Pep Guardiola pulled me into his office in his first week at Man City – I didn’t expect what I saw
Pep Guardiola pulled me into his office in his first week at Man City – I didn’t expect what I saw
Manchester City’s influence on Euro 2024 stretches further than the first team players representing their countries, with a number of academy graduates also featuring in Germany.
Angus Gunn was the Manchester City hero in Pep Guardiola’s first pre-season tour. Now he’s a number one starter at Euro 2024.
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The heaviest defeat of Euro 2024 so far came on the opening night, when Germany flexed their muscles as home nation to dismantle a sorry Scotland side.
The man picking the ball out of his own net five times probably has more reason than any other player at the tournament to put things right in his second game, with Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn also looking to prove he was right to swap allegiances from England last year.
Gunn has previous of proving doubters wrong, having taken the leap to leave a comfortable position at Manchester City six years ago. But only after playing a key role in Pep Guardiola’s first pre-season in charge at the Etihad.
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The goalkeeper had experienced a taste of senior football at City, shadowing the first team before Guardiola’s arrival, as well as working closely under Patrick Vieira for the Elite Development Squad, hailing the Frenchman as a key influence in his rise through the ranks. When Guardiola came in, Gunn was chosen to go on the pre-season tour.
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“He [Vieira] was a very demanding coach and very particular on the training pitch,” Gunn remembers. “That few years that I had with him – I think he was there before Pep joined but, it was like a hidden thing around the club where everyone knew he was going to be there for the next few years. But the few years before, working with him really developed my game a lot.
“When Pep did come in, it was in the pre-season, he pulled me into the office and showed me clips of my games in the development squad, saying this is what he wants from his goalkeepers and for me to know that he’s seen clips of me when he wasn’t even here yet was pretty cool.
“It was surreal really, it was crazy. He obviously came in and I was on the preseason tour with them and it was actually before the first pre-season game. It was over in China and we played Dortmund. I ended up playing the second half in that game and I saved three penalties in the shootout afterwards.”
Angus Gunn saves a penalty for Manchester City against Borussia Dortmund in pre-season in Shenzhen, China.
Gunn would travel with City in the Champions League in Guardiola’s first year, acting as number three. “It was a really good learning year for me. Just to be in the background watching him coaching, the players in the dressing room and everything like that was [great],” he added.
“One side, I wasn’t playing a lot of football, but the other side just sitting there learning was probably pretty invaluable for me.”
Gunn went on loan to Norwich to get much-needed games under his belt, before a permanent £13.5m move to Southampton.
“I was gutted I did not get that one City appearance just to have it on my CV but never mind,” he told the Sun in 2019. “I understand why people leave. You only have to look at the Man City team and see the quality they have, so you know it will be very difficult. It is not a nice thing to leave anywhere but for your career it is necessary.”
Things at Southampton didn’t quite go to plan, but Gunn’s career has been kick-started by a 2021 move to Norwich. Two years later, he made the bold decision to switch international allegiances to Scotland, having represented England up to under-21 level and trained with Gareth Southgate’s team before the 2018 World Cup.
“I really enjoyed it [representing England],” he said. “When you’re getting older and progressing in your career, I felt it was good timing for me [switching to Scotland].
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“I think I just started playing regularly [at Norwich] and putting good performances in and then met the manager from the national team and the things he had to say to me about the squad and what they wanted to do moving forward it was really exciting.
“The way its gone over the last year, qualifying for the Euros, it probably couldn’t have gone any better so I’m really happy with the decision.”
Gunn’s gamble paid off to the extent that he is a number one at the Euros rather than watching on from home, but he will need to call on all his memories from City to help Scotland turn around their fortunes and qualify for the last-16 – starting on Wednesday night against Manu Akanji’s Switzerland.
Gunn was reunited with Ilkay Gundogan from their time spent together at City.
It helps, then, that he still remembers exactly what it was like to train with the world’s best at the City Football Academy.
“Some days in training I felt I could not get near anything,” he said in his Sun interview. “It could be frustrating as the speed of their shots was unbelievable. That was a big part in my development, a season training there.
“Quality-wise Kevin De Bruyne was amazing. He would pick my top corners for fun. But the players are all top quality. At the time Aleksandar Kolarov was there and his strike is ridiculous. You did not want to get in the way of it. If he sees the keeper, he thinks, ‘Well, I will just try and kill him’.”
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Guardiola Laughing As Most Important Arsenal Man Incredibly Tipped To Join Man City
Guardiola laughing as most important Arsenal man incredibly tipped to join Man City
Steve Pearson 1 hour ago
Manchester City have been tipped to solve a looming problem by snatching an Arsenal man they simply must not lose under any circumstance.
From an on-field perspective there remains very little that needs fixing or tweaking at Man City. Pep Guardiola’s side won the treble two seasons ago and followed that up by lifting their fourth Premier League title in a row last term.
Ageing stars such as Aymeric Laporte, Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez have been replaced by younger and hungrier stars, with the likes of Josko Gvardiol, Matheus Nunes and Jeremy Doku refreshing the ranks.
However, there is an elephant in the room at the Etihad stadium and that relates to their manager’s contract status.
Guardiola’s existing deal with Man City has just one more season left to run. The Spaniard – widely regarded as one of the greatest managers in football history – has continually talked up an exit.
“Last year, after Istanbul (Champions League final), I said ‘it’s over, there’s nothing left’,” Guardiola said last month.
