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      Pep Guardiola says he feels ‘so sorry’ for Man City outcast Kalvin Phillips as he ‘struggles to see him in the team’

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      PEP GUARDIOLA has admitted that he feels “so sorry” for Manchester City outcast Kalvin Phillips.The former Leeds star has struggled to ever establish himself since moving to City from Elland Road.
      Kalvin Phillips has been stuck on Man City’s bench this seasonCredit: Alamy
      Pep Guardiola has seldom used the midfielderCredit: Reuters
      Phillips has featured for just 89 minutes of his side’s first 15 Premier League games of this season, despite being injury free.
      He has been an unused substitute in City’s last four Prem encounters.
      With the January transfer window fast approaching, Phillips has been linked with a move away from the Etihad.
      Asked about the possibility of the 28-year-old moving on, boss Guardiola said: “I don’t know what’s going to happen. I feel so sorry for my decision for him. I’ve said that many times.
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      “He doesn’t deserve what has happened to him and I’m so sorry.
      “The only thing I can say about him is I am asking for good personalities and characters and he is a perfect example. And after that I have to give him something and I didn’t do that.
      “It’s just because I visualise some things and visualise the team and things – and I struggle to see him.
      “I’m not very pleased [with myself] and I am so sorry for him. I will not say that [to him] because it is a business and I have to be a professional.
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      “But if one guy behaves [poorly], I don’t care. But the way he behaves with the team-mates and everyone, I care. So that’s why hopefully it can turn around.
      “And I’ve said many times, if it comes to January and he stays, I’m more than pleased because he trains really good and he’s a lovely guy and character.”
      Phillips has been linked with a January switch to Italian giants Juventus.
      Regular first-team football during the second half of the season would likely strengthen Phillips’ claim for a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024.
      In order for Phillips to join Juventus, however, the Italian side hope for City to cover the majority of his £150,000 a week wages.
      Bayern Munich have also been linked with the midfielder, who could link up with his Three Lions skipper Harry Kane in Germany.
      While Newcastle are another side to possess an interest, having lost Sandro Tonali to a 10-month betting ban.
      The Man City boss does not have an issue with Phillips’ trainingCredit: Getty More

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      Pep Guardiola promises to retire if Man City win Treble again this season

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      PEP GUARDIOLA has vowed to “RETIRE” if Manchester City repeat their Treble antics this season.City scooped the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League trophies last season in a historic campaign for the club.
      Manchester City won a historic treble last seasonCredit: REX
      The Citizens will be hard-pressed to repeat the stunning featCredit: GETTY
      Manager Pep Guardiola has vowed to retire if City retain all three trophies this seasonCredit: GETTY
      The defending English champions are currently six points behind table toppers Arsenal, a gap which has led many to wonder if they can repeat their incredible feat of the 2022/23 campaign.
      Guardiola, however, is confident of finishing first in the Prem title race and has sensationally claimed he’ll walk away from the club if they do so.
      Ahead of City’s Prem clash with Aston Villa, he told Amazon Prime: “If we win the treble this season, I’ll retire.
      “That’s for sure.
      “I know it is extremely difficult, how many incredible teams have been in England.
      “And just one with Sir Alex Ferguson has done it and ourselves last season.
      “When we spoke, prepare well for the first game and how we try to do it and then the second and now the third.
      “We will see our level and the competition itself dictates your level, the opponent dictates, the challenge is higher but in September, October, November, thinking about the title, forget about it.”
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      City have struggled for consistency this season without star midfielder Kevin de Bruyne pulling the strings.
      But Guardiola is adamant his troops will find form when required to and win an unprecedented fourth straight Prem title.
      He said: “My feeling today is we’re going to win the Premier League.
      “If we play at the levels that we showed against Liverpool and Tottenham, we’re going to win it again.
      “People don’t believe it already after three draws but we feel we’re going to do it again, knowing that it is not easy because no team has done it yet (won four in a row).
      “The difficulty is there and was last season but, if you ask me today what I’m feeling, we’re going to do it again.”
      Pep Guardiola is confident of getting his hands on the Premier League title againCredit: Getty More

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      Kalvin Phillips’ loan transfer to Juventus at risk of collapsing due to major sticking point as Prem rivals set to swoop

