If crashing out of the Champions League in extra time wasn’t bad enough for Manchester City and Pep Guardiola, Patrice Evra has well and truly rubbed salt into their wounds.
Since their big-money takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, The Citizens have utilised their bottomless pockets to skyrocket up the footballing pyramid. They’ve proven themselves as one of the world’s greatest teams and won three Premier League titles, with a fourth almost in their grasp.
However, there’s still one gaping hole in their legacy. They have never achieved Champions League glory, which won’t change anytime soon. On May 4, they exited the competition in the most devastating of circumstances.
After a thrilling 4-3 victory in the first leg, the Manchester club felt they had Real Madrid’s number. But that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Despite Riyad Mahrez finding the opener in the 75th minute to give them a two-goal advantage on aggregate, City completely fell apart.
In the dying seconds of the game, Rodrygo found two goals to send the match into extra time. And then, as he has all season, Karim Benzema provided the goods to send the English side packing.
With their dreams of a trip to Paris in ruins, the fans were left furious. After continuous heartbreak in the competition, fans and pundits began questioning whether City and Guardiola have the minerals to get over the line.
Granted, the Spaniard is one of the best managers in history. But in recent times, his European record has come under scrutiny, with his teams finding themselves in no man’s land after conceding goals in quick succession. Some City fans are even beginning to ask questions. But they’re not the only ones making their feelings known.
Read: Man City’s defeat continues peculiar Pep Guardiola Champions League trend
Patrice Evra fires shots at Pep Guardiola and Manchester City
Considering the fact he spent the pinnacle of his career building his legacy with Manchester United, it comes as no surprise that Evra isn’t the biggest fan of his old side’s biggest rivals.
But in a brutal rant, he’s gone even further than expected. The Frenchman laid into the manager and the type of characters that play for the club.
Speaking on Prime Video (quotes via Marca), he said: “Manchester City needs leaders, but Guardiola doesn’t want leaders. He doesn’t want personality. He’s the leader. That’s why when they’re in trouble, they don’t want to. They don’t have anyone on the pitch to help them.
“He chooses his teams like that – he can’t train people with personality. He did it at Barcelona, but he builds his team to control everyone. When things go wrong, he always decides.”
Evra then commented on City’s financial situation.
He continued: “They remind me of PSG: they are clubs based on money. Real Madrid also has money, but it has a story behind it; Manchester City only has money, and the players go to play there solely for that. Then they win trophies, of course, but a player chooses to go to Manchester City only because it offers you more.”
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