Five talking points as Guardiola reacts to foden and Bernardo exceptional performance after City’s derby win

Let’s dive onto the talking points 

Haaland is choosing his time

Obviously, Erling Haaland has not been in good form this season. There is no denying that the Norwegian missed a good chance for Manchester City, but he chose the perfect moment to remind the rest of the Premier League that his goals are still flexible. The 23-year-old has 13 goals in all competitions this season, including 11 in 10 Premier League games. It is truly untouchable. In the first half of the derby, he was not involved, his closest moment coming when André Onana collected the ball at the feet of the striker as he was waiting to strike. But we now know that Haaland doesn’t need to touch the ball in a few minutes to add power to the game. His penalty was absurd and he must have had another before the break, attacking Bernardo Silva’s cross with a stinger only for Onana to get down and make a brilliant save.

United were warned, but not armed. When City made a smart move early in the second half, the same player lifted the same cross to the back post. At this point, no one near Haaland has the simple task of heading the ball past the keeper. Haaland’s first goal at Old Trafford was greeted with chants of “Keano, Keano” from the Stretford End. By the time the second half came around, even United’s players had won. You can be sure that Haaland would have appreciated these goals more than most of his goals. There are clear incentives for him to score at Old Trafford and send a message to the Scandinavian Premier League newcomer. Rasmus Hojlund has shown promise for United, but is nowhere near Haaland’s level.

The genius of Bernardo

This shouldn’t come as a surprise anymore, but Bernardo’s ability to consistently leave his mark in the big games is remarkable. In whatever position he plays, the Portuguese are bitterly crying out for their greatest day. It was special at Old Trafford, playing alongside Rodri in that central role. He covered every bit of grass, fought without the ball but looked good on it. He moved forward on both wings to provide options for Phil Foden and Jack Grealish, but it was his link-up play with Grealish that most troubled United. They created a lot of weight on the wing of Diogo Dalot and he was always giving chances. It was because of such weight that Bernardo sent a cross to Haaland to bury his second goal.

Reaction to Guardiola’s Foden

City didn’t have much of a scare in the first half, but were mostly independent. Josko Guardiol twice conceded the ball under pressure in the opening 15 minutes to spark United’s break, of which Scott McTominay should have done more. Phil Foden was guilty as the half went on. His wild pass in his own goal cleared Rasmus Hojlund and the Dane should have made the most of his chance. Foden then attempted a diagonal ball into the box after a second City corner, but added too much speed to Ruben Dias to lose the game. It was a decision that angered Guardiola, who was booed at Old Trafford. pitch to Foden with both arms outstretched. Foden eventually looked over and responded in style, but Guardiola’s body language made it clear he was not happy with the decision to try such an optimistic ball and give United possession back.

A penalty in the derby

Since City won the last penalty in the derby, United have had seven. It has been 13 years since they last played football in a derby and more than 30 years since they had one at Old Trafford in April 1992.

Without VAR, they wouldn’t have had it this season. It was a decision that caused controversy and there were arguments that it was soft, but Rodri ran into Rasmus Hojlund and the Dane wrapped an arm around him to stop him, instead of going with him. It is a free kick anywhere else on the pitch. Rodri could have stood up but he had a block and if he had stayed on his feet his race would have ended and nothing would have happened. He went down to make it clear that he had been wronged.

It is common at City that Guardiola spends the first few months of the season rotating his supporting cast and finding a winning formula with a stable XI only appearing in the new year when the importance of the game increases.
Old Trafford derby as the first time this season, he chose what you consider his strong XI. If there’s a cup final this week, this is the team you’d expect Guardiola to pick, with Kevin De Bruyne clearly injured.

It was Grealish’s first Premier League start since August and an impressive midweek performance will cement his place in Guardiola’s plans. Rodri missed what was City’s biggest game of the season so far when he was suspended against Arsenal.
There may be two or three areas where the war is going on right now. Nathan Ake or Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic or Bernardo and Grealish or Jeremy Doku, but Guardiola’s three members of United seem to be his strong choice.