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      JUVENTUS hope to persuade Manchester City to carry on paying most of Kalvin Phillips’ wages if he joins them next month.And that could prove to be a sticking point for a move to Italy for the England midfielder.
      Kalvin Phillips is wanted by Italian giants JuventusCredit: Alamy
      But the Old Lady want City to pay the England midfielder’s wagesCredit: Getty
      The Three Lions favourite is looking for a loan move in the New Year to keep his dreams of playing in Euro 2024 alive.
      A move to join the Serie A title chasers is something that appeals to the former Leeds man.
      Juve are currently at the head of the queue as they are in the market for a new midfielder during the January window.
      However, they are not keen on paying the whole of the 28-year-old’s wages – which are believed to be around £150,000 per week – outright.
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      Bayern Munich have also been linked with Phillips and did some business with the treble winners last January when Joao Cancelo moved to Germany.
      Meanwhile, Newcastle are also interested as Eddie Howe looks to bolster his injury-hit squad for the second half of the season.
      However, City may take some convincing to strengthen one of their domestic rivals at a key point of the season.
      Phillips is in contention to start in midfield for City’s trip to Aston Villa this evening due to an injury to star midfielder Rodri.
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      Pep Guardiola has revealed Kalvin Phillips could start against Aston Villa tonightCredit: Getty
      When sked if Rodri’s absence is an opportunity for Phillips, City boss Guardiola said: “Yes.”
      He added: “I said he has a chance [of starting].
      “We have to see in training this afternoon [if he will start the game] and see how the players are and feel. A decision will be made tomorrow.”
      “We will find the best solution to compete against Aston Villa.”
      Phillips’ efforts in training during his hiatus from the first team have impressed Guardiola, who said: “[They have been] exceptional.
      “I don’t have any bad comments, as I have said many times.” More

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      Pep Guardiola slams Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Richards in bitter put-down after Man City accused of complacency

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      PEP GUARDIOLA has slammed Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher in a bitter put-down after Manchester City were accused of being complacent.And the angry Treble–winning Etihad boss also took aim at his club’s former player Micah Richards too in a show-us-your-medals blast.
      Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher’s recent criticism of Manchester City has riled up Pep GuardiolaCredit: Getty
      Former Manchester City star turned pundit Micah Richards also irked GuardiolaCredit: GETTY
      City chief Guardiola has launched a scathing rant on the trioCredit: AFP
      Former Manchester United skipper Neville claimed City were letting their bid for a fourth successive Prem title slide after last Sunday’s 3-3 meeting with Tottenham.
      He said: “What he won’t like, Guardiola, is [the] decision, the complacency, defensive lapses and giving up points again to Tottenham.”
      His fellow Sky Sports pundit Richards added: “Something’s just not right, too easy to play against on counter, individual mistakes again.”
      But Guardiola, bidding to become the first manager in history to win four top-flight crowns, sneered: “Maybe I’m wrong but it’s not about complacency.
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      “I know the players, I know how they run. How we behave is extraordinary.
      “I have a feeling that if we maintain that level, we’ll win the Premier League. We will win it again.
      “He knows how difficult it is otherwise Gary Neville would’ve won four Premier Leagues in the best period of Manchester United.
      “But he didn’t do it, you know?
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      “Jamie Carragher didn’t win one once. Micah Richards didn’t win four Premier Leagues in a row.
      “Never, ever. It’s never happened. There is more chance of it not happening than happening.
      “Just one Treble before us. It’s so difficult to do it again and again.
      “We don’t have what others have, who haven’t done it for many, many years.
      “Normally it happens that when you drop points, people say : ‘OK you drop points, against Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham – what a disaster.’
      “It’s Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham – what do people expect? That we get 120 points and be 20 points in front?
      “Of course our behaviour in some moments, after winning the Treble and three leagues in a row, you need sometimes to defend a cross more aggressively, how we attack a ball.
      “They are the little details. It happens. They come because we won a lot.”
      Guardiola, who leads his side tomorrow tonight against Aston Villa, rejects suggestions that three successive draws means standards are slipping in his team – that will be without Rodri and Jack Grealish with doubts over Jeremy Doku.
      Villa could go above City into third place but the City manager declares: “We talk a lot about how we still need to be there.
      “But I saw how we pressed Tottenham, the game against Liverpool, even against Chelsea.
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      “How we’ve done doesn’t give me the feeling that we say, ‘Look how good we are’ or we play a little bit naïve or play like we don’t respect the opponents.
      “Not at all. I don’t have that feeling.”
      Pep Guardiola is adamant Manchester City will win a fourth consecutive Premier League titleCredit: GETTY More

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      Man Utd legend breaks silence over ‘unfair’ sacking at EFL club but refuses to accept his career is over

