Tag Archives: Pep Guardiola

Erling Haaland 10 Year Contract!

I’ve received this wonderful news about Erling Haaland…

  • Erling Haaland has signed a 10-year contract that will keep him at the Etihad Stadium
    until 2034
  • The Norwegian striker has enjoyed a remarkable two-and-a-half seasons since joining
    the Club in 2022, scoring 111 goals in just 125 games
  • The 24-year-old played a critical role in the Club’s Treble-winning season and in securing an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title Manchester City is delighted to announce that Erling Haaland has signed a new 10-year contract with the Club.
  • The Norwegian international has signed until the summer of 2034, extending his previous contract by seven years and committing the next decade of his career to the Club.

One of the finest strikers operating in the global game, the 24-year-old has enjoyed an extraordinary two-and-a-half seasons since moving to the Etihad Stadium.


During his maiden campaign, Haaland proved one of the key catalysts in City’s historic Treble triumph, as Pep Guardiola’s side secured the Premier League, FA Cup and a first UEFA Champions League.


The 24-year-old received widespread recognition for his role that season, receiving the prestigious PFA, Football Writers’ Association and Premier League Player of the Year awards, amongst others.
His 52 goals in all competitions were more than any other striker in Europe that season and the greatest-ever tally by a Premier League player. He also broke the long-standing Premier League record for the most goals scored in a single season [36].


A second successive Premier League Golden Boot followed in 2023/24 as City became the first English men’s team to ever win four consecutive top-flight titles. Despite being sidelined by injury for almost two months, Haaland scored 38 goals in 45 appearances.

The Nordic striker has continued his goal-scoring exploits during the 2024/25 season with a further 21 goals to date contributing to a total of 111 goals in 125 games.


Haaland said: “I am really happy to have signed my new contract and to be able to look forward to spending even more time at this great Club.


“Manchester City is a special Club, full of fantastic people with amazing supporters and it’s the type of environment that helps bring the best out of everybody.“I also want to thank Pep, his coaching staff, my teammates and everyone at the Club as they have all helped me so much in the past couple of years. They have made this such a special place to be and now I am City no matter what.


“Now I want to keep developing, keep working to get better and look to do my best to try and help us achieve more success going forward.”


Director of Football Txiki Begiristain added: “Everyone at the Club is absolutely delighted that Erling has signed his new contract. The fact he is signed for so long demonstrates our commitment to him as a player, and his love of this club.


“He has made an incredible impact already in his time here and his amazing numbers and records speak for themselves.


“But in addition to his outstanding natural talent and ability, Erling’s dedication, professionalism, humility and desire to keep getting better sum up what we all strive to achieve at Manchester City.


“He is one of the finest strikers in world football, but Erling is still very young and will only continue to improve working under Pep and his coaching team. If he works hard, which I know he will, he will create an incredible legacy at this football club.


“Now he can focus on his game and continuing to play a huge part in helping us try to achieve even more success.”

If you enjoy all the free material on my website and would like to support my research and keep this website going (but don’t want to subscribe) then why not make a one-time donation (or buy me a coffee). All support for my research is valued and welcome. It allows me to keep some free material available for all. Thanks.

Choose an amount

£2.50
£5.00
£7.50

Or enter a custom amount

£

Your contribution is appreciated.

Donate

Champions of the World

On this day (22 December) last year Manchester City became the first English club to hold the Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup at the same time, following their 4-0 victory over Fluminense in the FIFA Club World Cup. It was an extraordinary achievement.

Julian Alvarez opened the scoring after 40 seconds, when he chested in from close range after Nathan Ake’s long-range strike hit the post.

In the 27th minute Nino turned Phil Foden’s cross into the back of his own net to make it 2-0.

In the second half Foden darted through the middle to send home a cross from Alvarez. Alvarez made it 4-0 with his second in the 88th minute.

Afterwards manager Pep Guardiola reflected: ‘It was an incredible year. Today we closed the chapter. We won everything we could. Now time to try again.’

Highlights here:

https://www.mancity.com/citytv/mens/city-v-fluminense-fifa-club-world-cup-five-minute-highlights-63838943

If you enjoy all the free material on my website and would like to support my research and keep this website going (but don’t want to subscribe) then why not make a one-time donation (or buy me a coffee). All support for my research is valued and welcome. It allows me to keep some free material available for all. Thanks.

Choose an amount

£2.50
£5.00
£7.50

Or enter a custom amount

£

Your contribution is appreciated.

Donate

A Convincing Manchester City Win

On this day (19 December) in 2021 Manchester City (the Premier League leaders) defeated Newcastle 4-0 at St James’ Park. City were on a run of seven consecutive league wins but this was not the easy, walkover the score suggests.

