Football fans have expressed concerns after Pep Guardiola appeared with cuts and bruises on his head and face following Manchester City’s Champions League collapse.
Man City looked like they were about to end a miserable run of five straight defeats with a comprehensive win against Feyenoord on Tuesday night, taking a three-nil lead against the Dutch side.
However, it wasn’t to be as the Blues capitulated late on in the second half, conceding a trio of goals roughly every six minutes, starting in the 74th minute and concluding with an equaliser in the 89th.
While it wasn’t a loss, it will have certainly have felt like one for all those inside the Etihad, watching at home, the squad and most certainly Pep, who looked visibly distressed by the on-pitch ordeal – so much so that he looked to have caused some cuts to his own face.
Pep had bruises and cuts on his head and nose after Man City blew a three-goal lead vs. Feyenoord 😮 pic.twitter.com/pluhOhLHa3
While some people online had initially speculated that there might have been a scuffle with the players in the dressing room, an exasperated Guardiola – donning a noticeably red brow and bruised head, as well as a cut on his nose – explained that marks appeared as a result of wanting to “hurt [him]self’.
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Despite delivering the line flippantly and grinning as he made an abrupt exit from his post-match press conference, with one reporter saying “It’ll be ok” as Pep walked off, the visible cuts to his face and associated comments understandably sparked some worry.
Plenty of people slammed the Catalan coach, stating that “mental health is not a laughing matter” and shouldn’t be joked about, many were also quick to share concerns for his wellbeing, with one person writing: “Yeah, let’s maybe not make jokes about this, he should probably take a break from everything.”
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A Manchester United fan account added: “Rivalries aside. Someone needs to check Pep Guardiola’s health. Because it’s not normal or okay to cut and scratch yourself like he has. He needs a full physiatrics check for him to make sure he’s not a danger to himself.”
The 53-year-old has since come to qualify his remarks, explaining that he had no intention of downplaying serious issues like self-harm.
My answer was in no way intended to make light of the very serious issue of self harm. (2/3)
Guardiola went on to add: “I know that many people struggle with mental health issues every day, and I would like to take this moment to highlight one of the ways in [which] people can seek help, by calling the Samaritans hotline on 116 123 or emailing [email protected].”
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While the explanation was enough for some and has clearly raised questions surrounding the level of stress such a big job and City’s recent form has caused him, others have said the response is “too little too late”. We’re sure you can expect a follow-up statement regarding the situation on his next media day.
It goes without saying that mental health is a crucial issue and anyone struggling should seek help via vital outlets like Samaritans, the free services like SHOUT which you can access online or by texting 85258, as well as the NHS’ crisis helpline.
If you or someone you know is a current risk to themselves, you should call 999 immediately.
Not only was the result against Spurs at the weekend the first time he had lost five in a row in his entire career, but the draw against Feyenoord also saw him match his longest-ever winless run, not to mention it being the first time the 53-year-old has failed to win a game after leading by three goals.
As one of the best teams in world football, we’re sure the results will turn around for City in no time with a title-race derby against league leaders Liverpool coming up next, a statement win is really needed in order to relieve some serious pressure.
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You can watch the highlights from Man City vs Feyenoord here.
Eyebrows raised as key coach and director of the company set up to buy Salford Red Devils resigns
Danny Jones
Serious eyebrows and questions are being raised as the director of Jacobsen Venture Group (JVG), the company set up to buy local rugby league side Salford Red Devils, has now seemingly resigned from his position.
Krisnan Inu, who is also employed as an assistant coach at Salford Red Devils, appears to have stepped down from his role within the investment group this week, effectively immediately.
This latest development only spells more concern for supporters as yet more uncertainty circles around the Salford Community Stadium that is edging ever closer to the brink.
Reacting to the news on social media, fan organisation The 1873 is now looking for further clarity as to what this means for the future of the club.
Krisnan Inu resigns as director of Jacobsen Venture Group Ltd – the company set up to buy Salford Red Devils.
A major development that raises serious questions about the ownership group, the promised funding, and the people behind it.
Sharing a lengthy open letter of their own, as well as a screenshot of the former New Zealand and Samoan international’s official resignation papers via Companies House, the supporters group have now reiterated their “call for transparency.”
Aside from urging for assurances regarding “stability, and above all else, the safeguarding of Salford Red Devils’ future”, The 1873 have also stated their belief that this signals more key movements behind the scenes that the fan base has not yet been made privy to.
The statement goes on to read: “This is a significant development, given Inu’s longstanding relationship with, and evident support for, Saia Kailahi – Jacobsen Venture Group’s other, and now sole, director.
