Pep Guardiola is a ‘broken man’ who has no idea how to fix Manchester City, according to a leading body language expert.
The Spaniard called City’s 3-3 draw with Feyenoord last night ‘difficult to swallow’ and admitted he understood the boos that greeted the final whistle after his side threw away a 3-0 lead in the last 15 minutes.
Guardiola’s own frustrations were apparent given the number of scratches visible on his head after the match.
The Catalan had arrived at the ground with a cut on his nose, which he said he had caused himself with a long fingernail.
Speaking after the game, Guradiola said: ‘With my finger, yeah, with my nail,’ Guardiola said during his post-match press conference before mimicking the scrape along his nose which caused the wound.
Guardiola then added with a smile: ‘I want to harm myself, yeah.’
City now face a trip to Anfield to face the Liverpool side of former Feyenoord boss Arne Slot, whose named was chanted by the visiting fans following last night’s extraordinary collapse.
In the midst of an unprecedented winless run that now spans six matches in all competitions, City cannot afford another setback at a venue which has been a less than happy hunting ground in recent years.
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And Human lie detector and body language expert Darren Stanton fears there is no way back for Guardiola and his confidence starved side.
Stanton told OLGB: ‘Pep Guardiola’s press conference is even more telling, it shows that he is absolutely at the end of his patience. He is touching his head, shrugging his shoulders and doing hand to mouth gestures.
‘He flashes a fake smile and keeps talking about what his team already has rather than what needs to change. I think he has no idea how he’s going to turn things around.
‘Non-verbally he is saying that they have no issues which means he cannot work out a strategy going forward which will end this run of form.
‘When asked about his cuts he offers a sarcastic response and that is used as a deflection. The fact he has scratched himself is showing extreme anguish and I think it’s because he thinks that he is doing everything right but it hasn’t worked.’
He added: ”Pep Guardiola is a broken man. There are around 20 red flags in his behaviour. There are combinations of anger, frustration and devastation.
‘These are normal things to expect from someone in his situation, but he’s had disappointment before and not been as animated as he was against Feyenoord.
‘He buries his head in his hands and it’s the opposite of a power stance which would be hands on his hips and feet spread apart.
‘He’s almost in a foetal position and trying to curl up in a ball, it’s like he just wants the current situation that he’s found himself in to end. He wants it to be over.
‘He’s going through purgatory and I think these are the most extreme gestures that we’ve seen him make. I really believe he feels like he’s not going to be around at Manchester City for long.
‘He’s dejected, he’s disappointed, he’s angry, when players are mentioned he turns his face away which suggests that they are going to be in for a rollocking.’