Manchester City are struggling under new boss Pep Guardiola. Optimism was so high at the Etihad after his appointment and after their incredible winning run at the start of the season.Their recent form hasn’t quite hit the heights fans expect of their star studded team and high profile to defeats to Chelsea and Everton have left them languishing 10 points behind the Stamford Bridge side in the league table.They host Tottentham Hotspur on Saturday hoping to pick up what would be a massive three points. They’re points that could decide the way the top four positions shake out in May.The man key to those hopes, both on Saturday and for the rest of the season, is undoubtedly Sergio Aguero. The Argentinian has become something of a legend at City and this stat from Opta shows why.He has the best goals to minutes ratio of any player that has scored more than 20 Premier League goals.
It’s incredible stuff and shows just how important the striker has become to City over the last few years. In his 230 appearances for the club, he’s scored an incredible 154 goals.
18 of those goals have come this season alone and that makes him one of the key men that could make a massive impact in Saturday’s City vs Spurs match.
Can he produce more magic?
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After 14 games Garry Monk is under increasing pressure. Swansea have won once in nine matches since August and sit only four points ahead of relegation-zoned Bournemouth and Newcastle United.
Right after the transfer window ended, the Swans were sitting unbeaten in Champions League spot with eight points from four games. In the following nine matches, they’ve managed to halve their points-per-game score from two to one, winning 14 points in as many matches. With Swansea positioned 15th in the Premier League table, the main question is: Has Garry Monk actually been unsuccessful at the Liberty Stadium since he became interim-manager in February 2014?
Looking solely on the current season, Swansea have been doing things badly, at times appallingly. Winning against Manchester United was the last good thing happened to them, as the win at Villa Park was expected due to Aston Villa’s horrific season. Losses to Stoke and Norwich were not so disappointing… they were disturbing. Swansea didn’t have the bite, their lack of character was obvious and it was easy to point out the things aren’t going the way they should. Norwich didn’t manage a single clean sheet in the first 11 matches of the season, until they hosted Swansea at Carrow Road, while the loss to the Potters came when Monk’s players had to build on an encouraging 2-2 draw against Tottenham.
During the horrible run since August – in which Swansea have one win in nine matches – Monk’s players have seemed lacklustre in five of them. They recorded only one clean sheet in that period, with six matches in which they didn’t score at all. The matches against Everton and an improving Spurs side were decent, yet the displays against Bournemouth, Norwich and Watford – the newly-promoted teams – left Swansea fans with a bitter and daunting feeling. Comparing to the last season, the difference is apparent.
Swansea had a great 2014/15, winning 56 points and finishing in eighth position, both of which were club records. Led by Monk in his first full season in management, Swansea won 16 matches out of 38 – a staggering 42.1% – while so far this season that percentage has almost halved (21.43%). If the Swans were on the percentage they had in 2014/15, six wins would replace the three they actually have and Monk’s side would be sitting in mid-table. But, one of the big reasons might lay in Wilfried Bony’s departure from Liberty in January.
Monk decided to put faith in Bafetimbi Gomis and not enter the transfer market for another striker, and the Swans have deteriorated ever since. Since Monk became the manager during 2013-14 season, Swansea have been scoring 1.29 goals per match. Yet, since Bony was sold to Manchester City, the Wales-based club have netted 1.1 goal per match while conceding 1.39 in the same period (compared to the 2014-15 average of 1.29 conceded goals per match).
Monk’s decision to lean on Gomis after Bony’s departure was hailed as a bold move. Yet, since the Ivorian striker left the club, Swansea have played 31 Premier League matches, with Gomis contributing 11 goals – none of which have come in the last nine games. Monk’s decision to wait for the summer seemed as a good option, though the arrival of Eder from Braga doesn’t seem a smart purchase, with the Portuguese being unable to step up. It is easy to point out at Monk now, however, it was obvious from the beginning Eder was brought as a back-up for the Frenchman, not as a possibly better option up front.
Among the good things Monk has done around the club, it would be impossible not to point at Andre Ayew. Signing of the Ghanaian winger on a free transfer was by far the best summer acquisition, with him having scored six goals so far. He is the player around whom Monk should build the team should he stay the Swansea manager through the January transfer window. Swansea did show indications of a good team during August, but now it’s up to Monk to find the solution to the problem.
