Pep Guardiola sends brutal Premier League message to Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher over Man United and Liverpool past
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Pep Guardiola has hit back at Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher for their suggestions that Manchester City have become complacent.
The Sky Sports pundits were quick to criticise Pep Guardiola’s side after they failed to beat Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium last weekend. It was the third successive match in which Manchester City dropped points against a ‘big-six’ rival.
To compound City’s misery, it was also the third consecutive Premier League game in which the Blues dropped points from a winning position, doing so against Liverpool, and Chelsea before Tottenham on Sunday.
But upon being asked if Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher were right in labeling his side as ‘complacent’, Guardiola hit back with his thoughts on their assessment.
“No I don’t have anything to say about the pundits, honestly,” Guardiola said. “It’s not about that. Honestly, maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think it’s about complacency.
“I have the feeling that if we maintain this level, we will win the Premier League. We will win it… again.
“He knows how difficult it is, otherwise Gary Neville would have won four Premier Leagues (in a row) in the best period of Man United, and he didn’t do it.”
“Maybe he knows complacency, but I see my team how is the back line, how we fight, how we press, how we continue at the end, how upset they are after conceding goals, how we react, everything – I don’t have that feeling.
“But maybe they have more experience, but not even him, not even Jamie Carragher, of course, because he didn’t win (the Premier League) once. No one won four Premier Leagues in a row.
“The is the target to the players to maintain that level that we are playing. Will we be able to sustain that all season? I don’t know. But that is the challenge.”
Despite the apparent drop in form from Manchester City, the Blues sit just six points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal with a game in hand on the Gunners heading into a clash with Aston Villa Wednesday evening.
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Pep Guardiola thinks Manchester City fans will put their understandable upset at the club on hold on Sunday to support the team ‘unconditionally’ against Arsenal.
Guardiola used another press conference on Friday to call for fans to help make an impact as his team take on Arsenal and Aston Villa in the space of four days at the Etihad aiming to make serious inroads in the Premier League title race. The City coach appreciated the noise in the stadium for the Manchester derby and wants a repeat for the rest of the season.
However, while Guardiola counts on the value of the supporters to the team the club want fans to pull more weight financially. Amid a backdrop of record profits and revenues, season ticket rises were emailed to supporters last week with an average increase of five per cent that led to all four fan groups to strongly react against it.
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Nobody from the club has spoken publicly about the price rises and how none of the supporter groups have been listened to as the club press on with season ticket renewals at a higher rate. Guardiola said that he ‘absolutely’ understood the upset around the ‘sensitive issue’ but was confident that fans would continue to back the players.
“The people will forget at the start of the game and will support us unconditionally,” he said. “The team is the team.
“About [season tickets], I’m not involved. I respect all opinions. I know it is a sensitive issue but I know that tomorrow they will be with us unconditionally. The club will say what they have to say but I cannot say more.”
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