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    Mauricio Pochettino admits not winning the Champions League with PSG was ‘a failure’ in emotional interview after axe

    MAURICIO POCHETTINO admits not winning the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain was “a failure.”The manager made the candid admission in the wake of his exit from the French champs.
    Mauricio Pochettino admits it was a ‘failure’ not to win the Champions League at PSGCredit: AFP
    Pochettino was shown the door by PSG’s super-rich Qatari owners despite reclaiming the Ligue 1 title from Lille.
    PSG looked set to reach the quarter finals last season before a late collapse resulted in defeat by Real Madrid.
    Poch told InfoBae: “In the sporting aspect we have won the Cup, the Super Cup and the League in a year and a half.
    “But it is clear that PSG’s project is to win the Champions League, and everything that is not winning the Champions League can always be thought to have been a failure. 
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    “In any case, it is a failure of 50 years because PSG, especially in the last 10 years with the arrival of the new owners, has the objective of winning the Champions League
    “I think that is going to happen because the resources are there, but sometimes in football it is not what one thinks it can be.”
    It is reckoned club chiefs were left fuming with PSG’s inability to compete in Europe, especially after last summer’s splurge.
    Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes joined the club.
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    But that just added to the pressure on ex-Spurs boss Poch, who is now without a job.
    The French champs have now turned to Christophe Galtier for inspiration.
    And even Kylian Mbappe has been convinced to stay after looking certain to join Real. More

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    BT Sport make huge changes to Premier League coverage with Jake Humphrey replaced by Lynsey Hipgrave this season

    JAKE HUMPHREY has been REPLACED as the presenter of BT Sport’s Premier League coverage. The host has fronted Saturday lunchtime games in recent years with the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Peter Crouch and Joe Cole.
    Jake Humphrey, left, will no longer host BT Sport’s Premier League coverageCredit: PA
    Lynsey Hipgrave will take over from this weekendCredit: Getty
    However, the broadcasters decided on a major shake-up this summer.
    And that sees Lynsey Hipgrave take over in Humphrey’s place.
    Her first match of the new Premier League season is this coming weekend at Craven Cottage when Fulham host Liverpool.
    Other highlights on the channel already confirmed include Everton vs Liverpool and the North London derby.
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    The Newcastle fan has been doing lots of Europa League coverage in recent seasons – as well as some Ligue 1 too.
    She wrote on Twitter: “After a weekend of dreams coming true for women in football the dreams of a football-mad Geordie lass have also come true…
    “I couldn’t be any prouder to be leading @btsport’s Premier League coverage this season.
    “We KO with Fulham v Liverpool on Saturday at 11.30am BT Sport 1.”
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    Hipgrave, 42, previously worked with BBC Radio 5 Live and got her sports TV break with Al Jazeera.
    She started presenting on BT Sport on 2013 and also does shows for Eurosport, Discovery+, Mola Sport and talkSPORT.
    However, Humphrey will continue fronting BT Sport’s Champions League content this season. More

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    ‘Can’t just walk out’ – Rio Ferdinand warns Man Utd they will be short of goals if Cristiano Ronaldo seals transfer exit

    RIO FERDINAND fears Manchester United will be well short on goals if Cristiano Ronaldo is sold.The wantaway Portugal superstar, 37, is desperate to quit Old Trafford and play in the Champions League this season.
    A year on from his sensational return to Man United, Cristiano Ronaldo is once again dominating conversation in the lead up to the seasonCredit: Rex
    The former United defender answered the big questions hanging over the United squadCredit: PA
    United insist Ronaldo, who has a year left on his contract, is not for sale ahead of Sunday’s Premier League opener at home to Brighton.
    And Red Devils legend Ferdinand believes his ex-club would not be able to replace last season’s top goalscorer with 24 in all competitions in the transfer market.
    When asked if Ronaldo will stay, Ferdinand said: “Yes, he stays. Man United can’t afford to let him go. That’s the problem. 
    “Where do Man United find 20 goals now in the transfer market? If they go into the window, who are they going to buy?
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    “The only reason why Man United don’t let Cristiano Ronaldo go now is because there will be a void of 20-plus goals in the team.
    “You can’t just let that walk out of the door with no reinforcements put back in the place.
    “[Anthony] Martial is coming back but he still has a lot to prove. He was let out to Sevilla last year. 
    “I hope he does come back and fly. We’re in pre-season and he looks good and the front line is looking very lively. But let’s get back in the season when the pressure is on. I want to see the same.”
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    United finished sixth in the Prem last season and scored just 57 goals in 38 league games.
    Marcus Rashford netted only four times in the top-flight, five in all comps, in a below-par campaign.
    But Ferdinand, who won six Prem titles and the Champions League at Old Trafford, reckons new Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag can get the best out of the England forward.

