Tag: Pep Guardiola

30May By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Club World Cup start of new season for Man City

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 20: Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola talks to Kevin De Bruyne during the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and AFC Bournemouth at Etihad Stadium on May 20, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Lee Parker - CameraSport via Getty Images) The Club World Cup is the "beginning of the new season" and "not the continuation of last season", says Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak. City endured a disappointing 2024-25 campaign in which they failed to win a major trophy for the first time in eight years and finished third in the Premier League. They played their last game of the season at Fulham last Sunday but are back in competitive action just 24 days later at the expanded 32-team Fifa tournament which starts on 14 June in the Un...

Read More

24May By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Pep Guardiola: Fulham is Manchester City’s biggest game of season by far

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 17: Manchester City's manager Josep Guardiola looks on during the Emirates FA Cup Final match between Crystal Palace and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on May 17, 2025 in London, England. Manchester City wrap up their Premier League campaign on Sunday with a game Pep Guardiola believes is “by far” their most important of the season. City head to Fulham knowing a draw will almost certainly secure a top-five spot and a place in the Champions League for next season. After winning the Premier League title in the past four seasons, it is a relatively modest target but Guardiola recognises it is the very least of the club’s expectations. The City manager said: “If we want to play in the Champions League, we have to take a result there. This is what we are going to d...

Read More

23May By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

PREMIER LEAGUE

Guardiola: Foden tired but part of CWC plans

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 6: Manchester City's Phil Foden reacts during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Manchester City FC at Old Trafford on April 6, 2025 in Manchester, England. Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said he's planning to include Phil Foden in his squad for the FIFA Club World Cup despite accepting that midfielder needs a period of "rest." Foden, named the Premier League's best player a year ago, has struggled for form this season. He will miss England's fixtures against Andorra and Senegal in June after asking to be left out of Thomas Tuchel's squad. Guardiola has said the 24-year-old, who is dealing with an ankle injury, needs to rest. But the City boss said Foden is in line to be part of the group which travels to the Unite States for the C...

Read More

22May By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

PREMIER LEAGUE

Pep Guardiola wants tight squad or he will walk away

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 17: Manchester City's manager Josep Guardiola looks on during the Emirates FA Cup Final match between Crystal Palace and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on May 17, 2025 in London, England. Pep Guardiola has threatened to quit Manchester City over squad size – and now faces a Club World Cup selection dilemma over players such as Jack Grealish with uncertain futures. Guardiola has confirmed talks with Grealish after the Premier League campaign ends this weekend, which could result in the England international looking for a new club. But Manchester City also have a month of the summer in the United States at Fifa’s expanded club tournament. Other players will return from loans, including Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips, with their futures unclear. Players ideally...

Read More

2May By Silver Emmanuel9 Comments

Champions League

Pep Guardiola hails Barcelona & Inter Milan for ‘unbelievable’ first-leg clash

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 27: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola at the end of the match during the Emirates FA Cup Semi Final match between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on April 27, 2025 in London, England. Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has on Thursday moved to reveal his appreciation for the efforts put forth by both Barcelona and Inter Milan, in their recent continental showdown. One of the games of the season to date was of course played out in Catalunya’s capital last night. As much saw La Liga leaders Barcelona play host to Italian champions Inter Milan, in a highly-anticipated Champions League semi-final first-leg clash. When all was said and done in a pulsating 90 minutes, the sides were forced to settle for a share of the spoils, in a t...

Read More

23Apr By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Pep: City’s season ‘bad’ even if we qualify for UCL

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 6: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola talks with Bernardo Silva after the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Manchester City FC at Old Trafford on April 6, 2025 in Manchester, England. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola scoffed at suggestions that his team could look back on this season as a special one if they clinch a Champions League berth. City took a big step towards securing European qualification with their 2-1 Premier League win over Aston Villa on Tuesday thanks to Matheus Nunes's 94th-minute strike. Guardiola's men climbed two spots to third in the league table, still 18 points behind leaders Liverpool and so will finish well short of their early-season goal of capturing an historic fifth consecutive league title. "This sea...

Read More

30Mar By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

My performance this season has been ‘really poor’ – Guardiola

NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - MARCH 8: Josep Guardiola Manager of Manchester City reacts during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest FC and Manchester City FC at City Ground on March 8, 2025 in Nottingham, England. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admits he has had a "really poor" performance this season. City, who have won four successive Premier League titles, are languishing in fifth in the Premier League, 22 points behind leaders Liverpool, while they were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Real Madrid at the competition's last-16 stage. City take on Bournemouth in the FA Cup quarter-final. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes he should have done "much better" this season, describing his own performance as "really poor". Having won four successive Pre...

