Pep Guardiola explains facial scratches after Man City's Champions League collapse

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola revealed that the scratches on his nose was self-inflicted during his side's 3-3 Champions League draw with Feyenoord.

The Catalan coach had been put through an emotional rollercoaster on Tuesday night. After watching his side take a 3-0 lead at home to the Dutch outfit, Guardiola's team collapsed in the final 15 minutes.

Josko Gvardiol was at fault for Feyenoord's first of the evening, inadvertently stabbing a back-pass straight into the path of Anis Hadj-Moussa in the 74th minute. Despite still leading 3-1 at the time, Guardiola was visibly distressed. Following calamitous goals from Santiago Gimenez and David Hancko, the beleaguered boss had been physically marked by the draw.

When asked about the open cut on the bridge of his nose in his post-match press conference, Guardiola told reporters that he had been responsible: "With my finger, yeah, with my nail. I want to harm myself, yeah."

City's manager also had red marks scattered over his forehead and scalp.

The reigning Premier League champions came into the game on the back of five consecutive defeats - the worst losing streak of Guardiola's career. Following a 4-0 humbling at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening, the 53-year-old admitted his side were "fragile".

Guardiola used the same terminology on Tuesday. "We lost a lot of games lately, we are fragile and we needed a victory, the game was good for the confidence," he sighed. "We were playing at a good level but the first time something happened, we had problems.

"I don't know if it is mental. The first goal cannot happen, and the second as well."

City may have ended their losing sequence, but they conceded two or more goals for the sixth match in succession - a run which the club has not replicated since 1963.

This damaged iteration of the champions faces the daunting task of a trip to league-leading Liverpool on Sunday afternoon. Guardiola's facial wounds may have healed by then, but the cracks running throughout his City side could be harder to fix.

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