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      Erling Haaland admits he is NOT shocked by flying Man City start as he excels under ‘football freak’ Pep Guardiola

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      ERLING HAALAND admits his sensational start to life at Manchester City has come as no shock to him.The £51.4million striker says he is thriving under City boss Pep Guardiola because they are both “football freaks”.
      Erling Haaland says his form is ‘not a big shock’Credit: AFP
      Pep Guardiola said he is enjoying the routine of always being asked about Erling Haaland after matchesCredit: Rex
      Haaland has banged in 12 goals in his first seven matches since his summer switch from Borussia Dortmund  — including back-to-back hat-tricks.
      He has made the best start in terms of goals of any new arrival in the history of the Premier League.
      But the Norway star, 22, told Telemundo Sports: “Of course I’m a bit surprised but it’s not a big shock, no.
      “Because I know my own qualities and the good team I’m coming into. There’s so many good team-mates here.
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      “It’s a beautiful club with really good people here. I love to be in this stadium and we’ve been having some good moments so far.”
      Guardiola said he is enjoying the routine of always being asked about Haaland after matches.
      And the former RB Salzburg striker revealed he is happy working for the former Barcelona boss.
      Haaland said: “It’s been good as he’s a bit of a football freak, like me.
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      “We both love football, he’s crazy about it and that’s something I like.
      “He thinks of everything, like how you can do things better and that’s what I like about him.
      “It’s a complicated system at City and I’ve been trying to get it as quickly as  possible as I cannot waste time doing anything else.”
      Haaland admits it feels special to be following in the footsteps of his father Alfie, 49, by playing for City.
      He was just a toddler when his old man was lining up at Maine Road around the turn of the century and much has changed at the club since.
      Haaland added: “It’s a bit special because he played at City before and now I’m here. I’ve seen old photos of him when he was here and  it’s nice to think I play for the same club.
      “That was 20 years ago but it is still  the same club.
      “We have always  spoken a lot about football, watching it a lot together and training.
      “We have  talked here and there about small things and how defenders think compared to strikers.
      “We still talk football and that’s nice to have a former footballer as a dad.” More

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      Watch Pep Guardiola’s inspirational half-time team-talk against Aston Villa on final day of the 2021/22 season

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      PEP GUARDIOLA produced an inspirational half-time team-talk against Aston Villa on the final day of last season. The Premier League champions were 2-0 down at home to Aston Villa and in danger of conceding the title to Liverpool.
      Pep Guardiola produced an inspirational half-time team-talk against Aston Villa
      Man City turned the game around to win 3-2
      But Guardiola riled up his troops with an amazing speech, which has been captured in City’s ‘Together: Champions Again’ documentary.
      He said: “We’re going to go for it. OK, guys?
      “It’s impossible to think about the consequences if we don’t win. It’s normal. It’s normal. But you have to be positive until the end.
      “We need one goal. Then we will have the momentum and we will do it. I know you feel the pressure in the danger. It’s normal.
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      “We would not be here if we hadn’t been the best. You would not be.
      “I know we are going to win it, but you have to handle in here [the mind] in a positive way. Find the quality, guys! You have enough. Okay? Allez.”

      Guardiola’s words proved motivational as City turned the game on its head in the last 15 minutes.
      Ilkay Gundogan’s double sandwiched in between Rodri’s strike saw Villa beaten 3-2 and the title head back to the Etihad.
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      And it is no surprise Guardiola won the praise of fans for his team-talk.
      One said: “Pep motivation is genius. He is a true coach. Never shaken in his approach even when they are losing.”
      Another added: “The way Pep talks to his players makes me a bit emotional. City are fortunate to have him as their manager.
      “I have always admired Pep and his football ideology since his days at Barcelona.”
      One wrote: “What a manager Guardiola is… motivated his team when the heads looked like falling. A legendary coach.”
      Pep Guardiola celebrates Manchester City winning the Premier League titleCredit: Getty Images – Getty More

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      Former Man City forward Nolito joins Spanish second division side Ibiza FC to link up with Arsenal loanee Miguel Azeez

