Oleksandr Zinchenko reveals what Pep Guardiola did right after angry Man City training flashpoint
Manchester City’s Spanish manager Pep Guardiola (R) gestures to Manchester City’s Ukrainian midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko on the touchline during …
Oleksandr Zinchenko had the pleasure of being managed by Pep Guardiola for a number of years at Manchester City.
Zinchenko won four Premier League titles, one FA Cup, four Carabao Cups and reached a Champions League final before signing for Arsenal in 2022.
Previously, Zinchenko described Pep Guardiola as a “winner” when reflecting on his time working with his former manager.
In January, Zinchenko explained the difference between Guardiola and Arteta by claiming that the Gunners boss lacks the “experience” that the six-time Premier League winner does.
The 27-year-old signed for Manchester City in 2016.
Zinchenko was sent on loan at PSV Eindhoven before returning to the Etihad Stadium where he became a reliable first-team player.
Manchester City’s Spanish manager Pep Guardiola and Manchester City’s Ukrainian midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko attend a press conference at the Met…
Photo credit should read SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images
Oleksandr Zinchenko reveals what Pep Guardiola did right after angry Man City training flashpoint
Pep Guardiola turned the Ukrainian international, who was a natural midfielder into a left-back — where he has mostly spent his career since.
The Arsenal technician competed for a starting berth with Joao Cancelo in particular and even became a mainstay at different points of his career at City.
In his new book, ‘Believe’, Zinchenko has revealed that after mentioning that he had merely made one poor pass in training, a furious Pep Guardiola decided to cancel a training session at Manchester City.
The former FC Ufa defender said via The Guardian: “Out loud, I said: ‘Mister! Like, I just did one wrong pass, you know?’ And his reaction was incredible.”
‘Oh, okay, sorry, sorry, Mr Zinchenko. Sorry.’
‘Okay, guys, thank you, everyone inside.’ And he went in, walked to the changing room. Training over, all because I talked back. I knew I was in trouble.”
Zinchenko revealed he apologised to Pep Guardiola, saying: “Listen, first of all, I was not right. I understood straight away but it would have been silly if I went right to his office and apologised. It was game day minus one and I knew his head was totally on the gameplan. But I did apologise after the game.”
In 2021, Guardiola pulled Zinchenko up in public for quadruple talk
During his time at Manchester City, the ex-Shakthar Donetsk man would have realised that there are certain rules that he must abide by while working with Guardiola.
In 2021, Zinchenko acknowledged the fact that City could win the quadruple, saying via The Times: “We have an unbelievable squad, the best players in the world, and definitely, why not? Bayern Munich showed last year…they won everything. Barcelona did it as well with Pep [Guardiola] and I think everything is possible.
“Inside the dressing room or inside the team I can see the hungry eyes, everyone is so hungry for the titles and that is what you want.”
Pep Guardiola pulled Zinchenko up, replying to his comments: “I am older than Mr Zinchenko.”
“I have more experience and I don’t agree with him. The only thing he has to be worried about is trying to do a good game tomorrow and try to go through. This is the only way. Four titles is a utopia. It never happened before and I think it’s never going to happen.”
In the same season, Pep Guardiola was proven right as Manchester City only won two pieces of silverware: the Premier League and the Carabao Cup.
More importantly, Zinchenko would have understood that he must be mindful of what he says while being coached by one of the best managers in the world.
Pep Guardiola seems to choose his words wisely and the Gunners defender would have learned to do so after his incident in training as well as in public.
Zinchenko would likely have matured from such experiences and he would perhaps impart the same advice to young players in the future.
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