Pep Guardiola was a day late for April Fool’s Day when he held his press conference on Tuesday.
The Man City boss left sincerity at the door when he was asked about his on-field chat with Jack Grealish after Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal.
Guardiola could be seen having a vigorous discussion about the match with the winger post-match – something he has become known for doing with his players down through the years.
When asked about it by the media ahead of Wednesday’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa, the Catalan gave an extremely sarcastic answer.
“I do it for the cameras, for my ego,” Guardiola said. “I’m the famous person of the team, if it’s on camera then I can sleep because I have incredible satisfaction.
“Always I try to criticise the players and let them feel how bad they are. Especially when Erling (Haaland) scores three goals, the cameras have to be on me.
“Any compliments are always with me, not the players.”
The stalemate leaves Man City third in the table behind the Gunners and leaders Liverpool. Having failed to beat their main title rivals in recent encounters, the reigning champion’s fate is now out of their hands.
“It’s just winning games, that’s what we have to do,” Guardiola added. “We have not many chances to drop points. Aston Villa are playing to qualify for the Champions League, every team plays for something, so the last few games will be difficult to manage.
“Our experience [of strong finishes] is over, it doesn’t count. What counts is Aston Villa. Being able to win lots of games in a row before, I don’t know how many [we can win] now. The only thing is how to beat Aston Villa.”
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