Pep Guardiola told to ‘shut up’ as Richard Keys explodes at Man City boss’ claims vs Bournemouth
Pep Guardiola ruffled a few feathers with his comments after Man City secured all three points against Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Erling Haaland was on fire for Man City once again, notching his 12th and 13th goals of the league campaign, with Nico O’Reilly adding the icing on the cake to the 3-1 win on Sunday, 2 November.
The game was shrouded in controversy, however, as Tyler Adams‘ equaliser was allowed to stand at the Etihad Stadium despite David Brooks clearly fouling Gianluigi Donnarumma at a corner situation.
Man City fans also wanted a penalty after Bernardo Silva’s cross was blocked with a hand, though former head of the PGMOL, Keith Hackett, believes Anthony Taylor was spot-on with his decision.
Guardiola was clearly upset by some of the referee’s decisions at the Etihad Stadium, especially after Adams’ equaliser was not ruled out for a foul, even after a VAR review by Paul Tierney.
Pep Guardiola hits out at referees after Bournemouth controversy
He accused referees of being against his team for the last decade, and that it was even more impressive that City had won so many trophies since his arrival in 2016, seemingly with officials working against them.
Reacting to the manager’s comments, Richard Keys hit out, writing on his personal blog: “Shut up, Guardiola. What was he talking about after City’s win vs Bournemouth?
“What absolute [expletive] it is for him to suggest City have been treated unfairly by officials for a decade. Guardiola was upset because Anthony Taylor didn’t rule out Bournemouth’s equaliser. He was right not to.
“Donnarumma made a complete mess of clearing the corner and was entirely to blame for the goal. Ok. He was disturbed by Brooks momentarily holding his arm, but he was unimpeded when he came to punch the ball.
“He simply made an arse of it. It was all his own fault. Donnarumma is a top shot stopper. He’s equally good at saving pens, but he’s hopeless when the ball is in the air. It’s one of the reasons Paris let him go.
“City have had 9.9 out of every 10 decisions refs have made during Guardiola’s time in charge. I notice he made no mention of the pen Bournemouth should’ve had when Nunes pushed Brooks over in the box. Anywhere else on the pitch that’s a free-kick. It should’ve been a pen.”
Man City continue to depend on Erling Haaland for goals
Following his exploits against the Cherries, Haaland is now sitting pretty on 13 Premier League goals for the season, seeing him move even further away from his teammates.
Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden are among those with one goal this term, and there appears to be a concern that, if Haaland were to suddenly stop scoring, City’s form would be affected dramatically.
Omar Marmoush is making a steady return to full fitness, and while he is certainly a huge talent, it is unlikely that he would be able to fill his striker partner’s shoes in the worst-case scenario.
Haaland scoring too many goals should not be seen as an issue, but a lack of goals around him could spell disaster in a race for the Premier League title.