Manchester City's manager Voices Regret Over Camera Operator Incident Following Loss to Magpies
The City boss confessed feeling "shame" after an exchange with a TV crew member in the wake of the Citizens' 2-1 defeat at Newcastle this past weekend.
At full time, an emotional Guardiola entered the St James’ Park pitch and engaged in intense talks with the referee, Sam Barrott and Newcastle’s Bruno Guimarães, while also handling the headphones of the camera operator.
"I apologised," Guardiola stated. "I'm humiliated, regretful, when I see it. I don’t like it. I apologised after one second to the cameraman. I am who I am. After 1,000 games I’m not a perfect person, I make huge mistakes."
"One thing is certain, I stand by my team and club, without a doubt. The reason why I support my squad is clear – because from my experience to win the Premier League we need near-perfect totals, 98 points, or we fall short."
Team Standing and Manager's Take
City are third and trail leaders Arsenal by seven points following their fourth loss of the season. "Losing four games out of 12 means we must do better," he conceded. "Technically, we can still achieve all."
When questioned about a potential quadruple could be achieved, he responded: "You are an experienced journalist, have you ever heard me about the quadruple last winter during our historic run? No."
Interaction with GuimarĂŁes
On the subject of his talk with the Newcastle player, Guardiola said: "We have known Bruno a long time and every time after the game, home or away, we talk in the tunnel. We often meet and we get along well. I love it. I’m an emotional guy, I love to talk and move my hands."
He wouldn't mind if an opposition manager addressed his squad right after the final whistle. "Not if it's respectful as I do, it's fine," he noted, before referencing Barrott. "The referee was involved for 95 minutes, 98 minutes, constantly. My God, he was involved."
Controversial Decisions
The team felt aggrieved that Barrott or the VAR did not award City a penalty on a Schär tackle against Foden, while they also questioned Bruno's positioning when Harvey Barnes scored Newcastle’s 70th-minute winner. Subsequent images indicate the Brazilian was onside.
Upcoming Milestone
He will manage his century in Europe against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday. "It’s quite good, showing we compete we have been there," he said.
The club has ten points after four games of the league phase, and Leverkusen hold five.
