Pep Guardiola is a very strict man when it comes to discipline. He expects his players to be punctual and focused all the time.
Grealish and Phil Foden were dropped less than two months ago for failing to show up to a recovery session in proper shape, according to Guardiola.
So, this has been his mantra throughout his career, off as well as on the field.
Guardiola, according to Thierry Henry, asked that every player stays in their position. In a match against Sporting, Henry switched from the left to the right-wing and scored a goal. At halftime, Pep replaced the Frenchman because he wasn’t obeying his orders.
“Pep Guardiola had a plan. If you don’t actually do what he’s asking you to do, you’re going to be in trouble,” Thierry Henry told Sky Sports back in the day.
So, something similar happened just a few days back in Manchester, when Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker, and Riyad Mahrez went out for a night out in Manchester.
This all started with a video that evidently captured the 3 Manchester City superstars being denied entry at a club in central Manchester.
The footage was posted with the assertion that Grealish, who appeared unstable on his feet and was being escorted by a City employee, was denied admittance because he was intoxicated, which City contradicted.
City argued that the group of City players, who included their pals, decided not to enter the bar because it was too crowded at the front and they couldn’t use a side door.
This was before 8 pm so all the three players decided to go elsewhere for dinner.
Pep Guardiola came out in defense of his three City players when he was asked about this incident in the press conference before the Brentford game.
When asked if he was angry about the whole incident, he said:
“A lot, I am so upset because they didn’t invite me and I didn’t like it.
“Next time, hopefully, they can invite me. The video didn’t show exactly what happened.
“They had dinner together, sober, enjoying with their mates and backroom staff. The players know the risk when they go out because of social media but all of them – Riyad, Kyle, Ally [Marland, kit man], Jack were perfect.
“But they will be fined because they didn’t invite me!”
Asked if he felt his players had been unfairly treated, Guardiola said: “In this case, yeah.”
But these distractions were not an issue for Manchester City. They might have stumbled off the pitch but they seldom do on it.
Manchester City cruised their way, to win 2-0 against Brentford at the Etihad. Raheem Sterling won a penalty, late in the first half which was successfully put away by none other than Mahrez.
A Kevin De Bruyne goal of a mistake from the Brentford goalkeeper doubled City’s lead and it proved to be a mountain too steep to climb for Brentford.