    Ferdinand, 43, told the Five podcast: “Marcus, shut everyone up. You have had a pre-season, no injuries now, blast up the Premier League please.
    “Last season his body language was affecting me. He didn’t look happy. I spoke to him about it. Even if you aren’t happy you have to go on the pitch and act. That’s what players do.
    “Sometimes I wasn’t happy with certain things behind the scenes but you wouldn’t know that with the way I played. Marcus, for whatever reason, allowed that to creep into his performances.
    “This season he will be happier. He’s had a pre-season, no injuries and from what I have seen him talk about, he has a manager that he believes in what he is saying.
    “If all three of those things play out this season, Marcus Rashford will come good.” More

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    Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs have been MILES off title pace for five years and that won’t change this season

    HERE’S a little pre-season quiz question for you.During the past five years, what is the closest any London club has come to winning the Premier League?
    Arsenal have had a brilliant pre-season but don’t expect that to continue in the Premier LeagueCredit: Rex
    Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has been far from impressed with his side’s pre-season showingsCredit: Getty
    The answer is NINETEEN points — the distance between Chelsea and champions Manchester City in both of the past two seasons.
    That’s a difference of more than six victories over a 38-game campaign and it’s the best any London team has managed since 2017.
    So when Jurgen Klopp insisted, after Liverpool’s Community Shield victory over City, that we will not witness another two-horse race for the title — and referenced Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal as genuine contenders — you had to chuckle.
    Antonio Conte’s Chelsea beat Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs to the title in 2016-17 but since then, there hasn’t been a sniff of a challenge from the capital.
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    During that time Chelsea have won the Champions League, Spurs have reached the final and Arsenal have managed an FA Cup.
    But the league form of London’s three major clubs has been risible — despite some eye-watering transfer fees over the past five years.
    Take, for instance, the record signings of each club — Romelu Lukaku (£97.5million), Tanguy Ndombele (£54m) and Nicolas Pepe (£72m).
    And, in Chelsea’s case, Kepa Arrizabalaga (£72m) and Alvaro Morata (£59m) as well.
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    They simply don’t spaff bad money like that at Anfield or the Etihad.
    Listen, even though I’m a Londoner, I do know some Northern people. So I’m well aware of the fact that Londoners — and in particular the ‘London-centric media’ — are all ‘up ourselves’.
    We believe the world revolves around our city and that civilisation doesn’t stretch far beyond the M25.
    But while London will provide more than a third of the Premier League’s clubs this season, it has always been an overrated footballing city.
    It only boasts the same number of European Cups as Nottingham and Porto, and half as many as Amsterdam.
    Until Arsene Wenger and Roman Abramovich came to town, the capital hadn’t boasted a truly great team in decades.
    Yet Klopp wasn’t being completely spurious when he mentioned Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs, because all three have made eye-catching summer signings.
    Would you seriously fancy them to finish within ten points of either City or Liverpool?Dave Kidd on London clubs
    After beating Chelsea 4-0 and Sevilla 6-0, Arsenal have clearly won pre-season.
    Well done. Hand them one of those imaginary trophies Wenger used to demand for finishing fourth.
    After choking in last season’s race for the Champions League, Mikel Arteta’s side have made some interesting new additions — especially Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from City, and midfielder Fabio Vieira, who has some name to live up to.
    But surely the Gunners cannot even dream of being close to Liverpool or City this term?
    Spurs, under Conte — the last man to bring the title to London — are a seriously good shout to be this season’s ‘best of the rest’.
    Their obsessive, demanding manager has brought in quality and experience and Spurs have broken with tradition in doing business early. Richarlison, Yves Bissouma, Ivan Perisic and Clement Lenglet, as well as the youthful Djed Spence, should all improve them.
    But would you seriously fancy them to finish within ten points of either City or Liverpool?
    Chelsea are the most unpredictable of all.
    The post-Abramovich era is heralding a sea change in Thomas Tuchel’s squad — Lukaku has been packed off on loan and half of the club’s defenders are either going or gone.
    Raheem Sterling’s move to Stamford Bridge is perhaps the most fascinating of the summer — and Pep Guardiola’s decision to sell a key player to a ‘rival’ is a potential mis-step from the Catalan.
    Or perhaps Guardiola doesn’t agree with Klopp’s claim that Chelsea are serious title rivals?
    Defender Kalidou Koulibaly is another intriguing signing — not least because no player in history has ever been linked with moves to the Premier League for so long before finally arriving here.
    But Tuchel’s frank admission, after that Stateside hammering by Arsenal, that he cannot guarantee Chelsea’s readiness for the season, and that many of his squad are not showing sufficient commitment, was a stark warning.
    Not many managers last long after a regime change, even those as good as Tuchel. And so a smooth season at the Bridge looks unlikely.
    So us Londoners will surely be looking north again for a title race this season.
    In football as in life, there is precious little evidence of ‘levelling up’.

