Sky Blue News: Haaland Update, Bayern Sack Nagelsmann, Women Ready, and More...

The Manchester City men continue their international break with some playing key roles for the countries while others are getting much-needed rest. The women are set for a weekend clash with WSL-leading Chelsea FC at the Academy Stadium. Sky Blue News has the latest to keep you current.

ALVAREZ STARTS AS ARGENTINA WIN FIRST MATCH AFTER WORLD CUP GLORY - Sam Cox - ManCity.com

La Arana was looking to add to tally of five international goals, four of which came at the tournament in Qatar, but despite a dominant first-half display the scoreline remained goalless going into the interval.

Scaloni then rang the changes during the break which saw our forward replaced by Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez in leading the line.

The party then reached fever pitch when Atlanta United’s Thiago Almada opened the scoring with with 11 minutes remaining, tapping home a rebound after Lionel Messi’s initial effort was saved.

Argentina’s talismanic captain then stepped up to seal the victory with a sublime free-kick on the cusp of full-time which sealed his 800th career goal for club and country.

Following the final whistle, Alvarez and his teammates were presented with their own replica World Cup trophies in a spectacular ceremony to celebrate their achievement in Qatar.

Erling Haaland visits Barcelona hospital as Man City star’s father raises injury concerns - Stuart Ballard - Express

Pep Guardiola will want his star forward fit and firing as soon as possible, but Alfie Haaland doubts whether his son will be back any time soon. “Firstly, I’m not a doctor and secondly, I think it’s ‘touch and go’, yes,” Haaland told Norway’s TV 2 Sport.

“You can’t just go two weeks without training and then jump right into a fight. There must be a progression there. They can gamble on it, but if he doesn’t get proper training with the team, then he won’t play.

“It is about how he responds to treatment in the next few days. He needs a lot of care and ‘knuckling’. There are many sprints and there is a lot to move.”

Haaland’s father also confirmed the City forward was assessed by Ramon Cugat at the Quionsalud hospital in Barcelona and is now in Marbella to continue his rehabilitation. “Manchester City has a partnership with a hospital in Barcelona. He has been there for further checks and treatment,” he added.

“Now, he has been here (in Marbella) for a couple of days with the physio from the club. So he gets good follow-up (following injury).” Haaland has not featured in just six matches this season for City and they’re yet to lose when he hasn’t played.

How Vincent Kompany Can Benefit from Burnley’s Humbling By Manchester City - Emmanuel Odey - Bitter and Blue

There’s no other team better than Manchester City to serve as a standard for measuring your progress both as a manager and as a team. So Kompany can be grateful for the opportunity to put his team to the test against the very best early on. A careful analysis of the performance will reveal a lot about where and how to improve the team moving forward.

Clearly, the City legend has laid a very strong foundation for future success in his managerial career. But he will need to build on it to reach the great heights possible in the game. City boss Pep Guardiola swears that the Belgian will one day grace the Etihad Stadium dugout. But that will depend very much on lessons learnt from games like this. What is obvious at this point is that Kompany has the potential to become a top manager.

With Guardiola set to leave the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2025, who is to say that Kompany cannot be his successor? However, the young manager will need to prove he can deliver at the top level. For the City hierarchy, his performance with Burnley next season will be an audition for the job. Not only will good results be important, but the style of play will also be as vital.

Fortunately for him, the club will most likely strengthen the team upon promotion. That should give him an opportunity to bring in players that can plug any loopholes in the team. He will not be competing against City every week, so he can expect the same principles that have brought him success in the Championship to produce needed results in the Premier League.

It was the same template Guardiola used to move from Barcelona B (where he won a Tercera División title) to La Liga.

Bayern Munich make major managerial change ahead of Manchester City showdown - Freddie Pye - City Xtra

Fabrizio Romano was first to the information on Thursday night, reporting that Bayern Munich were ‘seriously considering’ the sacking of manager Julian Nagelsmann, with former Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel being the lead candidate to replace his German counterpart.

BILD then confirmed earlier reports, but instead stating that the sacking would come with immediate effect – ultimately confirming that the appointment of Tuchel was imminent itself.

In a final update confirming a significant turn of events at the Allianz Arena, journalist Nathan Gissing then reported that Thomas Tuchel had agreed to become the new Bayern Munich manager, signing a two-and-a-half year contract with the Bundesliga giants.

Manchester City will play the first-leg at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday 11th April with kick-off scheduled for 20:00 (UK).

USMNT goalkeeper Zack Steffen wants to leave Manchester City after losing international job to Matt Turner - Thomas Hindle - Goal

WHAT HAPPENED? Steffen has only played sparingly for City since joining the club from the Columbus Crew in 2019. The American keeper spent his first year on loan at Fortuna Dusseldorf, and was City’s No.2 behind Ederson last season, making nine appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side.

The reigning Premier League champions sent him out on loan to Middlesborough for the duration of the 2022-23 campaign, and he has established himself in the No.1 spot for the Championship club. Steffen has now made it known that he wants a significant role at his next team - something City cannot offer him.

AND WHAT’S MORE: His lack of club playing time with City contributed to him losing his starting role with the USMNT to Matt Turner, though Turner himself is now in a part-time role at Arsenal.

ALEIXANDRI: WE’RE PREPARED FOR CHELSEA CLASH - Holly Percival - ManCity.com

Gareth Taylor’s side are on a 13-game unbeaten run in the WSL with our last defeat at the hands of this weekend’s opponents back in September 2022 where we fell to a 2-0 loss at Kingsmeadow.

We welcome the Londoners to the Academy Stadium on Sunday, 26 March, with kick-off scheduled for 12:40 (UK) where City will be looking to achieve a more positive result.

With an impressive run of form for both teams since the last encounter, we are in touching distance of the top spot as we sit two points behind league leaders Chelsea in third place.

Aleixandri is confident that the preparation and learnings that City have onboarded will be key to success this weekend.

“I think the team is now very comfortable with the work and all the wins we achieved before. I think we are in the right way to continue, and we need to win every match so we are happy to work hard and continue this way,” said Aleixandri.

“We are a really good group of personalities and professionals and that is important to be together and to get wins.

And finally... Kalvin played along side City target Jude Bellingham in a possible preview of the future midfield at the Etihad.

Man City midfielder Kalvin Phillips sent Pep Guardiola a clear message with England performance - Dan Brown - Manchester Evening News

When he arrived at the Etihad Stadium, it was viewed as a good move for both parties. It was a step up in Phillips’ career, and Pep Guardiola had gained an England international who looked to have everything required to thrive as part of his City side. The midfielder had impressed with the Whites, but he looked ready for a change - and he got it.

Phillips has missed 11 matches through injury this term, which has seen him make just 13 appearances in all competitions for the reigning Premier League champions. The 27-year-old has made just two starts - none of which have come in the top-flight, or in the Champions League for that matter.

Given his lack of minutes for City, the England ace has been tentatively linked with a move away. Admittedly, that is highly unlikely to happen, but he certainly needs to find a way to start contributing for the Blues. With that in mind, then, the 90 minutes he managed in England’s win over Italy in the first of their two Euro 2024 qualifiers was a step in the right direction.

The former Leeds man started alongside Borussia Dortmund ace Jude Bellingham and West Ham star Declan Rice. The latter opened the scoring for the Three Lions against Roberto Mancini’s side, while the in-demand Bellingham once again impressed on his 23rd appearance for his country.

There you have it Cityzens. Be sure to stay with Bitter and Blue all weekend long for the latest form Manchester City. Sky Blue News returns Monday.