Footie Quotes - Franz Beckenbauer

"The trouble for today's footballers is they have too many distractions. We used to get our old players coming to watch training with football magazines in their hands. Now, more often than not, they are checking the share prices."

Franz Beckenbauer

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Benfica v Bayern Munich - Preview

Pep Guardiola before Benfica match - Getty Images

Bayern Munich have been warned they cannot afford to relax as they prepare to to defend a 1-0 lead in the Champions League against Benfica in Portugal.

Victory in Munich last week has put the Bavarians ahead in the tie but they must successfully navigate a further 90 or 120 minutes if they want to advance to a fifth consecutive semi-final and the 2013 European champions are well aware they cannot celebrate yet.

“It was a good result but it was not a cushion we can relax on,” Bayern’s director of sport Matthias Sammer said at a press conference in Munich. “We still expect a very difficult challenge. There’s definitely a lot of pressure, also for us.”

Bayern had looked set to cruise into the last four when Arturo Vidal’s second-minute strike put them ahead at the Allianz Arena last week.

However, Benfica showed their battling qualities to restrict Pep Guardiola’s side to just that one goal and, buoyed by the achievement of their compatriots Porto in beating Bayern 3-1 in Portugal last season, will be confident of pulling off a shock by reaching the semi-finals for the first time since 1990.

“They have one of the best defences in Europe,” the Bayern defender Javi Martínez said of Benfica. “They defend very high up the field and are very aggressive and tight, which makes it hard to pass the ball through. But we will try to win the game because that is the Bayern mentality.”

A draw would do for Guardiola’s men, while Benfica will be forced to come out of their defensive shell to attack them, which could play into the German club’s hands.

“If we get a goal, then there’s a big chance that we will go through,” their captain Philipp Lahm said. “I have no doubt about it.”

Benfica’s hopes could be dented by the absence of two of their attacking talents. Jonas, who has scored 18 goals in 18 appearances this season, will definitely miss out through suspension, and Nico Gaitán is rated doubtful after missing training on Tuesday because of a muscular problem.

Rui Vitória

We have to play well defensively as we're facing one of the best teams in the world, one of the favourites to win the competition and a side who set up the same home and away. Nicolas Gaitán is a doubt and only before the match will I know if I can count on him. We didn't win there, but tactically we did well and were very organised. However, we know Bayern are tactically very versatile with lots of resources at their disposal, so if they don't achieve what they want playing one way they'll try something else. We had 5,000 fans in Munich and tomorrow the supporters will be even more important.

Josep Guardiola

We are focused on tomorrow's match. We intend to defend well, score a goal and qualify for the next round. Regarding Benfica's absentees, we have had the same problem ourselves. For example, Javi Martínez was out for five months and we had to play without genuine central defenders during that time, so that's football. The teams know each other well as they just played last week, but tactically we know what to do. A player's mentality and character will be clear to see in front of 60,000 fans. We have to play well in order to get a result.

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Pep to Replace Pellegrini at City

Pep Guardiola has agreed a three-year contract to become Manchester City manager in the summer.

The 45-year-old, currently in charge at Bayern Munich, will replace Manuel Pellegrini, who will leave on 30 June.

A statement from City said Chilean Pellegrini, 62, was "fully supportive" of the announcement being made.

The club said negotiations with former Barcelona coach Guardiola had been "a recommencement of discussions that were curtailed in 2012".

Roberto Mancini was City boss at the time, and led them to the domestic title that year.

Pellegrini succeeded the Italian in 2013 and took the club to a Premier League and League Cup double the following season.

He has won 64 of his 99 Premier League games as a manager, a record only eclipsed by Jose Mourinho, who won 73 of his opening 99 league matches as Chelsea boss.

This season Manchester City could yet win four trophies under Pellegrini as they are already through to the final of the League Cup and are second in the league behind Leicester City.

The Blues are also through to the knockout stages of the Champions League and will play Chelsea in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

"I talked to the club and I will finish my contract on the original date," said Pellegrini on Monday.

"We signed a contract for one more year, but with a clause that one of the club or me cannot use that extended contract. So I will finish here on the original date.

"They are not doing anything behind me. I knew this a month ago. But I don't think it's good, this rumour and speculation about different things. I would prefer to finish the speculation today. That's why I told the press, I told the players, and I spoke with the club two weeks ago saying that I would do it."

Pre Guardiola was Barcelona's most successful manager with 14 trophies in four years, including three La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues.

After a year out of the game he joined Bayern in 2013, following the club's Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup treble under Jupp Heynckes.

Guardiola won the league twice in his two full seasons with Bayern, who are eight points clear in his third campaign. He is yet to win the Champions League with the German club and has been knocked out at the semi-final stage twice.

