Germany legend, Lothar Matthaus, has accused Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola of stealing the 2020/21 Champions League trophy from the Premier League champions because of his questionable team selection for the final.
Guardiola decided to field a non-recognized defensive midfielder and favoured a false nine as Man City lost this year’s Champions League trophy to Chelsea last Saturday.
Germany international, Kai Havertz, scored the only goal of the match in the first half.
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Writing in his column for Sky Sport, Matthaus described Guardiola’s choices as ‘inexplicable and unforgivable and even claimed his time at Man City may now be over.
Matthaus said: “He [Pep Guardiola] stole the Champions League from the club and the fans through his line-up, and he has to rightly hear the harsh criticism from all sides now.
“I’m sure that there will be internal discussions about whether to part with him. The players will doubt him since that final.
“He had to try something again, present an imaginary ingenuity at the worst possible moment, and totally deserved to lose.”
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“Some of the players on the field did not even know where they were going because he placed them in positions that were unfamiliar to them,” Matthaus added.
“That’s the worst thing a coach can do. Inexplicable and unforgivable. He’s guaranteed to have lost a lot of credit for everyone, both internally and externally. Most of all, with his players. And that can be hardly regained.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Pep Guardiola’s time at Manchester City is over now.”
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