Pep Guardiola was finally able to break his jinx at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium by witnessing his Manchester City side grind out a nervy 2-0 against Spurs. It was hardly a stroll in the park for the Cityzens, who had to fight tooth and nail to get a win that takes them one step closer to the 2023/24 Premier League title.
It was hardly a walk in the park for the Cityzens. At times, Pep Guardiola looked like he might faint because of the tension of potentially losing the league title with a bad result. With his animated reactions on the sideline, the Spaniard was also able to create a reaction for the ages.
After an eventful first half, Manchester City drew first blood with a well-taken 51st-minute goal for Erling Haaland. But after that, Tottenham really piled on the pressure. Ortega was forced to come on after Ederson got badly hurt after a tussle with Cristian Romero. The German goalkeeper, who didn’t even start the game, ended up being the Cityzens’ unlikely hero and sparking a wild reaction from his manager.
In the 86th minute, with Manchester City clinging onto a 1-0 lead, a Manuel Akanji error allowed Son Heung-min to burst through on goal with only Ortega to beat. Pep almost had a mental breakdown seeing this error in the pivotal moment of the match. Fortunately for him, Ortega managed to deny Son with a brilliant save to keep them in the lead and the control of the title race in their hands.
But Guardiola couldn’t keep his composure at all and had the most animated reaction. He had both his hands on his head and fell down on the ground on his backside in dismay knowing that his side were guaranteed to concede. Upon seeing Ortega’s save, however, he managed to retain his sanity and slowly get back onto his feet – although showing no signs of celebration for that heroic save.
This small clip of his wild change of emotions in the space of a few seconds has spread like wildfire to become viral on social media. This one is perfect to use whenever any team or player manages to just about scrape past potential disaster in a match. Moreover, this over-the-top reaction only adds to the hundreds of Pep Guardiola gifs that you can find just by tying his name in the ‘gif section’ on X or other social media platforms.
Guardiola’s funny responses to certain situation in his coaching career or his hilarious expressions have made him a cult hero for the chronologically online football fans. A highly popular ‘Pep Gif’ to use is the ‘We Will Be There’ one, which became viral after the Manchester City boss boasted about his side qualifying for the Champions League Round of 16 last season.
Then there are a few similar reactions where he falls down in despair. One often used is that of Guardiola falling down to his knees in shock after Raheem Sterling’s late goal against Tottenham was disallowed in the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League quarter-final second-leg. Another is from the clip of him falling down to his knees in the Champions League final against Inter Milan last season.
There are more hilariously notable Pep gifs. One is of him celebrating Robert Lewandowski’s five goals against Wolfsburg, where he had both hands on his head in shock.
Then there’s the popular one where Pep is complaining at Anfield by repeatedly shouting ‘twice’ at the fourth official in a match against Liverpool a few years ago.
For most football fans, there are many situations when these Pep gifs can be used. The ones where he’s having a breakdown are best for when a fan’s team or favorite player suffers a loss or shocking error. The one of him with his hands on his head is perfect for a sensational goal, while the ‘devious Pep’ one is also great for celebrating goals.
Pep acknowledged the possibility of seeing himself become a bit of a meme with his reaction to THAT Son chance after the game, explaining: “I had problems with my back, which is why that position is better. And I was like ‘oh god!’. Do you how many times Son has punished us in the last 7-8 years? And how many goals he scored against us? I was like ‘not again’, but Stefan made an incredible save and he has the talent – he’s one of the best keepers in a one-v-one saving ability I’ve ever seen in my career.”
With Manchester City now having two games remaining to seal the 2023/24 Premier League and FA Cup titles, Guardiola will be praying for the most uneventful games. He’ll hope that his players can get the job done in style and without issue so that he isn’t forced into creating more hilarious moments of breakdown that just keeps adding to his online GIF collection.
