“I Don’t Want It” – Pep Guardiola Breaks Silence on Kyle Walker & Neal Maupay’s Fallout After Brentford Star Denies Taunting Manchester City Star

“‘I’m not a crazy guy“, said Neal Maupay as he finally broke the silence regarding his spat with Kyle Walker. The altercation between the duo took the spotlight away from a fine Manchester City victory, courtesy of a Phil Foden hattrick. Back then, Pep Guardiola refused to even comment on the matter and said, “Nothing, next question” when asked about it. Now, as Manchester City gears up to face Brentford at the Etihad, Guardiola has offered a fresh take on the incident.

In the talked-about match, Walker had complained to the match official that Maupay was talking about his kids. However, the Frenchman has vehemently denied that.

‘Sometimes there are emotions’, Pep Guardiola has his say on the infamous Maupay-Walker incident

Many expected Pep Guardiola to defend Kyle Walker. However, the Spaniard opted for a different approach and instead referenced his time as a player. He said, “Listen, in my period in Barcelona, I am in history for having the record of the most yellow cards conceded. All the time it was for ‘talk, talk, talk’. Sometimes I controlled myself, sometimes I behaved crazy.”

Furthermore, Guardiola talked about the incident and said, “I don’t want it, but sometimes there are emotions and it happens. You know that.” Moreover, the Man City boss also seems to have indicated that all is well between the duo. He explained, “But this [the spat between Walker and Maupay] is forgotten. It happened, I think they talked and that’s all.” Furthermore, he added that he doesn’t believe that the two players won’t be locking horns again.

After previously saying, “I’m gonna knock him [Maupay] out”, Walker also seems to have moved on. His task will be to neutralize the Frenchman on the pitch as the striker is Brentford’s key threat. While Pep Guardiola feels such incidents ‘happen’, one of his players begged to differ. In fact, he said, such players are ‘not tough at all’.

Manuel Akanji sheds light on players ‘acting tough’

Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji didn’t start the game against Brentford, due to an injury. However, received the best view of the Walker-Maupay fight from the bench. In an interview, the Swiss star seems to have hinted at the incident as his biggest soccer ick. Akanji said, “I don’t like it when footballers act tough on the pitch and they’re not tough at all. I hate it because they can do everything on the pitch, but outside of the pitch they won’t do that.”

Read More: “They Forget to Play!” – Pep Guardiola Reveals Why He Never Asks Manchester City Players to Keep a ‘Clean Sheet’

It is not clear if Akanji is siding with Walker or Maupay. In the previous meeting, Maupay was the one who broke the deadlock and gave Brentford the lead. This time Akanji is fit and will line up at center-back just like he did against Chelsea. This puts him directly up against Maupay, and the winner of this duel will have a huge influence on which side comes up top in the upcoming clash.

What is your opinion on Pep Guardiola’s statements? Tell us below in the comments.

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