Man City
Assessing Likely Successors to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City
Pep Guardiola’s future hangs after a Real Madrid exit. Could Luis Enrique or Xabi Alonso lead City?
There is an intangible sense that this could be Pep Guardiola’s final season in the Manchester City dugout. Another early Champions League knockout exit at the hands of Real Madrid has prompted questions about whether Guardiola has the appetite to lead City back to the summit after a decade in charge. The club’s shift from a possession-heavy side packed with technicians to a more direct approach featuring dribblers has been interpreted by some as preparation for life after Guardiola.
Any replacement will face the task of succeeding a manager who transformed the club. A clear theme among the leading candidates is familiarity with Guardiola or with the environment he created. Luis Enrique fits that description. He played alongside Guardiola at Barcelona and replaced the City boss as Barcelona B manager in 2008. Enrique has since forged his own reputation through successful spells with Barcelona, Spain and Paris Saint-Germain. His achievements with PSG last season were particularly notable, guiding the French club to the Champions League title and crafting them into Europe’s best team. PSG’s electrifying attacking sequences were aided by the club moving away from a ‘galacticos’ transfer model. Whether Enrique would leave what he has built in Paris for the City job is unclear, but he will surely be part of the conversation. Few can argue against him being the world’s best manager over the past two years.
Xabi Alonso also emerges as a credible option, despite an underwhelming seven-month spell with Real Madrid. There is little shame in struggling under the pressure of the Santiago Bernabéu. Alonso’s transformative success with Bayer Leverkusen, and in particular the extraordinary 2023–24 campaign, remain a strong measure of his ability. Stylistically there are differences between Alonso and Guardiola: Alonso has often preferred a 3-4-2-1 formation, while both managers demand precise and aesthetically pleasing football. Alonso has won praise for his unflappable attitude in dealing with the media, and he drew inspiration from Guardiola after working under him during his playing days at Bayern Munich. Having spent time at Liverpool, Alonso understands the demands of English football.
Man City
Howard Backs Sullivan to Progress at Man City Despite Club Uncertainty
Tim Howard says Cavan Sullivan can still thrive at Man City despite the club’s legal uncertainty.
Tim Howard believes Cavan Sullivan will continue to develop at Man City regardless of the uncertainty surrounding the club’s legal situation.
City are facing the prospect of major punishment after being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial regulations over nearly a decade, from 2009 to 2018. The case centres on “sham” contracts and “misstated accounts” that are said to have reduced costs by £900 million ($1.2 billion).
Even so, Howard is adamant the situation will not derail Sullivan’s rise. The USMNT goalkeeper and Premier League broadcast analyst has watched the teenager move quickly through the game, and he sees no reason that momentum should slow down now.
Sullivan signed his first professional contract with the Union at 14 in May 2024. That deal included an agreement to move to Man City. Two months later, he made history by becoming the youngest player in MLS history. This season, he has continued to produce at a high level, recording seven goals and 14 assists in 20 regular season starts.
Howard made his case on his podcast with Landon Donovan, Unfiltered Soccer. “They’ve bought a lot of players, given the financial situation, but they also know how to produce players,” Howard said. “They know how to get the best out of players. Their players don’t fail a lot.”
He highlighted Oscar Bobb, who spent three years developing in the blue side of Manchester before joining Fulham in January on a five-and-a-half year deal worth £27 million ($36 million). Bobb has since become a regular starter.
Howard also referenced Cole Palmer, who rose through Man City’s youth ranks before moving to Chelsea in 2023 on a seven-year deal reportedly worth £42.5 million ($56.8 million). Palmer has since become the face of the Blues.
“Their players don’t fail, so he is not going to fail there because there is uncertainty,” Howard reiterated.
City could still face a points deduction severe enough to push them into the relegation zone and down to the Championship. An expulsion from the Premier League could also lead to the EFL accepting them into the Championship. Howard’s view is that, whatever happens next, Sullivan should still benefit from the move.
Aston Villa
Premier League Matchday 6 verdict: who impressed, who unravelled, and who merely survived
Matchday 6 mixed sharp wins, poor finishing and controversy across the Premier League table.
Matchday 6 left the table untouched in one sense, but the performances were impossible to ignore. In the post-verdict era, points can feel fragile, yet the evidence on the pitch still matters. City’s second-half surge past a faltering Liverpool side may be revisited later, but Erling Haaland’s strike and Rayan Cherki’s invention are already part of the record.
Sunderland, deprived of key figures, were left with too little invention and too little calm in possession. Régis Le Bris was right to question the side’s lack of “quality or composure” after they controlled much of the ball but found no answers without Brian Brobbey. Bournemouth also remain short of rewards, and their latest defeat under Marco Rose brought another reminder that encouraging spells mean little without a first win. “The last games we had some good performances,” the incoming manager admitted, “but today we struggled.”
Manchester United’s problems continue to widen. Michael Carrick’s side were exposed again, this time by Tottenham Hotspur, and the mood around Old Trafford is growing less forgiving. Carrick’s own assessment was blunt: “I understand the disappointment,” he shrugged, “the reality is what it is.”
Elsewhere, Newcastle’s 4–1 defeat at Coventry City was harsh on the chances they created, yet costly for the gaps they left behind. Liverpool’s collapse after Ryan Gravenberch’s dismissal became the major talking point in a contest Andoni Iraola felt was shaped by the referee, while Crystal Palace were celebrated after a win that owed plenty to a generous interpretation of events from Pierre Sage.
There were also hard-earned points for Everton, Hull, Aston Villa, Brentford, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, Ipswich, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City. Some wins were built on control, others on stubbornness, and a few on little more than survival. On a weekend where margins dominated, several teams learned how thin the line remains between progress and frustration.
Liverpool
Haaland’s terse view on United and his Anfield outlook
Haaland brushed off United, then backed City to cope with the pressure at Anfield on Sunday.
Erling Haaland offered a revealing, if brief, answer when asked about Manchester United, and it said almost everything about where the rivalry sits from his point of view.
Pressed on the subject, the Manchester City forward paused, laughed and admitted: “I had to think about the name.” It was a sharp reminder that, for him, United are not the reference point they once were in the city. During his four years at City, the main challengers have been Arsenal and Liverpool, not the club once regarded as the dominant force in Manchester.
The timing of the comment mattered. Haaland had already been looking ahead to City’s trip to Anfield on Sunday, and he made no attempt to soften the mood around the fixture. The Premier League’s most productive striker welcomed the expectation of a difficult reception and said he wanted it that way.
“I hope it’s like that [hostile],” Haaland insisted, “it should be like that when Man City go to Liverpool and Anfield.”
There has been plenty of talk about the atmosphere awaiting City, especially after the official announcement of the club’s guilt regarding more than 100 breaches of financial regulations. That backdrop has fuelled predictions that the home crowd will be relentlessly hostile.
Yet the picture is not quite so straightforward. Anfield retains a fearsome reputation on European nights, but the edge around the ground has not always been so intense in more ordinary circumstances. On a Sunday afternoon, the noise can only do so much.
The match itself may prove more decisive than the setting. City go into the game top of the league with a perfect record under Enzo Maresca, while Liverpool have already dropped points against Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest and Fulham, all three of whom began the day in the bottom half.
Against that backdrop, Haaland’s belief that City supporters are “going to have a good time” at Anfield does not look entirely misplaced.
