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)
Sport
Manchester Marathon to host the 2025 English Championships
Danny Jones
More running pedigree beckons for 0161 as this year’s Adidas Manchester Marathon has been officially selected as the host of the 2025 English Championships.
Set to take place on Sunday, 27 April, which is now the UK’s largest day of running in recent history with the London Marathon taking place simultaneously down the other end of the country, Greater Manchester is once again set to transform into one of the most popular races in Europe.
Known as favourite personal bests given its ‘fantastically flat’ nature, an estimated 36,000 runners are set to descend on the city centre and beyond, with countless more expected to spectate.
With the Manchester Marathon officially being selected for this year’s national championships by England Athletics, there’s even more reason to line the streets.
We are delighted to announce that England Athletics have selected us to host the English Championships 2025! 🏆We’ll be welcoming some of the best endurance athletes to the iconic 26.2-mile course in April.
As per an official update on the race website, the elite competition is due to see more than 50 athletes compete for titles, including 22 participants currently in the Men’s Category and 29 in the Women’s.
The line-up at present includes 2024 Men’s winner Adam Clarke, who finished the event in a ridiculous 02:16:29 last April and, fingers crossed, Women’s champion Charlie Arnell is expected to defend her title this year too.
Arnell, who won on her marathon debut, completed the Women’s race last year in a stunning 02:37:12 – a feat she trained for all whilst full-time for the NHS clinical systems team.
Simply staggering stuff.
The fierce competition between the elite waves will begin first thing on event day before the hordes of runners eventually follow in their wake, and we’re sure it’s going to be an absolute blockbuster.
As well as hosting the English Championships, this year will also mark the first new finish line in some time as the 2025 Manchester Marathon as the home stretch has been changed from the familiar tarmac of Talbot Road.
Last year’s Manchester Marathon was one of the biggest ever, not only seeing record numbers of participants but nearly £30 million raised for the local economy and £3.7m for charities alone.
A member of The Manc or two may or may not also be taking part again this year – by which we mean they definitely are – so watch this space and we hope to see you cheering on the sidelines.
Public places for this year’s marathon have well and truly sold out but you can still register your interest for 2026 HERE.
Indoor golf bar with state-of-the-art simulators to open in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A stylish new bar is heading to Manchester where you can play simulator golf and shuffleboard with late-night DJs soundtracking your swing.
Pitch will be branching up north from London in March, promising 10 state-of-the-art simulator bays, a TRENDYGOLF concept store and plenty more.
The brand is set to open at Goods Yard, alongside Caravan (another London export) and Fenix.
Pitch says its arrival to Manchester will ‘change the way the sport is played in the city centre’, making golf more diverse and accessible to all.
Visitors to the stylish space, which will be open seven days a week, will be able to recreate the experience of real golf through their high-tech simulator technology.
You’ll be able to virtually visit the world’s most famous courses, including the Old Course at St Andrews Links and Pebble Beach in California.
Inside Pitch, there’ll also be a sleek bar and kitchen with a wide range of cocktails and dishes, including an Asian-inspired ’18 Greens’ menu.
The new venue will also extend the brand’s academy for beginner women golfers, in partnership with Adidas, which has welcomed more than 1,000 golfers in London.
The on-site TRENDYGOLF Concept Store will be open six days a week stocking brands like Lindeberg, Hugo Boss, Manors, Malbon Golf, Ralph Lauren and G/FORE.
Pitch is opening its first bar in Manchester, with golf simulators and more
Pitch co-founder and CEO Elliot Godfrey said: “We’re very excited to open our first venue in Manchester at the start of 2025, giving Pitch a presence in one of the UK’s busiest cities and one with a special relationship with sport.
“When we began the process of expanding beyond London, Manchester was one of the first places we set our sights on, and it’s fitting to open our innovative concept somewhere that has always striven to be at the forefront of development and progress.
“Pitch venues are the perfect places for social gatherings, and it is a way of playing and engaging with the game that is open to everyone.”
Co-founder Chris Ingham added: “Enterprise City is the perfect setting for a Pitch venue and our new branch will become part of one of the UK’s best social and cultural hotspots when it opens.
“With a TRENDYGOLF Concept Store and no shortage of food and drink options, we envision this being a place where Mancunians can spend hours socialising, golfing and dining in style.”
Pitch Manchester will open its golf bar at Goods Yard in March 2025.
Danny Jones -
16th December 2024 
