‘I honestly thought’… Sergio Aguero says he got one thing wrong about Pep Guardiola at Man City

Redaction Simon Brett with Dan Murphy
Published on 2024-02-10 12:30:00

Sergio Aguero recently admitted that he was completely wrong about how Pep Guardiola felt about him when the manager first took charge of Manchester City.

This revelation came in the aftermath of Manchester City’s quest to finally win the Premier League title, with Aguero’s pivotal role as the club’s top scorer with 260 goals.

Despite standing out as a legendary figure in the club’s history, Aguero’s position in Manchester looked precarious when Guardiola arrived in 2016.

Aguero did not appear to fit into the manager’s new style of play. Aguero has detailed his initial frustrations with Guardiola’s pressing demands, stating that he struggled with the requirement, particularly during a match against Stoke, where Guardiola expressed the need for him to work more for the team.

This led to a feeling of tension which was eventually resolved after Aguero confronted Guardiola and a subsequent series of pressing exercises.

Aguero soon had to adapt to a new intense workload to remain a key player in City’s squad. He was initially perceived as a great striker, but he managed to elevate his game and exceed expectations upon embracing Guardiola’s style of play.

After saying a tearful goodbye to City in 2021, Aguero moved to join Barcelona, only to have his career cut short due to a heart defect. However, his legacy at City is immortalized through a statue outside the Etihad Stadium.

Even after retiring, Aguero’s mark on the club remains substantial, particularly after turning his game around under a difficult coaching regime.

Despite the initial struggle, Aguero now recognizes that Guardiola was simply coaching and guiding him, and not showing a lack of affection or support.

Speaking to Clank! on YouTube, Aguero explained: “In a match against Stoke I scored two goals and after in the press conference he said something like: ‘I liked his goals, but I want him to work more for the team’.

“That’s where the tension started a little. The next day I went to speak to him. I asked him why he hadn’t tell me and he apologised.

“Game by game we tried to see how I could press. He made me do three different pressing runs that I wasn’t used to.

“In my head I said: ‘You’re taking my energy away to attack later’. I wanted to save myself so I could attack

“So if the opponent built-up, I made the first press on the goalkeeper.

“The second if the goalkeeper played with the defender, getting out to the defender, then the third, if the defender played back to the goal keeper or the other side, I had to sprint back to the middle. Everything on the sprint!

“In January, Gabriel Jesus came, that’s when he started to rotate me and I stopped starting.

“Jesus got injured and missed the rest of the season. That’s when I started playing and ended up scoring 30+ goals.

“I honestly thought he didn’t love me, but in reality he was just coaching.

“Today I think: ‘It’s not that he didn’t love me, it was just that it wasn’t working for him and we had to respect him.’

“Then I realised that and I started to get along with him. After a while, he told me to just stop the central defender from playing. “Stay there. Just stop him!” then I had energy to attack later.

“It’s so difficult to beat Pep’s teams. When games start he knows exactly what’s going to happen.

“After 10 minutes he’d shout “Sergio, now move out there…” and it would change the game. He’s the best coach I’ve had. 100 per cent.”

This transformation shows that Aguero’s time at City was a testament to his extreme quality and adaptability, and he will forever be remembered as an icon of the club.