Chelsea star Jorginho was close to joining Manchester City prior to his move to west London, according to the midfielder’s agent. Jorginho followed Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri to Stamford Bridge in 2018 and has since become a key part of the Blues line-up, helping them to Champions League final victory over City in May. But if things had turned out differently he might well have lined up against his current team-mates in Porto. “It was Napoli’s choice,” agent Joao Santos explained to Football Italia. “They were negotiating with Manchester City, but then they began talks with Chelsea, and that’s where we ended up. “We have nothing against Manchester City. Playing at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola would have been satisfying, but that’s how transfers work. “Sometimes things can change ver...
Pep Guardiola has been named LMA Manager of the Year. It has been a superb season for City, who won the Premier League title for the third time in four seasons, finishing 12 points ahead of our nearest rivals. We also won our fourth Carabao Cup in a row and next weekend we will compete in our first ever Champions League final when we face Chelsea in Porto. It’s the second time the City boss has been awarded the prize having previously done so in 2017/18 after leading us to a record 100 points in the Premier League. Guardiola says the award is shared with his players and staff, without whom our success this season would not have been possible. “I am delighted to win this award for the second time, but an award like this is only possible if a manager is surrounded by top professionals,” Guar...
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has reacted to Sergio Aguero’s shocking penalty miss during Manchester City’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at the Etihad on Saturday. Man City took the lead through Raheem Sterling in the first half and Aguero shockingly missed the opportunity to give the home side a 2-0 lead before the half time whistle. The Argentine attempted a Panenka penalty but the chipped effort lacked conviction and was comfortably saved by Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. Chelsea came back very strong in the second, putting up an impressive display that gave them 2 goals from Hakim Ziyech and Marcos Alonso. With the win, the Blues delayed Manchester City’s Premier League title celebrations and also gave the west London outfit a psychological advantage ahead of the Champions League fina...
Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero has issued an apology for his penalty miss against Chelsea. Aguero made a hash of his Panenka effort on Saturday, spooning the kick straight into the arms of Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. It was a surprising slip from the usually unerring Argentine, but it was in keeping with a torrid season for the Premier League leaders from 12 yards out and contributed to a 2-1 defeat that prevented City from claiming the title. City boss Pep Guardiola refused to criticise the forward following the game, but Aguero has taken to Twitter to issue an apology. “I would like to apologise to my team-mates, staff and supporters for missing the penalty,” Aguero wrote. “It was a bad decision and I take full responsibility.” Aguero’s Panenka nightmare was the fourth penal...
Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola, has said the best way to judge Marcelo Bielsa is how he makes players and teams better. City meet Bielsa’s Leeds this weekend. “His teams are always better than before his arrival. You see his influence. he doesn’t need much time to realise his own team, it belongs absolutely to him and for world football it is a joy,” Guardiola said. “A guy who respects the opponent, who plays for the fans, who just wants to play for a victory home or away and convinces the players to follow him. I recognise the best because people say he doesn’t win titles but give him Manchester City and he will win titles. “It depends on the players you have but the players he has are always better players. That is the best proof of when a manager is good.” Get more stories like thi...
Raheem Sterling says rumours he was involved in a bust up with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola are false. Sterling was an unused substitute against Southampton last week and was then left out of the squad entirely for City’s victory over Fulham on Saturday night. And on Sunday, a rumour emerged on Reddit claiming that the winger and team-mate Phil Foden had both fallen out with Guardiola over their lack of playing time. But writing on Twitter on Sunday night, Sterling vehemently denied the rumours. Sterling has contributed 13 goals and eight assists for City in all competitions this season. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to m...
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is refusing to dream of a late title push, believing Manchester City are “too far ahead” despite yesterday’s superb derby win. Bruno Fernandes’ penalty and Luke Shaw’s strike saw United triumph 2-0 at the Etihad, ending City’s run of 21 straight wins in all competitions. The result denied City the chance to go 15 points clear at the top and moved United ahead of Leicester into second but they remain 11 points adrift of Pep Guardiola’s side with just ten game to play. “We just take one game at a time,” Solskjaer said. “City are too far ahead for us to think we can catch them. Last year we caught 15 points up on Leicester, but City are a different proposition. “Even today they put us under so much pressure you could see we were playing against a ve...
Diego Simeone’s consistency at Atletico Madrid has been rewarded. The International Federation of Football and History Stats (IFFHS) have put the Argentine ahead of managers like Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp. This will be talked about for a while. The IFFHS have voted Cholo Simeone as the best coach of the latest decade (2011-20). Ahead of Pep Guardiola (Man City) and Champions League winners like Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool) and Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid), who win three straight Champions Leagues, the IFFHS have gone for the Argentine’s consistency. After arriving at Atletico in 2011, he took a struggling Atleti to Champions League regulars. He has won 203 matches, drawn 118 and lost 82, as well as seven titles. A La Liga title, a Copa del Rey, two Europa Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups and...
Pep Guardiola expects Kevin De Bruyne to commit his long-term future to Manchester City despite reports the Belgium midfielder’s contract talks have stalled. De Bruyne’s current contract runs until 2023, but City have already offered him a new deal. That contract extension remains unsigned amid claims De Bruyne was “disappointed” City’s offer did not significantly improve his reported salary of £280,000 ($380,000) per week. De Bruyne, voted the PFA Player of the Year last season, is said to want a deal that reflects his status as one of the world’s best midfielders and vice-captain of the club. Despite those issues, City boss Guardiola remains confident De Bruyne’s future will be at the Etihad Stadium. “I am pretty sure he will stay but at the same time we have to respect the process,” Gua...
Manchester City’s strikers will have to rediscover their scoring touch because reinforcements will not be signed in January, manager Pep Guardiola has said. Guardiola explained that even with the backing of their Abu Dhabi owners, City were subject to the same financial pressures as their rivals due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. City have scored only twice in their last three league games but hope to welcome back Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus for Tuesday’s League Cup quarter-final with Arsenal. However, the League Cup holders’ record goalscorer Argentinian Sergio Aguero is sidelined by an undisclosed issue having had knee and illness problems already this season. Asked about the prospect of new blood coming to the club, Guardiola replied: “No I don’t think so because the eco...