Guardiola

MORE than a few eyebrows were raised at the Emirates when Arsenal’s starting line-up was announced.

In particular the midfield three of Mikel Merino, Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi.

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It was a defensive-minded decision by Arteta to put pressure on City’s Rodri and limit his influence from deep while keeping things tight until he found the courage to fling on his attacking game-changers at the right moment.

It backfired massively.

Those who criticised Arteta for playing not to lose instead of going for the win at Liverpool last month – eventually losing 1-0 – have even more fuel to chuck on the now-blazing fire.

He had a fully-fit Eze on the bench, and yet kept the handbrake on with a safety-first approach. The question remains: does Arteta have the bravery to win a league title?

The sort of midfield that would have been Jose Mourinho-approved, but one that Arteta must NEVER start again in a title-defining game again if Arsenal are to compete for the Prem.

Can you imagine Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola or even Arne Slot doing the same? No chance.

That trio had no pace, no drive, no attacking intent – and Arsenal have no hope of glory come May should they combine from the off again.

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MARTINELLI MORE THAN JUST A ‘FINISHER’

MIKEL Arteta made it clear after Arsenal’s Champions League opener just how much it pains him to leave Gabriel Martinelli on the bench.

The Brazilian came on away at Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday night and after 36 seconds he netted before creating another for Leandro Trossard.

It was not enough for Arteta to reward Martinelli with a first start for nearly a month against Manchester City, revealing that he prefers to call his subs “finishers” to give them more meaning and motivation.

But after yet another late goal to snatch points, there is now a dilemma for Arteta: continue using him as a super-sub – or super-finisher – or recall him to that left-winger spot.

Martinelli would admit himself that he has not been in good form over the last 18 months with just 18 goals in all competitions over the past two seasons.

But he is certainly knocking on the door. Is this the start of his North London renaissance?

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EZE SHINING IN GOOD COMPANY

WITH England boss Thomas Tuchel watching on, Eberechi Eze proved why he is so special and belongs on the biggest of stages.

Eze would have been more than frustrated to be left on the bench for this one, desperate to build some momentum in an Arsenal shirt with next summer’s World Cup looming.

But boy did he deliver when he was thrown on at half-time with Mikel Arteta desperate for some magic after playing it safe for the first 45 minutes.

His beautifully-crafted long ball over the top to put in Gabriel Martinelli for a late, late equaliser is exactly why Arteta snatched him from Crystal Palace, lured from the grasps of rivals Tottenham at the last minute.

Once again for large parts, the Gunners struggled to break down a low block, just like they did last season, but Eze is the player with the key to unlock the most stubborn of defences – if he is given the chance.

It cannot be clearer now – Arteta must start Eze as much as possible between now and the end of the campaign if Arsenal are going to claw the Prem title away from Liverpool.

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PEP GUARDIOLA bizarrely KISSED fourth official Craig Pawson during Manchester City’s game with Arsenal.

City were leading 1-0 thanks to Erling Haaland’s ninth-minute opener at the Emirates.

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And Guardiola’s men looked to be heading for the three points as the game entered the final stages.

Maybe City’s legendary manager was feeling too jubilant too early as he grabbed Pawson by the cheek and tried to give him a smooch on the cheek.

Pawson managed to just about swerve the peck but fans were still left absolutely baffled by Guardiola’s moment of madness.

One said: “Have I just seen Pep kiss the ref??”

Another added: “WHAT’S BLUD DOING!”

One asked: “Pep trying to kiss ref??”

Another said: “Did Guardiola just kiss the fourth official?”

Ironically, it was City who kissed their lead goodbye after Gabriel Martinelli levelled the game in injury time.

MORE TO FOLLOW

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has suffered an injury setback and is unlikely to be “really fit” until after the September international break, says manager Pep Guardiola.

The Spain international spent most of the 2024-25 season sidelined as a result of suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury last September.

The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner returned to action when he came on as a late substitute in City’s penultimate Premier League game of last season against Bournemouth.

The 29-year-old was also part of Guardiola’s squad at the Club World Cup in the United States during in the summer when City went out at the last-16 stage to Al-Hilal.

Rodri came on as a second-half substitute against the Saudi Arabian side but went off early in extra time with what is thought to have been a groin issue.

“Rodri is getting better but he had a big injury in the last game against Al-Hilal,” said Guardiola.

“He has trained better in the last few days. Hopefully after the international break, he will be really fit.”

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said on Monday it has been “impossible” to organise normal training sessions amid a “code red” severe heat warning in Philadelphia.

A heat wave across eastern North America has seen people hospitalised with heat-related illnesses and weather warnings covering an area affecting 160m people.

Heat concerns have been raised by other managers at the Club World Cup, while campaign group Fossil Free Football has warned of players being put at risk by competing in such conditions.

