It seems that Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola is in high spirits because of his team's brilliance this season, which was reflected in his joking responses to the press conference today, Friday, in which he invited his player Ilkay Gundogan and his wife to eat in his restaurant, and he also jokingly responded to what was circulated on the communication sites about the deportation of his star Erling. Haaland from Britain.
Guardiola joked that he would exclude Gundogan from the English Premier League champions' squad until the end of the season after the German player's wife complained that there were no good places to eat in Manchester.
The player's wife, Italian Sarah Arfaoui, made headlines in England's newspapers after writing on Instagram a strange complaint that she had failed to find a good restaurant in Manchester and that "the food is horrible everywhere."
Arfaoui's comments appeared on the front page of the popular newspaper "The Sun".
The local newspaper, "Manchester Evening News", also published the anger of some restaurant owners, and some wondered about the places where Gundogan's wife had gone.
Guadiola, the owner of a Manchester restaurant, was asked today, Friday, about his reaction, during the press conference for City's match at home against Southampton on Saturday.
"I'm disappointed that they didn't try (the taste) of my restaurant. It annoys me. Gundogan will not participate for any minute until the end of the season. I will invite her and Gundogan to go and taste, and of course they will eat as they should be," the Spanish coach said with a laugh.
🤖 Haaland is a 𝗺.𝗺.
28 #UCL goals and counting… pic.twitter.com/grwZsysZRV
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 7, 2022
Haaland deportation joke
At the same conference, Pep Guardiola said that his striker Halland scored goals with a natural instinct that is impossible to learn, and he also met the sarcastic demands to punish the Norwegian player with suspension and deportation from Britain due to his extreme skill with laughter.
Haaland scored 14 goals in a total of 29 matches for City in the English Premier League this season, with three goals in his last 3 matches at home.
Guardiola told reporters, "What can I teach him? To move here or there for one metre? He has an incredible sense as a striker where the ball will reach. He goes there one second before the ball arrives."
Erling Haaland had no chill against Manchester United đź’€
(via @ManCity)pic.twitter.com/0zSFOFWZ5i
— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 2, 2022
"He has talent and quality, it is not about scoring goals. He is present at all times, whether the ball is rebounded (from the opponent) or crossed," he said.
"How can I, as a coach, teach him (score goals)?... It's impossible. It's a natural instinct, he's (gifted) by nature. He did it in Norway, in Austria and Germany, and he does it here. You can't say anything."
Halland, 22, became the talk of England this season, and joking petitions appeared on social media calling for him to be stopped “because he is a robot” or “because what he is doing is not fair.”
Chang.org published a petition saying, "Erling Haaland is a serious problem. Suddenly he appears in the attack of (the blue), and constantly destroys (matches) at the weekend of the toiling people of this great nation."
City defender Emeric Laporte mocked his colleague Halland, via Twitter, by attaching a video copy of the fake petition, in response to a tweet by the striker, who scored two goals in the team's 5-0 win over Copenhagen in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Guardiola added that Haaland will have a few weeks off during the World Cup in Qatar, which will start on November 20, after Norway failed to qualify for the finals, and that the media attention to the striker does not cause a problem for the team.
"There are 15 questions about Erling in every press conference. For me it's okay. We're lucky the guys here accept that perfectly. In other clubs there are people who don't like it. Here, people like Kevin (De Bruyne) and he's exceptional... Glad he's there. Because they know they can play better together."
"It's the same for everyone. We don't have great players (who say) for example 'Why do people only talk about him?' This happens in a lot of clubs. That's why it's a pleasure to watch or coach these kinds of players," Guardiola explained.