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      Ilkay Gundogan’s stunning wife claims Manchester has no good restaurants despite Pep Guardiola owning tapas joint

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      ILKAY GUNDOGAN’S stunning wife has claimed there are no good restaurants in Manchester – despite Pep Guardiola co-owning a tapas joint. The Sun revealed Sara Arfaoui’s criticism of the local cuisines as she complained of “horrible food everywhere”.
      Sara Arfaoui, with husband Ilkay Gundogan, was not complimentary about the standard of Manchester’s foodCredit: Eamonn and James Clarke
      Pep Guardiola, who has been Man City boss since 2016, co-owns a restaurant in the cityCredit: Reuters
      The 27-year-old’s gripes come despite the Manchester City boss Guardiola, who manages her husband, co-owning tapas restaurant Tast in the city.
      He opened the eatery in 2018 alongside Michelin-starred chef Paco Perez alongside others on King Street in central Manchester.
      It describes itself on its website as a “warm and welcome environment” that serves “delicious, authentic Barcelona-style food”.
      But Tast was lumped into Sara’s damning description of local food as she claimed there was “nothing” when asked about her favourite restuarants in Manchester.
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      Replying to a question on Instagram about her where she loves to eat in the city, she said: “Sorry, I’m sad to be honest but nothing.
      “I tried so bad to find a good restaurant but… horrible food everywhere.
      “Can’t find a real Italian or good sushi or just fresh food … everything frozen. Restaurants here are focus on making money with drinks and shots like night clubs not quality food.
      “Maybe in London but in Manchester nothing. I’m sorry.”
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      Last night, foodies united to pan her views. Critic Jay Rayner said: “This is a ludicrous point of view. Manchester’s packed full of brilliant, independent restaurants.
      “It’s an absolute gem of a place to eat and comments like this during difficult economic times are not helpful to businesses struggling to make ends meet.”
      One local restaurant owner told Sara in a message: “There’s so many great restaurants in Manchester. I suggest you do research before you speak.”
      But Sara — whose German hubby was appointed City skipper by Guardiola this season — hit back: “So because we are successful people we can’t give an honest opinion?
      “I tried all the best restaurants here but for me it’s a no. I can’t lie.
      “Unfortunately I’m used to Italy so you can imagine it’s hard to compare.”
      She added: “It’s a great city, great people but not for restaurants.” More

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      City ace Gundogan’s wife Sara Arfaoui slammed for blasting Manchester’s ‘horrible frozen food’ in cost of living crisis

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      THE wife of Manchester City ace Ilkay Gundogan has dished up a storm — by rubbishing the local restaurants.Italian Sara Arfaoui, 27, moaned there were no good places to eat out in the city, and was fed up with “horrible frozen food”.
      Italian Sara Arfaoui, 27, wife of Manchester City ace Ilkay Gundogan has whipped up a storm — by rubbishing the local restaurants
      Sara, Ilkay Gundogan, claimed there were no good restaurants there, despite one of them being owned by her hubby’s City boss Pep Guardiola
      Sara’s Instagram post, which food experts labelled ‘preposterous’
      She added: “Maybe in London but in Manchester nothing.”
      Italian Sara Arfaoui claimed there were no good restaurants there, despite one of them being owned by her hubby’s City boss Pep Guardiola.
      Food experts labelled her comments “preposterous” and said Manchester was an “absolute gem of a place to eat”.
      One restaurant owner contacted her directly, only for Sara — who married City midfielder Ilkay, 31, in May — to double down on her remarks.
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      Asked to name her favourite Manchester restaurant, she posted online: “Sorry, I’m sad to be honest but nothing. I tried so bad to find a good restaurant but horrible food everywhere.
      “Can’t find a real Italian or good sushi or just fresh food . . . everywhere frozen.” 
      She said restaurants are “focusing on making money with drinks”, instead of “quality food”.
      The model concluded: “Maybe in London but in Manchester nothing. I’m sorry.”
      Last night, foodies united to pan her views. Critic Jay Rayner said: “This is a ludicrous point of view. Manchester’s packed full of brilliant, independent restaurants.
      I tried so bad to find a good restaurant but horrible food everywhere. Sara Arfaoui
      “It’s an absolute gem of a place to eat and comments like this during difficult economic times are not helpful to businesses struggling to make ends meet.”
      One local restaurant owner told Sara in a message: “There’s so many great restaurants in Manchester. I suggest you do research before you speak.”
      They added: “And only because your husband is a footballer and you have money and you have everything probably paid for and a great life given to you here in Manchester.
      “You should be grateful for that instead of slagging restaurants.”
      But Sara — whose German hubby, left, was appointed City skipper by Guardiola this season — hit back: “So because we are successful people we can’t give an honest opinion?
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      “I tried all the best restaurants here but for me it’s a no. I can’t lie.
      Unfortunately I’m used to Italy so you can imagine it’s hard to compare.”
      She added: “It’s a great city, great people but not for restaurants.”
      Among the local eateries is Spanish restaurant Tast, co-owned by Guardiola, and Mana, given a Michelin star in 2019, the first in the city for over 40 years.
      MasterChef winner Simon Wood owns Wood Manchester, while Great British Menu champ Adam Reid runs The French inside The Midland Hotel.
      The Bombay Cuisine in Prestwich has also just scooped National Take-away of The Year.
      Mana head chef and owner Simon Martin told The Sun: “The idea that restaurants here only serve frozen food is obviously preposterous. 
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      “In addition, the restaurant industry is far too difficult a trade to warrant only doing it for money.”
      Sara is not the first Wag to slam Manchester. Jorgelina Cardoso, wife of ex-United star Angel Di Maria, said in 2020: “It was horrible — a s***hole.”
      Food experts slammed Sara’s comments and said Manchester was an ‘absolute gem of a place to eat’
      Ilkay was appointed City skipper by manager Pep Guardiola this seasonCredit: Getty
      Spanish restaurant Tast, co-owned by Guardiola
      Mana, given a Michelin star in 2019, the first in the city for over 40 years More