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      FORMER Manchester City forward Nolito has signed for Spanish second division side Ibiza FC. The Spaniard arrives on a free transfer after his deal with Celta Vigo expired in the summer.
      Nolito has signed for Spanish second division side Ibiza FC
      Nolito, 35, has now agreed a two-year contract with Ibiza and will officially become their player once undergoing medical exams.
      The club tweeted: “Nolito is a new #Ibiza player. Welcome to the island!”
      He is set to join Arsenal loanee Miguel Azeez, who is in Spain for the season.
      Nolito comes with a wealth of experience and 16 international Spain caps to his name with six goals.
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      He spent a year with Barcelona’s first team after joining from the B-side in 2010.
      After spells with Benfica, Grenada and Celta, Nolito signed for City in 2016.
      He was bought by Pep Guardiola to provide competition to the likes of Sergio Aguero.
      But the versatile attacker, who plays centrally or on the wing, found himself unsettled in England.
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      He played just 30 times, scoring six times, before leaving after only a year in the Premier League.
      Nolito returned home to Sevilla but battled injuries and again re-signed for Celta.
      Although after two more years with the club, he was released and drops down the Spain’s second tier.
      Nolito spent only one season with Man CityCredit: PA:Empics Sport More

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      England star Keira Walsh agrees to world record Barcelona transfer and becomes second Lionesses Euros winner at Nou Camp

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      KEIRA WALSH has become the world’s most expensive female footballer following a sensational £400,000 Barcelona move. The ex-Manchester City ace joined the LaLiga Women’s champions after signing a three-year contract.
      Barcelona paid a record-breaking fee of more than £400,000 to get Keira WalshCredit: Getty
      The midfield star is the second Manchester City player to join Spain’s championsCredit: Getty
      The switch sees Walsh, 25, become the eighth senior player to leave City this summer.
      The move comes two years after Chelsea broke the women’s transfer record with a swoop for Pernille Harder for a reported fee of more than £250,000
      It will see Lionesses ace Walsh – who grew up admiring the talents of former Spain and Manchester City hero David Silva – become the second English top-flight ace to sign for the Catalan giants.
      She joins England team-mate Lucy Bronze at the club who have won a record seven Spanish top-flight titles.
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      It comes after City reportedly rejected multiple offers for Walsh, who was among England’s standout performers during the Euros.
      Rochdale-born Walsh won a player of the match award for her display in the Lionesses’ 2-1 defeat of Germany in the final
      Her move to Barca comes at a crucial time for the Catalan club.
      Their captain and midfield superstar Alexia Putellas is currently out of action following an ACL injury sustained shortly before the Euros in July.
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      Walsh, who began her playing career at Blackburn in 2008 before joining Man City in 2014, has been described as having “the best football brain” by former Citizens gaffer Nick Cushing.
      City have been hit by a raft of departures and England veterans Ellen White, Jill Scott and Karen Bardsley all decided to call time on their playing careers this summer.
      Other big-name players who have left include Bronze, Georgia Stanway, Canada forward Janine Beckie, and Scotland playmaker Caroline Weir.
      And Weir returned to haunt her old club netting the goal that saw Real Madrid knock them out of the Champions League qualifying round for a second successive season.
      The exodus has left some fans concerned about the club’s league title and top three chances.
      Telegraph Sport reports City are thought to be working on signing new players ahead of the WSL transfer deadline of 5pm on Thursday for domestic acquisitions.
      Walsh impressed with her international performances this summer helping England to win the Women’s EurosCredit: PA
      The window for overseas signings closes at midnight on Thursday.
      Walsh’s move will see her become the third WSL star this summer to swap England’s top-flight for Spain’s with Weir moving to Barca’s rivals Real Madrid.
      The Catalan side will face Granadilla Tenerife in their league season-opening game on September 17.   More

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      Fans share bizarre theory explaining why Man City wore ‘Aston Villa shorts’ for Champions League mauling of Sevilla

