The Italian coach has been unfairly and prematurely maligned, just as the Manchester City boss was during his difficult first season in England
Not long into Pep Guardiola’s first season at Manchester City, a disgruntled supporter told a fan TV channel that the club should have hired Diego Simeone instead.
It was not a common view among the fan base, but that particular post-match frustration goes to show that the Catalan was far from universally popular in his first few months in charge at the Etihad Stadium, and certainly not safe from knee-jerk reactions.
His decision to replace Joe Hart with Claudio Bravo rubbed a lot of people up the wrong way, and was often dragged up when results did not go City’s way.