Man City keeper Ederson amazes fans with ‘ridiculous’ distribution v Shakhtar Donetsk
MANCHESTER CITY goalkeeper Ederson amazed fans with some sensational throws and kicks in the Champions League last night.
Pep Guardiola signed the Brazilian in the summer in the hope of trying to solve his goalkeeping crisis – after Claudio Bravo’s horror debut season.
And the gamble appears to have paid off, with the 24-year-old at the forefront of some of City’s best counter-attacks against Shakhtar Donetsk.
City had struggled to capitalise on Kevin de Bruyne’s wonder goal early in the second half, when Ederson produced a stunning long throw.
Donetsk’s winger had just fired in a cross which the keeper managed to deal with.
He then threw the ball perfectly to the feet of Leroy Sane, who was able to run with it into the opposition box and was eventually brought down to win a penalty for his side.
Man City keeper Ederson stunned fans with his distribution int he Champions League
Sergio Aguero should have made it 2-0, but his shot from the spot was saved.
Six minutes later, Ederson set off the Argentinian on his own attack with a sublime kick.
It didn’t come to anything but City fans watching were full of praise for the shot-stopper.
The Brazilian also managed to keep a clean sheet in the match v Shakhtar Donetsk
“I was just to the left of his goal absolutely stunning,” one wrote.
Another commented: “His distribution is insane.”
While a third added: “His pass to Sane was ridiculous.”
Sanchez gets stick off squad
Arsenal forward Chuba Akpom has revealed that Alexis Sanchez is still receiving stick over his failed move to Manchester City in the final hours of the summer transfer window.
Sanchez, 28, who is out of contract at the Emirates next summer, looked set for a £60million transfer to the Etihad on deadline day but the Gunners pulled the plug on what would have been sensational switch.
The Chilean is yet to score in the Premier League this term and his team-mate, Akpom, has lifted the lid on the squad’s reaction to him remaining in north London.
Akpom told The Sun: ‘We do banter about it to be fair but at the end of the day, he’s still at Arsenal.
‘Everyone is happy, the fans are happy and he’s happy. I think with a player like Sanchez he just blocks it out because all he wants to do is play football.
‘He’s so focused on football, he blocks out a lot of negativity and transfer rumours.’
Akpom claims he is constantly in contact with Sanchez and looks up to the ex-Barcelona attacker.
He said: ‘I’m always taking to Alexis, he’s like a mentor to me.
‘He’s always telling me to believe in myself and he told he believes in me a lot and I should keep working hard.
‘When you’re talking to one of the best players in the world and he’s saying he believes in you then that’s going to give you a boost.
‘I’m just trying to emulate everything he does.’
The tragedies Gabriel Jesus overcame to become a Manchester City superstar
Any Manchester City fan will tell you that Gabriel Jesus is the real deal.
Ever since Brazil’s No 9 arrived at the Etihad in January, he’s been scoring for fun and, more recently, has formed a deadly partnership with the man he hopes to eventually succeed at City: Sergio Aguero.
But Jesus, who signed for the club from Palmeiras last summer before being loaned back to the Brazilian side, didn’t have it easy growing up.
Although he’s constantly smiling and dancing at City, heartache struck Jesus’s family before the 20-year-old was even born. His father left his pregnant mother for another woman and died shortly afterwards, leaving his four children without a dad.
Growing up without a father affected Jesus, who sometimes grew jealous of other children with their fathers.
He is quoted in The Sun as saying: “When I saw kids with their fathers, I felt quite jealous. But my mother looked after us, she was always my mother and my father.”
Jesus lived with his beloved mother and older brothers, Caique and Felipe, but would soon be joined by his sister Emanuele Fernanda, whose husband was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident.
Jesus also had to overcome the death of a close friend when he was just a teenager. His Palmeiras team-mate, Tininho, was shot dead at just 16 years old.
Gabriel said: “I remember him a lot. It sends shivers through me just to think of it.
“It’s difficult. But I know that God saved a very good place for him up there.”
Academy coach Bruno Petri shed some light on how close the duo had been.
Petri said: “A lot of people said that Tininho would get close to Gabriel, who had a lot of affection for him.
“They came from a similar area, they identified with each other, and always supported each other.”
According to Jesus’s mother, Vera, her son persevered through it all with a dogged determination to play football. As a youngster he was picked up by a Sao Paulo club called Pequeninos do Meio Ambiente.
Vera said: “The two older ones gave up with time. Gabriel never gave up.
