Pep Guardiola was full of praise for Phil Foden following last night’s win against Bristol City, labelling the local lad’s current run of form as “awesome”.
City blew past Bristol with a comprehensive 3-0 win in the FA Cup on Tuesday night, Foden himself grabbing two goals against The Robins before Kevin de Bruyne slotted home the third.
The Stockport-born star hadn’t been hitting the same heights as he had prior to the World Cup but now looks to have now turned a corner in his season and his manager certainly seems to think he’s back to his best, stating he had “no doubts” Foden would return to form.
Speaking to media after the game, Pep insisted that the 22-year-old has “always had a high level” and regardless of somewhat of a dip post-Qatar 2022, “when you work like he works, football always pays off for you”.
"The impact of Phil since I arrived has been flabbergasting." 🤩
Pep Guardiola calls Foden's performances "awesome" following Man City's progression to the FA Cup quarter-final 🏆 pic.twitter.com/JH2M84AjCo
The Spaniard went on to admit that while the young winger had been struggling a bit with an injury, he never complained and continued to train and play despite his problems.
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“His career was always up, up, up, getting better, getting better”, said Pep, applauding his “dynami[sm], rhythm, work rate [and] quality” and declaring him “back for the best bit of the season.”
The 52-year-old has made no secret of his affection for the academy product, having compared him to Lionel Messi on more than one occasion and adding that he has been “flabbergasted” by his impact since arriving.
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As for Foden himself, he shed some light on his recent struggles with ITV‘s Gabriel Clarke in the post-match, revealing some details on a recurring ankle injury and describing the last few months as “one of the lowest parts of my career”.
💬 "It's been one of the lowest parts of my career… I've had discomfort in my feet and not playing as much. I love to play football and when I don't, I'm a bit frustrated." – Phil Foden
Much the relief of Blues everywhere, Foden said he now feels “much better in [his] feet… 100% and comfortable”, with his main goal being cementing his place back in the team.
The England forward simply explained, “I love to play football and when I don’t I’m a bit frustrated, that’s how it is”, but that he now believes he and his teammates are really hitting their stride and are obviously looking to pick up even more silverware.
Featured Image — ITV/Manchester City/Sky Sports News (via Twitter)
Sport
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 -
1st March 2023 
