Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero expects incoming manager Pep Guardiola to be a hard task master who will extract the best out of a side who have shone domestically but struggled against Europe's elite.
City completed a mixed campaign on Sunday with a 1-1 draw at Swansea City to finish fourth in the Premier League, but they did reach the Uefa Champions League semi-finals for the first time and beat Liverpool on penalties to lift the League Cup.
Guardiola is regarded as one of the world’s most highly-rated managers after claiming 20 trophies during his spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, and will take over at City from departing boss Manuel Pellegrini on July 1.
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Under Pellegrini, City won their second Premier League title in three years in 2014 but the Chilean failed to build on that success and the club’s wealthy owners will be hoping Guardiola can take them to the next level.
“[Barcelona forward and fellow Argentine Lionel Messi] has told me he is very impressive and other players with whom I have spoken have said the same,” Aguero told British media of the Spaniard.
“I think he is a coach who will put a lot of pressure on the players and we need that.
“There is a reason that the club invests in important players and then a coach is very important. We hope that Pep adapts to the club and decides how we are going to play. But it is fundamental that next year we advance a bit more.”
City were knocked out of the Champions League by 10-time winners Real Madrid and Aguero acknowledged that while the side were making progress, they were still finding their way in Europe’s elite club competition.
“We knew we had a great team but not good enough to earn [a win in the] semi-finals,” the Argentina international said. “But we didn’t earn the classification and we knew it was an important step to make it to the semi-finals to get an idea of what we will experience next year. City is a great team but not up to the level of winning the Champions League.”
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UAE v IRELAND
All matches start at 10am, and will be played in Abu Dhabi
1st ODI, Friday, January 8
2nd ODI, Sunday, January 10
3rd ODI, Tuesday, January 12
4th ODI, Thursday, January 14
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULTS
6.30pm: Emirates Holidays Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Lady Snazz, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
7.05pm: Arabian Adventures Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Zhou Storm, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7.40pm: Emirates Skywards Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Rich And Famous, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: Emirates Airline Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Rio Angie, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Emirates Sky Cargo (TB) Dh 92,500 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Kinver Edge, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
9.15pm: Emirates.com (TB) Dh 95,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Firnas, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
Ukraine
Capital: Kiev
Population: 44.13 million
Armed conflict in Donbass
Russia-backed fighters control territory
Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
'Spies in Disguise'
Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane
Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
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Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
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Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures