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The City boss confessed experiencing "embarrassment" following an exchange with a camera operator in the wake of Manchester City's 2-1 defeat at Newcastle on Saturday.

When the match concluded, an emotional Guardiola entered the St James’ Park pitch and had heated discussions with match official Sam Barrott and Newcastle’s Bruno Guimarães, and also touched the headphones of the camera operator.

"I apologised," the manager remarked. "I'm humiliated, regretful, when I see it. It's not acceptable. I immediately apologized to the cameraman. That's just me. With a thousand matches under my belt I’m not a perfect person, I make huge mistakes."

"One thing is certain, I stand by my team and club, without a doubt. The reason why I support my squad is clear – based on my career to win the Premier League we need near-perfect totals, 98 points, or we fall short."

Team Standing and Manager's Take

City are third and are seven behind the Gunners after what was their fourth league defeat this campaign. "Losing four games out of 12 we have to improve a lot," Guardiola admitted. "Mathematically, it’s possible still achieve all."

When questioned if this meant the quadruple was a realistic aim, Guardiola answered: "As a seasoned reporter, have you ever heard me about the quadruple in December during our historic run? Never."

Exchange with Bruno

Regarding his confrontation with Guimarães, Guardiola said: "We have known Bruno a long time and post-match, even at the Etihad, we converse. We often meet and we get along well. I enjoy it. I'm passionate, I love to talk and move my hands."

He wouldn't mind should a rival coach spoke to his players immediately after a game. "No - as long as you talk with respect like I always have done, it’s not a problem," he noted, mentioning the referee. "He was part of it for 95 minutes, 98 minutes, he was involved. Goodness, he was involved."

Controversial Decisions

City were unhappy that the officials denied a spot-kick on a Schär tackle on Phil Foden, while they also questioned if Guimarães was offside when Harvey Barnes scored the decisive strike. Pictures published later show he was level.

Upcoming Milestone

He will manage of his 100th Champions League game versus Leverkusen on Tuesday. "It’s quite good, it means that every season we have been there," he commented.

The club has ten points from four matches of the league phase, while Leverkusen have five.