New footage shows Pep Guardiola’s furious half time rant at his Manchester City players as they battled to keep their Treble dream alive.
Guardiola delivered a half time dressing down to his squad during a January 2023 match against Tottenham with City trailing 2-0. In hindsight, the infamous ‘Happy Flowers’ rant was a decisive moment in Manchester City’s treble-winning season as they scored four without reply in the second period.
Guardiola had been unhappy with the attitude of his City squad prior to the Spurs clash. He had scolded them after the appalling defeat at Southampton a few weeks earlier, questioning their attitude and hunger to fight to retain their title.
And when City collapsed in the first half against Spurs at the Etihad, Guardiola was furious with his players in the dressing room – as new footage shows from the behind-the-scenes Together documentary which charts the treble-success. City came back to win 4-2 and Guardiola opted to air his concerns publicly after the game – questioning the complacency of the entire club from dressing room to the stands.
The documentary shows Guardiola’s furious half-time team-talk, which echoes his complaints later made in his press conference. After Erling Haaland stormed into the dressing room, kicking a bottle away and throwing down his shirt, Guardiola said: “There’s something inside that you find, all of you guys. No exception, all of you, that we are missing. Something missing, missing inside.
“I have to tell it? No. In this situation, you have to solve it. Where is your passion, where is your energy or something inside that says, ‘my friends, I am going to survive.’ Of course, now I’ve proved you don’t want to win the Premier League. I, absolutely…
“And I for one… [goes to Lewis] With 18 years old we have the guy with more passion and energy to do it. He got ten fouls, he got up. He fought against [Pierre-Emile] Hojbjerg, with Hojbjerg, and nobody defends him. The guy wants all the ball. He’s aggressive without the ball. I give presents? You think I give presents? I don’t give presents my friends. You deserve it [to Lewis].”
Lewis, reflecting on the team talk, said: “It was a bit intimidating for me. I was just trying to do my job. I wasn’t trying to get any attention or anything. For me it was just a big moment and a big part of the journey so far.”
In his post-match press conference, Guardiola said: “I want a reaction for all the club, all the reaction. Not just players staff and everyone. We are a happy flowers team. I don’t want to be happy flowers, I want to beat Arsenal. If we play in that way Arsenal [in the next game] will destroy us.
“I’m incredibly happy. But without change we aren’t going to win anything. I said ‘I don’t care if we don’t win anything’, I said the last years I said I have to see my team, you have to have passion for something. If our fans are comfortable, are you going to tell me we played bad in the first half? Absolutely not.
“Rico Lewis concedes four fouls, who defends him? I know it’s not a yellow because he’s 18. Who defends him? No-one. You think I said anything special at half-time? I know I don’t play Joao [Cancelo], Kyle [Walker], Aymer [Laporte], Bernardo [Silva], Kevin [De Bruyne]. It’s not about that, with them it’s the same.
“Play bad? No. We always play good. The quality we have we do it. It’s not about that, now I’m happy they prove me. We give the goals, today it’s Eddy or Rodri. The other day will be a central defender or full-back. It’s not about that, it’s about our fans. I’m here. Just listen to the Spurs fans.
“Of course we’re going to come back, we have to. Have to move the team. I want the passion from Julian [Alvarez], I want it from Rodri, from Nathan. I want every ball happen. 1-0, free kick, Rico and Manu, all the players upfront, nine players to find and they play short.
“After, the manager has to tell them this? You think I said something tactical at half time? Why should we change. We were playing good. It doesn’t matter the substitutions. It’s that right now we don’t have it.”
