Pep Guardiola Uses Bruno Fernandes Incident in Manchester City Team Meeting
Pep Guardiola may have already managed his final game for Manchester City, but fresh details from earlier this season have now emerged involving Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes.
Guardiola officially left Manchester City following Sunday’s emotional 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium.
Bruno Fernandes, meanwhile, recently finished the season by breaking the Premier League single-season assist record.
The Manchester United captain registered his 21st assist of the campaign during a 3-0 victory over Brighton on the final day.
However, a fresh report has now revealed how Fernandes was once used negatively inside a Manchester City team meeting.
According to The Athletic, Guardiola showed his Manchester City players clips of Fernandes reacting angrily towards his own teammates during the Manchester derby earlier this season.
The incident reportedly came after Phil Foden opened the scoring during City’s 3-0 victory over Manchester United back in September.
Fernandes was seen visibly frustrated with teammates during the match.
The report claims Guardiola later used the footage during an internal meeting.
He made it clear that such behaviour would not be accepted within his Manchester City squad.
Fernandes has often received criticism throughout his career for showing frustration during matches.
Despite that, the Portuguese midfielder has also regularly defended his emotional style and competitive mentality.
His performances this season have still been outstanding.
Fernandes finished the campaign as the Premier League Player of the Season after producing one of the best creative seasons in league history.
The midfielder created chances consistently throughout the year and became the first player ever to register 21 assists in a single Premier League campaign.
Manchester United also dramatically improved under Michael Carrick following Ruben Amorim’s departure earlier in the season.
Fernandes played a huge role in that turnaround.
Still, Guardiola’s reported team meeting shows that even elite managers can view leadership styles very differently behind the scenes.