João Cancelo continues to shine, Dele Alli shows his worth and Blackburn are looking upJürgen Klopp spent much of the pulsating 2-2 draw with Tottenham frothing with rage at some of the refereeing decisions and his anger was more than justified. We all have bad days at the office, but certain elements of Paul Tierney’s display were inexplicably poor. Diogo Jota was denied a blindingly obvious penalty in the first half, before Harry Kane escaped with a yellow card for a potentially career-ending tackle on Andy Robertson. Robertson was smart enough to jump, without which the damage would have been severe. “That’s definitely a red card ... if Robbo’s leg is on the ground, it’s a broken leg,” Klopp correctly...
St James’ Park has been a favourite spot for City in their decade of Premier League glory, and their latest visit was no differentIt is hard not to think that Pep Guardiola would have been doubly pleased on receiving news of his negative PCR test in the run-up to Manchester City’s visit to Newcastle. Nobody of a sky-blue persuasion would want to miss a visit to this particular corner of the north-east.This is said not just from the prospect of filling one’s boots in the days before Christmas against – still – one of the division’s most fragile teams, but because Newcastle and their city-centre home are touchstones in City’s decade of Premier League glory. St James’s Park will always...
The game’s great dilemma is squaring the need for rich backers – no matter how unpalatable – with our longing for a football fix It has been another week of soul-searching for football. What is the game, what is it for and who does it belong to? With nine Premier League matches postponed in the past week and Dr Nikki Kanani, medical director of primary care for NHS England, suggesting that attending games is a needless risk, a return to reduced attendances, closed-doors matches or even a suspension have become distinct possibilities.The return to Project Restart protocols may be enough to quell the spread of the virus among players but if it is not, keeping going cannot be justified. Brentford’s...
Striker’s blockbuster title-winning goal for Manchester City stands out but 18 years among the elite tells the fuller storyFor Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo an enforced retirement because of a heart condition provoked tears on Wednesday, but friends of the 33-year-old say he has also come to feel serene that a stellar 18-year career is over.The former Barcelona forward is understood over recent days to have been zen-like in his take on his playing days ending, telling associates that “things happen in life and it is time to live”. Away from the strictures of the athlete’s diet Agüero can embrace his love of asado, the Argentine barbecue that grills choice cuts of steak, chorizo, chicken and other meat, and attend...
Manchester City are leaking goals, Crystal Palace are not scoring enough and David Moyes has a quandaryThe teams that came second and third in last season’s Championship –and now sit in the form table’s bottom four – meet in what looks a seriously important encounter. Brentford go into it without Ivan Toney, who has tested positive for Covid, and Sergi Canós, suspended after getting a fifth booking of the season for taking off his shirt when celebrating a goal against Leeds last weekend. Watford also have significant injuries, most notably to the winger Ismaïla Sarr, and after a run of encouraging performances in extremely difficult fixtures must seize the opportunity presented by their next few games to haul themselves away...