“It was difficult. I got up at 6am to go to work and I called Gabriel. I couldn’t take him, he went with his mates.
“A load of kids together. They took the bus and after that walked along a track for 40 minutes.”
Before long, Palmeiras came knocking for the wonderkid, and from there he tore it up. He’s now learning from the best for club and country – with players like Neymar and Thiago Silva leading the way for Brazil, while Kevin de Bruyne and Aguero show him the ropes at City.
He even won his first pieces of silverware as a teenager. While he was back on loan with Palmeiras, having joined City in a £28million deal, he helped the club win their first league title in 22 years. He even won a gold medal at the Olympics when helping Brazil to winning at the 2016 Olympics. It was made even sweeter for Jesus that it was won on home soil in Rio de Janeiro.
In Brazil, there was outcry that a player who, at just 19, and was already leading the line ahead of Firmino alongside Neymar and Coutinho was allowed to leave for (relatively speaking) such a paltry sum. And you’ve got to agree, Jesus isn’t just an absurdly talented player, he’s also as tough as they come.
Benjamin Mendy injury forces Pep Guardiola to consider January transfer replacement after 'major setback'
Mendy is going to Barcelona on Thursday to establish exactly how long he will be out for but Guardiola has spoken very pessimistically about the French left-back
Pep Guardiola accepts he may have to go into the January transfer market to find a replacement for Benjamin Mendy, whose knee injury will keep him sidelined for longer than City first feared.
Mendy is going to Barcelona on Thursday to establish exactly how long he will be out for but Guardiola spoke very pessimistically about the French left-back in his press conference on Tuesday evening.
He said that his absence would be for “a bit long”, he later said months, and that he would consider buying a new left-back in January now. Guardiola admitted it was a “major setback” for Mendy and for the club.
“The day after tomorrow he is travelling to Barcelona, we are going to see finally what he is,” Guardiola said. Mendy is going to see the famous Dr Ramon Cugat, Guardiola’s most trusted doctor, later this week.
“Our first impression will be a little bit long out of the pitch. But wait until Thursday. By then I am pretty sure it will be longer than we expect, than we would like.”
City spent £52million on Mendy this summer and he started his City career impressively. Guardiola said it was a blow to the team not to have him for the next few months. “Very frustrating for him, first as a person,” Guardiola said.
“As happened last year with Ilkay Gundogan, I feel really sad for him. For the way we want to play, we will lose a lot. Obviously he’s a unique player, for the joy he gives in and out the pitch, it’s going to be a major setback.”
This is why Guardiola is now considering going into the transfer market this January to find a new left-back to replace what Mendy gives him on that side. “We will see in January,” Guardiola said.
“We thought next summer about looking for another replacement at left-back, we will see what we do, we have alternatives in our squad, Fabian Delph, Danilo, Fernandinho, and Zinchenko, we will see as we go along.”
Guardiola was delighted with how City beat a very strong Shakhtar side in an even game at the Etihad. “We won against an amazing team,” Guardiola said.
“We made an extraordinary performance, especially in the second half. Their full-backs are amazing players, they are fast, well organised defensively. We had a lot to do to beat them.”
Sergio Aguero & Gabriel Jesus: Strikers may miss Chelsea
The huge games keep coming for Pep Guardiola and Man City.
Having registered another three points in the Champions League after a 2-0 win against Shakhtar Donetsk, the Sky Blues head to Chelsea on Saturday night in the Premier League.
Man City head into the game top of the division on goal difference.
Chelsea, the reigning EPL champs, will move level on points with City if they can record the win.
However, City seem to have a host of selection issues to contend with for their Stamford Bridge visit.
Benjamin Mendy is out of action for months with a knee injury. Guardiola has three possible options to replace to French international in the left wing-back slot.
But City also have issues with their striker too.
Indeed, Jesus was subbed out the game after just 55 minutes. That’s the earliest he’s ever been withdrawn since arriving in Manchester.
As for Aguero, he missed a glorious opportunity to equal Eric Brook’s all-time City record of 177 goals when his second half penalty was saved by Andriy Pyatov.
FIFA 18: Top 5 Manchester City players
This looks frightening for their opponents.
Two of the City's top players are included in the Premier League top three rated stars!
FIFA 18 release date is just around the corner, so it would be fitting to look into the player ratings of one of the best sides in the Premier League. Manchester City, as has been the case in the past decade, spent a huge fortune this summer to make sure their team looks nothing short of invincible.
