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Pep V Cesc

During Sunday night's game, many pundits and fans noticed an unusual encounter on the sidelines. When Fàbregas left the field, Guardiola, after an exchange of words, grabbed Cesc by the back of the neck and shoved him towards the bench. The player could be seen smiling as he stumbled away but the manager's face was much less welcoming.

Annoyed by chances missed during the game, Pep was less then pleased with Cesc's comments after leaving the field. In the 77th minute, Fàbregas was replaced by Thiago and on his way to the bench he complained to Guardiola. Albeit in a joking manner but it appeared the boss didn't agree.

Cesc said to Guardiola "Wow! It was difficult to score that third goal." To which Pep replied "You all should have scored earlier with the 1000 chances you had!" Cleary annoyed by the missed chances, in particular Cesc's horrible miss after a bobble on the penalty spot.

What is interesting though is Cesc's reaction. He leaves the confrontation smiling which suggests it is not as serious as many pundits have been predicting. The conversation between the two is actually a joke and Guardiola's reaction comes as a result of the many missed chances and his competiveness competitiveness A fact confirmed in Guardiola's post-match interview.

Guardiola is a very touchy manager and it is not the first time we have seen this from him. Even within the same game, he could be seen visibly agitated at Tello's fresh-air shot. Others have tried to warn Guardiola of this behaviour telling him that one day someone will get annoyed. But Guardiola has ignored them because he knows that it is just his competitiveness boiling over. If he were to stop he would lose that extra edge that wins him trophies year after year.

Pep and Cesc clearly didn't hold any grudges though as both players walked off the pitch at full time laughing to one another. A clear indication that it was all just a heat-of-the-moment deal.

But had Messi not scored four and if Barcelona were to have dropped points maybe then the confrontation may have been taken a little more seriously. For now Pep and Cesc remain friends as Fàbregas continues to show his desire for Guardiola to stay on another year at least. A feeling shared within the club and it's fans.

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