Jose Mourinho calls him "a specialist in failure" - but Arsene Wenger is the "commander-in-chief" for Pep Guardiola .
Netflix
fan Guardiola picked up the term from US TV series 'House of Cards' and
it underlines his huge respect for the Arsenal boss - in stark contrast
to Mourinho's attitude towards him. Wenger
must feel like a soulmate for Guardiola as he struggles to preach the
gospel of passing football in the land of the long ball.
"He's the commander-in-chief because he's the boss, no?" said the City coach.
Pep a big fan of Frank Underwood of House of Cards
"I saw many Netflix series and that's why. Commander-in-chief and colonel, I use a lot." Unsurprisingly, Guardiola is a huge fan of Wenger's style of play ahead of tomorrow's showdown at the Etihad.
"I like it, yes, He's been here a long
time. When that happens at a club such as Arsenal, it's because a
person is doing a good job.
"I understand it's not easy to win
the Premier League, but I have a lot of respect about his career. I've
said many times that I admire the way he tries to play and especially
the quality of the players they like and they buy. I like a lot."
Yet
Wenger still hasn't won the Premier League since 2004 - a fact Mourinho
never tires of mentioning - and Guardiola knocked him out of the
Champions League three times with Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Wenger is accused of refusing to adapt his philosophy to the
physicality of the Premier League, which is also levelled at the purist
Guardiola.
Guardiola is irked by this charge and insists he understands the need to adapt to English football's long-ball style.
"I am pragmatic,I'm so pragmatic. Look at my past, I'm so pragmatic.
"I'm here because I won. I want to win. I'm so pragmatic, guys. Concede few goals and score more goals.
"I have to learn about the players, know the players, but to build something you need time."
Guardiola has not been helped by injuries and suspensions and he
confirmed Ilkay Gundogan needs surgery on his season-ending anterior
cruciate ligaments injury.
Gundogan is expected to be operated
on by Guardiola's favourite surgeon Dr Ramon Cugat in Barcelona and the
City boss feels for the Germany midfielder.
"It's so sad for him, We're going to miss him a lot, but he will be operated on by the best." Guardiola said.
A resurgent Victor Moses under new boss Antonio Conte has been voted the Premier League PFA Fans’ Player of the Month for November by a clear margin over fellow nominees Sergio Aguero, Matt Phillips, Victor Anichebe, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Nordin Amrobat.
The award represents a second in succession for Chelsea players with Eden Hazard winning in October. Chelsea are top of the Premier League by 1 point from Liverpool and Man City after matchweek 13.
Victor Moses found himself in the wilderness as a Chelsea player and hadn’t played for his parent club in three years but finds himself as a key player under Antonio Conte. After impressing the new boss in pre-season the winger was reinvented in Conte’s all conquering 3-4-3 as a wing-back, and the rest is history.
Moses has been ever-present as Chelsea has forged a seven-game winning streak that makes you wonder why he has been overlooked for so long.
The Nigeria international joined Chelsea in 2012 for £9m from Wigan but he has enjoyed mixed fortunes until this season with Jose Mourinho not of the same opinion as his predecessors as to the qualities of the winger.
The 25-year-old capped off a sensational performance by scoring the winning goal in the London derby with Spurs, ending their unbeaten run in the Premier League and keeping Chelsea top of the table.
Anthony Martial and Zlatan Ibrahimovic both scored twice to help Manchester United secure an EFL Cup semi-final spot as Jose Mourinho served a touchline ban in Wednesday’s 4-1 win over West Ham at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese was absent from the dugout following his dismissal in Sunday’s 1-1 draw against the same opponents, having kicked a drinks bottle in frustration when Paul Pogba was booked for diving.
United were behind inside two minutes in that game, but the roles were reversed this time as Zlatan Ibrahimovic swiftly put the hosts ahead.
It was a lead they should have built on, with Ibrahimovic again coming close before Wayne Rooney tested Adrian with a curling free-kick.
Zinedine Zidane’s son Enzo scored on his Real Madrid debut and Mariano netted a hat-trick as the European champions prepared for El Clasico with a 6-1 win over Cultural Leonesa in the Copa del Rey.
