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Pep tells Man City players: ‘It’s Our Title, Nobody Can Stop Us’

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Pep Guardiola has told his Manchester City players to “relax” in Sunday’s Premier League finale against West Ham and they will lift their fourth consecutive title.

A second-half brace from Erling Haaland ensured City won 2-0 at Tottenham on Tuesday to move back ahead of Arsenal and keep the race in their own hands against West Ham on the final day.

City had to wait until the 51st-minute to break the deadlock and Guardiola urged his team to heed lessons from both their own past and Arsenal’s narrow 1-0 victory at Manchester United last weekend to stay on course for a historic success.

“They were playing for the consequences of the result [in the first half],” said Guardiola. “When you do that you are going to lose the Premier League. You cannot perform to your level.

“They are human beings, I understand the pressure. Not even Arsenal played well against Manchester United, they knew if they did not win there they would not win the Premier League.

“It will be the same on Sunday for us against West Ham. We will feel the pressure. Look at Aston Villa a few seasons ago [2021-22], 2-0 down 15 minutes to go, Sergio Aguero against QPR [in 2011-12], went to 93 minutes [before Aguero scored]. It is normal.

“That is why we talk and say everyone has to relax themselves and do what they have to do, that is all.”

City will win the league by beating West Ham no matter how Arsenal fare against Everton and Guardiola added: “We know what we’re playing for. The tension is there, the rival is so good. It’s why it is difficult, we know that.

“Everyone come to the stadium and make noise. These games are more difficult but you have to do it. We’ll have one day off, two days to prepare, and then we will do our best.”

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European Leagues

JAILED! French Striker Sentenced To Two-Years In Prison Over Rape

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JAILED! French Striker Sentenced To Two-Years In Prison Over Rape

Former AS Monaco, Sevilla and France forward Wissam Ben Yedder has been convicted of attempted rape and sexual assault in Nice, following a lengthy legal process.

The 34-year-old, who was a free agent this summer after leaving the principality, has been declared guilty of all charges in court, and on top of the two years in prison he will face, Ben Yedder will see his driving licence suspended for six months. He will pay a €6.5k fine in damages to the victim, and his name will be placed on the sex offender register.

Ben Yedder apologised to the 23-year-old victim during the court proceedings, blaming his actions on alcohol. Diario AS explain that the prosecution were seeking a year in prison and 2.5 years more in a suspended sentence, conscious of the fact that he has a separate ongoing rape investigation into him. Ben Yedder paid a €900k bail to avoid custody in 2023.

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European Leagues

Man City Crisis Deepens As Grealish, Foden Out Of England Squad

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Man City Crisis Deepens As Grealish, Foden Out Of England Squad

Manchester City’s number of international dropouts increased to five on Monday following the news that Jack Grealish and Phil Foden have pulled out of the England squad, along with Jeremy Doku’s withdrawal from Belgium duty.

It follows Manuel Akanji’s departure from the Switzerland squad, while Matheus Nunes was a surprise dropout from the Portugal team.

It’s a sign of just how widespread City’s injury issues are, with Ruben Dias and John Stones missing Saturday’s loss to Brighton & Hove Albion, along with Grealish and Doku, while Rodri and Oscar Bobb are long-term absentees.

Nathan Ake and Kevin De Bruyne have not been included in their respective international squads. The latter has only recently returned from a seven-week absence, while Ake was deemed not fit enough to come off the bench at the Amex.

In addition, Kyle Walker is yet to regain full fitness after sustaining an injury during the last international break. It means City squad really is threadbare on the back of a four-game losing streak, the worst run of Pep Guardiola’s time at the club.

However, the Catalan will be pleased to hear of Grealish’s withdrawal from the England squad. The former Aston Villa star has missed the last six City games due to injury and Guardiola was furious that he was called up by Lee Carsley.

“Seventeen days, didn’t train once. Today the first training and trained 20 minutes,” Guardiola said on Friday following the news of Grealish’s selection. “This is the reality. He was in the gym for a few minutes yes, the last two days. It’s a question for the [England] manager – I’m not involved. They can select who they want.”

Guardiola said after the Brighton game that he is hopeful several of the absentees will be back after the international break. City face Tottenham Hotspur on 23 November in their first match following the pause in club football, before games against Feyenoord and Liverpool.

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Ruben Amorim Has Three Manchester United Issues To Address – Details Emerge

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Ruben Amorim Has Three Manchester United Issues To Address - Details Emerge

Ruben Amorim is now Manchester United head coach having begun his reign on Monday.

The Reds boss has a near two week wait until his first match – at Ipswich Town on Sunday week – but there is plenty of work to do between now and then. His first few days will be spent familiarising himself with his new surroundings and staff before the players return from either international duty or a few days off.

United have markedly improved under the now departed Ruud van Nistelrooy but there is plenty of work to be done with the Reds still in the bottom half and with work to do in Europe. Amorim has three clear priorities.

Amorim will no doubt want to implement a style and put his own stamp on this misfiring United side but priority number one is results. The Reds are 14th in the Premier League following the weekend defeat to West Ham and are closer to the relegation zone than the top four.

The first task is to climb the table and maximise the potential of an immediate fixture list that includes several home matches and several fixtures against bottom half sides. United also need to find victories in the Europa League having managed just one in four outings. Going out at the first hurdle is unthinkable and Amorim must ensure United are at least involved in the play-offs come the new year.

Amorim’s Sporting hit seven in his first match in charge while he was able to lift the title within 18 months. He knows how to get results quickly.

United have struggled for goals this season and their two most recent striker acquisitions, Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund, have yet to fully convince. The latter has the potential to become a focal point of the attack while Zirkzee’s role remains uncertain given his lack of goalscoring prowess.

Amorim could use both’s tune-up to ensure United can turn chances into goals. It wasn’t too long ago that Marcus Rashford was enjoying the season of his career, yet he regressed last term—though the early signs this season have been promising. Restoring confidence up top feels like a big priority.

And United can look at Viktor Gyokeres for inspiration. Not so long ago he was in the Championship with Coventry, he’s exploded onto the world stage at Sporting with almost a goal a game and Amorim has played a role in helping the frontman take his game to the next level.

Old Trafford used to be a place of intimidation, where teams were beaten in the tunnel. Now it’s nothing more than a welcome mat.

United have lost the fortress that served them so well and if they can find a tempo, style and intensity to worry teams and lift the fans, they can begin rebuilding that Old Trafford fear factor. United’s support, particularly away, is superb and if Amorim can hit the ground running with the basic template expected of United – front-foot football, attacking intent, effort and intensity – then players and supporters can start to create a club with a clear identity.

Sporting’s final home match under Amorim showed how united the club was, with a thumping 4-1 win over Manchester City, where players, managers, and fans were all together. Amorim fostered that, with results and success helping, but it was only a little over 12 months before his arrival that the unrest was so patent at the club that fans stormed the training ground in protest.

Manchester United Evening

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