Manchester City hoped, and may even have expected that a midfielder called Nico would transform their fortunes during the second half of last season. The man that has become key to Pep Guardiola’s side’s mid-season surge and made them contenders to pull off the quadruple is not, however, the gangly Nico Gonzalez, who was recruited from Porto for £50 million last January, but rather academy graduate Nico O’Reilly, who cost nothing at all.
Manchester City may be forced to make do without a key player for April's potential Premier League title decider against Arsenal. Pep Guardiola's side sit five points behind the Gunners in the table but do have a game in hand on Mikel Arteta's side. The two teams are also scheduled to meet again in the top flight at the Etihad in April in a game that could well decide which team are crowned champions.
No stats, just pure chaos. A 34-second clip names the greatest team built from Pep Guardiola's former players, and it just set a new bar for football debates.
Kalvin Phillips was shown a straight red card on Sunday for a shocking challenge in the Steel City Derby. The Manchester City midfielder, who moved on loan to Championship side Sheffield United at the end of the January transfer window, was handed his marching orders early in the second half following a poor challenge on midfielder Svante Ingelsson.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has urged his players to "enjoy life" and go out and enjoy some cocktails after securing a 2-1 win over Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday. The result has put more pressure on table-toppers Arsenal ahead of their date with Tottenham, as Manchester City are now just two points behind the Gunners in the race for the title.
Pep Guardiola has showered Manchester City starlet Nico O’Reilly with praise, claiming that the versatile 20-year-old is so complete. The youngster, who had just nine senior career goals to his name prior to facing Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium, bagged a brace in his latest Premier League experience to fire City to within two points of table-topping Arsenal.
Sergio Aguero has rubbished claims that Erling Haaland has been on a goalscoring slump, saying the Manchester City superstar has spoiled all football fans due to his ridiculous strike rate. Haaland struck 14 times in the opening 11 Premier League games of the season but has slowed down since, going eight matches without scoring in open play between December and February.
Nico O'Reilly continued his incredible season by powering Manchester City to a 2-1 win over Newcastle which cut the gap with Arsenal in the Premier League title race to just two points. O'Reilly scored a brilliant opener which was soon cancelled out by Lewis Hall. But City's homegrown midfielder restored his side's advantage with a well-taken header set up by a fine cross from Erling Haaland.
Manchester City have been tipped to edge out Arsenal in the Premier League title race due to a key difference between their two squads. The Gunners have handed momentum to City by failing to beat Brentford and Wolves in their last two matches and there is a growing expectation that Pep Guardiola's side will outlast Arsenal and finish on top, as they did in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Tammy Abraham has backed Aston Villa to remain in the Premier League title race and challenge leaders Arsenal, claiming Villa are still in with a chance and must "keep pushing" to hunt down the Gunners and Manchester City. Abraham's 88th-minute equaliser earned Unai Emery's side a 1-1 draw at home to Leeds United on Saturday and left the Villans seven points off the top before the top two return to action later in the weekend.
Legendary Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has rubbished suggestions that Pep Guardiola's eventual departure could lead to the club suffering a similar decline to the one Manchester United experienced when Sir Alex Ferguson retired. According to reports, there is an expectation that Guardiola could step down from his role at the end of this season after 10 years as City coach.
Pep Guardiola wants to see teachers and doctors "paid a lot" in efforts to educate children and tackle the issue of racism in society. The Manchester City boss was asked for his reaction to the alleged racist abuse suffered by Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior during Tuesday's Champions League clash with Benfica.
Pep Guardiola has insisted he has not discussed the state of the Premier League title race with his Manchester City players even after Arsenal dropped points in their last two games. The Gunners' late collapse at Wolves on Wednesday means that if City win all their remaining matches, including an April showdown against Arsenal, the title will be theirs.
If Manchester City want to stand the very best chance of beating Newcastle on Saturday, there is a very simple step Pep Guardiola can take: Start Omar Marmoush. The Egypt forward has scored five times in his two starts against the Magpies, with his goals against Eddie Howe's side accounting for 41 percent of his total output since he arrived at the Etihad Stadium last January.
Piers Morgan led the Arsenal fury on social media on Wednesday night after Mikel Arteta's side squandered a 2-0 lead at Wolves to draw in the 94th minute with the Premier League's bottom side at Molineux. Gunners fan Morgan fumed that his side are "choking again" as they failed to extend their lead over Manchester City, who could go to within two points of the summit if they win their game in hand.
Arsenal have assembled a squad with the intention to compete on all fronts this season, but the club will already be planning for the summer transfer window. The Gunners will hope to be recruiting from a position of power as gaffer Mikel Arteta aims to steer the team towards silverware this term, with his side leading the Premier League and their attention now shifts to the north London derby on Sunday.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher reveals why he was happy to see Arsenal stumble at Wolves, despite wanting Mikel Arteta’s side to beat Manchester City to the Premier League trophy. The London side were held to a shock 2-2 draw against the Premier League bottom feeders on Wednesday, providing their rivals with the chance to catch up.
Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany has claimed his 'toughest opponent' during his playing days was not Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, despite recognising the iconic duo as the 'best players' he came up against. Kompany made 621 senior appearances as a player between 2003 and 2020, most notably captaining Manchester City and the Belgium national team.
Real Madrid have been warned to not expect Rodri to join them if he chooses to leave Manchester City due to his preference for another Spanish club. Rodri is on the road back to his best after missing almost all of last season due to tearing his ACL and having repeated injury setbacks this campaign, boosting City's bid to win the Premier League and go deep in the Champions League.
Robin van Persie has gone to great lengths to accommodate Raheem Sterling at Feyenoord as the ex-Manchester City and Chelsea winger continues to wait on a work permit. The Dutch coach has moved the squad to a training camp outside of the Netherlands so that Sterling can start training with his new team-mates.
Pep Guardiola has told Phil Foden to just relax amid his latest slump in form, but that is easier said than done, given his place in the Manchester City line-up is less certain than ever while his status in the England squad also at risk. Foden appeared to have put last season's struggles behind him towards the end of 2025, but he now appears to be suffering another dip at the worst possible time.
The draw for the fifth round of the 2025-26 FA Cup took place on Monday and produced some intriguing ties ahead of the next round of games in the competition. Chelsea have been drawn to face Wrexham, while Manchester City face a tricky test against Eddie Howe's Newcastle United and Premier League leaders Arsenal are away to League One side Mansfield Town.
Wayne Rooney has outlined how Thomas Tuchel’s new England contract, which is due to take him through to the summer of 2028, will impact international stars such as Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden. The former Three Lions captain believes that the demanding German tactician is now less likely to make contentious decisions in his World Cup squad selection.
Though the Premier League took a week off to allow for the FA Cup, there were still plenty of storylines to follow within England, while title races around the rest of Europe continue to take plenty of twists and turns.
Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford admits that he was blindsided by Pep Guardiola’s swoop for Gianluigi Donnarumma, with the England World Cup hopeful leaving the door open to another transfer 12 months on from making his way back to the Etihad Stadium. The 23-year-old is desperate for regular game time, but finds himself stuck behind the revered Italian shot-stopper.
Manchester City
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