Manchester

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A bomb, gang turf wars and the rise of club culture - poet, author and broadcaster David Scott looks at Manchester in the 1990s

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  1. Which Man Utd players will gain most under Amorim?published at 11:31

    Ruben Amorim's arrival as Manchester United head coach is expected to see tactical changes, including a switch to three at the back. But which players are set to benefit most?

    United fan Adam McKola tells The Football News Show why he feels Amorim sticking to his style of football can bring the best out of the likes of Leny Yoro, Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro.

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  2. Sutton's predictions: Man City v Tottenhampublished at 11:03

    Chris Sutton and Peter WootonImage source, BBC Sport

    Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against a variety of guests.

    For week 12 he takes on The Farm singer and Liverpool fan Peter Hooton.

    The Farm's new single, Forever & Ever, is out now and their new album, Let The Music (Take Control), is released in May 2025.

    Sutton's prediction: 3-1

    It is safe to say Pep Guardiola has severely irritated the rest of the footballing public by extending his contract with Manchester City.

    You can just imagine the groans from Liverpool, north London and the red half of Manchester, because they know how dominant City have been under him.

    City are not playing well at the moment, which is why they are on this run of four straight defeats. People have been looking at them as if the wheels are coming off, but they are still second and only five points off the top.

    I do think Pep's new deal will give them a boost, and I am expecting them to bounce back.

    Tottenham have also been described as a 'crisis club' this season but they are still only three points off third place.

    The table is so congested that anyone in mid-table who wins a couple of games in a row is going to be right up there, but I don’t see Spurs getting anything at Etihad Stadium.

    There will be goals in this game, because Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou will not change his approach. He has already beaten City once this season, in the Carabao Cup, but I think Pep will come out on top this time.

    Wooton's prediction: 2-1

    Spurs can be absolutely fantastic under Postecoglou, and play such swashbuckling stuff. I love watching them, but you just don't know what you are going to get from them.

    As for City, well just like Arsenal against Nottingham Forest, this is a must-win game for them, before we play them at Anfield next week. I think Pep will make that clear to them, and they will get back to winning ways.

    Read the full predictions and have your say here

  3. Did Man City lack suitable Guardiola alternatives?published at 19:45 22 November

    As Pep Guardiola signs a two-year contract extension at Manchester City, The Football News Show asks if the main reason for staying at Etihad Stadium is the lack of suitable replacements.

    City fan Amos Murphy tells host Ben Croucher why there may be a modicum of truth in that - but also why the Spaniard is still the best manager in the Premier League.

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  4. What is behind Man City's defensive woes?published at 19:10 22 November

    Chris Collinson
    BBC Sport statistician

    Josko Gvardiol has head in hands and Manuel Akanji looks on dejectedImage source, Getty Images

    As Manchester City look to bounce back against Tottenham following four successive defeats, we have done a statistics deep dive into the defensive problems contributing to the losses...

    City are currently conceding 1.2 goals per game - their worst rate in a Premier League season under Pep Guardiola (previous worst was one per game in the Spaniard's first season in charge).

    However, they are actually conceding around the same number of shots as they have in the past two seasons (7.8 per game this campaign vs 7.7 in both 2022-23 and 2023-24) – the quantity of shots they are conceding is not the problem.

    In fact, only two sides - Bayern Munich and Getafe - are giving up fewer shots per-game in Europe's big five leagues this term.

    The reason why they are conceding so many goals is down to the quality of chances they are giving up being excellent.

    Guardiola's side are, in fact, giving up the highest quality of chances in Europe's top five leagues this season - in terms of expected goals (xG) per shot faced.

    The shots they have given up so far are worth 0.155 xG on average. This is to say that, historically, teams score those chances 15.5% of the time and that is exactly what they are doing - City's opponents have a 15.1% conversion rate so far.

    They have conceded one penalty, which in turn bumps up the xG per shot faced number, but they have still given up the best chances in Europe excluding penalties - 0.148 xG per shot faced.

    So this is not a tale of the opponents being especially ruthless in front of goal and City just being a little unlucky. The defending Premier League champions are giving up excellent chances to sides - who have been very happy to take them.

  5. Pep's contract answer 'does not scream longevity'published at 18:23 22 November

    Simon Stone
    Chief football news reporter

    Pep Guardiola during Manchester City trainingImage source, Getty Images

    It was something of a surprise on Thursday night to learn Pep Guardiola had signed a two-year contract extension at Manchester City.

    Along with many other journalists, I was under the impression Guardiola had agreed a single-year deal, with the option for another season if he still fancied it in 2026.

    It seemed a reasonable enough question to ask for clarification at Guardiola's news conference this lunchtime.

    And the answer was interesting.

    Effectively, Guardiola said he had done it because he did not want to be in the same situation next season that he has been in this one - answering questions about his future virtually from the moment he returned for the start of pre-season.

    That does not scream longevity.

    Guardiola has never broken a contract but can it be completely ruled out that the second year is a convenient way of dealing with a issue the former Barcelona boss did not want to be bothered with and he will exit City in 18 months' time?

  6. Guardiola's new contract did not take long to negotiate... published at 17:33 22 November

    A graphic with a quote from Pep Guardiola talking about contract negotiations with Manchester City
"We did it in just two hours"Image source, Getty Images

    Pep Guardiola says his two-year extension was very easy to thrash out.

  7. 'Accomplished performance' from Amorimpublished at 17:26 22 November

    Dan Roan
    Sports editor

    This was a highly accomplished and assured first media conference by Ruben Amorim, whose confidence was immediately apparent as he strode purposefully into a packed room at Carrington with a smile and "hi guys" to the assembled journalists, before fielding a host of questions from both English and Portuguese reporters.

    This felt very different to the strained and adversarial media conferences that became a weekly feature of the final months of Erik ten Hag's tenure at Old Trafford.

    Speaking in fluent English, Amorim seemed to relish the opportunity to articulate how he is feeling. Smiling throughout, he made clear his belief both in himself and in his players, claiming he is "the right guy at the right moment".

    But he also acknowledged the scale of the task he faces here after years of decline, and the need for his team to improve. However, he also firmly rejected the suggestion that this was "the impossible job". "Of course not," he said.

    He has acknowledged that Manchester United need time and has said that they need to improve. He has also given a reality check about the plans to put in place and the improvement that is required.

    As the first managerial hire since Ineos took over the football operations at Old Trafford, a lot is resting on his shoulders. It was noticeable that Tom Crotty, a senior director at the petrochemicals company and a trusted advisor to billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, was in attendance.

    However, if the coach was feeling the pressure that comes with that, and from being in one of the most scrutinised coaching roles in world football, he did not show it.

    At the end, Amorim embraced several Portuguese reporters who had travelled here to cover his first media appearance.

    Whether he forges such close bonds with their British counterparts remains to be seen. But based on this first performance, communication will not be a problem for the coach.

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  8. Fletcher wins appeal to reduce touchline banpublished at 17:01 22 November

    Darren FletcherImage source, Getty Images

    Manchester United coach Darren Fletcher has been successful in reducing his touchline ban to two matches after being found guilty of misconduct against Brentford on Saturday 19 October.

    Fletcher is alleged to have acted in an "improper and/or confrontational manner" and used "abusive and/or insulting words" towards the match officials during the Premier League victory at Old Trafford.

    Former midfielder Fletcher admitted to this misconduct, but argued that it was only towards the fourth official and the referee and that he was not abusive.

    Having been sanctioned with a three-match touchline ban and £7,500 fine, the independent Appeal Board has subsequently reduced the ban by one game and the fine down to £6,000.