'He has got to stop saying it' – Kompany asks Guardiola to refrain from linking him with Man City job

By Sports Desk March 17, 2023

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany has asked Pep Guardiola to stop talking him up as a future Manchester City manager while he is still in the early stages of his coaching career.

City legend Kompany, who won 10 majors honours during an 11-year spell at the Etihad Stadium, faces off against his former side in Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final tie.

It will be Kompany's first return to the ground, where a statue honouring his time at the club was erected in August 2021, in what is set to be an emotional reunion.

After two seasons coaching Anderlecht, Kompany has had huge success in his first season in charge of Burnley, who are cruising towards promotion from the Championship.

Guardiola reiterated on the eve of the game that he fully expects the 36-year-old to manage City one day, but Kompany says that is an unrealistic view at this point.

"He has got to stop saying it," Kompany said. "I'm a Championship manager. I don't know what you want from me. 

"I think [Guardiola] should stay for another 10 years at Manchester City first and foremost. 

"City are competing to win the Champions League; we are competing to win the Championship – I don't think these kinds of conversations make sense.

"They need to have the best manager in the world. I want to be extremely respectful to the club I manage as well. This club to me means everything. I want this club to get better."

Among other compliments, Guardiola praised Kompany – whom he worked with for three seasons – for instilling an "exceptional" style of play at Burnley so quickly.

Asked if Guardiola's comments are putting added pressure on his own managerial career, Kompany said: "Pressure is a thing of your own mind.

"I think if you play in big finals you are okay with pressure, but I try to be as rational as I can. 

"I am in an environment where the people I work with are rational enough to not make my job dependent on whether we beat Manchester City.

"I came to Burnley because I chose it for the people. It is an environment where I have a chance to learn and get better."

Burnley have not won away at City since the 1973 Charity Shield, drawing four and losing 12 of their 16 visits since then.

Related items

  • Rennes make top four, Nantes survive and Auxerre relegated on Ligue 1 final day Rennes make top four, Nantes survive and Auxerre relegated on Ligue 1 final day

    Rennes edged out Lille and Monaco to secure a top-four finish while Nantes' first league win since February saw them stay up at Auxerre's expense on a dramatic final day of Ligue 1 action.

    Rennes clinched a 2-1 victory against Brest thanks to a Benjamin Bourigeaud brace, seizing on Lille's 1-1 draw with relegated Troyes and Monaco's 2-1 reverse against Toulouse to take fourth.

    Bruno Genesio's side thus secured Europa League football for next season, while Paulo Fonseca's Lille must settle for a Europa Conference League spot and Monaco missed out entirely.

    Champions Paris Saint-Germain squandered a two-goal lead in a 3-2 loss to Clermont, meaning they finished just one point clear of runners-up Lens, who ended the season with a 3-1 win at Auxerre.

    That victory allowed Nantes to finalise a great escape in their final game, vaulting Auxerre to secure safety with a 1-0 win over relegated Angers.

    Nantes therefore secured top-flight football for another year, evading the expanded four-team relegation zone by a single point ahead of the division being cut to 18 teams.

    Auxerre, Ajaccio, Troyes and Angers will play in Ligue 2 next season, with Le Havre and either Metz or Bordeaux coming up from the second tier.

  • Lionel Messi’s final game for Paris St Germain ends in defeat to Clermont Lionel Messi’s final game for Paris St Germain ends in defeat to Clermont

    Lionel Messi ended his Paris St Germain career with a 3-2 defeat to Clermont.

    The Argentinian World Cup winner will quit Paris this summer having already been linked with a return to Barcelona and Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal next season.

    He will leave as a Ligue 1 champion with PSG having already secured the title before blowing a 2-0 lead to lose on the final day of the season.

    Sergio Ramos, on his final appearance for the club, and Kylian Mbappe’s penalty gave the hosts control.

    Johan Gastien pulled a goal back and Mehdi Zeffane levelled in first-half stoppage time. Grejohn Kyei gave the visitors the lead after 63 minutes and Clermont held out for victory.

    At the bottom, Nantes beat the drop by a point on the final day as Auxerre were relegated.

    A 1-0 win over rock-bottom Angers, thanks to Ignatius Ganago’s goal, gave Nantes the win they needed as Auxerre lost 3-1 at home to Lens.

    Alexis Claude-Maurice’s double gave Lens a 2-0 lead before M’Baye Niang pulled a goal back. Lois Openda made it 3-1 with 12 minutes left to seal Auxerre’s fate.

    Rennes won 2-1 at Brest as they clinched fourth ahead of Lille thanks to Benjamin Bourigeaud’s double, with Lille held 1-1 by relegated Troyes to go into the Europa Conference League qualifiers.

    Monaco missed out on the top five after a 2-1 defeat at home to Toulouse.

    Relegated Ajaccio beat third-placed Marseille 1-0, Lorient beat Strasbourg 2-1 and Nice beat Lyon 3-1 with mid-table Montpellier winning 3-1 at Reims, finishing a point behind their hosts.

    In Germany, Chelsea-bound Christopher Nkunku opened the scoring as RB Leipzig beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 in the German Cup final.

    The striker broke the deadlock in the 71st minute before Dominik Szoboszlai doubled the lead with five minutes left.

    In Italy, Lazio sealed second spot in Serie A after a 2-0 win at Empoli thanks to goals from Alessio Romagnoli and Luis Alberto.

    It came after Marcelo Brozovic scored the winner as Inter Milan beat Torino 1-0 to briefly move ahead of them but Inter must now settle for third.

    Already relegated Cremonese beat Salernitana 2-0 to finish their season on a high.

  • Paris Saint-Germain 2-3 Clermont: Messi and Ramos denied winning send-off as visitors fight back Paris Saint-Germain 2-3 Clermont: Messi and Ramos denied winning send-off as visitors fight back

    Paris Saint-Germain failed to muster a winning send-off for Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos as they ended the Ligue 1 season by squandering a two-goal lead in a 3-2 loss against Clermont.

    Early goals for the Spaniard and Kylian Mbappe put the champions on top at Parc des Princes, before Johan Gastien, Mehdi Zeffane and Grejohn Kyei completed a stirring comeback from the visitors.

    It was a damp last note for ex-LaLiga heroes Messi and Ramos, who leave Paris as two-time league champions but without having won supporters' hearts – with Messi booed ahead of kick-off.

    Likewise, it may prove a dour final chapter for coach Christophe Galtier, who is widely tipped to depart despite leading PSG to a record 11th league title. 

    PSG, who wore shirts adorned with the name of injured team-mate Sergio Rico in the first half, needed VAR to rescue them after Kyei prodded home an early finish.

    The hosts promptly seized control, with Ramos netting a farewell header from Vitinha's delivery before Mbappe doubled their lead with an excellent penalty following Alidu Seidu's foul on Achraf Hakimi.

    Clermont refused to fold though, with Gastien capitalising on Marco Verratti's mistake to halve the arrears and Zeffane bundling in a leveller either side of Kyei putting a spot-kick wide in a thrilling first half.

    Messi, who misfired on his farewell, spurned a chance to finish Mbappe's square ball after the restart before Kyei nosed the visitors in front with a close-range finish.

    PSG continued to toil for an equaliser in the closing stages and Messi almost stole a point in the final minute of injury time, only for goalkeeper Mory Diaw to stop his direct free-kick with an acrobatic save.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.