Revealed: How Pep Guardiola got THAT cut to his nose after his Man City side spurned three-goal lead against Feyenoord – as Guillem Balague gives insight into manager’s ‘self-doubt’ and ‘nervousness’

Guillem Balague has revealed how Pep Guardiola ended up cutting his nose after Manchester City’s humiliating draw with Feyenoord, in an image that shocked football fans.

The photo of the Spaniard with scratches on his head and a cut on his nose summed up City’s misery this season, which reached a new level after blowing a three-goal lead in the Champions League.

An Erling Haaland brace came either side of a deflected Ilkay Gundogan volley, seemingly putting the home side out of reach of their Dutch opponents.

But two errors from defender Josko Gvardiol put the visitors back in it before Ederson missed his ball and David Hancko slotted home a dramatic equalizer.

Guardiola caused concern after the debacle when he appeared at a press conference with marks on his head and face and joked that he wanted to ‘hurt himself’.

Now Spanish journalist Balague has explained how the manager made the cuts, while also providing insight into his compatriot’s personality.

The Spanish journalist also lifted the lid on the city manager’s “self-doubt” and “nervousness”

Balague explained that the cuts were the result of a “nail that was way too sharp”

He said, ‘You know he’s scratching his head a little bit? Don’t ask me why, it’s a gesture of nervousness.

‘Normally nothing happens, but that day he had a nail that was way too sharp, and it went on the top of a spot on the nose.

‘Remember, he started the game with a lid on his nose and that was because there was an argument the day before, but a football argument, about positional football and where to play, with Kyle Walker.

“And he just got nervous and marked his nose again and they put a lid on it – it was in his own office.

‘So at the end of the game he starts scratching his head nervously and tensely, goes to the press conference and his right hand sends him a picture and says, “What’s on your mind?” because you could already see all the markings in the photo – it must have been after he was talking to Sky.

‘And Pep looks at the picture and after the press conference he goes into the coaching room and there was nothing in his head, it was all gone. They were just marks that were the result of what he had walked into the locker room. So it was all gone.”

Balague also revealed that even Guardiola, who has won six league titles at the Etihad and three Champions League trophies in his career, has self-doubts.

“It was one of them,” he added. ‘It shows that he is tense, he is nervous of course.

City’s winless run was extended to six games after the humiliating draw against Feyenoord

The team’s shock run has not improved and last Sunday they lost 2-1 to rivals United

“And you know he has a lot of self-doubt. He always did that. He thinks, ‘I’m not going to be able to hand this out,’ and he needs some support from people.”

After the match, Guardiola said: ‘We are not able to win games. As a team we always find a way over the years. At this point, nothing happens in any other situation.

‘There was no need to say anything to them, they know that perfectly.

‘Three episodes and they (Feyenoord) didn’t let us win. It is what it is and so hard to swallow. It will be a tough season for us and we have to accept that. We have to lift them (for Anfield). I have to lift my players up. It’s my job.’

Last month’s draw might have ended a five-match losing streak, but was itself one of the low points of a miserable season for City so far.

Things haven’t improved for Guardiola’s men since that day, with defeats to Liverpool, Juventus and Man United interrupted only by a rare win over Nottingham Forest.