Pep Guardiola is already having fun with the narrative ahead of his team’s second leg against Real Madrid in the Champions League, joking that he’s “not overthinking” anything this time around.
Manchester City are just one game away from another UCL final against Inter Milan, but the Blues must first find a way to break the deadlock against the all-time leading European champions and hope they don’t answer back.
The gravity of this game is massive; City could not only lift their first Champions League trophy (the job that many state is the task Guardiola was brought to the club for), but they also stand a very credible chance of winning the hallowed treble, and the weight of that expectation is not lost on Pep either.
Speaking to the press ahead of Wednesday night’s decisive second leg at the Etihad, the Catalan coach said on Tuesday, “I’m not overthinking tomorrow, don’t worry guys”, with the entire room letting out an ironic chuckle at the self-deprecating dig.
🗣 "I'm not overthinking tomorrow, don't worry guys." 😂
‘Overthinking’ tactics is an accusation that has been levelled at Pep Guardiola many times in the past, namely ahead of big games and especially during his time at City.
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Whether it’s trying out various different players at left-back for a crucial tie, hinting at ‘ridiculous ideas’ ahead of the Manchester derby, or leaving out in-form players such as Raheem Sterling in the Champions League quarter-final against Liverpool in the 2017/18 season, he’s often surprised us.
And then there was last year going too defensive against Lyon in the 19/20 semis and choosing to select neither Rodri nor Fernandinho in their last European final against Chelsea the following year when his squad arguably stood their best chance of finally lifting that missing piece of silverware.
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Last season was, admittedly, just one of those freak games that Madrid as serial winners can often produce, to be fair. However, Pep and his squad still have to find a way to get past them again, as far as we can tell, the two-time UCL winner isn’t planning on trying anything unorthodox this time.
As he went on to tell reporters, “I cannot tell you here [but] it’s nothing special… nothing different than what we have done in the past. We’ll adjust our game to be a bit more fluid and play a little better but, of course, our opponents have their weapons”.
But in the same breath, so do City and in spades, such as the one key man they didn’t have last year: Erling Haaland — another figure has himself admitted he was brought to the club to win the Champions League.
Featured Image — Beanyman Sports (via YouTube)/Manchester City (via Twitter)
Sport
Oasis and adidas drop yet more new merch in the Live ’25 collection
Danny Jones
The Oasis and adidas love affair isn’t over just yet; it isn’t going anywhere, as the legendary Manc band group and global sports apparel franchise are releasing another batch of merch as part of the smash-hit Live ’25 collection.
After shirts, shoes, jackets and bucket hats galore sold out all over the world, adidas is now toasting not only the end of the reunion world tour but “the year that was Oasis” with a second drop in the already iconic crossover.
If you passed through Manchester at all during their Heaton Park homecoming run, you will have no doubt seen countless examples of the ‘adidas Originals x Oasis’ football shirt collaboration alone, not to mention several other bits of fashion in the official Live ’25 fashion line.
Now, just in time for Christmas, there’s a whole new set being introduced into the range of casual wear.
Simply titled ‘Oasis Live ‘25 Drop 2’, the latest additions to the adidas Originals collection are releasing next month and, obviously, will be sold in stores and online.
While the pop-up stores that opened up here in the city centre all over have now shut up shop, Greater Manchester’s adidas locations on Market Street – which turned into an Oasis fan paradise this past summer – and Pear Mill in Stockport will still be stocking the various bits of Britpop clobber.
Although the most recent items will be exclusively available domestically for now, they will be rolled out overseas in 2026.
Considering how quickly most of it sold out last time, you can guarantee most of the options to fly off the shelves just as fast here in the UK.
Honestly, we’ve only just managed to get our hands on the standard black ‘jacquard jersey’.
As you can see, a good chunk of the second drop is that same footy shirt in different colours and other tees in different lengths/variations.
Scheduled to launch on Friday, 12 December, the ‘Oasis x adidas Originals Live ‘25 Drop 2’ will go on sale at 9am sharpish, so you’d best get ready for a scrap in that digital queue.
Naturally, fans, fashionistas and collectors can expect virtually identical costs for the majority of pieces (and buying in-person will obviously help keep the cost down), though it does look like some price points have been adjusted.
As for the Live ’25 tour itself, now that the dust has settled on the ‘Oasis Mania‘ take two, Liam himself has taken to social media to express his gratitude in the most Gallagher way possible…
Sale Sharks sign Joe Marchant in positive boost for England rugby
Danny Jones
An impending rugby union returnee is simultaneously set to bring a positive boost to Steve Borthwick, too, as Joe Marchant has officially signed for Sale Sharks.
Not only will be a welcome restoration to the Gallagher Premiership but England as well, with Marchant’s domestic comeback once again making him available for international fixtures.
The former Harlequins centre has been playing in the French top 14 since after the 2023 Rugby World Cup (RWC), making over a half century of appearances for third-placed Stade Francais, but now he’s on his way back across the Channel on a deal until 2029.
Set to officially move to Greater Manchester and join Sale Sharks for the start of next season, Marchant – who made over 150 appearances for the Quins and shone as one of the stars in their 2021 Prem final win over Exeter – Marchant clearly wanted to put himself in contention for the 2027 RWC.
Nevertheless, there were numerous sides who emerged as suitors in the pursuit of the 29-year-old, but it was the Sharks who have ultimately won the race for his signature.
Addressing the supporters in an official club statement, Joe said: “When I spoke to [head coach] Alex Sanderson he explained the direction he wants to take the club and the ambition he has. It’s a club that wants to win trophies and I’d love to be a part of that.
“Sale have always been a tough team to play against, so I’m really looking forward being a part of that next season. There are a lot of lads at the club who I’ve played and trained with for England and it’ll be great to play with them again.
“They have some of the best players in the country and I can’t wait to play with them. I’d love to get back in the mix for England but I know that first I have to get back into the flow of the Prem and put in some good performances for Sale.”
The Winchester-born outside-centric midfielder, who is often deployed as a winger, represented his country at the last tournament and has 26 caps to his name, but his move to Europe meant that he was ineligible for selection until now.
Now clearly aiming to increase that tally as he approaches the end of his so-called ‘prime years’, he’ll prove to be a great bit of added strength in depth as Borthwick continues to oversee a great era for talent in the national pool. England fans can hopefully look forward to more impressive drives like this:
Sanderson went on to add: “Joe is a world class player. He’s got aspirations to play in the next World Cup and to do that he needs to play for a team that’s competing for the Prem. He believes that’s us.
“He’s got X-Factor on both sides of the ball and in the air. He’s got real gas and if we find him in that outside channels he’ll make something happen. But his ability to read the game defensively is just as impressive.
“He’s excited about playing outside George Ford. He’s some player and we can’t wait to get him here.”
Meanwhile, over in rugby league, the full list of fixtures and dates for the highly anticipated 2026 ‘Rivals Round’ have now been revealed.
Danny Jones -
17th May 2023 