Read More

29Mar By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

NEWS

Brazil eye Pep Guardiola after sacking Dorival Junior

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 15: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola during the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Brighton & Hove Albion FC at Etihad Stadium on March 15, 2025 in Manchester, England. Pep Guardiola has reportedly held secret talks over potentially becoming the Brazil manager in 2026. Guardiola is approaching the final six months of his contract with Manchester City and has vowed to make a decision on his future imminently, with reports suggesting a one-year extension to run until the end of the 2025/26 season could be signed soon. According to SPORT, Brazil's plan for Guardiola would kick in in 2026 after the FA's presidential elections. Current president Ednaldo Rodrigues will see his term end in March 2026 and former Real Madrid striker Ronaldo is ...

Read More

19Mar By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

NEWS

Spalletti: Italy coach notes German football changed ‘after Guardiola’

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 15: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Brighton & Hove Albion FC at Etihad Stadium on March 15, 2025 in Manchester, England. Italy coach Luciano Spalletti praises his German counterpart Julian Nagelsmann and notes German football ‘changed’ after Pep Guardiola: ‘They used to focus more on physicality.’ The Azzurri coach held a press conference on Wednesday to preview the first leg of the Nations League quarter-final between Italy and Germany. Spalletti provided the latest injury updates on the Azzurri front, revealing that he may only call up a replacement for Mateo Retegui for the second-leg game. A German reporter asked Spalletti about his thoughts on Germany coach Nagelsmann, and th...

Read More

11Mar By Silver Emmanuel4 Comments

Champions League

Capello: ‘Guardiola’s arrogance cost him several Champions League titles’

NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - MARCH 8: Josep Guardiola Manager of Manchester City reacts during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest FC and Manchester City FC at City Ground on March 8, 2025 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images) Fabio Capello admitted that Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona marked one of the three ‘football revolutions’ that he experienced in his lifetime, but was also very critical of the current Manchester City manager, suggesting his ‘arrogance’ and desire to be ‘the main character’ ended up damaging his career.“ I really appreciated Guardiola as a coach; he did beautiful things,” Capello told Spanish newspaper El Mundo in an interview.“I have experienced three revolutions in football, roughly one every twenty years: Cruyff’s Ajax, Sac...

Read More

25Jan By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Teams are no longer scared of us, says Man City’s Guardiola

PARIS, FRANCE - JANUARY 22: Coach of Manchester City Pep Guardiola speaks to the media during the post-match press conference following the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD7 match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Manchester City at Parc des Princes stadium on January 22, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images) Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said teams have changed tactics because they are no longer intimidated by his side and that is making the Champions League campaign more difficult. City are down in 25th place in the Champions League table, two points off the playoff spots and Guardiola has noticed an increase in opposing teams adopting a man-marking approach. "Everyone came to the Etihad and stayed back," he said. "The first team I saw man...

Read More

24Dec By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Guardiola defends Haaland’s dip in form

Pep Guardiola has defended Erling Haaland, who has shouldered the brunt of the blame for Manchester City's dismal run.The Norwegian striker once again failed to score in City's defeat at Aston Villa, meaning he has only netted three goals in his last 12 Premier League games. He has played the full 90 minutes in all but one game during City's dismal run of form in which they have won just one match in 12, losing nine of them.Guardiola stuck up for his striker in the aftermath of their sixth league defeat of the season, stating without Haaland his side would 'be even worse'. And Guardiola doubled down on his comments on Christmas Eve, making a point of not singling out the forward in what has been his worst period in charge of the champions.'It's about us, not just one player,' said Gu...

Read More

7Dec By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Guardiola insists fatigue not a factor in City’s dropping points

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 7: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace FC and Manchester City FC at Selhurst Park on December 7, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images) Pep Guardiola refused to blame fatigue after his injury-depleted 10-man Manchester City side were held to a 2-2 draw by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Erling Haaland cancelled out Daniel Munoz’s fourth-minute opener with his 13th goal of the season, drawing him level with Mohamed Salah in the Golden Boot race. Maxence Lacroix fired the hosts back in front after the break, but Rico Lewis salvaged a point in the 68th minute before he was sent off for picking up a second yellow late on. With Liverpool’s Merseyside der...

Read More

4Dec By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Guardiola responds to rumours of Man City fall out with De Bruyne

Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola watches the players from the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on December 1, 2024. (Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images) Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has rubbished sugg...

