Olaleye Idowu
Former Arsenal captain, Thierry Henry, has claimed that Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, is “not mentally well” amid his split from wife Cristina Serra and his team’s challenging season.
City’s 5-1 thrashing in the hands of Arsenal on Sunday, leaves them fifth and 15 points off Premier League leaders Liverpool.
For Guardiola, it has been a difficult few months on and off the pitch.
In January, there were reports that he had split from his wife Cristina after 30 years.
Cristina is believed to be upset with Guardiola’s decision to extend his stay with the Etihad club until 2027.
It came after a worrying episode in November when Guardiola emerged with scratches on his face after a 3-3 Champions League draw with Feyenoord.
“I cut myself with my fingernail (during the game),” he said.
“I want to hurt myself.”
Henry himself went through a divorce shortly after signing for Barcelona in 2007 and sympathises with Guardiola.
He said: “It’s not easy to deal with what Pep has to deal with outside of football.
“I went through that when I went to Barcelona. It’s not easy to deal with stuff like that, when you’re not well mentally.
“You can see that he’s not his usual self. I had to deal with it when I went to Barcelona, I can tell you it’s not easy. No one would like to deal with that while you have to perform all the time. So I think we can understand.”
