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:
Wayne Rooney joins the cast of Gary Neville’s The Overlap
Danny Jones
Wayne Rooney has secured a new job just a few months on from departing as Birmingham City head coach, with the Manchester United and England legend being named as the latest member of The Overlap team.
Set to join the cast of the popular Stick to Football online series alongside the likes of former teammates Gary Neville and Roy Keane, as well as the rest of the recurring panel.
Rooney is also set to feature on various other shows across The Overlap channel, including the likes of their regular fan debates and other interviews with athletes and well-known figures.
They announced the signing in true transfer window fashion as well.
As transfer expert Fabrizio Romano quips in the video, Rooney “has signed an agreement with The Overlap” and is expected to make his debut very soon
‘Wazza’ has appeared as a pundit on Sky Sports in recent weeks and has even been spotted playing some FIFA with comedy YouTuber AngryGinge as part of his pro clubs series, but hasn’t been in a steady role since being sacked as the Birmingham manager at the start of the year.
Having already appeared as a guest in one of the most popular episodes of Stick to Football and clearly sharing a strong chemistry with his old friends – as well as the likes of fellow Scouser Jamie Carragher, Jill Scott and Ian Wright – it looks to be a natural fit for the sport-based channel.
The 38-year-old revealed some pretty interesting details about his playing and managerial career last time around, not to mention some of the other offers he’s had since…
Rooney reiterated during his own interview that his primary focus is still on coaching and finding his next managerial role, but for the time being, he’ll be bringing the insight of another ex-pro to the popular YouTube channel.
Speaking on his latest move, the former striker said, “I’m excited to announce that I will be joining my good mate Gary Neville and the team at The Overlap to appear on the channel across some of their brilliant shows on YouTube and the podcast. I can’t wait to get started”.
With an episode from at least one of their series going out most weeks, you can expect to see the footballing legend back on the channel soon.
Featured Images — The Overlap/Wayne Rooney (via Instagram)
Sport
Manchester City star Erling Haaland is now a playable character in Clash of Clans mobile game
Danny Jones
In yet more proof that footballers just live in an entirely different world from us, Manchester City star Erling Haaland has popped up in the popular mobile game, Clash of Clans – and it’s not just a little cameoeither.
Haaland‘s no stranger to the odd brand deal, so when we saw him cutting a promo for Clash of Clans we weren’t too surprised, but it’s safe to say we weren’t expecting to see footballers pop up in video games besides FIFA (sorry, EA FC) at any point this year.
The big number nine is not just a famous face to help push the already hugely popular mobile strategy and city-building game, they don’t need it; it turns out the lethal goalscorer is now going to be an actual playable character in the latest Clash of Clans update.
He even turned his hand to a bit of acting in the trailer:
As you can see, the 23-year-old stars in the new advert which sees troops appear in his home whilst he’s playing the game before being sucked into the game world.
Starring as the Barbarian King, he’s the first real person to ever feature in the game and will be available through a month-long football-themed seasonal event in-game.
When we stop and think about it, the Norwegian striker is pretty much a perfect fit given his Scandinavian heritage and the obvious Viking theme surrounding the franchise – not to mention the fact that he’s apparently been playing the game since he was 10.
He’s also been dropping a hint or two of late, in case you didn’t pick up on them.
Speaking on the collaboration, Haaland said: “I’ve been a huge fan of the game for a long time and know everything about it, so to appear as an in-game character is really cool”.
As for Finnish developer-publishers Supercell, CoC’s general manager Stuart McGaw said in an official announcement: “When we heard Erling Haaland was a fan of our game and that he wanted to partner with us, it was really a dream scenario.”
Haaland will be available to recruit in the game until 31 May, plus, if players raid his village and take down the Barbarian King himself, they can win additional rewards and a place on the leaderboards.
Danny Jones -
3rd April 2024 
