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’.

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.