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      MANCHESTER CITY wore ‘Aston Villa-like shorts’ for their 4-0 Champions League mauling of Sevilla, and fans have a bizarre theory as to why.Ex-Villa superstar Jack Grealish started for Man City, but much like last season, he has started the campaign slowly.
      Fans have a bizarre theory as to why City wore ‘Aston Villa-like shorts’Credit: Getty
      Grealish is yet to register a goal or an assist three competitive games played so far.
      City wore their sky blue top, but coupled it with ‘Aston Villa-like shorts’ with some fans saying it was an attempt to get the best version of the £100million man.
      A fan tweeted: “Tryna make Grealish good again by making him put on Villa shorts. Fairs.”
      Another said: “Grealish seeing the maroon shorts and thinks he’s playing for villa again.”
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      A Villa fan says they hope the claret shorts “were stipulated” in Grealish’s City contract.
      Unfortunately, the fans’ theory wasn’t proven as Grealish was hooked after 62 minutes.
      He was replaced by City veteran Ilkay Gundogan.
      City thrashed Sevilla on the night, putting four past the Spanish side.
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      Erling Haaland scored another brace, taking his Champions League total to 25 goals in just 20 games played in the competition.
      The Norway ace, 22, is averaging a goal every 54 minutes in a City shirt this term.
      Phil Foden also got on the scoresheet and Ruben Dias put the final nail in Sevilla’s coffin in added-time. More

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      Pep Guardiola hopes Erling Haaland – and his CRAZY Champions League goal record – can finally end Man City’s Euro hoodoo

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      PEP GUARDIOLA believes new striker Erling Haaland can help Manchester City finally crack the Champions League.The £51.4million Norwegian has thrived in Europe’s top competition — with his 23 goals in 19 matches so far the best of any player at his age.
      Guardiola believes Haaland can help City win the Champions LeagueCredit: Rex
      Haaland has scored 1.21 goals per game in the competition
      And manager Guardiola, who has seen his team come agonisingly close in the last two seasons, would like to think Haaland, 22, could be the final piece in the puzzle.
      Ahead of Tuesday’s opener here in Spain, he said: “Erling has a special quality and maybe he can solve some of the problems we have — definitely.
      “We hope all the six new players can make us better — otherwise it makes no sense to sign them.
      “But we have to play good as a team as well.
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      “All the new players have to settle. If we rely just on Erling’s shoulders we will not win.
      “We don’t win just because of Erling and we won’t lose just because of him.”
      City were beaten in the final in 2021 and then last term they crashed out of the semi-final in devastating fashion as Real Madrid struck twice in the 90th minute before netting an extra-time winner.
      But Rodri also feels the arrival of Haaland, who has bagged TEN goals in his first six Prem games, could be crucial.
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      The Spanish midfielder said: “We all know the player he is — and not only in the Champions League.
      “It’s a competition where you need these kind of players who you can give the ball to and they score a goal from nothing.
      “He can make a big difference.
      “The way he plays… he’s great and improving a lot.
      “He’s still trying to fit in the team but he wants to improve every day.”
      Guardiola is starting his seventh attempt to win this competition with City — and is now getting used to being asked if his team could finally win it.
      City are starting their 12th consecutive season in the Champions League and Guardiola said: “Will we win it or not win it? I don’t know.
      “But sport — not just football — always gives you another opportunity.
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      “The club is proud to be here again and we are going to try again.
      “If we don’t do it we’ll get some punishment from our fans and the media and try again.” More

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      Man City starlet Harwood-Bellis wanted by Lampard’s Everton as Blues plot transfer swoop for on-loan Burnley ace

