Pep Guardiola reveals his biggest regret at Manchester City
Outgoing Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that his treatment of goalkeeper Joe Hart remains his deepest regret from his decade at the club.
Photo: goal.com
Pep Guardiola, who has confirmed his departure from Manchester City this summer, has reflected on his transformative decade at the club. The manager highlighted his early handling of long-serving goalkeeper Joe Hart as the decision he regrets most deeply during his time in Manchester.
Upon his arrival in 2016, Guardiola opted to replace Hart with Claudio Bravo. Reflecting on that period, the manager conceded that his uncompromising approach lacked professional fairness, as he did not allow the English international to fight for his position.
I want to confess something. I have regrets. When you take a lot of decisions, you make mistakes. There is one regret I have deep inside for many years: I don’t give the chance to Joe Hart to prove himself, how good a keeper he was, you know? And I should have done. Pep Guardiola
The manager explained that his decision was driven by his tactical philosophy of building play from the back. While this approach eventually facilitated the arrival of Ederson and established a new defensive identity for the club, Guardiola admitted that he was too stubborn at the time to consider alternatives to his initial cull.
Guardiola will manage his final game for City against Aston Villa this Sunday before starting a managerial sabbatical. Following his exit, he is set to transition into an ambassadorial role within the club's foundation.