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Are you kidding me? Guardiola to leave Man City!

Published

2 years ago

May 16, 2022

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Pep Guardiola has confirmed that he will not be signing a contract extension at Manchester City this summer.

The 51-year-old can potentially lead City to their fourth Premier League title in five years this season, but he feels it’s too soon to commit to a long-term future at the club.

Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have recreated the fierce managerial rivalry Sir Alex Ferguson had with Arsene Wenger and then Jose Mourinho.

They are in charge of the best teams in England, and both of these sides are desperate to taste success at the expense of their arch-rivals.

With Klopp announcing to prolong his stay with Liverpool, Manchester City had hoped they could secure their incumbent manager for the long haul.

But, Guardiola has refused to sign a new deal before running down his present contract.

Last year, the Catalonian had openly said that he plans to leave City after his current contract expires in 2023.

He said he wanted to take a break, just like his sabbaticals after leaving Barcelona and Bayern Munich, and then decide on his new challenge.

Coaching a national team

The Catalonian said he wanted to coach a national team, preferably a Latin American one.

It makes sense for a manager who has won all domestic titles with all three of the clubs he coached. He also had the chance to lift the Champions League trophy twice.

So, why not try to win the most coveted prize in the entirety of football? The World Cup!

Before Guardiola himself declared that he wanted to leave, there were reports that Guardiola would be leaving Manchester in 2023.

The reports also claimed that he intended to cross the Atlantic, but his destination was not South America!

Rumours linked Guardiola with MLS side New York City, which is owned by the same holding company that owns Manchester City; the City Football Group.

However, it sounds unlikely that Guardiola would abandon Europe for the MLS.

While the American league has made significant progress in popularizing the brand of football in the US, it’s not practical to assume that the competition has evolved to a stage where it could pluck premium football minds like Guardiola at their prime.

But in recent weeks, Guardiola has sounded more coy about his future plans.

Pep refusing to sign extension

In an interview with Sky Sports, Guardiola claimed he wants to stay at Manchester City for ten more years, but the time and situation are not right to announce an extension now.

What has changed that made Guardiola rethink his decision to leave the club in 2023?

He could still leave Man City by then since he did not sign a new deal yet. But he seemed to have made his mind up to leave months ago.

Why the sudden hesitation?

City’s repeated failures to win the Champions League could be a possible reason.

Last season, Man City lost to Chelsea in the final and this season, they fell victim to a late Real Madrid comeback to crash out of the semifinals.

Not being able to win the Champions League since leaving Barcelona has been one of the rare shortcomings in Guardiola’s illustrious managerial career.

After two back-to-back last four appearances in the competition, Guardiola might feel he is close to winning it with City.

Most probably, Guardiola wants to give it another go next season.

If he finally wins the competition with City, he might feel complacent and leave the club for a newer challenge.

Otherwise, he could stay on a few more seasons to try and win the Champions League with the Citizens

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WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football

Published

2 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Georgina Rodriguez made a huge claim on the future of her husband and star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, in Football. In a brief interaction with a host recently, Rodriguez was asked about the time left for Cristiano to make an impact at the highest level. Georgina looked honest in her approach to the question of the host and claimed something the fans would not love to hear.

Georgina claimed that the Portugal star has maybe one year more from him at the highest level. She felt that Ronaldo might play two more years before retiring and not more than that. She was however not sure if he would play for just one or two years and added that the Al Nassr star could also play more than that.

Watch the video of Georgina Rodriguez here –

🚨🎙️| Georgina Rodriguez on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Paris Fashion Week yesterday:

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.”

(via @ArobaseGiovanny)pic.twitter.com/4dxw2j5DuC

— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) March 3, 2024

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know,” said Rodriguez in the little chat she had with the host. The video has gone viral on X and the fans have started sharing it on different platforms. Some of the fans feel that Georgina might be right, while others feel that she could be wrong, given the fitness and longevity of the star player.

Legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo

On the 5th of February, Ronaldo celebrated his 39th birthday. He is currently one of the oldest players in the world. In the past, players at this age would have retired way back. But the fitness and consistency of Ronaldo make him play the sport as long as he wishes. In his career so far, Ronaldo has won many major leagues for Portugal and league teams like Real Madrid, Al Nassr, and Manchester United.

