Pressure in England has made Pep pop
PEP GUARDIOLA was supposed to be red-hot at Manchester City. Instead he’s having a Sky Blue meltdown. The Catalan’s behaviour of late has been bizarre – and the most concerning thing is that it hasn’t taken much to trigger it.
Snapping at journalists, hinting at taking an early retirement, offering sarcasm-laden responses to perfectly reasonable questions. Nobody expected any of that from Pep. He’s acting like his old foe, Jose Mourinho! OK, things aren’t going as he would like at City. The league table is proof enough of that.
Few pundits would have predicted that Guardiola’s side would be seven points adrift of table-toppers Chelsea by January.
Even fewer would have guessed they’d be drawn into a battle to stay in the top four.
But beyond any of that, nobody would have thought Pep would react by losing the plot!
Let’s not mess about – that is exactly what has happened.
But I reckon the non-stop, physical side of the game in England has caught him off guard.
He showed that after City’s 2-1 win over Burnley on Monday. Asked about Burnley’s goal being allowed to stand, he said: “I have to understand the rules here in England.
“Around the world our keeper in the box is fouled, not here. I have to understand that.”
For me, that reeked of sour grapes, not to mention a lack of respect for English football.
Plenty of other top foreign coaches have come to the Premier League and thrived under the same conditions as Pep.
None of them complained about the way the game is played in the UK.
Guardiola’s whining has reflected poorly on him. It might have lost him friends.
But as shocking as the whole episode has been, and as disappointing as the City manager’s attitude has been, I don’t think his head has gone for good.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Guardiola will have City fans feeling glad all over again.
They will have been buoyed by Friday night’s FA Cup win at West Ham, that even brought a smile back to the manager’s face.
Guardiola is too good a coach, too intelligent a man, and in possession of too big a chequebook to fail as spectacularly as his mood changes.
Pep has had a wobble – but that’s fair enough. There’s a first time for everything, after all.
But it would be another first if the legendary gaffer can’t turn things around.