    Alessia Russo was spotted trying to read a Germany tactics noteCredit: BBC
    NO GOING BACK
    WE ALL enjoyed the inspirational words of England’s Lionesses, an eight-year-old girl going viral by dancing wildly after their semi-final  victory and the family fun-day feel of the  final.
    But the best thing about England’s triumph?
    The sheer potty-mouthed, s**t-housing, cynical dark-artistry of it all.
    Jill Scott screaming ‘F*** off you f***ing p***k!’ at a German player who’d just fouled her.
    Ella Toone and Alessia Russo trying to read the note opposition coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg had passed to her players.
    Lucy Bronze wasting 27 seconds before taking a throw-in and goalscorers Toone and Chloe Kelly spending the final few minutes hogging the ball near the corner flag.
    Good luck telling any of this lot to get back in the kitchen.

    LOUIS ON THE MONEY
    ERIK TEN HAG was warned by Louis van Gaal that he was joining a ‘commercial club not a football club’ when he took over at Manchester United.
    And as everyone connected with United — from fans to the boardroom — bend over backwards not to offend the most commercially-viable footballer on Earth, when he has made it clear he wants to leave, it only confirms Van Gaal’s prognosis.
    Cristiano Ronaldo headed home as soon as he was subbed at half-time during Sunday’s friendly against Rayo Vallecano, making Ten Hag look weak and stupid.
    As the pre-season predictions roll in, you’ll struggle to find anyone believing United are even capable of making the top four.
    They are an entertaining media circus but a footballing irrelevance.

    BOYS DONE GOOD
    LET’S not use the England women’s Euros glory as a stick to beat the men’s set-up.
    As bad as the last round of Nations League fixtures were, Gareth Southgate is the most successful England men’s manager in half  a century, leading the team to a World Cup semi-final and a Euros final.
    And, unlike the paranoid air which surrounded the Three Lions for so long, Southgate’s team are a largely likeable, decent bunch who consistently speak out on wider social issues.
    To suggest otherwise is ludicrous.

    RED, SET, GO
    LIKE every other Football League player, Doncaster midfielder Lee Tomlin would have spent the past month working his wotsits off.
    He would have undergone a sweat-stained pre-season schedule to be fit and ready for last weekend’s big kick-off.
    Punishing hill runs in 90-degree heat, gruelling gym sessions, rigorous assessments from stern-faced sports scientists.
    Then, on the opening day against Bradford, Tomlin received two yellow cards in 18  seconds for obstructing a free-kick and an outrageous dive.
    I don’t know about you but I think this says something profound and beautiful about the human condition.
    .css-16e4f55{margin:16px 0;}.css-1546w7m{background-color:rgba(237,245,242,1);margin:16px 0;}.css-1tapza8{padding:20px 15px;}.css-1bk4jdt{padding:20px 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.nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(71,30,121,1);}.css-1uyse24:before{content:”;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;z-index:1;}.css-n392go{border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-1p5s3t0{padding:0;border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-124tga5{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-5jzxpx{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-i1acvs{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,99,73,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-i1acvs:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}HIP HIP BERET! .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}France scraps ALL Covid restrictions for Brits in summer holiday boost
    COMM OFF IT
    BEFORE his team out-played champions Manchester City, Jurgen Klopp claimed the Community Shield came too early for his players and should have been rescheduled.
    Yeah, a Community Shield staged the weekend before the Premier League kicks off.
    Looks like the entire world is ganging up against Liverpool again. More

