Ghanaian gospel artist Joe Mettle recently shared his expertise at the Band Experience Music Workshop held in Manchester, UK, on June 22, 2024.
The workshop, which attracted musicians and fans from diverse genres, featured Mettle speaking via video link about the crucial role of character in sustaining success in the music industry.
Mettle emphasized that while talent is essential, it alone is insufficient.
He stressed the importance of continuously refining one’s skills and integrating them with strong personal qualities. “Having a gift is important, but it’s not everything. Enhancing the gift you’ve been given and building on that with the knowledge and experience you gain is crucial,” he remarked.
He further elaborated that character is fundamental for long-term success.
“Your gift might open doors for you, but it is your character that will keep you there and help you thrive. It’s vital to work on integrity, humility, and a solid work ethic. If you find yourself constantly facing difficulties due to your reactions or behavior, it might be time to reassess your character,” Mettle advised.
His insights resonated deeply with the attendees, motivating them to pursue both musical excellence and strong personal values.
The Manchester event, organized by George Addo Jnr, also featured contributions from musicians, producers, and seasoned instrumentalists such as Joseph Darko Wilson, Opoku Sanaa, Ezekiel Julius, Dave da Musicbox, Kwakes, Annor Yeboah, Kwaku Amoako, and Ezekiel Omosebi.
Looking ahead, the Band Experience is set to host its inaugural worship night, ‘Shachah 2024,’ on August 2 in Manchester, UK.
Watch video below:
Gift will open doors but character will sustain you– Joe Mettle to musicians
An investigation has started after a local area cop was shot eliminating banners of grabbed Israelis.
The recording was caught in Prestwich, More noteworthy Manchester, a region known for its enormous Jewish people group.
More prominent Manchester Police’s main constable conceded the power “failed to understand the situation”.
Stephen Watson said he was “exceptionally worried” about the recording and the power’s proficient principles division was investigating it.
It comes as a relative of an Israeli man among the 239 prisoners snatched by Hamas censured the Metropolitan Police after banners were likewise eliminated in London.
The Prestwich film, which arose on Monday late evening including a PCSO, was shared via virtual entertainment, provoking inescapable analysis.
Mr Watson let BBC Radio Manchester know there was “no malevolent goal” yet conceded the power had “answered gravely”.
He said: “It runs completely in opposition to the guidelines that we have given to our officials concerning managing this.
“There were a progression of objections about the banners and the PCSO, under guidance, eliminated the banners so there’s nothing noxious in the purpose of the official.
“We have answered seriously to a grievance and I think we fail entirely to understand the situation.” Israel has been making a tactical move in Gaza since the Hamas goes after that killed 1,400 individuals in southern Israel.
The Hamas-run wellbeing service has expressed in excess of 8,000 individuals have been killed.
In a proclamation, Right hand Boss Constable Wasim Chaudhry said he shared the worries about the banners’ expulsion and affirmed an examination was in progress.
“The activity required the previous evening, because of grumblings, is in opposition to direction that the power had proactively given to staff according to flyposting,” he said.
“We will keep on working with nearby specialists and the local area to guarantee banners can be shown. We lament any offense caused.”
Four people were taken into custody after a large group of individuals assembled in Manchester to hold a ceremony following the Hamas attacks.
The dangerous group attacked on Saturday and killed many people and took many hostages.
Chief Constable Stephen Watson of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said that the vigil on Wednesday went well and there were no major problems.
The police arrested four people because they thought they were causing trouble.
The police have released one of the suspects after doing more investigation.
In a post on social media, the police said the arrests were not for supporting Palestine. They also mentioned that people have the right to express their support for both Israel and Palestine. The post was later deleted.
The statement said that the force makes it very clear that supporting Palestine is not the same as supporting the terrorist group Hamas.
The force was asked why the post was taken down.
Mayor Andy Burnham and council leader Bev Craig from Greater Manchester spoke at the event held in St Peter’s Square.
Mr Watson said that the vigil held last night to remember and honor the victims of the terrible and hateful Hamas terrorist attack in Israel went well and without any big problems.
I appreciate our communities for coming together calmly and actively supporting each other. I also want to thank my officers for carrying out their policing duties with professionalism.