Having won the away leg of this last-32 tie 7-1 a month ago, and with a trip to face Barcelona at Camp Nou just three days away, Wednesday’s meeting against third-tier opposition at the Santiago Bernabeu was little more than a warm-up for Madrid as they sealed a 13-2 aggregate success.
Zidane made eight changes from last weekend’s 2-1 win over Sporting Gijon, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Luka Modric all rested.
In their absence, striker Mariano – making his maiden start – took his chance to impress by scoring the first of his goals after just 23 seconds, his first-half double coming either side of James Rodriguez’s header.
It took just 13 minutes for the visitors to take the lead at the Emirates Stadium and the Gunners had no reply after Ryan Bertrand’s goal late in the first half
Arsenal failed to progress beyond the EFL Cup quarter-finals for the sixth season in a row as Southampton beat them to a semi-final spot with a 2-0 win at Emirates Stadium.
First-half goals from Jordy Clasie and Ryan Bertrand did the damage for Southampton, who had lost 2-1 on this ground earlier this season in the Premier League.
The League Cup remains the only domestic honour Arsene Wenger has never won with Arsenal, but there was little sign of an appetite to change that on Wednesday.
Wenger made 10 changes to his side and even the Frenchman’s attire – tracksuit bottoms poking under his traditional long coat, rather than a suit – suggested this was not a highlight in the Gunners’ schedule.
The Akwa Ibom State Government has asked Brazil legend, Pele, to refund a $300,000 appearance fee.
Pele was paid the amount, to grace the opening of the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo two years ago.
The 30,000-capacity stadium, hosted Nigeria’s 2018 World Cup qualifier against Algeria last weekend and was declared open by former president Goodluck Jonathan in November 2014.
Pele failed to attend the inauguration, because there was a shift in dates for the opening of ‘The Nest of Champions’.
This has led to the state goverment demanding he pays back the money.
“The Akwa Ibom Government want their cash back, but so far all their efforts have proved abortive,” a source told AfricanFootball.
“They want all the $300,000, but some experts in the business have advised they should angle for a part of this sum.
“Pele’s people have continued to insist they were not the ones who breached the agreement and so they could not be liable.
“And that by the time a new date for the opening of the stadium was fixed, their client was committed to another engagement.”
It was a thrilling, breathless night, full of everything that football should be, and when it was all done Manchester City could reflect on the kind of result they have desperately craved since the bags of gold came in from Abu Dhabi and the story of this club changed forever. They had not only beaten Barcelona for the first time but they had done it the hard way, coming from behind, and they have spent so long waiting for this form of affirmation it automatically takes its place as the most gratifying win in the Champions League to date.
Any victory against a side featuring Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez has to be cherished but perhaps the most jubilant aspect for Pep Guardiola’s team is what it showed about their competitive courage and the change in mentality compared to City’s previous attempts to overcome perhaps the most beautifully constructed club side there has ever been.
Daniel Sturridge struck a brace for Liverpool to down Tottenham 2-1 in their EFL Cup fourth round tie on Tuesday.
The striker opened the scoring early at Anfield after Jurgen Klopp’s men ruthlessly exploited Georges-Kevin Nkoudou Mbida’sa mistake, with Marko Grujic finding Sturridge to turn home.
Georginio Wijnaldum then put the England striker through on goal right after the hour mark and the 27-year-old made no mistake with his finish, cooly slotting past the onrushing Michel Vorm.
Liverpool were forced to endure a nervy end to the evening, however, as Vincent Janssen pulled one back for Tottenham with his penalty after Lucas Leiva fouled Erik Lamela in the area.
Manchester United and José Mourinho are not getting any respite from the papers today. Humbled and humiliated at Stamford bridge, José Mourinho has been renamed ‘The humiliated one’.
You won’t love the papers this morning today if you’re a Red and Access Bank has joined the banter party.
The bank took a hilarious swipe at United’s expensive squad while advertising its ‘pay with capture’ feature.
United signed Paul Pogba for a world record fee in the summers alongside other pricey recruits such as Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mhiktryan.
The Portuguese boss has confirmed he was sacked by the Blues in December 2015, despite the club insisting he left by mutual consent
Jose Mourinho bears no grudges to anyone at Chelsea despite confirming he was sacked in December 2015 and did not leave by mutual consent.
