Tag: Manchester City

Pep Guardiola says he cares more about how Manchester City “grow up” than winning trophies as he prepares his side for the first leg of their League Cup semi-final away to Newcastle on Tuesday.

City ended last season without a major trophy for the first time in eight years, though they did lift the Community Shield at the start of the campaign, beating Manchester United on penalties.

Guardiola, asked at his pre-match press conference on Monday if he felt extra pressure after missing out on the big prizes last season, insisted he was not focused on silverware.

“It’s not about winning or not winning trophies, it’s about how the team grows up, how the team is better,” the City manager said.

“Last season we didn’t deserve to win more than just one trophy, because we didn’t play good. So satisfaction to win a trophy when we are not playing good, can happen, you know, knockout stages, (you can be) lucky.

“It’s not about that. Believe me, it’s not about that. We are here to make the team play better, the satisfaction is to make a good performance for ourselves, our fans.”

Guardiola, who has rebuilt his squad over the past year following the departures of key players, said the point was to improve game by game.

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“That is the target, and all the time has been like that,” he explained. “And after, when you are in that process, and you fight for the title, you can win it.

“But after the title, big compliments, the day after, a little bit less compliments, two days after, three days, it’s forgotten. It’s another. So it’s the journey, it’s how you improve. That is what you have to do to live our profession.”

City won the League Cup for four seasons in a row from 2018, with the competition proving a launchpad for a decade of domination of English football under Guardiola.

Last season they were dethroned as Premier League champions by Liverpool and they trail leaders Arsenal by six points in the current campaign.

Chelsea host Arsenal in the first leg of the other League Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

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Manchester City added to their attacking arsenal on Friday with the signing of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth for a reported £65 million ($87 million).

The 26-year-old, who has scored 10 Premier League goals this season, has signed a five-and-a-half-year deal.

Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham were amongst the other clubs interested in the London-born Ghana international, who had a buyout clause that would reportedly expire on Saturday.

“I am so proud to have joined Manchester City,” said Semenyo.

“I have watched City over the last decade under Pep Guardiola, and they have been the dominant team in the Premier League as well as achieving amazing things in the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup.

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“They have set the highest of standards, and it’s a club with world-class players, world-class facilities and one of the greatest managers ever in Pep.”

His final act after three years with the Cherries was scoring a stoppage-time winner to beat Tottenham 3-2 and end an 11-game winless run on Wednesday.

Manchester City are hoping Antoine Semenyo can boost their challenge for silverware on four fronts in 2026.

Pep Guardiola’s men trail Arsenal by six points at the top of the Premier League and have FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League fixtures in the coming weeks.

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Manchester City have confirmed defender Josko Gvardiol suffered a broken leg in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium.

Gvardiol was one of two City centre-backs who went off injured in the second half, along with Ruben Dias, before Enzo Fernandez scored a stoppage-time equaliser for the visitors.

The draw left second-placed City six points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.

“The defender will have surgery later this week, and assessment remains ongoing to ascertain the full extent of the injury and expected prognosis,” Manchester City said in a statement issued on Monday.

Before the extent of Croatia international Gvardiol’s injury was confirmed, City manager Pep Guardiola said it “doesn’t look good” for either player.

The extent of Dias’ injury has yet to be made public. Their absences add to City’s problems in defence, with John Stones out for the past month with a thigh injury and Rayan Ait-Nouri away with Algeria at the Africa Cup of Nations.

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City midfielder Nico Gonzalez also missed the Chelsea game, and Guardiola is also without Savinho, Oscar Bobb, Mateo Kovacic and Omar Marmoush for Wednesday’s clash at home to Brighton.

Better news for Manchester City came with the return of Rodri, who played the full 90 minutes against Chelsea in what was his first start since October.

The influential midfielder suffered several setbacks, the latest a hamstring problem, while attempting to recover from the severe knee injury that ruled him out for much of last season.

“It’s been a terrible, terrible time for me,” said the Spain international. “Everything that comes right now is a gift, every minute that I’ve been on the pitch, it’s a joy for me.

“Thank you to God for giving me this second opportunity to enjoy my profession and recover my smile.”

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Enzo Fernandez dealt a massive blow to Premier League title hopes of Manchester City with a 94th-minute equaliser to snatch a 1-1 draw for managerless Chelsea at the Etihad.

Tijjani Reijnders had blasted City into a deserved half-time lead, but they lost central defenders Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias to injury in the second half and then blew two points in the dying seconds when Fernandez prodded in at the back post.

