After being left furious by Michael Oliver during Manchester City’s draw with Arsenal, Pep Guardiola has vowed to order his captain to ignore the referees.
City avoided a late stalemate with the Gunners.
Arsenal started the first half with just 10 men, infuriated at Oliver.
Oliver’s play in the build-up to Arsenal’s opening goal stunned Guardiola. When Oliver pulled captain Kyle Walker aside for a talk following a foul, the Premier League winners were up 1-0 via Erling Haaland. Arsenal promptly took the free kick, and Riccardo Calafiori equalized with a well-executed drive from distance.
Walker’s poor positioning caused Guardiola to kick his dugout chair angrily as the ball struck the back of the net. Despite his initial anger, Guardiola has since vowed to order his players to stay in their spots so they may speak with referees. Oliver’s choices in the first half saw Leandro Trossard sent off, which infuriated Arsenal as well.
“I was [angry] with Kyle, but Kyle was right, because the referee had asked him to come and talk to him with the other ones,” Guardiola said to reporters.
We ran out of time, but when this occurs, some players need to be near the ball and the back four needs to be readjusted.
“Don’t worry, though; in the end, that’s what occurred since Kyle got into the position one second before Calafiori scored. However, we were aware that they could always make a fast move to the wingers with a free kick, and they excelled with Saka and Martinelli.
“I don’t like the back four when there’s a full play, but at least let the players return to their positions when the referee says, ‘come and talk to me.’ We won’t go talk to them the next time.” Kyle doesn’t see an issue with it.This week, City takes on Watford in the Carabao Cup before returning to Premier League action against Newcastle. Following their tie on Sunday, City is now leading the Premier League, one point ahead of Liverpool and Aston Villa in second and third position.