Governing body Fifa has said “the health of everyone involved in football” is its “top priority”, with its medical experts in regular contact with the clubs taking part.

Additional cooling breaks have been introduced in games.

Both City and Juventus have already qualified for the last-16 stage of the competition with two victories apiece, but the Serie A side sit top by virtue of one more goal scored.

Their finishing positions in Group G will be important heading into the knockout stages as one of the sides will next come up against La Liga giants Real Madrid.

After the opening game win over Wydad AC, Guardiola played an entirely different starting XI in the second match against Al Ain and says he will ring the changes once more.

City will be without midfielder Claudio Echeverri, who is expected to miss two to three weeks after sustaining an ankle injury in the previous game, while defender Rico Lewis is suspended.

The Spaniard said: “We will play new players and in the next game too and in the second half. The selection has that in mind.

“In these conditions we are not ready to play 90 minutes and at half-time we will make substitutions.”

There has been criticism about large banks of empty seats in stadiums during the group stages of the Fifa tournament.

This match is being held at the exposed 60,000-capacity venue which offers little cover for spectators in the stands.

“Two big clubs and hopefully there will be people,” said Guardiola. “Last 16, quarter-finals, semi-final, final – hopefully the stadiums will be full.

“But 70,000, 80,000 – it is not easy to hold the crowd. Hopefully we can do a good game and the people can come.

“Bring water, hats, towels on the necks – it will be tough.”

“He thought the leg was a little bit high, but he (Lewis) was on the grass, he touched the ball,” said Guardiola.

“For the speed they go to touch the ball. Rico had no intention, he is a person who never has an intention to hurt anyone.

“It was unnecessary, honestly, the red card, but the referee had a different opinion and he’s the boss. They checked VAR, so we accept it.”

First-half goals from Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku gave City victory against the 22-time Moroccan champions in Group G.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says the images of children being killed during Israel’s war on Gaza are “painful” and have left him “deeply troubled”.

The Spanish manager of the English Premier League club urged the world to speak up instead of choosing to stay silent “in the face of injustice” as he addressed an audience after receiving an honorary degree at the University of Manchester on Monday.

“It’s so painful what we see in Gaza. It hurts all my body,” Guardiola said.

“Maybe we think that when we see four-year-old boys and girls being killed by bombs or being killed at a hospital, which is not a hospital any more, it’s not our business. Yeah, fine, it’s not our business. But be careful – the next four- or five-year-old kids will be ours.”

Mentioning his three children – Maria, Marius and Valentina – Guardiola said that every morning “since the nightmare started” in Gaza, whenever he sees his two daughters and son he is reminded of the children in Gaza, which leaves him feeling “so scared”.

About half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are children.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 17,400 children, including 15,600 who have been identified, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. Many more remain buried under the rubble and are presumed dead.

Many of the surviving children have endured the trauma of multiple wars, and all of them have spent their lives under an oppressive Israeli blockade.

Over the past 20 months, Israeli attacks have left their homes in ruins, destroyed their schools, and overwhelmed their healthcare facilities.

‘Deeply troubled’ by wars

During his emotional speech, which has been widely shared on social media, Guardiola said the world remains silent in the face of injustice.

“We feel safer [staying silent] than speaking up,” he added.

“Maybe this image feels far away from where we are living now, and you might ask what we can do,” he added.

He then went on to narrate the story of a bird trying to put out a fire in a forest by repeatedly carrying water in its beak.

“In a world that often tells us we are too small to make a difference, that story reminds me the power of one is not about the scale – it’s about choice, about showing up, about refusing to be silent or still when it matters the most.”

The former Barcelona coach and player said the images out of Palestine, Sudan and Ukraine left him “deeply troubled”.

Guardiola, who has formerly voiced his support for the independence of his native Catalonia, lashed out at world leaders for their inability to stop the wars.

“We see the horrors of thousands and thousands of innocent children, mothers and fathers.

“Entire families suffering, starving and being killed and yet we are surrounded by leaderships in many fields, not just politicians, who don’t consider the inequality and injustice.”

An independent United Nations commission report released on Tuesday accused Israel of committing the crime against humanity of “extermination” by attacking Palestinian civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites in Gaza.

“While the destruction of cultural property, including educational facilities, was not in itself a genocidal act, evidence of such conduct may nevertheless infer genocidal intent to destroy a protected group,” the report said.

While the report focused on the impact on Gaza, the commission also reported significant consequences for the Palestinian education system in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem as a result of ramped-up Israeli military activity, harassment of students and settler attacks.

“Children in Gaza have lost their childhood. With no education available, they are forced to worry about survival amid attacks, uncertainty, starvation and subhuman living conditions,” the report added.

