Pep Guardiola believes officials must be treated with the upmost respect but claimed he cannot be expected to withhold his emotions on the touchline against Liverpool.
Guardiola's Manchester City host Liverpool in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Thursday evening, marking a return to domestic action for the pair just days after the conclusion of the World Cup. Despite the likelihood that senior players will be rested on both sides, the resumption of a newly-fierce rivalry is expected to get mouths watering ahead of Monday's Premier League comeback.
Such has been the fervour of previous meetings, Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan and City counterpart Ferran Soriano felt inclined to release a joint statement asking for calm in the midst of disgusting behaviour that has seen sickening taunts regarding the Hillsborough disaster and coins being thrown at Guardiola.
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And speaking to the press on Wednesday, the City boss - who has often become comically animated on the touchline against Liverpool - was asked whether he feels a responsibility to act appropriately during a fixture that has fuelled those awful reactions in recent seasons.
“People cannot behave like they’re marble, like ice cold, when you’re disallowed a goal in these type of games against the biggest opponents," he said. “We will always react in that way but respect for the officials, the rules and the opponent is always there from my point of view, and my teams, absolutely.
“Reactions happen, that’s why the referees are there, to react and do what they believe is correct.”
Probed specifically on the behaviour of himself and Jurgen Klopp, who was sent off for an explosive outburst towards an assistant referee during his side's 1-0 league win in, he said sarcastically: “I wasn’t sent off. That’s in my dream against Liverpool, sooner or later it’s going to happen.
“No, of course we want to behave good, come on – the players, the managers, the spectators – but sometimes emotions and many things happen.
“The clubs try to create a good environment, it’s a football game. Try to create the emotions we are seeing in the World Cup, in Argentina right now in the streets. You see that, it’s amazing, we want to try. Everything we can build step by step with the clubs, the press conferences with the managers, players and so on.
“It’s just a game, let’s make people happy, that’s what we try to do."
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