Pep Guardiola hits back at Gary Neville's 'boring' jibe at Man City
- Pep Guardiola reacts to comments made by Gary Neville
- Ex-Man Utd captain suggested Man City have been too perfect
- Guardiola is happy to take that judgement as a compliment
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has hit back at a recent suggestion from Gary Neville that his team are "boring" to watch because everything is a little too perfect.
Ex-Manchester United captain turned leading Sky Sports pundit Neville explained on his Stick to Football podcast he simply wasn't compelled to tune in when City faced Copenhagen in the Champions League last 16 in midweek.
However, Guardiola took the comments as a compliment because of the difficulty in achieving the level of dominance his team in Manchester has.
"In the future you will not forget: it looks easy, but it's not. Remember that sentence: it's easy but it's not. Thank you for the compliment," the City boss said, referencing Neville.
"What can I say? It's so fine. Everything is so difficult in football. You have to do so many things to try to win games. What these players have done for many years is admirable. Of course we get credit. We are admired. I am pretty sure of that. The people in the world of football know how difficult it is.
"The opponents respect us. Sometimes, people [say] it is not enough, what we are doing, but I know how difficult it is, from my experience as a manager in other clubs and when I was a player. If people don't appreciate it, it doesn't matter. It's not a big problem. [But] I think they do appreciate it, the world of football."
Neville had said: "I think to call City boring would be wrong because the football they play is outstanding. I thought they were boring and found it difficult to watch them but since [Erling] Haaland, they are a bit more imperfect. I like them a lot more with the four big defenders and Haaland up front. But is there a bit of a boredom thing with City?"
City have won the Premier League title in five of the last six seasons, aiming for a fourth in a row - unprecedented in the 136-year history of English league football - and are widely tipped to become the first English club to retain the Champions League in its current format.
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