Those who defend the Manchester City striker’s grabbing of the official are blind to the context that makes it indefensible After Sergio Agüero had vented his frustrations at Sian Massey-Ellis for not awarding a throw-in in the 41st minute of Manchester City’s 1-0 win against Arsenal on Saturday, the official walked away. Agüero then reached out and grabbed the base of the 35-year-old’s neck. Eyes firmly forward, Massey-Ellis flinched out of his touch and brushed it off.It was over in a flash. But social media exploded. Clips of the incident went viral. I was one of those to watch, cringe and tweet – “Disgraceful, unprofessional and patronising.” Within 24 hours my post had 8,800 likes, 716 retweets and 236 comments....
Emphatic win against Watford showcased Pep Guardiola’s men at their well-grooved best, full of invention and good habitsWelcome to the new order. Domestic games: played 51, won 43. Domestic trophies: three out of three. Five goal hauls: eleven. Defeats since Christmas: one.Scan the history books, fan back to the big city clubs of Victorian times, linger on the red-shirted eras of the last 50 years. English domestic football has never seen anything quite like this single-season hit from Manchester City. It turns out we really do all live in a sky blue world now. Continue reading...
The manager’s majestic coaching skills are the guiding hand behind the spectacle produced by the striker against ChelseaSomething strange happened 12 minutes into the first half of what was, all things considered, a pretty strange kind of game. First there was a hush around the Etihad, then a gurgling sound, followed by an oddly sensual purr in the stands as the big screens showed the first replays of Sergio Agüero’s first goal in this 6-0 shellacking of ChelseaAgüero had just put Manchester City 2-0 up and in effect killed the game. The moment stood on its own, though. Football crowds don’t often gasp. But then, they don’t often get to see goals like this. Taking the ball in a deep...
Striker moves with thoroughbred assurance to lift Manchester City in the face of ferocious Liverpool’s muscular approachGame on. At a frantic, slightly wild Etihad Stadium Manchester City defibrillated their own hopes of retaining the title with a 2-1 defeat of Liverpool that was by turns fearful, fretful and often funny.That they did so owed much to their fighting spirit, a little more to good fortune and even more to Sergio Agüero, the blue-grey rinse at the front of this team who played for 45 minutes like the only City player not afraid of the moment, still cold and cool in the middle of all that fury – of which there was quite a lot. Related: Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool: Premier...
After frustration and in some cases ridicule, players who have suffered from injury torment will be desperate to show what they have to offer as a new season gets under wayHarry Redknapp used to be tickled by the notion that top professionals would move clubs primarily for sentimental reasons. Many times he made the sort of quip that he delivered in 2012 when there were suggestions that Carlos Tevez might take a big pay cut to leave Manchester City for Redknapp’s Spurs. “He’s always wanted to play for Tottenham,” said Redknapp, deadpan as you like. “Ever since he was in Argentina he had a picture of Hoddle on the wall and Ricky [Villa] and Ossie [Ardiles]. I want to play...