Pep Guardiola says he will accept his punishment if UEFA hit him with a touchline ban for being sent to the stands in Manchester City's Champions League defeat by Liverpool - but insists he will not change.
The City boss was dismissed at half-time at the Etihad on Tuesday night for remonstrating with Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz after he disallowed Leroy Sane's legitimate effort for offside.
Guardiola had to watch the second half from the directors' box as City slipped to a 5-1 aggregate defeat, and now faces a touchline ban in Europe next season when his case his heard by a UEFA disciplinary panel on May 31.
The 47-year-old admitted that it would be better if he didn't react in the same way in future but insisted that he will always defend his players in the face of injustice.
'It would be better but I am who I am,' said Guardiola. 'I have passion. I try to defend my team and club. I have to defend my team. They deserve that they don't feel they are alone.
'In the moment, I said what I said. It was a good goal. I didn't want to talk to him. He told me, "you say that in the locker room it's okay, but not on the pitch in front of the spectators". That's the difference.
'Sometimes the referee sees body language that's not correct. We saw how good we were doing - 2-0 is completely different. But the referees is the boss. I will accept the punishment and next season we'll start without the manager there.
'It's better for me to be there, I cannot deny that. I prefer to be with my players than my chairman but it's the decision of the referee.'
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