“I Was Messing” – Pep Guardiola’s Brutal Reality Check Forces Journalist to Break Silence on ‘Unfunny’ Banter With Manchester City Boss

Pep Guardiola never fails to miss out on the limelight. Aside from his world-class soccer acumen, the Spanish manager is known for his sharp, witty responses. A side-splitting response came in the recent post-match conference after a 1-0 win against Brentford, playfully roasting a journalist. However, a twist emerges in this narrative as the journalist has now ‘reluctantly‘ voiced his thoughts on the incident, insisting that it was rather ‘awkward.’

It all started after journalist Sam Lee asked the Manchester City manager what’s wrong with being a journalist. Interestingly, Pep replied, “Oh, I’m a manager; my life is better than yours,” by insisting that he never wants to be a journalist. While this whole incident has stirred debate in the soccer world, Lee finally opened up on the instance. He took to X and tweeted, “I will reluctantly break my silence. I was messing around, I’m 90% sure Guardiola was messing around, but either way, I don’t really care”.

“Ultimately, it was two awkward, unfunny people doing public banter and it doesn’t really matter”, he concluded. What does this imply? It looks like Lee isn’t bothered or holds any grudges over Guardiola’s banter during the press conference. Notably, the moment Pep Guardiola made the joke, he assured Lee that the comment wasn’t personally made for him.

Either way, it was quite interesting to hear Lee’s perspective on the incident, which could potentially lead this saga down another path. However, Guardiola also had no choice but to tackle the criticism that his star player, Erling Haaland received. Speaking of which, what did he say in response to that? 

Pep Guardiola urges not to criticize Erling Haaland, before he ‘shuts your mouth’!

Despite Erling Haaland scoring the decisive goal yesterday, there were concerns raised about his performance following his return from injury. Interestingly, Pep Guardiola had a blunt answer saying, “Don’t criticize him because he will shut your mouth, so that’s for sure.” 

The Spanish manager emphasized Haaland’s family situation, noting the loss of his grandmother. While urging for patience, Guardiola acknowledged the 23-year-old’s commitment to returning from injury.

READ MORE: “I Wanted Water” – Ecstatic Over Erling Haaland’s Goal, Pep Guardiola Justifies His ‘Kicking’ Stunt at Manchester City vs. Brentford

Notably, this marks Haaland’s third goal since his return. Previously, the prolific striker netted a brace against Everton on Saturday. His goal against Brentford established a new milestone, as he has now scored against all 21 teams he has faced during his two-season tenure with City. This achievement puts him in the company of Harry Kane, who has scored against 32 teams. Either way, let’s hope fans get to see more of Haaland.

READ MORE: Manchester City Guarantees Erling Haaland More Trophies Than Real Madrid Claims Jan Age Fjortoft (Exclusive)