Pep Guardiola and Angelino
RB Leipzig defender Angelino said Pep Guardiola “killed” his confidence during their time together at Manchester City.
Angelino has become an important member of Julian Nagelsmann’s side as Leipzig look to win their first-ever Bundesliga title.
The 24-year-old recently joined on a long-term contract after two impressive loan spells at the club. Leipzig parted with €18 million and Angelino had contributed eight goals as well as 11 assists in 31 appearances across all competitions from his position as left wing back.
“There is a big difference between Guardiola and Nagelsmann; one gave me the confidence and played me and the other didn’t,” Angelino told reporters on Wednesday. “Guardiola killed me. Confidence is everything for me,” he added.
Angelino joined Leipzig from City on an initial loan in January 2020 after only starting in four of a possible 24 Premier League matche in the 2019-2020 season. Ahead of the last term, he had returned from an impressive loan spell with PSV Eindhoven, but said he felt he never had a chance under Guardiola to prove his worth.
“I was judged for preseason. And then I didn’t get a chance for a few months. It’s hard to play a game every two months,” he said.
“On a hand I learned a lot from Pep but on the other hand I did not play as much as I wanted,” he said.
Nagelsmann, however, has put a lot of trust in Angelino, playing him as maybe the highest wing back in the league and handing him a lot of responsibility in the build-up play.
“If someone believes in you as much and plays you every week, you must pay it back. Hopefully we will be working together for a long time,” Angelino said.