Pep Guardiola's Man City meltdowns – Ortega rant, cut and bruised head, clashes with fans
Share:
Pep Guardiola’s historic Manchester City reign has taken a nosedive this campaign. Despite guiding his side to six Premier League titles - four of those in dominant succession - the 53-year-old’s 2024/25 season has been nothing short of catastrophic. Guardiola’s side currently sit in sixth - a far cry from the heights of rivals Liverpool and Arsenal.
They've been uncharacteristically unpredictable in all competitions, even suffering seven games without a win at the tail end of 2024. And that trend continued as they let a two-goal lead slip away at Brentford last night. Such on-pitch turmoil has also spilt off it, as the manager has reportedly split from his wife, Cristina Serra. Previous concerns for the manager’s well-being also arose; fans have been clashed with, heads have been scratched, and players have faced unusual rants.
In the latest of his concerning displays, Guardiola could be seen quite erratically grabbing and raising his voice at goalkeeper Stefan Ortega after Tuesday's draw against Brentford. Two goals from Phil Foden looked to have secured all three points for the visitors, restoring a bit of order to their chaotic campaign.
However, Yoane Wissa halved the deficit with eight minutes to go, before Christian Norgaard’s 92nd-minute header was flapped at by Ortega, and the game was level. After the final whistle, Guardiola approached his shot stopper and, in a contrast of emotions, was filmed screaming and shouting while also embracing the German. After the match, however, the Spaniard insisted it was praise being fired Ortega’s way.