Read More

25Nov By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Pep Guardiola says age not a factor in Manchester City’s loss of form

Pep Guardiola, Head Coach of Manchester City, reacts during the UEFA Champions League match between Sporting CP and Manchester City at Jose Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, on November 5, 2024. Pep Guardiola has denied that a key factor in Manchester City’s run of five consecutive defeats is that nine of his squad are aged 30 or older, with the manager pointing to how the same players were Premier League champions last season. The 4-0 defeat by Tottenham on Saturday was their second loss in the sequence to Ange Postecoglou’s team, the others coming against Brighton, Sporting and Bournemouth. This is City’s poorest run under Guardiola, and the worst of his 15-year coaching career. Mateo Kovacic, Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Ederson, Stefan Ortega, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gündogan,...

Read More

1Nov By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

LALIGA

Pep Guardiola reveals the reason behind his departure from Barcelona

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 26: Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, looks on prior to the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Southampton FC at Etihad Stadium on October 26, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images) FC Barcelona has had the privilege of being able to count on several extraordinary managers throughout the club’s history. This included the likes of Johan Cruyff and now includes German head coach Hansi Flick as well. However, for almost every Barcelona fan and even for neutrals, the most successful coach at the club is a rather obvious name.Pep Guardiola, the current head coach of a dominant Manchester City side over in the Premier League, was formerly the head coach of FC Barcelona. However, while that may have been ...

Read More

31Oct By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Guardiola admits Man City are ‘in difficulty’ as injuries mount up

Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, reacts during the Carabao Cup Fourth Round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 30, 2024 in London, England. Pep Guardiola claimed Manchester City were in trouble after they suffered further injuries in a 2-1 loss at Tottenham in the Carabao Cup to leave them with only 13 first-team players available. Already without Kyle Walker, Rodri, Oscar Bobb, Jeremy Doku, Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish for the fourth-round tie, Manuel Akanji was withdrawn ahead of kick-off before Savinho left on a stretcher in the second half. Guardiola was measured after first-half goals by Timo Werner – his first in 18 matches – and Pape Sarr inflicted a first defeat of the campaign on City, but he acknowledged p...

Read More

27Oct By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Pep Guardiola issues Man City reality check despite Liverpool vs Arsenal title race bonus

Manchester City's Manager Josep Guardiola during the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Southampton FC at Etihad Stadium on October 26, 2024 in Manchester, England. Pep Guardiola will settle down on Sunday afternoon to watch Liverpool take on Arsenal knowing his Manchester City side are top of the Premier League. City beat Southampton on Saturday to leapfrog Liverpool at the top of the Premier League ahead of the leaders travelling to third-placed Arsenal on Sunday. Elsewhere on Saturday, Aston Villa and Brighton moved up places in the top five but were both held and Guardiola says the results so far this season prove that nothing can be taken for granted - especially after seeing City given two tough contests against the bottom two sides in the last week. "I will watch...

Read More

25Oct By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

PREMIER LEAGUE

Pep Guardiola: Manchester City missing key quartet for Southampton game

  Pep Guardiola has confirmed Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku all remain unavailable for Saturday’s home Premier League game against Southampton. Guardiola, who named only 15 outfield players in his squad for this week’s Champions League win against Sparta Prague, also admitted he had no idea when De Bruyne would return to contention. When asked if De Bruyne and Walker were available, Guardiola said: “No, not yet.” And when pressed on whether De Bruyne’s extended absence due to a thigh injury was a concern, Guardiola added: “Yes of course. I’d prefer to have all the squad (fit) with the amount of games, but it is what it is. “Hopefully he can come back soon. I don’t know (when) yet. I would like to tell you, but I don’t know.” Playmaker De Bruyne has been out si...

Read More

19Oct By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

NEWS

Pep Guardiola: England manager’s nationality does not matter

Pep Guardiola attends the "Che Tempo Che Fa" TV show at Nove Studios on October 13, 2024 in Milan, Italy. The appointment of Thomas Tuchel as England manager has led to mixed reactions from media and fans but Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has called on the country's supporters to back the German unconditionally regardless of his nationality. Former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss Tuchel is the first German to manage England and only the third foreigner to take charge after the late Sven-Goran Eriksson of Sweden and Italian Fabio Capello. "We don't decide where we're born. Mum and Dad decide that and nine months later we're here. I didn't decide to be Catalan, you don't decide to be English," Guardiola told reporters ahead of City's clash at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday. "The f...

Read More