He said that there should not be any antisemitic hate crime in Greater Manchester.
A music producer was sentenced to prison after stabbing another student eight times over a skateboard joke.
On Wilmslow Road in Fallowfield, south Manchester, Luke O’Connor, 19, was hacked to death with a 13-inch “mafia stiletto” knife last year.
Shiloh Pottinger, 20, had responded ‘violently and abruptly’ to a joke that a friend of Luke’s had made about his skateboard.
At Manchester Crown Court yesterday, he was given a 15-year prison term after being convicted guilty of manslaughter during a trial.
Luke’s mother Carolyn O’Connor looked directly at Pottinger in the dock as she told the court: ‘I refuse your name to pass my lips because you don’t deserve it. Luke was the man you will never be.
‘He was a gentle giant and had a heart of gold, and the kindest of souls.’
His father Jason, a senior tech firm manager, said knives like the one used on his son had no place ‘in a civilised society’.
‘I feel intense shock, disbelief and denial,’ he added. ‘I miss Luke more than you could explain in words.’
The court heard a fight broke out at around 2am on October 26 after Luke’s friend, Charlie Robertson, asked to perform a ‘kick flick’ on Pottinger’s skateboard.
London BIMM university student Pottinger reacted ‘pathetically’ to the remark and started making threats of violence.
But Luke, a rugby player, instead stood up to Pottinger and laughed.
Pottinger, who was 19 at the time, initially used his skateboard to attack Manchester Metropolitan University student Luke, then stabbed him with the blade eight times before fleeing.
CCTV footage showed Luke left laying bleeding in the road.
Pottinger searched on the internet for ‘how long do you serve for killing someone?’ and ‘how much time do you get for knife murder?’ before his arrest two days later.
He told police he brandished the knife because he was ‘scared’ and wanted to ‘get away’ – but did not want to cause Luke ‘really serious harm’.
The defendant also said the weapon was a ‘fashion statement’.
Judge Nicholas Dean KC said: ‘In my judgment you bought it because it gave you a sense of empowerment to carry it.
‘One of Luke’s qualities was he stood up to bullies. That Luke stood up to you led you to attack Luke the way you did.
‘As Luke’s mother said: one person is to blame for Luke not being with her today. One person that chose to walk out of his house that night with a lethal weapon.
‘This person has shown no remorse and not taken any responsibility for his actions. That person is you, Shiloh Pottinger.’
He rejected Pottinger’s claims he bought the knife as a tool for his skateboard.
Luke’s family said in a statement outside court: ‘We are truly devastated by this tragedy. Luke was loved by so many people, and he knew how much he was loved in return.
‘We are relieved Shiloh Pottinger is now behind bars although his sentence in no way compares to our life sentence.’
Manchester City’s final Champions League victory on Saturday earned Pep Guardiola his 12th major trophy with the team.
It marks another remarkable achievement for the ex-Barcelona coach, who has staked his claim as one of the greatest managers of the modern era.
We take a look at some of his best achievements in Manchester.
Cup kings
After a trophyless first season,Guardiolagot his hands on his first silverware at City with a 3-0 win over Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final in 2018.
They went on to win the league title in style with a record 100 points the same year before edging out Liverpool by 98 points to 97 in a thrilling title race 12 months later.
They again won the Carabao Cup by beating Chelsea on penalties and thrashed Watford 6-0 in the FA Cup final to become the first side to win the domestic Treble.
Guardiola’s side failed to mount a successful title defence as Liverpool took the honours in the pandemic-interrupted season in 2020 but they did not go empty-handed, beating Aston Villa 2-1 in the Carabao Cup final.
City paced themselves superbly in another coronavirus-affected season the year after to win the Premier League with three games to spare ahead of rivals Manchester United.
They also beat Tottenham to claim a fourth successive Carabao Cup but narrowly missed out on the Champions League as they lost toChelseain the final.
Pep’s time
Pep Guardiola is a Manchester City legend
City began April 2022 in the hunt for three trophies.
Their Champions League and FA Cup hopes both ended at the semi-final stage but they pipped the Merseysiders to the title by a point on a dramatic final day by coming from behind to beat Aston Villa.
