Pep Guardiola has backtracked on his claims about Sadio Mane’s ‘diving’.
The Manchester City manager made the unprovoked remark about the Liverpool forward in the wake of their late 2-1 win over Aston Villa last Saturday.
Mane was booked at Villa Park for an alleged simulation in the penalty area but later went on to score the decisive goal in the final minute of stoppage time.
Jurgen Klopp hit back at the comments about the Senegal international, which came a week before the sides are set to meet in Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash.
Guardiola responded on Tuesday by attempting to clarify his original comments.
He said: “In the 94th minute it was against Leicester, it was a penalty and it was wow.
“That was the intention for my comment. Far away from my intention to say Sadio is this type of player because I admire him a lot.”
“For Jurgen it is a penalty, for the referee it was a penalty, for VAR it was a penalty, so I was the wrong guy,” he added.
“Jurgen said he knows Sadio better than me. And I have an incredible respect and the message in the football always try to be like this, always positive and attractive.
“My son and my daughter, when they win in the last minutes, they ask me how lucky they are. I say it’s not lucky.
“What Liverpool have done last season and this season many times is because they have this incredible quality and this incredible talent to fight until the end.
“Hopefully I can clarify everything for Jurgen.
“That’s why I said to my players, not just my son and my daughter, that it is not lucky.
“It happens once or twice in a life then yes [it is], but this happens maybe 10 or 12 or 13 times.”