Premier League
Pep Guardiola confident Man City can withstand fatigue with end of season in sight
Treble-chasing Manchester City face a hectic schedule over the season’s final few weeks, but manager Pep Guardiola is not concerned about his team spreading themselves too thin, saying his players understand the gravity of every game and that the rewards are great.
“It’s just a question of six games for sure, maybe seven to fight for everything – come on,” he said on Friday on his side’s full-throttle, late-season push.
“Every player is ready. Every player is ready to play and give his own contribution.”
City are just a point ahead of Arsenal (81) atop the Premier League with a game in hand, and will look to extend that lead when they face Everton on Sunday at Goodison Park. Arsenal also play on Sunday against visiting Brighton & Hove Albion.
“I think definitely (Arsenal) are going to win their three (remaining) games,” Guardiola added. “I would like them to drop points to be honest but I think they will get nine points.”
City are coming off a tense 1-1 Champions League semi-final draw at Real Madrid on Tuesday, and host the Spanish giants in the second leg on Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium. They will also play in the FA Cup final against rivals Manchester United on June 3.
“We play for all competitions,” Guardiola said. “You have to switch and adapt. There are four games left in the Premier League and it’s really important to be there and keep our destiny in our hands.
“My thought (for now) is just Everton – no more than that. It’s a real, real priority, Goodison Park.”
When asked how his players bounce back from Tuesday’s physically and mentally draining draw, he said winning helps. His team have won 10 successive Premier League games.
“If in the previous game you win, mentally your recovery is quicker,” he said.
“Always I believe the human being has incredible resources to move forward, keep going.
“It’s normal you’re tired, but at the same time, if your desire, your mental (state) is in the right position, the human being can have incredible energy.”
Erling Haaland was named the Football Writers’ Association’s men’s Player of the Year earlier on Friday, and Guardiola had kind words for his goal-scoring machine.
“I think it’s well-deserved, congratulations to him of course,” he said.
The Norway international has scored a record 51 goals in all competitions for City this season, and a Premier League single season record of 35 goals.
Guardiola also said that Haaland is still in “fine” condition despite struggling against Real, but defender Nathan Ake is still a doubt for Sunday’s game.
Everton, meanwhile, have no fresh injury concerns but manager Sean Dyche has confirmed that captain Seamus Coleman has undergone knee surgery and will be out for the remainder of the season.
The Toffees, despite fighting relegation, head into the match on the back of a 5-1 thrashing of Brighton.
The victory also meant they ended their seven-game winless run in the Premier League, but they have not managed to triumph in back-to-back league matches since the beginning of October.
“The message will be simple – just take it on,” Dyche urged his team.
“It’s a big challenge obviously. But it’s about taking it on with the mentality we showed at Brighton.
“All the details have got to be right against Manchester City. You might need them to have a soft one, and your key players play well, all of them things go in the melting pot. Yet, it’s still about us taking the game on.
“I’m sure the Evertonians will back us as they do, it’ll be a really good atmosphere for us to go and play in.”
–Reuters/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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