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Pep Guardiola addressed his decision to leave Jack Grealish out of the squad for Sunday’s final game of the season by avoiding the unthinkable of missing out on the Champions League next season.

City’s fate came to an end on the last day of the Premier League campaign, but a 2-0 victory over Fulham on the River Thames kept them firmly at the top of the table for 15th consecutive years.

Attention will now turn to the summer, when Guardiola anticipates a significant change to the team’s size and subsequent failure to capture a trophy for the first time in eight years.

Guardiola rebuffed Guardiola, “Don’t ask me about Jack.” Who said Jack wasn’t happy with me? Why not inquire about McAtee if Rico [Lewis] was not chosen and James] McAtee was exceptional against Aston Villa and Wolves?

It’s not Jack’s fault that he’s so close. I am the one who fought for him to come here and to stay here both this and the following season. I am the one who declared, “I want Jack Galish.”

In his Friday news conference, he clarified that the joke was intended as a reminder that he needs to collaborate with a smaller group of players.

Since City has 32 players listed on their official website, there are likely to be numerous departures.

Will there be others, though, like Gulp?

When asked about his absence, Guardiola responded, “It was selection. Five or six players have been at home every two months, and this time I made the decision. That is it.

Jack must play, of course. He must play football every three days, which is an unbelievable player. Both this and last season, neither of which happened. He must either work with us or work elsewhere.

The forward made a significant contribution to the club’s triple success in the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup in 2022-23, but his performances have been inconsistent and his chances at the club now seem far off.

Grealish has grown accustomed to playing substitute and has only managed four Premier League goals in the last two years.

He was signed for £100m from Aston Villa in 2021, but he was unable to play against Palace in the FA Cup final defeat last Saturday. Guardiola made his surprise debut in the second half, playing for Argentine teenager Claudio Echeverri.

Grealish was “absolutely heartbroken” that he was cut from England’s Euro 2024 squad last summer because he didn’t play a lot of regular games for City and that this has had an impact on his international ambitions.

Shay Given, a former City goalkeeper, claimed that Grealish’s “writing is on the wall” and that he must “see what is out there” for his career.

What is well known is that Kevin de Bruyne’s final game against the Cottagers ended a club’s storied era.

Kyle Walker, Kalvin Phillips, and Maximo Perrone, who have all been on loan this season, don’t seem to have a chance to get back.

In January, Guardiola signed defensive duo John Stones and Nathan Ake, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis, who could see their careers come to an end.

These rumors may come up again because Goalkeeper Ederson had a strong connection to moving to Saudi Arabia last summer. According to reports, Bernardo Silva wants a new challenge away from the Premier League while third-choice Scott Carson is set to expire this summer.

What about Ilkay Gundogan, then? The 34-year-old midfielder re-joined Barcelona in the summer and did not reach the same heights as his debut, but did score a stunning bicycle kick against Fulham.

Off the pitch, it will also be a crucial transitional period. Begiristain, Guardiola’s long-time friend and collaborator, will leave this summer, and Viana has already taken over as the new director of football.

With a record revenue of £715 million in their most recent accounts and an overall pre-tax profit of £73.8 million, City are in a strong position to spend this summer. Qualifying for the Champions League is worth more than £100 million for English teams.

Florian Wirtz, a Bayer Leverkusen midfielder, is one player they won’t be moving for, but Morgan Gibbs-White of Nottingham Forest is still interested, and Tijjan Reijnders of AC Milan has been closely linked with a move to Etihad Stadium.

Guardiola compared a rebuilding to “I don’t have that feeling.” I saw 24 players training the other day and complimented them on how excellent they are, though perhaps the club is a little different.

I don’t think much when people say “new faces will come, especially in positions where we are weaker.” We have players on contracts who want to remain, but I don’t want many of them.

City will be relieved to recover from a subpar campaign and don’t need to wait long to make amends when they play in the Club World Cup in just 24 days.

Not for the first time this season, Ange Postecoglou was somewhat perplexed.

He had just been asked to evaluate Tottenham’s season following their 4-1 defeat by Brighton, the club’s 22nd Premier League defeat this season.

Given that he had just won the club’s first trophy since 2008, the Australian was furious at the question. He seemed perplexed as to how the season could be seen as anything but a blistering success.

How should I evaluate it? “Outstanding” Postecoglou remarked.

We are in the Champions League and have won a trophy, which we haven’t done in 17 years.

Ask anyone at this football club to say “nobody would take that,” and I’m pretty sure there wouldn’t be anyone in the house who wouldn’t.

