David Silva prays every night to win Champions League and wants to sign new deal so dream comes true
The Spaniard has won almost every competition he has had a go at in his career from World Cups to Capital One Cups
David Silva says a prayer every night to win the Champions League with Manchester City and reckons they could finally be answered for the Premier League leaders this season.
The Spain star has a glittering CV of successes including the World Cup and two European Championships with his country and two Premier League titles and three cups with City.
Yet the midfield playmaker, now 31, has never tasted European club victory with his former club Valencia or in England since 2010.
He is set to be the only starter remaining tonight from Roberto Mancini’s side which lost 2-1 against Napoli here in November 2011 when Mario Balotelli was on the scoresheet. City are now back in the same place but have come a long way in the intervening years.
And before the Pep Guardiola’s side their biggest test in Europe this season at the home of the Serie A leaders, Silva insists the current top team in England have never been closer to winning their holy grail.
“It would be amazing,” he said. “I pray every night to win the Champions League with City. Hopefully we can win this year.”
Silva speaks with the same neat economy as he plays and like his passes, his words hit the spot.
Asked if this is the best football City have played since his arrival in England – and whether they were close to levels of Guardiola’s triumphant team from 2008-09 – Silva added: “Yes I think so. We are playing really good football, beautiful football, scoring so many goals and creating a lot of chances.”
Silva is in talks to extend his current deal which runs out in June 2019 for another year.
“I hope I can sign soon because I would love to be here and play for City 10 years,” he said.
The Spaniard has six assists already this season in his central role – joint highest with Kevin De Bruyne – and has created over 200 chances more than other player in Premier League history.
“I think it’s a good position for me,” he said. “I love to play in the middle and be in contact with the ball all the time. To create chances you have to be more involved in game so I’m very happy to play in that position.”
Speaking at the club’s luxurious waterfront hotel overlooking Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples, Guardiola revealed he had wanted to sign Silva for Barcelona but he was “too expensive”.
He added: “I believe that it’s impossible to play quite good if the ball doesn’t pass in the middle. There is a lot of risk because there is a chance for the opponents to counter attack.
"I always try to put in that position the players who can keep it as long as possible. David is a master at that.
“You see he’s shy here but when he goes on the pitch he’s a huge personality. He never takes a step back, always forward. He is a legend at this club.”
The City boss also continued his love-in with Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri.
“I really like playing against them,” said the former Barcelona boss. “It brings us to a higher level. Tomorrow will be a big test. It is a challenge. There’ll be moments to defend, moments when we suffer like never before and I’m going to see how we react.”
Manchester City are the 'best team in Europe', says Napoli coach ahead of clash
Maurizio Sarri thinks the "devastating" manner in which Man City stun opponents with early goals means they are a team to be reckoned with
Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri warns that Manchester City have the potential to be just as devastating in the Champions League as they are in the Premiership.
Sarri sees no reason that the in-form team will struggle in Europe to recreate their sparkling Premier League form where they thrash teams week after week.
After Sarri's own side conceded twice in the opening fifteen minutes against City two weeks ago, he jokingly requested that Wednesday's Group C match start in the 21st minute.
"We have to try to push them out into deep water, otherwise they are likely to be one or two goals ahead after 30 minutes," he said on Tuesday.
"They have a devastating force of impact on matches and they have scored so many of their goals in the first 20 minutes. Their matches which I have seen have all been over by the 70th minute."
Free-firing City have had an almost-perfect start to the season, winning nine out of ten games and scoring 35 goals in the Premier League, and bagging eight goals and three wins from three in the Champions League.
Yet when asked who he thinks is the Sky Blues' most dangerous player, Sarri overlooked flashy attacking options to single out goalkeeper Ederson whose pinpoint passing he says can set up goals.
"I'm being serious, because he didn't miss a single ball he played out from the back in the first match," he said. "He made 50 passes to his team mates, got them all right and by-passed our pressing.
Napoli have the means to put City's resilience and rhythm to the test
"They deserve great credit for what they did in the first match, no-one has escaped our pressing like that."
He added: "Nobody is unbeatable. But theyâ're the best team in Europe, led by the best coach in Europe."
GOLDEN BOLLOX
ON THIS DAY - 1972
Wembley play-off injury time hero Paul Dickov was born
Watch on youtube.comPep Guardiola expects Manchester City to 'suffer like never before' at Napoli
A trip to the forbidding Stadio San Paolo is not for the faint of heart at any time, let alone when Napoli are flying high at the top of Serie A, scoring for fun and, according to the locals, playing the best football seen in these parts since Diego Maradona inspired them to the Italian title 27 years ago.
Manchester City tasted defeat here under Roberto Mancini six years ago, Chelsea, Arsenal and Swansea have suffered the same fate in recent times and Liverpool were happy to leave with a draw. So Pep Guardiola was under no illusions about the scale of the challenge he expects his own in form City side to face on Wednesday evening.
“There will be moments to defend, moments when we suffer like never before and I’m going to see how we react,” he said.
