Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola will receive a two-game touchline suspension after receiving his sixth yellow card of the season, but insists he will not stop protecting his players.
Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola has insisted he will not stop defending his players, saying he wants “all the records in this country” after receiving the new suspension.
Manchester’s team left Newcastle on Saturday night with their FA Cup hopes intact. The team bounced back from an early Harvey Barnes goal to win 3-1 at St James’ Park, but Guardiola paid the price by flicking away the fourth official in the second half.
The City manager has now received six yellow cards, and under new rules introduced this season, Premier League managers will receive a one-match ban for three yellow cards, but two if they receive six cautions.
Guardiola will be on the touchline for the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal on March 22, as the suspension covers league and FA Cup matches, but not European matches or the final. However, the Catalan coach explained that he did not understand why the match was allowed to continue as the opponents continued to use unfair methods to stop his team.
“When Jeremy Doku dribbles Trippier into the box alone and gets pulled from behind, I’m not going to call for a yellow card, but it’s a foul. I’m going to protect my team,” he said.
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“Let me tell you one thing, we have all the records in this country, despite everything, everything. We have the record for the manager with the most yellow cards. We want all the records, and now we have them. Two games from now. I’m going to take the next two games off after being suspended. There are things that I don’t understand even after 10 years. Of course I’m going to protect Doc and all the teams.”
Guardiola will now miss next Saturday’s Premier League match and the FA Cup quarter-finals between West Ham and City over the weekend of April 4-5, but although Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are still in action, the opponents will not be decided until a draw is decided.
Both City players and managers have expressed some dissatisfaction with refereeing decisions this season. Premier League hopefuls have endured some frustrations this season, just against Newcastle. They say the controversial goal in the Carabao Cup semi-final has been canceled.
And when we lost a league game in November, Phil Foden was denied a clear penalty. Guardiola spoke to referee Sam Ballot that night but remained emotional after the game. When asked about the issue, he said “everything is fine” and “that’s the way it is.”
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