Mourinho was shown the door seven months after leading the west London club to the title, after Chelsea opened their defence at the start of the 2015-16 season with nine defeats in their first 16 games.
At the time the club statement claimed the Portuguese had left by mutual consent but Mourinho, who returns to Stamford Bridge for the first time since with Manchester United on Sunday, was adamant he was dismissed by owner Roman Abramovich.
“Mr Abramovich decided to sack me,” He told Sky Sports. “It was not mutual consent. But I left without a bad word about anything or anyone at the club.
“That was in my first period at Chelsea when I agreed it was time to change.
“I was keen to change, more than ready to go to other countries but this time it was not like that.
“It was a decision by the owner and I was informed of that decision. I accepted it in a polite way and we signed the papers. I did it in a calm, respectful way.”
Mourinho continued to live in London before he was named United boss in May.
“I waited for what I preferred, which was to stay in England, in the Premier League and I was lucky to have a big club like Manchester United,” he added.
“It took a couple of days [to get over it] and then it was finished and I started my life in a common way.
“I was still in London, I kept a house there, I was walking in the street, going to the gym, watching football…”
Mourinho, who guided Chelsea to two Premier League titles in his first spell in charge, believes the sack is a part of modern management.
“It’s not nice for me or anyone but that’s life, I took it in a positive way,” he said.
“To be sacked is [part of] football, many of the best managers in the history of football have had their moment to be sacked.
“Of course there are exceptions but normally, and especially in modern football, you are in a position where it can happen to anyone.
“If it was a club where I gave nothing it would be more difficult. When I leave the club that in two different periods I gave titles and, to the fans, some of the best moments that a club’s supporters can have, then I leave with a feeling of ‘I did my job’.”
Mourinho claimed the fans wanted him to stay before the axe fell.
“I don’t think they wanted it but, even if they did, they cannot remove me from Chelsea history,” he said.
“I am in their history and they belong to my history too, so there is no reason for bad feelings.”
Claudio Bravo endured a nightmare return to Camp Nou as he was sent off during Manchester City’s 4-0 Champions League defeat to Barcelona, with marvellous Lionel Messi supplying a hat-trick.
Mesut Ozil was devastating in front of goal scoring his first career hat-trick as Arsenal surged to an easy 6-0 win over Ludogorets in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Alexis Sanchez had opened the floodgates in the 12th minute before Walcott doubled their lead before half time.
The avalanche of goals continued after the break as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain immediately got in on the scoring, before Ozil capped off a fine win with three cool finishes.
Marten Stekelenburg saved two penalties for Everton as his side escaped with a point against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Kevin de Bruyne was the first to miss in the opening period, seeing the Dutch goalkeeper push his effort away, and Sergio Aguero saw the same outcome in the second half.
Despite dominating possession, City went behind as Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring with a cool finish.
Nolito headed in for the hosts from David Silva’s inch-perfect cross, but De Bruyne had a drive brilliantly saved by Stekelenburg, as City failed to find the winner.
Arsenal triumphed 3-2 against Swansea City in an amazing game at the Emirates Stadium on saturday.
A Theo Walcott double gave the Gunners a seemingly comfortable 2-0 lead, only for Gylfi Sigurdsson to hit back and give Bob Bradley’s men hope of a comeback.
Mesut Ozil then restored Arsenal’s two-goal lead, but Borja Baston set the hosts’ nerves jangling when he turned home in the 66th minute, though Swansea were unable to capitalise on their comeback and were eventually beaten.
Diego Costa and Eden Hazard both got on the scoresheet as Chelsea secured a 3-0 win over Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday.
Costa opened the scoring after just seven minutes as he tapped home from close range when found unmarked from a corner.
The Blues soon doubled their advantage as Hazard profited from some woeful defending from Leicester before slotting past Kasper Schmeichel.
And Victor Moses played a delightful one-two with Nathaniel Chalobah late on before finding the back of the net to wrap up the three points for Antonio Conte’s men.
Nigeria cruised past Zambia 2-1 at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium thanks to first half goals from Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho to give coach Gernot Rohr a winning start in the 2018 World Cup qualifying series.
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