It was telling, though, that Guardiola should scoff at the notion of City coming here to play for the point that would secure their progress to the Champions League knockout stages or that his team might, in some way, be fearful after Maurizio Sarri, his Napoli counterpart, had talked about wanting to see “frightened faces” on City’s players.
“Fear? There is no fear,” Guardiola said, pointedly. “A lot of respect for the way Napoli play, yes, but there should never be fear.”
It must be reassuring for a manager to talk in such terms when, sat beside him, is David Silva. City’s midfield metronome may not have looked particularly comfortable fielding questions from a room full of reporters but stick him on a pitch in front of 60,000 fans in one of the most intimidating citadels in European football and he could not be more at home.
For all the plaudits rightly lavished on Kevin De Bruyne this season, no one should dilute the importance of his midfield side-kick to the way Guardiola wants to play, and if City are to become the first side to win in Naples since Real Madrid in early March, Silva is likely to be central to the equation.
The Spaniard’s influence has been clear to see for a long time now but Guardiola’s decision to move him inside, from the wider position he was usually deployed in under Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini, has had a liberating effect and, at 31, he is playing arguably the best football of his career.
“I think it’s a good position for me,” Silva said. “I love to play in the middle and be in constant contact with the ball all the time.”
Guardiola believes there are few players better at cherishing the ball. “I believe that it’s impossible to play quite good if the ball isn’t passed in the middle, it's a lot of risk to pass in the middle but always I put in the middle the players who can keep the ball as long as possible, even with a lot of pressure from the opponent, and David is a master for that,” the City manager said.
“You see he’s shy, he doesn't talk too much but when he goes on the pitch he's a huge personality. It's never one step back, in the bad moments he always makes a step forward, he is a legend at this club. It would have been a pleasure to take him for Barcelona but he was so expensive.”
Barcelona’s loss has been City’s gain. In his seven years at the club following his £26 million move from Valencia, Silva has been involved in 110 goals in 230 games, almost one every two games. Moreover, no player in the Premier League has got close to creating as many chances as the 637 he has fashioned. Everton’s Leighton Baines is next with 455.
Silva hopes to sign a one-year contract extension soon that would tie him to City until June 2020 and mean a decade with the club but his immediate priority is winning the Champions League, the one leading trophy that still eludes him.
“It would be amazing,” he said. “I pray every night to win the Champions League with City. Hopefully we can win this year. We are still talking [about the contract]. I hope I can sign soon because I would love to be here and play for City 10 years.”
Manchester City and Juventus leading the race for Atletico star
Atletico Madrid defender Jose Gimenez is reportedly attracting the interests of a number of clubs in Europe, with Manchester City and Juventus at the top of the pile.
According to the Daily Mail, Inter Milan are also now interested in the 22-year-old Uruguayan international and could chase his signature in January.
Gimenez’ deal at the Wanda Metropolitano is set to expire in June next year and it is now believed that Atletico are willing to accept a deal for less than his release clause, which sits at £56 million.
Watch on youtube.comGimenez has long had admirers of his talents, with both Manchester United and Arsenal previously considering making moves for the young defender.
The Uruguayan is flexible at the back, primarily operating as a centre-back but also being able to play out on the right side of the defence.
He has found his playing time largely limited so far this season, featuring in just five total La Liga fixtures – including just four starts.
Despite his reduced playing time, Gimenez has performed well in Diego Simeone’s Atletico team.
He has averaged 2.2 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game, getting in the way of opposition players and disrupting play regularly.
He has also contributed 2.6 clearances and has won 3.4 aerial challenges each time he has stepped on to the pitch for the Rojiblancos.
His 6-foot-1 frame is an asset that he uses well, ensuring his team are solid in both open play as well as from set pieces.
He is also fairly accomplished with ball distribution, averaging close to 32 passes per match with a success rate of 77.1%.
Despite being a fast, physical defender that contributes regularly to the defensive side of play, it has been clear that his time with Atleti is coming to an end.
In the 2015/16 season, he made 27 La Liga appearances for the club. This dropped to 17 last season and now just five this season, indicating the club are more than willing to let him go.
If the club wishes to recuperate as much money as possible, a deal could be struck in the January transfer window.
However, that is not a guarantee and the 37-cap international could find himself seeing out the final year of his deal and leaving Atletico Madrid next summer on a free.
Raheem Sterling is improving under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City
Raheem Sterling has been in outstanding form for Manchester City this season. Ahead of their Super Sunday meeting with Arsenal, Nick Wright examines his recent improvement under Pep Guardiola.
Few young players have had to cope with quite as much criticism as Raheem Sterling. The winger is still two months shy of his 23rd birthday but he is already accustomed to his performances being slated; his private life scrutinised. It is more than two years since he swapped Liverpool for Manchester City but the move still seems to rankle with many.
This season, however, his critics have run low on ammunition. Sterling has starred in Manchester City's record-breaking start to the season. His total of seven Premier League goals is second only to Harry Kane's, and there have been two assists as well. From averaging a goal or assist every 194 minutes last season, he is now contributing one every 56 minutes.