So, here is the list of the Sky Blues' top 5 FIFA 18 players:
5) Kyle Walker, Nicolas Otamendi and Yaya Toure (83)
The new signing Kyle Walker features in the list with veteran Yaya Toure and Nicolas Otamendi. Walker has seen an upgrade of two rating points from 81 to 83 whereas Toure and Otamendi have seen their ratings being downgraded by 1 and 2 points respectively. Otamendi's ratings have taken a hit due to the heavy criticism he received for his defensive decision-making
Pep Guardiola: Gary Lineker on meeting Man City boss for The Premier League Show
The Premier League Show - Pep Guardiola
You can see Gary Lineker's in-depth interview with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on The Premier League Show at 22:00 BST on Thursday on BBC Two and the BBC Sport website.
Pep Guardiola sometimes comes across as a little bit curt when he speaks to the media but I found him extremely open and engaging when I met him last week.
It maybe helped that we had some common ground in that we both played for Barcelona, and under the same coach - Johan Cruyff.
But I had no inkling of the story that Pep brought up right at the start of our conversation, about when I was a player at Barca and he was a ball boy who asked me for my shirt.
It set the tone for the rest of the interview because it got across that he has a fun side as well as the intensity that we often see from him on the touchlines or in front of the cameras.
I think part of the reason Pep can be abrupt is because he is usually interviewed either just before or immediately after a match when all managers are probably uptight, not just him.
Lineker played for Barcelona between 1986 and 1989, when a young Pep Guardiola was in the club's academy and a ball boy at the Nou Camp. Guardiola came through the Barca youth ranks to play for the club between 1988 and 2001, and returned there in 2007 to launch his managerial career with great success.
So it was good to speak to him in a more relaxed setting to hear his thoughts about English football and try to find out a little bit about what makes him tick.
What came across is that the psychological part of the game is as important to him as his tactics when it comes to working with his team.
Lineker met Guardiola in Manchester last week - the Spaniard did not ask him for his shirt this time
I had already seen that he is constantly coaching his players, not just in training but during games as well - more than any other manager I know of.
But his approach is all encompassing. When he explained it to me, he made clear reference to the mental side of it too, and how he takes some of his inspiration from other sports.
I enjoyed interviewing him a lot, and you can watch it for yourselves on this week's Premier League Show (at 22:00 BST on Thursday on BBC Two and the BBC Sport website).
WAG OF THE DAY
OTHER BOLLOX
Manchester United are considering an £88m move for Atletico Madrid and France forward Antoine Griezmann, 26, next summer after boss Jose Mourinho requested a deal be completed. (Daily Express)
Chelsea are confident midfielder Eden Hazard, 26, will sign a new deal at the club that will make the Belgium international the highest earner in English football on £300,000 a week. (Sun)
Paris St-Germain will beat Manchester City to a move for Alexis Sanchez by offering the 28-year-old Arsenal forward a £9m advance on his signing-on fee in January. (El Mecurio, via Sun)
Everton striker Wayne Rooney could be the latest character on Angry Birds - after the mobile app was unveiled as the club's sleeve sponsor. (Sun)
West Brom midfielder Gareth Barry was presented with a signed Arsenal shirt by Arsene Wenger after the Gunners' 2-0 victory over the Baggies, in recognition of him breaking Ryan Giggs' Premier League appearance record of 632 games. (Daily Mirror)
"Welcome to my home, welcome to London. Thanks for the visit" - Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has posted a video on Instagram giving viewers a guided tour around his house, which reveals a huge trainer collection, cars and a home cinema.
GOLDEN BOLLOX
On this day in 2013
Sorry I've been away for a few days it's conference season you see
Watch on youtube.com
Liverpool and City in race with Real and Juve for 'best young player in Argentina'
Liverpool and Manchester City are among clubs to have asked about Argentina prospect Luciano Vietto.
Both clubs have been monitoring the teenager’s development for over a year.
The 19-year-old forward plays for Racing Club and has also been scouted by Real Madrid and Juventus.
‘Vietto is the best young player in Argentina. I have received many offers from several European clubs,’ said his agent Jorge Cyterszpiler.
Manchester City hoping David Silva will be fit to face Bayern Munich
• City want Silva to be available for Champions League game
• Sergio Agüero may also return after missing Aston Villa match
Manuel Pellegrini hopes David Silva will be in contention for Manchester City's Champions League group game against Bayern Munich evening, after a month out with a thigh injury. Sergio Agüero, who missed Saturday's 3-2 defeat at Aston Villa, is also hoping to be fit following an undisclosed problem.