A point is only good enough to edge City back above Aston Villa in second on goal difference, and leaves them six points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

Chelsea were under the caretaker charge of the club’s under-21 coach Calum McFarlane after parting ways with Enzo Maresca on Thursday.

The Blues have won just once in their last eight league games to slip to fifth in the table, but got their reward for a spirited second-half display to close within three points of the top four.

City were able to welcome Rodri back for his first start since early October, and the Spaniard quickly showed why he was crowned the world’s best player before suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury in September 2024.

Only wasteful finishing in a 0-0 draw at Sunderland on Thursday cost Pep Guardiola’s men a ninth consecutive win, and they were again guilty of letting their opposition off the hook before the break.

After a sluggish opening 20 minutes, the chances began to flow for the home side as Phil Foden fired just wide before Bernardo Silva curled just over the bar.

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Filip Jorgensen made his first Premier League start of the season in the Chelsea goal due to an injury to Robert Sanchez and produced a brilliant save to tip Erling Haaland’s deflected effort behind.

Haaland was practically wheeling away in celebration moments later when his curling shot crashed off the inside of the post.

City’s pressure finally told three minutes before the break when Reijnders wriggled clear inside the box before blasting a powerful shot past Jorgensen at his near post.

Within seconds of the restart, City nearly threw all their good first-half work away.

An ankle injury to Gvardiol left Manchester City undermanned at the back as Chelsea broke forward, and Pedro Neto spooned over the bar from point-blank range.

Chelsea targeted Gvardiol’s replacement, Abdukodir Khusanov, in their search for an equaliser, and City needed Gianluigi Donnarumma to keep Liam Delap out from a narrow angle.

Donnarumma nearly saved his side again at the death with a remarkable stop from Fernandez, but the Argentine got to the rebound first to tap in.

Numerous City players fell to their knees in disappointment as Arsenal close in on their first league title for 22 years.

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Manchester City suffered a major setback to their Premier League title challenge as they were held to a 0-0 draw against Sunderland on Thursday.

Pep Guardiola’s side would have closed within two points of leaders Arsenal with a win at the Stadium of Light. But in their first game of 2026, they delivered a spluttering display that left them four points adrift of the Gunners.

City’s New Year’s Day stalemate ruined their eight-match winning run in all competitions.

After Arsenal’s 4-1 rout of third-placed Aston Villa on Tuesday, second-placed City have surrendered the initiative at the halfway point of the title race.

City will look to bounce back at home to troubled Chelsea on Sunday after the Blues parted company with boss Enzo Maresca on Thursday.

Reportedly on the verge of signing Bournemouth’s Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo, Guardiola could do with reinforcements in attack after his team were frustrated by Sunderland’s tenacious performance.

Manchester City beat Sunderland 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium on December 6, but Guardiola predicted a far more difficult encounter in the rematch and his fears proved well-founded.

Sunderland are unbeaten in their first 10 home league games this season and have held City and Arsenal to draws on Wearside.

On a freezing evening with a biting wind whipping off the North Sea, City made heavy weather of their attempt to close the gap on Arsenal.

They were denied a sixth-minute opener when Bernardo Silva’s close-range strike was ruled offside after Erling Haaland flicked on Rayan Cherki’s corner.

Brian Brobbey should have given Sunderland the lead after out-muscling Ruben Dias and racing into the penalty, but his shot was too close to City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

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Haaland found it difficult to shake off Sunderland’s imposing centre-back Nordi Mukiele in the first half.

The City striker finally escaped Mukiele’s attentions, only to shoot straight at Sunderland keeper Robin Roefs after Phil Foden’s pass found him 10 yards from goal.

Sunderland’s Trai Hume squandered a golden opportunity when the unmarked defender headed over from 12 yards on the stroke of half-time.

City’s two attempts were their joint-fewest in the first half of a league game this season.

Guardiola responded to City’s lethargy by sending on Rodri for the injury-plagued Spain midfielder’s first appearance since November 2, when he played for one minute against Bournemouth.

Savinho was guilty of a woeful miss when he fired wide from Cherki’s pass just after the interval, and the Brazilian fluffed his lines again moments later, failing to beat Roefs from close range.

Pep Guardiola hauled off Savinho after those blunders, sending on Belgian winger Jeremy Doku after four games out with a calf injury.

Manchester City had to ride their luck as Donnarumma saved Simon Adingra’s strike at his near post before making an even better stop to repel Eliezer Mayenda’s blast.

In a frantic finale, Josko Gvardiol couldn’t squeeze his header past Roefs.

