Guardiola attempts to defuse potential war of words with Liverpool

MANCHESTER City boss Pep Guardiola attempted to defuse a potential war of words with Liverpool as he arrived in Italy.

City face Serie A side Atalanta in the Champions League in Milan t hi s evening but that game has been overshadowed by the build-up t o S u n d a y ’s top-of-the-table Premier League clash at Anfield.

Guardiola fanned the flames last weekend with comments that labelled Liverpool striker Sadio Mane as a diver.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp responded by referencing tactical fouling, a ploy City have been accused of in the past.

Guardiola now admits he was wrong to suggest Mane, who recently won crucial late penalties against Leicester and Tottenham and was booked for diving against Aston Villa, regularly goes down too easily.

Guardiola said: “What Liverpool have done in the last season and t hi s season, many times, i s because they have this incredible quality and talent to fight until the end.

“That’s why I said to my players that it is not lucky. If it happens once or twice in a life then yes, but 10 or 12 or 13 times?”

“That was the intention for my comment. Far away from my intention was to say Sadio is this type of player because I admire him a lot.”

Guardiola also pointed out his critique of Mane came amid a host of other comments complimenting Liverpool.

He said: “That speech was long. It was a praise for Liverpool, not j ust one action. To say it’s lucky again? No. It happens many times in Anfield, and away, because they push and they push.”

After winning their first three Group C games, v i c t ory f or Ci t y over Atalanta will secure their place in the last 16.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.