The 5 Celtic words Ange Postecoglou should have said instead of swerving lingering Leeds question - Keith Jackson

They're all borderline narcissists with a leaning towards control freakery. Well, the best of them are anyway.

Just don’t expect any football manager worth his salt to admit it. That would seem a little too much like the acceptance of criticism. And they’re not comfortable with being criticised. They’re not even all that fond of being questioned. Which might explain why so many of them have such a low tolerance level when it comes to the fulfilment of their pre- and post-match media duties at times.

Invariably, there’s a whole lot of huffing and puffing involved when it comes to sitting down with the ladies and gentlemen of the press which is odd in itself given that the vast majority of these verbal jousts are largely mundane, low-octane affairs. Particularly, when things are running smoothly. And yet, even so, there’s something lodged deep in their psyche which makes the whole thing feel like an inconvenience and, in some cases, even an ordeal.

When you think about it, it’s probably the one part of their working week when they are not in complete control of their own environment. The rest of the time, a good manager operates behind closed doors in his way and on their terms.

So when they are expected to explain themselves in the full view of the public perhaps it’s only natural that the heckles come up. Which is why Friday afternoon provided such a fascinating insight into the managerial mind that a psychologist would have had a field day.

On Merseyside – and not for the first time – Jurgen Klopp’s big smiley mask was slipping when he admitted that speaking to journalists had become all a bit too much of a chore now his Liverpool team is malfunctioning so spectacularly. And in Manchester, Pep Guardiola was going off