With Manchester City threatening to overrun United in the first half, Solskjær tweaked United’s shape and earned his reward with the winning goalIn this second leg a place in the Carabao Cup final beckoned for the team whose manager plotted the better gameplan. Whether Manchester United’s Ole Gunnar Solskjær possesses the tactical vision to outmanoeuvre a coach of Pep Guardiola’s ilk has become a prevailing debate regarding the Norwegian. The argument goes that a man who failed badly at Cardiff City and whose two titles as a No 1 “only” came with Molde in Norway’s top flight is a babe in a land of managerial giants embodied by the Spaniard who leads Manchester City. Related: Manchester City reach Carabao Cup...
Grealish, Saka and Chalobah shine in draws, while Newcastle are ready for reinforcements after a late winArsenal’s injury problems at left‑back have led them to explore signing Layvin Kurzawa from Paris Saint-Germain. But what if the solution lies closer to home? Bukayo Saka is 18 and earlier this season was being rightly lauded for his rich promise as a flying winger. But he has filled in at full‑back four times in the past month, most recently against Sheffield United on Saturday, and looks the part. Saka is tenacious, diligent, has speed and energy to burn and a knack of picking out teammates with his deliveries. “I think he could,” Mikel Arteta said when asked if Saka could carve out a...
Bournemouth need to find goals fast, Aubameyang’s red card has caused a headache at Arsenal and Ings is in England formBournemouth’s defending left a lot to be desired as they crumbled against Watford but their failure to penetrate Nigel Pearson’s improving side was equally alarming. No team has scored fewer goals in the Premier League this season and those front–foot displays of yesteryear – they scored almost 100 goals en route to promotion in 2015 and more than any team outside the top six last season – feel a distant memory following a ninth defeat in 11 league matches. “Historically we have always been free-scoring and we have always had goals in us,” their manager, Eddie Howe, said. “We have...
On-loan midfielder was given a start against Manchester City despite a desperate shortage of match practiceEvery single footballer in the world aims to be the big-game player who constantly shows up against the champions, but Danny Drinkwater may have taken this all a little too literally. His only start in his wasted half season at Burnley came at the beginning of last month when they were obliterated 4-1 at home to City. His last appearance for Chelsea? Their 2-0 loss to Manchester City in last season’s Community Shield. His last league start for Chelsea? A 1-0 defeat at the Etihad in March 2018. That fact alone should have been a red flag for Dean Smith.Instead, five days after arriving on...
Carabao Cup exhibition gave a reminder of the potency of Pep Guardiola’s side, though a new centre-back might come in handyThere was something almost refreshing about Manchester City’s performance in beating Manchester United in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday. Here was a Pep Guardiola side back to its best, passing and moving, a blur of a thousand midfielders confounding duller-witted opponents. Gone was the fragility to the counter that had enabled Marcus Rashford to eviscerate them in the Premier League at the beginning of December, and diminished with it was the thought that this might be a side in terminal decline.When great teams go, they can collapse suddenly. As City struggled against United, Wolves (again) and Newcastle, it was possible...