Man City boss Pep Guardiola FUMING as decision threatens to hand Liverpool title advantage - 7M sport

Man City boss Pep Guardiola FUMING as decision threatens to hand Liverpool title advantage

PEP GUARDIOLA is reported to be fuming over the decision to move Manchester City's clash with Cardiff to just three days before their FA Cup semi-final.


Posted Wednesday, March 20, 2019 by Express.co.uk

Guardiola's quadruple-chasing City were due to play Neil Warnock's side on April 6 or 7 but the game has been re-arranged after they beat Swansea at the weekend to reach the FA Cup last four.

They will now face Brighton at Wembley on that weekend instead and the league game against the Bluebirds will take place on April 3.

The Daily Star claim Guardiola is angry as he believes it could give Liverpool the edge in the race for the Premier League title if he is forced to make widespread changes to his team.

City remain favourites despite being two points behind their title rivals as they have a game in hand.

However, one single slip-up could be enough to hand Jurgen Klopp's team their first title in 29 years and Guardiola is said to be concerned.

Incredibly, City are favourites to win all of the three competitions they are currently still in.

Guardiola has already led them to the Carabao Cup and is looking to become the first manager to win four major trophies in a single season with an English club.

However, he moved to play down talk of an historic quadruple when quizzed fowling the Swansea win.

Man City boss Pep Guardiola FUMING as decision threatens to hand Liverpool title advantage
Pep Guardiola is said to be furious after Manchester City's game with Cardiff was moved (Image: GETTY)

"Ask me at the end of April [about quadruple] and I will answer you," he said.

"I want to congratulate the players and staff for being here at this stage. I am already satisfied.

"I know for the people it will be a big failure if we don't win three or four titles, so I'm sorry!

"Now we are going to fight every game after the international break."

Man City boss Pep Guardiola FUMING as decision threatens to hand Liverpool title advantage
Manchester City's game was moved after they reached the semi-final of the FA Cup (Image: GETTY)

Man City boss Pep Guardiola FUMING as decision threatens to hand Liverpool title advantage
Reports claim Guardiola is concerned it could give Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool an advantage (Image: GETTY)

Liverpool boss Klopp is hoping to dent Guardiola's hopes and has previously insisted they are going nowhere in the race for the title.

After his side beat Fulham 2-1 to go top at the weekend, he said: "We want to stay in the race. That's what we did.

"(First is) the best position you can be in. City don't look as if they drop a lot of points, so we have to win, to win and to win.

"Now they have a game in hand but it was very important we won. We were really all very happy. You could see in our reaction."

Former Reds boss Gerard Houllier believes Guardiola haw the ability to adapt to any situation that his team faces between now and the end of the season.

And he claims the City boss os so obsessed with winning that he will even change his style if it means coming out ion top.

"The obsession of a coach is to win. Don't believe otherwise. The obsession of Pep Guardiola is above all to win," he said.

"He will never renounce his principles, of course, and he will never try to win by any means.

"But the goal is always the same every game – victory and efficiency above everything else. At the start of January, when he decided to go long to get out of Liverpool's pressing, he did it because it was the best response to the problem.

"Today, he is someone who ticks all the boxes and best embodies the role of a great coach."



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