Pep Guardiola vows to stay honest with players ‘whether they want to hear it or not’ as Tottenham visit Man City for first time since ‘happy flowers’ speech when he blasted players for sloppy victory

• Pep Guardiola launched a scathing tirade against players and fans last January
• Even with his team winning, Man City’s boss will not hold back with criticism
• IAN LADYMAN: If Spurs go toe-to-toe with City, they’ll have their trousers pulled down – It’s All Kicking Off

By Joe Bernstein for MailOnline

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Pep Guardiola has insisted he will keep speaking his mind in order to try and keep Manchester City top of the tree.

Guardiola faces Spurs at The Etihad today for the first time since he described his players as a ‘happy flowers team’ after a sloppy 4-2 victory against the same opponents in January.

On that occasion, Guardiola lambasted his stars for being too comfortable and not playing from the stomach, and it worked with City responding. Now the Catalan says he’ll continue to be honest even if it causes offence.

‘I will do those things whether they want to hear it or not,’ said the City boss, bidding for a historic fourth English league title in a row.

‘I’ve said good things to them, privately and publicly, a thousand more than negative things. But after that game, I was being incredibly honest and felt it, so I said it.

Pep Guardiola has vowed to stay honest with his players – even if harsh words cause offence

He launched an astonishing broadside against his players and fans after their 4-2 win over Spurs in January, claiming they would not win anything if they retained a ‘lack of passion’ 

Ange Postecoglou leads Spurs to the Etihad after three consecutive Premier League defeats 

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‘If we’d lost I might not have done but we won and people accepted my feeling that we didn’t have anything inside us, even if it was nice to win.

‘It is a manager’s job to say what really really happens. If you don’t like to listen, it’s your problem.

‘We have to put things in front of a mirror every time. We recently conceded four goals against Chelsea – two of them avoidable goals. It was a problem. If we don’t solve it, we will lose games.’

Guardiola’s straight-talking has impressed new signing Jeremy Doku who is one of the stand-out players in the Premier League this season.

‘He can take me to the next level. That’s also why I took this chance to come here because I know the manager and how he can help me reach the top,’ said the winger.

‘He lets me be myself but helps a lot with the details to be a better player.’

Despite City’s 4-2 win over Spurs in January, Guardiola was irritated by how fans were ‘silent for 45 minutes’ and said he ‘didn’t recognise’ his team 

Jeremy Doku said Guardiola helps him ‘a lot with the details’ to become a better footballer

Pep’s extraordinary tirade after City’s 4-2 win over Spurs in January 

Pep Guardiola was fuming after City’s 4-2 win over Spurs in January, even though they had come from 2-0 down at the Etihad.

He said: ‘Playing with this lack of passion, this season I can announce we are not going to win anything.

‘[We lacked] guts, passion, fire, desire to win from minute one. The same with the fans, they are silent for 45 minutes. I want my fans back. The fans have to shout.

‘They booed because we were losing, but not because we played bad. We played good. We were better. They booed because we were losing, but maybe it’s like our team.

‘I don’t recognise my team, they [previously] had the passion and desire to run. Do you think we are going to chase the gap to Arsenal the way we are playing? No way.

‘I want a reaction from the whole club – everyone. We are a happy flowers organisation. I don’t want happy flowers. I want to beat Arsenal. Play this way and Arsenal will destroy us.

‘We are far away from the team we had in previous seasons. Do you think this comeback will happen every time? It won’t.

‘Today we were lucky. If we want to win something or compete – but complaining, complaining, complaining – no chance we will win anything.

‘There is something in the clouds, that you cannot express, that we just don’t have.’

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.

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