McDowall is missing 92 games
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English champions Manchester City have won again after five competitive games without a win, allowing coach Pep Guardiola to have a happy anniversary. The Skyblues won 2-0 at newly promoted Leicester City on Sunday afternoon thanks to summer signing Savinho’s debut goal in the 21st minute and Erling Haaland’s 14th goal of the season (74th).
For Guardiola it was his 500th game on the Man City sidelines. Only Les McDowall has more in the club’s history, being in charge of a game 592 times between 1950 and 1963 (513 of which are recorded in the TM database to date).
“Sooner or later it will happen, I know that,” Guardiola said in an interview with “Sky” before his anniversary game about the long-awaited turnaround: “The sun will shine again.”
German goalkeeper Stefan Ortega also provided solid support in the starting line-up for the win against Leicester, coached by Ruud van Nistelrooy. Former national player İlkay Gündoğan sat on the bench for the entire season.
The most serious crisis during Guardiola’s time in Manchester will still have consequences; City wants to add personnel in the winter. “Of course we have to try,” said Guardiola, referring to the transfer window that begins on January 1st. In the past, thanks to Abu Dhabi’s royal family as solvent owners, Man City had responded to weakness with transfers. The gap to leaders FC Liverpool is already eleven points before the Reds’ away game at West Ham United in the evening (6.15 p.m./Sky).