Guardiola Tags Mane ‘A Diver’
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has stoked the flames ahead of next weekend’s top-of-the-table clash with leaders Liverpool by calling Senegalese winger Sadio Mane ‘a diver’.
Mane was in the thick of events for Liverpool on Saturday at Villa Park when he assisted Andy Robertson’s equalizer before scoring the winner himself deep into stoppage time.
The former Southampton forward was however booked simulation in the first half after going down too easily in the Aston Villa penalty box.
Mane has won two late penalties for Liverpool this season –against Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspurs –that has helped convert one point into three for the league leaders to preserve their six-point advantage.
Like Liverpool, Manchester City also came from behind to beat Southampton 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium and Guardiola chose to reference Mane in his post-match comments when asked about the leaders’ match at Villa which finished later than the champions’.
"Sometimes [Mane] is diving, sometimes he has this talent to score incredible goals in the last minute. He's a talent," the ex-Barca and Bayern Munich coach told Sky Sports.
"Another close Liverpool win? If it’s one time, two times, 'we were lucky, we were lucky', but it happened in the last two seasons many, many times – they have a special character to do that.
"We look at ourselves, we know which team we face, I think they have won 10 and drawn one… Next week we go to Anfield to try to play them."
Last season’s game at Anfield between the two teams ended goalless with Riyad Mahrez missing a late penalty for Pep Guardiola’s men.
