Pep Guardiola revealed Riyad Mahrez was “grumpy” with him before firing Manchester City into the FA Cup final.
Mahrez was benched for both legs of City’s Champions League quarter-final win over Bayern Munich as Bernardo Silva got the nod on the right wing, with the Algerian not playing a single minute in either match.
He returned to the side at Wembley to face Sheffield United though and responded by scoring a hat-trick, the first in the last-four of the FA Cup for 65 years, as City eased past the Championship side in a 3-0 victory.
Mahrez netted his first from the penalty spot before the break and added two more after the break to secure the match ball, and Guardiola was full of praise after the match as he discussed the winger’s frustrations.
“He’s grumpy with me when he doesn’t play, all the time,” Guardiola said.
“He makes me notice when he’s grumpy. So happy for Riyad, he loves to play football, he’s given so much for Man City and hopefully [he continues to] in the future.
“Not a guy who comes in asking how long he has to be there and then goes home, it’s the opposite.”
The treble remains on the cards for City, with a potential Premier League title decider to come in midweek against Arsenal and a semi-final tie with Real Madrid in the Champions League next month set to define the season.
Guardiola has been reluctant to discuss the possibility of his side winning three trophies, but was keen to emphasise how impressive it was that City have been able to challenge for top honours so regularly.
“For many years we are fighting for titles and still we are there,” Guardiola said.
“In one year you can win, two years, but six years, every year, of being there to win the title, the mentality of the club, not just the players, helps us to be here.
“It is an honour to be in the FA Cup final on 3 June.”
