Guardiola fires back at Neville over subs jibe

PEP GUARDIOLA has mocked Gary Neville for criticising his decision to name just six substitutes against Burnley.

The Manchester City boss claimed he couldn’t fill his bench at Turf Moor last Saturday because he had run out of players.

It was a controversial attempt to support his claims that referees don’t protect his stars enough from being fouled and injured.

Neville (inset) slammed the move as a “joke” and claimed Guardiola had let himself down.

But the Spanish boss hit back and insisted Neville’s criticism means nothing to him because he is a failed manager.

Guardiola has confirmed that he will field a full bench of seven substitutes for today’s visit of Leicester.

He said: “We will have 18 players against Leicester, so Gary Neville can be happy. I am happy.

“It’s quite simple – we had ® a lot of injuries. We had a training session that day at four in the afternoon. At the same time, five or six of the (academy) players I could have taken had a game here. “It was just one or two hours later and it would not have been correct to go to the manager, who is preparing for the game, and say, ‘I need one or two players to go on the bench’ when they are going to play for him. “For that reason, I didn’t call him. “This guy, the pundit, he has to know my job is serious, it’s never a joke. “It’s so serious. And he should know that because he was a manager – for a short time! “Management is not a book where every time you do the same things. It’s not a book where you have to follow the rules. “Sometimes I say, ‘Okay I take that decision’ and, of course, the prestigious pundit can say whatever he wants. But I take the decisions.”