StadiumPosts Logo
Stay upto date with notifications from Stadiumposts
Notifications can be managed in browser preferences

MAN CITY VS. NEWCASTLE: PEP GUARDIOLA CALLS IT A 'MUST-WIN'

Pep Guardiola plays down Man City's title talk despite the chance to go one point behind Arsenal with a win at Newcastle. He warns, "nothing is decided in November" as the busy schedule begins.

Man City vs. Newcastle: Pep Guardiola Calls It A 'Must-Win'
Guardiola Focuses On Tough Newcastle Clash

This Saturday, the Manchester City team will try to pass Arsenal to be the best team in the Premier League; winning against Newcastle might make them only one point behind.

Even though they might be able to move up, the team's leader, Pep Guardiola, really thinks it's too early to start thinking about winning the title.

City will get a chance to put some stress on the other team when they play at Newcastle's field, because Arsenal, who are in first place right now, won't play until they play Tottenham on Sunday.

The current champions have done really well against Newcastle in the past, winning 28 of the last 35 games they played, while only losing one.

Guardiola has been trying to keep people from getting too excited about how the points add up after his team won against Liverpool by a score of 3-0 when the international break started; many people thought this win was very important in the fight for the title.

Guardiola mentioned that we're only in November, and in this league, nothing is decided for sure in November.

He added that we should wait and see what happens around February or March. However, the season has now started, with the first part beginning in the summer when teams can buy and sell players. Then, it starts again when the international break ends.

He continued, noting that they will be playing games every three days until March, so the real season has now begun. He emphasised that it's really important to be in a good position and have the chance to compete at the end of the season. For them, he said, winning in Newcastle would be a big deal.

Star player Erling Haaland has scored 99 Premier League goals in just 108 games since he joined City in 2022, going into Saturday's game.

On the former England captain's home field, Haaland is close to beating Alan Shearer's record for the fastest player to score 100 goals, which is currently 124 games.

After scoring 16 goals in eight games, Haaland continued his great performance during the international break, scoring four more goals and helping Norway get into their first World Cup since 1998.

Guardiola stated that Haaland is doing great this season and is breaking all kinds of records, including those for Norway, the Premier League, and his own personal records. He stated that he and his national team have his respect.

He noticed that a lot of the players on Norway's team weren't even born when the country last played in the World Cup. He deserves to play in a World Cup and have that experience as a really good player. Guardiola is very happy for him.

Rodri, who plays in the middle for Spain, will still not be playing this weekend as he is still getting back in shape after a recent problem.

Since being taken out of the game against Brentford on October 5, the only time he has played is when he came in for a short time as a substitute against Bournemouth earlier this month.

Guardiola confirmed that Rodri is improving. He noted that the last time Rodri had a setback was almost three weeks ago. He knows that to stay healthy from now until the end, he needs to take the necessary time to get better both physically and mentally from his problems.

PEP GUARDIOLA EYES EMERGENCY MARC GUEHI DEAL TO SAVE CITY’S SEASON

Manchester City target Marc Guehi after Gvardiol and Dias injuries. Can the Palace captain save Pep's title charge? Latest updates.

top-news
Manchester City Target Marc Guehi Now

Manchester City is thinking about trying to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace this month.

After Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias got hurt on Sunday, City called Max Alleyne back from his loan at Watford.

Guehi is someone they're interested in for the summer, and they're going to look into what it would take to get him now.

Liverpool is still interested, but they were planning to wait until summer, which is what Palace wanted too.

But if City makes an offer now, Palace could cash in on their captain.

With their injuries piling up, Manchester City might try to sign Marc Guehi right away.

Guehi is expected to leave Palace in the summer, and City wants to be in the running for the England player.

They think they can beat other teams to Guehi if they make a strong offer now. They believe the added cost would be worth it if he helps them win the Premier League title.

City is six points behind Arsenal after Enzo Fernández's late goal tied their game against Chelsea 1-1 on Sunday.

Guardiola said on Sunday that he's worried about the injuries. "Of course I have concerns," he said. Did you see our bench today? Four academy players, and now we'll have even more. We don't have enough players.

He added, We have a lot of injuries. John Stones will be out for months. Ruben is out now, and Josko too. We know Nathan can't play all the time. That's just how it is.

We'll stay strong and figure things out. We have the spirit, and it'll stay that way.

About Gvardiol, Guardiola said, We'll see tomorrow [Monday], but it doesn't look good. He and Ruben—we'll see what happens. I haven't talked to the doctor, but if Ruben is out, it's because he felt something.

MANCHESTER CITY DEFENSIVE CRISIS DEEPENS AS RUBEN DIAS AND JOSKO GVARDIOL SUFFER MAJOR INJURIES

Pep Guardiola admits injuries to Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol "don't look good." Get the full Man City injury report here.

top-news
Dias and Gvardiol Set for Assessments Following Second-Half Injury Blows.

Manchester City are holding their breath over two defenders after a rough draw with Chelsea.

Enzo Fernandez broke City hearts with a last-gasp equaliser at the Etihad, leaving the score locked at 1-1. City, chasing the title, now sits six points behind Arsenal. To make things worse, they lost Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias to injuries in the second half. Both were set for assessment on Monday, but Pep Guardiola didn’t sound hopeful. He admitted things “don’t look good,” and it seems likely both players will spend some time on the sidelines.

That’s a real headache for Guardiola, whose defensive options are evaporating. John Stones hasn’t played in a month because of a thigh injury, and Rayan Ait-Nouri is still away at the Africa Cup of Nations. The injury list doesn’t stop there—Nico Gonzalez missed the Chelsea match with a knock, and Guardiola also has to manage without Savinho, Oscar Bobb, Mateo Kovacic, and Omar Marmoush for the upcoming game against Brighton.

At least there was one bright spot: Rodri made a successful return, playing the full 90 minutes in his first start since October. The midfielder has had a tough run, battling a hamstring problem on top of a serious knee injury that sidelined him for most of last season.

“It’s been a terrible, terrible time for me,” Rodri admitted. “Right now, every minute I get to play feels like a gift. I’m just happy to be out there again. Thank God for giving me this second chance so I can enjoy my job and find my smile again.”

Rodri looked especially sharp in the first half, setting up a chance for Erling Haaland—the striker hit the post—and playing a role in Tijjani Reijnders’ opening goal.

City dominated much of the game but just couldn’t find a way through Chelsea’s stubborn defence for a second goal.

Chelsea’s week was chaotic, too, after losing manager Enzo Maresca on New Year’s Day. With Under-21 boss Calum McFarlane in temporary charge, they managed to dig deep and fight back. Fernandez grabbed the equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time, finishing from close range after his first shot was blocked and then stopped by Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Rodri summed things up: “In winter, we know what these games are like and how many players we’re missing, but this is just how it is. No excuses. We have to get through these patches, keep our heads up, and focus on the next one.”

Premier League Standings

WhatsApp Read More News