Gvardiol also sent an audacious back-flick against the post and had a close-range shot blocked with the goal at his mercy, leaving Guardiola to count the cost of their toothless display.

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Erling Haaland scored his 34th goal for club and country this season to give Manchester City a 2-1 win at Real Madrid on Wednesday as Arsenal maintained their perfect group stage record with a 3-0 victory at Club Brugge.

It was a second successive home defeat for Real following their 2-0 reverse against Celta Vigo at the weekend, and heaped more pressure on coach Xabi Alonso, whose side have won just two of their last eight in all competitions.

For Haaland, though, this was a 21st goal in 21 City games this season and a 51st in 50 Champions League starts, while Nico O’Reilly scored his first goal in the competition.

Rodrygo gave Real, who were missing Kylian Mbappe, the lead just before the half-hour mark with a crisp shot across Gianluigi Donnarumma into the far corner.

But academy product O’Reilly equalised just seven minutes later, reacting quickest to prod home the loose ball from inside the six-yard box after Thibaut Courtois had saved Josko Gvardiol’s header.

And Haaland was able to fire City in front from the penalty spot on 43 minutes after VAR intervened to punish Antonio Rudiger for wrestling the Norwegian forward to the ground to prevent him reaching a cross.

It could have been worse for Real, but Courtois redeemed himself somewhat for flapping at Gvardiol’s header with a crucial double save to deny Haaland and Rayan Cherki in quick succession as the half drew to a close.

It was a breathless end-to-end second half, and Jude Bellingham could have done better than chip over the bar with only Donnarumma to beat, while Courtois made a fingertip save to deny Jeremy Doku.

Vinicius Jr. had a late chance to equalise but skied his volley after Donnarumma had come for and missed an inswinging corner.

Substitute Endrick also clipped the top of the bar with a header as Real pushed for a late equaliser.

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Noni Madueke’s double helped Arsenal win a sixth straight Champions League match this season and close in on the last 16.

The Premier League leaders already have more points (18) than was needed last season to secure a top-eight spot and direct qualification for the last 16, and they have two matches still to come.

Madueke’s two goals could not have been more different. The first was a wonder goal in which he beat two players and scored with a long-range strike.

For the second, he was teed up by Martin Zubimendi for a simple finish.

Brugge had put the Gunners under fierce first-half pressure, but they crumbled after the second goal as Gabriel Martinelli added to their misery, bending the ball around the goalkeeper from outside the box.

Elsewhere, reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain were held to a 0-0 draw at Athletic Bilbao but stayed third, behind only Arsenal and Bayern Munich, with City fourth.

Weston McKennie and Jonathan David scored the goals as Juventus overcame Pafos 2-0, while Bayer Leverkusen and Newcastle shared a 2-2 draw, as did Borussia Dortmund and Bodo/Glimt.

Goals from Richard Rios and Leandro Barreiro gave Jose Mourinho’s Benfica a 2-0 win over Antonio Conte’s Napoli in a battle of the former Chelsea bosses.

Oscar Gloukh scored a brace as Ajax hit three late goals to claim a 4-2 win at Qarabag to finally open their account in the competition this season.

Victory took them off the bottom of the table and kept alive their slim hopes of making the play-offs, while Villarreal slumped to last position after a 3-2 home defeat to FC Copenhagen.

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Erling Haaland said he was “proud” to make history as the Manchester City striker became the fastest player to reach 100 Premier League goals in Tuesday’s pulsating 5-4 win against Fulham.

Haaland’s clinical finish in the first half at Craven Cottage took him to his century in just 111 league appearances for City.

The 25-year-old broke the previous record set by former Newcastle and Blackburn star Alan Shearer, who took 124 matches to reach 100 goals.

“It’s huge, and I’m really proud. Of course, it’s a massive thing, 100 club is a nice thing to be in, and I’m happy,” Haaland said.

“I knew about the record, that’s what I tried to do. I try to help the team score goals, that’s my job.”

Haaland, who signed from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, had failed to score in his previous three games against Newcastle, Bayer Leverkusen and Leeds.

He broke that mini-drought with the latest milestone in his glittering City career. Of Haaland’s 100 goals, 71 came with his left foot and 17 with his head.

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“When you’re a striker for Man City, you should be delivering great numbers,” he said. “That’s my job, people should criticise me if I don’t, and that’s normally what they do. I should deliver.”

He produced a sumptuous finish to put City ahead in the 17th minute against Fulham, giving him 15 league goals this term and 20 in all competitions.

Jeremy Doku provided the assist with a precise cut-back, and Haaland timed his run perfectly to unleash a ferocious blast that whistled past Fulham keeper Bernd Leno from 12 yards.

