This is an ‘unacceptable mistake’ Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola lambasted star man Phil Foden in the dressing room
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola lambasted star man Phil Foden for his ‘unacceptable mistake’ in the 2023/24 Premier League season and a brief snippet from the club’s new documentary, particularly of the Catalan’s X-rated rant, has emerged.
Guardiola, who has reportedly agreed a one-year extension with his contract now set to expire in June 2026, is well-known as a hot-headed boss, capable of turning in an instance as a means of getting his message/instructions across to his players.
And in a teaser for the reigning Premier League champions’ documentary, named ‘Together: 4-In-A-Row’, viewers have been given an insight into Guardiola’s dressing room with a rant directed towards last season’s Premier League Player of the Year, Foden.
Giving Stockport-born Foden – who conceded a last-minute penalty against Crystal Palace in December 2023 – a fierce telling-off after their 2-2 draw with the capital club, leaving them three points behind table-topping Liverpool, Guardiola roared:
“Phil, in the f***ing 18-yard box, you do not punch the opponent. It’s unacceptable, Phil Foden, unacceptable.”
He continued by addressing the whole squad and their lack of application: “You are not boys, you are not teenagers. Did I say something when you dropped points against Tottenham and Liverpool, did I say something? Did I blame you?”
The rest of the harangue is practically inaudible due to the unload of swearing and Guardiola failing to get his message across thanks to his overwhelming feeling of anger. Watch the full rant below:
On his tendency to give dressing room-based tirades, the 53-year-old – considered to be one of the best managers of the 21st century – has insisted he is now proud of losing his head and passing his emotions on to his players.
“I’m not really proud sometimes, most of the time right after the game, when I’m angry with my emotions, I pass it on to the players.”
Referencing his post-match expletive scolding of Foden, Guardiola suggested that he is merely a human being who makes mistakes but reiterated his point that the 24-year-old magician was at fault.
“I am a human being; I make mistakes, but I don’t like that,” the serial winner stated. “In that moment, 10 men down and then giving away an unnecessary penalty, sometimes I cannot control myself either.”
Pep Guardiola has committed his future to Manchester City until 2027 – and star striker Erling Haaland will be delighted.
Erling Haaland has waxed lyrical about Pep Guardiola
Erling Haaland has waxed lyrical about Pep Guardiola
Erling Haaland says he is “super happy” to be playing under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, labelling him as the best manager in the world.
The 53-year-old inked a two-year contract extension this week in what is a huge boost for the club. His previous deal was set to expire next summer and there was ambiguity over his future plans and what impact a potential exit could have on the squad.
However, Guardiola has underlined his commitment to the club, confirming that Man City’s legal battle with the Premier League had no bearing on his decision. Rodri has since outlined that the manager’s contract agreement is an “important incentive” to stay at the Blues amid links with Real Madrid.
The Spanish champions have also continually been linked with Haaland since his arrival in Manchester, but the player himself believes he is working under possibly the greatest coach of all time at Man City.
“He’s the best manager in the world and I think we all know that. And he’s probably the best that ever existed on the earth,” he told Sky Sports.
“I expected loads of things from him and he’s been delivering up to this every single second. I’m super happy and you can also see that when I play as well.”
Haaland says Guardiola has been “calm” amidst Man City’s current four-game losing streak, the longest such run since the boss took charge of the club. The Blues are out of the League Cup, have won just two of their four Champions League games and are five points off Premier League leader Liverpool.
But Haaland says he has “full trust” that Guardiola will find solutions to problems and suggests that the current situation has been overblown, despite recent results bruising the team.
“Yeah, we lost four in a row. It’s not normal in a club like this. It hurts, it clearly does,” he added. “The motivation is bigger than ever to go on Saturday and to win the game and to get on the run again.
“I think [international break] was good for everyone to maybe go to their countries and national teams and to restart a little bit. We lost four in a row but how bad is it? It’s not that bad. It’s not like we got relegated. We’re still second place, we’ve still got plenty of games left.”
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola celebrates with Erling Haaland after the Premier League match between Manchester City and West Ham United at Etihad Stadium
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola celebrates with Erling Haaland after the Premier League match between Manchester City and West Ham United at Etihad Stadium
Speaking of Guardiola, Haaland grinned: “When you look at what he’s been doing for the club, he’s not bad, is he? So he’s got my full trust. And if he tells me something, I’d better do it because he knows the best in the end.
“Everyone knows that. So I’m sure he will find solutions now as well. I’m sure of that.”
Man City will try to end their poor run with a win at home over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, the team that defeated them in the League Cup last month to begin the current winless streak.
Haaland recounted Man City’s 4-2 win over Spurs in January 2023 as an example of how the Blues can be unstoppable when they click into gear once prompted by the manager. He explained: “It was a tough game, 2-0 at half-time. And I remember the speech at half-time.
“Pep spoke about how many times we have turned around these results, especially at home, plenty of times. So why shouldn’t we do it now? And we went out there and we just, with full force, attacked the game. And in the end, we won 4-2.
“It’s difficult to stop us. It’s kind of just the whole club just towards one goal and everything. And that’s what we’ve been doing – ever since I came here, even before I came here, the club has been doing exactly that.
“That’s the reason why they’ve been winning six Premier Leagues in the last seven years with Pep and the whole staff, with the whole club just aiming towards one goal and just pushing towards that.”
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