A Celtic favourite features prominently in Pep Guardiola’s mind as he prepares to leave Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola has admitted an emotional regret over a Celtic hero he managed as he prepares to exit Manchester City - with the Hoops in an exclusive category.
The iconic boss will bring the curtain down on his trophy-laden spell with the Citizens who he has turned into a global superpower. They were already on the rise when he rocked up following Barcelona and Bayern Munich stints in 2016 but Guardiola has since won almost everything that club football has to offer him while representing Manchester City.
One thing he hasn’t achieved though is beating Celtic. Alongside Bayer Leverkusen, Bodo Glimt, Al Hilal, Lyon and Wigan Athletic, the Hoops are in an exclusive club of sides who Guardiola has failed to defeat in a competitive match as head coach at the Etihad. His two meetings in the 16/17 Champions League group stage ended in draws, a 3-3 affair at Parkhead on matchday two, before a 1-1 stalemate to end the six-match process.
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What does Pep Guardiola regret as Manchester City manager?
One thing Guardiola regrets from his legendary stint is treatment of Joe Hart. The goalkeeper made himself a hero at Celtic where he retired by rebooting his career over three successful years in Glasgow that reminded everyone of why he was one of England’s top shot-stoppers from his generation. Hart helped City to their first two Premier League titles in the early 2010s but was immediately axed by Guardiola who loaned him to Torino then West Ham United before a permanent exit during 2018 ended a 12-year association.
Guardiola, visibly emotional, said in an interview with Sky ahead of his final game against Aston Villa: "I want to confess something. I have regrets. When you take a lot of decisions - a lot, a lot of decisions - you make mistakes. But there is one regret that I have hidden deep inside for many years.
"I didn’t give Joe Hart the chance to be with me, to prove how good a goalkeeper he was. And I should have done. With all respect to Claudio (Bravo), and then Ederson who came in - he was important - but in that moment I (should have) thought, 'Okay Joe, let’s try to do it together. If it doesn’t work, then we change it.'
Why did Pep Guardiola drop Joe Hart at Manchester City?
"But it happened. In life, sometimes you have to take decisions, and sometimes I’m not fair enough."
Hart said previously of the situation: "I'm cool with Pep, I think he's a top manager. He came in and was dead honest with me. I looked him in the eye and shook his hand, I thanked him for his honesty. I didn't thank him for his opinion, but his honesty was second to none. We tried to make the best of a bad situation for both of us.
"It is what it is. I moved on, worked hard, trained with City, I was welcomed back the last couple of pre-seasons. It could have easily been awkward, but it wasn't."
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