Pep Guardiola – CaughtOffside

Man City 1-1 Man Utd player ratings: Akanji redemption as Red Devils keep unwanted Community Shield record

CJ — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 16:22:48 +0000

Manchester City won the Community Shield for the first time since 2019 with a 7-6 penalty shootout win over Manchester United following a 1-1 draw at Wembley on Sunday.

Following a slow-burn first half and a host of missed chances after the break — including a big one from Marcus Rashford — substitute Alejandro Garnacho gave United the lead in the 82nd minute following a driving run at the heart of the City defence.

However, that lead would last just seven minutes as fellow sub Bernardo Silva headed home City’s equaliser at the far post to force a shootout.

Bernardo missed City’s first spot-kick, but Pep Guardiola’s men remained perfect from there, with Jadon Sancho and Jonny Evans missing for United.

City have now ended a run of three straight defeats in the Community Shield, while United remain the only side to lose four in a row (1998-2001).

Here are the full player ratings as Manchester City lifted yet another trophy.

Man City vs Man Utd player ratings — Community Shield

Man City (4-3-3)

Ederson – 7/10 – Could do nothing about Garnacho’s goal, wasn’t really tested otherwise. Sent Onana the wrong way in the shootout after denying Sancho.

Rico Lewis – 7/10 – Search ‘Rico Lewis’ on X and you’ll see a lot of divided opinion on his performance here. For the record, he was pretty solid.

Manuel Akanji – 6/10 – Desperately tried to block Garnacho’s shot for the goal but couldn’t make up the ground in time. The goal definitely wasn’t his fault, though. Gained some redemption for his penalty shootout miss against England at Euro 2024 by scoring the winning effort here.

Ruben Dias – 5/10 – Didn’t cover himself in glory on the goal, allowing Garncho to go by him and cause a terrible mix-up with Gvardiol. An excellent penalty in the shootout, however.

Josko Gvardiol – 4/10 – As above.

Mateo Kovacic – 8/10 – Probably Man City’s best player. Moved the ball quickly and tried to drive through the lines, while always looking alert to loose balls. Needed Rodri next to him, in all honesty.

Nico O’Reilly – 6/10 – Didn’t quite get into the game as much as he’d have liked, but O’Reilly will be happy with what was a solid debut.

James McAtee – 8/10 – Misplaced just one of his 30 attempted passes and almost got on the scoresheet, but was desperately unlucky to see his curling effort hit the post.

Oscar Bobb – 8/10 – Direct and electric, always looking to make something happen. Final ball was sometimes dreadful but he got it right to set up Bernardo’s equaliser.

Erling Haaland – 3/10 – No shots, no chances created, no impact. At least he scored in the shootout.

Jeremy Doku – 7/10 – Looked lively with his pace, especially in the first half. Lacking a little with his final ball.

Substitutes

Matheus Nunes (63′, for O’Reilly) – 5/10 – Didn’t get going in the final third and picked up a yellow card. Emphatic with his penalty, which even drew a visible reaction from Guardiola.

Pep Guardiola when he saw that Matheus Nunes penalty pic.twitter.com/pq1zWJVxKL

— CoffeeJezus (@CoffeeJezus) August 10, 2024

Savio (63′, for Doku) – 7/10 – Involved in the build-up to Bernardo’s equaliser and gave City fans promising glimpses on his debut. Sent Onana the wrong way with his penalty.

Bernardo Silva (80′, for McAtee) – 8/10 – With five touches of the ball, birthday boy Bernardo Silva managed to level the match with a header and complete 100% of his passes. Couldn’t follow that up in the shootout, missing City’s first penalty with a tame effort.

Kevin De Bruyne (90′, for Bobb) – 6/10 – Didn’t have time to get involved in normal time, but sent Onana the wrong way in the shootout.

Nathan Ake (90′, for Gvardiol) – N/A – No time to get into the game.

Man Utd (4-2-3-1)

Andre Onana – 5/10 – Had precious little to do until Bernardo’s goal in the final moments, which Onana could do nothing about. Denied Bernardo in the shootout but perhaps focused a little too much on his antics than keeping Man City players out for the rest of the contest.

Diogo Dalot – 8/10 – Put in a huge shift defensively and always looked to push forward in support of the attack. Just about squeezed his penalty beyond Ederson.

Harry Maguire – 7/10 – Clean with the ball and looked solid defensively. Only a couple of difficult moments and hopefully a sign of things to come this season.

