In a match between two rigorously drilled systems, Manchester City’s £100m man provided a vital element of maverick flairThere were four minutes to play as Jack Grealish left the pitch. Manchester City were still deep in the boiler room, seeing out a 1-0 lead in a game they had for long periods dominated to a strangulating degree. But there was time still for a round of hand-clasps, back-pats and buttock slaps, the most significant from his replacement Raheem Sterling, who had sat for 85 minutes watching Grealish produce a quiet masterpiece on the flank that had been Sterling’s own private strip of turf for long periods last season.There was nothing from Pep Guardiola, although Grealish did sneak an eager, lingering...
Bizarre spat with his own fans speaks of a manager who thrives on creating tension ahead of high-stakes visit to ChelseaNever, ever get comfortable. Watching Pep-era Manchester City cruise through the past five years of beautifully engineered success, backed by perhaps the most supportive, frictionless, economically impregnable environment ever created in English football, it has at times been hard to avoid one key question. Mainly: why all the drama?City travel south to play Chelsea in Saturday’s delicious-looking early kick-off. Aside from the more meaningful pre-match noises off, there has once again been a sense of a peculiar kind of micro-fuss being played out around City’s manager. Continue reading...
The travails of the traditional European elite as new money dominated the transfer window suggest things have changedIn times of crisis, the winners are usually the rich. As clubs across Europe continue to struggle against the financial impact of the pandemic, the lesson of this transfer window is that the powerful are mopping up. Or at least they are if they are well-run, which rules out the two Spanish giants and several clubs in Italy.The transfers of the two players who have defined football for a generation understandably generated great excitement, with fans camping out at the airport in Paris to welcome Lionel Messi and queuing round the block to buy a shirt with his name on the back while...
Guardiola has nurtured Phil Foden and has two years left to cement Manchester City’s standing as one of Europe’s bestSeven years will be the longest period Pep Guardiola has spent managing any one club when he eventually exits Manchester City in the summer of 2023. The Catalan has confirmed his departure at the end of next season, giving the club two years to get everything they can out of their manager to leave them in the best shape possible for the long term.Under Guardiola, the football has been electric and the number of goals scored mind-boggling, all in the name of eight major trophies. Three Premier League titles have been the peak with the Champions League final against Chelsea last...
Guardiola has nurtured Phil Foden and has two years left to cement Manchester City’s standing as one of Europe’s bestSeven years will be the longest period Pep Guardiola has spent managing any one club when he eventually exits Manchester City in the summer of 2023. The Catalan has confirmed his departure at the end of next season, giving the club two years to get everything they can out of their manager to leave them in the best shape possible for the long term.Under Guardiola, the football has been electric and the number of goals scored mind-boggling all in the name of eight major trophies. Three Premier League titles have been the peak with the Champions League final defeat against Chelsea...