VIDEO: 'I've been massacred' - Pep Guardiola mimics being shot with bullets as Man City boss delivers fiery defence of his tactics

City’s Champions League ambitions were left hanging by a thread as Real Madrid dismantled the visitors with a ruthless 3-0 display. Guardiola's tactics and team selection were in the spotlight after the match. Despite controlling possession, the Spaniard's experimental 4-2-2-2 formation failed to deliver, sparking a wave of tactical scrutiny. Addressing the fallout from the loss in Spain, the City boss suggested that he is only hailed as a tactical genius when his risks pay off. He then used his fingers to mimic firing guns, suggesting he is constantly under fire from the press whenever his team falls short on the big stage.

Guardiola pointed out that due to his long history in the competition has has often faced flak whenever City fall short on the grandest stage, noting that the media take shots at him if things go wrong. “It’s 17 years I’ve been managing in that competition, and every time I lose, boom, my God. Pew, pew, pew,” he said, mimicking being shot. “I have been massacred. Listen, I played a final of the Champions League without Fernandinho and Rodri as holding midfielder against Chelsea. Do you think that’s normal? No, honestly. [Ilkay] Gundogan played in that moment. I was destroyed. I knew how Rodri was playing and Fernandinho was playing, it was not the Rodri that we met after, and in the other positions there are a lot of times many decisions coming for many, many, many reasons, for how you handle the pressure and the other ones. I can explain that but is it going to convince you for the next time?”

Despite the European gloom, Guardiola has a chance for immediate redemption in the domestic title race against West Ham. The City boss was recently named Premier League Manager of the Month for February, his first such award since late 2021, after a strong run of form. He knows there is no room for error as City continue to chase Arsenal at the top of the table.