‘I’m wanting to throw it at his head!’ - How Wrexham captain Ben Tozer dealt with Pep Guardiola mind games during memorable meeting with Man City

The Red Dragons star lined up against the Premier League champions a matter of months before being lured to North Wales by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. He came close to claiming a notable scalp against City, with Cheltenham nine minutes away from completing a cup giant-killing before eventually going down 3-1.

Guardiola was fully aware of the threat Tozer posed from long throws, with the experienced defender telling the Men In Blazers podcast of what was going through his mind when the Catalan coach tried to stand in front of him: “I’m wanting to throw it at his head! Make a story! I see it as the ultimate mark of respect. I see it like a tennis player turning up and respecting their opposition, doing their homework and what they have got to do. Every time I had a throw-in they were like ‘ref, it’s back five yards’. Of course I’m trying to steal three or four yards on top of that, but it showed we were under their skin – the best team in the world. What a great thing to take from it.”

Tozer added on seeing other City superstars indulge in regular bouts of gamesmanship when it came to his efforts to launch long balls towards the box: “I try and take the positives from it. I see that as the ultimate respect. He’s [Guardiola] doing what he has to do to win the game. He’s not thinking ‘it’s little old Cheltenham and I’m just going to let them do what they want’. No, he’s thinking ‘this is going to be their biggest threat’. Ultimately that is what we got the goal from. I remember Rodri – who is an absolutely sensational player – standing in front of me, trying to get in my head as I’m taking the throw-in. He was stood in front of me while warming up, trying to step inside me, talking to me and saying this and saying that. The ultimate mark of respect. That’s brilliant. It shows you how much they want to win every game as well.”

Tozer now forms part of the Wrexham squad that is hoping to secure back-to-back promotions in 2023-24 – having claimed the National League title in record-breaking style last season. Hollywood co-owners Reynolds and McElhenney have made no secret of the fact that they want to see the Red Dragons rubbing shoulders with City and the rest of the Premier League elite at some stage in the not too distant future.