Pep Guardiola labels Benjamin Mendy ‘one of the good guys’ despite Covid-19 breach
Pep Guardiola has defender French full-back Benjamin Mendy after his breach of Covid-19 regulations calling him ‘one of the good guys.’
Last Updated: January 4, 2021 7:23 pm
‘One of the good guys’
Pep Guardiola has defended his decision to include Benjamin Mendy in his matchday squad for the away fixture with Chelsea. The French full-back was an unused substitute with Oleksandr Zinchenko starting in the left full-back position.
It had been reported that Mendy had breached Covid-19 regulations during New Year’s Eve. Manchester City have been facing serious Covid-19 issues with eight members of playing and backroom staff testing positive. Carl Walker, Gabriel Jesus and Eric Garcia are among those who have tested positive for the virus.
Ederson, Ferran Torres and Nathan Ake are not in the matchday squad. Meanwhile, Gabriel Jesus, Eric Garcia and Kyle Walker are still self-isolating after testing positive for COVID-19. Laporte is also missing due to a hamstring issue.
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However, the Spanish coach has backed Mendy claiming he had ‘good intentions.’
“No, he’s part of the group, he’s one of the good guys. It must be love in our group. He’s a special guy for all of us, he has an incredible heart. I would like to see how many people judge him, if they have the good intentions he has,” said Guardiola.
“It would be better if, before we judge others, we judge ourselves. I’m not justifying that, he broke the rules. But don’t give too many lessons to others.”
Manchester City’s Spanish manager Pep Guardiola reacts after a goal scored by his team during the UEFA Champions League Group C football match between FC Shakhtar Donetsk and Manchester City FC at the OSK Metalist stadium in Kharkiv on September 18, 2019. (Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP) (Photo credit should read SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images)
“Of course it was not correct what he has done, but don’t judge him too much. Maybe many people have done the same. It’s easy to judge others. If everyone put those intentions aside, maybe it would be better.”
Manchester City are still conducting an internal investigation as to Mendy’s breach of the regulations.
Won for the squad
Guardiola has said that their 3-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday afternoon was done for the benefit of the squad. As mentioned, many of the Manchester City squad and backroom staff are suffering from the Covid-19 virus having tested positive and are now self-isolating.
It meant that Guardiola was without his number one keeper Ederson and also no recognised starting striker with Jesus out and Sergio Aguero on the bench still recovering from a long-term injury.
“We played really well,” said Guardiola during his post-match press conference. “I say thank you to all the players in this difficult time because friends, players and backroom staff are suffering with COVID-19.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JUNE 22: Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City gives his team instructions during a drinks break during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Burnley FC at Etihad Stadium on June 22, 2020 in Manchester, England. Football stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venus resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
“They make a step forward and they make an incredible display against one of the best teams in England. A good result for us to be close to the top of the league. The important thing today is not just the result but especially the way we play. We understand each other. The players played really well.”
The win moved Manchester City up to fifth place in the table and just four points of leaders Liverpool and Manchester United. The Citizens also have a game in hand which would put them a single point behind their Manchester and Merseyside rivals.
Manchester City respond to Benjamin Mendy’s New Year’s Eve Covid-19 breach with 8 positive tests now recorded
Insight provided into Man City’s Covid cases as matchday squad (including Benjamin Mendy) to face Chelsea unveiled
This article was edited by Josh Barker.
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| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester United FC | 17 | 10 | 36 |
| 2 | Leicester City FC | 18 | 12 | 35 |
| 3 | Liverpool FC | 17 | 16 | 33 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 18 | 16 | 33 |
| 5 | Manchester City FC | 16 | 12 | 32 |
| 6 | Everton FC | 17 | 7 | 32 |
| 7 | Chelsea FC | 18 | 12 | 29 |
| 8 | Southampton FC | 18 | 5 | 29 |
| 9 | West Ham United FC | 18 | 4 | 29 |
| 10 | Aston Villa FC | 15 | 13 | 26 |
| 11 | Arsenal FC | 18 | 1 | 24 |
| 12 | Leeds United | 18 | -4 | 23 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 18 | -7 | 23 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 19 | -8 | 22 |
| 15 | Newcastle United FC | 17 | -9 | 19 |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 19 | -7 | 17 |
| 17 | Burnley FC | 17 | -13 | 16 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 17 | -11 | 12 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 18 | -27 | 11 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 19 | -22 | 5 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 11 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 11 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 10 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 8 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 8 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 7 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 6 |
| Abraham, Tammy | Chelsea FC | 6 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 6 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 5 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 5 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 5 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 5 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 6 |
| Reid, Bobby | Fulham FC | 0 | 5 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Dunk, Lewis | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 4 |
| Phillips, Kalvin | Leeds United | 0 | 5 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 5 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 5 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 4 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 5 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 4 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 4 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 4 |
| Tielemans, Youri | Leicester City FC | 0 | 4 |
| Klich, Mateusz | Leeds United | 0 | 4 |
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|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 11 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 8 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 7 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 6 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 5 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 4 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| Adams, Che | Southampton FC | 4 |
| Harrison, Jack | Leeds United | 4 |
| Chilwell, Benjamin | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 4 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 3 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 3 |