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      Pep Guardiola’s hilarious reaction as Erling Haaland scores his second goal and 19th of season for Man City v Copenhagen

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      MANCHESTER CITY manager Pep Guardiola celebrated Erling Haaland’s brace against Copenhagen with a hilarious reaction.Haaland’s unbelievable goalscoring exploits continued at the Etihad as he opened the scoring after only seven minutes and hit the net once more just 25 minutes later in the Champions League.
      Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola celebrated Erling Haaland’s brace with a funny reactionCredit: PA
      Pep Guardiola looked like even he couldn’t believe Erling Haaland’s talentCredit: PA
      Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland scored a brace against CopenhagenCredit: PA
      And the camera caught Guardiola celebrating with a dumbfounded look on his face, which suggested even he couldn’t believe how good his star striker is.
      The Spanish tactician appeared to be looking back at his coaching staff as he pointed at the Norway international with pride and rubbed his hands together.
      Fans laughed their socks off after witnessing Guardiola’s rare reaction and took to Twitter with some amazing reactions.
      One fan tweeted: “HAHAHA Pep Guardiola is all of us.”
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      Another posted: “The moment he realised he’s signed the next GOAT.”
      A third wrote: “Him saying “that’s my boy.”
      This supporter stated: “Pep knows this is where City win there [sic] first champions league.”
      And that one tweeted: “Pep just enjoying his work lately! What a signing Haaland is turning into.”
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      Haaland, 22, has now scored a staggering 19 goals in just 12 appearances across all competitions.
      This comes after the Norwegian became the first player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick in three consecutive home games after his treble against Manchester United on Sunday. More

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      ‘We will take that’ – Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag THANKS Pep Guardiola and his City side for derby thrashing

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      ERIK TEN HAG has thanked Manchester City for the footballing lesson that shows him how far his team still has to go.Ten Hag’s Manchester United were demolished 6-3 as Pep Guardiola’s men ran riot, taking a 4-0 lead by the break.
      Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag thanked Manchester City after the thrashingCredit: Reuters
      After four straight wins including those over league leaders Arsenal and last year’s runners-up Liverpool, United had entered the match full of confidence.
      They finished it realising just how far in the distance the summit of English football remains.
      Ten Hag said: “We get a reality check with Man City, we know we have to step up. So thank you for the lesson, Pep and City, we will take that, and we have to understand we have to do things much better.
      “I know when you’re in a process it will not go only on the upside, you will have setbacks.
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      “We beat the No1 in the league Arsenal, we beat Liverpool.
      “On Sunday we had a bad day at the office and we got beat, in this moment on that day City was better, we have to accept that, but we can’t accept our performance, that was unacceptable.”
      As revealed by SunSport, captain Bruno Fernandes and Lisandro Martinez could be heard in The Etihad corridor as they tore into their team-mates at the break.
      Fernandes said: “Obviously we know the game we did was not good enough for our standards, for what we have set for ourselves, for what we want to achieve this season.
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      “We have let down the club altogether, not just one or two players. Altogether we didn’t do enough to win the game, to get points from that game.
      “We all – when I say all I mean all, starting with me – are disappointed with the result obviously.
      “We have to take that and see what margin we still have to improve. It’s still a long way to go.
      “We know what we want to achieve, we know what we want to do.
      “I know what the manager wants from me. I think we all know what the manager wants for us as a team and I think now it’s just the time to get back to the good results.”
      United have the chance to do just that in the Europa League in Cyprus against Omonia Nicosia.
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      Manchester United lost 6-3 to rivals Manchester City in the derby last weekendCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
       Fernandes says that while they have to take lessons from the derby defeat they should not forget the good work that was done in four straight league wins prior to that.
      He said: “We get our four consecutive wins against big teams, against Arsenal who are doing really well, with Leicester and Southampton who are tough to play away and obviously with Liverpool.
      “Now we have had this setback but it has not changed our ideas or our way of playing or what we want to do as a team. I think it should be like that.
      “The club should change nothing at all because it is a process as the manager says.
      “If you got to the reality that we have had three months with the manager. It is completely different ideas and I think the team is doing really well.
      “We had a bad result against one of the better teams in our league so it is tough because they are a rival and it’s a derby but now it is time to get back and win straight away.” More

