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Tag Pep Guardiola

  • Feb, Sun, 2020
Sport

Klopp sympathises with Guardiola after Manchester City’s European ban

Sympathy
Norwich (UK), Feb. 16, 2020 (Reuters/NAN) Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said he had sympathy for his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola in the wake of the English champions’ two-year ban from European football.

The ban was dished out by UEFA for the club’s alleged breaching of Financial Fair Play rules.

Manchester City’s domestic title challenge are all but over, with Liverpool 25 points ahead after beating Norwich City 1-0 away on Saturday.

But Klopp said the news on Friday about the European ban for the Manchester club had taken him by surprise.

“It was a shock. Complete wow!” he said. “The only thing I can say is about football. What they have done on the football pitch is exceptional. The rest, I don’t know.

“I really feel for them, Pep and the players, but that is how it is. They can appeal. So, we will see what happens then. It is obviously serious.

“But the football they played was exceptional and will always be exceptional.”

European football’s governing body UEFA said Manchester City had committed “serious breaches” of its FFP regulations.

This was by “overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016.”

Manchester City denied any wrongdoing and said they would appeal to the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).(Reuters/NAN)
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(Edited by Olawale Alabi)

Sport

Guardiola vows Manchester City will ‘stand up’ in title race after ‘cruel’ exit

Vow

Manchester (UK), April 18, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that his team would “stand up” and fight for the Premier League title after their dreams of a quadruple were ended by Wednesday’s dramatic exit from the Champions League.

City went out on the away goals rule after their 4-3 win at the Etihad Stadium left the two legged quarter-final standing at 4-4 on aggregate.

Guardiola’s side thought a late goal from Raheem Sterling had earned them a place in the semi-finals but the effort was ruled.

A VAR review confirmed that Sergio Aguero was offside in the build-up.

“It is cruel but it is what it is and we have to accept it,” said Guardiola.

“After 20 minutes we were 3-2 up. In the second half we created a lot of chances and we scored the goals we needed.

“Unfortunately, it was a bad end for us so congratulations to Tottenham and good luck for the semi-finals,” said the Spaniard.

City were also eliminated by English opponents, Liverpool, in the quarter-finals last season.

Guardiola said he continued to back the use of VAR, which also allowed Fernando Llorente’s decisive goal for Spurs despite suspicions of handball.

But he questioned the decision reached over Llorente’s goal – which officials concluded had rolled off the Spaniard’s hip and into the net in the wild encounter at the Etihad.

“I support VAR but maybe from one angle Fernando Llorente’s goal is handball, maybe from the referee’s angle it is not,” he said.

A packed stadium had roared City on in the second half with a thundering strike from Aguero 59th minute seeming to send Guardiola’s side on their way to the last four.

“I am so proud of the players and the fans,” said Guardiola.

“I have never heard noise like that since I have been in Manchester but football is unpredictable.”

City host Spurs again on Saturday in the Premier League as they battle with Liverpool for top spot having seen their dream of a quadruple end.

Having won the Carabao Cup (League Cup), City are in the FA Cup final and are two points behind Liverpool, with a game in hand, in the league.

“We have to stand up and react. It is a close (short amount of) time and the same team. We can’t think too much now.

“We have to try to sleep as much as possible and the day before the game we are going to prepare for the game,” he said.

“We have fought for nine or 10 months in the Premier League and still we are there. It is in our hands.

“Today is tough and tomorrow will be tough too but the day after we will be ready.” (Reuters/NAN)

KIA

Sport

VAR will help Premier League referees next season, says Guardiola

VAR
Manchester (UK), March 10, 2019 (Reuters/NAN) Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he expected the video assistant referee (VAR) system to rid the Premier League of controversial refereeing decisions.

Guardiola made the statement after his side scored a goal against Watford that was initially flagged offside on Saturday.

City’s opening goal by Raheem Sterling in their 3-1 win sparked controversy after referee Paul Tierney changed his mind about the offside call following a discussion with his assistant.

“There should be an easy solution and next season there will be. With VAR, that will not be a problem, it will be fairer,” Guardiola told reporters.

“The game is so fast and so quick, even the people sat here don’t know if it is offside or onside.

“If we have doubts here, imagine how it is for the referee who has to make a decision in a split second.

“I am so sorry and I apologise to Javi (Gracia) and to Watford if the first goal is offside.”

Other Premier League managers have backed the introduction of VAR, including Arsenal’s Unai Emery.

The Arsenal boss suggested that the system might prevent game-changing decisions going the wrong way.

Guardiola said the Premier League was lagging behind other European countries which had already implemented VAR in their top-flight leagues.

“Hopefully next season, like in Europe, they can accept that we install VAR in this situation and it will be fair,” Guardiola added.

“Manchester City voted to install VAR this season. Some other clubs did not accept it.”

