Pep Guardiola’s Toxic Relationships With Yaya Toure & Joe Hart Uncovered By Rio Ferdinand- ‘Slams Him Every time’

On the back of Kevin De Bruyne’s outburst at Pep Guardiola, quite a few soccer pundits and fans believe this is the beginning of his doom in Manchester City. At the heart of this concern is Guardiola’s infamous history of sidelining ‘outspoken’ players. Diving deeper into this infamous side of the Spanish boss, ex-English star Rio Ferdinand recalled the former’s bumpy equations with Yaya Toure and Joe Hart. Notably, Toure and Hart have time and again detailed how uncomfortable they were during Guardiola’s reign.

Both Toure and Hart met the end of their stellar Manchester City careers shortly after Pep Guardiola took the reins at Etihad. They still blame the Spaniards for not giving them the closure they wanted after ceaselessly defending City’s crest. 

Ferdinand recalls Pep Guardiola’s equation with Toure and Hart amid the De Bruyne fiasco

Kevin De Bruyne’s outburst on Pep Guardiola and potential City exit became a talking point on the recent Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE podcast episode. “Pep gets rid of every single player that’s like a big outspoken personality all the way through his career every single time,” said the co-host Stephen Howson. “Yaya, every time Yaya gets a moment, he slams him,” said Rio Ferdinand. Thereafter, Ferdinand and his fellow hosts mentioned Joe Hart’s name in the conversation. 

Anyhow, Ferdinand soon softened his stance on Guardiola regarding the De Bruyne fiasco. He said such arguments are quite common in soccer and are one of the many reasons why people love the game. Besides, the City boss cleared the air about his alleged tensions with the Belgian. He said his relationship with the superstar midfielder is ‘fine.’ While Guardiola and KDB might have called it even, Yaya Toure and Joe Hart have a different story to tell about the former. They are still upset at the way things panned out between them and the two-time treble-winning coach.

Yaya Toure and Joe Hart on their bumpy relationship with Guardiola

Tensions sprouted between Toure and Guardiola when the two served FC Barcelona. Guardiola forced the Ivorian, who traditionally played as a defensive midfielder, to play as a center-back in the 2009 UEFA Champions League final. Years after the Barca episode, Toure recalled the stint, saying the Spanish boss was cruel to him. He even doubted if the 53-year-old had a bias against African players.

When Yaya Toure and Pep Guardiola reunited in City, the former got significantly less playtime. The City coach started Toure only in the penultimate game of his last season. The veteran defender criticizes Guardiola for taking away his farewell game.

READ MORE: Manchester City Injury News- Terrible Injury Update For Pep Guardiola & Latest On Jack Grealish’s Return Date

Likewise, the Spanish tactician had snubbed and sidelined Joe Hart because he did not fit his style of play. Hart was a traditional shot-stopper. But the coach wanted his goalie to have the ball at his feet to fit with his possession-heavy game. Hart said he was willing to adapt to the manager’s style, but the latter did not even give him the chance to do so.

What are your thoughts on these infamous Guardiola stories? Tell us in the comments.

READ MORE: Heated Exchange Unfolds Between Kevin De Bruyne & Pep Guardiola, Leaves Manchester City Fans Divided- “Pep Is Not Serious”