Pep Guardiola begins presser with apology to Steven Gerrard for comments made about him

Pep Guardiola begins presser with apology to former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard for comments made about him last week.

He made a dig at Gerrard amid calls for Man City to have their titles stripped after being charged with 115 breaches of the Premier League‘s financial rules with the club potentially facing up to a number of punishments.

He said on Tuesday: “I apologise to Steven Gerrard for my unnecessary and stupid comment I said. He knows how I admire him and his career. I am ashamed of myself for what I said.”

🗣️ “I apologise to Steven Gerrard for my unnecessary and stupid comment I said. He knows how I admire him and his career. I am ashamed of myself for what I said.”

Pep Guardiola opens up his presser by apologising to Steven Gerrard for his comments about him. pic.twitter.com/xq3QyGexeE

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) February 14, 2023

Man City will argue the charges against the club, insisting that they are innocent.

Guardiola made his first public appearance before the media on Friday following bombshell revelations. He fought and referenced Gerrard’s famous moment that saw City win the Premier League title for 2013-14.

‘I don’t know if we are responsible for Steven Gerrard slipping,’ Guardiola said. ‘You know that situation at Anfield?

‘I didn’t want it out of respect for Steven Gerrard, but it’s our fault?’

“I apologise to Steven Gerrard for my unnecessary and stupid comments I said last time. He knows how I admire him and his career. I’m ashamed of myself because he doesn’t deserve it. I didn’t represent my club well.”

Gerrard’s slip allowed Demba Ba to open the scoring for Chelsea at Anfield in April 2014. Liverpool were only a matter of games from winning their first Premier League title.

After falling to a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, they went to Crystal Palace, where they gave up a three-goal lead to draw 3-2, leaving City with the opportunity to win the league.

Pep added that their ‘moments’, both good and bad, belong to them as a club and cannot be stripped, ‘regardless of the sentence’.

‘Those moments belong to us regardless of the sentence,’ he said. ‘The goal from [Sergio] Aguero [2012], the slip from Steven Gerrard at Anfield [2014]. Was that our fault?

‘The Premier League will decide but I know the effort we put in, what we won and the way we won it. If something happened in 2009 or 2010, it is not going to change one second. We lived these moments together for years.’

🗣️ “I don’t know that we are responsible for Steven Gerrard’s slip in that situation at Anfield, is it our fault?”

Pep Guardiola on people saying Manchester City’s achievements don’t count if they are guilty of the Premier League charges. 👀 pic.twitter.com/KHvd0nc5n2

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) February 12, 2023

Guardiola’s insistence that City’s titles will always belong to them came alongside an astonishing defence of the club, in which he accused the other 19 Premier League sides of conspiring in their downfall, said that they had already been ‘condemned’ and pledged his future to the club – stating he was now more committed than ever.

‘My first thought is that we are already being condemned,’ he said. ‘What has happened this week is the same as what happened with UEFA. With UEFA we were condemned.

‘We are lucky we live in a marvellous country where we have a society where everyone is innocent until proven guilty. We didn’t have this opportunity. We are already sentenced and “tough”.

‘I’m fully convinced that we will be innocent, and then what will happen next? Will it stop now?’

Questioned if the charges were driven by the other clubs, Guardiola responded: ‘Yes of course. Nineteen teams are accusing us. You’ll have to go to the CEOs, [Tottenham’s] Daniel Levy, and ask them.

‘These 19 Premier League [clubs] have set a precedent. What they have done to us, be careful with that. Be careful in the future. Many clubs can make suggestions and there are a lot of clubs that can be accused, like we have been accused.

‘They told me before they defend the accusation from UEFA, the club proved we were completely innocent, why should we not think [that] right now when we are being condemned from charges and suggestions?

‘Just in case we are not innocent we will accept what the judge in the Premier League decides, but what happens if in the same situation as UEFA? If we are innocent who is going to come back and return our damage? The damage is now for one decade

‘We are not part of the establishment of this league but at the same time I understand they can do it [accuse] but let us defend ourselves please. So that’s all.

‘They have opened a precedent right now, what they have done to us. Be careful, because in the future many clubs can make suggestions and there are a lot of clubs that can be accused like we are being accused without maybe being innocent.’

‘Hopefully the reason they are going to sack me is the results,’ he added. ‘But I am not moving from this seat. I can assure you, more than ever that I want to stay. Sometimes I’ve had doubts, seven years already is a long time in any country.

‘Now I don’t want to move. Not because people say they lied to you Pep. They didn’t lie to me. Why should I not trust my people? Why should I trust the CEOs or the owners of the 19 clubs? No, I trust my people.’

This is what social media users said as Pep Guardiola begins his presser with an apology to Steven Gerrard for comments made about him…

@stins87: Fairplay to him for apologising

@tucker_che: Gerrard definitely stuck it on him 😂

@J_MoneyCity89: Why apologize? They can say anything they want about us but they’re untouchable and can’t say a word about them. That’s ridiculous. Remember…they laughed at us and other teams for all our injuries a few seasons back when they won the title. Wrong call imo

@petesivey: It’s very rare for people in the public eye to make complete unreserved apologies and reflect so openly on their own faults. Refreshing!

@LFC__Missy: Not a heartfelt apology…more he’s been torn off a strip and has realised how much he’s been mocked for his comments, however I’ll take it 😂😂

@bugsjugs: Sound like a Guilty man to me 👀

@_ConnorMiles: Shit yourself 🤣

@Kieranleonardd: Haha knob head

@lfcgdon: That smile at the end loool he ain’t serious

@JonnyMc1: A serious serious coke head. Troubled soul

@anDrewjmmullins: God forbid anyone says anything about Steven Gerrard… Deary me. Pathetic. Pep will have enough actual apologies to make in due course…

@jkjamo: Fuck of pep you rat! And I hope Gerrard told him the same!! Nobody gives a fuck about your apology after the fact.

@4xVettel: Wtf bro it’s just banter 😭

@PaulJohno_: Glad he did this, Gerrard didn’t deserve them strays from Pep during the defence of the club

@MCFC_Trooper: Shouldn’t apologise he didn’t make Gerrard slip, give the ball to demba ba and bottle the league

@colingeorgerice: Football has gone woke. He slipped……. get over it!

@Moonraker_Mart: Completely lost the plot.

@liam11: They win a game and he’s sorry 😄😄😄