They face Italian giants Juventus in the last 16 of Europe's elite club competition in February and Guardiola said: "Winning the Champions League would make my time here complete."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp spoke to the media before his side's game with Leicester on Tuesday, and said of Guardiola's appointment: "He is one of the best managers in the world, no doubt about this.

"He had two big, big clubs where he has worked at and now he will do his job at Manchester City.

"Pep won everything in Spain, nearly everything in Germany, so I think he wants to win everything in England, that is clear."

Former QPR boss Harry Redknapp told BBC Radio 5 live: "City are fighting on all fronts still, and you wonder what signal it sends out to the players when they know the manager isn't going to be there at the end of the year.

"Pellegrini is an excellent manager and a really nice guy. I'm sure he'll want to go out as a success. It's a massive move for Man City. Guardiola is really a big statement."

Stoke manager Mark Hughes said: "I don't think the news itself was a surprise, maybe the timing of it?

"I think Pellegrini's done a great job. Coming in after Mancini the club seemed a bit fragmented. He's won trophies, which is what they demanded. It's unfortunate that when a manager with the quality of Pep Guardiola comes on the market, a team like Man City feel the need to go after him."

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Bayern Injury List Strains Pep Players

Bayern Munich may be expected to chalk up another Bundesliga win against Hoffenheim on Sunday but all is not well with the league leaders.

Their coach Pep Guardiola is reportedly cracking down as he seeks a treble of Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup trophies in his last season in charge with his next destination likely to be Manchester City.

His predecessor Jupp Heynckes managed the feat in his final campaign in 2013.

Despite an eight-point lead over Borussia Dortmund in the league, where Bayern have dropped just five points all season, Kicker magazine reported that the relationship between Guardiola and his players was coming under strain.

The Spanish coach is said to be unhappy with some players’ professionalism and their behaviour on days off, with trips abroad causing particular annoyance. Kicker also said Guardiola criticised players for being overweight before the league resumed after its month-long winter break last weekend.

Bayern’s injury problems have revealed some tension at the club, with Jérôme Boateng the latest added to a long list. The Germany defender has been ruled out until at least the latter stages of the season with a groin injury sustained in last Friday’s 2-1 win at Hamburg.

Boateng’s absence is a blow for Bayern before the Champions League last-16 match with Juventus on 23 February.

The Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge indicated his frustration when he told the dpa news agency that he recommended the German football federation “keeps back” from Boateng “or there’ll be stress with Bayern”.

The Germany coach Joachim Löw had suggested he would give Boateng every chance to recover for the European Championship in France.

Rummenigge also revealed Boateng had consulted the former Bayern doctor Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt. Müller-Wohlfahrt had quit Bayern after 38 years in April 2015 after rowing with Guardiola over the club’s injury list.

Boateng joins Franck Ribéry, Mario Götze, Medhi Benatia, Rafinha and Sven Ulreich among Bayern’s casualties.

Guardiola will need to come up with solutions, with Xabi Alonso, Holger Badstuber or Javi Martínez likely to fill in. “I have huge trust in Guardiola and the team,” Rummenigge insisted.

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Lahm Considers Bayern Back Office

Bayern Munich defender Philipp Lahm has admitted he has given some consideration to ending his career before his contract runs out.

The 32-year-old retired from international football immediately after captaining Germany to World Cup glory in 2014.

He has previously suggested his current contract, which expires in 2018, will be his last, but has now told Germany's Bild newspaper he may even call it a day before then.

"My current contract runs up to the summer of 2018 and of course I am not getting any younger, but rather older, and you've always got to ask yourself questions as a professional sportsman," he said.

"If somebody were to come along who could play my role better than me, or if I notice that I can no longer keep up, then I would certainly have to deal with perhaps having to call it a day sooner."

When Lahm does pin his boots to the wall, he intends to remain part of the Bayern Munich family in some capacity.

"I certainly want a long-term bond to remain with this club," he added.

Lahm has played for Bayern since 2005, after a two-year loan spell with Stuttgart. He joined the Bavarian club in 1995 and has played almost 300 Bundesliga fixtures for the record German champions.

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Aubameyang Non Plussed About Yaya

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has said he is nonplussed as to why Yaya Touré was so angry about the Borussia Dortmund player being voted the Africa player of the year last week. Touré hit out at the decision, saying it was “pathetic”, “indecent” and brought “shame to Africa”.

Aubameyang is back with Dortmund now as they prepare for the restart of the Bundesliga and, talking to Sport Bild, he said: “I really don’t know why he said that at all. I am not going to get angry about it and for me it is already an old story, gone. It simply does not interest me.”

The Gabon striker received 143 points to Touré’s 136 with Swansea’s André Ayew finishing third with 112. Touré appeared to congratulate his rivals on stage, saying he was “disappointed” but adding that Aubameyang had “been doing brilliantly well this year”.