The Australian bemoaned the fact that his future was still up for debate after fulfilling his responsibilities of winning a trophy and qualifying for the Champions League.

He said, “I will be honest, I have been finding it really strange talking about our future when we have done something unheard of.”

I guess I was forced to respond to the questions because no one else at the club would have the opportunity to do so.

Spurs fell to 17th place in Premier League history with Sunday’s defeat at Brighton, which is their worst-ever result in the league.

Their previous worst point total of 44, which they reached in the 1997-98 season, is six points short of the 38 they managed to accumulate.

Spurs finished this season with a goal difference of -1, losing twice as many games as winning this season (22).

Postecoglou will argue that after it became clear that relegation was no longer a threat, his team’s injury problems caused the focus to shift to the Europa League.

However, it is difficult to deny how bad the domestic campaign at Tottenham has been.

In 2025, they have lost to Brentford, Ipswich, and Southampton, but they have only won three league games.

Spurs went seven games without winning in their final game against Southampton on April 6.

At the Spurs’ trophy parade on Friday, Postecoglou claimed that season three was better than season two because he had been informed that he was staying at the club.

However, he made the observation during his pre-game press conference before the Brighton visit that “sometimes they kill off the main character.”

Postecoglou claimed he had not spoken to chairman Levy about his future after Brighton’s defeat.

Postecoglou remarked, “You’re asking the wrong person.

Everyone in the media knows that I’m not the right person to ask those questions.

“I’ll take a break, and hopefully we’ll be back on the field the first day of the season to kick things off.”

Levy is now unsure about firing a manager who ended Spurs’ trophy drought.

Postecoglou received the kind of credit with supporters that seemed impossible before Wednesday’s Europa League victory over Manchester United.

Many fans would be upset if they were to sacrifice him right now, but some people believe it to be the ideal time to end his life.

Levy must take into account that conundrum, and as United discovered last year when they fired FA Cup-winning coach Erik ten Hag, quaring the circle is never simple.

Alan Shearer, a former England striker, stated to BBC Match of the Day, “You have to say it has been a fantastic season. They have won a trophy, as he claimed, and they have done so.

Mohamed Salah had to be the subject.

The Egypt international scored a record-equalling goal on Sunday against Crystal Palace to prevent a defeat with just six minutes left in what has been a memorable title-winning campaign for Liverpool.

Salah scored the goal for the 29th time in a Premier League game, which moved him to level with Andy Cole and Alan Shearer for the most goal contributions.

Additionally, it gave him a fourth Golden Boot, breaking the previous record held by Arsenal legend Thierry Henry.

Former Manchester City and Arsenal forward Ellen White described Mo Salah’s season as “an incredible season.”

He is creative as well as prolific in front of the goal, according to him.

When there was much discussion about his contract, he displayed great professionalism, and he only improved as the season progressed.

One of the many things being celebrated on a day that will remain forever in the club’s memory was Salah’s goal, which also marked his significant contribution to Liverpool’s record-equalling 20th league title win, which moves them joint-equal with Manchester United.

The Reds, of course, won the Premier League in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemie, when large crowds were prohibited from gathering in large numbers.

On a sunny day in Liverpool, the party atmosphere started long before kick-off, with supporters gathering in sizable numbers wherever they were gathered, whether they had tickets for the game or not.

The home team formed one of their own ahead of the Eagles’ trophy success after Crystal Palace won the FA Cup last week, which also meant that their fans were in party spirit.

Jurgen Klopp, a former Liverpool manager, and Alan Hansen, their former captain, made a full-time presentation of the trophy at Anfield while a host of other legendary players were present, including former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp.

The Kop worked their way through a collection of Liverpool songs without a beat even when Ismaila Sarr led Palace.

However, Salah’s goal and the full-time whistle gave Liverpool the most enthusiastic cheer of the season, guaranteeing there was no end-of-season blemish.

Reds manager Arne Slot remarked, “These players and these fans hate losing, and that’s what they showed today.”

“The fans haven’t been a part of it in 35 years. Everyone could understand what it meant, which is what makes it unique.

It was a nice touch that Trent Alexander-Arnold was cheered onto the pitch as a half-time substitute to play his final 45 minutes in a Liverpool shirt because no one was ever in the mood to be negative.

After declaring he would leave the club at the end of the season, some Reds fans booed him during the game at Anfield, but the reaction was only positive as his first ball touched the ground was met with ferocious applause.