The Champions League has also implemented VAR in the knockout stages this season and UEFA has released statements on its website to explain its use of the system.

UEFA said it was introduced to justify decisions made by the referees in the last-16 matches so far. (Reuters/NAN)
KIA/AFA
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Edited by Felix Ajide

Sport

Guardiola’s City players dominate World Cup as last-eight looms

Guardiola’s City players dominate World Cup as last-eight looms

Guardiola

Samara (Russia), July 5, 2018 (Reuters/NAN) With many of Manchester City’s players still competing in the later stages of the World Cup, the influence of Pep Guardiola’s English champions is being felt across the globe.

As eight teams prepare for the quarter-finals, the majority of the City team that ran away with the Premier League title by a record 19 points  are still competing in Russia.

The likes of club captain Vincent Kompany and midfield maestro Kevin de Bruyne are getting ready to face their City team mates Gabriel Jesus, Danilo and Fernandinho of Brazil.

Meanwhile, the Manchester club’s English contingent of Kyle Walker, Fabian Delph, Raheem Sterling and John Stones are all key members of Gareth Southgate’s team preparing for Sweden.

With City’s goalkeeper Ederson also in the Brazil squad, the English side have more representatives in the last eight than any other club, with 11 players still in Russia.

Paris St Germain and Barcelona, the French and Spanish champions respectively, are also well represented with six key players remaining at the World Cup.

Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich have no representatives in the quarter-finals mainly due to Germany’s early exit.

The Germans may have faired better at the tournament if City’s in-form forward Leroy Sane had been in their squad.

Despite 10 goals and 15 assists in the league for Guardiola’s team last season, Germany boss Joachim Loew left Sane at home.

Germany only scored twice as they exited in the group stage, with many commentators wondering why Sane was not selected.

It has not all been plain sailing for City’s players as Spain’s David Silva and Argentina pair Nicolas Otamendi and Sergio Aguero could not replicate their club form in Russia.

This is not the first time players from a club managed by Guardiola have made an impact at the World Cup.

In consecutive tournaments, he has been the coach of the club champions of the nation who went on to win the World Cup — Spain and Germany.

Spain’s 2010 world champions had a squad containing seven players managed by then-Barcelona coach Guardiola.

And four years ago in Brazil the Spaniard’s Bayern Munich side also had seven representatives in Germany’s World Cup-winning team.

With Guardiola among the world’s top managers and with his teams possessing enviable talent, it is perhaps no surprise that his influence has been felt at the sport’s showpiece event.

If history is to repeat itself and City’s success is replicated by the national team in the World Cup final then England fans may just have a Catalan to thank. (Reuters/NAN)

KIA/AAB/SA

Edited By Adeboye Ajayi/Salif Atojoko

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Sport

Manchester City need to produce “perfect game’’ against Liverpool, Guardiola says

Game
Manchester (UK), April 9, 2018 (Reuters/NAN) Manchester City must overturn a 3-0 deficit against Liverpool on Tuesday and manager Pep Guardiola said that would require “the perfect game” from his players.

He was talking in reference to the second leg tie of their 2017/2018 UEFA Champions League quarter-final pairing.

They go into the match on the back of a 2-3 defeat in the English Premier League to rivals Manchester United on Saturday when a win would have secured the title.

Guardiola’s side gave up a two-goal lead in that game and they know that even a single slip-up against Liverpool will make their task of progressing to the semi-finals almost impossible.

“Of course to go through you have to make the perfect game, create chances, be clinical and concede few chances. All the conditions have to be perfect,” said the Spaniard.

“The result is tough but we have 90 minutes and in football anything can happen. What we are going to do is try. We have to score the first one, then make the second one.

“We’ll see the momentum, try to keep it longer and then we’ll see,” he added.

Manchester City conceded six goals in the past two games during a pair of intense short spells and Guardiola said they have to be ready to deal with adversity.

“If we concede, don’t give up — it’s more than 90 minutes. We have very often created a lot of chances in short periods of time and we have to be clinical.

“And, if we are not clinical, then move on to the next one,” he said.

Manchester City were eliminated last season in the last 16 by AS Monaco and it would be a disappointment for them to fail to make the last four after such a dominant season domestically.

But the former FC Barcelona manager believes that his side is growing and will soon be among the real elite of European football.

“We need titles in Europe. It’s complicated, but you need nights that make you understand it,” he said.

“Beating Barca (last season) was so special because we know they’re the best team in the world but it will happen sooner or later.

“With what this club has done in the last 10 years in terms of creating facilities and making it bigger it will happen. (To compete with) the big clubs, you need time. But hopefully we can do it.

“Maybe next year, but soon it will happen.”(Reuters/NAN)
KIA/MO/OLAL
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(Edited by Omolade Michael and Olawale Alabi)