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      MANCHESTER UNITED legend Mark Hughes has finally spoken out after Bradford City “unfairly” sacked him – and claims he is not finished yet.The League Two club axed the former Manchester City boss and ex-Barcelona striker, 60, two months ago.
      Mark Hughes took Bradford to the League Two play-offs last season but was axed on October 4 this term with the Bantams in 18th placeCredit: Alamy
      Hughes celebrates his second successive top-flight title with Man Utd in 1994 alongside Ryan Giggs, Lee Sharpe and Clayton BlackmoreCredit: Getty – Contributor
      But the 72-cap Welshman believes, after “shocking a few people” by stepping down the divisions to take the Bantams job, he can pull off another surprise by returning to management.
      Hughes won the Premier League twice and the FA Cup three times as a United frontman.
      The former Southampton and Everton ace also lifted the FA Cup with Chelsea, as well as twice being named PFA player of the year.
      After hanging up his boots in 2002, he bossed Wales, Blackburn, Man City, Fulham, QPR, Stoke and Southampton, before taking over Bradford in February 2022.
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      And he feels the Bantams acted too quickly to dismiss him, despite winning just three of their first 11 EFL matches this season.
      Bradford sat in 18th place when he departed on October 4 after finishing sixth last term.
      But Hughes told ex-England chief Sam Allardyce’s No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, said: “We did okay last year and got to the play-offs, the best season they’d had at League Two level in this current period.
      “But you’re at risk as a manager early in the season if you don’t set the tone.
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      “Everybody thinks that if you have a bad start, that’s how the whole season is going to pan out. That’s not the case, in fairness.
      “When I got the sack, it was the first time since December I’d lost back-to-back league games.
      “I thought it was a little bit unfair, if I’m honest. But the perception was that I needed to go.”
      Hughes insisted criticism from fans “wasn’t fazing me” and added: “I was quite happy to wait until it turned round.
      “I don’t feel I’m done. I possibly did before the Bradford role because I’d been out for three years. It looked like I wouldn’t get another opportunity, for whatever reason.
      “I had the opportunity to go to Bradford and took it. I probably shocked a few people.
      “But it was just a case of getting back in. I thought it was a good club with a good fanbase.” More

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      The 10 most valuable Premier League matches of all-time based on squad cost, including TWO from this season

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      MONEY talks on the pitch in the Premier League.To compete for titles every season, teams spend billions on the best players from around the world.
      Man City and Liverpool have spent the heaviest on their teamsCredit: PA
      The 2019 clash between Liverpool and Man City tops the listCredit: Reuters
      And now the most valuable clashes in the league’s history have been revealed.
      The two starting XI’s as Liverpool took on Man City in the 2019-20 campaign worth a staggering £1.3bn combined.
      Jurgen Klopp’s men won the mega-money clash 3-1 at Anfield, with the goals coming from Fabinho, Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Bernardo Silva.
      Liverpool’s team that day are valued at an incredible £707m.
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      The biggest fees came via Virgil van Dijk, who they purchased from Southampton in 2017 for £80m and goalkeeper Alisson, signed from Roma a year later for £67m.
      Luckily, Trent Alexander-Arnold cost them nothing as he came through the Reds’ academy and Andy Robertson also cost a relatively cheap £8m from Hull six years ago.
      Both are now up their with the best in their positions.
      Man City’s side was worth £604m with the largest amounts coming from the £55m they spent on Kevin De Bruyne and the £63m for Rodri.
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      Over £1bn was spent on players in all ten of the games
      Pep Guardiola could have made his starting XI even more pricey but decided to leave £120m duo Joao Cancelo and Riyad Mahrez on the bench.
      Matches featuring Man City and Liverpool dominate the top ten, while Manchester United don’t appear on the list at all, despite spending close to £400m on players in the past two years.
      Tottenham feature regularly with £63m man Tanguy Ndombele and £42m signing Davinson Sanchez bumping up the cost of Spurs’ XI.
      Harry Kane came through the club’s academy but left for Bayern Munich for £104m showing his value.
      Since Chelsea were purchased by Todd Boehly, the club has spent over £1billion on transfers and it is therefore no surprise to see the Blues make the rich list.
      Their thrilling 4-4 draw against City earlier this season makes the cut with a combined £1.15bn value of players in the starting XI’s that day.
      Also coming from this campaign, the 1-1 draw between the current champions and Liverpool completes the top ten.
      The players on show last month were worth a combined £1.14bn.
      £1.15bn was spent on the starting XI’s in Chelsea’s 4-4 draw with Man City this seasonCredit: Getty More

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      Erling Haaland could be hit with FA charge for meltdown and Twitter rant after Man City’s 3-3 draw with Tottenham

