Pep Guardiola gave an unusual reaction to Myles Lewis-Skelly imitating Erling Haaland’s celebration during Arsenal’s 5-1 victory over Manchester City.
Haaland experienced a challenging night at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, enduring constant trolling from the opposition during the club’s 5-1 defeat. ..Continue Reading
Arsenal’s teenage star Lewis-Skelly was also seen mimicking the Norwegian striker’s iconic meditation celebration after netting his first senior goal for the Gunners late in the match.
Addressing the incident in his post-match interaction with the media, Guardiola said: “Oh I didn’t see it… I didn’t see them do that… that’s good. That’s good. So, he did Haaland’s celebration? They have done it? Ah, that’s good. That’s good.”
The Man City head coach then jokingly asked the club’s media officer: “Did you like my answer?”
Guardiola was also critical of his players, as he added: “It can be fragile because it happens so many times. But we have a duty to learn and there are always margins to get better. It’s happened all season, we are giving away too many things, we are aware this cannot happen, but it happened.
“It is hard to put into words straight after a game like that. Pride hurts. Sorry to the fans that have travelled to come and watch that. How we played in the last 30 minutes was not acceptable. Personally and collectively, it’s not us.
“It is not nice to be involved in that when you know it’s not your team in those situations. We were in the game and it was a swinging point. It swung the wrong way for us. I am angry, upset personally and collectively about how the game finished.
There are a lot of different things that I still haven’t figured out as to why it hasn’t clicked. The heart’s there, the passion’s there; everyone’s got the right intention. We all need to stick together.”
The reigning Premier League champions will be back in action next Saturday when they face Leyton Orient in a fourth-round FA Cup clash away from home.