Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola wins LMA Manager of the Year award
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...
Pep Guardiola drops hint over Messi’s future, confirms £22.5m star is close to Barcelona move
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that Sergio Aguero is close to making the switch to Barcelona on a free transfer this summer. The Argentine has been a superb performer for the Cityzens over the past decade, but he will leave them when his contract expires next month. Aguero ended his Premier League career with a sublime brace coming off the bench against Everton on Sunday. The Cityzens won by a convincing 5-0 scoreline. Following the trophy celebrations, Guardiola dropped a huge hint that Aguero will join his former club Barcelona to play alongside compatriot Lionel Messi. He told BBC Sport: “Maybe I reveal a secret. Maybe he is close to agreeing a deal for the club of my heart – for Barcelona. “He is going to be playing alongside the best player of all time, Messi. “I’m pre...
Manchester City boss reacts to Sergio Aguero’s penalty miss vs Chelsea
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...
Sergio Aguero apologises after embarrassing penalty miss vs Chelsea
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 reach Champions League final after home win over PSG
Manchester City have reached the Champions League final for the first time in their history, defeating Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 on aggregate. PSG thought they had made the perfect start when referee Bjorn Kuipers pointed to the penalty spot after an alleged handball by Oleksandr Zinchenko. However, VAR stepped in and overturned the decision after replays showed that the ball hit the Ukrainian’s shoulder. Not long afterwards, the hosts took the lead on the night and went two ahead on the tie. A brilliant pass by Ederson found Zinchenko down the left, who cut it back for Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian’s shot was blocked, but the ball fell perfectly for Riyad Mahrez, who slotted through the legs of Keylor Navas. The visitors weren’t deterred by this, and came within inches of netting an immediat...
Neymar on target as PSG beat Lens ahead of Man City clash
Neymar netted on 33 minutes and his corner was headed home by Marquinhos just prior to the hour mark at the Parc des Princes, with Cameroonian forward Ignatius Ganago pulling a goal back for Lens. It was a huge three points for PSG in their attempt to retain the Ligue 1 title, as Mauricio Pochettino’s side move provisionally two points clear of Lille at the top of the table. However Lille can return to the summit by beating Nice at home later on Saturday, while third-placed Monaco will return to within a single point of PSG if they defeat Lyon on Sunday. PSG are looking to win their eighth Ligue 1 title in nine years and, given how close the title race is in France this season, they could not afford to take it easy in between the two legs of their Champions League tie against City. Last se...
‘Incredibly focused’: Pep Guardiola ‘personally satisfied’ with performance of 26-year-old Man City star
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reserved special praise for defender Nathan Ake following the 2-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace on Saturday. The Netherlands international made his return from a long-term hamstring injury last month, and he has since made only two league appearances. Ake was picked to start alongside Aymeric Laporte in the central defence yesterday, and he produced a solid display where he made five clearances. Speaking after the game, Guardiola was personally pleased over Ake’s display, who has experienced a tough debut campaign savaged by injuries. He told Mancity.com: “He was one of the reasons I am so personally satisfied.” “I love the nice guys and he is one of the nicest but he struggled a lot this season with injuries. “I am pleased for all of us. Defe...
Jose Mourinho ‘set to land another Premier League job’
Jorge Mendes is to help Jose Mourinho secure his next job in the Premier League, with Wolves being mentioned as a possibility by Don Balon. After his sacking by Tottenham, you get the impression that Mourinho has exhausted all of his options at the top end of the Premier League table. His past affiliation with Chelsea and Spurs rule him out of the running for the Arsenal job, while any ex-Manchester United manager is not going to be replacing Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. If The Special One is to remain in England, compromises may have to be made. As per Don Balon, a drop down to mid-table could be on the cards for the Portuguese. Don Balon report that, with doubts emerging over the future of Nuno Espirito Santo at Molineux, Mourinho could take the Wolves job ahead of next season. It’s...
English FA ‘exploring all options’ to prevent Super League repeat
English football is set for a fan-led review, under the direction of former sports minister Tracey Crouch, following the fall-out from the widely criticised breakaway plans. Twelve of Europe’s leading clubs — including the Premier League’s “big six” — announced late Sunday they had signed up to compete in the Super League. But the plans dramatically unravelled two days later as clubs withdrew following an outpouring of outrage from fans, governing bodies, players and politicians. Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham all swiftly confirmed they would not be moving ahead with the proposals, which would have seen founder members exempt from relegation. Bullingham is determined there must be no repeat of the chain of events, which caused an uproar throug...
Pep Guardiola reacts as Leeds defeat Manchester City at Etihad
Pep Guardiola has said that City’s 2-1 Premier League defeat to Leeds should not detract from the incredible achievements his side has accomplished this season. The Premier League leaders suffered a last-gasp defeat to Leeds at the Etihad Stadium, falling to Stuart Dallas’ injury-time strike. However, the defeat marked only City’s second loss in their last 36 games (with City winning 27 of our last 29) a feat Guardiola says should not be diminished by one result. “What happens when you lose games is that you realise how difficult what we have done so far is,” he said. “You realise how difficult it is to win 27 in 29 games. “We need points still because our opponents can win more points – but we have three finals. “I have incredible confidence with the guys. Defeat sometimes is necessary to...
Pep Guardiola: Why I respect Marcelo Bielsa’s coaching ideas
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...
Manchester City start ‘initial enquiries’ for Romelu Lukaku deal
Manchester City have reportedly made ‘initial enquiries’ over the potential summer signing of Inter striker Romelu Lukaku. City have often played without a recognised centre forward this season, with their options thinning even further following the departure of Sergio Agüero. According to Corriere dello Sport, Pep Guardiola wants to recruit a striker despite saying otherwise in recent press conferences and is willing to spend big. Their main target is Borussia Dortmund frontman Erling Haaland although his price could be excessive, with Guardiola also sharing a difficult relationship with agent Mino Raiola. Lukaku has enjoyed a prolific season in Serie A – scoring 20 goals and assisting eight in 27 appearances – with Inter currently eight points clear at the top. The Nerrazzuri are, howeve...