With United, Portugal won some major leagues like the FA Cup and the Champions League. With Real Madrid, the 39-year-old won the leagues like the UCL, Copa Del Rey and La Liga. He won it three consecutive times for Real Madrid. For Portugal, Cristiano had a huge contribution to Portugal. He has the most number of appearances and goals for an international team and won the Euro 2016 with Portugal.

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Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham slapped with Red Card as he argued with referee

Published

2 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Jude Bellingham shown Red Card (Image Credit: Twitter)

England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham was slapped with a Red Card during the La Liga game against Valencia. In the game, the home team, Valencia was leading by 2-0 after 30 minutes before Madrid scored in the injury time of the first half. Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Madrid while Hugo Duro (27′) and Roman Yaremchuk (30′) scored a goal each.

In the 76th minute, Junior scored an equalizer to keep the team in the game. However, in the injury time of the second half, Bellingham was given a red card as he argued with the referee against calling it a full-time before he could score. In reply, the match official decided to slap the England international with a Red Card. The team coach Carlo Ancelotti wasn’t happy with the verdict as the Three Lions player was making a pass at the time.

Jude Bellingham verbally abusing officials and other footballers at the slightest provocation needs to be talked about more. It’s embarrassing he gets applauded by Real Madrid Fans.

Mason Greenwood should’ve allowed La Liga to deal with this simp. pic.twitter.com/ixYSw6YxaC

— Herman Facundo© (@hermanfacundo_7) March 3, 2024

“I think what’s just happened is unprecedented. It’s never happened to me,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“We had possession of the ball and the match should have been finished when Valencia had the ball.

“What bothers us is the red card for Bellingham because he didn’t say anything insulting. He was frustrated of course,” said Ancelotti, adding that Bellingham had used a common English swearword when telling the referee it was a goal.

We are annoyed with Jude Bellingham’s Red Card: Carlo Ancelotti

“We were annoyed with Bellingham’s red card. He didn’t say any insults. He said in English ‘it’s a f—ing goal,’ but he was just saying what we were all thinking … [The referee] allowed play to continue. I think he made a mistake.”

“[Bellingham] was clear in what he said,” Ancelotti added. “He was quite vehement [in his reaction] but that’s normal, after what happened. It wasn’t an insult, not at all.”

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PL 2023-24: MCFC vs MUFC Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI, Fantasy League Today’s Captain, Vice-Captain, and more for Manchester derby

Published

2 months ago

March 2, 2024

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Super Sunday is set to witness the Manchester Derby in the Premier League 2023-24. The match between Manchester City (MCFC) and Manchester United (MUFC) is set to take place in Etihad Stadium, the home ground of Manchester City. The two teams have had a contrasting journey in the league till now. The fortunes of City changed ever since Pep Guardiola took over the club as the manager.

While the home side are placed in the second position in the points table currently, United are in the sixth place in the points table. In their previous encounter, City hammered Luton Town by 6-2 in the FA Cup. United have shown massive improvements in the last few weeks after not having a good start to their campaign. United were involved in a thrilling game where they beat Nottingham Forrest by 1-0 in their last game.

Both teams feature some of the best players in the world. The likes of Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Marcus Rashford, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and others would be taking part in the match. Manchester City will start the match as the favourites, given their record in the ongoing league so far and the match taking place in their home. United with their improved record can challenge the home side.

MCFC vs MUFC – Match Details

Match – Manchester City (MCFC) vs Manchester United (MUFC), Premier League 2023-24

Venue – Etihad Stadium, Manchester

Date and Time – 3^rd March 2024, 21:00 IST

Live Coverage – Star Sports Network and Disney plus Hot Star

MCFC vs MUFC – Head-to-Head

Both the teams from Manchester have a rich history in the sport. they have been up against each other in 191 instances. In as many games, Manchester United have been historically the better side with 78 wins to their name. City have managed to win 60 wins, as 53 games ended in a draw. In the last five games between the two sides in the Premier League, City have won four of the five games.