However, the Manchester City midfielder later seemed to suggest the voting had been unfair given his country’s success at the Nations Cup. “I’m very disappointed. It’s sad to see Africa react this way, that they don’t think African achievements are important,” he told the French radio station RFI.

“I think this is what brings shame to Africa, because to act in that way is indecent. But what can we do about it? Us Africans, we don’t show that Africa is important in our eyes. We favour more what’s abroad than our own continent. That is pathetic.”

Aubameyang wants to focus on Dortmund and the Bundesliga, with his side second, eight points behind Bayern Munich. “We will certainly not give up without a fight and all is not lost yet. We know that it will be very difficult to stop Bayern winning the league but nothing is impossible,” he said.

For their part, Dortmund have said they intend to hold on to all their key players in the winter transfer window.

The chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said: “I can rule out transfer of any of our top performers now. That’s definitely not on our agenda.“

Speculation regarding the future of Aubameyang and the playmaker Ilkay Gündogan has been mounting in recent weeks with the Germany midfielder recently saying that he had not yet decided whether to extend his 2017 contract with the club, who are currently second in the standings.

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Pep Apologises for Confusion

Getty Images

Pep Guardiola has apologised if his public statements that he would like to move to the Premier League next season have put pressure on any managers in England’s top flight.

The Bayern Munich manager announced he would be leaving the German club at the end of the season in December and confirmed that, for his next job, he would like to manage a club in England. This has led to speculation that Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea are interested in the Spanish coach. 

The two Manchester clubs have permanent managers in situ, leading some to suggest it would have been better if Guardiola had kept his plans to himself.

Speaking in Doha, where Bayern are on a training camp, Guardiola took the chance to apologise.

“I am sorry,” he said. “Normally, in my career as a trainer, as a player, I respect a lot my colleagues, so I am sorry. It wasn’t my intention.”

Guardiola was then pressed on which club he would like to end up at next season, but he refused to be drawn, telling reporters his only focus for the remainder of this season was on Bayern’s chase for domestic and European honours.

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Pep Plans Revealed to Rummenigge

Bayern Munich chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, admits he had known for a fortnight that Pep Guardiola was going to leave the Bundesliga club next summer.

Guardiola’s departure at the end of his contract in June was confirmed by the Bavarian club on Sunday, although the announcement hardly came as a surprise with speculation rife that the Spaniard would be leaving.

Rummenigge has revealed he knew what was coming weeks ago, telling Germany’s Bild newspaper: “He came over to me two weeks ago at our Christmas party and told me that he was looking for a new challenge. He was almost apologetic. I’m not disappointed in him.”

Although confirmation of Guardiola’s decision to leave did not come until this month, Rummenigge believes he had spotted signs as early as the summer, but did not really want to believe them.

“You could read between the lines and that was something that we should have interpreted,” Rummenigge said. “We did take note of it, but we just wanted to give him time to make up his mind in peace.”

Carlo Ancelotti will take Guardiola’s place on the Bayern bench from next season and Rummenigge is delighted with his club’s capture.

“Carlo Ancelotti has had success everywhere,” he said. “He’s won the Champions League three times and that remains a record to this day, and he’s got quality of course. He fits in here, it’s as simple as that.”

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, centre, talks to Arjen Robben and his family during the celebrations. Photograph: A. Hassenstein/Getty Images for FC Bayern

Rummenigge also dismissed reports that Guardiola had decided to leave due to disputes with the club’s medical team or the director of sport, Matthias Sammer.

“There has always been this speculation, that Sammer and Pep had problems, but it’s all rubbish,” added Rummenigge.

Sammer lauded Guardiola and claimed he had been treated unfairly by the media, because of his success.

“In Germany we always have the feeling that when somebody’s getting so much praise, then there has got to be another extreme and they’ve got to be brought down somehow,” Sammer told Sky Sport Deutschland. “What he has achieved, also for German football, is extraordinary and we’ve got to recognise that.

“We have got to bring an end to seeing negatively somebody who works so painstakingly, as if tomorrow never comes. In recent days, Pep’s come off far too badly. What he does with his hard work, his dedication and his positive craziness can be discussed, but it cannot ever be questioned.”

Sammer says Bayern will not fall apart now that Guardiola is leaving, however, saying that they had always been planning for this eventuality.

“It’s a pity [that Guardiola is leaving], but this is football,” Sammer added. “It’s always a loss, but on the other hand we have to serve our responsibility for this club and get back to normal.

“What the players have achieved in these past four years is absolutely honourable, and now we’ve got to find the right time to get back to talking about what matters. Ancelotti is the man we really wanted; nobody else came into the frame.”

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