Pep Guardiola: 6 Top Players Who Fell Out With Manchester City Manager

It is undeniable that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is one of the best managers of all time. The Spaniard has one of the most magnificent CVs in the footballing world, winning all that there is to win in club football.

The 52-year-old gaffer has clinched two UEFA Champions Leagues trophies, two La Liga titles, three titles each in the Premier League and Bundesliga, Copa del Rey, Carabao Cups, the list goes on and on.

His tactical acumen and cleverness are second to none, but he has not gotten to where he is today without having a row with some players in his illustrious managerial career.

With reports indicating a dispute with Manchester City versatile player Joao Cancelo, Sports Brief has picked out players who parted ways with Guardiola on unpleasant terms.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Barcelona forked out £59million plus Samuel Eto'o to sign Ibrahimovic from Inter Milan back in 2009. In one of the most gifted rosters assembled, the Swede landed at Camp Nou to add another dimension to the attack with his intimidating and towering presence in front of goal.

Despite the first half of the 2009/10 season going exceptionally well, enigmatic Ibrahimovic butted heads with Guardiola after the manager deployed Lionel Messi as a 'False 9' in games for the Blaugrana.

Ibrahimovic, who lasted only one season at Camp Nou, was shipped out on loan to AC Milan the following year.

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Samuel Eto'o

The Indomitable Lion also played under Guardiola for only one year. That was the manager's debut season with Barcelona's senior side.

Eto'o was arguably the best striker at that time, scoring goals for fun and helping the Catalan giants to win the treble in the 2008-09 season.

Ideally, it was expected that Eto'o and Guardiola will grow from strength to strength and continue their successful stints together in the subsequent campaigns.

But the Cameroon legend was harshly sold to Inter Milan. To make it even worse, Barcelona added £59million to Eto'o to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a swap deal.

Probably, Guardiola may have regretted a bit as Eto's continued his hot form to help Inter Milan to win a treble under Guardiola's rival, Jose Mourinho.

Yaya Toure

Toure worked under Guardiola twice during his trophy-laden career, first at Barcelona, where they won the Champions League together, before reuniting at Manchester City in the Premier League.

His final campaign at the Etihad ended in disappointment because he only made one start in the season's last home game, which was played with the title already secured.

Speaking to France Football after leaving City, Toure questioned his former boss's attitude towards Africans and stated in the interview: '

Toure fell out of favor when Sergio Busquets, a player from the B team, was given the holding midfielder position by Guardiola.

Nevertheless, he participated in 77 games for Guardiola, winning the Copa del Rey and the Champions League while playing central defence in the championship games. As a result, he left the team with two Spanish league championships.

Joe Hart

The former England international is a Manchester City legend and very popular at the Etihad. He was instrumental in Manchester City's Premier League triumphs under Roberto Mancini and Mauricio Pellegrini.

However, Hart, who was a regular starter under two previous managers, got demoted to the bench following the arrival of Guardiola.

The Englishman was replaced by Chilean shot-stopper Claudio Bravo, who was preferred for the "sweeper keeper" role Guardiola had wanted.

Hart was eventually shipped out on loan to Serie A side Torino, while Bravo lost his place to Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson.

Dante

Dante joined Bayern Munich from Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2012. The central defender was vital as the Bavarians won the European treble in his debut season under Jupp Heynckes.

The Brazil international formed a solid combo with Jerome Boateng at the heart of defense for the Allianz Arena outfit.

In the 2012/13 campaign, the pair conceded just 15 goals in 34 matches as they led Bayern to European glory for the first time in 12 years.

Despite being a regular starter under Heynckes, Dante lost his place in the starting XI when Guardiola took to the helm. He was eventually shown the exit door in 2015.

Cancelo and Guardiola fell out

The relationship between Cancelo and Guardiola is said to have become strained, with the pair allegedly falling out, Sports Brief had earlier reported.

SunSport claims that the strained relationship reached the boiling point recently and culminated in a bust-up at the training ground.

At the time, Cancelo was reportedly furious with his manager after he found out that he had been dropped from the starting XI.

Until the defender's imminent exit, the Portugal international had started only three of the club's 10 fixtures since returning from the World Cup.