Fuelled by the record-breaking goalscoring exploits of the remarkable Erling Haaland, City hit form once again in 2023 to reel in long-time leaders Arsenal and claim a fifth title in six years.
Ilkay Gundogan’s brace downed Manchester United 2-1 in the FA Cup final before City emulated their rivals’ 1998-99 treble by beating Inter Milan to win the Champions League thanks to Rodri’s second-half strike.
Police arrested 22-year-old Adil Iqbal from Accrington at the scene and he has since been charged with three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
He appeared at Manchester Magistrates’ Court today where it was confirmed Frankie, who was expecting a baby girl, had tragically passed away.
Iqbal, who works in a boxing gym, spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.
He was remanded into custody to appear at Minshull Street Crown Court on June 19.
Ms Hough’s best friend Debbie Wright has set up a fundraising page to try and help her family cope with ‘the most traumatic incident they have been through’.
She wrote on the page: ‘Life can be turned upside down in the blink of an eye.
‘Frankie who is currently 18 weeks pregnant is in intensive care fighting for her life. Her partner Calvin, is frantically by her side.
‘Tommy and Tobias are in induced comas in intensive care currently awaiting brain scan updates.
‘This is absolutely devastating for the family and their whole world has been truly turned upside down.
‘These next few weeks/months will be critical for the family and is absolutely traumatising for them all.’
Ms Wright says family members of all four are by the side of their loved ones in hospital including Tobias’s parents Becci and Aaron, Tommy’s father, and Ms Hough’s parents Julia and Frank.
After authorities declined to press charges against him for molesting a 12-year-old just two years prior, a paedophile kidnapped and sexually molested a six-year-old girl.
In August of last year, the toddler was kidnapped by Lewis Jones, 24, when she was playing with pals in Tameside, Greater Manchester.
The victim was left bloodied and traumatised following the horrifying sexual attack she endured in broad daylight.
But a court heard Jones may not have been free to carry out the assault had police intervened sooner following his initial attack.
Jones, from Liverpool, was interviewed twice by officers, in June 2020 and April 2021, where he lied saying he ‘didn’t know it was wrong to have sex with a 15-year-old’.
He also had 102 indecent images of children stored on his mobile phone.
Despite this Jones was released under investigation, with ‘no fetters’ on his freedom.
He was only charged after he was found to have assaulted the six-year-old girl.
He left the girl ‘bloodied and traumatised’ (Picture: MEN Media)
The court heard Jones approached the young child, offering to help her ‘make a den’, before grabbing her and taking her into a wooded area.
Jones only let her go after he heard her family screaming her name in a desperate bid to find her.
Her mother said: ‘When I first heard about what happened I couldn’t stop screaming. I couldn’t believe that someone had taken my little girl and assaulted her in such a horrific way.
‘I feel helpless because I wasn’t there to protect her. I feel lucky that she is still with us, we could easily have lost her that day. I feel very angry that he (Jones) has done this to us.’
Criticising the police, Judge Hilary Manley called the case an ‘egregious example’ of delays, saying their response made ‘very unhappy reading’.
She said: ‘If he had been charged when he should have been, he would not have been at liberty to abduct this six-year-old girl.
‘That’s the cold fact of the case.’
The court heard it took Merseyside Police ‘two years to build a file’, and it then ‘failed the internal police triage anyway’.
Prosecutor Vanessa Thomson told Jones’ sentencing hearing: ‘There seems to have been issues with personnel, retirement, third party records and examination of a mobile phone.’
Meanwhile, the impact of the assault on the 12-year-old girl has been ‘catastrophic’, and she is now living in care.
He convinced the young girl he was a 14-year-old boy, and tricked her into a sexual relationship.
She became distressed after finding out he was really 21-years-old at the time, and the police were alerted.
Judge Manley said it was ‘by no means the first’ case where an offender had been released under investigation and went on to commit further offences, but said it was ‘one of the most egregious examples’.
Jones admitted to kidnap and two counts of assault by penetration in relation to the attack last year, and four counts of sexual activity with a child, assault by penetration and having indecent images of children in relation to the 2020 attack.
He was handed a life sentence yesterday and ordered to serve a minimum of 12 years in prison.
