Fans have reacted after spotting Pep Guardiola having a conversation with Adama Traore, in what seems like the Spanish manager was addressing the Fulham winger’s missed chances during his team’s hard-fought 3-2 victory over Marco Silva’s side at the Etihad.
The Cottagers proved a hard nut to crack for the Guardiola’s men on Saturday, with Traore causing the City defense all sorts of problems.
How the game went
A Mateo Kovacic brace and a goal from Jeremy Doku was enough to earn the Cityzens a victory, keeping them in second place, tied on point with third-placed Arsenal, and point point behind table-topping Liverpool. Raul Jimenez provided an incredible backheel assist for Andreas Pereira to give Marco Silva’s team the lead.
However, Kovacic gave the home team an equalizer very quickly, and in the 47th, the Croatian completed his brace, putting the hosts ahead.
Pay Attention: Get the best tips from our Bet of the Day
One of the main discussion points after the game was Traore’s wastefulness in front of goal.
The former Wolves winger failed to convert three golden opportunities, two of which were one-on-one chances with Ederson, and missed a chance from six yards out, which he fired over the crossbar.
Indeed, Guardiola approached Traore to give him a hug and started making emotional gestures while conversing with the winger after the full-time whistle, as seen in a video posted by Robert Earnshaw on X.
While having a long chat, Guardiola started to kick an unseen ball, spin his body, and wave his arms passionately.
Pep Guardiola loves football so much that
after Traoré kept missing chances
he went over at full time to
coach the opponent player #pep #pepguardiola #football #futbol #soccer #coach #mancity #genius pic.twitter.com/lKcY6zKyW0— Robert Earnshaw (@RobertEarnshaw) October 5, 2024
The supporters instantly thought that the Spanish pair, who had been standing together for a considerable amount of time in the middle of the Etihad pitch, was having a coaching session.
Fans react to Guardiola’s gesture
While many took the opportunity to hail the City boss for magnanimous gesture, other factions of fans called him out, as they labelled him a hypocrite.
One said, ”Traore buries those chances, and you’ll never see the hypocrite do this.”
Another wrote, ”He does such for small team players . Show me where he has ever done such to top 4 EPL teams ? None”
While another with a different point of view said, ”Pep is world class Football TEACHER.”
Others jokingly insinuated that he is teaching the winger how to be more efficient in front of goal against other title contenders, especially Arsenal.
A second remarked, ”He wants him to do that against Arsenal”
A third wrote, ”He’s coaching him to destroy Arsenal and Liverpool. Not Arsenal, we have revenge with Fulham”
Pep Guardiola’s side will now make the trip to Wolves next weekend with the aim of securing all three points as they go in search of a record fifth consecutive Premier League title.