The full-back struggled to hold back the tears as he gave his team-mates one last hug on the Anfield pitch, which prompted more enthusiastic cheers when he was presented with the trophy.

After what had happened a few weeks ago, Alexander-Arnold said to Sky Sports, “I didn’t know what to expect when I started playing at Anfield.”

“I wanted to play for the club another time, and Arne Slot trusted me to do so.” More than anything, I needed to get the reception I received.

“I’ve played for the club hundreds of times, but I’ve never felt more loved and cared for than today.”

There was no day, minute, or second that I didn’t consider the team. I’ve loved every minute of it for twenty years, which is a long time. the changes and ups.

“To be a part of has been an honor and privilege.

Alexander-Arnold’s final Liverpool performance was a fitting match for his best performance. He exhibited incredible passing skill to help the home side turn the game around.

“They]the fans] were brilliant today, and they also showed a lot of respect for Trent,” added Slot.

What an unbelievable half he played, it also helped. I’m very happy for him in and around the club because he deserved it.

Due to their lack of interest in the transfer market, which saw the arrival of striker Federico Chiesa, last summer, Liverpool may have raised some eyebrows.

However, they are likely to be busier this summer as Alexander-Arnold leaves to ensure they stay ahead of their rivals.

With the Reds moving for Bayer Leverkusen duo Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz, work on that is already underway. Wirtz is an attacking midfielder, and Krimpong can play anywhere down the right.

We’d like new players, and Slot recommends that you do so as soon as possible.

“There has already been a lot of hard work done behind the scenes,” says the club, “but it doesn’t start working today.”

However, Slot hopes that Sunday’s celebrations will spur on those who are already members of the club to achieve even greater success regardless of who may show up next summer.

He predicted that the appetite will grow large. That is what we will see in the coming weeks. Some have already demonstrated their multiple-winner potential. They simply keep improving year after year.

In his end-of-season address to Manchester United fans from Old Trafford’s center circle, Ruben Amorim made the right remarks.

He apologized for a “disaster” of a season as promised and thanked supporters for believing that “the good days are coming” after predicting a “storm was coming” at the end of his first week as Erik ten Hag’s replacement.

At the conclusion of the 2-0 victory over Aston Villa, he said something else that might not have been immediately apparent.

He said, “We have to make a choice right now, or we stay stuck in the past.”

“We either fight or we work together to advance”

Before another rendition of “We want Glazers out” rolled around the stadium, Amorim and his players were not done with their lap of applause.

That chant was acceptable. There had been much worse, vicious, and threatening songs about the American family, who have owned United since 2005, for 30 minutes starting at 3 p.m.

As arguments are being sought to explain what ended up being a 15th-placed finish and what is regarded as the club’s worst season since the 1973-74 relegation season, the debt they loaded against United to finish their leveraged takeover are being highlighted with even more vehemence right now.

During the Glazers’ tenure, United has earned £738 million in net interest, according to renowned blogger Swiss Ramble. That is more than twice as much as the next-highest club. When outstanding transfer payments are taken into account, their total debt exceeds £1.1 billion.

Amorim later attempted to explain his offensive remarks in later conversations with the media.

When asked what he meant, he responded, “It is everything.”

Amorim may be waiting for a while before putting on a unified front the support group who despises the Glazer family, who are now starting to criticize Sir Jim Ratcliffe in a similarly negative light.

Then there are the fans who are being moved out of the directors’ box to make room for a corporate hospitality area, many of whom have been there for decades. And those who are being made less concessions. Additionally, there are threats that season tickets will be canceled for fans who don’t use them enough.

Amorim is presiding over a club that is currently experiencing a second round of redundancies, which is far from optimistic about the future.

A later response addressed issues with the United’s organization.

Before Amorim made his pitch debut, Victor Lindelof, Christian Eriksen, and veteran defender Jonny Evans were each called forward to express their disapproval after it was revealed that they would leave the club when their contracts expire on June 30.

Before the transfer window closes on September 1st, the expected influx of players will start. Amorim was prompted to warn against this.

Clubs are only allowed to lose a total of £105m under Premier League rules. Given that United’s actual losses are much higher, it is unclear what they have been able to recover as legitimate expenses and how far away they are from the cap.

However, United officials have not refuted the rumors that Wolves forward Matheus Cunha will make a £62.5 million switch this summer, but Amorim claims the club can’t just spend their money.

He said, “It’s difficult to talk about that.”

You saw three players leaving today, and of course there will be changes. However, we are not all equal under the law.

United did have one of their best performances as they wrapped up the season with their first home win since February.