It is a dramatic upturn in form from a player many people expected to slip down the pecking order this season. Manchester City added the £43m Bernardo Silva to an already fearsome attack in the summer, and when Sunday's opponents Arsenal attempted to include Sterling in a swap deal for Alexis Sanchez on Deadline Day, it fuelled the feeling that Sterling might be the fall guy.
But for all his doubters, he has always had the faith of the man who matters most. A year on from phoning Sterling to offer reassurance during his torrid Euro 2016 campaign, Pep Guardiola rejected Arsenal's enquiry out of hand. "They talked to me and I said: 'No chance. Zero chance. Not one per cent chance we will swap Raz because I trust a lot in him'," he explained.
Sterling only impressed in patches during Guardiola's first season at the Etihad, but his response to the speculation showed the trust he feels from his manager. "I didn't have any negative thoughts or anything bad about it," he said. "It wasn't something I was worried about because Pep is an honest guy, and he would have spoken to me about it before that."
Guardiola's unwavering faith in Sterling has paid off emphatically now. The Catalan has rotated his attackers from game to game this season, but Sterling has made the most of his opportunities. His first-time finish from Kyle Walker's cross against West Brom on Saturday was the difference between a draw and a win. His goals against Napoli, Bournemouth and Everton were also pivotal.
Sterling's confidence is soaring and, like Leroy Sane on the opposite flank, he has also benefitted from Manchester City's defensive additions in the summer. "The problems they had at full-back last season have gone," said Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher on Monday Night Football. "With the full-backs he had last season, Guardiola was never going to win the league."
Where there were once aging legs, there is now youthful energy and dynamism. Benjamin Mendy's cruciate injury came as a blow to Guardiola's plans, but Walker, Danilo and even Fabian Delph are all capable of getting up and down the flank with far greater intensity than their predecessors.
Sterling ranked third in the Premier League for touches opposition box last year, but with more willing runners on the overlap this season, he is now popping up in those positions even more frequently. Sterling has gone from averaging 8.6 touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes to 11.6 per 90 minutes in 2017/18. Only Sane even comes close.
Even more significant for Sterling, however, is that he is finally making those positions count. The lack of conviction that dogged him in the past no longer seems to be an issue. His shot conversion rate has leapt from 10.9 per cent to 30.4 per cent this season. It is a small sample size but it is not insignificant. Only Leicester's Jamie Vardy has been more clinical.
Sterling is comfortably on course for the most prolific season of his career, but there will be no let-up from Guardiola. The former Bayern Munich and Barcelona manager is known for constantly pushing his players and he is already demanding more from both Sterling and Sane.
"They still have a big, big gap to improve," he said this week. "I would like to tell them to be calm. Scoring goals is so important, playing well is so important, but still they can do better - I have no doubt about that. They can improve in the simple things. If you have the ball, don't lose the ball. I don't ask you to dribble, I don't ask for good crosses, I don't ask for good shots. Simple things."
Guardiola will keep pushing, but for Sterling the signs of improvement are already there. He is losing possession less frequently and completing more of his passes, and it extends to his dribbling too. Guardiola has always loved Sterling's one-on-one ability, but this season his success rate has jumped from 49.7 per cent to 60 per cent. "He makes sure you do the simple things and it works," said Sterling earlier this season.
From the passing and moving to the finishing and dribbling, City are feeling the benefits of Sterling's improvement. And after all that went on in the summer, Sunday's meeting with Arsenal could provide a fitting demonstration of his growing importance to Guardiola's side.
Chelsea Playmaker Now Linked With A Move To Manchester City: Do They Really Need Him?
Football is a game heavily biased towards attacking players. The flair, the panache, the flaunt and the spotlight; it is all up for grabs for them while the defenders, representing the bourgeois of football, are left to manage the thankless task of keeping these illustrious men out of the front page of the next day’s newspapers.
In the modern game, the case has become direr for defenders with lighter balls, scientific shoes that allow better control and referees handing out heavy punishment to errors of even the slightest margin.
However, looking on the bright side of things, what such adaptations have done is the rise of modern day footballers. Short in stature with a low centre of gravity and a knack to run straight at defenders or craftily slide through killer passes, these players are in sharp contrast to the old bulky players of yesteryears in the Premier League.
A master of such a game is Chelsea ace Eden Hazard. The Belgium National Team captain joined the Blues back in the summer of 2012. In his five year spell at the club, Chelsea has seen the worst and the best of Hazard and interestingly the form of the club has reflected the form of the player, such is the importance of the winger in the team.
On his day when, he is on par with the best in the world and cannot be touched, let alone caught on the field. He dances and dazzles his way through and weaves a wave of magic on the pitch on his way to goal, leaving fans and players mesmerized. However, such days are short in number and inconsistency is perhaps the only complaint any manager can have with the player.
Hazard is most dangerous when he has the ball at his feet and teammates rallying around him. Developments of different managerial patterns in the existing game would then suggest that the best place for Hazard right now would be Etihad where a certain Pep Guardiola is deploying another masterclass of attacking display to win the league title. Guardiola, known for his attacking prowess as a manager and the habit of playing teams who can hold on to the ball for weeks at a time, would be a perfect mentor for Hazard to realize his true potential and turn on his best game for the world to see.
