Pep Guardiola has relaxed his WiFi ban at Manchester City but has recently issued a set of social media rules that he wants his players to follow.
Previously, the physio and the dressing rooms were blackout zones but now he has softened his stand on that and the new state of the art changing rooms at Etihad are WiFi friendly.
“They can communicate, it’s part of their lives now,” said Guardiola when asked if a ban was still in place.
But in a meeting with his players, he has made it clear they must show respect through their various social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
He said: “Today is a different world than what I lived in.
“Maybe in my period if we had Twitter I’d use Twitter.
“That I don’t want to see from my players, and we spoke about that.”
Summer signing Benjamin Mendy has already sparked controversy when accused of taking a ‘cheap shot’ at Brighton goalkeeper Mathew Ryan after conceding an own goal during City’s 2-0 win last month.
The French international tweeted “bullet header” after Lewis Dunk inadvertently put through his own net.
BT Sport pundit Steven Gerrard said at the time: “I think it’s disrespectful to a fellow professional and I just think there’s totally no need for it at all.”
Ex-City midfielder Frank Lampard added: “Why don’t you just have a few seconds to double check that that’s the right thing to say?”
Mendy later apologised for any offense.
Guardiola added: “Of course, everybody is free.
“I’m not a guy to say ‘ban that, ban that’, they are adults. Some of them are fathers – but respect, be careful what you write.
“Be careful what you say because I don’t want other guys to feel uncomfortable with what they say on Twitter.
“I’m not a guard. If you are using it, just be careful.
“It’s part of our lives now, our kids use Twitter, Instagram, it’s impossible to be apart from that. It’s impossible.
“Use it to communicate with each other, but just be careful.
“I don’t like when my players aren’t respectful of the club, or managers of other clubs. I think the guys we have are exceptional in that sense. They laugh, so no problem.
“Some of them are funny. They communicate through Twitter, Instagram more than face to face.”
Man City return to action against Watford on Saturday as they look to end an impressive week on a high.
