Manager Josep Guardiola admitted he felt “embarrassed” and “embarrassed” after his team’s 2-1 loss to Newcastle after a heated exchange with a cameraman. In the tense encounter at St James’ Park, Guardiola was involved in a heated argument with Newcastle players Bruno Guimarães, Joelinton, referee Sam Ballot and a cameraman.
Guardiola’s frustration was clear when Harvey Barnes’ double handed Newcastle victory. Barnes’ second goal was controversial, with Manchester City claiming that Gianluigi Donnarumma had committed a foul at the start of the match, but the goal was ultimately allowed after a lengthy VAR review.
After the match, Guardiola was seen arguing with Guimarães and Joelinton, and even took off a cameraman’s earphone to vent his anger.
Guardiola admitted in a press conference on Monday that he had “apologised.” “It’s embarrassing to watch, it’s embarrassing. I don’t like it. I apologized to the cameraman a second later.
“I am who I am. After playing 1,000 games, I am not a perfect person and I make big mistakes. It doesn’t matter. One thing is for sure: I will protect my team and the club, that’s for sure.”
“The reason is that I want to protect my team and the club, that’s for sure. From my experience, to win the Premier League you have to score 100 or 98 points. Otherwise you won’t win, that’s for sure.”
The City manager also tried to downplay his interaction with Guimarães. “We have known Bruno for many years and we always talk after every game, even at the Etihad, in the tunnel and everywhere,” Guardiola explained.
“I don’t know what happened. Our paths cross all the time, but I always have a good relationship with him. I love it. I’m an emotional guy, I love to talk, move my hands, arms and everything.”
In Saturday’s post-match interview, Guardiola reiterated that “everything is fine” when asked about the scenes on the pitch. However, he was clearly irritated by refereeing and VAR’s decision to concede Barnes’ second goal.
However, speaking in front of City’s hosts Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday, he refused to say more about the game against Newcastle. “The referee was involved in the 95th minute, the 98th minute. Why, he was involved,” the City manager said.
