History shows Guardiola needs time but he has not helped himself by buying players City do not need rather than those they do and by endless subtle changes that leave the team vulnerable before facing Arsenal“I know we are not going to win at some point … I know what’s going to happen to me when we don’t.” Manchester City were unbeaten and still freewheeling through the light traffic of early season when Pep Guardiola was asked in September about his chances of winning the quadruple. His reply was most memorable for its exasperated, commendably fluent grasp of English swearing. More significant was his realism about the traps already laid, the sense of semi-crisis, real or imagined, that has always...
The balance shifts from Arsenal to Manchester City, Chelsea could take a defining step away from the pack and Jack Wilshere’s chance to crack onGiven Chelsea’s rampaging form at the top of the table, the first Premier League meeting between Pep Guardiola and Arsène Wenger feels hugely significant, particularly for Manchester City who could find themselves 10 points off the title pace should they suffer defeat at the Etihad. A week ago Arsenal might have started this contest as favourites, but their 14-game unbeaten streak in the league came to an end in the midweek defeat at Goodison Park, while City rectified their recent slump with a confident 2-0 win over Watford. City’s performance was enhanced by Raheem Sterling’s return...
Jürgen Klopp was right to take Loris Karius out of the spotlight, Tottenham’s back three can set their full-backs free and Marcos Rojo has not learnedIn truth, Simon Mignolet did not have much to do during Liverpool’s 3-0 victory at Middlesbrough, but Loris Karius was taken out of the spotlight nevertheless. The saga involving Liverpool’s first-choice goalkeeper before the midweek fixtures overshadowed all else at the club, but Jürgen Klopp’s team responded with a convincing performance, one of their best this season. On Karius, the Liverpool manager said: “I’m not interested in public pressure, I’m interested in the boy and there’s no reason to push him through this situation.” Mignolet appears set for an extended run in the team while...
The Manchester City and Everton managers confirm that mastering English football and the emphasis on second balls is making life more difficult than they imagined it to beEnglish football. Is it any good or not? Do we have the game we desire, a contest with extra dimensions such as aggression and bravery, or is our version just a primitive ancestor of what everyone else is playing, a throwback revelling in the physical aspects of confrontation that more cerebral exponents bypassed years ago?In some form or other the question has been debated for decades. The reason for asking it now is that on Tuesday 13 December 2016 both Pep Guardiola and Ronald Koeman made the same point about English football. They...
Real Madrid ought to have too much for Napoli, but there are tough challenges ahead for Arsenal, Leicester and Paris Saint-Germain Related: Champions League final: Ronaldo ‘had feeling’ he would score winner Related: Arsenal better set for deep run in Champions League, says Arsène Wenger Related: Juventus 1-3 Barcelona | Champions League final match report Continue reading...