However, even though a move to Manchester City, as is being reported, is on the cards for Eden Hazard, and a chance to flourish under Pep’s tutelage may seem tempting, he would be wise to decline the offer. City already have an array of attackers and it would be almost impossible for them to draft another world-class player into their squad without adding an extra bench for their substitutes.
Hazard gets regular time at Chelsea and it would be a step down for a player of his calibre to move to any team where he would have to share his time on the pitch, especially when he is in the prime of his career.
Moreover, it is highly unbelievable that Antonio Conte would ever allow his best player to switch clubs to join a direct rival. No matter how good a dribbler Hazard is, he will not be able to weave his magic past the Italian Don. But do you think a move to City is in any way good for him?
“Never say never” – Man City star refuses to rule out move to different league down the line
Long linked with a move to Italy since he was facing birthday cake issues at Manchester City and Roberto Mancini was managing in Serie A and not in Russia, Yaya Touré never left the Etihad.
Always staying in the north of England, whether it was through a lack of options, his desire to stay in the Premier League or his club pricing suitors out of a move, the former Ivory Coast international is still around helping Pep Guardiola out.
However, with a contract due to expire in June 2018, the 34-year-old could very well decide to call it a day on his time in England come the end of the season, and we’ll undoubtedly end up with more rumours sending him to Italy.
And, according to the player himself, he doesn’t sound like he would be against that.
When asked if he would consider a move to Serie A in the future, he replied with the ever mysterious ‘You can never say never in life’.
After all, as we’ve explained above, he’s now accustomed to have Italian clubs like Inter courting him, revealing as much in the interview.
He said: “In the past, there have been various contacts in Italian football, but I carried on on different and important paths with Barcelona and Manchester City instead.”
Looking at how much he earns at the Etihad and the financial health of Serie A sides, his options there would be limited, and taking into account he’ll be 35 next June, it’ll be interesting to see who comes knocking.
But, as he said himself, never say never.
Why Pep Guardiola Should Give Phil Foden More Chances To Play For Manchester City
Cash-rich club Manchester City have often been dubbed a team that fails to produce academy products but Phil Foden appears to be the answer to that. Arguably, a lack of opportunities in the first-team has been a driving factor in most of their graduates leaving the club. In fact, that was why England under-17 star Jadon Sancho turned down a professional contract with the club and signed for Borussia Dortmund instead.
However, 17-year-old Phil Foden is certainly a breath of fresh air. The youngster helped England to a 5-2 comeback victory over Spain in the U17 World Cup final in India. The stumbling block in the way of Foden’s development at City is what drove his England teammate Sancho away.
The pressure is on Pep Guardiola to win trophies and make his side the best in both the Premier League and the Champions League, which leaves little room for manoeuvre, especially when it comes to providing chances to a relatively inexperienced youngster.
Having said that, Guardiola was not only brought in to win trophies and turn City into one of the best teams in Europe, but was also tasked with the development of academy players. With that in mind, it’s understandable as to why fans are getting excited about Foden.
The midfielder was an integral player as England beat Spain in the World Cup final, following which there were renewed calls for Foden to be given a chance when he returns to his club. That would see him competing with players like David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne and opportunities won’t be as easy to come by as some demand.
Watch on youtube.comIn fact, it almost seems like opportunities for young players are restricted to Carabao Cup games and the closing stages of matches that have already been comfortably won. It’s all the more tough for Guardiola’s squad, because of the depth of City’s squad in recent years, since those minutes have been utilised to keep senior fringe players fresh and happy.
Regardless, Foden has the potential and talent, for Guardiola to take a chance on him. Foden will more likely be given minutes from the bench when he comes back to Manchester. That would prove to be a crucial experience for the youngster, which should see him make an appearance rather than getting lost or forgotten in a myriad of loan deals.
Given how his team have been playing so far this season, Guardiola should have spare minutes in the closing stages of games to give the youngster the minutes he needs to compete. He may only be 17, but Foden already looks like he can cope with anything that’s thrown at him and he could be the first one to break through from City’s new-look academy.
Gabriel Jesus reveals how Guardiola convinced him to choose Man City over Barcelona and Man Utd
The Brazilian forward also attracted interest from Real Madrid and Juventus while with Palmeiras, but ultimately opted for a switch to the Etihad
Gabriel Jesus has revealed how Pep Guardiola played a key role in his decision to join Manchester City over Barcelona, Real Madrid or Manchester United.
The Brazilian forward’s obvious potential had been noted by leading sides across Europe following his emergence at Palmeiras.
Having starred for club and country, an exciting talent was presented with several options to consider as he contemplated his next move.
In the end, City won out as they put a £27 million deal in place, with Jesus arriving at the Etihad Stadium in January 2017 to link up with Guardiola and embark on a productive opening to his time in England.
The 20-year-old told FourFourTwo on how he came to that decision: “Guardiola called me up and said I would be a very important part of his project.
