Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been told by an Arsenal legend that certain tactics have made him look "clueless" amid the club's struggles for form this season
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Pep Guardiola Manager / Head Coach of Manchester City during the Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match between AFC Bournemouth and Manchester City
Emmanuel Petit has said Pep Guardiola looks "clueless" in his bench tactics this season
(Image: Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
Emmanuel Petit has revealed one area of Pep Guardiola's work in which he thinks the Spaniard has looked "clueless" this season. The former Arsenal midfielder believes "something has broken" with the Manchester City chief and that the club's fall from grace has been "shocking to watch."
City sit fifth in the Premier League ahead of Wednesday's game against Leicester City, with Newcastle (sixth) and Brighton (seventh) just a single point behind. Guardiola's side were also ousted from the Champions League and League Cup earlier than expected, though an FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest brings some cause for optimism.
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But despite that silver lining, Petit feels Guardiola has been let down by a tiring squad that has perhaps grown complacent in the wake of massive success. However, former France midfielder Petit also feels the boss has lost his way when it comes to problem-solving when things don't go in his side's favour.
"I think the fact that they didn't buy new players during last summer had an impact on the players," the World Cup-winner told Poker Firma. "I think a lot of players looked tired mentally and physically this season and starting with Pep Guardiola as well on the bench. He showed it so many times. He lost his temper.
"He showed so many times that he was not controlling his emotion on the pitch and off the pitch as well. He’s had so many arguments with his players at the end of games this season. Against Brighton with the goalkeeper, the way he scratched his head as well, you could see that something wrong was happening to the team.
"The way he was sometimes clueless as well on the bench. He was not able to find the right solution. This is something that was new for me to watch because I always saw that he always had ideas to find solutions, answers to his team problems. And this season I think he was not able to do that."
Emmanuel Petit of RMC Sport comments the UEFA Champions League group G match between Lyon and RB Leipzig
Petit won both the Premier League and an FA Cup with Arsenal(Image: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
Petit - who won the Premier League and an FA Cup during his three seasons at Arsenal - highlighted City's active January transfer window as proof they were desperate to change trajectory. It was back in the winter (between October and December) that the Sky Blues went on a historically poor run of just one win from 13 games.
Their issues were exacerbated by the shadow cast as a result of the club being investigated for 115 charges over alleged spending breaches, which they deny. And Petit also highlighted Guardiola's personal issues as a potential factor behind City's lacking form.
It was confirmed in February that Guardiola and his wife, Cristina Serra, had opened divorce proceedings. The Catalan coach then reportedly made a three-day trip to Barcelona in March in an alleged effort to save his marriage, with no further updates on the situation since then.
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"Something has been broken with him. I don't want to talk about his private matters, but I think what happened outside the pitch, maybe had a big impact on him," added Petit. "Maybe the players saw that. . .To be honest with Pep Guardiola, I think he has private matters that had an impact on not only as a manager, but as well as a human being."
The Gunners icon also commented on Guardiola looking more irate than ever on the sidelines of late, losing his temper with players after disappointing results. Fans were also astonished to see the coach claw marks onto his head out of frustration when City drew 3-3 against Feyenoord in the Champions League back in November.
The onus isn't entirely on the manager, Petit acknowledged, as he noted many of Guardiola's usually reliable stars have been way off their normal standards. There is a glimmer of hope for both the tactician and his fans, however, as Petit added: "Maybe the hardship will force him to come back stronger."
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