Tag Archives: pep guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that he has no complaints after the club’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in the Premier League. The Citizens started as the brighter team in the derby and they looked good value going forward during the opening 10 minutes. However, as the game progressed, the Red Devils started to stamp their authority on the counter-attack and they eventually bagged the opening goal through Marcus Rashford via the penalty spot.

That advantage was doubled soon after through Anthony Martial with a low shot and the Citizens could not make a comeback as Nicolas Otamendi netted the only goal for them. Speaking after the game, Guardiola acknowledged that his team gave their best against the Red Devils but the latter were better on the day, he told: “Yes we lost 1-2 but I congratulate my team, my players were fantastic, we are a fantastic team. They are so fast, so quick and sometimes when you lose the ball it is more difficult. We tried, we got to the last third many, many times and they can run. Maybe but more than usual.”
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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that he wants everybody involved in the thick of the action and that was the primary reason behind Sergio Aguero and David Silva featuring on the bench. The Citizens faced a tough game against Everton on the road where they were held at 1-1 for a lengthy period but they eventually sealed the victory through goals from Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling in the final 20 minutes.

Speaking after the game, Guardiola said that he wants the involvement of every player in the different competitions and the likes of Aguero and Silva will start in the Champions League after sitting out the European game earlier this month, he told: “I want to make everyone involved. Of course, Sergio can play and David can play but the last game in the Champions League, they didn’t play; I want to let them play in the Champions League, we play on Tuesday. So, I want them to play everybody. For me, it’s tough. Some players don’t play regularly. I’m going to move the team every single game to be part of that. I know everybody wants to play, I understand completely, but it’s the only way to maintain the level for 11 months.”
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Former Manchester City star Vincent Kompany has backed John Stones to come good for the Citizens this term. The England international dropped down the pecking order during the backend of the previous campaign where Aymeric Laporte and Kompany were regularly preferred at the heart of the defence by manager Pep Guardiola.

However, things have changed this season with the departure of Kompany from the club while Laporte could be sidelined for around six months following a knee surgery. As such, Stones and Nicolas Otamendi seem destined to form the central defensive partnership until the turn of the year at the least and Kompany believes the former has the perfect platform to prove himself.
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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that the club don’t have the complete control over the future of German winger Leroy Sane. The 23-year-old has been regularly linked with a return to the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and this has led to speculation whether the German would remain at the Etihad beyond the summer.

Speaking to reports, Guardiola said that he wants Sane to remain with the club but the attacker has yet to respond to a contract extension beyond the summer of 2021. He added that the forward is free to part ways with the side this summer, although the club would be at a loss over the same, he told: “We want him to stay and there is an offer waiting to talk with his agents to extend the contract. It is not in our hands. He has to decide. If he wants to leave, he can do it but we will be sad. Hopefully he stays.”
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Manchester City’s new signing Rodri has acknowledged that the club’s recent success in the Premier League was one of the factors behind the move to the Etihad Stadium. The Citizens have won the English crown in each of the past two seasons under Pep Guardiola and they are now aiming for a hat-trick of league titles.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Rodri admitted that the move to the Citizens is a great step for him, given the club are on the rise on both the domestic and European scale, he said: “I think City this last five or six years has changed the story of the football here, not only in Manchester but England. I talk with some guys and I think it is becoming more blue. I choose them because of the football challenge and the way these last two years they win lots of things. This team is growing every year. For me, it is a great step. I saw Manchester City on TV and imagine one day I play there.”
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Pep Guardiola says that Manchester City still have the title in their hands and that he believes that every of the remaining five matches for his team can be won. City go into the last five matches of the season looking to overcome a two-point deficit to Liverpool, who have played a game more. After the weekend’s results in which Liverpool were able to beat Chelsea and City were able to overcome Crystal Palace, the gap remains at two points. City have a more difficult fixture list with games against the likes of Tottenham coming up, but Guardiola says that his team are more than capable of winning all of the remaining matches.

Manchester City have an immensely powerful squad that is capable of handling a lot of injuries, but the biggest problem for City will be their presence in other cup competitions. Apart from the Premier League, City are also involved in the Champions League and they have the FA Cup final also coming up. The club are aiming for a highly unlikely treble after having already picked up the League Cup back in February. Only a few weeks ago, Guardiola prayed that his team should not get any more injuries and it is a surprise from a manager who has the biggest squad strength in the league.
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Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne may have been figured out during the ongoing campaign with the team adopting the same style of play under Pep Guardiola. The Citizens have already suffered more defeats in the Premier League than the entirety of the previous season but they are still in the running to secure a historic quadruple.

Speaking to reporters, De Bruyne highlighted that teams may have become fond of their gameplay under Guardiola but that is unlikely to force them to change. He added that even a treble can be deemed a huge success after league and Cup double last term and the task of winning all four competitions remains a tedious task nonetheless.
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Germany international Leroy Sane has said that he is very happy with his work at Manchester City amid suggestions that he is close to extending his contract with the club. The young attacker found himself out-of-favour under Pep Guardiola during the opening month of the campaign but he has since managed to command a regular role after showing a better workrate on and off the field.

Amidst this, there has been the positive talk of him signing a new contract with the Mancunian giants and speaking to reporters, the German has acknowledged that could be the case in the near future, he said:”From the beginning, when I arrived here, I have been really happy. I enjoy playing with the coach and the players. They are all amazing but most importantly they are all amazing people and good characters. I have felt really at home here since day one and of course [signing an extension] is possible.”
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Sky Sports pundit Danny Higginbotham has backed Raheem Sterling to eclipse his goalscoring count from the previous campaign. The England international has shown good progress under the guidance of Pep Guardiola over the past two years and the previous season witnessed his best-ever campaign after contributing 23 goals across all competitions for the club.

He has continued the good run this term with seven goals in all competitions already and Higginbotham believes Sterling has the capacity of eclipsing the previous season’s feat with a 30-goal season, he said: “People still say his finishing isn’t great and we still talk about him missing chances, but this is a player who scored 23 goals last season playing as a winger more often than not.
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Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker has spoken about the change of role under Pep Guardiola during the ongoing campaign. The England international has been known for making his bombarding runs from the right side of the defence but he has supposedly been more conservative this term after receiving instructions from the manager.

In a report covered by The Manchester Evening News, Walker confirmed that he still has the license to go forward, but he has been put in charge of controlling the attackers more often.He said: “My role is a little bit different, where I am tucking in a little bit more and trying to control people. I still have the license to go forward, but now I’m getting older it’s probably more about picking and choosing my runs, rather than up and down the wings as I was at Tottenham!”
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