While You Were Asleep: Guardiola backs Walker, Klopp believes Liverpool can replace Mane and Firmino, Conte fumes at Tottenham supporters
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said Kyle Walker has all his support after Cheshire police opened an investigation into CCTV footage that appeared to show the Manchester City player “exposing himself” in a bar.
A video on the Sun website appeared to show Walker dropping his trousers in front of two women who he then engaged in conversation.
“We are adults. I’m not a father. I’m a friend of his … (After]) seven years I know in the past many things happen, so he and everyone can count on me on the personal issues. Everyone,” said Guardiola.
“We have to be careful” – @PepTeam 💬#ManCity | @okx pic.twitter.com/UiGdWgVIxq
— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 10, 2023
“That’s the important thing. I don’t have to tell him: ‘Oh, you have to behave in that way.’ Come on, he’s an adult and that’s all. Of course not just with Kyle, with everyone, I’m there. The club is there. All the time. Everyone has to feel it. When we are here inside I like to feel they can count on us in the good and bad moments.”
Guardiola said Walker was available for Saturday’s game at Crystal Palace.
Klopp on Liverpool’s future
Following their 7-0 win over arch-rivals Manchester United, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is upbeat about his team’s future.
Klopp feels Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez have the talent to replace Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.
A hat-trick for @MoSalah on the road at Bournemouth in 2018 ⚽⚽⚽#BOULIV | @SCJohnson pic.twitter.com/X3Y2EzwBMy
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 10, 2023
“I really think the boys we have brought in really have their own specific skill set and we have to adapt as a team slightly: the way we play, the way we set it up, these kinds of things. But they all have the potential to be really outstanding and that’s why we brought them in,” said Klopp.
“He told me and then the only other thing he said is, ‘Now I want to bring this wonderful story to a positive end.’” ❤️
The boss on Bob. pic.twitter.com/B6SeY4LS6o
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 10, 2023
“The boys are ready to push themselves to wherever; nobody knows [where] that is in this moment but they are young, they have a lot of football years to come and we will see. My job is to make sure we put them into the right positions, we play the right system for them in the right way and then the boys can do what they do best.”
Liverpool will take on Bournemouth on Saturday.
Conte turns on the Tottenham fans
Antonio Conte has blamed the fans of Tottenham for his failure to end the club’s long wait for a trophy.
“The problem for me is only one. Every club where I coached, I won. Expectation has always been very, very high. My past penalises me,” said Conte, who is set to leave when his contract expires at the end of the season.
“Emerson Royal didn’t train today”
Antonio Conte gives a team news update ahead of #TOTNFO 🗣
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 10, 2023
“When I arrived at this club everybody said, ‘Now we have Conte, he won in the past so now we are going to win’.
“But we have to win together. We have to create the right situation. I can teach you the path to win but you have to follow me, and I need time and patience.
“Over the two legs if we’re brutally honest I don’t think we can say we deserved to win”
Harry Kane reacts to last night’s Champions League exit 🗣 pic.twitter.com/w9SGmSTcNa
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 9, 2023
Tottenham limped to a Champions League exit in midweek as AC Milan held them to a goalless draw in London.
“The club can give me time. The club has patience.
“But here the patience is finished for the fans. The fans for many, many years are waiting to win something.”
“I am seeing there is no patience,” added Conte.