The judge also demanded an explanation of the situation from Merseyside Police.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Kameen said: ‘We acknowledge the comments made by Judge Manley in the sentencing of Lewis Jones with regards to the time it took Merseyside Police to bring charges against Jones for the offence he committed in Merseyside.
‘We absolutely owe it to the victims of sexual offences to ensure that we fundamentally develop and improve the way we work.
‘It’s only right and proper that we establish what happened in this case and therefore we will undertake a formal review of the circumstances which led to the delay in bringing charges.
‘We are committed to delivering an effective and timely justice for all victims, particularly the most vulnerable, which includes children.
‘Our thoughts at this time are with the victims and their families, who will never get over the impact of the heinous offences committed by Jones, and I would like to reassure them that I will personally oversee the review.’
Dele Alli’s fall from grace has been very stunning, and as more information about his way of life comes to light, it becomes clearer why the former Tottenham player is having difficulty on the pitch.
The midfielder’s partying ways have been further exposed by a picture that has surfaced of him in bed with numerous buddies.
Alli can be seen in bed with four ladies and former Chelsea player and star Izzy Jay Brown in exclusive photos obtained by The Sun.
The outlet further reveals that Alli allegedly went on a partying spree, where he clubbed twice in 10 days in Turkey, where he was on loan at Besiktas
The suggestive picture was allegedly taken inside a flat in Salford, and it is believed Alli and his friends spent a massive £6,000 on that fateful night.
After a night of clubbing, Alli returned to the Salford flat with four women and three men. This was after a trip to Chinawhite in Manchester.
Once touted as one of the best midfielders in the world, Dele Alli’s fall from footballing grace is quite disheartening.
As recently as 2019, Alli was starring in the Champions League final, but an underwhelming spell at Tottenham under Jose Mourinho saw him sold to Everton.
He made just 13 appearances for Everton before getting shipped off to Besiktas for a loan spell. He also featured 13 times in Turkey before his loan deal came to an end.
Alli recently uploaded an image of himself in hospital, suggesting he was on the road to recovery after minor surgery.
“Surgery done, all successful. I focus on full recovery now after tough weeks. My season unfortunately comes to an end”. He said on social media.
“I’m gonna take a break from socials and hit my recovery hard. I’ll be back when I am ready”.
Sean Dyche, who was recently appointed to help save the club from the shackles of relegation, spoke on Alli’s situation after the 27-year-old returned to the club after an underwhelming loan spell in Turkey.
“He’s not here obviously. He has got an injury that will keep him out for some time.” Sean Dyche said.
“He’s 26, he knows certain things that he should or shouldn’t be doing. As a manager, you can’t control everything they do in their lives. You can only guide players with what’s good for them.
Eventually, players have their own choices to make. Of course, you want them to make good choices.”
An inquest has heard that an 87-year-old woman who got “fixated” on rising energy costs passed away after developing hypothermia when she turned off her heating during the winter.
The family of Barbara Bolton made an effort to persuade her to set aside concerns about rising prices and provided her with portable heaters so that she could stay warm.
Nevertheless, family members were concerned that the ‘proud’ retiree may have switched them off when she was alone herself.
On December 11, 2022, her grandson Nathan used a key to get into her house after she didn’t answer the phone.
He found his elderly relative unable to speak while sitting in the freezing kitchen of her terraced home in Bury, Greater Manchester.
She was raced to hospital, where doctors reported that she had a temperature of just 28.9C and she passed away four weeks later on January 5.
Tests revealed that Ms Bolton, who worried that she was becoming ‘confused’ in the lead-up to her death, was suffering with vascular dementia alongside hypothermia.
But her primary cause of death has been listed as recurrent pneumonia.
Recording a verdict of misadventure, senior Coroner Ms Joanne Kearsley said: ‘Obviously her death was linked to hypothermia.
“One reason why she had developed hypothermia was because she had decided, herself, that she doesn’t want to put her heating on.
‘She has clearly become fixated on the worry of putting her heating on, no matter what anyone was saying to her.’
Barbara’s family agreed during the hearing at Rochdale Coroners Court that she could often be ‘proud’ and preferred to make her own decisions about her welfare.