“Inu has not only been a public backer but, by his own choice, a private supporter of Kailahi’s efforts to assume control of the club. His departure, therefore, raises serious questions.”
It was only back in August that fans, who have already mobilised multiple times in protest of the increasingly shadowy and tight-lipped consortium, slammed the 38-year-old ex-pro for defending the owners and clearly aligning himself with Kailahi, investor Dario Berta and others pulling the strings.
Hundreds marched through the streets before the game against Wakefield Trinity
They go on to speculate: “Would Inu, who also serves as the club’s assistant coach, step away from his role within Jacobsen Venture Group if he retained any confidence that the long-promised bridging loan was about to land, or indeed would ever materialise?
“Or has he now concluded that his trust and support have been misplaced, and simply had enough?”
They also noted that JVG has now moved its registered office from central London to Miles Platting here in Greater Manchester, though this is not the same address as Salford Rouges Diablo Ltd itself.
Continuing, they write: “This has all the hallmarks of the involvement of Steven England [former director], whose name has been linked to previous entities and involvement.”
England joined ex-CEO Paul King in quitting Salford earlier this year; however, the latter ultimately returned to try and help with the ongoing financial crisis.
As they see it, “Inu’s resignation feels like a highly significant indicator of his dwindling confidence in the ownership and by extension, the likelihood of the current financial crisis being resolved under Kallah’s leadership.” Neither the club nor Inu has yet to address the resignation publicly.
Only time will tell if the crucial funds promised so long ago will ever arrive and, more importantly, what this latest development ultimately spells for Salford Red Devils’ fate.
Jamie Carragher delivers damning Ruben Amorim verdict as pressure piles on Man United boss
Danny Jones
Jamie Carragher has delivered a damning verdict on struggling manager Ruben Amorim, as he has declared that his time in Manchester “HAS to end” after more than 10 months at United.
The retired Liverpool and England player spoke on the situation at Man United and what the future holds for Amorim on Monday Night Football (MNF), joining Everton icon Duncan Ferguson on the punditry panel for Sky Sports.
While he is by no means the first to ponder how the Portuguese gaffer is still in post, his most recent comments are some of the strongest by a popular mainstream commentator thus far, and also further stick the boot in on what he thinks is a United administration that is rife with poor decision-making.
Both he and Ferguson were far from complimentary about the 40-year-old head coach, with Carragher going so far as to label his time at Old Trafford as “a disaster”, both for the club and, ultimately, his career moving forward.
"We are only waiting for the inevitable" 😶@Carra23 says Ruben Amorim's appointment as Manchester United manager has been a 'disaster' for both parties 😬 pic.twitter.com/WxZ9uJ0XxX
‘Carra’ goes on to state that he believes “we’re waiting for the inevitable” and it’s now simply a matter of whenINEOS decide to sack Amorim.
As you can see in the clip, the former defender says that he thinks there is almost an element of denial among the Man United administration at present, with the owners, CEO Omar Berrada and Director of Football Jason Wilcox having already backed him so heavily both publicly and in the transfer market, etc.
Despite the evaluations on MNF last night, Sky Sports reports that Amorim still has the backing of Sir Jim Ratcliffe; however, it arguably serves as even more evidence to Carragher’s point that the hierarchy perhaps just doesn’t want to concede what would be such a huge admission and/or defeat.
In fact, ex-Premier League striker Alan Shearer also shared a similar stance on the most recent episode of The Rest Is Football podcast, in which he said: “I genuinely believe that the owners or the people that are running the club at the minute have made that many errors in the last two years or 18 months since they’ve been there.
He went on to add that “it would look terrible to admit another error and sack him”, especially after so much faith, investment and carrying out so much restructuring around him as the focal point.
Unfortunately, even club legends like Wayne Rooney are starting to express their doubt as to whether Amorim is the right man for the United job, though he does shine more of a spotlight on the dressing room and believes that someone needs to – for lack of a better term – give the players a kick up the arse.
Rooney’s remarks have gone viral on social media, with many noting that you can ‘hear the pain’ in his voice when talking about his former home and how the institution has increasingly suffered in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson years.
For context, even with multiple unwanted records being broken under Erik ten Hag, Amorim has not only got his team off to the worst top-flight start since the 1992/93 campaign, but has just nine wins from a total of 33 league games in charge of the Red Devils.
Carra goes on to insist that not only does this have to end “as quickly as possible” for the sake of the club this season and moving forward, but if the one ‘next big thing’ and one-time potential Pep Guardiola successor is to keep his reputation intact. The question is, do you agree?
You can see Duncan Ferguson and Jamie Carragher’s full assessment of the current situation with Ruben Amorim and Manchester United as a whole down below.
Danny Jones -
27th November 2024 
