Ten Hag Says Gap Between Man Utd and Man City ‘Not That Big’ 

Manager of Manchester United, Erik ten Hag (L) gestures as manager of Manchester City Josep Guardiola (R) looks on during the English Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United, in Manchester, Britain, 03 March 2024. (EPA)
Manager of Manchester United, Erik ten Hag (L) gestures as manager of Manchester City Josep Guardiola (R) looks on during the English Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United, in Manchester, Britain, 03 March 2024. (EPA)
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Ten Hag Says Gap Between Man Utd and Man City ‘Not That Big’ 

Manager of Manchester United, Erik ten Hag (L) gestures as manager of Manchester City Josep Guardiola (R) looks on during the English Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United, in Manchester, Britain, 03 March 2024. (EPA)
Manager of Manchester United, Erik ten Hag (L) gestures as manager of Manchester City Josep Guardiola (R) looks on during the English Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United, in Manchester, Britain, 03 March 2024. (EPA)

Manchester United fell 18 points behind Manchester City following their 3-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday but United manager Erik ten Hag said there was no gulf in class between the cross-town rivals.

Marcus Rashford's eighth-minute strike gave United the lead but two goals from Phil Foden and a late effort from Erling Haaland sealed the win for Pep Guardiola's side, who are a point behind leaders Liverpool.

United are set to finish below their rivals for an 11th consecutive season but when asked if the latest defeat was a reminder of the gap between the teams Ten Hag told reporters: "No I don't think so, absolutely not.

"We have many problems now in injuries and still we had an opportunity. By a very small margin. We could have scored the second goal. You see it (the gap) is not that big.

"When we have everyone on board, we can be really competitive and also we showed, for instance, in the FA Cup final against them when it can be really close. But don't forget this, City is, at the moment, the best team in the world."

United, who are sixth, next host Everton in the Premier League on Saturday.



‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
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‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)

The Paris Olympics look likely to get off to a soggy start.

Meteo-France, the French weather service, is predicting “flooding rains” Friday evening when the opening ceremony is set to unroll along the Seine River. But the show is set to go on as planned, starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and should last more than three hours.

Already in the late afternoon, skies were gray with intermittent drizzle. There was a silver lining, though, with temperatures expected to stay relatively warm throughout the evening.

Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Though 10,700 athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, hundreds of soccer players are based outside Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and many have yet to arrive for their events in the second week, organizers said Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.