Sports

‘Man City Are Back’, Says Guardiola After Thrashing Ipswich

Published

5 months ago

January 19, 2025

Pep Guardiola claimed Man City are back to their best after Phil Foden starred in a 6-0 rout of struggling Ipswich on Sunday.

Foden netted either side of Mateo Kovacic’s eye-catching goal as City blew Ipswich away with three first-half goals at Portman Road.

Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and James McAtee scored after the interval to give fourth-placed City their biggest league win this season.

Guardiola’s side have won three of their last four league games as they begin the long climb back to respectability after a dismal start to the season.

“We are really pleased, we are back in many things that have defined this team in the last decade, the last years,” Guardiola said.

“Really pleased for the players, they deserved it a lot. We recovered some identities that we lost in this path.

“Really pleased for the three points and to climb a little bit because qualification for the Champions League next season will be really tough.”

Sterner tests lie in wait for City, including a vital Champions League trip to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday and looming Premier League clashes with Chelsea and Arsenal.

But this was the kind of confident display City used to make look routine during their march to four successive English titles.

Winning is almost certain to prove beyond them as they trail leaders Liverpool by 12 points.

Guardiola will settle for restoring City’s pride this term as he rebuilds a team that suddenly grew old and inconsistent before his eyes.

“The most important thing is that the players, they saw themselves recognise what we are, so that is the best thing I can say,” he said.

Haaland, who has scored 112 goals in just 127 appearances for City, this week committed himself to the club until 2034 when he signed a new nine-and-a-half year deal.

But Kyle Walker was again absent from the City side amid reports that AC Milan are ready to bid for the unsettled England right-back.

In City’s first visit to Portman Road for 23 years, the champions emphasised how powerful they can still be at peak form.

– Ruthless City –

Haaland scored a hat-trick when City beat Ipswich 4-1 in August and he threatened to net in the opening moments in Suffolk.

Kovacic’s pass split the Ipswich defence and sent Haaland clean through on goal, but the Norway striker’s shot was pushed away by Christian Walton.

Omari Hutchinson almost put Ipswich ahead against the run of play with a stinging strike from just inside the area that hit Haaland and flashed just over.

But City’s pressure was rewarded in the 27th minute when Doku and Kevin De Bruyne combined to set up Foden for a clinical close-range finish.

Foden turned provider as ruthless City doubled their lead three minutes later.

Kovacic strode onto Foden’s pass on the edge of the area and smashed a superb low strike past the flat-footed Walton for his first goal since October.

Guardiola’s men were rampant and they struck again three minutes before half-time.

Set free by Doku, De Bruyne raced into the area and cut the ball back for Foden, whose shot from five yards evaded Walton’s weak attempted save.

The England forward’s fifth goal in his last four games maintained his recent improvement.

City have scored 25 first-half goals in 22 games, more than any other team in the Premier League this season.

Ipswich were powerless to stem the tide. Doku danced through their defence to score City’s fourth with a low shot that hit Dara O’Shea on its way past Walton in the 49th minute.

City showed no mercy and Haaland joined the party in the 57th minute.

Jack Clarke conceded possession and Doku teed up Haaland to drill past Walton for his 22nd goal in all competitions this season.

McAtee came off the bench to bag City’s sixth in the 69th minute, the 22-year-old looping a header over Walton from Kovacic’s cross.
VANGUARD

Related Topics:Guardiola Manchester City

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Sports

Pogba Signs For Monaco, Hoping To Revive Career

Published

6 hours ago

June 28, 2025

Editor

Paul Pogba has signed a two-year deal with Ligue 1 side Monaco to return to football after a near two-year absence, the club announced on Saturday.

The 2018 World Cup winner has made only 12 appearances across the last three seasons due to injuries, an 18-month doping ban and an extortion case in which he was the victim.

Pogba failed a drugs test in August 2023 after a match for Juventus and has been free to return to football since March, although his contract at the Italian giants had been terminated last year.

The midfielder will now play club football in Ligue 1 for the first time in his professional career.

“I am determined to get back on the pitch, mentally ready, physically ready, it’s just a matter of time,” the 32-year-old told French television last weekend.

Pogba played in the Le Havre youth team before signing for Manchester United in 2009.

He made only a handful of first-team appearances for the three-time European champions before signing for Juventus in 2012.

Pogba won four consecutive Serie A titles in Turin before rejoining United for a then-world record 105 million euros ($123 million).

He moved back to Juventus three years ago but struggled with a series of injuries.

In 2024, his brother Mathias was sentenced to three years in prison, with two years suspended, for his role in a plot to extort 13 million euros from Pogba in 2022.

Pogba has scored 11 goals in 91 appearances for the France national team, playing a starring role and scoring in their World Cup final victory over Croatia seven years ago.

His new club Monaco will play in the Champions League next season after finishing third in Ligue 1 last term.

Sports

Chelsea Set To Offload Jackson, Madueke, 8 Others [See list]

Published

1 day ago

June 27, 2025

Editor

Chelsea are reportedly planning a major squad overhaul this summer, with as many as 10 players facing the exit door, according to The Athletic.

Among those who could be sold are Noni Madueke, Nicolas Jackson, and Christopher Nkunku, as the club aims to raise funds for new signings and streamline their squad ahead of the new season.

Also on the list of potential departures are Djordje Petrovic, Armando Broja, Ben Chilwell, Axel Disasi, Raheem Sterling, Carney Chukwuemeka, and newly signed Renato Veiga.

Many of these Chelsea players spent last season out on loan and may now be moved on permanently.

The club’s transfer strategy is geared towards meeting key summer objectives, with player sales expected to provide the financial muscle needed to reinforce specific areas of the squad.

Chelsea have already made moves in the transfer market, including the €35.5 million acquisition of Liam Delap from Ipswich Town.

His arrival could push Jackson further down the pecking order, with the striker now being considered for a potential sale.

One of the top targets for the Blues is Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, who is seen as a potential replacement for Madueke on the wing.

While Chelsea are keen to trim their squad and raise funds, the departures of Jackson, Madueke, and Nkunku will largely depend on the calibre of offers they receive from interested clubs.

As the Blues prepare for a demanding new season, the coming weeks could see a flurry of transfer activity at Stamford Bridge.

Sports

Brighton Sign Super Falcons Goalkeeper Nnadozie From Paris FC

Published

1 day ago

June 27, 2025

Editor

Brighton & Hove Albion have confirmed the signing of Nigerian international goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie on a free transfer from Paris FC.

The 24-year-old will officially join the club on 1 July, following the expiration of her contract with the French side.

Nnadozie brings a wealth of experience to the Seagulls, having earned 55 caps for Nigeria since making her senior debut in 2018.

She also boasts significant European pedigree, having featured in 16 UEFA Women’s Champions League matches for Paris FC between 2022 and 2025.

Brighton head coach Dario Vidosic praised the new arrival, saying: “She’s a talented and commanding goalkeeper who will bring consistency and confidence to our defensive line.”

He added: “We’re confident she’ll add both depth and drive to a squad already full of ambition as we continue to build for next season.”