Pep Guardiola has gone seven games without a win (Image: Manchester City FC)
Pep Guardiola has brushed off comments made by Liverpool boss Arne Slot about Manchester City’s financial charges with a wry retort.
Slot had quipped on Tuesday when discussing Mo Salah’s potential last home match against City, “Maybe Mo knows more about the 115 [charges] so he doesn’t expect them to be in the Premier League next season.”
He then clarified: “I do expect them to be in the Premier League. That was a joke! I do repeat: that was a joke.”
Man City are currently entangled in a high-stakes legal contest with the Premier League over accusations of financial impropriety involving 115 breaches.
If found guilty, City could face relegation from England’s top tier, although they staunchly deny all claims against them.
Arne Slot made the joke in his Liverpool press conference (Image: Liverpool FC)
With the case poised to overshadow the 2024/25 season and no resolution anticipated until possibly late 2025, appeals threaten to extend this period even further.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Guardiola rebuffed any provocation regarding Slot’s banter in his pre-match brief for Wednesday’s encounter with Nottingham Forest, saying: “It was a joke. He said it was a joke, right? It was a joke.”
Guardiola is under pressure as City are currently on a seven-match winless streak and trail Liverpool by 11 points in the title race.
Guardiola has been visibly frustrated on the touchline in recent weeks, and made headlines at Anfield on Sunday when he held up six fingers to the crowd, signifying the number of Premier League titles he has won.
When asked if he had lost his cool, Guardiola responded: “We won six, yeah. I was never cool. Do you know why I was cool? Because we won.
“If you ever win, it’s so cool, it’s so handsome, it’s so nice. When you don’t win it’s completely the opposite. But it’s the same.”
His actions were reminiscent of Jose Mourinho, who held up three fingers while managing Manchester United, marking the beginning of his downfall at the club.
Guardiola commented: “I hope not in my case. Maybe we are similar like Jose, but he won three and I won six! We are together in those situations.
“It was just to make our fans feel that what we have done is extraordinary. I want to prove that we are an incredible football club. Sooner or later it’s going to be the end but I will try to extend as much as possible for the best of my club.”
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1984504/Pep-Guardiola-Arne-Slot-Man-City-115-charges