- Noel Gallagher reveals Pep Guardiola has a “fired up” mood after the 3-0 win at Chelsea.
- City cut Arsenal’s lead to six points after the Gunners’ loss to Bournemouth.
- Gallagher hints at Guardiola’s desire to “rebuild” the squad for further success.
Manchester City fan and Oasis superstar Noel Gallagher has revealed the nature of a text message he received from manager Pep Guardiola after Sunday’s win at Chelsea.
The Blues delivered a second-half masterclass at Stamford Bridge, capitalising on Arsenal’s surprise defeat to Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium the day prior.
After a cagey first 45 minutes, City exploded into life through goals from Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi, and Jeremy Doku, moving to within striking distance of the summit and knowing a win in their game in hand would leave them just three points adrift of Mikel Arteta’s squad.
With a ‘title decider’ scheduled for Sunday at the Etihad Stadium, psychology has been a major talking point, with some fans looking for signals that Pep Guardiola in particular still possesses the hunger to chase down Mikel Arteta’s side.
Guardiola’s private reaction to the Chelsea win
Now, speaking exclusively to talkSPORT, Noel Gallagher has revealed the mood of Pep Guardiola in light of Sunday’s mammoth win by his Manchester City squad against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
“He texted me after the game and he is bang on,” Gallagher revealed of the Manchester City manager. He continued, “He’s fired up. Properly, properly fired up.”
Gallagher weighs in on Pep’s Etihad future
Gallagher was further asked during the conversation whether he had taken opportunity to quiz Guardiola on his future at the Etihad Stadium, amid a belief in some quarters that the Catalan could bring an end to his long-standing and successful tenure at the club this summer.
“No, I wouldn’t be so rude,” Gallagher insisted. “But, I will say that sometimes you see him on TV and you think, ‘well, he’s done 10 years,’ and another time you see him and you think, ‘well, he’s openly talking about rebuilding the team.’
“So none of us know. He’s a great poker player, I’ll give him that.”
The ‘rebuilding’ phase mentioned by Gallagher has been evident in Manchester City’s most recent recruitment, with the likes of Rayan Cherki and Marc Guehi playing pivotal roles in Sunday’s triumph.
Cherki, in particular, was the architect of the win, providing two assists and dictating the tempo against Liam Rosenior’s side, and the injection of young talent suggests Pep Guardiola is perhaps looking at a longer-term project rather than an immediate exit.
As the clock ticks down to Sunday’s 16:30 BST kick-off against Arsenal, Guardiola and his Manchester City players will certainly be tested to the limit. But if City can maintain the momentum seen in their second-half display at Chelsea, they may enter the clash as favourites to secure a result that could define the 2025/26 season.