“What is particularly disturbing is the widespread nature of the targeting of educational facilities, which has extended well beyond Gaza, impacting all Palestinian children.”

“It’s so painful, what we see in Gaza … And let me be clear, this is not about ideology.”

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola discusses his views on Israel’s war on Gaza, as well as how the images of children living through the war have affected him as a parent. pic.twitter.com/zwrlexAcxa

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) June 10, 2025

What is known is that Kevin de Bruyne played his final game against the Cottagers, bringing to an end a trophy-laden decade at the club.

There does not appear to be any way back for Kyle Walker, Kalvin Phillips and Maximo Perrone, who have all been out on loan this season.

Guardiola signed defenders Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis in January which could spell the end for the injury-prone duo of John Stones and Nathan Ake.

Goalkeeper Ederson was heavily-linked with a move to Saudi Arabia last summer and those rumours may resurface. Third-choice Scott Carson is out of contract this summer, while reports suggest midfielder Bernardo Silva wants a new challenge away from the Premier League.

And what about Ilkay Gundogan? The 34-year-old midfielder re-joined from Barcelona in the summer and has failed to hit the same heights as his first spell, but did score a stunning bicycle kick against Fulham.

It will be an important period of transition off the pitch too. Guardiola’s long-time associate Begiristain, who he has enjoyed so much success with at both City and Barcelona, will leave this summer and Viana has already started as the new director of football.

Qualifying for the Champions League is worth more than £100m for English teams and City are in a strong position to spend this summer, having posted a record revenue of £715m in their latest accounts, with an overall pre-tax profit of £73.8m.

One player they won’t be moving for – as this stage – is Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz owning to the cost of doing a deal, but Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White remains of interest while AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders has been heavily linked, external with a move to Etihad Stadium.

“I don’t have that feeling,” Guardiola said of a rebuild. “Maybe the club is a little different but I have 24 players and I saw them training the other day and said how good they are.

“New faces will come, especially in positions where we are weaker, but I don’t think a lot. We have players under contract who want to stay here and I don’t want a lot of players.”

City will be glad to see the back of a disappointing campaign but don’t have to wait long to make amends, returning to action in just 24 days’ time at the Club World Cup.

The land of opportunity awaits and may provide the first step to redemption for Guardiola and his men.

Pep Guardiola has said he will quit as manager of Manchester City if he is given a big squad to select from after the summer transfer market.

A number of Man City’s senior players were not included in the squad for Tuesday’s 3-1 win against Bournemouth and Guardiola says he is unhappy at leaving so many players out.

Abdukodir Khusanov, Savinho, James McAtee, Claudio Echeverri and Rico Lewis all missed out on Tuesday’s 20-man matchday squad as City moved to third in the Premier League and within a point of Champions League qualification.

But, despite this showing the depth Guardiola has at his disposal, the Spaniard wants to work with a smaller squad.

He said: “I said to the club I don’t want that [a bigger squad]. I don’t want to leave five or six players in the freezer. I don’t want that. I will quit. Make a shorter squad, I will stay.”

Guardiola says it is “impossible for my soul” to leave players watching from the stands.

“Maybe [for] three, four months we couldn’t select 11 players, we didn’t have defenders, it was so difficult. After people come back but next season it cannot be like that,” the 54-year-old added.

“As a manager I cannot train 24 players and every time I select I have to have four, five, six stay in Manchester at home because they cannot play. This is not going to happen. I said to the club. I don’t want that.”

City spent more than £200m on four players in January after suffering a number of key injuries. Kevin De Bruyne is one of those players who will definitely depart in the summer, while the future of Jack Grealish is in doubt.

When asked if it meant more exits were inevitable, Guardiola – who signed a deal keeping him at the club until 2027 – said: “It is a question for the club. I don’t want to have 24, 25, 26 players when everyone is fit. If I have injuries, unlucky, we have some players for the academy and we do it.

Guardiola said a big squad is unstainable and that it is important for “the soul of the team” that his players “create another connection with each other that this season we lost it a bit”.

All Premier League clubs can have a 25-man squad, but this is not an exhaustive list of all players eligible to play. A team can also include under-21 players who are eligible over and above the 25-man squad limit.

Manchester City’s website lists 28 first-team squad members, plus four players who are on loan elsewhere.

Guardiola has explained in the past, external why he prefers to manage a smaller squad, going into the 2023/24 season with 20 senior players.

In comparison, Chelsea’s official website lists 31 players in their squad list, with 21 other players out on loan, Brighton and Tottenham list 29 players, while Wolves name 30 players on their squad list.

Clubs with smaller squads than Manchester City this season include Arsenal with just 24 players and champions Liverpool , Aston Villa, Everton and Nottingham Forest with 25 squad players.