If Silva is available it will be a major relief for Pellegrini as the Spaniard has not played since the 2-0 win over Hull on 31 August. The forward injured a thigh during a Spain training session in early September and despite hopes that he could return earlier – for the Manchester derby at the start of last week – Silva was unable to do so.
Pellegrini is expected to provide an update on Silva and Aguero, who has not featured since scoring twice in the 4-1 win over Manchester United, in his Tuesday afternoon press conference ahead of the following evening's Champions League group game with Bayern Munich, the holders.Micah Richards, meanwhile, has revealed how Pellegrini has discarded the defensive zonal system, adopted by his predecessor, for a man-to-man strategy.
City lost 3-2 at Cardiff in their opening away game, with two of the home goals due to confusion at corners. "[Roberto] Mancini preferred zonal marking while Pellegrini likes man-to-man marking," Richards said. "Unfortunately, at Cardiff we looked a bit vulnerable on set pieces. To adjust from zonal to man-marking was not easy and after two years of zonal marking changing things around takes time to adjust to – but we'll get there as the season goes on.
"Personally, I prefer a mixture of defensive techniques with one or two zonally placed and maybe three or four man-markers so you know certain positions are covered but there are pros and cons for both methods.
"As a unit we pride ourselves on being solid at the back. We've had a great defensive record over the last three seasons. If you have the best defensive record for three successive years it means the defenders are doing their job, too. We like to keep clean sheets and it gives us as much satisfaction as the strikers get scoring three or four goals."
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi interviewed by Manchester City star & International teammate Sergio Aguero
This is a great little video, with English subtitles in case your Spanish isn’t up to scratch.
Lionel Messi and Kun Aguero clearly have plenty of on and off field chemistry and in the past both Messi and Aguero shared the story of when they met.
The pair discuss who is better at Playstation and share plenty of friendly banter
The Glazer family will give manager David Moyes substantial money to spend in the January transfer window to save Manchester United's season. Independent
Man Utd's owners are thought to share Moyes's view that United's squad needs strengthening in key areas and will not balk at spending well in excess of £100m to ensure they remain successful in the coming years. Times
Meanwhile, Man Utd are closing in on Austria Under-21 centre-back Martin Hinteregger. The 21-year-old Red Bull Salzburg player is also being monitored by Arsenal, Liverpool and Lazio. Daily Star
Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, 22, is set for a January exit from Chelsea after being axed from their Champions League squad. Metro
West Bromwich Albion can seal the signing of on-loan Marseille midfielder Morgan Amalfitano, 28, for just £1.7m. Daily Mirror
Fulham manager Martin Jol, 57, privately believes it is just a matter of time before his two-year reign at Craven Cottage comes to an end. The Cottagers are 18th in the Premier League table after losing four of the last five games. Daily Mirror
Manchester United's Japan midfielder Shinji Kagawa, 24, says he is fighting for his future at Old Trafford and battling to convince manager David Moyes of his worth to the team. Daily Telegraph
Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler, 38, says 26-year-old Luis Suarez and 24-year-old Daniel Sturridge have the potential to become one of the great strike partnerships in the club's history. DSSC
Sunderland's Spanish defender Carlos Cuellar, 32, has criticised Paolo Di Canio's reign at the Stadium of Light, claiming it "fractured" the club. Daily Mirror
Stoke owner Peter Coates has stepped in to heal a dressing-room rift by ordering Stoke's players to end public criticism of former manager Tony Pulis. DSSC
Cardiff's 21-year-old defender Steven Caulker, who signed from Tottenham in the summer, wants more goals after opening his account in the win against Fulham on Saturday. South Wales Echo
Norwich winger Anthony Pilkington, 25, says stories that manager Chris Hughton could leave the club are "crazy". Norwich Evening News
Winger Andros Townsend, 22, believes his battle to retain a place in Tottenham's team is helping his chances of being in the England squad. London Evening Standard
Former LA Galaxy, Manchester United and England midfielder David Beckham, 38, is set to return to America as owner of a new MLS franchise in Miami. DSSC
Manchester United are considering whether to follow Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Liverpool and launch a women's team for the first time since 2005. Guardian
Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, 52, says his relationship with Roy Hodgson is "fine" after a phone conversation with the England manager in the wake of his Twitter remarks during and following the goalless draw with Ukraine last month. Guardian
