After the draw in the derby at ManUnited, Pep Guardiola caused irritation with a flippant statement about Matheus Nunes – but he wanted to praise the Portuguese.
Two years ago, Matheus Nunes joined Manchester City from Wolverhampton for the hefty sum of €60 million. However, the Portuguese player never got beyond the role of a rotation player for the Skyblues, but now he seems to have found a new home – at right back.
“He can become a good right-back with his physicality,” City coach Pep Guardiola said about Matheus Nunes after the goalless draw in the derby at Manchester United, explaining why he does not consider the 26-year-old suitable for playing in midfield, where he actually plays. ‘I think he’s not a midfielder because he’s not clever and calm enough.’
A statement that is dangerously honest. Did Guardiola even realize that it might not be particularly smart to publicly call a player not clever? There is a risk that such a statement could be taken the wrong way, and Guardiola knows this only too well. A year ago, he apologized to Kalvin Phillips after publicly making his overweight public and causing the player to suffer a crisis of confidence.
Coach praises Matheus Nunes
It remains to be seen what effect his current statement will have on Matheus Nunes. Guardiola actually wanted to praise the player. The Catalan particularly emphasized how well the Portuguese has developed. “He has incredible skills and is learning a lot,” said Guardiola, praising Matheus Nunes’ behavior when crossing to the second post. In such situations, he said, central defenders often make mistakes “because they’re asleep” – not so Matheus Nunes. Against United, he “defended very well”.
Guardiola believes that the 27-year-old, who has already made ten Premier League appearances at right-back this season, is very much at home at right-back. “He’s attentive and has the physicality. He can play the position and he’s helping us a lot.”
The Spaniard also pointed out that he himself had not expected such a development. “If someone had said at the beginning of the season that I would play in crucial games with Matheus on the right back and with Nico O’Reilly on the left back, I would have said, ‘What are you talking about?’ But it is what it is.”
