Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has fired back at Premier League legend Roy Keane after he likened to star striker Erling Haaland a League Two-level player.
A pretty wild claim, to say the least, so it’s no surprise Pep had plenty to say in response.
The comment came about after the former Manchester United and Republic of Ireland midfielder was left unimpressed by Haaland’s all-round play during his performance against Arsenal – a game that could have proved to be a decisive date in the title race but ended up being a bit of a damp squib.
Keane, 52, qualified that while the Norwegian talent in front of goal is “the best in the world” and will no doubt keep improving overall, he also believes that his “general play, and not just [in that game] is so poor”, adding that he’s “almost like a League Two player” in his link-up ability.
Big words, to say the least, Roy – and not ones that were appreciated by Guardiola, who clearly felt he had to come out and defend his number nine following the remarks.
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Clearly not in the mood for pundits and journalists in both his post-match interviews and pre-match presser ahead of City’s next game against Aston Villa – his very sarcastic response to a reporter’s question about Jack Grealish was evidence of that – Pep decided to fire back with a dig of his own.
When asked what he made of the admittedly bold comments, the 52-year-old Catalan coach began by saying “I don’t agree with him, absolutely not”, before quipping: “It’s like [if] I said ‘He’s a manager for the second or third league’ – I don’t think so”.
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It isn’t the first time the two have butted heads after Keane also suggested that Pep was “doing it for show” when he began coaching Haaland on the pitch after the full-time whistle in their derby victory at Old Trafford earlier this season. He wasn’t having any of it this time either.
"Absolutely not." ❌
Pep Guardiola responds to Roy Keane's "League 2" comments about Erling Haaland 👀👀 pic.twitter.com/0UXx2nuO25
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 3, 2024
The Spaniard went on to insist that the 23-year-old is “the best striker in the world” and was instrumental in helping his squad manage their remarkable achievement last season.
He also reiterated that Haaland was not the reason his side didn’t create enough chances against Arsenal over the Easter bank holiday weekend, arguing that they simply need “more presence in the final third”, noting that it was a mix of missed chances, lack of service and then decisions from himself.
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Marketed as what could have been one of the games of the season, the home team ended up seeing out a 0-0 draw to leave just three points separating Liverpool at the top, Arsenal in second and the Blues in third. It really does look like things are going to go right down to the wire.
You can watch Pep Guardiola’s pre-match press conference in full down below:
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
3rd April 2024 
