Guardiola talks about return to former club and Yaya Toure

Pep Guardiola has responded to claims made by Manchester City legend Yaya Toure that he had issues with African players calling Toure a liar.

Toure made the sensational claims in an interview with France Football lamenting, “He was cruel towards me. Do you really think he would have acted like that with Iniesta at Barcelona? It got to the point where I asked myself if it was because of my colour. I’m not the first, other players have asked the same question too at Barcelona.”

Speaking to TV3, Guardiola denied ever treating African players any differently and has been backed by both former and current players Joshua Kimmich, Kevin De Bruyne and Jerome Boateng. He has instead accused Yaya Toure of not being honest with him during the two years they spent together and letting him know his feelings about being used as a squad rotation player.

He said, “He knows that I’m not racist. Saying that … what can we do? We have been together during two years. We have had two years, 365 + 365 (days) to say it – and we can talk. If he leaves and later he says that … Don’t mind, it is not worth it.”

It is hard to disagree with Pep on this one considering how many black players he has worked with in the past and is currently working with at Man City. It could be that the players he forced out simply didn’t play the way he wanted to fit his style.

Eto’o and Ibrahimovic were traditional strikers who came alive in the box but didn’t contribute much to the team build up, something Guardiola considers an important attribute from his forwards. Even Yaya Toure in his prime was more of a box to box midfielder playing in a holding midfield position. Pep simply chose someone more suited to the role.

Guardiola also found time to talk about returning to Barcelona in the future. He didn’t feel very optimistic about that happening suggesting he and the club are no longer compatible.

He told TV3, “As a coach, it’s over [at Barca], because I am not the same, nor do they even look at me in the same way.  I was at a fantastic age in which I was taking on the world and we took it on, with some incredible players, a young president (Laporta), Txiki. It was a generation of brutal players and the best player in the world. The stars aligned.”

Asked about becoming Club President, he said, “President? No, I am a coach and I am good at what I do, you can’t be everything.” Good news for us then. With Pep staying at the Etihad, one can only imagine success following. Hopefully, he will find his new home in Manchester and stay for the foreseeable future, winning trophies along the way.