Gabriel Jesus Pep Guardiola Manchester City choice
“This obviously made me feel wanted and was a big factor in helping me pick City as my next club.
“There had been a lot of clubs interested in signing me at the time, but the one I felt most confident in was City.”
Jesus completed his switch to City after helping Brazil to gold medal glory at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
A deal was officially pushed through on January 19, with Guardiola calling his latest addition into training within minutes of his arrival in England.
“When I landed in Manchester, I came straight to the training ground – I didn’t even go to my hotel,” Jesus added.
“He wanted me there. It was 6pm and training had been in the morning, but Pep waited for me to arrive. I realised he’s a different kind of manager.”
Guardiola’s hard work in getting a deal done and helping Jesus to settle in new surroundings has been handsomely rewarded, with his Samba star having contributed 15 goals in just 25 appearances for City to date.
Parlour: If City went unbeaten it would be even better than when we did it
Ray Parlour thinks Manchester City winning the league unbeaten this season would be an even bigger achievement than when the Gunners did it.
It seems very early to be talking about Manchester City as unbeaten league winners.
After all, they’re only five points ahead of second place right now, and we’re only 10 games in.
However, that hasn’t stopped people from talking about how impressive the team has been, and how they look like the kind of side that can’t be beaten [Edit – doesn’t this happen every season with one team or another?].
Ray Parlour says it would be harder to maintain that sort of form now over 38 games than it was in 2004, telling talkSPORT: “I’m not disrespecting our team, it was a brilliant team, but I just think it’s so much more competitive now.
“You look at the top six or seven teams in the Premier League [they’re all competitive]. When we did it in 2004 you had Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea, and then after that the other teams weren’t as good as they are now.
“So, for me, it’s much harder to do it now.
“Manchester City at the moment are looking so good, they’re great to watch and great going forward.
“But it’s when they get that little bit of a blip, have they got the players to dig in in those moments and get a point out of the game?”
Parlour is right to point out that we haven’t really seen City’s resolve being tested yet.
Plenty of teams go on winning runs, then have one tough game and fall apart.
Guardiola’s side will be full of confidence at the moment, but if they find themselves frustrated up front and drop a goal against the run of play, it’ll be how they respond at that point that tells us if they might possibly go a whole season unbeaten.
As for whether the league is more competitive now, there are certainly more teams that think they should be fighting for the title than there were in 2004.
Plus, with the insane TV money, every club has a good chance of beating the top teams on any given day.
Perhaps it really would be a bigger achievement, but since there are so many clubs that could still beat City, I’m going to wait until we’ve had a few more of the remaining 28 league games before I start calling them ‘Invincibles Mark II’.
Like, say, another 28 …
WAG OF THE DAY
OTHER BOLLOX
Arsenal will have to compete with Barcelona and Liverpool if they want to sign Monaco's 21-year-old winger Thomas Lemar next summer. (Daily Telegraph)
Sam Allardyce is to hold talks with Everton over their vacant managerial position, but he wants a lucrative contract to take the job. (Sun)
Everton will not make an imminent approach for Burnley boss Sean Dyche. (Lancashire Telegraph)
Arsenal and Chelsea are interested in signing former Liverpool goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, 27, from RB Leipzig. (ESPN)
Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick, 36, has no plans to leave Old Trafford despite interest from Leicester City, West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa. (ESPN)
Swansea's striker Tammy Abraham, 20 and on loan from Chelsea, will turn down the chance to play for Nigeria, preferring to wait for an England call-up instead. (Times)
Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan says he never considered leaving to join Chelsea, who were linked with a bid for the 29-year-old. (Independent)
Monaco midfielder Fabinho, 24, has revealed his frustration after moves to Manchester United and Paris St-Germain were blocked during the course of the past year. (Sports Illustrated)
Leicester City did not contact former boss Claudio Ranieri, now in charge of French club Nantes, about returning to the club as manager. (Leicester Mercury)
Chris Coleman has held further talks over an extension to his Wales contract that would see him lead the nation in their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign. (Daily Mail)
Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud says dance lessons he took as a student helped him perform the scorpion kick goal that won the Fifa Puskas award. (France 2, via ESPN)
Liverpool's 17-year-old striker Rhian Brewster will not play for the club's Uefa Youth League side on Wednesday as he is recovering from England's Under-17 World Cup win. (Liverpool Echo)
France's Football Federation has asked Uefa to intervene following Spanish La Liga chief Javier Tebas' repeated claims that Paris St-Germain are "financially doping". (L'Equipe)
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is ready to give 32-year-old right-back Mathieu Debuchy a run in the Gunners first XI. (Evening Standard)
GOLDEN BOLLOX - 2013
Man City fans planning pre-match UEFA protest
Blues supporters are set to show their disgust at the European football governing body's failure to properly punish CSKA Moscow.
City fans are planning to turn their backs on the UEFA anthem at tomorrow’s Champions League game.
The 1894 Group of supporters has backed the protest over the fact they were banned from the away game at CSKA Moscow last month – while around 300 home fans were allowed in.