However, a well-known defect was clearly visible.

Amorim has expressed concern about his team’s lack of goal threat.

They received 25 shots overall, with 10 of those on target today. For the first half of the game, they faced 10 men. However, Eriksen converted his penalty and the game was never put to bed until the 76th minute.

When Casemiro’s second-half shot smacked into the post, Amorim yelled out a bottle of water in disbelief.

United’s post-match lap of appreciation was also notable for Alejandro Garnacho’s stance for a short time in front of the Stretford End with his partner, who had earlier stated on Instagram that it was “the last game” in addition to Amorim’s speech.

Garnacho was not selected for Amorim’s matchday squad, and he is alleged to have been told that he could switch clubs this summer.

In the winter, Napoli and Chelsea were interested in bringing in the Argentina international, but a deal didn’t work out.

Amorim chose to remain silent about the situation despite admitting he was unsure what would turn up with the 20-year-old.

Garnacho, a player for Manchester United, wasn’t in the squad today, he claimed.

Lando Norris claimed that while winning the Monaco Grand Prix was “incredible,” he was “more emotional” because of the day’s prior pole position.

Monaco’s lead was won by Norris in a perfectly controlled race, but the new rule mandating drivers to use three sets of tyres added jeopardy without any significant impact to the outcome.

However, for Norris, the fact that he had the opportunity to end a difficult run of qualifying results and perhaps turn the corner in his struggles with the McLaren this year had potentially more significance.

Norris won the pole position in Monaco for the second time in a row after starting the season-opening race from the front of the grid. Oscar Piastri, a teammate, had already won three poles and four victories and appeared to be the championship favorite in the interim.

However, Norris’ pole-then-win in Monaco, combined with Piastri’s struggles to finish third in both qualifying and races, reduces the Australian’s lead to three points and increases his lead over Max Verstappen, who finished fourth in Monaco, to 22 points.

“Today is incredible, but I felt more emotion yesterday than today,” said Norris. That’s how much yesterday helped me get back into qualifying because it’s something I’ve only had my entire life.

Norris has found it challenging to drive on the restricted area of this year’s McLaren car because it doesn’t give him the front-end feedback and thrust he needs to be quick.

Over the past few weeks, he and his engineers have put a lot of effort into this. Therefore, it meant a lot to be the fastest man on one of the most demanding tracks on the calendar because precision is more important than anything else.

Norris said, “Bornel gave me confidence. Nothing new happened today, in the sense that I had confidence in every Sunday this year. Although I didn’t need the confidence on Sundays, I did enjoy it more yesterday.

“I almost almost was proud of myself today than I was of yesterday.” I’m more proud of doing it than just because a pole in Monaco guarantees a win, regardless of what the track would have been like.

However, he and McLaren team manager Andrea Stella were reluctant to refer to this as a significant breakthrough.

Norris remarked after the qualifying that it was “undoubtedly a step in the right direction.”

Stella concluded the race by saying that Lando merits praise for a very well-run and executed weekend. And this, in my opinion, is just the start of many more coming in the near future.

“I don’t want to consider a turning point,” I said. The journey we are going through with Oscar and Lando is the opposite of our journey.

Because the two drivers are in or were in different phases, as well as because of the characteristics and opportunities to work on, they are simply different in terms of what we are doing.

“This journey is not altered by any particular stage of the journey. This one, undoubtedly, can greatly improve how the work we have done is organized.

It illustrates that when you put together good work and put your faith in it, the results are visible.

“I believe this will help cement what we have accomplished so far, but for me, we are not quite at the end,” he said.

Piastri kept everything in perspective, as one would expect from a man of such coolness.

The margins are excellent, and he claimed that if it were a bad weekend, things wouldn’t go wrong.

Verstappen and Red Bull made every effort possible during the race. The final lap was where they made their final stop. After Norris, Leclerc, and Piastri made their final stops, they were now in fourth place.

Due to a rule that permits drivers to change tyres under a red flag while maintaining position, the race would have been stopped due to a significant accident, which is not uncommon in Monaco.

Verstappen reacted after the red flag was raised, though. Lewis Hamilton should have gained, but the Ferrari driver was too slow in traffic and other areas to move up from fifth.

Verstappen said he had “no grip,” despite always anticipating a difficult weekend in Monaco as a result of the Red Bull’s long-standing struggles in low-speed corners and over bumps and kerbs.

He said, “When we consider the championship.” I’m just going to race by race, with some tracks that might be better, of course.

