Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola still ‘angry’ with Kyle Walker over ban

Pep Guardiola admits he is still angry with Kyle Walker over his sending off in Manchester City’s defeat at RB Leipzig three months ago.

The right-back’s dismissal in City’s final Champions League group game in December for a needless kick at Portugal forward Andre Silva incurred a three-match ban.

Given the incident occurred in a match that was effectively a dead rubber for City, with their place in the knockout stages as group winners already assured, manager Guardiola was furious at the time.

When a player does a stupid thing, he deserves to be banned for three games.- Pep Guardiola

Now with City short of players due to injury and illness for the second leg of their last-16 tie against Sporting Lisbon at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, the issue very much remains a sore point.

“He deserved the three-game ban,” said Guardiola at his pre-match press conference. “When a player does a stupid thing, he deserves to be banned for three games.

“I’m not so kind to Kyle in this kind of action. I’m still so angry with him.

“It’s not necessary to discuss (it) with him – he knows it. Kyle is so important for us – you saw the game he played against United – but in Leipzig when we had already qualified, 80 minutes in and he made this kind of action? He deserves the three games.

“The club appealed but I did not agree. They had to do it because in other similar cases it was just two games (but) he deserved it. Hopefully he learns for the future.”

Walker’s suspension exacerbates City’s defensive problems with centre-backs Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake out injured and fellow full-back Joao Cancelo this week succumbing to illness.

Having won the first leg 5-0 last month, City’s progress to the quarter-finals seems unlikely to be impeded but