The Khimki Arena had been closed as a punishment to CSKA fans for repeated racism and hooligan behaviour by some of their support.
But many home fans circumvented the fan by getting hold of passes meant for Uefa sponsors, and press credentials, which were being sold by touts outside the ground.
One small group of Blues evaded the ban and got inside the stadium but were ejected by City’s own security staff.
CSKA coach Leonid Slutsky, and the Russian journalists present, treated questions from the English media about the presence of so many of their fans, as a joke in the post-match press conference.
And Uefa not only said no action would be taken on the clear contravention, but they later cut CSKA’s punishment from three games behind closed doors to two and their fine halved to 100,000 euros.
The 1894 Group is urging fans to turn their backs on the pitch and vent their feelings about Uefa’s actions.
And in three weeks, when Bayern Munich come to Manchester, the two sets of fans are planning to unite in protest.
Bayern fans were also presented from watching their team in similar circumstances in Moscow.
City fans were already furious with Uefa over the club’s punishment for breaching financial fair play rules, resulting in a record £49million fine, cap on transfers, and restriction of their Champions League squad to 21.
That led to a curtailing of the Blues’ summer transfer plans, and is blamed by many as a reason for ticket price rises.
Around 100 Blues have been left out of pocket after paying for visas, hotels and flights before the ban was imposed – with Uefa refusing to consider compensation.
“It’s mainly about the way our fans were treated in Moscow,” says Alberto Mombelli from 1894 Group.
“It was even more disappointing when it was obvious that there were CSKA fans at the the game, while our supporters were even stopped from watching it from an office block next to the ground.
“With Uefa, it’s all about sponsors and money, and they don’t really care about the fans.
“Among City fans there has also been a lot of disappointment about the financial fair play issue as well. Uefa don’t seem to have looked at how much the club is doing in Manchester.
“It’s a feeling shared by other clubs’ fans as well – Bayern supporters have been in touch because they are also disappointed with the way they were treated in Moscow.”
City fan Sean Riley, whose 25-year run of not missing a game was ended by the ban, is one of the fans behind the idea.
“City fans and Bayern fans were punished for doing nothing wrong,” said Sean, who had been to 1,258 games on the bounce until he was forced to stay away by the ban.
“It’s about true supporters who go the extra mile to watch their team, being denied the opportunity through no fault of their own.”
Frank Lampard WILL stay at City - on £190k-a-week deal that dwarfs Chelsea wage
Frank Lampard will spend the whole season at Manchester City - earning a whopping £190,000-a-week.
The former England midfielder has already signed an extension option to his current loan deal at the Etihad on a salary that dwarfs the best wages he ever earned at Chelsea.
Lampard's final contract at Stamford Bridge was £151,000-a-week, but he netted a 35 per cent pay rise by agreeing to join new MLS side New York City in the summer.
The American club is owned by Manchester City chief Sheikh Mansour and Lampard had been due to start his career in the States in January.
His present loan deal expires on January 7, but City and Lampard have already signed an option to extend that loan deal with the Premier League champions until the end of the season.
Manchester City set to go head-to-head with Bayern in £20m-plus battle for Marco Reus
Manchester City will go head-to-head with Bayern Munich in a £20million-plus battle for Germany winger Marco Reus at the end of the season.
While Reus’s club Borussia Dortmund are adamant he will not be allowed to leave in the January window, they are resigned to losing him next summer because of an escape clause in his contract.
The 25-year-old’s deal runs until 2017 but has a release clause enabling him to join any club who meet Dortmund’s asking price of 25million euros.
Bundesliga champions Bayern are prepared to match it, but so are City. And Manuel Pellegrini’s club are confident they can outbid their rivals on the wage front by putting together a package worth in excess of £200,000 a week.
Liverpool and Manchester United have also been linked with Reus, who has won 23 caps for his country.
But City believe they are in pole position to lure him to the Barclays Premier League and are hopeful that increasingly strained relations between Bayern and Dortmund will deter the winger from switching to Munich.
Dortmund manager Klopp last week blasted Bayern Munich's conduct for admitting interest in Marco Reus and claims their comments could come back to bite them.
The Bundesliga champions have riled Klopp this week after Bayern Munich chairman Kerl-Heinz Rummenigge talked openly about a move for attacking midfielder Reus.
Earlier this week Rummenigge told Bild: 'We know in Munich that Reus has a lot of quality. For us a young German national player of such quality is interesting. But I do not want to cause unrest in Dortmund.'
In response Klopp told Bild: 'In a period where both teams are at the top, it's fun to reply to any questions,' adding that he knows 'nothing of what is going on right now' regarding Reus' contract situation
One thing is for certain, the German ace is hot property with the likes of City, Arsenal and Liverpool all closely monitoring every move from now until January.
Man City defender Pablo Zabaleta believes the balance of power has shifted in Manchester
The Argentine starred in the Blues' 1-0 victory in the derby, which was their fourth successive victory against United and their sixth in seven meetings
Pablo Zabaleta believes Manchester City’s latest derby win has confirmed they are now bigger and better than local rivals United.
