Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola had a clash with Raheem Sterling during the 2021 Premier League season, according to Marti Perarnau, a close associate of Guardiola, in his new book ‘The Pep Revolution.’
Perarnau revealed that the confrontation occurred in March 2021 in Guardiola’s office, where Sterling walked out in frustration. Following the incident, Guardiola excluded Sterling from the squad for a match against Fulham.
The tension between the two reportedly started after Sterling was benched during City’s 5-2 victory over Southampton, a decision that left the England international disgruntled.
Perarnau also noted that Sterling’s frustrations were partly fueled by Guardiola’s consistent praise of teammates Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva, who were in exceptional form at the time.
Guardiola and Sterling are set to face each other again on Sunday, August 18, at Stamford Bridge as they both seek their first points of the season.
