Pep Guardiola has fiercely hit back at Jamie Carragher’s suggestion that Erling Haaland pulled out of Manchester City’s defeat by Real Madrid because he did not want to face Antonio Rüdiger on his return from injury.
Haaland, who will have a late fitness test before Sunday’s clash against Liverpool, was an unused substitute at Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday after feeling discomfort in his knee and pain while walking stairs.
During his punditry for CBS Sports in America, Telegraph Sport columnist Carragher questioned whether Haaland had “Rüdiger-itis” over not wanting to face the Germany centre-back, who has history when facing City after injuring Kevin De Bruyne in the 2021 Champions League final as a Chelsea player.
Guardiola appeared exasperated by the suggestion of Haaland not wanting to play and took aim at Carragher, insisting Haaland did everything possible to play in what turned out to be a 3-1 defeat and European exit for City.
“Did he say that Haaland didn’t want to play the game? Jamie Carragher said that? Oh God,” he said. “Don’t laugh. I don’t know why he makes that suspicious, you know that? It’s not nice – and it’s not true.
“He was crazy to play the game. He had a problem with his knee and he could not play.”
Haaland picked up the injury in the final moments of last weekend’s win over Newcastle United, and while scans were clear he felt enough discomfort to rule him out of the Real clash.
When City announced their team with Haaland on the bench, Carragher questioned whether his absence was because of Rüdiger returning from four games out with a thigh injury.
“So let me work this out,” Carragher said, working alongside Micah Richards on CBS’s coverage. “Haaland has gone to the manager this morning and said he’s not fit? Do you think that’s got something to do with Rüdiger? Is that because Rüdiger is playing?
“He’s on the bench so he can’t be injured. I never went to see the manager on the morning of a game and said I’m not fit. So he’s injured, is he? It’s ‘Rüdiger-itis’, is it? Is that what we’re saying here?”
While City can dent Liverpool’s title hopes on Sunday, Guardiola has written off their own chances of catching Arne Slot’s men and winning a fifth title in a row. The Catalan coach believes finishing in the Champions League places, which could be a fifth-place finish depending on Uefa coefficients, would be like winning a trophy.
“Unbelievable. Wow,” he replied to the prospect of Champions League qualification, offering an invite to one newspaper reporter if City manage to qualify. “We go to dinner, you and me. I invite you. You choose the restaurant, I pay. One hundred per cent for sure, it will be a big achievement. It’s true.
“The last seasons we also had problems but we were always able to find solutions. But this amount of problems that we have, you know I could not handle it. But still we have three months ahead of us and the target is to qualify for the Champions League for next season, to be there.
“We were not there in the Champions League draw on Friday. We have to fight to be there. Of course we are going to try. It would be a big success.”
City have not gone through a season without winning a cup since Guardiola’s first campaign in English football but he has vowed to see the club through their current slump, rather than walk away.
“There are moments in the future that we don’t know what it will be. But this season more than ever, stand up,” he said.
“I could not move forward with myself in the last years of my life thinking the first time we struggled in terms of results for many reasons, I said ‘I don’t care.’ No. I am here until the end – we will see what happens with the manager, the players and the club.”
He has suggested there will be changes in his squad as players have suffered too many injuries this season to compete at the top.
“At the beginning of the season I did not expect it or it would not happen in just one transfer window. But of course the club knows sooner or later – and more sooner than later – we will have to reshape the team,” he added.
“Listen, I’m still here. I have not been sacked for the results what have happened because the results in the past have been extraordinary. But it’s especially because of the type of chairman, CEO and sporting director that we have.”