Jonny Evans – 7/10 – Made it through the full 90 minutes and proved he can once again be a steady option for Ten Hag when required. Well, that’s as long as they don’t let him take any more penalties. A truly dreadful effort.

Lisandro Martinez – 7/10 – An old-fashioned full-back performance from a player out of position but kept things tight with three tackles, two clearances and 100% success on ground duels. Scored his penalty in style.

Casemiro – 8/10 – Looked like a completely different player to last season after what must have been one hell of a summer break. Made a match-high seven tackles, while also making eight recoveries and seven passes into the final third. At the heart of much of United’s best play. Cold as ice with his penalty.

Kobbie Mainoo – 7/10 – Tidy with the ball and worked hard without it, but his Euro 2024 exertions quickly caught up with him after half-time.

Amad Diallo – 6/10 – Lively around the box but his decision-making let him down. Could have scored in the first half but instead tried squaring it to Mount.

Mason Mount – 6/10 – Showed a few flashes of quality in tight spaces but still some way off being fully sharp.

Marcus Rashford – 5/10 – Missed a glorious chance in the second half, scuffing a left-footed effort inside the box onto the post.

Bruno Fernandes – 8/10 – Had a beautiful goal disallowed for offside before going on to provide the assist for Garnacho’s goal. Carved the Man City defence open a few times with his precision passing. Scored in the shootout.

Substitutes

Scott McTominay (59′, for Mount) – 4/10 – Missed a massive chance to kill the game late on but went with his right foot when the left-footed shot was the easier option. Barely touched the ball otherwise. Good penalty in the shootout.

Alejandro Garnacho (59′, for Diallo) – 9/10 – Like Bernardo for City, Garnacho completely changed the game from the bench and deserved his goal. Made no mistake in the shootout.

Toby Collyer (59′, for Mainoo) – 6/10 – A clean and composed debut.

Facundo Pellistri (59′, for Maguire) – 2/10 – Fell asleep at the far post to allow Bernardo his header for the equaliser.

Jadon Sancho (83′, for Rashford) – 3/10 – Didn’t get into the game and was denied by Ederson in the shootout.

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Multiple Champions League winner turns his nose up at Man City interest

Jason Pettigrove — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 06:36:58 +0000

When Man City come calling invariably they get their man, however, some times having all of the money in the world doesn’t guarantee success in the transfer market.

The reigning Premier League champions have money burning a hole in their collective pockets after the sale of Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid, and with the new season just a week away, it’s clear that Pep Guardiola’s side need a high quality replacement.

Such transfers are often hard to come by, particularly at a competitive price, but the Cityzens clearly knew who they wanted to replace the Argentinian.

Rodrygo turns down Man City

Unfortunately for them, as AS report, Real Madrid’s double Champions League winner, Rodrygo, isn’t interested in leaving the Spanish top-flight champions.

At 23, the Brazilian is one of Los Blancos recent success stories along with the likes of Vini Jr. and Jude Bellingham, and with Kylian Mbappe now being added to the mix, it’s clear that Rodrygo fancies Madrid’s chances of doing some damage domestically and in Europe again next season.

Rodrygo has turned down Man City

Given he’d be likely to have to play second fiddle at City, it’s no real surprise that he’s turned down a move to the Etihad Stadium.

Being handsomely paid often appears secondary to players who just want to be out there on the pitch.

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Take Alvarez as the perfect example. According to Capology, he was earning a whopping £100,000 per week, but that still wasn’t enough to keep him at a club that are going to continue going from strength to strength.

Even the pull of working for Pep Guardiola, arguably the greatest coach of his generation and perhaps the best ever has failed to change Rodrygo’s mind.

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“Won’t be resolved” – Ruling timescale gives West Ham hope over Lucas Paqueta

Jason Pettigrove — Sat, 10 Aug 2024 05:26:56 +0000

For some while now, charges for alleged illegal betting have been hanging over West Ham’s brilliant Brazilian, Lucas Paqueta.

At the point at which news first broke, the exciting forward appeared to be on the verge of a move to Pep Guardiola’s Man City, but as a result of the charges levied against him, that move never materialised.

Despite evident disappointment at not being able to join the serial Premier League winners, Paqueta has continued to be one of the Hammers most important and influential players.

Lucas Paqueta is vital to West Ham’s way of playing

Any worries that he might not be able to start the 2024/25 season with the outstanding charges still hanging over him have been allayed somewhat by former Everton CEO, Keith Wyness.

“There’s no doubt that West Ham were counting on Paqueta as a big sale at some stage,” he said on Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast.

