Sky Blue News: Club of the Year, Anfield Fallout, Top 3 KDB, and More...

Manchester City are the winners of the 2022 UEFA Ballon d’Or Club of the Year Trophy!!. Here are all the headlines to get you going for your Tuesday from Sky Blue News.

Three things we learnt from the Liverpool defeat - James Fudge - Man City Square

Three things... but one is really crucial. Better officiating, please.

All we want is consistency from the officials

VAR is the worst introduction to the game of football we have seen. The players hate it, the fans hate it and probably the referees hate it too.

I can understand it being brought in for offsides and issues that are black and white, but not Foden’s goal. Even though I see the argument for it being a foul.

A soft foul on Fabinho was the cause and an issue that allowed Anthony Taylor to re-officiate the decision from a different angle. A ‘foul’ that may or may not have been given in another game, especially one that shouldn’t have been considered on the basis of consistency

The ref’s performance (which was pretty decent) was overshadowed by a call to go and review the decision again.

3 Up & 2 Down: Liverpool FC 1-0 Manchester City - CITYZENDuck - Bitter and Blue

A look at the downward trends from the LFC v City match.

2 Down

Joao Cancelo - It is a bit harsh because Cancelo had a good afternoon overall But in a game of fine margins, one mistake can make all the difference. Joao made the big error, and Salah jumped on it to score the only goal of a very tight affair.

Loose Change - It was reported after the match that Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola had to dodge coins that had been tossed at him from the Anfield crowd. Pep, for his part, seemed unphased by the incident. Liverpool supporters will have to improve their aim if they hope to hit the City boss.

“This is a proud day” - Manchester City officials react to 2022 Club of the Year award - Freddie Pye - City Xtra

Congratulations to the best club in Europe for 2022!!

The reigning Premier League champions fought off competition from English top-flight rivals Liverpool, and Champions League winners Real Madrid to the award.

It was the Merseyside club who finished runners-up to Manchester City on the night in Paris, replicating Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League title finish last season.

On a momentous night for the entire organisation, a number of integral figures from Manchester City were on hand to provide their views on one of the club’s proudest moments.

Speaking on the award, CEO Ferran Soriano said, “This is a proud day for Manchester City.

“To be named Club of the Year is an honour and further underlines the strength of this club across both men’s and women’s football.”

CITY WIN CLUB OF THE YEAR PRIZE AT BALLON D’OR CEREMONY - Neil Leigh - ManCity.com

What a year! Deserved recognition for a well-run football club.

Pep Guardiola’s first team secured the 2021/22 Premier League title, amassing a tally of 93 points, and again earning widespread praise and plaudits for the quality of our football.

It was our fourth league success in the last five seasons and was achieved in thrilling fashion as City held off a strong challenge from Liverpool to seal the crown with an unforgettable 3-2 win against Aston Villa on the final day of the campaign.

Along the way, City also posted another series of impressive milestones, not least our tally of 150 goals across all competitions – more than any other side in Europe.

‘To be recognised as a player is always nice’: Kevin De Bruyne becomes first Manchester City player to EVER finish inside the top three at the Ballon d’Or awards... after Belgian was pipped to top spot by Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane - Jack Gaughan - MailOnline

KDB finishes in the top 3 of Ballon d’Or voting!!

The Belgian solidified a ‘podium finish’ after the voting saw him see off the likes of Mohamed Salah, Kylian Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski at the award show in Paris.

‘There is only one player that can win the Ballon d’Or out of millions of people, so to be in that top 30 list for a long time now is something I already appreciated,’ De Bruyne said.

‘I think as a player you know when you played well, when you played bad and when you played good consistently for seasons. I think the best players are their own critics.

Kevin De Bruyne makes Man City history in Ballon d’Or 2022 vote as Karim Benzema wins - Simon Bajkowski - Manchester Evening News

Benzema and Sadio Mane were the only players to finish ahead of the Belgian maestro.

Kevin De Bruyne has become the first player in the history of Manchester City to be named one of the top three players in the world.

De Bruyne, 31, was voted into the final three in the prestigious Ballon D’Or Award for 2022, beating off a host of top players and coming in behind just Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane. The Belgian was recognised for spearheading City’s drive to the semi-finals of the Champions League, when they led by two goals going into the 180th minute of their tie against Real Madrid only to sensationally lose the game and suffer more heartbreak in the competition.

“As a player I think you can reflect on what you did in your career. It is not something I look at right now,” said De Bruyne. “But when you finish your career, you can see what you have done as a player in your career for your club, for your country and individually.

Phil Foden opens up on Manchester City moment that he does not think ‘anything beats’ - Srinivas Sadhanand - City Xtra

And finally... Our boy Phil is living the absolute dream. Keep the moments coming Phil.

Recently, the Englishman was one of two boyhood blues - alongside Erling Haaland - to score a hat-trick in the Manchester Derby.

The versatile attacker lifted the lid on his feelings after putting three goals past Manchester United by saying, “I don’t think anything beats it.

“It’s definitely been one of my favourite moments in my career.”

He continued, “All my friends used to always have jokes saying, ‘You could definitely score in the derby one day.’

“Then eventually did it so yeah, it’s a special moment for me.”

There you have it Cityzens. Stay with us at BnB for all the latest from around the Cityverse, here at Bitter and Blue.