Dribble Diaries

Manchester City, the current Premier League champions, will once again lose outstanding player Erling Haaland. The club issued an official statement confirming the prognosis for the 21-goal man's injury to his left ankle. "The Norwegian striker sustained the injury during Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final victory away at AFC Bournemouth." "Erling underwent initial tests in Manchester on Monday morning and will now seek specialist consultation to confirm the full extent of the injury." "The assessment is still ongoing to provide a comprehensive prognosis. Erling is expected to recover in time to play in the balance of this season, including this summer's FIFA Club World Cup." "Everyone at the Club wishes Erling a speedy recovery." For the time being, Haaland is out of contention for Wednesday's home game against Leicester. With further details to come, the former Borussia Dortmund wonderkid could be sidelined for a few we...

Pep Guardiola admits that his performance as Manchester City manager has been "really poor" this season. City have had one of their worst seasons in a decade and are still battling to qualify for the Champions League next season. Despite their well-documented injury woes, City's manager believes he and his team might have performed better. Guardiola was asked to describe the performance of himself and his coaches this season. The Catalan merely replied: "This season?" Very poor. "Our opponents never handed us a red carpet when we won the crowns. My obligation was to handle the issue far better than I did. When asked about the causes of the poor performance, he claimed to know: "A few things, the reason why it happened. Hopefully that will not happen again next season; this is critical." The former Barcelona manager also promised fans that he remains enthused about his position and hopes to lead the club back to the top next season. Des...

This week, it was recommended that Brighton provide fans with unique flags to give Saturday a real feeling of occasion, but manager Fabian Hurzeler and the rest of the team rejected the idea. They want the players to treat the FA Cup quarter-final against Nottingham Forest like any other home game. That is a more favorable mindset to winning, especially when you can feel the enthusiasm growing on the training ground. Brighton are far from the only club dealing with such conflicting emotions this weekend, as the bulk of those remaining in the FA Cup are well aware that this isn't just any game. It's a historic, and perhaps unique, chance. There will be no arguments over the competition's meaning this weekend. The majority of the most frequent winners, including the five most successful clubs over the last 34 years and nine of the last ten champions, are no longer in the competition. It couldn't have meant more to those who remained. Half of the eight have never...

According to reports, Kevin De Bruyne's desire to play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup could lead to him accepting a salary cut and extending his stay at Manchester City. De Bruyne turns 34 in June and is out of contract in the summer, with the Belgium international expected to finish an injury-plagued season on a high note by proving his fitness before sitting down with City to discuss his future plans. Pep Guardiola has maintained that it is up to De Bruyne and the club to sort things out, and while the midfielder's form and fitness have dipped since his prime years as the fulcrum of the Etihad side, the six-time Premier League winner still has a lot to offer. Along with Erling Haaland, who signed a sensational 10-year contract and committed his long-term future to City earlier this season, Kevin De Bruyne is one of City's highest earners, earning a widely reported £375,000 per week before bonuses in his current contract. Manchester City are expected to offload a large port...

Javier Tebas, president of La Liga, has accused Manchester City of Enron-style financial deception. Tebas stated that the Spanish league filed a complaint against City with the European Commission in the summer of 2023, and that the Commission is currently investigating. City have not responded to Tebas' allegations, but club sources are aware of them and strongly deny them. Tebas claims City used related companies in the United Arab Emirates to hide losses and improve the club's own balance sheet, drawing parallels to the Enron scandal. Enron executives were discovered to have made millions by creating a web of partnerships to generate false profits while concealing the company's true debt. Tebas stated in a press conference at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit: "City has a lot of companies in their group that are outside the City Football Group structure, extra companies where they put their expenses. "The other companies lose money, but not the...

When Liverpool was looking for Jurgen Klopp's replacement, Arne Slot checked off a lot of boxes. He had outperformed his budget. He had improved players through his coaching abilities. He played the right style of football. He was regarded as an effective communicator. One factor garnered less attention at the time. Liverpool took note of Slot's approach to sports science when reviewing Feyenoord's medical records. "At Feyenoord we kept our players fit - available is a better word - but we were always one of the fittest teams in the league as well when it came to running or the last 25 minutes of the game," Slot explained earlier in the month. Liverpool will travel to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday unbeaten in 22 league games and 17 points ahead of the reigning champions, but their rivals may look to emulate those smaller numbers. Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley will undoubtedly be absent from Slot's trip to Manchester City. Cody Gakpo is in doubt. However, only N...