“The unfortunate circumstances that have unfolded mean the value has dropped dramatically. The issue probably won’t be resolved until partway through the season.

West Ham will be hoping to utilise Lucas Paqueta for the majority of the 2024/25 campaign

“It’s a big asset they now can’t sell on. It’s just human nature in football – there will be frailties, there will be successes, and there will be failures.

“West Ham are now seeing the impact of a human frailty.”

Whilst that’s only Wyness’ opinion of course, as an ex-Premier League CEO, he will likely have some knowledge of the way in which things work administratively in such matters.

Paqueta could be vital to Julen Lopetegui during the opening stages of the campaign, and should any charges be heard during the campaign, it’s a fair bet that the player and his legal team will try to appeal them, thus leading to another potential delay.

As a new look West Ham attempt to aim for a finish in the Champions League places, Paqueta’s creativity could be a vital difference.

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Community Shield isn’t about Man United vs Man City rivalry; true meaning needs to be promoted again says Collymore

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 09:54:14 +0000

Saturday afternoon sees the latest Man United vs Man City match up in the FA Community Shield, the traditional curtain raiser to the new season.

It’s a last opportunity for managers to take a reasonably good look at their starting XIs and see if there are still any last-minute tweaks to be made before the big kick-off.

The reality is that all it is, is nothing more or less than a pre-season friendly for whom the profits go to charity, and that meaning has been lost according to Stan Collymore.

Community Shield has lost its meaning

“This weekend sees the return of the Community Shield, a traditional pre-season friendly that I’m a big fan of,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“I do think that it absolutely shouldn’t be counted as a trophy, however.

“I think we need to tell the likes of Pep Guardiola that this isn’t something that he can count as one of his trophy wins. It’s not about Pep vs Klopp or Pep vs ten Hag either, because we’ve already had that narrative on any number of previous occasions.

“It was originally called the Charity Shield, and the money raised from the game was given to good causes. It still is. So we should promote that angle way more than we do currently.

“This year’s partner is MIND, and there’s a whole four or five days leading up to it where players, instead of talking about the inane rivalry of Man United against Manchester City, should be highlighting the charity and the issues they face etc.

“Let’s be perfectly honest, it’s the last meaningless friendly before the big kick-off, so moving forward, let’s get back to what the Community Shield is all about. Charity.”

Some fifty years ago, back in 1974, Liverpool’s Kevin Keegan was poleaxed by a right hook from Leeds United’s Johnny Giles in what was then known as the Charity Shield, but that’s about the most intense thing to have occurred in the fixture.

It’s supposed to be a game in which players can ease themselves through 90 minutes without picking up any injuries.

With supporters seemingly looking for any chance for one-upmanship, it’s seen the Community Shield evidently take on a more ‘competitive’ feel, and that’s completely missing the purpose of the game.

There are so many other opportunities for the clubs that compete in the Community Shield to go at it hammer and tongs too, so as Collymore suggests, perhaps now is the right time to rediscover the true meaning behind this curtain raiser.

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Man City’s most important player “creating excitement” at Spanish giants – Sources

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 08:19:31 +0000

There’s just one week to go before Man City get the chance to defend their Premier League title once more.

It’s a foregone conclusion that Pep Guardiola will once again stop at nothing to ensure that his team are at the races from the first whistle of the first match in 2024/25.

That kind of relentless pursuit of perfection is arguably the key to the Cityzen’s unbelievable success over the past few years.

Man City ace could move to Real Madrid

The Catalan coach is very demanding of his players but also of himself, and if things can be improved even just a tiny bit, they will be.

One player that is instrumental in how Man City play the game is Rodri Hernandez, a pivot in Guardiola’s own image.

Much more physical and stronger than his manager was in his heyday, if Rodri plays well then so do City.

However, trouble could be brewing for the Premier League champions.

Rodri could leave Man City next summer

That’s because the midfielder is on Real Madrid’s list of potential candidates for the future according to CaughtOffside sources, and he has attracted Los Blancos attention with his outstanding performances in recent seasons.

With Toni Kroos leaving Real Madrid, it’s said that Rodri could take on a role at the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2025, joining the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vini Jr. et al.

If Pep Guardiola leaves at the end of the season the exit door will open for Rodri even though his contract with Man City has been extended until June 30, 2027, putting the club in an advantageous position.

Dani Carvajal’s recent mention of Rodri’s possible signing for Los Blancos is also creating excitement in this regard.

Rodri’s future is still uncertain of course, but if Guardiola moves on his transfer to Real Madrid could come closer.