With City now only two points behind leaders Arsenal, Haaland added: “It’s important, Arsenal came here and won here. Fulham are a great team, but we shouldn’t think too much about Arsenal.

“We should focus on ourselves. Today wasn’t good enough, and we know this. We need to improve as a team, and that’s what we’ll do.”

Haaland still has a long way to go to break Shearer’s most significant record, with the former England captain holding the Premier League’s all-time scoring mark on 260 goals.

“I know about it, but I don’t think too much about it,” he said.

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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said Monday he was uncertain when Spain midfielder Rodri will be fit enough to return to action.

Rodri missed much of last season with a knee injury and has appeared just once — and then only for a minute — in City’s last 10 games due to a hamstring problem.

The 29-year-old has been ruled out of Tuesday’s Premier League trip to Fulham and is doubtful for the home clash with Sunderland on Saturday.

“No, not yet,” said Guardiola, when asked at a press conference on Monday that lasted just a few minutes, if Rodri was available.

Asked if he could feature at the weekend, Guardiola said: “I don’t know.”

Guardiola also spoke about goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who was booked for a fourth time in his short City career in the last-gasp 3-2 win over Leeds on Saturday.

Leeds manager Daniel Farke also accused Donnarumma of feigning injury to allow Guardiola to deliver a key team talk. The Italian is now just one yellow card away from a suspension.

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“Yes, he has a lot (of bookings), he has many,” said Guardiola. “It is what it is.”

Asked if he had spoken to Donnarumma about it, he said: “No.”

Guardiola was more willing to discuss the work of Fulham manager Marco Silva after their impressive 2-1 win away to Tottenham.

“Marco is many, many years there and always (when we) have been there — really, really tough games, difficult,” said Guardiola.

“The organisation is exceptional and every year I have the feeling that with the ball, they are better and better. Tough, tough opponent.

“I saw the games yesterday and today, against Chelsea, against Arsenal, last games against Sunderland.

“Always it’s so, so difficult for the opponents to break them up. It has always been like that in this beautiful stadium (Craven Cottage) in London.”

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Pep Guardiola accused his much-changed Manchester City team of “playing safe” in their surprise Champions League loss to Bayer Leverkusen in midweek.

The City manager paid the price for making 10 changes to his starting line-up as the German side won 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

Guardiola felt his players were too risk-averse as they slipped to a second successive defeat following last week’s Premier League reverse at Newcastle.

Referring to the Leverkusen defeat, he said: “We didn’t try. In football, when you play on the green, you have to try things, and we didn’t try.”

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He added: “I think they played not to make mistakes, not to play to do something, that is so difficult. In football, you have to play offense, and you have to try… they played to be safe.”

Pep Guardiola, whose team faces struggling Leeds on Saturday, suggested the players who started against Leverkusen had lacked confidence.

“I have a lot of confidence in them, still right now I have a lot,” he said. “I have a huge value in what they are as football players, and that maybe is higher than (they have) themselves.”

City are still without midfielder Rodri for the Leeds game, but Guardiola said the Spanish international would be back soon.

Guardiola’s men are third in the Premier League table, seven points behind leaders Arsenal.

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Pep Guardiola said he was “embarrassed and ashamed” of his behaviour after confronting a cameraman following Manchester City’s damaging 2-1 loss at Newcastle on Saturday.

The City manager reacted angrily after he was filmed close up following the final whistle, when he was involved in discussions with Newcastle player Bruno Guimaraes and match officials.

Pep Guardiola had been angered by the decision to award what proved to be Newcastle’s winning goal in the 70th minute at St James’ Park, with City believing goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma had been fouled.

The City boss, speaking Monday at a press conference on the eve of his team’s Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen, said he had apologised for his behaviour.

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“I feel embarrassed and ashamed when I see it,” he said. “I don’t like it. I apologised to the cameraman after one second.

“I am who I am. Even after 1,000 games I’m not a perfect person. I made a huge mistake…. The reason why is I want to defend my team and my club.”

City’s fourth Premier League defeat of the season left them third in the table, seven points behind leaders Arsenal.

But Guardiola said the Newcastle reverse was “immediately forgotten” as he turned his attention to the Champions League.

City are fourth in the 36-team league phase after a strong start to their European campaign.

Midfielders Rodri and Mateo Kovacic are unavailable for Tuesday’s match against Leverkusen.

Guardiola said he did not have a timescale for Rodri’s return but it would not be long before he was back in action.

“We will wait a little more to be sure he is fine,” he said.

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