MY ACCOUNT
Pep Guardiola has reminded Manchester City’s players they cannot expect privacy after footage of Kyle Walker’s behaviour in a bar led to negative headlines this week.
The City and England defender was shown on CCTV footage, published by The Sun, with friends at a venue where he apparently pulled down his trousers.
The newspaper alleged Walker indecently exposed himself, with the incident said to have happened last Sunday. Cheshire Police has confirmed it is looking into the matter.
Guardiola said it was “a private issue” and he would not discuss Walker’s conduct.
“We solved it internally, speaking with him,” Guardiola said in his regular Friday pre-match press conference. “Of course, this is not the place to talk about private situations.”
Asked if players needed to be extra cautious when out and about, given the chances of being on camera, Guardiola said: “Yes, definitely, it’s completely different than years ago, definitely.”
He suggested the players had already received plenty of advice about how to act.
“They know it already,” Guardiola said. “When you open the door at home you have to know you will be filmed, whatever you do. It’s part of the society.”
City head to Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday, looking to cut leaders Arsenal’s advantage to two points ahead of the Gunners’ game at Fulham the following day.
Palace have not won any of their last seven Premier League home games against City (D2 L5), last getting a Selhurst Park victory over the Manchester giants in April 2015.
Moreover, Palace have not won any of their last nine Premier League games in the current campaign, the longest ongoing barren run.
All signs point to an away success, although City have already dropped more points in league games away from the Etihad Stadium this season (15) than they did in the whole of 2021-22 (11).
Guardiola dismissed concerns over travel to the game after snowfall.
But he predicted the fixture would be a major test of his team, saying: “Every game away in the Premier League is difficult. Crystal Palace in previous seasons, especially at home [in Manchester], we’ve struggled a lot to get results.”
