Pep Guardiola Announces Plans to Shorten Team Talks Following Manchester City’s £2 Million Fine for Late Kick-Offs

Pep Guardiola is making a change to his team talks after Manchester City were hit with a hefty £2 million fine for repeated late kick-offs by the Premier League.

City received this fine due to 22 different instances of running late over the past two seasons.

This included a near three-minute delay in starting the second half of their final game of the season against West Ham, a match where they celebrated winning the championship at the Etihad Stadium.

When asked about the fine ahead of their friendly match against Chelsea in Columbus, Ohio, Guardiola remarked, “I just saw it in the news. I’ll try to keep my half-time talks shorter from now on.”

Guardiola’s Thoughts on Enzo Maresca

Guardiola also shared his thoughts on Enzo Maresca, who is now the manager of Chelsea.

He said, “I’m really happy for him. We had a great year together.

Besides his work with the second team, he’s just an incredible, lovely person, and so is his family.”

He continued, “He did an amazing job at Leicester, earning promotion to the Premier League, and now he’s managing one of the top teams in England. He deserves the best because nice people deserve the best.”

Guardiola’s Take on Maresca’s Future Success

“Being a manager means believing in something deeply, no matter the results.

Enzo believes in his ideas and will find success eventually, though I don’t know how soon.”

Update on Erling Haaland’s Fitness

On a more personal note, Guardiola provided an update on Erling Haaland’s condition. “He told me today that he’s feeling much better. Hopefully, he’ll be able to play a few minutes tomorrow.”