GUARDIOLA DELIVERS VERDICT: STONES REMAINS CITY’S DEFENSIVE GEM
Pep Guardiola praises John Stones' England form and addresses his Man City contract. The manager also joked about how to stop the "exceptional" Erling Haaland, who has 21 goals in 12 games this season.
John Stones' strong performance for England during the international break pleased Pep Guardiola.
The City supporter performed at his effortless best for Thomas Tuchel's team in games against Wales and Latvia.
At his news conference on Friday, Guardiola was asked if he was delighted with his defender's recent development. He responded, "I am thrilled he is back, and there are no worries about his quality."
"I am glad he is representing his nation."
The manager was also questioned regarding Stone's present contract status.
One of our longest-serving players, Stones, is only 31 years old and in his eighth season at the Etihad.
Pep, however, refused to answer the question.
"Ask me nothing about that," he said.
"We will observe John's performance, and the club will choose what is best for him."
John is in the starting lineup when healthy, but his consistency in games has been lacking.
"We must wait to find out."
Guardiola was also questioned about how, if he were the opposing manager, he would stop Erling Haaland.
With 21 goals in just 12 club and national games this season, the Norwegian has been in unstoppable form.
[How can I prevent him?] "Four central defenders!" Pep grinned.
When he was at Dortmund, I had the pleasure of facing him. Hopefully, I will not have to deal with him ever again!
He is a very good player. He is one of the four or six players in world football who are truly exceptional and have an impact, and I am very happy for him.
Players took advantage of the opportunity to make a claim when others were sidelined due to injury, and Guardiola was also questioned about the squad's completeness.
He stated, "That is the objective; they have to compete."
"Jeremy did not play against Brentford, but he was amazing this season."
They have to compete and make a decision at the end of the day.
"All right, I have to improve or find an excuse. They want to compete in the end, and while everyone has different players, priorities, and issues, winning games is the ultimate goal.
"Do not worry; you will play if you score three goals, but you cannot get better if you have excuses.
"We do not whine about this and that, which is excellent because they have to compete with each other, and you see them playing well—they are not foolish."
HOW PEP GUARDIOLA’S ROTATION IS SABOTAGING PHIL FODEN’S 2026 WORLD CUP DREAMS
Thomas Tuchel admits Phil Foden is "struggling" and offers no guarantee for a World Cup spot after poor England form.
Phil Foden just hasn’t found his groove with the England squad lately. After friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, manager Thomas Tuchel pointed out that Foden isn’t in top shape, and it might cost him a World Cup spot.
Even at Manchester City, Foden’s spot in the starting lineup isn’t a sure thing anymore. Still, Tuchel picked him for the internationals and put him in the starting eleven both times. Instructions first, behind Doand's instructions, and Dominic Solanke for the Uruguay match, then behind Morgan Rogers when they faced Japan. But neither game saw Foden really come alive for England.
Tuchel didn’t hide his disappointment. “He tried everything,” he said. “He was outstanding in training, but once the game started, he just couldn’t bring that same energy to the pitch.”
Tuchel also mentioned that Foden just hasn’t been getting enough minutes at City. Even so, he arrived at the training camp in good spirits and looked sharp during the sessions. “I honestly thought he’d bring that spark into the games. But he’s struggling to show what he’s capable of.”
When reporters asked if he’d really take a player who isn’t playing much for his club, isn’t in form, and hasn’t been making an impact for England, Tuchel was upfront: “Yeah, I can take him. The question is whether we actually will. There’s no guarantee he’ll make the squad.”
Now, Foden has about two months to turn things around before Tuchel names England’s World Cup squad. “I’m always learning,” Tuchel said. “Every training session, I see how the team fits, how the players respond to times applied and instructions, how quickly they catch on. Instructions were followed time and time again, and then applied during matches.”
Everything’s still up for grabs. The priority now is for the players to finish strong with their clubs, then come back ready for England training camp. That’s when Tuchel and his team will make the final calls.
DISCOVER THE REGISTRATION RULE THAT BARRED MARC GUEHI FROM MAN CITY’S FINAL
Pep Guardiola criticises EFL rules after Marc Guehi is barred from the Carabao Cup final win over Arsenal.
Marc Guehi was bursting with pride watching his Manchester City teammates receive their Carabao Cup winners’ medals. Even though he couldn’t grab one for himself, he cheered them on.
The 25-year-old missed out at Wembley in City’s 2-0 win over Arsenal. It wasn’t because he was cup-tied, even though he’d played in this competition earlier in the season for Crystal Palace before joining City in January. If that was the rule, Antoine Semenyo, who also arrived in January, would have sat out too. But that wasn’t it. Guehi simply wasn’t registered with City before the first leg of their semi-final against Newcastle, so he wasn’t allowed to play.
Semenyo got lucky. The city signed and registered him in time, so he was eligible for the showdown with Newcastle and beyond.
So, Guehi had to watch the final from the sidelines while City chased their ninth League Cup success. You could tell from his social media that he was heartbroken not to be out there. He posted a slow-mo video of the team lifting the cup at Wembley and wrote, “What a team and performance. So proud of the boys.”
Before the final, Pep Guardiola didn’t hide his irritation about Guehi’s absence. At his press conference, he said, “Hopefully we can convince the Carabao Cup (EFL) that Marc can play the final. I don’t understand why he can’t. Maybe we should write a letter. You buy a player for a lot of money, and he can’t play because of a rule I don’t get. Hopefully, they will change it. It’s hard to understand.”
So City relied on Abdukodir Khusanov and Nathan Ake at the back. Both the Uzbek and Dutch defenders were rock solid against Arsenal.
Nico O’Reilly stole the show with a pair of fantastic goals, charging forward from left-back. After the win, Guardiola was glowing: “For James [Trafford] it was his first final. Khusanov’s only been here one year; Nico O’Reilly has impressed me in his first full season, and Antoine [Semenyo] played his first final. Lots of players are having a good first taste – that’s what we need. Shows us we can do it.
“We’re much better than last season, but not quite the team we want to be yet. That takes time. Hopefully by next season or the end of this one we’ll get there.”