Ruben Dias scored an early goal with the second coming from Joao Cancelo – an incredible strike. In the second-half, a Riyad Mahrez volley made it 3-0 and the fourth came from Raheem Sterling.

Here are the highlights:

https://www.mancity.com/citytv/mens/newcastle-united-0-4-manchester-city-extended-highlights-63775519

How To Subscribe

That’s Football!

Manchester City’s recent results have inevitably brought many headlines and, of course, if you support a team whose form is one of mainly defeats then inevitably you’re bound to worry. For me, one thing it demonstrates more than anything else though is how wrong some were to claim that football is dominated by one club in a way that it has never been before. For several years now some have been claiming that City winning trophies is all about money; all about financial power that leaves others unable to cope. When we fail in life it’s easy to blame others but maybe those who make those comments should look at themselves first?

Instead, of analysing why their clubs fail, some have suggested ‘it’s not fair!’ and that there has never been a time when money has ruled football. I’ve been saying that this is untrue and that wealthy football clubs – or clubs that have received significant investment – have always been there, and that money is no guarantee of success. Those of us old enough to remember the late 1970s and early 1980s well know that City, Leeds, Wolves, Chelsea and others found that spending money could also lead to ruin.

You don’t have to look far for articles from this last year which have talked about how unhealthy the Premier League is ‘because of City’ but, as I said at the time, those comments really were out of place. Recent results have demonstrated this further. What I said earlier this year (and in recent seasons) is that significant praise was due to City and their manager Pep Guardiola for everything they’ve achieved in a highly competitive domestic and European scene. It’s also clear that those clubs, fans and others who have tried to explain away a club’s failings by simply stating: ‘It’s unfair, we can’t compete with City’ actually need to look at their own club and recognise its failings. When we fail in life it’s easy to blame others but maybe look at your self first?

City’s current form is not great and defeats are either because the opposition are better or City have failed. It’s not because one team has more money than another; it’s because they played the game better. When City win trophies it’s not because they have more money; it’s because they’ve played better; coached better; found a way to play that’s better… So can those who claim that football is uncompetitive because of City now start to look at themselves first and see why their team fails?

We should all remember, whether at times of success or failure, that football is an entertaining game. Sometimes we win; sometimes we fail… no team has ever dominated for decades and therefore successes like City’s 4 league title in a row really are major achievements that should be celebrated and recognised by all!

Here’s a few articles from months/years ago that challenge/discuss some of the comments about dominance in the past:

Significant Praise is Due for Pep & City
League Dominance?
Buying Success?
League Dominance – Gap Between Top and Bottom
Four-in-a-Row: An Incredible Achievement

Pep Guardiola Extends MCFC Contract to 2027

I’ve just received this press release from Manchester City…


Manchester City is delighted to announce that manager Pep Guardiola has signed a two-year contract extension. The Catalan’s new deal will mean he will have spent more than a decade as City manager. Guardiola has won a remarkable 18 trophies during his tenure at the Club, including six
Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League.


Last season, City became the first men’s team in the history of English football to win four top-flight titles in a row. The previous campaign saw Guardiola guide City to a historic Treble, winning the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and FA Cup.


Across all competitions, he has won 353 of the 490 matches he has overseen, giving him a win percentage of 72%. City have scored 1,200 goals during that period, at an average of 2.45 goals per game.


Club Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said: “Like every City fan, I am delighted that Pep’s journey with Manchester City will continue; allowing his dedication, passion and innovative thinking to continue to shape the landscape of the game.


“His hunger for improvement and success remains insatiable and the direct beneficiaries of that will continue to be our players and coaching staff, the culture of our Club, and the English game at large.


“This renewal will take Pep beyond a decade of coaching Manchester City and the opportunity to continue to re-write the managerial record books.”


Guardiola said: “Manchester City means so much to me. This is my ninth season here; we have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club. That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.


“Thank you to everyone for continuing to trust and support me – The Owner, The Chairman Khaldoon, Ferran, Txiki, the players and of course the fans… everyone connected to Manchester City. It has always been an honour, a pleasure and a privilege to be here.


“I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much. Hopefully now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”

Manchester United 0 City 2

Here’s a brief clip I took on this day (6 November) in 2021 of City fans at the end of the Manchester Derby at Old Trafford. A dominant day for Manchester’s Blues.

After the game City manager Pep Guardiola told the BBC he wanted to give a ‘massive compliment to the players’ because ‘they are the real artists for the way we played.’

Guardiola said City’s approach was shaped by United’s ability on the counter-attack: ‘If you don’t finish the attack you will be attacked much, much quicker and that is where they are so good. That is why we needed a game with a thousand million passes. We need a game like with the ball in the fridge, keep it there. Right now Chelsea are unstoppable. We know we cannot drop much points to be close to them but against the big six we performed well.’