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      EVERTON boss Frank Lampard is making Manchester City’s England Under-21 skipper Taylor Harwood-Bellis a transfer priority.Lampard wants a new centre-half and his spies are now camped out at Burnley to compile a file on the classy young defender.
      Manchester City youngster and Burnley loanee Taylor Harwood-Bellis is targeted by EvertonCredit: PA
      Harwood-Bellis has looked a cut above the Championship and his passing range fits with top-flight football.
      The local lad and City fan has never shown a sign of wanting to leave Pep Guardiola’s squad but that may change.
      City have just signed Borussia Dortmund defender Manuel Akanji to go ahead of him in the queue for a game at the Etihad.
      Everton could try to intercept the season-long loan with a buy in January but it is much more likely to be a swoop lined up for next summer.
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      City may be open to a sale with a buy back clause, a new way of dealing they seem keen on, and that could work for all parties.
      Burnley boss Vincent Kompany would love to take on Harwood-Bellis if his club are promoted although the fee would be a challenge.
      The centre-back joined City’s academy in 2008 at the tender age of six.
      The defender rose through the ranks in 2019, which is when he started undergoing a series of loan stints.
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      The 20-year-old cut his teeth at Blackburn, Anderlecht and Stoke before joining Burnley in July.
      Harwood-Bellis has made eight senior appearances for City and scored one goal in the FA Cup against Port Vale two years ago. More

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      Sergio Gomez’s ex-coach reveals amazing switch to left-back and why new Man City star will be perfect for Erling Haaland

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      SERGIO GOMEZ arrived at Manchester City with his old boss tipping him to become the best left-back in the world.Yet if it had not been for a flash of inspiration little more than 18 months ago, the kid already being tagged as the new Jordi Alba may still be earning a living as a right-winger.
      Manchester City signed defender Sergio Gomez from Anderlecht for £11million last monthCredit: Getty
      Gomez’s ex-Huesca boss Jose Rojo Martin converted him from a right winger to a left-backCredit: EPA
      Gomez, 21, was in his second season on loan at Huesca when Jose Rojo Martin took over LaLiga’s basement boys.
      One of the first moves Martin — or Pacheta as he is known in Spain — made was to switch him from an attacking role on the right flank to a defensive one on the left.
      It was a stroke of managerial genius that nearly inspired a miracle escape for Huesca… and set the player on a path which was to take him to the Etihad.
      Gomez was so outstanding in the second half of the campaign, his side only went down on the final day — when the width of a post denied him a winning goal that would have saved them.
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      Huesca’s relegation meant they could not  make his loan move a permanent deal.
      Instead he joined Anderlecht, was their player of the season and saw City pay £11million to sign him from the Belgian club.
      Pacheta, now Valladolid manager, revealed: “When I took over, Huesca had only 11 points after 17 games and were bottom of the league.
      “Sergio was playing as a right-winger, cutting inside, but we had a meeting and I told him I thought he would be perfect at left-back.
      “I remember being in my office and telling him he’d be a big success there and he accepted the challenge straightaway.
      “In modern football so many players will question a coach’s decision if he is asked to play a totally different position and that can cause problems.
      “But Sergio was just different. From the day I opened the door to the dressing room I found him a special boy and very receptive to everything you told him.
      “I’m not saying everything changed because of my decision but the way he adapted was perfect. He completely nailed it from that day.
      “We turned things round and needed to beat Valencia in the last game to survive. We drew 0-0 and Sergio hit the post with a long shot, so we were so unlucky.
      Martin – known as Pacheta – believes Erling Haaland will thrive off of Gomez’s crossesCredit: Getty
      “If we had stayed up, Huesca had a clause that we could buy him from Dortmund. Instead, he moved to Anderlecht.”
      Gomez had ended up at Huesca after failing to crack it as a Barcelona youth and then with Borussia Dortmund.
      And while his career eventually rocketed in LaLiga to such an extent he was tipped to replace the legendary Alba in the Spain side, he was also earning another tag.
      Pacheta added: “He is an excellent crosser, it’s like he has a velvet glove on his left foot — and he has a super powerful shot from long distance.
      “The current top left-backs are athletes who can run really well but there aren’t excellent crossers who can also penetrate inside the box. But people will see that with Gomez.
      “Manchester City have finally signed a typical No 9 in Erling Haaland but he needs some good service — and will get even more goals from Sergio’s crosses.”
      Gomez made his City debut in the recent friendly at Barcelona and boss Pep Guardiola has been easing him into the Premier League from the bench.
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      Yet Pacheta has no doubt he will be a  massive hit and added: “I’m absolutely delighted for him and I know he is going to excel at City.
      “Sergio just belongs to the elite and could become the best left-back in football.” More