Dominik Szoboszlai reacts to ‘intense’ message from Man City’s Josko Gvardiol
Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai has responded to a message from Josko Gvardiol after Man City drew 0-0 with Man United.
The Sky Blues were held to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford on Sunday (6 March), extending their winless run against their cross-city rivals to four games, having last won against United on 3 March 2024.
In spite of the lack of goals, there were still several talking points in a tense derby, including a penalty shout from Alejandro Garnacho after a clash with Ruben Dias inside the first minute.
Having played most of the season at left-back, Gvardiol was used in his more natural position by Pep Guardiola against United to great effect, as the Croatian delivered a strong performance.
The emergence of Nico O’Reilly has allowed Gvardiol to be moved to centre-back, the position he was signed to play at initially, but the young defender failed to offer much of a threat going forward against the Red Devils, something the Croatian defender has delivered in abundance this season.
Josko Gvardiol sends message to Man City fans after draw vs Man United
Following the draw with United, Gvardiol posted a series of images from the match to Instagram, captioned: “Intense battle today. Point each — we go again!”
The post was then liked by the Croatian’s former RB Liepzig teammate and current Liverpool star, Szobsozlai.
Whilst Gvardiol will have been disappointed to drop points against United, the Hungarian fared worse on Sunday, as Liverpool lost 3-2 to Fulham.
City will look to get their push for Champions League football back on track when they take on Crystal Palace on Saturday, 12 April.
Man City at real risk of missing out on Champions League football
Football Insider Verdict
Having been victors of the Champions League only two seasons ago, City are at genuine risk of missing out on competing in the competition next season.
The draw against United keeps the Citizens in fifth, which should be enough for qualification this season based on UEFA’s co-efficient, but Newcastle are creeping up on the reigning Premier League champions.
With two games in hand, and just two points behind City, the Sky Blues desperately need the Magpies to drop points, or else face a year playing in the Europa League.
| 2024/25 Premier League standings | Games played | Goal difference | Points |
| 5. Man City | 31 | +17 | 52 |
| 6. Aston Villa | 31 | 0 | 51 |
| 7. Newcastle | 29 | +10 | 50 |
| 8. Fulham | 31 | +5 | 48 |
Having spent lavishly in the January transfer window, the Citizens are likely to want to do something similar this coming summer, with Kevin De Bruyne leaving Man City and a replacement for the Belgian unlikely to be cheap.
However, without the guaranteed income from competing in Europe’s premier tournament, City’s transfer budget may be greatly reduced if they miss out to one of their rivals.