The win lifted City above Liverpool into second in the Premier League while fifth-placed United were nine points behind leaders Chelsea.

Here’s MCFC’s film of the game:

https://www.mancity.com/citytv/mens/manchester-united-city-match-highlights-premier-league-long-63771808

The Noel Gallagher Interview

It seems an appropriate time to re-release this… Back on Thursday May 20 2021 I interviewed Noel Gallagher about his support of Manchester City, Pep, Europe and more. It was great for two Mancs of a similar age to get together to chat about City. I really enjoyed it.

Here’s part one:

Part two:


Part three:

Part four:
https://gjfootballarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/noel-gallagher-part-4-1.mp3

Part five:


Thanks to Noel and the staff at his studios & office for making this happen.

Subscribe to get full access to GJFootballArchive.com

Fancy subscribing to my website? Subscribers get access to all the 1600+ articles, interviews etc. that have been posted so far on my site and all those posted during your subscription period. It costs £20 a year (works out about £1.67 a month) or £3 a month if subscribing a month at a time.

Subscribe

The New Badge & Pep’s Arrival

On this day (3 July) in 2016 the new Manchester City badge was officially launched at the Cityzens Weekend. It was also the formal official welcome for new manager Pep Guardiola. There was a surreal moment for me when I was asked to go on stage to be interviewed about the new badge.

I had been consulted by the club on the history of all of City’s badges, emblems and similar for about a year or so, and had performed a series of talks to fans throughout the consultation period.

https://gjfootballarchive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/img_2377.mov

This was the most detailed badge consultation had ever performed with fans at any club – sadly too many clubs impose a badge without listening to fans. Doing the talks as part of the consultation helped bring out the stories of each emblem and why it was significant – or not! Understanding why, for example, the red rose was introduced in 1972 following the takeover of the club by Joe Smith & Co. or how the 3 emblazoned lines had always been a part of City’s badge (apart from 1972 and the Swales years that followed) helped some determine what elements mattered most to them.

You can find out more about City’s badge history here:

Manchester’s Emblems

In 2016 I was the warm up act for Pep so it’s a wonder anybody listened. It was a great, positive day for the club and for all of us there. The years since Pep’s arrival have been truly outstanding. We all had hope on this day in 2016 but who’d have thought it would have been as great as it has been?

A Shameful Day

On 15 June 1972 one of the most shameful days in the history of Manchester City Football Club occurred when Joe Mercer resigned to take over at Coventry City. It’s a long story, which I go into in significant detail in Football With A Smile: The Authorised Biography of Joe Mercer, but in essence following the takeover battle of 1970-71 the new guard of directors (which included Ian Niven and Peter Swales) were gradually gaining greater control of the club. Niven, a proud supporter of Malcolm Allison, always felt Allison should have control of all aspects of team affairs and never actually rated Mercer (Niven asked me in 1989 when my first book came out: ‘Why’ve you got Mercer writing the foreword? He did nothing for City!’).

Joe felt unwanted and he was probably right. Despite being City’s most successful manager of all time until the trophy-successes of Pep Guardiola, the new board wanted Malcolm in control. Ultimately, Malcolm also felt let down by the new board and he resigned within a year.

It was a shameful day when Mercer felt so let down that he had to leave City. The highly successful era he had managed came to an end and it is significant that under the new board only one major trophy was ever won. The club lost its way and the die was cast. There were some great moments – but they were moments not years of success like Mercer had brought with Allison as his number two.

Copies of my Mercer biography are still available here:

Shop

Manchester City’s All-Time Best FA Cup Winning Eleven

So far I’ve told you about the eleven players selected for my all-time best Manchester City FA Cup final winning team and today it’s the time for the manager.

I was asked to select an all-time City eleven and had two rules – they had to actually play in a winning final (so, unused substitutes were not allowed) and they could not be a member of the current playing squad. I also tried to focus on the fact that this eleven would also be facing an all time Manchester United eleven. Therefore victories over United in key games were always in the back of my mind.

For the manager I could select anyone who had managed the Blues in a FA Cup winning final. It was tough because of the wonderfully talented and inspirational leaders the club has had, starting with Tom Maley in 1904. In the end I went for:

Manager Pep Guardiola (since 2016)

Imagine this talented team being guided by this inspirational coach! A tactical innovator he would love the versatility of this team with attack-minded defenders, a hugely talented midfield and some of the best goalscorers the FA Cup has ever seen. Forward-thinking 1960s coach Malcolm Allison would be enthralled watching him in action.

I have no idea how many of you read the article in the FA Cup final but another writer picked the United all-time FAC eleven. When comparing the two I’m convinced my 11 would easily defeat United’s. Maybe I should post that and see what you all think?