A statement from her son Mark Bolton, read out by Ms Kearsley, said: ‘She wouldn’t put the heating on in the house.
‘But she had been told by her family, particularly in respect of the time, not to worry about that. You brought your mum mobile heaters for her house.
‘If you called to see her, they would be turned on. But you don’t know if they were turned on when you left.’
A statement from Dr Ansari, a consultant physician who treated Ms Bolton after she was brought to Fairfield Hospital in Bury, added that she had ‘deliberately not turned her heating on for fear of high energy bills’.
‘This admission was probably an avoidable admission’, he said.
He went on: ‘But because she was very obstinate and was also a self-sufficient proud woman, she would not really accept help, even from her family.’
Dr Ansari explained that staff tried to treat her but those suffering from health issues like Ms Bolton’s had an ‘extremely poor’ prognosis.
Invitation for King Charles coronation seen for the first time
Ms Kearsley said Ms Bolton’s family cared deeply for her, and though it had been her decision to turn her heating off, she hadn’t intended to end her own life.
She said: ‘Barbara was a very close part of your family and was cared for very well by all of you. But she was a very proud lady, and very stubborn, I suspect.
‘For some reason, it became entrenched in her view that she couldn’t put her heating on at that time for whatever reason. Only your mum will know if she was worrying about it.
‘No matter what anyone was telling her, she wasn’t going to do anything any differently.’
A coroner will look into the death of a man from Manchester whose “heavily mold-infested lodgings” has been linked to his demise.
Luke Brooks, 27, passed away on October 25 of last year, not long after informing his family that he had been having breathing difficulties recently.
An inquest into Luke’s death has now been initiated by a coroner who ruled over the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in a moldy apartment only a few months ago.
Senior Coroner Joanne Kearsley will now decide whether Luke’s death is the second in recent times in Greater Machester to be down to medical issues brought on by mould.
His parents described him as a ‘light’ in their lives (Picture: MEN Media)
Rochdale Coroner’s Court heard how Luke and his family in a property they rented for eight years from a private landlord in Oldham.
Paul Lever, police coroners’ officer at Greater Manchester Police (GMP), told the court: ‘Luke resided with his parents.
‘He spent a lot of time in his room playing video games and left the house on a few occasions.’
After he started to fall unwell, he tried to get a GP appointment while being told by NHS’ 111 services he could have a ‘viral infection’ so should take ibuprofen, Lever said.
In the days before his death, Luke began to feel ‘weak’ and suffered from a skin rash and had ‘difficulty breathing’, the court was told.
Paramedics were called after Luke suffered a ‘fit in his bed’ before he stopped breathing altogether on October 25.
Detective Inspector Judith Holmes said council environmental health officials visited the family flat on November 1 and took several photographs.
She said: ‘There had been some cleaning done in the property between October 25 and the visit on November 1, Luke’s room had actually been cleaned at that point.
‘There was a small patch of mould growth above a radiator. They had already cleaned the internal walls of Luke’s room, however, it was untidy at that time. There were animals present during the visit.
‘Oldham Council visited the address in response to the family making complaints to the local authority.’
Holmes added that Luke’s parents complained about the property being in ‘disrepair’ as ‘opposed to any mould in the property’.
‘No formal issues’ were found by council officials but the force has commissioned a second inspection.
A microbiologist will now scour the flat for any signs of Aspergillus, the type of mould thought to be behind Luke’s sputtered breathing.
‘At this moment in time, the investigation is looking at whether criminal offences may have been committed and also what opportunities the council may have had as well,’ she said.
‘But at this moment in time, they are still keeping an open mind.’
Found flowering across bathroom tiles and living room walls, mould is very common in damp environments and can be especially harmful to children.
The fungi’s fuzzy tendrils slowly spread across surfaces and produce allergens which can cause sneezing, runny noses, skin rashes and red eyes.
But in more serious cases for those with respiratory conditions, certain black mould types such as Cladosporium and Alternaria can bring on sometimes deadly asthma attacks.
Many of the negative health impacts of mould were brought to national attention after the death of Awaab at his Rochdale home in December 2020.
His father, Faisal Abdullah, had complained about the mould to Rochdale Boroughwide Housing – he was told to paint over it.
