Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is aiming to rival club rivals Manchester United by winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup this season.
Nathan Ake is one of Man City's most important players this season
Nathan Ake is one of Man City's most important players this season
Pep Guardiola called Ronald Koeman happy birthday - and used the conversation to beg the Dutch boss to take care of Nathan Ake.
Koeman, a former Barcelona teammate of the Manchester City boss, received a phone call from Guardiola as he celebrated his 60th birthday last Tuesday but feels the Catalans have ulterior motives. Ake has become a regular in City's treble hunt this season. Koeman said: “I got a call from my friend Pep on my birthday this week.
“Pep congratulated me on my birthday, but he immediately asked me if I could be careful with Nathan Ake because he needed him – and I can see why. "Nathan is a great example of a player who has developed to the highest level. He has done a great job and has become a very important player for the Netherlands and Manchester City. I am proud of Nathan. He is. very important and a great player defender now."
Ake has made 32 appearances in all competitions for City this season, including many at left-back. Guardiola fell short of positions after Oleksandr Zinchenko moved to Arsenal and Joao Cancelo moved to Bayern Munich on loan. Ake, who started his career at Chelsea, joined City in the summer of 2020 after Bournemouth were relegated to the Championship. The 28-year-old played just a few minutes in his first two seasons at the Etihad - with just 24 appearances in the Premier League.
Pep Guardiola asked former Barcelona teammate Ronald Koeman for help
Pep Guardiola asked former Barcelona teammate Ronald Koeman for help
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However, Ake has become a senior Guardiola player thanks to his versatility and dribbling ability. The defender is originally a centre-back, has 35 caps for the Netherlands and has previously played for Reading and Watford. Guardiola recently told Sky Sports: "He [Ake] is an excellent defender. He is fantastic in set-pieces, his attention to what we need in that process. , he's really good in short spaces. That's why he plays. It's as simple as that."
City are aiming to become the first English club after Manchester United to win the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in the same season. They are eight points behind leaders Arsenal with one game less, and they will face Bayern Munich and Sheffield United in the next rounds of the Champions League and FA Cup, respectively. Meanwhile, the Netherlands were beaten 4-0 in their first match of Euro 2024 qualifying against World Cup runners-up France on Friday and facing Gibraltar on Monday. Koeman was furious with the team's performance in Paris even though they lost half of their starting line-up to food poisoning from a suspicious chicken curry.
Liverpool striker Cody Gakpo was among the sick players. Gakpo hasn't been able to practice for three days and is still trying to get rid of the bug completely.
Koeman said: "I will speak to Cody on Monday. We have to see how he feels. He must be 100% healthy. Right now he's not strong enough, but he still has day and night before we have to decide if we're going to use him."
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