United boss Louis van Gaal taunted City ahead of Sunday’s derby by claiming they were still lagging behind the 20-times champions in terms of their history, profile and global reach.
But Zabaleta claimed the win – City’s fourth straight derby victory over United and sixth in their last seven meetings – proved they now hold the balance of power in Manchester.
And the City defender said Manuel Pellegrini’s side have their sights on becoming one of the best teams in Europe, now they have proved they are the biggest side in Manchester.
Asked if Van Gaal’s pre-derby words had fired up City’s players, Zabaleta said: “All I can say is that Manchester City’s players and the owners are doing a big, big effort to be a top team - not just in Manchester but also in the Premier League and Europe.
“Probably it’s different history now than years ago where probably United was the main team in the city. Now it’s a bit different.
“Obviously it’s not like it was before. We are dominating at the moment in the derby games. But that shows how Manchester City are improving year after year.”
City must now put to one side their derby joy to focus on the must-win Champions League tie at home to CSKA Moscow.
With just two points from their opening three games, City must beat Moscow to keep alive their hopes of making the knockout stage.
Zabaleta said: “It’s another huge game. We were very unlucky the last time we played them. We drew and we were winning 2-0 but obviously it’s a crucial point for us.
“We need a win because if not it’s going to be very hard to qualify for the next round.
“We’re desperate to qualify for the next round, so we know how important the game is.”
Police called to investigate as Manchester City's Yaya Toure is racially abused on twitter
The police have been called to investigate claims Yaya Toure was racially abused within hours of reactivating his Twitter account.
Manchester City midfielder Toure rejoined Twitter on Monday, five months after leaving the social network site in order to focus on the World Cup.
The Ivory Coast international posted his first tweet at 6pm, reflecting on City's derby win over Manchester United the previous day.
He wrote: "Great to be back on twitter after a good win yesterday. Now my focus is on the next game... Happy Monday everyone!!"
NEWS: We are informing the Police of racist tweets directed @yayatoure earlier this evening and offer him our full support #kickitout
— Kick It Out (@kickitout) November 3, 2014
Within hours of posting the message, the 31-year-old received abusive and racist messages from other Twitter accounts.
Anti-discrimination group Kick It Out was appalled by some of the tweets and decided to report the matter to the police.
"NEWS: We are informing the Police of racist tweets directed @yayatoure earlier this evening and offer him our full support £kickitout," KIO posted on Twitter.
A Kick It Out spokesperson said on Monday night: "At this stage we have received complaints about two separate tweets of a racist nature aimed at Yaya Toure and now we are informing the police.
"Yaya Toure has been on Twitter for a matter of hours and he has already received abuse of an appalling nature.
"We are disturbed by the fact that someone can be treated this way.
"It makes footballers start to question why they should use these platforms.
"We will offer Yaya Toure our full support."
On Monday evening Toure favourited a tweet from one City fan - @111Lesley111 - who offered her support to the former Barcelona player.
She wrote: "@YayaToure Welcome back to the land of the tweetiverse. Ignore the nasty jealous ones. There are far more out here that (heart) you. £MCFC"
This is not the first time Toure has been the target of racist abuse.
Last season he was subjected to racist chanting during City's Champions League game at CSKA Moscow.
"I'm not just disappointed, I'm furious," Toure said after City's 2-1 win in Russia.
"It was unbelievable and very sad."
CSKA denied Toure had been abused, but UEFA disagreed and ordered the Russian club to close part of their ground for their next Champions League match.
Alvaro Negredo is not happy with Manchester City
Despite being a popular figure among fans at the Etihad Stadium, Alvaro Negredo was allowed to leave Manchester City after just one season, and the man known as 'The Beast' has hit out at the treatment he received during his brief stay.
It's perhaps harsh to label a man who won Premier League gold in his first season in England a flop, but Negredo only lasted one year on these shores before being shipped out, and the striker has been left with a bitter taste in his mouth.
Having arrived from Sevilla last summer, Negredo scored 23 goals in all competitions, including a treble against CSKA Moscow which made him the first ever City player to net a Champions League hat-trick.
However, he was shown the Etihad exit door on deadline day this summer, sealing a
season-long loan deal at Valencia which will become permanent at the end of the campaign.
Confidence
In an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca, cited by the Manchester Evening News, Negredo describes how a lack of faith from his manager forced the move.
The Spaniard said: "I told him that I wanted to return to Spain and that I wanted to have
more confidence because I knew that with him I'd never feel it no matter how many times he told me I would."
"I forced myself for the good of the team. Then they don't appreciate your efforts and take away their support" - Alvaro Negredo
Despite feeling like he didn't have the managers backing, Negredo made an impact on the City faithful, who would often scream the word 'beast' whenever the burly forward was involved.
However, after a bright start to the season, Negredo's season faded after an injury that he'd tried to play on with, a commitment he felt was undervalued.
"I started well with a lot of confidence. Then I picked up an injury to my shoulder. I made a mistake in not stopping there. I forced myself for the good of the team. Then they don't appreciate your efforts and take away their support," he said.