Health visitors found in June 2020 mould had covered the kitchen, bathroom and a bedroom cupboard, this meant the toddler had ‘chronic exposure to harmful mould’, coroner Kearsley said at an inquest last November.
Now Greater Manchester could see the second death tied to mould in recent years.
Luke’s father, James, said: ‘Luke was a fantastic lad. He was a fit lad, he wasn’t unfit. He was the nicest lad you could meet.
‘He was a lovely human being. I was lucky to get 27 years with him. He never gave us any trouble.
‘He was a good artist, he couple play the guitar and the piano, he was very talented.’
His mother, Patricia, added: ‘He had a brilliant heart, he was funny. He was a wind-up merchant. He had the patience of a saint, our Luke.
‘He took over the cooking, he looked after me and James. He wouldn’t leave our side. He was our angel, he was the spark in this house.
After shocking a success-starved Newcastle to victory in the Carabao Cup final,Manchester United is now rejoicing over winning the first significant trophy of the Erik ten Hag era.
Both teams entered the game hoping for a win that would serve as the impetus for a better future, but it was the steadily improving Red Devils who came out on top under the arch.
In a 2-0 victory over Newcastle at Wembley, Casemiro’s header and an own goal by Sven Botman put an end to United’s trophy drought, which had lasted since 2017.
Things could have been so different for Eddie Howe’s men had David De Gea not been alert to deny Allan Saint-Maximin’s close-range shot late in the first half.
Within seven minutes of that save the Red Devils had control of the final, with Casemiro heading home Luke Shaw’s free-kick before Botman deflected a Marcus Rashford strike over Loris Karius.
The third-choice goalkeeper, making his debut and first competitive appearance in 728 days, denied Wout Weghorst putting the game to bed in first-half stoppage time.
Newcastle returned brightly from the break but were unable to mount a comeback, extending their wait for a first trophy since their 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup triumph.
As for the victors, Ten Hag’s first ever trip to Wembley saw him join Jose Mourinho as the only United managers to win a major trophy in their first season.
More could yet follow this season given the Dutchman’s transformational impact on the culture and quality at Old Trafford.
The sides were greeted by an incredible din at a packed Wembley, where expectant fans twirled red scarves at one end as a sea of black and white flags fluttered at the other.
The atmosphere translated into an intense, open start, only for poor decision-making to see moves break down.
There was no danger of Karius being beaten by United’s first shot on target as Weghorst failed to make clean contact under pressure, before easily holding onto an Antony attempt.
United fans turned their attention to their owners as the half wore on, with “we want Glazers out” bellowed in front of watching co-owner Avram Glazer.
A couple of breaks in play for treatment took the sting out of a final that had lost its early intensity, only for Newcastle’s first shot on target to spark a frantic conclusion to the half.
After a cross flew across the face of goal, Saint-Maximin took possession at the far post, jinked past Diogo Dalot and forced De Gea into an important stop from close range.
That 32nd-minute save proved a key moment as United were soon 2-0 up.
The first goal came after returning Bruno Guimaraes fouled Rashford on the left, with Shaw whipping in a fine free-kick that Casemiro met with a powerful header past Karius.
A nervy wait followed to check an offside, with the Brazilian punching the air when it was given the green light.
It was a gut punch that United quickly followed up in front of the dejected Newcastle end.
On-loan Weghorst smartly played through Rashford to get away a hopeful strike that was heading wide until Botman’s block inadvertently sent the ball looping over the goalkeeper.
Dan Burn headed narrowly off target as Newcastle attempted to claw one back, but they would have been further behind in stoppage time had Karius not superbly tipped over Weghorst’s effort from distance.
Dalot, who had been booked for a ninth-minute challenge on fleet-footed Saint-Maximin, was replaced by Aaron Wan-Bissaka at half-time, while Alexander Isak came on for Sean Longstaff.
Howe’s side were looking brighter as United slowed the tempo against a side Ten Hag had called “annoying” for their time-wasting antics in the build-up.
Newcastle could not turn possession into clear-cut chances, with inspired introduction Wan-Bissaka and Lisandro Martinez proving immovable objects.
