“My answer was in no way intended to make light of the very serious issue of self-harm” : Pep Guardiola retracts his comments on potentially harming himself after draw against Feyenoord
This sport never fails to surprise us. For the first time in history, a Pep Guardiola managed team has lost five games in a row. English football royalty Manchester City were off to a great start to the season, up until the point their star man and Ballon d’or winner Rodri got injured. But even after this major loss, Guardiola managed to adapt so as to continue the winning streak.
But his plans came crashing down like nothing we have ever seen before. City have failed to win a match the whole of November, as problems keep on arriving as stated by the Spainard. From Victor Gyokeres’s hattrick to Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs dismantling them from minute one, it looks like even Pep Guardiola will need to make drastic changes in order to get back.
But even the greatest managers have a breaking point, and we finally saw the Spainard completely spiralling after drawing 3-3 to Feyenoord in the Champions League, ‘bottling’ a 3-0 lead in just 15 minutes.
During the post-match interview, Pep Guardiola’s head was seen with visible scratches, and also a minor cut on his nose was present. When asked by a journalist about those marks, the Spaniard’s reply shocked everyone, with some even worried about his mental health.
“I want to harm myself.” Pep Guardiola said while smiling, as he swiftly left the press conference.
Pep Guardiola issues his statement on social media
As the whole footballing world was left in shock and concern after the Spaniard’s remarks, he was quick enough to notice and addressed himself on social media, saying he was caught off guard by the journalist’s question.
“I was caught off guard with a question at the end of a press conference last night about a scratch which had appeared on my face and explained that a sharp fingernail had accidentally caused this.”
“My answer was in no way intended to make light of the very serious issue of self-harm.” Pep Guardiola explained his post-match comments on X (formerly Twitter).
The Spainard also showed empathy towards the people who are actually struggling with mental health, and placed a kind gesture of plugging the Samaritans hotline for those who need it.
“I know that many people struggle with mental health issues every day, and I would like to take this moment to highlight one of the ways in people can seek help, by calling the Samaritans hotline on 116 123 or emailing jo@samaritans.org” the 53-year-old added.
While we have seen Guardiola absolutely losing it during matches, this was something way more serious and was rightfully addressed by the Spainard.
A win would be the best way to move on from this fiasco and to regain momentum, but that is easier said than done. Pep Guardiola faces his biggest rival Liverpool in possibly the worst time of his managerial career. The Reds have completely revamped under Arne Slot this season and are the title favourites this time around.
Although, Manchester City are surprisingly still in second place even after so many implosions this month, and coming out on top of this fixture at Anfield would perfectly summarize the genius of Pep Guardiola.