Restrictions
Negredo's criticism may come as a shock to Pellegrini, who had previously described the deadline day deal as being in the best interest of both the player and Manchester City.
"For him also it was very important he wanted to go back to Spain so I thought it was the best decision for all the club" - Manuel Pellegrini
Pellegrini explained: "The decision to allow Negredo to go out was two very important
reasons. The first was that we have a restriction about the number of players we can use in the Champions League.
“We had one player more, (and) we could not use Alvaro, who was injured, so he was the player who was not going to be on the list.
"For him also it was very important he wanted to go back to Spain so I thought it was the best decision for all the club.
"Alvaro wanted to go, that’s why I allowed him to go because adding the two things – that he couldn’t play Champions League, that he was injured – it was good for himself and for the club and he wanted to go to Spain."
Arsene Wenger: Man City game affected Arsenal defence
The Arsenal manager believes the 2-2 draw with the defending champions affected his side's confidence
Arsene Wenger believes that Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City negatively impacted his side’s confidence in defence.
The Gunners had come from a goal down to lead 2-1 at Emirates Stadium in September, only for Martin Demichelis to head home a late equaliser from a corner.
And Wenger believes that some of Arsenal’s struggles this season have come from “doubts” amongst his rearguard.
“It’s always important to find the right balance. The players are the players at the end of the day, and I make the decisions. I believe it was more a question of patience, and a desire to win the game.
“The decisive game was Manchester City at home, when we were 2-1 up and conceded a goal at a corner because we were not focused. From then on we had some doubts.
“I’m an attacking manager, but when you need to score four goals to win the game it’s one hell of a mountain to climb. To attack with freedom you need to also think, ‘OK I can go,’ and be sure you will be secure defensively.
“In the modern game as well the physical levels have gone up – everyone is quicker – so you cannot guarantee that you will score three or four goals in every game. I don’t think teams attack much better, but they defend much better than 10 years ago.”
Turkish club Fenerbahce have enquired about the possibility of signing Manchester United striker Robin van Persie, 31. (Daily Star)
Inter Milan are keen to sign Liverpool's 23-year-old Italian striker Fabio Borini. (Daily Mirror)
Liverpool will not be allowed to call on £10m striker Divock Origi this season, according to Lille boss Rene Girard. The 19-year-old signed for the Reds in the summer but was immediately loaned back to his former club. (Metro)
Hibernian manager Alan Stubbs is keen to hang on to Everton winger Matthew Kennedy, 20, whose loan deal expires in January. (Herald)
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers may risk not selecting captain Steven Gerrard when the Reds face Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday. (Daily Telegraph)
Midfielder Gerrard has been asked to take a 50% pay cut if he is to extend his contract at Anfield, less than a week after the 34-year-old hinted he could leave this summer. (Daily Star)
However, Gerrard will disappoint his many suitors and commit his immediate future to the Reds, with the club offering him a 12-month extension with the option to renew for a further year. (Independent)
A Chelsea fan was left stunned when his plea to John Terry for action on the club's ticket prices prompted the 33-year-old Blues captain to respond, raising the prospect of players speaking to senior staff at the club. (Daily Telegraph)
Marcos Rojo, 24, may be out for less time than feared with the dislocated shoulder he suffered at Manchester City after the Manchester United defender's father reportedly said his son would miss only two or three games. (Guardian)
Arsenal winger Theo Walcott, 25, will become one the club's top earners by signing an extension to his current contract, which expires in 2016. (Daily Mirror)
Nacer Chadli has backed his Tottenham team-mate Harry Kane, 21, for an England call-up, despite admitting he had not heard of the forward before joining Spurs. (DSSC)
The form of 21-year-old West Brom striker Saido Berahino has been good enough to earn him an England call-up according to team-mate Ben Foster. (Times )
Aston Villa could sack manager Paul Lambert, 45, if their run of six consecutive defeats continues in their next two fixtures. (Daily Express)
Bolton manager Neil Lennon says he could return to Celtic, who he left in the summer, as manager one day and has even discussed a future comeback with Parkhead chief executive Peter Lawwell. (Daily Record)
West Brom management staff are "exasperated" about the lack of impact made by £9m record signing Brown Ideye, 26, this season. (Daily Telegraph)
The Premier League is to maintain its opposition to moving the 2022 Qatar World Cup to the winter despite Fifa edging further towards its preferred option of a November tournament following a key meeting in Zurich. (Guardian)
Crystal Palace chief Steve Parish has admitted holding talks over the sale of the club, with US billionaire Josh Harris understood to be in advanced discussions with the Eagles. (Daily Mirror)
Hull winger Robert Snodgrass was one of several players to welcome the news Newcastle winger Jonas Gutierrez, 31, has been discharged from hospital following treatment for testicular cancer.
Ian Harte has revealed that he and his Bournemouth team-mates are sharing a hotel with a couple of famous guests - the Chuckle Brothers.
A Twitter account said to represent a group of Liverpool fans is raising funds to create a banner to fly over Anfield calling for the removal of Reds boss Brendan Rodgers, 41.
