Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has defended with his Chelsea counterpart Maurizio Sarri, following a 6-0 thrashing and said that he should be given more time.
This is despite Sarri completely ignoring Pep Guardiola’s outstretched hand. The Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri was extremely unhappy after his side suffered a 6-0 defeat to Manchester City and stormed off into the tunnel after the final whistle.
However, Guardiola defended Sarri by sharing his own struggles in his first Premier League season when he had a rocky start.
When asked if he sympathised with Sarri, Guardiola said, “Yes of course. I know exactly what he wants to do. I think this kind of person – it always helps to make our (Premier League) football better.
“They beat us at Stamford Bridge – and against Napoli last season – they were tight games. During moments of those games, they were better than us.”
“People don’t understand how difficult it is. I said many times, my first year was difficult too. Some moments we played good but not consistently.
“People expect ‘Okay, manager arrives, he buys players and immediately come [results]’ – it needs time. It depends on the belief from the owners, the people who are in charge; they really need to believe in that.
“The main reason I decided to come to Manchester City is because my bosses, the chairman specifically, I didn’t have to convince him. He knows me.”
“When it’s not going good, we try to find a solution. He doesn’t think I’m good when I win and bad when I lose. That is the reason why I am enjoying this period at this club,” Guardiola added.
One thing that is certain is that Roman Abramovich, Chelsea owner, is not known for patience from the coaches.
The Manchester City boss defended the handshake snub by indicating that Sarri did not see him.
Watch the clip below.
Chelsea Coach Sarri snubbing Pep Guardiola handshake after the heavy defeat today.
Is this not ego and pride playing out?#MCICHE #MCFC #PremierLeague #EndBBNaija #NijaBox #ManCityvsChelsea #SarriOut pic.twitter.com/BppemmwupE— Yakubu Jimoh John (@yakubublogger) February 10, 2019
“I spoke with (Chelsea assistant) Gianfranco Zola,” Guardiola said.
“Maurizio Sarri didn’t see me. I have a good relationship with him so it is no problem at all.”