Atletico Madrid striker Mario Mandzukic has fired a broadside at Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola, accusing him of a lack of respect.
Despite being Bayern’s top scorer with 26 goals last season, the Croatian international was dropped from the team by Guardiola ahead of the German Cup Final and, in an interview with Sportske Novosti, he told of his exit from the Allianz Arena.
“Guardiola disappointed me because he didn’t treat me with respect and it was twice as good when Jupp Heynckes was there,” said the 28-year-old, who joined Atleti in the summer for an undisclosed fee.
“Would I sit down with Guardiola for a coffee? That is something that’s not going to happen.
“In my professional life I don’t have to like everyone but if I feel a negative energy coming from a person then I try to avoid them.
“I didn’t deserve to be treated like that after giving everything for Bayern for two seasons. I felt that things wouldchange for me just as he [Guardiola] arrived.
“I struggled to adapt to him but in the end you need both parties to make a success of something.
“I realised there was no future for me there so I resigned myself to leaving the club and had time to choose a new destination.”
Mandzukic is convinced the former Barcelona boss did not want him to finish as top scorer in Germany last term.
“Guardiola decided not to play me in the Cup Final because he didn’t want me to finish as leading goalscorer, so he did not let me play towards the end of the season.
“It wasn’t really important but it did show the lack of respect he had towards me.
“It would have made much more sense if he had told me I didn’t fit into his style of play,” he maintained.
