December 6th 2024.
Pep Guardiola has recently found himself in a bit of a war of words with his old rival, Jose Mourinho. It all started when Guardiola held up six fingers to taunt Liverpool fans during Manchester City's 2-0 defeat at Anfield. This gesture was reminiscent of when Mourinho held up three fingers to show how many Premier League titles he had won before being sacked by Manchester United in 2018.
When asked about the comparison to Mourinho, Guardiola couldn't help but make a joke. He stated, "Maybe in the end we are quite similar, like Jose. But he won three, I won six." However, Mourinho did not take kindly to this comment and fired back by highlighting the 115 charges that City are facing for alleged breaches of financial rules.
Mourinho made it clear that he believes his wins were fair and clean, unlike City's. He stated, "If I lost, I want to congratulate my opponent because he was better than me. I don’t want to win by dealing with 150 lawsuits." Guardiola, on the other hand, was quick to defend himself. He clarified that his gesture was just a joke and there was no malicious intent behind it.
The Manchester City manager also couldn't help but point out the success he and Mourinho have had in their careers. He stated, "I think both with our teams, him with Chelsea, myself with Man City, we can sit at the table with Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, right? For the many, many titles we won." Guardiola also made it clear that he meant no harm towards Mourinho and apologized if he had offended him.
He further explained, "The fact is he has three and I have six. This is a fact. But the intention was completely fine." Guardiola also addressed the criticism that City has been facing, stating that there are many who want to see the team fail. However, he remains confident in his team and believes that they are innocent until proven guilty.
Guardiola concluded by saying, "It’s okay, it’s fine. I’ve said many times wait for the sentence and everyone, especially in democracy, is innocent until proven guilty. Right? So we’ll wait, and after we’ll see." This just goes to show that even the most successful managers in the game can have their differences, but ultimately, they both have immense respect for each other's achievements.
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