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      ERLING HAALAND could be hit with an FA charge after criticising the performance of the match officials during Manchester City’s 3-3 draw with Tottenham on Sunday.Haaland was absolutely raging after ref Simon Hooper denied City the chance of a 94th-minute winner.
      Haaland was furious after referee Simon Hooper failed to play advantage in the 94th minuteCredit: Getty
      Hooper played an advantage as Haaland was fouled but inexplicably blew up when the Norwegian’s pass sent Jack Grealish through on Tottenham’s goal.
      Haaland let rip and later posted a clip of the incident on X, saying: “WTF”, an abbreviation for ‘What the f***’ which could land him in hot water with the FA.
      Haaland blew his top at ref Hooper and, before storming down the Etihad tunnel, he fired an F-word rant at Gio Lo Celso after the Spurs scorer barged into him at full-time.
      But Pep Guardiola, whose team conceded a 90th-minute leveller, bit his tongue and said: “Next question. I will not do a Mikel Arteta comment.”
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      Guardiola’s old assistant has been charged by the FA for branding VAR “embarrassing” and a “disgrace” after Arsenal lost 1-0 to Newcastle last month.
      City’s boss added: “On the touchline sometimes I lose my mind and my gestures aren’t proper. But here normally for many years as a manager I’m not a guy to comment.
      “It surprised me because when Erling went down, if you whistle in that moment it’s fine.
      “But he stands up and continues and the referee in that moment makes that gesture to ‘play on, play on’.
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      “And after Erling makes the pass he then stops the game.”
      Asked about Haaland’s angry reaction, he said: “It’s normal and it’s the same for ten players.
      “The rules are you cannot talk with the referees or fourth officials so we should have had ten players sent off today.
      “He’s a little bit disappointed. Even the referee — if he played for Man City today he would be disappointed for that action, that’s for sure.”
      City could also be in trouble with the FA over their players surrounding the ref.
      They will be without Rodri and Grealish for Wednesday’s trip to in-form Aston Villa as both reached five bookings yesterday, while Jeremy Doku limped off.
      Earlier this season, Virgil Van Dijk received an additional one match ban from the FA for abusing officials after he was sent off against Newcastle.
      Van Dijk labelled the decision a “f***ing joke” to John Brooks on the field and continued his ire as he marched down the tunnel.
      Van Dijk was also slapped with a £100,000 fine for his comments.
      Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou was asked if his team had got away with one after Hooper blew the whistle prematurely with Grealish on the counter.
      He smiled and said: “Yeah, I guess so, mate.”
      Yet he was thrilled by the performance of his players, who twice fought from behind to claim a point through Dejan Kulusevski’s dramatic header.
      He said: “First half we were lucky to still be in it, City could have blown us away.
      “But we hung in there — we had to calm down and the effort second half was outstanding.
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      “A day like this will give us character and belief.”
      Guardiola said: “It was a good game, everyone enjoyed it. Spurs are so happy, we are less so.” More

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      Sky Sports viewers in stitches as cameras spot Pep Guardiola doing his best Louis van Gaal impression after Spurs goal

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      PEP GUARDIOLA showed shades of Louis van Gaal during Manchester City’s six-goal thriller with Tottenham. The Premier League champions were denied three points thanks to a late Dejan Kulusevski leveller and some controversy.
      Pep Guardiola showed shades of Louis van Gaal by laying on the groundCredit: Getty
      Van Gaal infamously laid down in front of Mike Dean against ArsenalCredit: Getty – Contributor
      At one point, it all proved too much for Etihad boss Guardiola, as he laid on the ground in protest.
      The hilarious moment drew comparisons to when former United manager Van Gaal did the same thing in 2016 to signal a dive.
      One fan said: “Pep Guardiola with his best Louis van Gall impression.”
      Another added: “Louis Van Pep Guardiola.”
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      Son Heung-min opened the lead in Manchester before then conceding an own goal to equal the match.
      Phil Foden put City ahead on the half hour mark before Giovani Lo Celso squared the game again.
      Jack Grealish thought he had wrapped up the game on 81 minutes only for Kulusevski to make sure the points were shared.
      But the drama did not stop there as City were through on goal in the dying embers until referee Simon Hooper brought play back for a free kick.
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      City’s Erling Haaland was absolutely livid with Hooper’s decision but the striker was defended by his manager.
      Guardiola said: “His reaction was the same for ten players.
      “The rules are you cannot talk with the referees or fourth officials so we should have had 10 players sent off today. He’s a little bit disappointed.”
      Erling Haaland fumed at Simon HooperCredit: Getty More