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Klopp reaction as he celebrates teen talents as young Reds topple Toulouse

Klopp reacts as he  honors teenage talent as Red Devils topple Toulouse.
Jurgen Klopp praised the talents of Liverpool’s academy after their Europa League win over Toulouse.

The Red Devils comfortably won 5-1 at Anfield thanks to 19-year-old defender Luke Chambers making his official debut.
Diogo Jota, Wataru Endo, Darwin Nunez, Ryan Gravenberch and Mohamed Salah were all on the scoresheet on a night when a number of smaller names for the Merseysiders were also introduced from the bench.
Teenage duo Calum Scanlon and James McConnell came on in the second half as Klopp’s side continued their excellent start in Group E.

The German coach said: “We can get the kids in yard.
“We think guys really need that now. I can tell them how much I love them but we have to show it every now and then..
“In good times, You can give the guys a chance.

“They all took it.. We have a lot of good guys and we trust them.
“You saw in the tough times.
“Most of the time we had total control.. We scored good goals, no one was injured, a perfect evening.”
After 67 minutes of play, Chambers said:
“I’ve been dreaming about this moment since I was six years old.
“On top of winning, I’m speechless..
“I just found out yesterday and spent time with my family in the evening.. It has happened.”

The Lancastrian also highlighted the influence of his countryman Trent Alexander-Arnold, saying:
“Trent has done what I aspired to do..
“Watching Trent do this gives us a springboard to recreate him.
“I couldn’t ask for someone better to admire.”
Liverpool will be back in action at Anfield on Sunday, when they host Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

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Man City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea and Man Utd’s next five Premier League fixtures shows some clubs are likely to go down the EPL table

Manchester City enter the international break after back-to-back losses for the first time since 2018 and will be working hard to turn things around.

The Blues’ 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates will be heartbreaking, but the treble winners are still just two points off top spot. Pep Guardiola will be strengthened by Rodri’s return. The team lost all three matches and he was banned after a red card against Nottingham Forest.

City are unlikely to have it easy in their next series of Premier League matches in a period that will once again test the mettle of this season’s squad. The champions will confidently perfect their winning mentality to overcome Arsenal, who also face some tough encounters.

Brighton (H) – Saturday 21 October

Brighton also pose a tough challenge but must travel to the Etihad after four matches without a win, including a 6-1 loss to Aston Villa. However, they regained their composure to get draws against Marseille and Liverpool to restore confidence.

Homeowners must have enough to get the job done but never exclude seagulls from trespassing and stealing goods.

Manchester United (A) – Sunday 29 October

City may be going through difficult times, but their main rivals are living a nightmare. Only a late comeback prevented a defeat to Brentford that would have seen United lose three games in a row.

The champions will be eager for revenge after United’s controversial 2-1 win at Old Trafford in January. A heavy blow can send their opponents back to their pre-break form.

AFC Bournemouth (H) – Saturday 4 November

Bournemouth is one of two clubs that have not won a match in the Premier League this season. There seems to be a disconnect between Andoni Iraola, his players and the Cherries fans, and City will certainly try to exploit that. This will be the match where Erling Haaland sees the opportunity to score 8 goals this season. City have won 17 of 19 meetings with Bournemouth and have not lost a single match.

Chelsea (A) – Sunday November 12

Chelsea is no longer the same team as before but still needs to be respected. They are starting to show signs of a team that is perhaps starting to click after posting three straight wins.

They certainly won’t be challenging for top honors this season, but a number of Chelsea players have something to prove. City should have won all three points but will face a difficult journey.

Liverpool (H) – Saturday 25 November

In recent seasons before last season, this was one of two clashes that decided the championship and Man City had the upper hand. It is still too early to make a similarly contextual assessment of this encounter, but Liverpool have largely impressed so far.

