‘Pep killed me and my self-confidence’: RB Leipzig star Angelino takes a huge swipe at Guardiola as he claims Man City boss ‘judged me after just two games’ and compares him unfavourably to Julian Nagelsmann
- Angelino made permanent his loan from Manchester City to Leipzig this month
- The Spanish left-back flourished in the Bundesliga over the past 12 months
- He has hit out at his ex-boss at City, Pep Guardiola, for ruining his confidence
- Angelino said Guardiola decided he wasn’t good enough after just two games
Former Manchester City wingback Angelino says life under Pep Guardiola ‘killed him’ and shattered his self-confidence.
The 24-year-old Spaniard spent seven-and-a-half years with City, which included four loan moves and only 15 first-team appearances.
In 2018, Angelino was sold to PSV Eindhoven, only for Guardiola to buy him back a year later. Then, after six more difficult months in England, he was shipped off to RB Leipzig on loan before the deal was made permanent earlier this month.
RB Leipzig left-back Angelino has taken a swipe at Pep Guardiola, his former boss at Man City
Guardiola only played Angelino in a handful of games at City before loaning him out
Angelino says Guardiola didn’t trust him and judged him on only a couple of pre-season games.
When asked how the bit-part role affected his confidence and performances, Angelino said: ‘It killed me. I think the confidence was everything, for me it’s everything.
‘When you don’t have the trust – like here with the coach (Julian Nagelsmann) – it’s everything.
‘I was judged for pre-season – two games – and then I didn’t get my chance for a few months. It’s hard to play one game every two months. So I’m just happy that happened so I can come here, meet Julian and everyone here.’
The Spanish left-back has been excellent this season with eight goals and 11 assists for Leipzig
Angelino said Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann gives him confidence, in contrast to Guardiola
Reflecting on his stint at City, he added: ‘It was a 50/50 experience. On one side I really learned a lot from Pep, he improved me as a player on the pitch and I have to be thankful also for the experience.
‘On the other side I didn’t play as much as I wanted to or I deserved.’
Angelino is now thriving under Nagelsmann in Germany. He was a key part of the Leipzig side that reached last season’s Champions League semi-finals and 31 further appearances this year have brought a remarkable return of eight goals and 11 assists.
‘I had a rest when I was with Pep for six months,’ Angelino said. ‘That was enough. I don’t want it again. That’s why I want to be on the pitch… I’ve had enough holidays.’
On how the two managers compare, he added: ‘They both like to play with the ball, get the ball quick. There’s one thing that’s a big difference: one gave me confidence and played me. The other didn’t.
‘So I’m just thankful to Julian for the trust and sometimes – I don’t want to use a bad word – you need courage to put a player and he did from the first game.’
The Spaniard played just a handful of matches for City under Guardiola amid loan spells
He has performed much better under Nagelsmann at Leipzig, on loan and now full-time there