Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was able to address his number one problem area during the 'summer' transfer window: the defence. Indeed, not only did the Sky Blues bring in Nathan Ake early on, they also managed to splash the cash to sign the highly-rated Ruben Dias from Benfica. And while City did spend yet more money on defenders, Guardiola also brought in the promising Ferran Torres to strengthen the attack. But one area which wasn't strengthened during the transfer window was the striking department, and this has come back to cost Guardiola in the early stages of the season. City couldn't have predicted that both Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus - who is yet to fully prove himself - would be
Premier League
It´s down to me to show the real Anthony Martial – Man Utd forward determined to regain his best for
Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has vowed to work hard and return to his best form after a disappointing start to the 2020-21 campaign. The France international is without a goal in eight outings for club and country this term and was sent off in United’s humbling 6-1 league loss to Tottenham earlier this month. He has yet to get a single shot on target or create a chance for any of his team-mates in his three Premier League appearances. That is in stark contrast to his form of 2019-20 when Martial scored 23 goals and set up 12 more across all competitions as United reached three semi-finals. But Martial, who is into his sixth season at Old Trafford, is hopeful that his best is
Paul Pogba’s Time at Man Utd Has Run its Course – & the Neutral Will Benefit
Why does the neutral tune in to a football match in which they have no vested interest? For the love of the game? To see their rivals falter? Pure boredom? Perhaps. But for many, it's the mere chance of witnessing a world-class player do something...world class, provoking brief moments of unadulterated joy accompanied by ooohs, aaahs and oiiis. That is why the neutral tunes in to watch Paul Labile Pogba. In his national colours, Pogba is a different beast In a world where performative attacking midfielders such as Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff and Zinedine Zidane are a dying breed, the languid Frenchman is one of the few elite-level footballers in the modern era whose raison d'etre remains to entertain, not just score, assist, defend and
The Reason Why Arsenal Signed Thomas Partey Over Houssem Aouar
Arsenal technical director Edu appears to have more say over Arsenal transfer than manager Mikel Arteta if murmurings from France hold truth in relation to the club’s capture of Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid instead of Lyon’s Houssem Aouar. Partey and Aouar were both linked with the Gunners over the summer. However, while Aouar was priced similarly and Lyon were gearing up to let a couple of top players leave in the closing stages of the transer window, it was Partey who made the switch to north London on deadline day. Lyon star Houssem Aouar was heavily linked with Arsenal Arsenal triggered the Ghana international’s £45m buyout clause and the move has already been deemed a success in the wake of his early
Frank Lampard Ready to Welcome Antonio Rudiger Back to Chelsea First Team
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is prepared to turn to centre-back Antonio Rudiger once more after the pair met for constructive face-to-face talks at the weekend. The German is yet to play any football this season and has been part of the matchday squad just three times in all competitions, including in Chelsea's last two fixtures against Sevilla and Manchester United. Rudiger is yet to play this season He appears to have fallen down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge, with Thiago Silva, Kurt Zouma, Fikayo Tomori and Andreas Christensen all ahead of him in Lampard's estimations, which prompted intense rumours of a move away in the summer. After such an exit failed to materialise, Rudiger has kept his head down and continued to train
Harry Kane Believes Tottenham Can Do ‘Something Special’
Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has claimed that the team can do 'something special' this season after they were made to work hard for a 1-0 win over Burnley on Monday evening. It was far from Spurs' best performance of the season, but a late moment of magic from Kane and partner-in-crime Son Heung-min was all it took to fire José Mourinho's side to another victory. Spurs, who are now on a ten-game unbeaten run in all competitions, have climbed up to fifth in the Premier League table, and Kane confessed to BBC Sport that the whole dressing room is feeling confident about the future. "We know with the team we have got and the players we have got we can do something
Jürgen Klopp Expects to Be Without 3 Key Players for Midtjylland Clash
Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has confessed that Tuesday's meeting with Danish side Midtjylland will likely come too soon for trio Thiago Alcántara, Joël Matip and Naby Keïta. The trio all sat out the recent 2-1 win over Sheffield United, after which Klopp suggested that the three players will be monitored daily and could well return to action on any given day. Thiago was injured in the Merseyside derby That had prompted hopes that they could return to face Midtjylland, but Klopp admitted in his pre-match press conference (via the club's official website) that it is unlikely that any of the group will feature. "It looks like we will need a few more days," he revealed. "For [Tuesday], they probably will not be ready." Fortunately, there
Shkodran Mustafi Planning to Walk Away From Arsenal Next Summer
Arsenal centre-back Shkodran Mustafi is understood to have rejected an offer of a new contract in the summer, instead informing the Gunners that he plans to walk away for free when his current deal expires at the end of the season. After being frozen out by former boss Unai Emery, it was Mikel Arteta who welcomed Mustafi back in from the cold, using the German as a regular part of his starting lineup before he went down with a knee injury back in July. Arteta brought Mustafi back into the team Arteta even brought Mustafi back into the team as soon as he was available, giving him just under 45 minutes in the recent 1-0 loss to Leicester City. It seemed as though all
Kane and Son telepathy borne out of friendship, says Mourinho
Jose Mourinho believes the devastating partnership of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min has developed because of their strong friendship off the pitch. Tottenham claimed a slender 1-0 win at Burnley on Monday thanks to Son’s late decider, which was set up by Kane. The England striker ran away from goal to meet a corner delivery and headed back in the opposite direction, with Son pouncing to nod into the net. It was the ninth time this season the Spurs pair have combined for a Premier League goal, just one shy of a new club record for a single campaign. Similarly, Kane and Son edged close to the all-time Premier League record of 36 combinations set by Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, with the gap now
Spurs can do something special, says Kane after setting Premier League record
Harry Kane believes Tottenham “can do something special” in 2020-21 after he set a Premier League record in Spurs’ 1-0 win over Burnley. Kane teed up the winner at Turf Moor on Monday, flicking on for Tottenham team-mate Son Heung-min to score in the 76th minute. It is the ninth league goal the Tottenham pair have combined for this season, while it also brings up Kane’s eighth assist of the campaign. Kane has also scored five times, meaning he has been directly involved in 13 goals this season – the most ever recorded by a player in his team’s first six Premier League games of a campaign. With Spurs up to fifth, two points behind top-two sides Everton and Liverpool, Kane feels Jose Mourinho’s squad are