Karius got down well to stop Rashford fizzing home from distance and dealt with a long-range Wan-Bissaka attempt as play became stretched with Howe’s side chasing a goal.
Newcastle saw penalty appeals overlooked and substitute Jacob Murphy fizzed a stunning long-range effort just wide.
The match ended with captain Harry Maguire being brought on, renewed chants against the Glazers, Karius denying Bruno Fernandes and De Gea becoming United’s record clean sheet holder with 181 shut-outs.
Pep Guardiola hits back at speculation thatManchester City would easily defeat RB Leipzig following a discouraging 1-1 draw in their Champions League last-16 match.
Wednesday at the Red Bull Arena, Riyad Mahrez gave City a 27th-minute lead after City had completely dominated the first half of the first leg in Germany.
Guardiola’s visitors had the upper hand, but Leipzig rallied after the break, and Josko Gvardiol secured a point for Leipzig ahead of the rematch on March 14 at Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola refuted Marco Rose’s claim that a convincing victory at Leipzig was always likely despite the fact that his team is currently fifth in the Bundesliga and had failed to score in three previous Champions League quarterfinal matches.
The City manager told BT Sport: “People expect we are going to win 5-0, that’s not a reality. It is past the group stage in a very competitive competition and many important teams around.
“It is difficult, we knew this, our fourth game in 10 days, the away games, the travels and the people expect [wins]…
“I know we are a good team, and we continue to do good things. But people expect we come here and win 4 or 5-0, we are not able to do this.”
The opening 45 minutes were in stark contrast for what was to follow, with City boasting 74 per cent possession and only conceding one shot on target in the first half – a timid Timo Werner effort at Ederson.
Guardiola’s side managed just a 49.2 percent share of the ball in the second half, facing six shots, as substitute Benjamin Henrichs spurned a pair of glorious opportunities.
RB Leipzig 1-1 Man City: Man City looked comfortable at half-time, but a poor second half means that this #UCL tie is level heading into the second leg at the Etihad Stadium next month. pic.twitter.com/QyINoab9tr
Former Bayern Munich and Barcelona boss Guardiola insisted he was “happy” with the entire performance, however.
“They make a step forward, they pressed everyone high up, more problems in the build-up,” he said when asked about the second half.
“After the goal we conceded, we came back – we made a good last 15, 20 minutes. We had good chances, both sides in both halves, and now we go back to Manchester to decide it.”
Pressed on the drop in performance levels, a somewhat irked Guardiola added: “I’m happy for the whole game, not just the first half. What do you expect? We play a friendly game here?”
Despite Leipzig growing in confidence as the final whistle drew closer, Guardiola opted to make no substitutions throughout.
Liverpool’s fixture list appears to have delivered the perfect pick-me-up with the visit of newly-promoted Bournemouth for a traditional 3pm kick-off at Anfield on Saturday.
The Reds have been off colour so far with only two points taken from three very winnable games – the most concerning performance of the lot being Monday’s meek showing in Manchester.
Jurgen Klopp seemed lost for answers as to why his team have underwhelmed, but the Liverpool boss has had a few days to come up with new solutions ahead of the Cherries’ visit.
Bournemouth boss Scott Parker was the last visiting manager to come away from Anfield with a Premier League victory when he did so with Fulham in March 2021.
The Englishman’s inspiring pre-match team talk that day warned his players of how much they would need to suffer – something Klopp and Liverpool fully intend to make happen.
Team news
Klopp has revealed Naby Keita is not yet ready to return after admitting on Monday that the midfielder’s muscle injury required further assessment.
Curtis Jones remains unavailable because of a calf problem while Thiago Alcantara is still at least a couple of weeks away from a return from a hamstring injury.
Fabinho is likely to come into the Reds midfield after starting on the bench against Manchester Utd with James Milner due a rest.
With Joel Matip and fellow centre-back Ibrahima Konate still absent, Joe Gomez will continue alongside Virgil van Dijk in what is likely to be an unchanged Liverpool back four.
A lack of available options up front because of Darwin Nunez’s suspension and Diogo Jota’s injury means Roberto Firmino is set to continue alongside Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz.
Former Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke could be available to play once more after missing the Cherries’ defeats to Manchester City and Arsenal with an ankle issue.
