The Chilean forward did his best to be diplomatic at the home of his possible future employers but was not happy as Manchester City eased to a 3-1 victoryThe chant went up almost as soon as the game kicked off: “Alexis Sánchez, he wants to be blue.” This much seems to be true, though here was an awkward situation for the Chilean forward. Not quite in the shop window, as some would have it, because Manchester City are already known to be admirers. They would have signed him up by now, had Arsenal allowed it, and to say the player was frustrated by the non-events of the summer would be understating the case by quite a distance.Sánchez has made his point on several...
Eden Hazard may tire of being kicked, Tony Pulis is under pressure at West Brom and Pep Guardiola may seek more firepower in JanuaryEden Hazard was fouled six times at Stamford Bridge. At one point in the second half the Belgium international was fouled by not one but three opponents in the colours of Manchester United, dragged to the ground by a combination of Nemanja Matic, Eric Bailly and Phil Jones like a man being crushed by falling trees. It is a regular experience for Chelsea’s No10, who can duck in and out from season to season, but who is at least consistent in his role as a human piñata for opposition teams. Hazard is kicked constantly in the Premier...
Ederson Moraes and Fabian Delph impressed, and although Arsenal found a small chink in City’s armour, the visitors’ defensive woes continued apace“We’ve got Guardiola” sang the delirious home support and here was another key win overseen by the Catalan. Yet despite this, Alexandre Lacazette’s second half consolation highlighted a weak spot that City’s competitors are sure to study. When Liverpool were trounced 5-0 in early September City had been split open along Nicolas Otamendi’s left-hand channel before Sadio Mané’s 37th-minute sending off changed the contest. In this match a similar vulnerability came when Otamendi was given scant support by an awol Fabian Delph, the left-back, and so Lacazette could stroke beyond the excellent Ederson Moraes. City are a formidable force...
In Spain the Portuguese’s Real Madrid twice outscored his rival’s Barcelona but the Manchester United manager’s big-match caution comes at a price while City are dazzlingIt can feel like a trick of the imagination sometimes to remember there was once a time when José Mourinho and Pep Guardiola were comrades. Not friends, perhaps, but certainly allies and close enough that Guardiola saved his future bete noire from a tight spot back in the days before Mourinho, as Real Madrid manager, started referring to Barcelona only as ellos (them).It’s a great story given what we know now. Barcelona were playing Athletic Bilbao at San Mamés and at full-time Luis Fernández, the home team’s manager, appeared ready to throttle the newly appointed...
Pep Guardiola failed in his effort in the summer to sign Arsenal’s star forward but the club’s youthful front line has blossomed without the Chilean this seasonYou can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometimes – and you’re not too scarred by a complex, deadline-week, dual-jurisdiction triple-swoop involving both Raheem Sterling and Thomas Lemar – you might find you get what you need.Manchester City might have been flying even higher at the top of the league and have scored more than their 35 goals had Alexis Sánchez signed from Arsenal in late August. Who knows, as the fixture list starts to bite, City’s fans may look on their brilliant but callow front line and think wistfully of...