Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola clearly took defeat in the derby hard as he came out to make that bold claim that he is “not good enough” in his post-match interview.
Guardiola looked like he was on course to steer Man City back towards the right direction with just a few minutes to go in the 195th Manchester derby on Sunday night, with an albeit narrow 1-0 lead over local rivals United who certainly haven’t been enjoying their best season either.
However, in case you’ve been living under a rock, the Premier League champions didn’t hang on and thanks to a late penalty from captain Bruno Fernandes and an even later goal by Amad Diallo who actually won the spot-kick and was tenacious all game, the game ended 2-1.
Speaking to the media after the full-time whistle, Pep summed things up by saying simply: “We have no defence [for the recent run of results]” before adding, “I’m not good enough, I’m not doing well.”
"I'm the boss, I'm the manager and I'm not good enough."
Pep Guardiola in his post match press conference after the Manchester derby defeat 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/EUOW1Yr5Rm
As former City fullback turned Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards said after the game, Guardiola was clearly trying to take the brunt of the pressure away from the players but did insist that as the coach he is tasked with “finding the solution” and, unfortunately for the Blues, he doesn’t have one right now.
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“I’m not good enough. I am the boss, the manager, I have to find solutions and so far I haven’t. That’s the reality”, Pep reiterated. “We want to play better, create chances. But at the moment it’s not possible.”
“The results are not good, the game was not exceptional. I know the situation, I understand but [this is the reality].” Not only has the Catalan coach now lost five games in a row for the first time in his career but that’s now just one win in the last 11 games for City (eight losses and two draws).
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The 53-year-old also went on to argue that it cannot be “the same problems” that fans and pundits have been arguing as he has already taken steps to adjust tactics and rotate the squad but the issues are still prevailing regardless.
The absence of Rodri is one that they’ve still been unable to circumvent; even with the return of other key players from injury, they just don’t look the same team without the Ballon d’Or winner and Pep doesn’t look the same man either.
It goes without saying that as one of the most successful and multi-record-breaking football managers in history, this admittedly poor patch very much doesn’t suddenly mean that Pep ‘isn’t good enough’, though it’s hard to see how he’s going to pull them out of the mire.
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As for the new United boss, Rúben Amorim, that’s two wins in his last two against the City boss and a first Manchester derby victory at the first time of asking.
The Red Devils were also in dire need of a statement win against strong opposition as they continue to try and navigate the early storms new managers often face and besides beating league leaders Liverpool, scalps don’t get much bigger than City.
You can watch all that late drama and the rest of the highlights from the Manchester derby down below:
Featured Images — Optus Sports/Sky Sports (screenshot via YouTube)
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Bayern Munich reportedly set to target Phil Foden in the summer transfer window
Danny Jones
European giants Bayern Munich are said to be interested in homegrown Manchester City star, and are interested in signing him this coming transfer window.
And if you believe some of the reports circulating around the Stockport-born footballer, he could very well be looking to leave the Etihad in the summer.
Foden seems to have somewhat fallen out of favour at Man City of late, having been benched in four of the last five games, with his overall minutes having been on a gradual slump over recent months; as a result, some sources are suggesting it’s prompted a potential move away.
As per TEAMtalk, the Bundesliga side is hoping to target the City youth product and England international ahead of next season, with former teammate turned Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany very keen on acquiring his services.
Man City have stepped up efforts to secure Phil Foden's future with talks held during the international break and confidence is now growing that a new deal will be finalised before the end of the season, amid Bayern Munich interest, @TEAMtalk can reveal.https://t.co/ScBP5a3a08
Whether or not having a club and Premier League legend in charge would serve as a sweetener for the attacking midfielder or not, who knows?
According to journalist Graeme Bailey, while the gifted playmaker is said to be “frustrated” with the current situation at Man City, the club are believed to have “stepped up efforts to secure the long-term future of Phil Foden, with fresh talks held during the international break”
Having still managed to chip in with 15 goal contributions so far this campaign – two-thirds of those involvements being goals – the hope is that they can tie him down to a new deal long before the end of the season.
There’s no question about his natural talent and versatility across the forward line; it’s just whether or not he’s happy with his game time under Pep Guardiola, which admittedly has often fluctuated ever since he broke into the first team.
Pep has never made a secret of his love for Phil, either; he’s just not afraid to mix things up and try different things given the squad depth at his disposal and other teams in the division becoming increasingly competitive.
It’s also worth noting that many expect him to be in Thomas Tuchel’s starting lineups for the Three Lions at this year’s World Cup.
At present, Foden’s contract is set to expire at the end of the next term (2026/27), but it’s rumoured that he could soon commit to staying until 2030 on paper.
Now 25, the once up-and-coming youngster/’rising star’ is now a fully-fledged senior professional and serial winner.
With many years still ahead of him, you could argue that this is the perfect time to take on a new challenge, or equally, stay with his beloved Blues and extend their modern dynasty as one of the more experienced and decorated members of the dressing room.
As for whether Kompany can convince him to swap his familiar surroundings for a fresh chapter in Germany, or whether or not another big Champions League-level outfit monitoring the situation could come sniffing, only time will tell.
For now, let’s just hope he has an incredible few weeks over in North America this June and July.
A free snooker fan zone has popped up in Manchester for the 2026 Tour Championship
Danny Jones
We’re sure plenty of you are well aware that this year’s WST Sportsbet.io Tour Championship is happening in Manchester right now, but what many of you may not know is that a completely free snooker fan zone has opened up as part of it.
You don’t need a ticket for any of the actual matches to watch them on the big screen or even play one of your own.
However, it isn’t just the buzz inside the match room itself that the World Snooker Tour has brought on its return to the city centre – even the supporter hub outside is well worth a visit.
Based over at Manchester Central on the Exchange side of the building, while the games themselves are taking place in the main rooms, the foyer and surrounding areas have been turned into a fan park.
Perfect for anyone looking for a fun way to spend an afternoon or, indeed, a full day this week – not to mention an ideal activity for kids this coming Easter bank holiday weekend – if you’re a fan of the sport, you’d be a fool not to at least pop your head in.
Running until this Sunday, 5 April, when the tournament itself finishes, snooker lovers have access not only to a bar area with multiple big screens and food and drink, but also numerous free tables for them to play on.
In fact, you quickly turn a few frames into some proper practice if you’re so inclined, as there’s even on-site coaching to be made the most of.
As you can see, people of all ages have already turned up in their droves to soak up the atmosphere.
Once again, the competition is being broadcast live and free-to-air on Channel 5 if you’re happy to watch the games at home, but we don’t need to tell you what makes sitting in a room with a bunch of fellow fans and getting excited together so enjoyable.
If you visit the Manchester Central convention centre before the end of the week, you can even have a go at playing on a proper king-sized snooker table for the full pro-feel experience.
For anyone who wants to grab actual tickets for the matches as well, you can find them HERE.
Danny Jones -
16th December 2024 
