The image of Pep Guardiola’s scratched face, his nose cut and his scalp painfully reddened, is heart-rending. Here is a figure who likes to project a force field, an aura of invulnerability, but whose torment at the worst run of his managerial career is so acute that he is tearing at his own skin.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on Tuesday was covered in scratches following the team's 3-3 draw Feyenoord. He claimed they were self-inflicted.

Manchester City's staggering downturn in form is proving a real head-scratcher for Pep Guardiola. Literally. Guardiola emerged to speak to the world's media after the 3-3 draw with Feyenoord in the Champions League — during which City conceded three goals after the 75th minute to squander the lead — with a cut on his nose as well as some scratches across the top of his bald head.