Sterling reveals what Mata said to him during Manchester derby
The actions of Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling wasn't approved of by his opponent, and more surprisingly by his manager Pep Guardiola.
Manchester City's Raheem Sterling has revealed that Manchester United's Juan Mata told him "to show a little respect" during the closing stages of the derby between the two Premier League giants.
R.E.S.P.E.C.T. says M.A.T.A
November 11, 2018, saw the first Manchester derby of the season and City ran out comfortable 3-1 winners at the Etihad Stadium. As the game drew towards the end, the England winger chose to hold onto the ball as long as possible in the corner, allowing time to run out without putting his team's lead at risk, something that we're used to seeing.
However, not everyone thought it was the correct course of action, as Sterling himself has revealed. Speaking with British newspaper, The Times, he explained that Mata and his own manager weren't pleased.
"He [Guardiola] doesn’t want us to disrespect anyone. I was surprised.
"I was keeping the ball in the corner. I can understand if we had lost the ball, and they’d gone down the other end, but I am trying to waste time, attract a foul. I wasn’t trying to take the mickey out of them that they have lost. That’s not my thing.
"Juan Mata just said, ‘show a little bit of respect.’ I wasn’t trying to disrespect them.
"I wouldn’t. I was just trying to keep the ball in the corner and entertain the fans at the same time.”
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