LONDON • More than £500 million (S$889.5 million) have been lavished on Manchester City, the most expensive squad assembled in Premier League history.
But it requires so much more than money to build a team of this extraordinary calibre, starting with a rare vision built on mastery of ball possession and the obsessiveness to bring it to life week after week.
Manchester United have shown that you can pour millions down the drain, or into Alexis Sanchez's bank account, and get nowhere without a strategy.
Only "special, special managers" can retain the league title - so many great coaches have failed to achieve it, including former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.
But, after City became the first side to retain the league crown since Alex Ferguson did so with United a decade ago, Pep Guardiola challenged his players to keep quenching his thirst for silverware.
His team matched their record total of 32 wins from last season and accrued a total of 98 points, the second highest in league history behind the 100-point tally they achieved last year.
Guardiola is more concerned with trophies than records, however, urging his players to retain their focus for Saturday's FA Cup final against Watford. The Spaniard is fully aware that City, who won the League Cup in February, are on the verge of an unprecedented domestic treble.
WINNING MENTALITY
The big competitors are never satisfied. The feeling is never enough. In tennis, basketball and golf, they want more and more.
PEP GUARDIOLA, on his ambitions for Manchester City.
He said: "We're so tired but, at the same time, winning is so addictive and, in a few days, we have the FA Cup final. It will be, for most of us, the first time in our lives we have been in an FA Cup final.
"No team in England has done (the domestic treble) before and we have the chance to it. We have to be focused in this game. The FA Cup is not an easy title to achieve."
While the City boss, who has now lifted four major trophies since joining in 2016, is expecting to face a challenge from more than one rival next term, he has plans to recruit new players in a bid to win the league title three straight times - a feat only achieved by Ferguson.
Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodri is reportedly at the top of his wish list, while Leicester defender Ben Chilwell is also of interest.
The 48-year-old said: "The big competitors are never satisfied. The feeling is never enough. In tennis, basketball and golf, they want more and more, and that is why winning back-to-back showed me this kind of thing that it was not enough, what they have done.
"We have to make the right decisions for next season to come back stronger, because Liverpool will maintain it and the other ones will be better.
"United must come back, Chelsea one more year with (Maurizio) Sarri will be better, Tottenham, we have seen in the Champions League and, when Arsenal do what they have to do, they will be there, too. We accept the challenge and I promise you we will be stronger."
However, whether Vincent Kompany - whose contract is up in the summer - stays is still up in the air.
The City captain, though, revealed Guardiola "starts everything off" and his "desire" from day one had transmitted to the rest of the players, giving them the confidence they "could win back-to-back titles straight away".
THE TIMES, LONDON
Women's Team Sues Over 'Institutionalized' Discrimination Players for the US women's national soccer team have filed a federal gender much of the pay disparity between the men's and women
Team USA women's soccer players fight for equal pay - 60
MILAN: Juventus clinched their eighth consecutive Serie A title on Saturday with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Fiorentina. Alex Sandro's diving header on 37 minutes and an own goal from Fiorentina defender German Pezzella after a Cristiano Ronaldo cross in the 53rd minute sealed a 35th Scudetto.
Juventus Win Eighth Consecutive Serie A Title - Channels
Madrid set to be Hazard's new home, Football News & Top
Brendan Rodgers applauds the fans following a UEFA Europa League game.Source: AFP. Lennon was in charge at Celtic Park between 2010 and 2014, and Sky sources understand he has cancelled a planned trip to Qatar - where he was due to work as a pundit - following Leicester's approach for Rodgers.
Jun 05, 2019 · Violent England fans an embarrassment to the team and not welcome, says FA • Fans cause mayhem in Porto before Nations League game • Police baton-charge supporters after bottles are hurled
Football: Violent England fans in Portugal an embarrassment
sports-life-news.com/soccer/football-violent-england-fans-in-portugal-an-embarrassment-to-team-and-not-welcome-says-fa/
"The FA strongly condemns the scenes witnessed in Porto overnight," a spokesman said. "Anyone responsible for these disturbances cannot be seen as true England supporters and are not welcome in football. "They are an embarrassment to the team and the thousands of well-behaved fans who follow England in the right way.
Football: Violent England fans in Portugal an embarrassment
Neymar heads to Qatar for medical assessment. Neymar will travel to Qatar to undergo a "complete assessment" six weeks into his recovery from a fractured right foot, the club said on Thursday.
Neymar heads to Qatar for medical assessment - sports.yahoo.com
Champions League: Donny Van de Beek gives Ajax edge over Tottenham in semi-final Youthful Ajax side, featuring several players polished in the Dutch club's famed academy, were too energetic for a laboured Spurs team who hardly got a kick early on in their first European Cup semi-final for 57 years.
Van de Beek gives Ajax edge over Spurs in semi-final - Al
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino ruled out of FC Barcelona game Egypt international Salah was carried off the pitch with a head injury in Saturday's 3-2 Premier League win at
Liverpool's Salah, Firmino ruled out of Barcelona game
Jürgen Klopp and the Calm Rebuke of Kyle Walker's Trolling City there was a certain delight felt by those that wish Jürgen Klopp's side wouldn't win the now that he's in the running.
Klopp's stunning transfer record is reason for calm - Rousing
Speaking after the Barca defeat Pogba said: "We know where we can hurt them". It's a tough one - we'll go there with the knowledge we can score over there," Solskjaer told BT Sport.
'If PSG can score four, we can score six,' says Barcelona's
You'll Never Walk Alone is perhaps the most famous song in football, and is heard before kick-off at every Liverpool match at Anfield.. It has travelled around the world as the Reds have toured
In the dying minutes of Iran's 3-0 defeat to Japan on Monday, striker Sardar Azmoun slapped Japan midfielder Gaku Shibasaki in the face, sparking a melee that also involved his teammates Ehsan Hajsafi and Ramin Rezaeian. Ali Motahari, deputy speaker in Iran's parliament, called for them to be disciplined.
Klopp plays down Liverpool fatigue concerns ahead of season run-in Football; Friday, 19 Apr 2019 as securing a Premier League top-four finish last year and it could come in handy as they
Klopp plays down Liverpool fatigue concerns ahead of season
Jose Mourinho can at least fall back on a pretty decent record at Anfield, where he has won half of his eight Premier League matches, giving him the best win percentage among visiting managers
Deflect, Deny, Defy. Why Jose & I Are History. - manunited.uk
0 comments:
Post a Comment