Fans spot Pep Guardiola coaching opposition player at final whistle and claim it’s ‘because he loves football so much’
FANS think they’ve spotted Pep Guardiola coaching Fulham star Adama Traore after Manchester City’s hard-fought 3-2 win over the Cottagers.
City struggled to put the game to bed against a restless Fulham side, with Traore causing all sorts of problems throughout his 90 minutes.
ReutersPep Guardiola could be seen deep in conversation with Fulham’s Adama Traore[/caption]
AlamyThe Man City boss first hugged the Fulham winger before he began talking with hands[/caption]
Goals from Mateo Kovacic and Jeremy Doku helped City stay second behind leaders Liverpool and level on points with Arsenal.
Marco Silva‘s side opened the scoring through Andreas Pereira after a sublime backheel assist from Raul Jimenez.
But it didn’t take long for the hosts to equalise through Kovacic, before the Croatian doubled their lead in the 47th minute.
Fulham could have made City pay on several occasions, with Traore missing two golden chances including a one-on-one opportunity against Ederson.
One of the biggest talking points was Traore’s lack of composure in front of goal.
In fact, after the full-time whistle, Guardiola walked over to hug Traore and began animatedly gesturing while speaking with the winger.
Guardiola looked passionate as he began waving his arms, turning his body and kicking an invisible ball while in deep conversation.
The Spanish pair stood together for a lengthy period in the middle of the Etihad pitch – and fans quickly assumed that it was a coaching session.
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Former Prem striker Robert Earnshaw shared the clip on X writing: “Pep loves football so much that he went over to coach the opponent player.”
Another fan wrote on X: “Guardiola’s passion for football knows no bounds and his love for the game is unmatched.”
A third said: “I can’t believe it Pep is actually coaching City’s Traore.”
A fourth replied: “OMG. How can a Prem manager give tactical advice to an opponent. Pep just loves football. Traore almost scored a few .”
One more wrote: “I assume Pep is coaching up Adama after those missed chances. I love this.”
Guardiola later heaped praise on Traore, saying: “Adama, he’s unstoppable that game.
“We couldn’t control when he had the ball. You have to defend in your 18-yard box.”
Doku came off the bench to extend City’s lead, but a Rodrigo Muniz strike in the 88th minute set up a nervy end for the Citizens.
Mateo Kovacic scored twice for Manchester City as they edged past Fulham
