Latest news with #JürgenKlopp
Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Times
Manchester City pocket £37.8m but no trophy after shock upset by Al-Hilal
A 'pointless competition,' Jürgen Klopp says of this Club World Cup. Tell that to the Al-Hilal fans behind the dugouts at the Camping World Stadium, who rose to their feet and bellowed at the top of their voices after watching their team knock Manchester City out of the tournament. Tell that to Marcos Leonardo, the scorer of the winning goal, who triumphantly held the corner flag aloft in celebration after sweeping the ball into the goal from a yard out in the second half of extra time. Tell that to the millions watching worldwide who were gripped by this thrilling rollercoaster of a contest that swung one way, then the other, and to Simone Inzaghi, the victorious coach who left Inter Milan to move to Saudi Arabia just a matter of weeks ago.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Lightning at the Club World Cup, U21 glory and the Women's Euros
Rate, review, and share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email. On the podcast today, the panel discusses the absurd scenes in Charlotte as Chelsea's Club World Cup clash with Benfica was delayed nearly two hours due to lightning, before going to extra time and finishing more than four hours after it kicked off. Enzo Maresca declared 'it's not football', while Jürgen Klopp called the competition 'pointless'. The panel considers the implications of this ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Elsewhere, Chelsea carry on business as usual – signing João Pedro and Jamie Gittens as their squad of wingers grows ever larger. PSG dismantle Messi's Inter Miami, Bayern and Kane see off Flamengo, and Manchester City hit five past Juventus. Plus: England Under-21s win the Euros again – is Lee Carsley the future? Sunderland splash out, Pogba sheds tears, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin is up for grabs? Also, the Women's Euros kick off this week, your questions answered, and a heatwave hits Seb's sheep. Support the Guardian here. You can also find Football Weekly on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Lightning at the Club World Cup, U21 glory and the Women's Euros
Rate, review, and share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email. On the podcast today, the panel discusses the absurd scenes in Charlotte as Chelsea's Club World Cup clash with Benfica was delayed nearly two hours due to lightning, before going to extra time and finishing more than four hours after it kicked off. Enzo Maresca declared 'it's not football', while Jürgen Klopp called the competition 'pointless'. The panel considers the implications of this ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Elsewhere, Chelsea carry on business as usual – signing João Pedro and Jamie Gittens as their squad of wingers grows ever larger. PSG dismantle Messi's Inter Miami, Bayern and Kane see off Flamengo, and Manchester City hit five past Juventus. Plus: England Under-21s win the Euros again – is Lee Carsley the future? Sunderland splash out, Pogba sheds tears, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin is up for grabs? Also, the Women's Euros kick off this week, your questions answered, and a heatwave hits Seb's sheep. Support the Guardian here. You can also find Football Weekly on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Club World Cup could ‘destroy' Manchester City's season, says Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola has admitted the Club World Cup could 'destroy' Manchester City's 2025/26 campaign, with the manager ignoring its potential impact to avoid feeling anxious. On Monday, City face Al-Hilal in the last 16 at Orlando's Camping World Stadium. While some of Guardiola's players had only five days off before the start of the tournament, others enjoyed a three-week break. All the squad can expect at least three weeks off following the Club World Cup. Earlier this month, England coach Thomas Tuchel stated the champions, Liverpool, and Arsenal, who finished second, have a 'huge advantage' next term due to not being at the tournament in the United States. Guardiola was asked about the England boss's claim. 'I try not to think about it, otherwise I will be so anxious,' Guardiola said. 'We will rest the time the Premier League allows us to. And game by game, month by month, we will see. And maybe in November, December, January, ask me, Pep. I may say: 'So listen, we are a disaster. We are exhausted. The World Cup destroyed us.' I don't know, but it's the first time in our life that that's happened [32-team CWC]. So we will see. READ MORE 'So I try to be relaxed, to enjoy the days here, the good vibes that we have, the competition, to try to win it. And the most important thing, to recover, to find or re-find ourselves what we were. This is my main target in this tournament.' At the weekend, former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp said the tournament winners will be the 'worst of all time' due to the relentless schedule. Klopp is now head of global soccer for Red Bull, with one of the teams he oversees, Salzburg, eliminated at the group stage. 