Manchester City’s 5-1 victory over Atalanta in the Champions League resembled a WWE event on Tuesday night.
And coach Pep Guardiola was the main konyn, doing a Stone Cold Steve Austin by slamming a chair in the dugout.
Having just witnessed makeshift defender Rodri going down with what looked like a hamstring injury, Guardiola lost his cool on fit-again centreback John Stones, who took too long according to the coach to get ready.
With Rodri starting in the centre of defence alongside fellow midfielder Fernandinho because of injuries to Nicolas Otamendi and Aymeric Laporte, Guardiola reached boiling point.
HUGE BLOW: Makeshift centreback Rodrigo limped off the pitch with a hamstring issue. Picture: Dave Thompson/AP.
Stones says of the incident: “I had them [shin pads] on.
“I just needed to fix them up properly, time was off the essence and that’s what he [Guardiola] wanted.”
Luckily for the coach, Rodri’s injury doesn’t look too serious and he says: “Hopefully, it will be 10 days if it’s not [torn]. If so, then three weeks.
Cancelled
“It looks like his hamstring.”
TRIGGERED: Boss Pep Guardiola. Picture: Supplied.
City were leading the match 2-1 at the time after two Sergio Aguero goals had cancelled out Atalanta lead through a Ruslan Malinovskiy
penalty.
Raheem Sterling had set up both of Aguero’s first-half goals, but after the break the England winger stole the show with an 11-minute hattrick.
Of his heroics, Sterling says: “I should have had four. Riyad Mahrez put me through and I was looking to put one on a plate for him. But I went through and should have finished it.”