Pep Guardiola has responded to criticism from Roy Keane over the heated discussion he had with Erling Haaland after the Manchester derby.
Following the derby between Manchester City and United on Sunday, Guardiola was filmed discussing Haaland’s heading technique after the pair left the pitch at Old Trafford. Sky Sports commentator and former United midfielder Keane accused Pep of “ do it for show” and said the City boss should save tactical discussions for the dressing room.
“I respect Roy Keane a lot,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday. “PSometimes I finish the match and go inside, sometimes I stay there. When I find a player, we discuss the match. I know the camera is there, it’s everywhere. I could tell him (Haaland) when we were inside, but at that time I was outside because I wanted to be with the fans, especially outside. For fans, United is an important match.
“We talked about the second goal, the failure at the last minute on the action of André Onana. He (Haaland) could be better, stronger. The head (could be) stronger to put the ball in the back of the net with more power.
Guardiola stressed that it was not new for him to publicly discuss issues with players. He added : “It happened with Erling (Haaland) at Burnley. I can avoid it. Roy may be right, but it happens. At my age, I don’t need to do things for people. Sometimes I go inside, sometimes I say hello to the referees. This is what I feel at the moment. After the match, I don’t think about going to see the players to put on a show for the people. I’m already quite old.
“I’ve done it throughout my career. I did it at Bayern (Munich) sometimes with (Joshua) Kimmich. It depends on the moment, but it’s not to make us feel how special we are.
