برچسب: Guardiola

Chelsea pushing to sign £418k-a-week star who Guardiola holds in “high regard”

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Enzo Maresca is preparing for a pivotal Premier League encounter against Nottingham Forest — a fixture that carries a few intriguing narratives. ..Continue Reading

As Chelsea get ready to face Ange Postecoglou’s struggling side, the team is dealing with uncertainty over the fitness of several key players.

The injury list continues to grow, leaving Chelsea without multiple important names. Dario Essugo is still recovering from a long-term issue and is not expected back until early next year, while Cole Palmer, who is Maresca’s star man, remains sidelined due to a persistent groin concern.

Further complicating matters in attack, number nine Liam Delap is still managing a hamstring problem, and reports suggest the summer arrival won’t return until around November/December.

Delap’s physical presence and goal-scoring instinct have been sorely missed, reducing Maresca’s striker options at a time when goals are in short supply.

At the back, Levi Colwill is ruled out until next year following an ACL injury sustained in pre-season, leaving Maresca with Trevoh Chalobah, Josh Acheampong, Benoit Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo as his only centre-back choices for now.

Adding to the complications, Enzo Fernández, Chelsea’s influential attacking midfielder, may be unavailable for Forest after pulling out of international duty.

Fernandez withdrew from Argentina’s squad due to knee inflammation, prompting concerns about his readiness for the upcoming match.

Reece James, Moises Caicedo and Joao Pedro also skipped international duty because of minor injuries. While all three could be fit to face Forest, along with Andrey Santos and Tosin, the latter two haven’t been seen in Cobham training this week.

Postecoglou, on the other hand, will aim to take advantage of Chelsea’s injury troubles and secure much-needed points, with reports suggesting the Australian’s job is under threat after a difficult start at the City Ground.

Chelsea’s squad depth has been tested by injuries, especially in terms of experience.

Maresca deployed the youngest average Premier League lineup last season (24 years, 36 days), and the starting eleven against Benfica was Chelsea’s most youthful team ever in Champions League competition.

To mount a serious Premier League title challenge, Chelsea may need to add more seasoned players, which explains BlueCo’s interest in AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

According to reports from Italy, Chelsea could also target another experienced option in former Lazio standout Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

As reported by Corriere dello Sport, the Al-Hilal midfielder, who earns a whopping £418,000-per-week in the Gulf, might return to Europe next year when his contract ends, despite the Saudi Pro League club’s desire to extend it.

Milinkovic-Savic is drawing strong interest from clubs in England, Turkey, La Liga and Serie A, with “half of Europe” considering the 30-year-old on a free transfer.

Maresca’s side are among those interested, and Chelsea are reportedly pushing to sign Milinkovic-Savic as the West Londoners “like him a lot”.

Interestingly, Guardiola is said to hold the Serbia international — who made over 340 appearances for Lazio as a midfield leader — in “high regard”.

Milinkovic-Savic contributed 69 goals and 58 assists during his time in Rome, and has continued to impress in the Middle East with 30 goals and 26 assists for Al-Hilal.

His creativity and tactical intelligence in midfield could be a valuable asset for Chelsea, offering strong competition for Fernandez, who occupies a similar role.

Given Chelsea’s wage structure, Milinkovic-Savic would likely need to accept a reduced salary if he were to join on a free transfer.

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16/10/2025
Guardiola named the toughest manager he has ever faced in his career

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Pep Guardiola is widely regarded as one of football’s most iconic managers. While his Premier League legacy is second only to Sir Alex Ferguson, his managerial brilliance has also been showcased in Spain and Germany, where he achieved remarkable success with Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Throughout his career, Guardiola has amassed an impressive collection of trophies at every club he’s led. He’s coached world-class talent and faced off against some of the most respected tacticians in the game. ..Continue Reading

Among those rivals are legendary figures like Ferguson, Jurgen Klopp, Carlo Ancelotti, and Arsène Wenger. Yet, one name stands out to Guardiola as the most formidable adversary he’s encountered.

