Pep Guardiola has revealed what he said to Bruno Guimaraes in the wake of Manchester City's 2-1 defeat against Newcastle. The Spanish manager was at the heart of the tense clashes that occurred following the final whistle at St James' Park.
A brace from Harvey Barnes either side of Ruben Dias' deflected goal was enough for the Magpies to grab all three points from the thrilling Premier League encounter, where there were chances aplenty for both teams. There were plenty of controversial moments too, ranging from Phil Foden's penalty shout to outcry that Newcastle's late winner was allowed to stand due to suspicions of offside and a foul on Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The officiating sparked fury on the City bench, with Guardiola seen after the final whistle remonstrating with several Newcastle players, including Guimaraes and Joelinton, who needed to be led away from the head coach. The former Barcelona boss even seemingly shouted something into the ear of a cameraman following the final whistle.
Guardiola Reveals What He Said to Guimaraes
Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes speaks with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola played down suggestions that he fought with Bruno Guimaraes after Newcastle 2-1 Manchester City. Credit: REUTERS/Scott Heppell.
Guardiola's actions became a major talking point after the match, with everyone keen to ask him what exactly was said between him and Guimaraes. And the City boss lifted the lid on the conversation in his post-match interview with Sky Sports, stating that he simply told the midfielder how good he is.
"I said how good he is, and [asked about] the situation with Gigio and what happened, and the previous situations. Everything is fine."
Footage seemingly suggested that the pair were not as amicable as Guardiola indicated in his interview. Both he and Guimaraes appeared to be locked in a tense dispute as tempers started to fray, with the Spaniard certainly appearing to be more animated.
Watch the Interaction Between Guardiola and Guimaraes Below:
Guardiola Refused to Publicly Criticise the Referee
Pep Guardiola speaks in front of the match officials after Newcastle 2-1 Man City.
Pep Guardiola refused to comment on the decisions made by officials during Newcastle 2-1 Man City. Credit: Reuters/Lee Smith.
It wasn't only Newcastle players who were subjected to Guardiola's ire following the final whistle, as the City coach made a beeline for referee Sam Barrott. Sky Sports reported that he even went into the official's room after both teams had left the pitch to continue discussions about the match.
However, when pressed about what he thought of the decisions during the game, Guardiola refused to be drawn into any controversy. Instead, he cited multiple decisions that he believed his team didn't get in FA Cup final defeats, using them to show that he keeps quiet in the face of controversial decisions.
"The last five questions about referees and the actions," he said, per the Manchester Evening News. "Ask the referees. I didn’t see the images yet and nothing is going to change.
"I played two FA Cup finals against United and Crystal Palace and oh my god, did I say something? Nothing. It is what it is. And I lost. The first thing I did on behalf of my club was congratulate United and Crystal Palace.
"I’m not coming here to talk about referees, it’s gone. I didn’t come here to blame [them]. It’s fine. It didn’t happen against Bournemouth, so it’s normal it didn’t happen today."
Defeat sees City drop four points behind league leaders Arsenal, who face Tottenham on Sunday in the North London Derby. Guardiola's men return to action in the Champions League on Tuesday against Bayer Leverkusen, as they bid to put a disappointing result behind them.