admin Erling Haaland and Pep Guardiola had an extraordinary chat at Burnley but were then bemused so much was made of it
As the Manchester City players went onto Turf Moor in the second half, Pep Guardiola hugged Bernardo Silva and held him as he crossed the pitch.
It was comical as the Blues boss was protecting his little player from a big bully after he ran to Erling Haaland at half-time to berate him for yelling at Silva.
In fact, everyone had already moved on and the champions were ready to do it all over again. The screaming Haaland-Guardiola duel at half-time was captivating, with one of the club’s leaders not shying away from yelling at the other in front of the cameras (although he belatedly dismissed them before returning to say more).
As former United player Gary Neville said of the incident, it wouldn’t even be something the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson would do. But for all the drama of those seconds, it says everything about this city team that those present treated it with a slight disdain because it was such an important topic to discuss. Guardiola was annoyed that this was the first question in his press conference, while Haaland explained that Guardiola’s reaction was exactly what he expected from his manager.
What the incident highlighted so publicly is that this is a City dressing room full of adults. That may sound daft given that is exactly what they are, yet mature behaviour does not always follow from people who have lived exceptional lives from a young age.
Haaland was furious with Silva because he wants to win and thought the opportunity was there for him to be in behind the defence; Guardiola was furious with Haaland because he had just watched his team concede two transitions attempting similar plays and wanted to protect rather than risk their lead on the stroke of half-time. Both had aired their opposite viewpoints, and everyone moved on and brushed it aside.
For all the experience City have lost with the departures of Riyad Mahrez and club captain Ilkay Gundogan, the squad is packed full of old heads that marry the fire of youth with the maturity to temper it. Haaland may not be one of the five captains, but the authority through the team runs deep.
That allows for a dressing room where many players can air their views – Ruben Dias gave the team speech before the FA Cup final last season while Kyle Walker addressed his teammates in Istanbul – and there is no problem with honesty because everyone in the conversation can handle whatever is said without stewing over it.
While it will take something special to fill the void left by Gundogan and Mahrez, the Treble winners still possess a team full of winners willing to have the difficult conversations to get the best out of each other.
