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Manuel Akanji has an important trophy to carry this Sunday evening, shortly before midnight – crowned with the gold Sports Awards sculpture for the MVP of the year. “It’s quite tough,” says the Man City star, grinning from ear to ear. “I am incredibly happy. I thought you could tell because I came here right after the game. It was very important for me to receive the award personally.”
Together with Marco Odermatt – Athlete of the Year for the third time in a row – the Most Valuable Player proudly poses on the big stage in front of the numerous cameras. “Marco is a role model for everyone; meeting him was very nice,” says Akanji. «Unfortunately, due to the many photo requests, we didn’t have much time to chat. But I told him that I was really looking forward to skiing after my career. I was very good at that as a child.”
Guardiola turns a blind eye
His two older sisters Michelle (34) and Sarah (30), who were also present at the gala and proudly hugged their brother, were deeply moved, but still had time for the 28-year-old from Winterthur. His wife Melanie (31), whom he specifically mentioned and honored during the broadcast, was also moved to tears. “She always has my back, takes care of our children and always lets me sleep in.”
But he hasn’t been able to sleep much the last few days. On Sunday morning he flew with the team to London for the league match against Luton Town. After a short period and the 2-1 victory, he rushed back to the airport – by private jet to Zurich. Generously approved by coach Guardiola. “The results haven’t been that good lately, so I didn’t know if I should even ask. But Pep said it would be fine if I came back the next day.”
Now the journey to Belgrade awaits
Not a given. Recent performances in the Premiere League are definitely not to Guardiola’s taste. After three draws and one defeat from the previous four matches, defending champion Manchester City is four points behind leaders Liverpool in fourth place. The defense was particularly weak in these matches, conceding nine goals – this record is not glory, especially for defender Akanji.
The Champions League comes at just the right time. Akanji will board the plane again on Tuesday for the away match against Red Star Belgrade. After the Manchester-London-Zurich-Manchester journey, the additional journey to Serbia totals approximately 6,900 kilometers – within five days. The only comfortable thing is to look at the table. ManCity leads the YB group ahead of RB Leipzig with five wins and is unassailably qualified for the round of 16.
|
team
|
SP
|
T.D
|
PT
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
 Liverpool F.C
|
16
|
21
|
37
|
|
|
2
|
 Arsenal F.C
|
16
|
18
|
36
|
|
|
3
|
 Aston Villa
|
16
|
15
|
35
|
|
|
4
|
 Manchester city
|
16
|
20
|
33
|
|
|
5
|
 Tottenham Hotspur
|
16
|
10
|
30
|
|
|
6
|
 Manchester United
|
16
|
-3
|
27
|
|
|
7
|
 Newcastle United
|
16
|
12
|
26
|
|
|
8th
|
 Brighton & Hove Albion
|
16
|
5
|
26
|
|
|
9
|
 West Ham United
|
16
|
-4
|
24
|
|
|
10
|
 Fulham F.C
|
16
|
0
|
21
|
|
|
11
|
 Brentford FC
|
16
|
1
|
19
|
|
|
12
|
 Chelsea F.C
|
16
|
0
|
19
|
|
|
13
|
 Wolverhampton Wanderers
|
16
|
-5
|
19
|
|
|
14
|
 AFC Bournemouth
|
16
|
-9
|
19
|
|
|
15
|
 Crystal Palace
|
16
|
-8th
|
16
|
|
|
16
|
 Nottingham forest
|
16
|
-11
|
14
|
|
|
17
|
 Everton F.C
|
16
|
0
|
13
|
|
|
18
|
 Luton town
|
16
|
-15
|
9
|
|
|
19
|
 Burnley F.C
|
16
|
-18
|
8th
|
|
|
20
|
 Sheffield United FC
|
16
|
-29
|
8th
|
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
