Where will Pep Guardiola go when he leaves Man City in 2023?
Guardiola is yet to try his hand in Italy or France, and should he fancy a fresh challenge the bookies believe he could be drawn to Juventus at 9/4 or Paris St Germain at 10/1.
Pep Guardiola may claim his next managerial job will be in the international game, but the bookmakers believe he could be persuaded to delay his national team ambitions when he does depart Manchester City.
Having enjoyed trophy-laden spells with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Guardiola has picked up a host of trophies since arriving in Manchester in 2016. He has led City to three Premier League titles, and FA Cup success and four consecutive EFL Cup Final victories.
The UEFA Champions League has so far eluded him, but City got a step closer to making that European breakthrough last season when they made it to the final, only to lose to domestic rivals Chelsea.
They are leading contenders to go all the way this time around, but time is running out for Guardiola after he reportedly admitted he plans on departing the Etihad Stadium when his contract ends in 2023.
“My next step will be a national team, if there is a possibility,” he said during an appearance at XP Investimentos event. “A national team is the next step.
While it is understandable that Guardiola has all of those aims, the bookmakers believe he could be persuaded to put them on hold if one of European football’s biggest clubs comes calling at the end of his City reign.
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According to the latest football tips, Barcelona are heavily tipped as the favourites to capture Guardiola with top bookmakers at 2/1. He won three La Liga titles, two Champions Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups, two FIFA Super Cups, two Copa del Reys and three Spanish Super Cups during his previous reign, and it would be a shock if the Catalan giants did not make a play for him when he is a free agent once again.
Guardiola is yet to try his hand in Italy or France, and should he fancy a fresh challenge the bookies believe he could be drawn to Juventus at 9/4 or Paris St Germain at 10/1.
The most likely national team candidates are Spain at 6/1 and Brazil at 12/1. Coaching Brazil would give him a shot at the Copa America and a very realistic chance of adding at least one major piece of international silverware to his glittering CV before he calls time on his career.
But could Guardiola decide to remain in England beyond his time at City? The English national team have improved considerably under Gareth Southgate, reaching the World Cup Final in 2018 and Euro 2020 Final this past summer. But if Southgate does not bring World Cup glory next year could the FA make a play for Guardiola? The odds on the England national team being his next job are 25/1.
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2024 Manchester Marathon raises £29 million for local economy and over £3.7m for charity
Danny Jones
Just under a fortnight on from the 2024 Manchester Marathon and the numbers are finally, with the annual race generating nearly £30 million for the local economy and raising over £3.7m for charity.
This year’s Adidas Manchester Marathon saw record numbers of runners and spectators as over 30,000 took part in the popular race, up by roughly 6,000 from 2023, and more than 125k turned up to line the streets of Greater Manchester.
As a result, these huge crowds spent upwards of £29.2 million at business around the city centre and around the 10 boroughs last weekend, serving as one of the most significant contributions to the local economy on the annual calendar.
Not only was this an approximately £8m increase on last year’s tally but, most importantly, a sizeable chunk of that went straight into both regional and national charities.
Beyond the boost to local vendors, the hospitality sector and retail businesses, over £3.7 million were allocated to charities such as Alzheimer’s Charity, Cancer Research UK, British Heart Foundation and The Christie.
Over £32,000 was also raised for the Trafford Active Fund, with £1 from every paid entry to the Adidas Manchester Marathon and Manchester Half donated directly to the initiative that benefits local sports clubs and organisations through Trafford Council.
Better still, with City of Trees selected as the chosen ‘Green Runner’ charity, the eco-friendly drive saw roughly 7% of participants opt out of receiving either a finisher t-shirt, medal or both.
The money saved in production goes towards maintaining woodlands and wildlife across Greater Manchester.
This year’s Manchester Marathon also helped produce some of the highest number of passengers on public transport in the city’s history, with a over 175,000 journeys made on Metrolink alone – the highest number of journeys ever recorded on a single day.
This was a 20% increaseon 2023’s race day (145k), spotlighting how the event continues to be more environmentally conscious as years go by.
With the 2025 adidas Manchester Marathon confirmed to be taking place on Sunday, 27 April next year – and over 12,000 places already sold – the city can already look forward to reaping the economic and social benefits of hosting one of Europe’s largest, flattest, friendliest and most-loved marathons.
Featured Images — Adidas Manchester Marathon/The Manc Group
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‘Enough is enough’: Marcus Rashford calls out fans for ‘months’ of abuse
Danny Jones
Manchester United star Marcus Rashford has put his foot down in a social media post, calling for an end to ‘months of abuse’ from both his own supporters and beyond.
It’s fair to say that the 26-year-old hasn’t been enjoying his best season in a United shirt and while he has had his moments this year – his goal against Arsenal and stunning opener in the Manchester derby, just to name a couple – he’s come under a lot of pressure from supporters.
Rashford previously came out to address the situation in a Players Tribune interview back in February, stating, “I can’t have people questioning my commitment to Man United”, but now the England international has reiterated the point after someone came to his defence on X.
Quoting a fan who wrote that “the way Marcus Rashford is being treated is absolutely disgusting”, calling the behaviour online and on matchdays in some cases as “cruel” and downright abuse”, he responded by declaring: “Enough is enough”.
The Wythenshawe winger has already labelled doubts over his effort levels, love and loyalty to the club “ridiculous”, reiterating time and time again that he’s a boyhood Red, but that hasn’t stopped people continuing to criticise him online.
Sadly, while he’s also insisted that he “can take criticism” and headlines when his performances aren’t quite up to scratch, the negativity hasn’t just been limited to social media and has been spilling out into the matchday stands.
Reports of Rashford being booed off the pitch by his own supporters at Wembley during United’s admittedly chaotic performance against Coventry City in the FA Cup semi-final were confirmed by multiple sources at the time.
Although he didn’t comment on the response from the travelling Reds at the time, it’s now clear he was abundantly aware of the frosty reception as he was substituted, with many within the fan base and beyond calling the decision to boo your own players “classless” and “shameful”.
With seven goals and five assists to his name across all competitions this season, it’s fair to say Marcus Rashford has been a far cry away from the heights he has managed to hit in recent years.
It was only last season that he hit a career-high record of 40 goal contributions, sitting as one of the most prolific players in all of Europe during another difficult season for the club, even managing to surpass club legend Andy Cole’s record.
Just goes to show how short people’s memories can really be – especially when it comes to football – and Erik ten Hag has already urged patience from his fans when it comes to his players, and not just his number ten.
‘The Beautiful Game’ is and always will be a fickle sport but it’s worth reminding of just how much the academy product has already delivered during his time at Man United. Anyone can have a tough season.