Premier League
GUARDIOLA CONCEDES SUPERIORITY TO MARCELO BIELSA
Pep Guardiola said he believes he is still not a match for Marcelo Bielsa as a coach despite the vast difference between the number of trophies the pair have won in their distinguished careers.
Guardiola faces Bielsa, who he credits as one of his inspirations, for the first time since 2012 when Manchester City visit Leeds in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Catalan has won 24 major trophies in spells at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City. By contrast, Bielsa has won just three league titles in his native Argentina as well as leading Leeds back to the top-flight after a 16-year absence.
“I feel the managers should not be judged on how many titles or prizes you won because I feel far away from his knowledge as a manager,” said Guardiola.
“My teams won more titles than him but in terms of his knowledge of the game and many things he is far away.”
Leeds have adapted well to life back in the Premier League, pushing champions Liverpool all the way in a 4-3 defeat on the opening weekend of the season before beating Fulham and Sheffield United.
And Guardiola believes Bielsa’s presence is a “gift” for English football.
“I think he is the person I admire the most in world football as a manager and as a person,” Guardiola said.
“I think he is the most authentic manager, in terms of how he conducts his teams. It’s unique, nobody can imitate him, it’s impossible.
“It is a gift to have him here in the Premier League. His teams are always a joy to watch. I think it is a good news for England.”
However, Bielsa played down his role as a mentor to the City boss, given what he has achieved in three of the toughest leagues in the world.
“I do not feel like a mentor to Guardiola. It’s not just how I feel, it has been evidenced to not being the case,” he said.
“If there’s a manager who is independent in his own ideas, that is Guardiola. It’s not just because I say it is, it’s because his teams play like no other team.”
City are looking to bounce back at Elland Road from collapsing to a 5-2 defeat at home to Leicester last weekend.
Guardiola said a string of injuries, positive coronavirus cases and a short pre-season cannot be used as an excuse for his side.
But a leaky defence could be bolstered by the presence of new £62-million ($80 million) signing Ruben Dias .
“He’s settled in good and he is part of the team right now,” said Guardiola of the Portuguese international’s availability.
“We will have training this afternoon and we will decide (if he starts).”
-AFP
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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