'I know where his idea comes from,' Guardiola said in response to Klopp's comments. 'We fought a lot [together] when we went to the Uefa meetings, especially when we discussed the Premier League calendar, about how to add more quality to it. [We discussed] giving the managers and players more rest. So his comments didn't surprise me a lot. I understand him. I respect him. I've had an incredible relationship with Jürgen for many years as rivals. 'Now he's stepped back from that [Liverpool] position and I understand his argument, because I would defend his argument as well. At the same time, as managers we are in a job. We follow the Fifa, Uefa, Premier League rules. 'Many, many teams complain about these competitions because they are not here, otherwise they might love being here. They would have their media and supporters here, and there would be income to be here, and they would be happy to be here. Of course, it's not an ideal situation for the manager. Would I love to have two months to prepare for next season? Yes. Would I love to be refreshed for next season? Yes. But it is what it is.' Manchester City kick-off at 9pm local time (2am Irish time) against Al-Hilal with rain and potentially lightning forecast which could halt the match. Guardiola laughed off any concern. 'I am an extraordinary manager, but to control lightning and thunder, still I am not good enough,' he said. Al-Hilal's captain, Salem Al-Dawsari, and the No 9, Aleksandar Mitrović, are both unavailable due to injury. – Guardian
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Club World Cup could ‘destroy' Manchester City's season, says Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola has admitted the Club World Cup could 'destroy' Manchester City's 2025-26 campaign, with the manager ignoring its potential impact to avoid feeling anxious. On Monday, City face Al-Hilal in the last 16 at Orlando's Camping World Stadium. While some of Guardiola's players had only five days off before the start of the tournament, others enjoyed a three-week break. All the squad can expect at least three weeks off following the Club World Cup. Earlier this month, England coach Thomas Tuchel stated that the champions, Liverpool, and Arsenal, who finished second, have a 'huge advantage' next term due to not being at the tournament in the United States. Guardiola was asked about the England boss's claim. 'I try not to think about it, otherwise I will be so anxious,' Guardiola said. 'We will rest the time the Premier League allows us to. And game by game, month by month, we will see. And maybe in November, December, January, ask me, Pep. I may say: 'So listen, we are a disaster. We are exhausted. The World Cup destroyed us.' I don't know, but it's the first time in our life that that's happened [32-team CWC]. So we will see. 'So I try to be relaxed, to enjoy the days here, the good vibes that we have, the competition, to try to win it. And the most important thing, to recover, to find or re-find ourselves what we were. This is my main target in this tournament.' At the weekend, Jürgen Klopp, the former Liverpool manager, stated that the tournament winners will be the 'worst of all time' due to the relentless schedule. Klopp is now head of global soccer for Red Bull, with one of the teams he oversees, Salzburg, eliminated at the group stage. Guardiola responded to the German. 'I know where his idea comes from,' he said. 'We fought a lot [together] when we went to the Uefa meetings [or] especially when we discussed the Premier League calendar, about how to add more quality to it. [We discussed] giving the managers and players more rest. So his comments [on the Club World Cup] didn't surprise me a lot. I understand him. I respect him. I've had an incredible relationship with Jurgen for many years as rivals. 'Now he's stepped back from that position [as a manager] and I understand his argument, because I would defend his argument as well. At the same time, as managers we are in a job. We follow the Fifa, Uefa, Premier League rules. 'Many, many teams complain about these competitions because they are not here, otherwise they might love being here. They would have their media and supporters here, and there would be income to be here, and they would be happy to be here. Of course, it's not an ideal situation for the manager. Would I love to have two months to prepare for next season? Yes. Would I love to be refreshed for next season? Yes. But it is what it is.' Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Manchester City kick-off at 9pm local time against Al-Hilal when the forecast is for rain and potentially lightning that could halt the match. Guardiola laughed off any concern. 'I am an extraordinary manager but to control lightning and thunder, still I am not good enough,' he said. Al-Hilal's captain, Salem Al-Dawsari, and the No 9, Aleksandar Mitrović, are both unavailable due to injury.
