The incident began with Man City losing to Liverpool in the Premier League. When the score was 2-0 for Liverpool and everything seemed settled at Anfield, Pep Guardiola was taunted by the home fans with the chant: "Tomorrow, you will be sacked".
Then, Pep raised 6 fingers towards the Anfield stands as if to warn The Kop fans not to forget that he has won the Premier League 6 times in just the last 7 seasons, an absolute dominating force.
This action of Pep Guardiola reminded fans of the time when Jose Mourinho was still leading Man United. In the 0-2 loss of Man United to Tottenham in August 2018, when being teased by Spurs fans, Mourinho raised 3 fingers towards the stands, implying that he had won 3 Premier League titles while Tottenham had not won a single championship.
Later, in an interview with the Spanish media after the defeat to Liverpool, Pep recalled Mourinho's actions. The Man City captain said that he would not suffer the same fate as his colleague (implying the dismissal). Not long after, this statement of Pep's was heard by Mourinho.
The Fenerbahce boss said that although Pep has won six Premier League titles, they are "unfair". The Portuguese tactician hinted that Pep's Man City won the title through cheating and are now facing more than 100 charges of financial misconduct. Mourinho also did not forget to say that although he may be behind Pep in terms of Premier League titles, all those titles are clean.
Before the draw with Crystal Palace, Pep took the initiative to calm the situation by clarifying that his statement about Mourinho being fired by Man United was just a joke. The Spanish strategist also said that this incident was blown up into a scandal by those who wanted to see Man City relegated.
"I think both of us, me and Mourinho, can sit at the same table as Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger. We have all won a lot of trophies.
If that statement is understood as insulting Mourinho, I want to apologize. The truth is that he has 3 titles, I have 6, that's all" - Pep Guardiola shared.
Pep's statement about Mourinho is the second time in just one week that he has had to take the initiative to reconcile in a verbal fight with his colleagues. Previously, Arne Slot also mentioned that Man City is facing numerous legal troubles. However, Pep did not respond to the Liverpool captain.
After the match against Crystal Palace, Man City witnessed the worst streak of matches since Pep Guardiola took charge. They only won 1/8 recent matches, including 6 losses in all competitions. At this time, Man City has dropped to 4th place in the Premier League rankings after round 15, they are 8 points behind the leader Liverpool.
