Sensational attacking force of Mesut Özil, Alexis Sánchez and Alexandre Lacazette make Tottenham toil in the north London derbyTen minutes into the second half at the Emirates Mesut Özil muscled Dele Alli off the ball on the edge of his own box, buffeted forward through the white shirts, played a perfect little combination with Aaron Ramsey and just missed out on the final scoring pass having sprinted 80 metres, carving his way across the lime green turf of a November afternoon like an elegantly high-spec German bulldozer. Related: Alexis Sánchez caps dominant derby win for Arsenal over Tottenham Continue reading...
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...
Özil has been accused of not running enough or working hard enough but after four years at Arsenal he remains basically the same player with the same skillsYou’d have to try pretty hard not to like Paul Merson as a TV pundit. Even if you insisted on making a public show of not liking him – rolling your eyes, clutching a scented handkerchief, pointing out, pedantically, that he often talks a load of rubbish – it would be hard to avoid secretly liking him all the same.Maybe not in the same way you might like Ian Wright, who has in the past few years taken a breath, realised he can just say whatever’s on his mind and become in the process...
The German’s contract standoff with Arsenal has echoes of Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie – until you count the big clubs currently interested in signing himArsène Wenger was asked about the Mesut Özil contract issue after Arsenal’s 3-2 home win over Swansea City last October. It was not the first time that the manager had been pressed on it and, goodness knows, it would not be the last. Type “Özil” and “contract” into an online newspaper archive and, at the time of writing, it brings up 4,117 hits from the British national press over the past year. “I don’t think Mesut needs convincing to stay,” Wenger said, back then. “He wants to stay here. If you have a good...
With talk of Mesut Özil demanding a huge new contract, his pale performance in Arsenal’s defeat at City will have Arsène Wenger wondering if he is worth itThere was an interesting moment at the end of Arsenal’s defeat at Manchester City on Sunday, a match of shifting tides, foggy passages, moments of extreme skill and one decisive tactical switch by Pep Guardiola. Deep into stoppage time, as Petr Cech and the nearest team‑mate dithered over a free-kick by the halfway line Arsène Wenger could be seen leaping up and urging them to get the ball forward, waggling his arms about in that familiar, slightly alarming angry‑pterodactyl style.Eventually the ball did go forward, just as the final whistle was blown. Wenger...