UNDERDOGS ... ARE YOU JOKING?
City’s Van man gets NYC role Pep quick to remind Reds that they’re the league champions
v
MANCHESTER CITY will give Giovanni van Bronckhorst the chance to put himself in the frame to replace Pep Guardiola by appointing him coach of their New York sister club.
Sunday Mirror Sport revealed in September that former Feyenoord boss Van Bronckhorst had joined the Etihad staff as the Premier League champions prepare for life after Guardiola.
The Dutchman was given an access-all-areas role at the club to learn about the inner workings of the City Football Group (CFG), which includes New York City and clubs in Australia, Spain, Uruguay and Japan.
The plan is for him to take over their MLS franchise after Domenec Torrent stepped down as head coach after New York’s semi-final play-off defeat to Toronto.
Van Bronckhorst has visited both New York and Melbourne and has also been observing Guardiola’s coaching methods.
Guardiola’s contract expires in 2022 and City want a replacement who shares the same philosophy as the Catalan.
Mikel Arteta has worked on the coaching staff as City have won back-toback Premier League titles and is regarded as a potential manager.
But the recruitment of Van Bronckhorst is a significant development.
The 44-year-old played for Barcelona and is a disciple of Guardiola’s coaching hero Johan Cruyff.
He led Feyenoord to their first Eredivisie title in 18 years in 2017 and won the Dutch Cup twice.
He was planning to take a sabbatical after stepping down at Feyenoord, but changed his mind after being approached by City.
Van Bronkhorst would be unlikely to accept the New York job if there was no plan for him to eventually move to a more prominent role inside the CFG.
He has Champions League experience and has a number of close friends inside the group, including former Rangers team-mate Claudio Reyna, who is New York’s director of football.
A DEFIANT Pep Guardiola last night warned Jurgen Klopp that he is not going to Anfield as an underdog.
The Manchester City boss refuses to accept that the champions will be handing over the title to Liverpool today despite falling six points behind Klopp’s men at the top of the Premier League table.
City’s team have been ravaged by injuries – with keeper Ederson the latest player to join a casualty list that already includes David Silva and long- term absentees Leroy Sane and Aymeric Laporte.
Guardiola is aware of the size of his task at a ground where here City have won just twice in 63 3 years.
But the Catalan has declared clared his intention to go to Merseyside side to win and blow the title race wide open.
“I’ve never gone into a game feeling like an n outsider and feeling like
I’m not going to win,” he said. “People say, ‘You’re an underdog or not’, but
I have never felt that.
“Of course, Liverpool are six points ahead and they have been playing fantastic all season. We also have many injury proboblems in some departments. ts.
“But I’m not going to o take the bus to Anfield on Sunday thinking I’m going to lose the game. That has never happened in my career.
“I have always had the feeling that if we do the special things we plan to do then we will have our chance to win. People keep talking about what will happen if we lose. But what if we win?”
Squandered
Guardiola’s four trips to Anfield brought three defeats before a goalless draw last season.
Riyad Mahrez squandered the chance to blow away the Blues’ bogey when he missed a lastminute penalty.
But the result still provided the solitary point that was to prove decisive for City in their bid to retain the title. Yet those struggles on Liverpool soil run deep. Their only Premier League win was back in 2003 – and Kevin Keegan is the only manager still alive to have led the Blues to victory there.
Guardiola admits he is at a loss to explain why Anfield has become such a graveyard for his club.
He said: “No, I cannot explain it. I can explain my period here, when we have played there.
“Last season, in the last minute, we could have won but we missed mi a penalty. Sometime Sometimes it happens. It shows how diffic difficult it is.
“It is not easy to go to Camp Nou o or Madrid or Bayern Munich or Juventus or the bigge gest stages to win away. W What can I say?
“Everyone knows it. I w will tell the players what they have to do to win the game in terms of the mental approach and t tactical decisions.
“I don’t believe much in statistics, but one win in 3 38 years shows how difficul ficult it is. You always have a cha challenge. Maybe we can win this time and it is done.” Guardio Guardiola added: “To succeed in these kind of games you have to be at the top level. We can’t be half- and- half because the way Liverpool play demands attention for 95 minutes.
“But I am sure if there is a chance to win at Anfield it is when you believe you’re going to win the game.
“If you just think, ‘ Let’s see what happens’ then it’s not possible.
“The only chance we have is if we play well and create chances. That’s the only way we can do i t. Not j ust at Anfield, but at all the big stadiums around the world.”
Sergio Aguero used to dream of scoring goals at Liverpool – but the City striker has never hit the net in 10 appearances there.
Aguero, 31, spoke of his ambition to play for the Reds when he was at Atletico Madrid. He has a great league record against them at the Etihad, having scored in all of his seven appearances.
But his eight games for City on Merseyside have all drawn a blank. He also failed to score in two substitute appearances for Atletico.
But Guardiola has no worries about his striker today. “Sergio was born to score goals and he will die scoring goals,” he said.