Red Bull should be back in the sport more after the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya over the coming weekend.

Verstappen remarked, “Less low-speed corners, more high-speed.” “Hopefully,” the car will be a little more suited for that. Yes, it should be. I’m certain, I suppose, that’s what I hope. That would not be acceptable because we would be 0. 7 seconds a lap behind in Barcelona.

All teams will be affected by a rule change that will make the flexibility of the front wings more stringent. However, it’s still to be seen whether the competitive order changes.

Newcastle United’s players drew the entire Gallowgate End to reveal what was at stake as they entered St James’ Park, creating a tension that permeated the stadium.

You Played The Pitch, Players, and. As the club advanced to the Champions League against Everton in the final stages, the giant banner read “You Left It As Legends.”

In the end, Newcastle and manager Eddie Howe managed to achieve that status, but things didn’t go as planned.

As Everton deservedly won 1-0, Newcastle were plagued by nerves and tension throughout, the atmosphere resembling that of Howe’s side, who were merely a pale shadow of their usual vibrant selves.

And for 11 anxious minutes in the second half, it looked like they would be leaving the pitch heartbroken as Everton took the lead against Aston Villa at Old Trafford after Carlos Alcaraz had 45 minutes to lead Everton.

In the end, all was well that came to an end with their first domestic trophy in 70 years and their first success of any kind since 1969’s Carabao Cup triumph over Liverpool, earning them the golden ticket to a return to the Champions League.

Even then, when the final whistle whistled the loss of Newcastle, Tino Livramento and others slumped to the ground in shock, looking as though they believed the place in Europe’s elite competition had been lost, some players were clearly unaware of what was going on at Old Trafford.

The Champions League anthem sounded around St James Park, sparking full elation among Howe, his players, their families, and the fans after the controversial defeat had been confirmed following the announcement of Aston Villa’s controversial defeat.

This performance ended a fantastic season for Newcastle and their charismatic manager Howe, despite the anti-climax of its performance.

Financial uncertainty at the beginning of the campaign led to Howe becoming a reluctant seller in an effort to avoid the club breaking profit and sustainability regulations. The Champions League’s estimated £100 million riches have poured into the coffers, and it has come to an end in glory.

In those troubled times, it seemed far off to Newcastle to win silverware and earn a place in the Champions League.

A £100 million buy-out clause for Brazil’s midfielder Bruno Guimaraes was being considered, as was an option for England international Anthony Gordon to join Liverpool.

Since neither Anfield nor Guimaraes made an offer to Gordon, a fervent supporter of young Liverpool, were Brighton and Nottingham Forest’s respective talented young duo Yankuba Minteh and Elliott Anderson sacrificed, respectively.

The Crystal Palace defender’s summer-long pursuit of Marc Guehi also failed, leaving the England defender with no deal to pursue, adding to Howe’s frustration.

However, Howe successfully handled the unrest, bringing his team back from a sluggish start to win the team’s desired trophy, and further altering the club’s climate by bringing them back into the Champions League.

Any uncertainty that is still lingering at St James’ Park has been removed thanks to it’s remarkable management.

And Howe sounded eager to help Newcastle advance significantly when he discussed the transfer business for the summer.

He said, “Yes, there will be a significant transfer window.” It’s difficult to say how many numbers, but I do believe we need to be active in this and will.

We can’t ignore the excitement that this will bring to the people of this country because of the power and pull of the Champions League.

“And of course, it’s a selling point for us right now; it’s also an opportunity for us to sell that dream to other players who might be considering a future move to us.”

If Newcastle had not finished in the top five, their resolve to retain outstanding striker Alexander Isak might have been tested. The Swede now has the stage he seeks and deserves thanks to his talent. Any rumors about a departure will be replaced by the announcement of a new contract.

Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali, a highly regarded and influent duo, will share this fate.

With eight goals and 12 assists in 30 Premier League games for Jacob Murphy, who was 30 years old, he finally realized what Howe had envisioned, while Isak, who had 23 goals and six assists, deservedly led the charge.

Howe, whose legendary status on Tyneside has been further strengthened by this groundbreaking and unforgettable campaign, is at the center of it all.

He anticipates that Newcastle will be in better shape after their most recent Champions League appearance, which came against Paris St-Germain at home in a 4-1 victory but was unsuccessful in the knockout phase, in 2023-24.

The first time we went there, in my opinion, will help us in no end, Howe said.

We felt stronger as a result of the competition, so I believe we are now stronger. I believe that we are both mentally and physically better prepared for the upcoming competition.