The Spanish giants expect to make another big signing in 2025, but the situation could change should Carlo Ancelotti also leave his managerial post.

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Pep Guardiola impressed enough for Man City ace to be handed new deal

Jason Pettigrove — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 10:44:33 +0000

It’s evident that it takes a lot to impress Man City manager, Pep Guardiola, who seems to demand perfection in every aspect of play from his first-team squad.

A taskmaster himself in the way he prepares for games and structures work across the season, it can’t be said that Pep’s methods don’t work because only Liverpool in 2020 have stopped them winning the Premier League title since 2018.

The one issue, as Julian Alvarez has found out, is that game time is at an absolute premium if you can’t dislodge those players in front of you.

Pep Guardiola very happy with 21-year-old ace

That precise scenario has led to the Argentinian World Cup winner moving on to Atletico Madrid, but his switch to La Liga does free up another place in the first-team squad.

Elsewhere in his selection pool, Guardiola has the likes of James McAtee knocking at the door, and he’s impressed his manager to such an extent that a new contract will be forthcoming.

?? Manchester City are expected to offer new deal to James McAtee after his excellent performances in pre-season.

Talks to follow to bring him in line with other first team players, as Pep Guardiola's very happy with McAtee. pic.twitter.com/bz7DNiOkMc

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 7, 2024

According to CaughtOffside columnist and transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, his excellent pre-season performances are what has helped secure him a new deal.

At only 21 years of age too, McAtee clearly has a bright future in the game ahead of him, and his challenge at this point is likely to be whether he can push his colleagues in the first-team hard enough so as to give Guardiola a real selection headache.

In raising the level of the squad, that can only be a positive for Guardiola and City as a whole, and certainly at this point they remain the team to beat domestically.

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Exclusive: Fabrizio Romano on how Man City could replace star who’s edging closer to transfer exit

Mark Brus — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 08:09:45 +0000

Transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano has provided some insight into how Manchester City could look to replace Julian Alvarez as he edges closer to completing his move to Atletico Madrid.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for the latest edition of his Daily Briefing column, Romano suggested that Man City could try targeting a different kind of player to fill the void left by Alvarez, who had been Erling Haaland’s backup at the Etihad Stadium.

The Argentina international has struggled for regular playing time at City, so his departure makes sense, but he’s also proven a useful rotation option, so Romano has made it clear that internal talks will take place to decide on what kind of attacking player could be brought in to fill that role, albeit in a slightly different way.

It may be that MCFC will look for a player more like a winger or a false 9 to give Pep Guardiola’s side something a bit different if Haaland isn’t playing, and that seems like a smart move that could also mean the club have alternatives to the likes of Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku as well.

Julian Alvarez is set to move to Atletico Madrid

Alvarez transfer: How could Man City replace the Argentine?

“We’ve had significant developments on a few major deals in a crazy domino around Europe and the first of those is the ‘here we go’ for Julian Alvarez to move from Manchester City to Atletico Madrid. It’s a record sale for Man City – a €75m guaranteed fee plus €20m in add-ons,” Romano said.

“So that could be a potential €95m sale for a player Man City signed for just £14m a couple of years ago – an incredible piece of business for the Premier League champions. Of course it’s also an exciting signing for Atletico Madrid, who are landing a top talent up front, so it’s fantastic for both clubs.

World class ace offered to Man City as Julian Alvarez replacement

Jason Pettigrove — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 09:54:30 +0000

The transfer merry-go-round is starting to turn apace with some big deals on the verge of being concluded.

Though there’s still a few weeks left of the summer window, the fact that the big European leagues kick off before then means that clubs appear to be bedding down their squads as soon as practicable rather than leaving it until the last minute.

???? Manchester City confirmed to Atlético Madrid that their final proposal for Julián Álvarez worth €75m plus €20m add-ons has been accepted.

Negotiations ongoing on player side. ??

Man City to authorize Julián for medical in Spain as soon as personal terms are agreed. pic.twitter.com/waBhyYU2no

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 6, 2024

As CaughtOffside columnist and transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, advanced on Tuesday morning, Atletico Madrid and Man City have now agreed a deal for Julian Alvarez to move to the Rojiblancos.

It’s evidently a move that suits all parties, given the size of the reported transfer fee.

Once the deal has been rubber stamped and the Argentinian has put pen to paper with Atleti, Man City can then bring in a replacement.

