Pep Guardiola says Man City's response to pandemic persuaded him to sign new deal

straight to your inboxManchester City fans want to see Aymeric Laporte partner Ruben Dias at the back in the upcoming Manchester derby, rather than John Stones.City have finally started to gather some momentum, after an inconsistent start to the campaign, as Saturday's 2-0 victory over Fulham saw them win successive Premier League games for the first time this season following last weekend's 5-0 mauling of Burnley.Both victories saw Stones star in the heart of defence as the 'Barnsley

straight to your inboxManchester City will head into the Manchester derby in their best rhythm of the season, according to Pep Guardiola. The Blues, similar to neighbours Manchester United, have had a difficult start with injuries and Covid adding to the problems for a depleted squad that barely had a break between seasons.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola remains confident that Sergio Aguero and his "unique" scoring senses can help fire Manchester City to success this season.The Argentine missed the first month of the campaign as he recovered from a knee issue that he suffered in June, and pulled up with a hamstring complaint two games after returning in October.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola says Manchester City need to take their Champions League dead rubber seriously if they want to consider themselves a big team. The Blues confirmed top spot in the group with a drab 0-0 draw at Porto, ensuring an easier draw on paper in the last-16 of the knockout competition next year.

straight to your inboxHere are your Manchester City morning headlines for Monday, 30 November.Guardiola calls on defenders to stamp out errorsManchester City boss Pep Guardiola has challenged his defenders to avoid making mistakes if they want to keep their place in the starting line-up.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola bluntly reminded Manchester City's forwards that they need to score goals if they want to play under him. City have had uncharacteristically struggled this season in front of goal, with the five that they put past Burnley half the number they had managed in their previous eight games combined.

straight to your inboxGood morning, Manchester City fans. Here are your morning headlines for Saturday, November 28.No new signings for City in JanuaryManchester City boss Pep Guardiola does not expect new signings to be made in the January transfer window.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola is not concerned by Manchester City's troubles in front of goal, despite his side's recent struggles to score when they are on top.City have failed to score more than once in half of their games so far this season, and have five goals in their last six Premier League games. The midweek Champions League win at Olympiacos saw City have 21 efforts on goal, with ten on target, but once again only one goal was scored.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola was happier with Manchester City's attacking output in their 1-0 win over Olympiacos. The Blues have struggled for goals all season in the Premier League and failed to find the net on Saturday as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Tottenham to leave them in the bottom half of the table.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola says no player loved football more than Diego Maradona, as he led Manchester City's tributes to the Argentina legend.Maradona has passed away at the age of 60, leading to tributes to be paid from around the world in respect of one of the greatest players to play the game.The sad news was confirmed before City's Champions League win in Olympiacos, with Guardiola paying tribute to Maradona in his post-match media commitments.Guardiola also offered his

straight to your inboxKyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne are not injured, Pep Guardiola confirmed, despite them remaining at home for Manchester City's Champions League trip to Olympiacos.The senior duo have been ever-present in City's games this season, but were notable absentees in the travelling squad to Greece for City's latest Champions League group game.However, Guardiola confirmed that the decision to leave them out of the game was taken for fitness reasons, to give the experienced pair a

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola insists his Manchester City future beyond 2023 will depend on the success he achieves in the next two and a half years - but crucially did not rule out any further contract extensions.The manager has just committed his future to City for another two and a half years, with the ink on his new contract barely dry before talk has moved to what will happen when this deal expires.Before signing the new contract, Guardiola had always said he must earn any extension

straight to your inboxTottenham boss Jose Mourinho has told Gareth Southgate to name the Premier League managers who put pressure on him to leave their players out of the England squad.Manchester City ace Raheem Sterling withdrew from the England squad during the international break but Mourinho believes that he will feature at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.Three members of Mourinho's Tottenham side all played at least two games during the international break, with Harry Kane playing

straight to your inbox Pep Guardiola wants Lionel Messi to finish his career in Barcelona, despite speculation linking Manchester City with a fresh move for the Argentine playmaker.

straight to your inboxFollowing the confirmation that Pep Guardiola has extended his time as Manchester City boss until the end of the 2022/23 season, the Catalan knows he has a huge challenge ahead. With his previous deal set to expire at the end of this season, Guardiola has ended speculation over his future by committing to stay at the Etihad Stadium for at least two more years.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola says Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak persuaded him to sign his new contract, as he expanded on the role his backroom staff played in his decision to stay.Guardiola will now stay at City until 2023, signing a two-year contract extension to end weeks of speculation over his future.

straight to your inboxLeeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips has revealed his conversation with Pep Guardiola after his side's draw with Manchester City last month.The midfielder put in an impressive performance in the 1-1 draw, which saw Leeds come from behind to grab a deserved point against City, who led through Raheem Sterling's 17th-minute opener.Speaking to The Times, Phillips admitted he feared for the worst after conceding first due to how well Guardiola's side were playing.Yet he felt

straight to your inboxComing into this Manchester City squad must be a daunting experience for any new signing, but goalkeeper Zack Steffen says Pep Guardiola makes the transition as easy as possible.Steffen signed for the club last summer, before spending the 2019/20 season on loan at Fortuna Dusseldorf.