“But I have a contract and I start to think ‘no-one has done four [Premier League titles] in a row, why don’t we try?’. And now I feel it’s done, so what next?
“Now I don’t know what exactly the motivation is because it’s difficult to find it when everything is done.”
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Guardiola subsequently poured more fuel on the fire when speaking to reporters after City’s latest Premier League triumph.
“The reality is I am closer to leaving than staying [after next season],” admitted the City boss.
Mikel Arteta backed to replace Pep Guardiola
If Guardiola does decide to walk away in 2025, he’ll bring his trophy-laden stint at the Etihad to a close at the nine-year mark. That is the same length of time his great rival Jurgen Klopp lasted at Liverpool before choosing to take a break from the game.
However, Guardiola’s primary rival over the past two seasons has been Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta who has worked wonders at the Emirates.
In conjunction with Edu, Arteta has bought exceptionally well in the market. His tactics have simultaneously made Arsenal rock solid at the back and lethal up front, while the club’s impressive mentality shift is down to the Spaniard too.
But according to former England international, Danny Mills, Arteta is the perfect candidate to replace Guardiola at Man City in 2025.
As cited by Goal, Mills believes Arteta’s past connection with Man City and Guardiola – having previously served as his No 2 – will make him the favoured candidate of Man City’s decision-makers.
Arteta can extend Man City dominance – Danny Mills
“Mikel Arteta is the best man to replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, without a shadow of a doubt,” declared Mills.
“He’s worked with Pep, he knows the way City play and he can come in with the same level of intensity as him.
“I think it will be a concern. It’s like trying to replace Jurgen Klopp, Arsene Wenger or Sir Alex Ferguson.
“The hierarchy at City have to be looking for a successor now and I’m sure they are. There are lots of coaches winning in the City Group for instance.
“It’s a concern for City but when you look at what they’ve done in the past, the senior figures they’ve brought in to manage the academy and recruitment, you have to put faith in them and hope that there is a good succession plan.”
It’s unquestionable Guardiola’s potential exit in 2025 would enhance Arsenal’s chances of becoming the new dominant force in English football.
However, seeing Arteta return to Man City to take Pep’s place would stop that power shift dead in its tracks.
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Latest on Arteta contract extension with Arsenal
Arteta’s current contract with the Gunners is due to expire at the same time as Guardiola’s does at Man City – June 2025.
When speaking on Arteta’s future back in May, trusted reporter David Ornstein suggested the likeliest outcome is Arteta extends his stay in north London.
“I see a manager who appears to want to continue in this project,” Ornstein told The Athletic. “And a club who definitely do not want to lose him.
“My assumption is that they just need to sit down, have a conversation, get the numbers right, the vision, the project, and everything. Be on the same page.
“Then I’ve got nothing to suggest that they won’t continue [together].
Question 1
Martin Odegaard joined Arsenal in January 2021. Did Thomas Partey join before or after?
use
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After
“There’s definitely going to be interest in Mikel Arteta from elsewhere, now and in the future. We’ve already seen links to Barcelona and others.
“[But] this appears to be a very happy marriage, and no evidence to suggest it will not continue, although we don’t have any updates on talks just yet.”
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“I warned him not to join Manchester United, but he went and accepted their offer. Let’s see if his career won’t end like that of Antony and Casemiro,” Manchester City star Rodri confirmed that his £60M Spanish teammate has agreed to personal terms with Manchester United to join next week.
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Fabrizio Romano drops really exciting Ricardo Calafiori update for Liverpool fans amid ‘personal terms’ claim
NEWS TRANSFER RUMOURS
Posted by Farrell Keeling9 hours ago
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Fabrizio Romano has now suggested that Ricardo Calafiori’s potential move to Juventus is far from certain.
Bologna could prove seriously resistant to losing the Italian international owing to the nature of former boss Thiago Motta’s departure to The Old Lady this summer.
Despite securing an agreement on personal terms with the centre-back, the footballer could yet find himself shipped off abroad ‘for bigger money’.
“Thiago Motta and Ricardo Calafiori already agreed on personal terms with Juventus weeks ago but between Juventus and Bologna the situation is complicated,” the CaughtOffside columnist spoke on Playback.
“First of all, because Bologna were not so happy with how Motta joined Juventus. So the situation is quite tense between the two clubs. Also because Bologna believe that if the player can keep performing like this after a fantastic season at Serie A, and now at the Euros, maybe they can sell him abroad for bigger money.”
This comes amid reports of Liverpool’s interest in the 22-year-old footballer, as discussed by James Horncastle.
Follow Empire of the Kop on Instagram (@empireofthekop) HERE
The Merseysiders are, in fact, one of several Premier League outfits to have enquired about the defender.
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If Calafiori is available – Liverpool should be all over it
Ricardo Calafiori in Euros action – (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
It’s absolutely exciting to hear about Liverpool casting their gaze over talents like Leny Yoro and Ricardo Calafiori.
Of course, it would be even more exciting to see Richard Hughes and Co. get one or more of these deals over the line.
The Bologna star has been absolutely exceptional at club level since Motta converted him from a rangey left-back to a centre-half. It seems he’s even taken that form to the Euros as Italy secured a 2-1 comeback over Albania.
He’ll cost us a pretty penny this summer, but if we’re willing to spend big on Yoro to snatch the Frenchman away from Real Madrid – we should be equally invested in the opportunity present with Calafiori.
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