced the written media — suggesting the rules are different in England than they are elsewhere around the world.
At least his ten-man team showed they are still fully behind him by battling to what could yet be a crucial win.
All this on a day when he had announced he was and that this will be one of his last jobs.
Maybe there is something in the water in Manchester?
And as we all know, there’s plenty of that.
Two of the best in the business arrived in this part of the North West in the summer and both have found it challenging.
In the autumn it was Jose Mourinho who was showing signs of strain across town at Old Trafford where he seemed to have lost his sparkle.
Yet things fell into place and are now going swimmingly for United’s Special One — unbeaten in 13 games.
Meanwhile, it has started to become something of a winter of discontent for Guardiola in the last few days.
But City have invested a lot of time and resources to get him here — this was viewed as the dream ticket.
At least there was some encouragement he will do that.
“I will be at Manchester City for the next three seasons — and maybe more” he said in an interview with NBC which came to light yesterday.
Let us hope he sticks to his word and that the Manchester madhouse does not leave him looking for a route back home.