Manchester City are out of the Champions League after losing to Real Madrid on Wednesday. The PA news agency looks at where they're going next. What are their goals for the rest of the season? With City's hopes of winning a fifth consecutive Premier League title seemingly dashed, the focus will shift to qualifying for the Champions League next season. There is a chance that fifth place will suffice this season, and there is still the FA Cup to play for, but finishing in the top four, with its rock-solid guarantee, will be Pep Guardiola's first priority. How much will it cost them? City has earned approximately £63.5 million from their Champions League participation this season, but their elimination has cost them the opportunity to earn an additional £20.5 million in prize money, as well as an additional share of broadcast revenue and potential matchday income. A large portion of this can be offset this year by their participation in the lucrative Club World Cup. Their part...

Kylian Mbappé is unlikely to forget his hat-trick against Manchester City anytime soon. The Real Madrid star's haul in Wednesday's Champions League play-off ensured that the reigning champions would be drawn for the last 16 stage. However, Mbappé made history at the Santiago Bernabéu by becoming only the sixth player to receive a match ball against a Pep Guardiola team. Even more impressively, he tied Lionel Messi for the most goals scored against Manchester City, putting seven past the former Premier League champions. Mbappé didn't stop there; he became the only player in Champions League history to score hat-tricks at both the Bernabéu and, as a PSG player, Camp Nou. Talk about a scrapbook moment.

On Wednesday, fans of La Liga giants Real Madrid received some very positive personnel news. This comes as confirmation that Federico Valverde will be fit and ready to play in the club's crucial match against Manchester City. Real Madrid are set to return to action later this evening. After defeating Manchester City three goals to two at The Etihad last week, Los Blancos will host Pep Guardiola's side in the second leg of the clubs' crucial Champions League playoff tie. Federico Valverde, as previously mentioned, was labelled as a doubt in the lead-up to the match after being forced to sit out training due to discomfort. However, as previously stated, if the latest media reports are to be believed, those of the Real persuasion need not be concerned. According to a report from Relevo 'Fede Valverde is already at 100% and will stay on the right flank (against Manchester City).'

Following Tuesday's entrée, we now have the Champions League main course, which includes a marquee match in Madrid and the possibility of making history at Signal Iduna Park. Here's what to expect in Wednesday's games. ⚔️ Match of the day It's the game of the round, arguably the game of the season thus far, and one that will most likely define the season for these two clubs. Real Madrid hosts Manchester City, with a spot in the Champions League last 16 on the line. Last week's first leg was a mini-classic, with Los Blancos rallying from 2-1 down to win 3-2 in the final moments. Carlo Ancelotti's side now has a slight advantage as they return to the Spanish capital thanks to Jude Bellingham's goal. The expected returns of Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba, however, may benefit the Liga giants. Although the Austria international is reportedly only ready for a bench spot, Rüdiger could return to the defence immediately and provide a capable opponent for Erling...

Manchester City imploded against Real Madrid and handled leads like bars of butter-coated soap Do you remember what it was like to play against Manchester City? A squad that retained the ball like no other, planned wave after wave of unrelenting attack, created an arced perimeter around your box, and shut down every escape route. It was a dreadful, strangling, stifling process, similar to trying to change the bedsheets in a dark greenhouse. The numbing tiredness of not just playing but also watching Pep Guardiola's title side meant that once they scored the opening goal, you could just as well turn off the TV. So, how did they go from that to this? From a team that gripped games and opponents tightly to one that handles both with ease? On Tuesday, City lost 3-2 to Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League play-off at the Etihad Stadium, after leading 1-0 and 2-1 with only four minutes remaining. With a third of the season remaining, City has already lost 10 leads this...

Vinicius was second behind Rodri in the voting for last year's Ballon d'Or. Vinicius Junior said he was inspired by a banner unfurled by Manchester City fans ahead of Real Madrid's thrilling Champions League victory. The Brazilian was voted player of the match as Real twice rallied from behind to defeat City 3-2 in the first leg of their play-off encounter, setting up Jude Bellingham's last-gasp winner at the Etihad Stadium. Vinicius was booed throughout, and as the players went out before kickoff, a large tifo was displayed behind one of the goals. "Stop crying your heart out" was the caption beside a photo of Rodri and the Ballon d'Or trophy, ridiculing Real for missing last year's presentation. Vinicius was the frontrunner to win football's most prestigious individual trophy for the first time, but it was revealed in the run-up to the presentation that Rodri had won the vote, and Real decided not to send any representatives, despite winning othe...