Playing at home could see the hosts take all three points, while City have historically struggled at Anfield. This match, perhaps, will be more about seeing whether Liverpool will challenge them for the crown this time or whether Man City will have too much again.

Manchester United

Sheffield United (A) – Saturday 21 October

Man City (H) – Sunday October 29

Fulham (A) – Saturday 4 November

Luton Town (M) – Saturday 11 November

Everton (A) – Sunday November 26

Arsenal

Chelsea (A) – Saturday October 21

Sheffield United (H) – Saturday 28 October

Newcastle United (A) – Saturday 4 November

Burnley (H) – Saturday 11 November

Brentford (A) – Saturday 25 November

Which team do you fell is going down the table this month looking at the fixture? 

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Arsenal’s upcoming Premier League matches against Manchester City and Liverpool: ‘a tight one to call’

Arsenal will look to continue their unbeaten run in the Premier League this weekend when they travel to the south coast to face Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. The Gunners suffered a slight defeat after a 2-2 draw with arch-rivals Tottenham, leaving them four points behind leaders Manchester City.

Of the teams in the top half of the table, only Mikel Arteta’s side and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are unbeaten in all competitions so far this season, both having made good starts to their respective European campaigns. Surname. The additional midweek matches will certainly hinder the team as they look to continue their good form in the top matches at the weekend, when Arsenal are already seriously injured.

Players such as Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard are all at risk of being sidelined and at risk of missing important matches of the Gunners’ season. With that said, football.london has taken a look at the North London side’s upcoming Premier League matches against their nearest rivals.

Bournemouth (A) – Saturday 30 September

Arsenal completed their unbeaten streak in all competitions with a trip to meet Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium. The Cherries claimed their first win under Andoni Iraola on Wednesday night, beating Stoke City 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from Dominic Solanke and Joe Rothwell.

Frontman Solanke will be their main threat alongside David Brooks and Philip Billing, all of whom the Gunners will need to keep quiet to continue achieving their 100% away win rate.

Manchester City (H) – Sunday October 8

The Emirates Stadium will then welcome the reigning European and Premier League champions when Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City come to town. They suffered their first defeat of the season to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup last night, but will have a comeback game against Wolves between now and October 8.

Chelsea (A) – Saturday October 21

Arsenal next travel to Stamford Bridge to face London rivals Chelsea, after the international break the team has certainly struggled this season. Mauricio Pochettino’s blue team appeared to have done everything but score goals this month before Nicolas Jackson’s goal helped them beat Brighton 1-0 in midweek.

The match was played in a tight contest with Chelsea, meaning Arsenal could take advantage of their poor form leading up to this match.

Sheffield United (H) – Saturday 28 October

A week later, the Gunners will host newly promoted Sheffield United in north London. Paul Heckingbottom’s side have been competitive in many top-flight competitions but suffered a rude awakening when they lost 8-0 to Newcastle at the weekend. Arsenal will certainly be favorites for this match, but there are no easy matches in the Premier League and dropping unnecessary points is what killed their title race last season. .

Newcastle United (A) – Saturday 4 November

Eddie Howe’s side got off to a strong start against Aston Villa but then went on to lose their next three in a row. Now off the back of wins against Brentford, Manchester City and the 8-0 thrashing of Sheffield United, Newcastle will be well up for this one. Mikel Arteta will no doubt be wary of the danger both Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak can cause while also keeping an eye on their defenders who have popped up recently with goal involvements.

Manchester City

Wolves (A) – Saturday, September 30

Arsenal (A) – Sunday, October 8

Brighton (H) – Saturday, October 21

Manchester United (A) – Sunday, October 29

AFC Bournemouth (H) – Saturday, November 4

Liverpool

Tottenham (A) – Saturday, September 30

Brighton (A) – Sunday, October 8

Everton (H) – Saturday, October 21

Nottingham Forest (H) – Sunday, October 29

Luton Town (A) – Sunday, November 5

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Arsenal’s next Premier League games compared to Manchester City and Liverpool