Given their intense clashes on major stages, it’s no surprise that he singled out Klopp. Their rivalry began in Germany—Guardiola at Bayern, Klopp at Dortmund—but it was in England, with Manchester City and Liverpool battling for supremacy, that their competition reached its peak.

During City’s dominant run in the Premier League, Liverpool consistently pushed them to their limits, making Klopp’s side the most relentless challengers Guardiola has faced.

Speaking at a UEFA Pro course lecture in Spain, Guardiola reflected on those fierce encounters and named Klopp and his Liverpool team as the toughest opponents of his managerial career.

He said: “Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have been the toughest I’ve ever faced in my life. There were days when I thought ‘I’ve got him’ and the next day he’d [Klopp] destroy me again. He was the toughest by far. Because of his way of playing, his transitions, because he was very direct, because he attacked with a lot of players. The inside midfielders are usually support players, but Klopp’s midfielders were about attacking space.

“So, he’d force the full-backs to close down a lot, then he’d open you up on the outside with his full-backs. They continually sprinted inside. Firmino would drop back. Salah and Mane’s runs behind him were unstoppable. It was very, very difficult to counteract.

“I give a lot of credit to what we’ve done these years to the incredible quality of the opponent we’ve had to face. Those three or four league titles we won against Klopp are the greatest success we’ve achieved. There hasn’t been a tougher opponent I’ve ever faced.”

Klopp’s Liverpool only managed to get their hands on the Premier League trophy once, but there’s no doubt at all that they pushed Man City to the brink on a number of occasions and they often seemed to have Guardiola’s number on the pitch.

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14/09/2025
Thierry Henry had no doubts choosing between Sir Alex Ferguson & Guardiola

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The iconic ex-Arsenal and France striker, often hailed as one of the Premier League’s all-time greats, enjoyed a glittering career that included four Golden Boot awards and two league titles. ..Continue Reading

He later joined Barcelona in 2007, initially playing under Frank Rijkaard.

When Pep Guardiola took over in 2008, Henry became a key figure in Barcelona’s historic treble-winning season, contributing 26 goals and 10 assists as the team cemented its place among the elite in world football.

Despite having played under Guardiola during that remarkable campaign, Henry gave the edge to Ferguson, pointing to the Scotsman’s extraordinary achievements with Aberdeen as a major factor in his choice.

The discussion unfolded during a Sky Sports segment where Henry and others debated who deserves the title of greatest football manager.

Carragher said: “I’m going to with Sir Alex Ferguson over Pep, because…”

Henry quickly interjected: “he did it with Aberdeen.”

Carragher replied: “Yeah. Pep is probably never going to do that or take a team like that. So I’m going to go with Sir Alex Ferguson.”

Henry concluded firmly: “So, Sir Alex is the winner.”

Before Ferguson became a legendary figure at Manchester United, he had already built an impressive managerial reputation in Scottish football with successful stints at St Mirren and Aberdeen.

He began his rise in 1974 by guiding St Mirren from the lower reaches of the Second Division to champions of the First Division just three years later, in 1977.

Despite being dismissed from the role, his accomplishments caught the attention of Aberdeen, who appointed him as manager in the Scottish Premier Division.

Ferguson made history in 1980 by steering Aberdeen to a league title—breaking a 15-year monopoly held by Celtic and Rangers. His success continued in 1982 when Aberdeen defeated Rangers 4-1 to claim the Scottish Cup.

That domestic triumph earned Aberdeen a place in the European Cup Winners’ Cup, where they stunned Bayern Munich en route to the final. In a memorable showdown, Ferguson’s side overcame Real Madrid 2-1, marking the last time the Spanish giants lost a European final.

He remained at Aberdeen until November 1986, when Manchester United came calling. Though his early years in England were challenging, Ferguson eventually transformed the club, winning 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies, securing his place among football’s most iconic managers.

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11/09/2025