It would be no surprise to find out that they’re already doing the groundwork for the same and could soon follow Alvarez’s departure announcement with one for a new attacker.

Joao Felix offered to Man City

According to the Daily Mail, Atleti actually offered them Joao Felix in order to help smooth negotiations.

The Portuguese, who spent last season on loan at Barcelona, is believed to be persona non grata at Atleti, and in that sense, they were always going to try and include him in the deal for Alvarez.

There’s no mention of Felix in Romano’s most recent update, however, so that would suggest that the Cityzens are not interested in taking things further – at least not as part of the Alvarez deal.

Joao Felix does remain something of an enigma, but he still showed flashes of his brilliance whilst with the Catalan giants.

If Atleti are desperate to get rid of him and there’s a deal to be done, City could do a lot worse.

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Bid accepted: Atletico Madrid to pay Man City astronomical amount for Julian Alvarez

Jason Pettigrove — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 09:06:05 +0000

There have been major developments in the Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid story, after it was revealed on Tuesday morning that Man City had accepted a bid for the player.

Despite Pep Guardiola appearing to publicly suggest that he was waiting for the Argentinian to return from the Olympics, it would now seem that the Catalan knew all along that a deal for Alvarez was getting closer to being concluded.

Man City and Atletico Madrid agree a deal for Julian Alvarez

As so often happens, statements are made or are deliberately evasive to throw media off the scent when a big deal is being talked about.

Despite largely playing second fiddle to Erling Haaland at City, he has still commanded an astronomical fee.

???? Manchester City confirmed to Atlético Madrid that their final proposal for Julián Álvarez worth €75m plus €20m add-ons has been accepted.

Negotiations ongoing on player side. ??

Man City to authorize Julián for medical in Spain as soon as personal terms are agreed. pic.twitter.com/waBhyYU2no

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 6, 2024

According to CaughtOffside columnist and transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, City have now accepted Atletico Madrid’s bid of €75m plus €20m in add-ons which, if Alvarez hits all of the targets, will mean the Rojiblancos coughing up a cool €95m.

It’s evident that the player’s will to seek pastures new will have to have played a part in City’s thinking, though for them to have stood firm on what’s an incredible transfer fee for a player that’s only played 90 minutes for his club on six occasions in 2024 (WhoScored), that’s great business.

Personal terms will now need to be agreed between Alvarez himself and Atleti, and once that has been sorted, a medical will be the final stage before the move is complete.

It will be a real coup for Diego Simeone to land his countryman, who should be a more than able replacement for the likes of Memphis Depay and Alvaro Morata, both who moved on earlier in the summer.

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Atletico Madrid’s very tempting offer to Man City for Julian Alvarez

Jason Pettigrove — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 07:37:02 +0000

Ever since Julian Alvarez allowed leaks to media outlets that he wasn’t particularly happy at the amount of time Pep Guardiola was giving him on the pitch at Man City, there was an inevitability that he would leave the current Premier League champions.

It’s almost an affront to one of the most successful club sides in Europe that anyone would want to jump ship, but when you’ve got Erling Haaland in front of you, there’s not too many chances that will be available to showcase your talent.

Alvarez has found that only when the Norwegian is injured does he then become a first choice for Guardiola and it seems as if he’s simply had enough.

Atleti closing in on Julian Alvarez

WhoScored detail that he actually made 49 appearances for the Cityzens in all competitions last season, but only six of those in 2024 were for 90 minutes.

As a player that’s won virtually everything available to him in the game already, it’s clear that his talents deserve a wide audience, and reported long-term interest from Atletico Madrid now appears likely to have paid off.

?? Atlético Madrid are closing in on Julián Álvarez deal!

? Atléti offer more than €75m for Julián to City, working to get it done today.

? Chelsea are closing in on Samu Omorodion deal for £35m with Atléti.

? Conor Gallagher, set to travel to Madrid today.

Domino ?? pic.twitter.com/nH9GzaqRa2

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 6, 2024

According to CaughtOffside columnist and transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, the Rojiblancos are closing in on the Argentinian after lodging a bid of more than €75m for his services.

A domino effect which also includes moves for Conor Gallagher to the club and for Samu Omorodion to Chelsea would all appear to be taking place at the same time.

Although there’s clearly work to do to get the deal over the line, that’s a very tempting offer from the Spanish top-flight side as they look to replace the likes of Memphis Depay and Alvaro Morata.

From the player’s point of view, it will give him the importance he requires and if the service to him is good, there’s no reason why Julian Alvarez can’t become a huge success for Diego Simeone.

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