He could be restored to a two-man attack alongside Kieffer Moore if he comes through Friday’s training session unscathed, although starting him on the bench would be the sensible option.
Junior Stanislas, Ryan Fredericks and Joe Rothwell remain sidelined as a result of their respective injuries.
The stats
Klopp has made seven changes to his starting XI in Liverpool’s first three matches – no other Premier League manager has made more so far.
Milner’s recent inclusion has pushed the average age of Liverpool’s 2022-23 line-ups to 28 years and 163 days old – second only to West Ham in the first three Premier League matchday.
The absence of Thiago appears to be being keenly felt by the winless Reds, given the Spaniard has not finished on the losing side in 27 league matches he has started since March 2021.
Liverpool have averaged 2.6 points per game during that sequence, but just 2.0 per game when he hasn’t started for them with the same time period.
Bournemouth have lost on seven of their last eight visits to Anfield in the Premier League.
The Cherries have recorded only 16 shots so far this season, the fewest of any Premier League club through the opening three games since Huddersfield in 2018-19.
Prediction
History does not favour Scott Parker’s Bournemouth
Liverpool look more vulnerable to a potentially huge home shock than at any time since Parker’s Fulham inflicted their sixth Anfield defeat in a row late in that injury-hit 2020-21 campaign.
Yet it will still take a herculean effort from the Cherries to resist the Reds for 90 minutes, particularly with Klopp looking for a reaction to their defeat at Old Trafford.
Liverpool will take any win right now, whether it is ugly or laced with controversy, just to get their season back on track and it could pay to oppose them in handicap markets.
Bournemouth held the lead briefly before going down 2-1 on their last trip to the red half of Merseyside and something of a similar order might be on the cards this weekend.
The government has committed to trebling the money being pumped into upgrading rail links between Manchester, Leeds and York.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced between £9bn and £11.5bn for the Transpennine Route Upgrades, which had been a £2.9bn project.
He said the extra cash would enable the full route to be electrified, cutting journey times to just over an hour.
Mr Shapps said it would “revolutionise” the journey across the Pennines.
He added: “This is the single biggest investment any government has ever made in Britain’s railways.”
Critics said the promise had come too late and demanded more action to bring down “rip-off” ticket prices.
The improvements, expect to take between 10-15 years, would see a journey from Manchester to Leeds take just over 30 minutes, instead of up to an hour, the government said.
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The line, connecting two of the UK’s largest and busiest cities, has long been criticised for its slow speeds and propensity for delays and other problems, in contrast to many key services in the south.
Mr Shapps said the fresh plans would also see the route fitted with digital signalling as well as extra track, and would “address this historic lack of balance” between spending in the north and south.
The minister said the upgrades could be delivered faster than previous plans to build a new line, and more cheaply.
He said services had not “kept pace with the times” but the upgrades, set to begin next year, would make them more reliable, less crowded, better for the environment and more like commuting in and around London.
He said the north would receive more investment per head than the Midlands or the south, which was “all part of our plan to level up the whole country”.
The funding is the first detailed expenditure from the £96bn Integrated Rail Plan investment, Mr Shapps said.
‘Welcome funding’
Tony Miles, from Modern Railways magazine, said: “It’s good news the government has formally committed the money needed to complete the project.
“Network Rail now needs to keep a tight control on costs to make sure the project can be delivered.”
However, Manuel Cortes, general secretary of transport union TSSA, said it was “yet another re-announcement of existing funding from a headline-seeking Transport Secretary”.
He continued: “The funding is of course welcome, but if this government was serious about backing our railways, then it needs to do much more to tackle rip-off ticket prices and improve reliability and end-to-end journeys.”
Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said the northern economy had been held back by a “decade of broken promises” and plans to upgrade the line had already come too late.
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![A man has appeared in court charged with the abduction and sexual assault of a six-year-old girl. Lewis Charles Jones, 23, of no fixed address but from Liverpool, appeared at Manchester Magistrates' Court this morning [Aug 20]. Caption: Police tent near Warne Avenue in Droylsden, Greater Manchester, where a six-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted on 17 August 2022](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/SEI_120320016-be49-e1682504054534.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&zoom=1&resize=540%2C617)
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