Bruce potentially set for his final game at Newcastle, Ranieri begins tough spell at Watford and Guardiola has Sterling decision It feels trivial discussing mere football matters when set against the ethical concerns arising from Newcastle’s Saudi takeover, but it feels as if whatever happens on the pitch against Tottenham will accelerate Steve Bruce’s departure. He is unlikely to get much credit if his side record a first league win of the season; instead it will only heighten the sense of “new broom” momentum that would require a bigger-name manager as soon as possible, while defeat would only serve to demonstrate the immediate need for change. It helps Bruce that Newcastle’s first opponents of the new era are a side...
Questions asked of Solskjær, Barkley is Tuchel’s latest success, and why did City sign Grealish not Kane? “The short answer is yes,” said Ole Gunnar Solskjær. “We’ve got loads to work on and we need to improve. We know that and I know that but I do believe in this group of players and the coaching staff. I’m very confident that we will get the best out of this squad.” Thus far, despite unconvincing performances, the evidence is that Manchester United’s board share that confidence: they gave him a new three-year contract in July. But, externally at least, questions are being asked of Solskjær. He faces a defining period – against Leicester, Atalanta, Liverpool, Tottenham, Atalanta again and Manchester City...
Manchester City playmaker gave a reminder of his frightening talent in a meeting with Liverpool that offered endless thrillsThere was a nice moment at the end of this game. As the players milled around the centre circle drawing a breath, and as Phil Foden went to place a fond arm round the shoulder of James Milner, who had spent the first half trying, and mainly failing, to body-check him into the advert boards, the crowd in the seats and the walkways stopped to give the players a gentle, rippling ovation.It was that kind of afternoon. At kick-off Anfield had been illuminated by soft, autumnal sun at one end, the chill beginning to creep in under a powder-blue sky. What followed...
An exhilarating 2-0 win against Manchester City showed flickers of what Paris Saint-Germain and Messi 2.0 can do togetherAnd so it came to pass. With 73 minutes on the clock, He finally turned up.Lionel Messi had done very little for the previous 20 minutes at Parc des Princes. A promising first half had given way to one of those extended periods where Messi resembles a man maintaining a pretence of polite interest while milling around a notably disappointing flea market. Continue reading...
Starved of creativity, Chelsea were swarmed by Manchester City’s press as Pep Guardiola beat his German rival at the fourth attemptIt’s dangerous always to elevate players in absentia, to assume that if only they had been there they would have produced a flawless game and performed absolutely to their maximum, but perhaps the biggest lesson from the clash at Stamford Bridge on Saturday was just what a good player Mason Mount is.Chelsea so far this season had been the most impressive of the title contenders because they had seemed to have such balance between attack and defence – a quality that has become increasingly rare as the financial imbalances of the modern game have led superclubs to focus on the...