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    Jamie Carragher blames Nuno Tavares for Arsenal’s failure to make Champions League after ‘costing them’ in run-in

    JAMIE CARRAGHER has blamed Nuno Tavares for Arsenal’s failure to finish in the top four last season.The Gunners narrowly missed out to bitter rivals Tottenham as their poor run of form late in the campaign saw them squander Champions League qualification.
    Left-back Tavares has gone out on loan to Marseille this summerCredit: AFP
    Carragher feels Tavares is the reason why Arsenal missed out on the top fourCredit: PA
    Mikel Arteta’s men lost two of their final three matches – a set of results which ultimately cost them dearly.
    But just prior to that, Arsenal were beaten three times in a row at the hands of Crystal Palace, Brighton and Southampton.
    Tavares, who completed a loan move to Marseille this summer, started the two matches against Palace and Saints following Kieran Tierney’s season-ending injury.
    And he produced a pair of bad performances – particularly at Selhurst Park where he was hooked at half-time.
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    Carragher feels that period of the campaign was crucial, and that a more accomplished left-back could well have seen Arsenal finish in the top four.
    Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: “Nuno Tavares has gone out on loan, I saw. I think if they had a better left-back, then you probably would be in the top four now.
    “I don’t like singling one player out, but I just think he cost you in certain games.
    “I remember that game at Crystal Palace last season, it was on Monday Night Football and I said on TV: ‘He has to come off at half-time’.
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    FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
    “I think he [Mikel Arteta] put Granit Xhaka at left-back in the end.”
    Arsenal kick off their 2022/23 Premier League campaign away at Palace on Friday night.
    And Gunners fans will be optimistic about their chances this season after a healthy amount of summer transfer business.
    Arteta has already signed five players – Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira, Marquinhos and Matt Turner. More

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    Gareth Bale’s new team-mate reveals Welshman ‘only wants to speak Spanish’ despite claims while at Real Madrid

    SPANISH media often suggested Gareth Bale could not be bothered to learn their lingo – but apparently he is more than happy to hablo espanol.The Welshman won five Champions League trophies and just about everything else during his nine-year spell at Real Madrid – but never really won over all of their fans.
    Gareth Bale won five Champions League titles with Real Madrid but was often at odds with the club’s fans and mediaCredit: Getty – Contributor
    The rocky relationship was not helped when Bale held up a banner which read ‘Wales, Golf, Madrid – In that order’, after he led his country to Euro 2020 qualification in 2019.
    But this summer’s switch to MLS-side Los Angeles FC appears to have reignited the 33-year-old’s passion for club football.
    On Saturday he made his home debut as a sub as they came from behind to beat Seattle Sounders and go seven points clear at the top of the Western Conference.
    Former Italy and Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini also made his home LA bow.
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    Now Bale’s new Barcelona-born team-mate Ilie Sanchez has rejected claims he is not enthusiastic about speaking Spanish.
    The former 1860 Munich midfielder, 31, told Diario AS: “Gareth speaks to me in Spanish.
    “I am the only Spanish one, but there are many South Americans and Central Americans in the squad.
    “And he only wants to speak Spanish with us.
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    “In fact, sometimes we speak to him in English and he responds to us in Spanish!”
    Bale’s commitment levels were also questioned at the La Liga giants, but Sanchez added: “When you see he is your colleague, that makes us push a little more to compete and to try to win.
    “And everything we have seen and felt with him has been pure commitment. He wants to help us to win titles.” More

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    Antonio Conte targeting Premier League and Champions League glory as he hints at staying at Tottenham ‘for many years’

