Pep Guardiola apparently made a beeline for Mateo Kovacic after Chelsea’s meeting with Manchester City yesterday.
Nizaar Kinsella was at Stamford Bridge last night for the Premier League showdown and spotted Guardiola’s attempt to catch the Croatian international at the full-time whistle.
Kinsella claimed that the City manager was ‘making a special effort to talk to Kovacic’ following his side’s 1-0 victory last night.
Guardiola has a history of speaking to opposition players once the flames of the action have died down and his men have usually won.
Thursday’s encounter against Chelsea was no different.
Mateo Kovacic takes on Manchester City
City narrowly squeezed out the three points in South West London, thanks to Riyad Mahrez tap-in just after the hour mark.
Graham Potter’s men were resilient for the most part, and gave their hosts a few scares across the evening.
They did not lie down in the face of the reigning league champions, despite suffering massively during the tie and even before a ball had been kicked.
Potter headed into the contest with an injury list as long as his arm, with Mason Mount the latest absentee.
Chelsea’s coach then witnessed Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic depart the field due to individual physical problems.
But his patched together team certainly put up an admirable fight, one that was led by their £40m man in the middle.
Kovacic was an impressive midfield force, who made City look rather routine at various stages in the fixture.
The 28-year-old was starting his first game since coming third at the World Cup with Croatia.
He didn’t appear to suffer from any hangover from the tournament, as he danced and jinked his way through the 90 minutes.
It’s no surprise Guardiola wanted to speak with him post-match; hopefully he’s not on a transfer mission.
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