Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has accused Sadio Mane of "diving" ahead of next weekend's top-of-the-table clash with Liverpool.
Having beaten Southampton 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium, coming from a goal down themselves to win, Guardiola was asked about next week's match.
However, in sensational style, Guardiola took a rather bizarre shot at Mane labelling him a diver.
Speaking after watching Klopp's side beat Southampton 2-1, he said: "Sometimes he's (Mane) diving, sometimes he has this talent to score incredible goals in the last minute. He's a talent.
"It's happened a lot for Liverpool in the last years [scoring late on] it's because he's a special talent."
On Liverpool's win, he added: "If it's one time, two times, “we were lucky, we were lucky”, but it happened in the last two seasons many, many times – they have a special character to do that.
"We look at ourselves, we know which team we face, I think they have won 10 and drawn one… Next week we go to Anfield to try to play them."
Mane had been in the headlines against Leicester City last month after going to ground following a Marc Albrighton challenge which resulted in a penalty kick.
However, replays showed there was contact on the Liverpool forward, rubbishing any claims of a potential dive.
azmilalmahomed7
1117
Guardiola better raise concerns about his side b4 picking on Mane. I think the panic and anxiety is hitting him for next weeks clash with Liverpool !!!! MAN CITY lost against small sides, e.g against Norwich City one of them !!! They had to struggle against a poor Southampton side who was demolished by Leicester 9-0 quite recent. Guardiola better improve his side on more concerns about his city side than picking on Mane !!!! Shame on him. How about the man UTD side, where MARTIAL took a dive, and UTD players fighting with Bournemouth players !!!!! 😁. I personally think that when city scored against Southampton in the few minutes, he already knew the scores between Liverpool v/s Aston Villas as 1-1. He had great hope to catch up on point s with Liverpool. However its been a great shock and devastating for him to find out about Mane's last mins goal !!!!! 😁 😁 😁 HE is showing signs of anxiety with next week coming match !!! 😁
Mabvuto26
649
just keep quiet no one talks about your players and a player should be wise remember maradona won the world cup scoring with a hand
musbimrsy
630
Where was Pep when his players were doing these🤣🤣😂😂😂
dawbcp
512
Pep why not focus on your team, what a way of discrediting your RIVALs, we will see you next, match to match, foul mouth. In KLOPP, MANE, SALAH and FIRMINO all the way. Welcome to the Kop
Fahad442
453
I thought u should clean Raheem Stealing first before u cross the bolder (leave Liverpool alone)
Nuwailops
452
where was he when it was sterling? And there is Var. If someone dives he should get punished. Just creating pressure on the referees before liverpool Mancity clash
discimnprs
428
most times u guys tends to forget this game of football is full with emotions and passion especially when a lot is at stake. we all know how incredibly and a great player Mane is and we also saw the dirty dive he did which to me I feel a player of his calibre and character shouldn't have been doing. so if Pep talk about him, is one of those things and being that Mane is the most dangerous player in Liverpool, I don't see anything horrible or bad on his comment. If you know football very well, one should have easily predicted the outcome of yesterday match BTW man city and Southampton. u cant easily beat any team back to back cos tactics and formation would have been understudied. Is a normal thing for City to panic knowing that their visit to Airfield won't be an easy trip.
ibarusha
409
Before I forget let me remind citizens that anfield has never changed it's history and it's not easy for anyone to come and win as if it's his home ground .It's not a secret Anfield is anfield, that's the name of our stadium together with it's history. Pep must leave the opposition side alone when it comes on diving because we know so many times sterling used to act like that last campaign. Even diving is the part of game when it's done well by professional players like the way ole(man United coach)like to support himself about the way his players win many penalties this season.It can be used to win the game because game is game ,there's no friendly on game. if pep want to criticise his opposition team ,let's let him enjoy the criticisms, I know he have tasted so many unneeded wins of game like FA CUP of last season vs Swansea city.
Upwardly2015
381
Pep is technically admitting that Mané is gonna be his headache come next week when the Citizens take the battle to Anfield.
ibarusha
333
Beware of Reds anywhere you see them especially in second half in dying minutes. # here are teams which were shocked by reds in dieying minutes so far this season. *man city _______(community shield). *Sheffield United (EPL). *Salzburg________(UEFA ). *Leicester city____(EPL). *man United______(EPL). *Tottenham spurs(EPL ). *arsenal _________(EFL CUP). *Aston villa_______(EPL). Liverpool has managed to fruastrate 8 teams this season as they were seeing results in another way. when you compare to those of city,you find citizens 7 behind them this season to fraustrate the opponents winning or drawing results while citizens opponents have managed to fruastrate them 2 times (wolves and Tottenham )this season and Liverpool recorded zero .
AdukaAnfield
288
only pep will let his player to dive and win the match but not for klopp better lose the match with pride rather than win it with cheating way because we are Liverpool..we play to win with the right way and will never been surrender till the last minute even we will dying to get the results.. never give up.. Liverpool fc.. ynwa
zeydnpry
259
Sadio Mane ignore Pep Guardiola...Fear is with him. He does have many divers in his team...He thinks he is in Spain... He is already afraid of Anfield roars...
yzi
246
kloop and Liverpool fans always talk about pep Now pep just mention what we all know mané and salah the biggest divers and people took it as an offense