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Pep Guardiola declined to address a heated altercation between Kyle Walker and Brentford’s Neal Maupay following Manchester City’s 3-1 victory in west London.
The defender from England became very angry at something Maupay said to him towards the end of the game and his manager had to calm him down.
Throughout the game, home team supporters relentlessly taunted City’s captain, Walker, about his personal life.
After the game ended, Guardiola spoke at length with French forward Maupay. However, when asked about the situation later, Guardiola responded curtly with, “Next question!”
Guardiola expressed more joy discussing Phil Foden’s hat-trick performance following their win in west London. This, along with Arsenal’s victory over Liverpool on Sunday, put City just two points behind the Reds in the standings, with a game in hand.
Last season, Brentford was the lone team to defeat City both at home and away, and their chances of completing a “three-peat” seemed promising when Maupay scored to put them in the lead.
However, Foden was able to defeat the impressive Bees’ goalkeeper Mark Flekken and bring City back to an equal score before halftime.
The midfielder from England scored the first goal early in the second half off of a cross from Kevin De Bruyne. He then went on to score two more impressive goals, giving his team control over their fate for the title.
Guardiola stated that Phil is currently having the greatest impact on the team, as he mentioned several weeks ago.
He has a strong understanding of the game, able to make smart decisions and be more assertive.
“He consistently finds joy in scoring goals and poses a threat when he is near the 18-yard box. He is a remarkable player, who has already played over 250 games for City despite being relatively young. This speaks to the impact he has had since joining the team.”
“He has a passion for playing football, and even now, when he sees players on the street as a young boy, he still has that amateur spirit. His love for the game is evident, and this season, he has been a crucial part of our team.”
When it comes to navigating tight spaces, I have observed numerous skilled players. However, Phil’s ability to score when he has possession is unmatched among them.
It’s challenging to find a player who has both the ability to shoot and make assists, as well as the agility to move around the field and score goals aggressively, like a sharp knife.
In the 21st minute, the Bees scored a goal using a strategy similar to the one used by Brentford.
Flekken was credited with the assist as he kicked the ball towards Ivan Toney, who then leaned into Nathan Ake, allowing the defender to move out of the way while the ball bounced past.
Maupay was given the opportunity to sprint unobstructed and calmly scored his fifth goal of the year, beating Ederson.
Boss Thomas Frank stated, “We are aware that we have a strong player in Ivan.”
We do not use this strategy frequently, but it can be successful against a team that is putting pressure on us. We must give credit to Mark, Ivan, and Neal for figuring it out on their own.
“The team we were up against was decent, I must say! We put on a strong performance and executed many things correctly.”
Source: independent.co.uk