“Of course, it’s important to qualify, but except for Newcastle who won the Carabao Cup, Liverpool won the Premier League and Manchester City that won the Community Shield – the other teams didn’t win trophies,” Guardiola said.

“So the other teams like Chelsea, who can win one title [Europa Conference League] against Real Betis, and [Manchester] United and Tottenham can win the Europa League.

“All the other teams, they are expecting of course to qualify for the Champions League but this is important for every club that play this in competition next year.

“We played a really good [FA Cup] final, not enough to win it, and we have the last two games, we need four points to be in the Champions League next year and this is enough and everyone has to be aware of that.”

With Liverpool Premier League champions and Arsenal sealing second spot, City have a fight to qualify for Europe’s elite club competition and a fascinating race has developed for the top five, with third-placed Newcastle and Nottingham Forest in seventh separated by a solitary point.

Results over the weekend means City have dropped to sixth in the table, but they hold a game in hand over the challengers which comes against Bournemouth on Tuesday (kick-off 20:00 BST), with the final round of games taking place on Sunday.

The FA Cup was not Manchester City’s top priority this season, but now that they are in a third straight final, the club will go all out to win the trophy at Wembley, manager Pep Guardiola said.

City have had a “horrific season” in the words of striker Erling Haaland, with Guardiola’s side falling by the wayside in the Premier League title race while they were also eliminated in the Champions League knockout phase playoffs.

City are fourth in the Premier League and yet to secure Champions League qualification for next season – winning the FA Cup when they face Crystal Palace on Saturday may not be enough to salvage their campaign.

“That is the problem, right? The FA Cup now is not the first choice. Of course, we want it. Once we are here, of course, we want the trophy. It is massively important,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday.

“It was a disappointment last season [losing in the final to Manchester United]. But I’m pretty sure we’ll perform well, and we are going to compete against them.

“It’s the final of the FA Cup, it’s an honour and a privilege. Third time in a row being there, and we have to perform well. We travel to London to win the title.”

Guardiola also praised Oliver Glasner’s Palace, who knocked out fellow Premier League sides Fulham and Aston Villa to reach the final.

Palace, who are 12th in the league table, are seeking their first major trophy, having fallen in the final in 1990 and 2016, losing to Manchester United on both occasions.

“It is a fantastic team. They have had a really good second part of the season. They have had more than a year with Oliver working with the same players,” Guardiola said.

“They are a threat because they have quality. [Striker Jean-Philippe] Mateta is strong and the quality in [Eberechi] Eze is obvious and, of course, the pace from [fellow forward Ismaila] Sarr … [Adam] Wharton is a really good holding midfielder.

“They are well structured defensively and their set-pieces are one of the best in the Premier League.”

It’s 90 percent about us, says Palace manager

The quiet confidence seeping out of Crystal Palace’s training ground before the final against Manchester City was summed up by manager Oliver Glasner on Friday.

“We’re focused on what we want to do at Wembley. We analysed Man City, but 90 percent, we were talking about us,” Glasner, who will become the first Austrian to lead a team in an FA Cup final, told reporters.

“This is what we can influence. We can influence our performance. We can influence what we want to do in and out of possession. And the focus was on our game. We have a lot of confidence and looking forward to the final.”

Palace may be 12th in the Premier League, but have matched their record points tally with two games still to play.

In the FA Cup, they have clicked impressively, winning 3-0 at Fulham in the quarterfinals and then beating Villa by the same margin at Wembley in the semis.

Now, they have one last obstacle to get over and claim the south London club’s first major trophy in its 120-year history.

Palace drew 2-2 with City at Selhurst Park in the league and led 2-0 in the return fixture, only to lose 5-2. They also lost 4-2 last April, a couple of months after Glasner took charge.

Scoring goals against Pep Guardiola’s team has not been a problem, but Glasner knows they will need to adjust defensively to give themselves the best possible chance at Wembley.

“In every single game [against City] we scored two goals, but we just had one draw, because we conceded four, two and five, so we have to make a few adjustments in our defending,” he said. “Because when you concede five, it’s tough to win, but when you score two, you should be able to win.

“So, we have confidence that we will create our chances, we will create our situations to score goals, but we have to do better in defence, and I don’t mean the back three or the back five. So as a team, maybe we have to adjust a few things, and this is what we want to do tomorrow.”

Palace fans, hoping it will be third time lucky in Cup finals after defeats in 1990 and 2016, produced a wall of sound and colour in the semifinal against Villa and are bound to give their side passionate support again on Saturday.

Goalkeeper Dean Henderson was one of several Palace players to donate to a fundraising campaign for a giant “tifo” against Villa, and another 45,000 pounds has been raised for one to be unfurled before Saturday’s Wembley showdown.

“The one against Villa was top class,” said Henderson. “I don’t know what they are going to do with 40-odd grand – but I’m excited to see it.”