'They want to take away my credit!' - Guardiola comes out swinging against his detractors

Pep Guardiola has slammed his critics, stating that some people have been determined to take away his credit and undermine his success throughout his career.

The Manchester City manager won the treble last season, having previously done so with Barcelona, but has faced constant scrutiny throughout his managerial years.

His detractors claim that Guardiola was only successful at Barca because of the form of Lionel Messi, that his three league titles in a row with Bayern Munich were otherwise inevitable due to the club’s lofty standing and that his City titles have been bought by the riches on offer through the Abu Dhabi ownership group.

The Spaniard took on his critics head on in an interview published in Brazil this week, stating that certain individuals were looking to demean his achievements.

He also said that he delights in proving people wrong, pointing to the opposition at his installation as Barca manager back in 2008 as evidence.

Guardiola was not a favoured choice to take over from Frank Rijkaard but oversaw a stunning period of success at the Catalans until his sabbatical in 2012 including two Champions League titles.

Everyone wants to knock me off the top says Pep

“When you arrive and you’re there, everyone wants to knock you off the top,” he told ESPN Brasil.

“If you see me after Barcelona, they want to take away my credit for what I did. Sometimes it’s money, sometimes it’s Lionel Messi and his teammates, sometimes it’s that Bayern always win.

“They tend to doubt the value, it’s normal. When someone doesn’t win, they want to make it less important. The rivals want to beat you and the critics want to take away your value. That’s not important.

“They’re sitting there watching you, but you’re the one who works and can do it, not them. If I’m doing badly, I go home. With my players, staff and club, I’m eager to prove myself.

“When I arrived at Barcelona, 86 per cent of people didn’t want me. I said: ‘Perfect’. It’s better to arrive like that than: ‘Oh, everything is perfect’. Convince one, then the others. I prefer people to doubt. I need them not to believe, it gives me incredible energy. Let’s prove it.”

Manchester City have won five Premier League titles under Guardiola since his arrival from Bayern back in 2016, including the last three in a row.

He has also won two FA Cups and four EFL Cups throughout his time in England, as well as the Champions League and Club World Cup.

This season they are trailing Liverpool in the title race but could yet add a fourth English league title in succession while they also remain in the hunt for the Champions League and FA Cup too.