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      Ex-Man City academy kid Brandon Barker was secretly a Man Utd fan – but now hopes to beat them in Europa with Nicosia

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      LIFELONG fan Brandon Barker has more than one reason to want to do well against Manchester United.The Omonia Nicosia winger faces his boyhood idols tomorrow night in the Europa League.
      Omonia Nicosia winger Brandon Barker faces his boyhood idols on ThursdayCredit: Chara Savvidou
      The star came through the ranks at Man City but grew up supporting UnitedCredit: Getty
      But after growing up in Manchester City’s academy, Barker has extra motivation to pull off an upset with the Cypriot side.
      The 26-year-old told SunSport: “I spent 16 years at City — but I was always a Red growing up.
      “When I was seven I was at United. However, it was quite far from my house so we opted to go with the City route and that’s how the change happened.
      “After spending so much time there, I fell in love with Man City as well. When they play each other I try not to support anyone.
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      “It would be special to beat them as half of my friends are City, half are United.
      “Nobody is expecting anything from us and rightly so — it’s Man United. But we will relish that.”
      Barker, who helps run a Manchester-based pressure washer business in his spare time, was once regarded as one of City’s top home-grown prospects as a teenager after being named their academy player of the year in 2014.
      He was hoisted up to first-team training under Manuel Pellegrini — and was regularly named among the substitutes before finally making his debut in an FA Cup fifth-round defeat to Chelsea in 2016.
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      But his dreams of making it at the Etihad ended when new boss Pep Guardiola deemed him surplus to requirements and loaned him out to Dutch side Breda, Rotherham, Preston and then Hibernian in the space of three years.
      Barker added: “It became a bit of a whirlwind. I did every age group at Man City and I was fairly confident I would make the step up — and when Pellegrini was there I was with the first team every day and coped with it really well.
      “I was on the bench about 25 times so I must have been doing well. But with the change of manager I was out the door.
      “You can’t get angry about that but then I was caught in the loan trap instead of forcing your way out.”
      Barker signed a two-year deal with Omonia in June to link up with his former Hibs boss Neil Lennon, following an injury-plagued short-term deal at Reading last season.
      And after scoring against Genk to secure their group-stage spot, the winger believes he is starting to recapture the form which raised a lot of eyebrows as a kid back in Manchester.
      He said: “I’m here on a fresh slate. It has taken a lot of adjustment.
      The former starlet was tipped for big things but was shifted out of the Etihad by Pep GuardiolaCredit: Action Images
      Now he is hoping to down United in the Europa LeagueCredit: AFP
      “I have found it tough on my body because I barely played last season. So it has just been getting back in the swing of things.
      “I am still at a good age to crack on. I had a taste of European football in Holland but I was only 18 and not ready for it. Now I am at an age where I am in a ‘f*** it’ kind of moment.”
      Barker admits lining up against childhood idol Cristiano Ronaldo will be a dream come true.
      But he believes he and his team-mates will not be starstruck by United’s players, as he aims to give himself the perfect present after celebrating his 26th birthday today.
      He added: “Any opportunity you get to grace a pitch with those sorts of players is always going to be special.
      “Ronaldo is my greatest player of all time so it will be special for me as a United fan. But it is just a game and the boys will have their blinkers on and will do what we have been doing.
      “It is a chance to put this club on the European map. We got the opportunity to play in the Europa League from a cup run. We have done the hard work to get here so we may as well go for it.” More

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      Riyad Mahrez will not play for Man City until he improves his physical condition, warns Pep Guardiola

