Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola let rip at television pundits Jamie Carragher, Micah Richards and Gary Neville, but was met with a brutal response.
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Manchester City accused of complacencyGuardiola hits back in rantCarragher issues swift responseWHAT HAPPENED?
Sky Sportsâ pundits Carragher, Neville and Richards had accused Guardiola's side of complacency after seeing the defending champions drop six points from nine in the Premier League, with a 3-3 draw at home to Tottenham marking their latest setback. The Manchester City boss was quick to defend his team from the criticism, pointing out Carragher's failure to win a single league title during his time with Liverpool. Guardiola also said his "feeling today is weâre going to win the Premier League" and be crowned champions for a fourth year in a row.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT PEP GUARDIOLA SAID
Guardiola said: "He knows how difficult it is. Otherwise, Gary Neville wouldâve won four [consecutive] Premier Leagues in the best period of Manchester United. But he didnât do it, you know?
âJamie Carragher didnât win one once. Micah Richards didnât win four Premier Leagues in a row. Never, ever. Itâs never happened. There is more chance of if it not happening than happening. Just one Treble before us. Itâs so difficult to do it again and again. We donât have what others have, who havenât done it for many, many years.
âI see my team, how they fight, how they press, how they continue until the end and how upset they are after we concede. So I donât have that feeling [of complacency]. Maybe, maybe Iâm wrong and they are seeing everything that Iâm not able to see. But I donât have that feeling.
"This team so far, no chance. How we behave against Young Boys, Red Star, you have to be humble enough. Iâm in love with my team. Maybe years and still I am.
âI saw how we pressed Tottenham, the game against Liverpool, even against Chelsea. How weâve done doesnât give me the feeling that we say, âlook how good we areâ or we play a little bit naive or play like we donât respect the opponents. Not at all. I donât have that feeling.â
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Carragher was quick to respond to Guardiola's comments, posting a brutal message on social media highlighting how Manchester City stand accused of 115 alleged breaches of Financial Fair Play rules. "I think Iâd have probably won one if Liverpool were owned by a nation state, and pushed the rules so far that the PL charged us 115 times!! I was actually praising Pepâs team after the game on Sunday," he wrote on X.
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY?
Guardiola may be confident of winning the league, but his team are now playing catch-up after three straight draws in the Premier League. The Cityzens take on an in-form Aston Villa side next and head into the game six points behind leaders Arsenal, albeit with a game in hand. A win for Unai Emery's side on Wednesday night would also see Villa leapfrog City in the table.
