Pep Guardiola’s heated exchange with Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke was the subject of much intrigue on Saturday night – and an expert lip reader has now revealed the Manchester City manager’s jokes about ‘crying’ and being a ‘baby’.
The visitors fell to a fourth successive defeat for the first time under Guardiola in all competitions, and perhaps more relevantly they dropped a further three points in the ongoing title race.
Liverpool, meanwhile, continued their own attack with another win over Unai Emery’s Aston Villa to move five points clear of Guardiola and Co.
Erling Haaland had opened the scoring with his 15th of the season to put City on course to victory and end their poor run, but substitutes Joao Pedro and Matt O’Riley had other plans and scored for the Seagulls on their way to an goal. statement won.
But after the match, Guardiola was spotted deep in conversations with Van Hecke; It is not uncommon to see the City boss tackle one of his own charges after the final whistle – even after a win – but this time it was one of Brighton’s most important players.
Pep Guardiola (left) was seen talking and gesturing to Jan Paul van Hecke (right) after Brighton beat Manchester City 2-1 on Saturday night
This came shortly after Van Hecke collided with Manchester City striker Erling Haaland
After the seismic victory, the defender – who was involved in a scuffle with Haaland in stoppage time – explained that Guardiola had congratulated the Dutchman and his side and had also discussed a foul late in the match.
However, lip reading expert Jeremy Freeman has shed new light on what was said between the two full-time.
Freeman suggests Guardiola asked Van Hecke a series of questions: “Are you kidding?”, followed by “Are you serious?” and ‘You don’t do that’.
Van Hecke, according to Freeman, seemed confused by the questions and did not offer much of an answer.
Guardiola is said to have continued: ‘You asked to… cry’, and then: ‘Are you crying?’
He went on to ask if the defender was ‘proud of it’, but this time the Brighton star replied: ‘Sure’.
Freedman states that Guardiola then says: ‘Fair play for that…’ and Van Hecke, seemingly confused by this, asks ‘Why?’.
The City boss then speaks into Van Hecke’s ear, after which he adds: ‘No, come on, honey… No…’
Brighton substitutes Matt O’Riley (left) and Joao Pedro (left) scored the goals for the Seagulls
Guardiola praised Van Hecke after the match for his aggressive defense against Haaland
‘No, let’s clap’
‘You played a good match. I would still like to congratulate you’
Van Hecke’s reaction is then difficult to determine, although he would suggest that both teams played a good match, although this is unclear.
But by the end of the conversation the animosity seems to have disappeared, with Guardiola ending with: ‘Congratulations, anyway… Enjoy your evening.’
The match saw Fabian Hurzeler’s side claim a fifth win of the season, and after the weekend’s action, the final round of matches finished in sixth place, level with Arsenal. Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.
City, meanwhile, are suffering something of a mid-season slump, although few would write off the four-in-a-row champions for one of their trademark winning streaks into the teens.
When Van Hecke was asked about the incident after Saturday’s match, he tried to play it down: ‘We were just talking about the foul at the end of the penalty area. He asked me what happened in the box and I explained.
‘He congratulated me. I said they had a great team. He’s a great manager.
‘You see how his team played at the end of last season when we lost 4-0.’
The 24-year-old added: “I felt like I was in the rondo the whole match. I have nothing but great respect for him.’
Guardiola praised the Dutch defender, saying: “He is aggressive and a very good player.”
He also discussed the incident during his post-match press conference, saying that he told Van Hecke to stand up in his altercation with Haaland, noting how he had aggressively defended himself against him during the match.
Guardiola’s team has now suffered four defeats in a row for the first time under his reign
City will have the chance to get back to winning ways after the international break when they host Tottenham – who also suffered a shock defeat to Ipswich this weekend – while Brighton will travel down the south coast to Bournemouth.
Guardiola has made it clear he still expects his team to bounce back to relaunch their bid for a fifth straight Premier League title.
“That’s what it’s always been about: not being complacent when you win big,” he said.
‘We know how difficult it is and how nice it will be when we win again. We are not at our best at the moment, that is clear. But it is still November, we will recover at our best.”