As emotions mount, Pep Guardiola was seen having a furious conversation with a Man City star.
A Tunnel Club ticket for this Manchester City match probably cost you only two or three hundred notes, since the visiting team is the lowly Brentford. What you came to the stadium for will determine whether or not you got value for your money.
If it was for muscular, fast-moving, exciting football, you were sorely disappointed. If the goal was to capture a close-up of Pep Guardiola at his most intense, then the money was well spent.
It’s true that Guardiola’s intense desire to succeed makes him appear to be a manager on the verge of losing control and even crying uncontrollably at times. Nor is it as though he hasn’t been able to handle the demands and expectations placed on his outstanding teams.
But there’s no denying that Guardiola is under pressure as Liverpool continues to lead the league and Arsenal finds its rhythm again. And you could tell on Tuesday night if you were at the Tunnel Club.
The manner Guardiola lectured Oscar Bobb as the sides were getting ready for the second half was telling. His pleas for the fans to settle down when anger at City’s tedious build-ups started to boil over were telling.
Most impressively, you could tell when Erling Haaland got the breakthrough shortly after the 70-minute mark by the way he volleyed the drinks bucket in a furious celebration.
Although Guardiola acknowledges that there is very little possibility his team will repeat the treble, that does not lessen his desperation to do so.