Pep Guardiola’s ‘monstrous dig’ at Manchester United’s hierarchy after 3-0 defeat

Manchester City secured a 3-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, with Erling Haaland and Phil Foden scoring the goals for the champions. After the game, Gary Neville claimed Pep Guardiola had made a ‘monstrous dig’ at United’s boardroom level in his post-match press conference.

Two goals from Haaland and Foden’s late strike sealed a deserved win for City, leaving United with their fifth defeat in the Premier League this season. After the game, Neville claimed a ‘toxic’ culture at United’s boardroom level is having a negative impact on Erik ten Hag and the players.

Neville believes Guardiola highlighted the key difference between City and United in his post-match press conference as he posted on X: ‘That quote from Pep Guardiola is a monstrous dig into the running of United!

Pep Guardiola’s Post-Match Comments

When asked about the difference between United and City after Sunday’s game at Old Trafford, Guardiola said: ‘I know what we have done but I don’t know what United have done because I’m not here.

‘But I didn’t expect it, honestly, when I arrived here it was Jose Mourinho, with Ibrahimovic, with top, top players, Lukaku, I’ve had the feeling the squad is really…

‘But I think I’ve said many times we [City] are in the same direction – the chairman, the CEO, the sporting director, the manager and the players.

‘We go there, wrong or right, it doesn’t matter, we [all] go there. We make mistakes, of course, when we lose or the situation is not going well, we are not here to blame someone, it’s just, ‘okay, what do we have to do better? What happened? Is the opponent getting better or are we getting worse?’. Find a solution, that is nice.

‘We’ve done it since day one. First season we didn’t win, I didn’t feel my chairman complain, absolutely not, he supported me unconditionally.

‘I remember we lost the Champions League final against Chelsea, I was devastated and the chairman said, ‘sooner or later we’re going to win it, what do we have to do next?’.

‘With that everybody feels that the club relies on me, the players know we rely on them, but when it happens we’re not over-excited when we win and when we lose it’s not dramatic, it’s not that we’re going to kill ourselves. It’s a football game, what do you have to do to get better.’

Gary Neville’s Reaction

Neville was quick to point out the significance of Guardiola’s comments when he posted on X: ‘That quote from Pep Guardiola is a monstrous dig into the running of United!

Pep Guardiola on the secret of Man City: “We are in the same direction, me, the CEO, the sporting directors, the chairman. That is why I think the club is so stable.”

Conclusion

Pep Guardiola’s comments after Manchester City’s 3-0 win over Manchester United were seen by Gary Neville as a ‘monstrous dig’ at United’s boardroom level. Guardiola highlighted the key difference between City and United in his post-match press conference as he spoke about how all members of City’s organisation are in ‘the same direction’. This has been seen as a stark contrast to United’s boardroom level which Neville claims is having a negative impact on Erik ten Hag and the players.