Pep Guardiola has shed light on his habit of engaging in one-on-one post-match coaching sessions on the field.
This practice has become a hallmark of Guardiola’s coaching style, with a notable instance involving Joshua Kimmich in 2016 that caught the attention of spectators.
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The latest instance of Guardiola’s intense post-game discussions was observed after a match against Arsenal, where Jack Grealish, a substitute, was involved in an earnest exchange with Guardiola once the game concluded.
Although the conversation’s content wasn’t captured on camera, Guardiola was seen making gestures towards the City winger and then affectionately patting him on the head during the match broadcast.
This behavior isn’t new for Guardiola; he’s known for such immediate post-match interactions with his players. However, this approach has drawn some criticism, notably from beIN Sports commentator Richard Keys.
He remarked, “Leave it for the dressing room! It’s all for the cameras, isn’t it? It’s so tiresome. Go down the tunnel; it shouldn’t even be on the pitch. Now he’s got to go and tell everyone else what they did wrong, of course.”
After the backlash, Guardiola was questioned on the reason behind the decision to speak with his players while on the pitch and his response made it clear how he feels about the criticism.
“I do it for the cameras. For my ego. I’m the most famous person of the team. I need the cameras to go to sleep with incredible satisfaction. That’s the reason why, always I try to criticize the player there and let them feel how bad they are,” Guardiola ironically told reporters.
Just to add to the comedy of the press conference, the Man City boss added: “Even when Erling scores three goals the compliment has to be with me.”
Grealish wasn’t the only recipient of Guardiola’s advice; Jeremy Doku also received an on-pitch lesson from his coach at full-time.