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      PEP GUARDIOLA has told RIyad Mahrez he needs to shape up after his low key start to the season at Manchester City.The £60million man was handed a new three year deal by the champions in the summer but has yet to show it was the right call.
      Riyad Mahrez has been told to improve his physical condition by Pep GuardiolaCredit: Reuters
      He has started only two of eight matches in the Premier League so far – with Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva generally filling the wide roles.
      Guardiola says he needs the Algerian back to his brilliant best but suggesting he is not at the right level of fitness to be playing regularly.
      The Man City boss said: “He has to come back in a better physical condition and after the best will come because as a player.
      “I cannot teach him anything because he is too good. He knows it and I know Riyad perfectly. We need him.
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      “He has to come back to his best. In terms of personality, quality, ability, his love for this game and how he enjoys to play. Step by step he’s going to come back.”
      Mahrez’s regular position on the right of a front three was filled by Foden on Sunday and he scored a fairytale hat-trick against Manchester United.
      And Guardiola has welcomed the news that the England youngster is on the brink of signing a new five year deal at the Etihad.
      He said: “He’s a young player, we want him to stay for years and years. He’s an exceptional player. He grew up a lot, he has already been with us for many years.
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      “He’s reliable in terms of his physical condition, he’s so intense in everything, so clever and every three days he is able to play. He knows he can do better.”
      Pep also hinted he expects the 22-year-old to shine for England at the World Cup next month.
      He said: “The impact from Phil when I arrived was ‘wow’. Even the second season he started to play in important games.
      “He doesn’t feel the pressure, a bit like Bernardo Silva, the bigger the stage he plays better.”
      Erling Haaland also helped himself to a hat-trick on Sunday and new boy Sergio Gomez says the Norwegian’s hunger is clear for everyone to see.
      The Spain Under 21 ace – who was also briefly a team-mate at Borussia Dortmund – said: “I try to learn from him as much as I can, especially the hunger and ambition he has.
      “He doesn’t settle for one goal, he wants to score the second or third, he wants more. The other day in the derby, after conceding the third goal he was a little bit angry.
      “That’s because he wanted more, he wanted a clean sheet, so it’s important to learn that hunger and ambition he has.” More

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      ‘Pass to the blue T-shirts!’ – Pep Guardiola slams Man City for failing to do ‘simple things’ despite 6-3 Man Utd win

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      PERFECTIONIST Pep Guardiola was still not completely satisfied with his Manchester City players despite their derby day demolition on Sunday.Guardiola’s men thrashed their fiercest rivals 6-3, but the Spaniard still wants more from side.
      Pep Guardiola was not satisfied despite the 6-3 win over Manchester UnitedCredit: Getty
      Despite dominating Manchester United in every department, Guardiola has urged his team to stop being so cheap in possession.
      And ahead of City’s Champions League clash with Copenhagen, he challenged his players to fix up.
      He said: “Not just on Sunday, Wolves was the same.
      “The most difficult thing in football is to do the easy things and the easy things we’re not doing well in some departments.
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      “The simple passes, and we lose it, and these are our principles.
      “The most important principles that we have is when we have the ball we have to do pass the ball to the guys in the blue t-shirts, we cannot give it to the red t-shirts.
      “I’m not saying in the final third you have to dribble and lose the ball, I’m not talking about that, I’m talking about simply passing the ball and lately, we’re not doing good.
      “And in important stages and in important games, it will be a problem. It’s easy to solve it because they’re good enough to solve it.
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      Guardiola’s frustrations come despite watching his side score three or more goals for the seventh time already in the league this season.
      City also had almost double the amount of attempts (22-12) compared to their rivals and completed nearly 500 passes. More

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      Erling Haaland ‘has Real Madrid transfer clause in contract but Man City are already in talks to renegotiate deal’

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      ERLING HAALAND reportedly has a clause in his contract that will allow him to LEAVE Manchester City for Real Madrid in 2024.The red hot striker, 22, scored a third consecutive home hat-trick in his side’s 6-3 thrashing of local rivals United on Sunday.
      Reports in Spain claim that Real Madrid will have priority to meet a release clause for Haaland in 2024Credit: Rex
      It took his goal tally to a mouthwatering 17 from ten games since his summer arrival from Borussia Dortmund.
      He signed a a five-year contract until 2027, after arriving for £51million in June.
      They faced stiff competition from the likes of Real and Barcelona for his signature, but the prospect of working under Pep Guardiola in the Prem was too good for Haaland to turn down.
      But SunSport reported that within a week of him signing, City were trying to negotiate a stronger deal.
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      Previous reports have suggested that Man City are expecting him to move to Spain in future.
      And Fernando Sanz, a former Real player and former president of LaLiga club Malaga, claims Los Blancos will have the upper hand in 2024.
      He told MundoDeportivo: “The information I have is that there is an exit clause for Haaland in the second year, and the curious thing is that with very beneficial conditions compared to the rest for a club, which is Real Madrid.
      “Haaland puts in a clause that allows him to leave after two years but with priority for Real Madrid.
      “Madrid puts up whatever money it takes and takes Haaland without talking to City.”
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      Sanz insists that the Bernabeu side will have priority to take Haaland for the release clause.
      And Alfie Haaland, who also starred for City, suggested that his son may not be set for a long stay in England.
      Alfie said: “He [Erling] could have 2½ years in Germany, 2½ in England, and then in Spain, Italy, France, right?”
      “We do not know if it will be like that, but I think he would like to test his abilities in the big leagues.” More