Pep Guardiola might claim to know everything there is about football, but he certainly doesn’t seem to have any idea who Stan Collymore is.

During his midweek press conference the Manchester City boss was asked about Collymore’s recent criticism, in which the former Liverpool player branded Guardiola “beyond deluded”, but the Catalan seemed totally unaware.

Given his bemused response – “Stan Collymore?” he said – Guardiola appeared to have no genuine idea who the player-turned-pundit was.

While he may have quite easily feigned ignorance, it nonetheless provided the assembled press with something to smile about.

Despite kicking off the season in emphatic form, City have struggled in recent weeks to come to terms with the gritty, often ugly nature of the English Premier League.

The side are now without a win since late November and after the ignominy of a 4-2 defeat at Leicester, during which the visitors conceded three goals within the space of 20 minutes, Guardiola has come under mounting pressure and criticism.



Collymore was one such critic to jump on the bandwagon.

Writing in the Daily Mirror, he said: “If thinks he’s going to turn up and outplay everybody in the Premier League, and that teams…are going to let his Manchester City side have the ball for 90 per cent of the time and pass pretty patterns around them so they can get a result, then he is absolutely deluded.

“In fact, he is beyond deluded.

“And if he thinks he doesn’t need to teach tackling or one-on-one combat in training then he’ll be going back to Spain with his tail between his legs.

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“The great managers understand the unique circumstances the Premier League has.

“They realise it’s not just about playing the beautiful game for five or 10 games, but about grinding it out at times as well over the course of the full 38.”

When asked by a Spanish journalist his thoughts regarding Collymore's criticism of his approach, Guardiola required some clarification on the matter.