    ANTONIO CONTE has hinted he is in it for the long haul at Spurs.The Italian has typically been non-committal about his future throughout his managerial career, including during his first season at Tottenham last term.
    Boss Conte targets long-term success at the North London clubCredit: Reuters
    But speaking in Tel Aviv ahead of his team’s friendly with Roma, Conte seemed very enthused about what lies ahead with the north Londoners.
    And for someone who always chooses their words carefully, it was noticeable when he hailed his squad’s potential as something he can work with “for many years” to turn Spurs into a force both at home and abroad.
    Conte, who turns 53 on Sunday, said: “Last season we worked very well to reach a place in the Champions League.
    “At the same time we exploited problems, Manchester United’s problems, and in the last three games Arsenal were four points up on us.
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    “For this reason we have to continue with the club to build with the players, to continue to improve them. They have a lot of space for improvement.
    “This is a young team and we can work for many years together to improve and fight with the best teams in England and in Europe.”Conte’s contract runs out at the end of the upcoming campaign, with an option of a further year.
    He had hinted he could quit the club last season if Spurs did not match his ambition in the transfer market.
    But the Italian has been backed with SIX new signings: £50m striker Richarlison, £25million midfielder Yves Bissouma, £12.5m wing-back Djed Spence, Croatia legend Ivan Perisic, goalkeeper Fraser Forster and Barcelona loanee central defender Clement Lenglet.
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#dcdddd;background-color:#ffffff;}.css-14dqn90{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-left:calc(4px/2);margin-right:calc(4px/2);}.css-12an5ma{font-family:The Sun;font-size:20px;line-height:1.2;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;padding:1px 0px;}.css-12an5ma::before{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-bottom:calc(-0.261875em + -1px);}.css-12an5ma::after{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-top:calc(-0.25em + -1.3px);}.css-1tob514{color:rgba(32,134,98,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;margin-right:4px;}.css-1tob514:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Arsenal news .css-1efa55o{display:inline;font:inherit;margin:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1efa55o:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Gabriel Jesus HAT-TRICK in thrashing, Tielemans AGREED, Odegaard new CAPTAIN
    PLAY DREAM TEAM NOW FOR FREE WITH £100k IN PRIZE MONEY
    One player who is set to have a starring role this season is Dejan Kulusevski.
    The Swede, 22, joined the club on loan from Juventus in January with little fanfare but flourished under Conte, scoring five times and grabbing eight assists in just 18 Premier League games.
    Asked if he was surprised by how well his time in England has gone so far, Kulusevski replied: “I knew I can play football, I knew my qualities. But I came from a really hard time where I didn’t play for six months.“So, of course I was a little bit, you know… I know the Premier League is much faster and much stronger.
    “But I got much help from the team, from the coach and the players, so I’m really grateful for them taking me in and letting me be myself.”Kulusevski has added competition for his place with the arrival of Brazil attacker Richarlison from Everton, and could even be deployed at right wing-back at times this season.
    Quizzed on what he felt was his best position, he replied: “I’ve been thinking about this my whole life. I always thought of me being a No 10, I still think I am.
    “But my best results as a football player have always come being a right-winger, so I don’t know!
    “In the future, we will see where I will be. I can probably play wing-back too.” More

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    Man City boss Pep Guardiola names the only five Premier League teams who attack his side… and Man Utd isn’t one

    PEP GUARDIOLA has named five Premier League teams who attack when they play Manchester City but snubs rivals Manchester United.The Spaniard named Liverpool as the first side that isn’t scared to go toe-to-toe with his title-winning side.
    Guardiola revealed who attack his sideCredit: REUTERS
    Liverpool’s out-going, fearless approach when it comes to playing City isn’t seen across the whole league though.
    Pep’s claims came after City took on Everton last season and recorded a narrow 1-0 win after spending 90 minutes trying to break the Toffees down.
    Guardiola says most of the league adopt the approach of sitting in and making it difficult for his side.
    He singled out five teams who give it a go against the defending Prem champions but SNUBBED rivals Man Utd.
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    Guardiola said: “Yeah [sitting deeper]. Maybe we provoke them but most of them except Liverpool I would say, Brighton I would say, Arsenal in some moments I would say … let me think about it, maybe I’m forgetting someone.
    “Aston Villa, we played there a little bit too. There are moments when they did it.
    “But as a principle, when we make a good build-up, they sit.
    “Leeds, as well. The rest, they sit back. But, honestly, I’m not saying nothing wrong. Every manager, every team can do whatever they want, absolutely.
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thrashing, Tielemans AGREED, Odegaard new CAPTAIN
    “It’s in our hands how to break them — teams that are high pressing, how to do it, and when teams sit back, how we have to do it.
    “And one of the principles is be patient, don’t concede goals, don’t concede deep runs from them, counter attacks and be patient and in the right moment we can do it. Let’s continue doing it like this.” More