Monk has been a great manager for Swansea until recently, and he will be again if he manages to pull his team up before it’s too late. Swansea have a very talented manager sitting on the bench, so now it’s all up to the club’s board to choose from two options – 1) give Monk time even if the team ends up fighting for survival in the Premier League, with the stability at the club as the main gain in the long-term – and 2) search for the new manager if they are desperate to end the season in the comfortable mid-table position and risk choosing the wrong replacement. For a club of Swansea’s size, the first option doesn’t sound so bad, after all.
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Hull City striker George Boyd has been charged by the FA with spitting on Man City goalkeeper Joe Hart in their 2-0 loss to the Citizens on Saturday, Sky Sport reports.
Video footage after the game seems to point to the Hull player spitting in the direction of Hart after the ‘keeper reacted angrily to the forward’s fall in the penalty area.
Both were booked by referee Lee Mason – Boyd for diving and Hart for his part in the confrontation.
The FA have decided to not take any further action with Hart, however Boyd has been charged with spitting and has until 6 pm Wednesday to appeal to the unseen incident.
The official statement by the FA reads: “”Hull City’s George Boyd has been charged by the FA following his side’s game against Manchester City on March 15, 2014.
“The charge is in relation to an alleged breach of FA Rule E1 [a] in that in or around the 68th minute of the game, Boyd spat at Manchester City’s Joe Hart. The incident was not seen by the match officials but caught on video.
“Boyd has until 6pm on March 19, 2014 to respond to the charge.
“Under a new pilot project in Premier League matches this season, if an incident has not been seen by the match officials, a three-man panel of former elite referees will be asked by the FA to review it and advise what, if any action, they believe the match referee should have taken had it been witnessed at the time.
“For an FA charge to follow, all three panel members must agree it is a sending-off offence. In this instance, the panel were of the unanimous decision that it was an act of misconduct.”
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Hull City face West Brom this Saturday at the KC Stadium before a midweek clash away to West Ham on Tuesday.
When Brendan Rodgers sat down to his pre match press conference, he no doubt would have been expecting the first question to be about a certain Andy Carroll.
The saga involving the big striker has been the focal point of Rodgers Anfield reign thus far, with his decision to allow Liverpool’s record signing to leave on loan sparking controversy and confusion amongst the clubs supporters.
This has been compounded by the news summer signing Fabio Borini will be out for three months with a fractured foot, leaving Liverpool with Luis Suarez as their only available senior striker. This has led to speculation Carroll may be recalled from his loan spell as early as January, speculation Rodgers was quick to dismiss, as sure enough the first question centered around a possible return for the former Newcastle man.
‘I haven’t considered Andy coming back,’ Rodgers said somewhat dismissively. ‘He has gone to West Ham to get games under his belt. We have people watching when he plays and reporting back on how he does.”
The whole saga has been very strange from the off, and Rodgers hasn’t covered himself in glory during it. The current situation is that Liverpool have just one victory and six points from their opening seven Premier League games, and just one fit striker until January. Anything less than a win against Reading at Anfield tomorrow will see the knives sharpened once more.
Rodgers must secretly if not publicly wish he could walk to East London right now to bring Carroll back, such is the desperation surrounding Liverpool’s lack of attacking options. But his stubbornness in refusing to give the big striker any sort of first team chance has come back to haunt him.
It begs the question as to whether Rodgers decision to isolate Carroll, and subsequently go on to publicly criticize Stewart Downing, has shown a real flaw in his management style? Liverpool need all the goal scoring help they can get, and Rodgers has got on the wrong side of £50 million of Liverpool’s attacking talent before the end of October. Whether that’s an overpriced £50million remains irrelevant, Liverpool could do with a fit and firing Downing and Carroll as they search for crucial Premier League points.
There are those who will say Rodgers is a coach who knows exactly what he wants, and will admire his no nonsense approach to players who don’t fit into his ideas. Every top coach needs an element of stubbornness, an absolute confidence and belief that their way is the right way.
But his treatment of Carroll and Downing could also be viewed as an act of inexperience. It is almost comparable with Andre Villas-Boas’ tenure at Chelsea last season, an example of a young manager coming in and trying to stamp his authority on proceedings too quickly.
The turning point of Villas-Boas’ Chelsea reign came during a Champions League tie with Napoli, where both Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard were left out of the side. Following a heavy defeat, Villas-Boas had to somewhat sheepishly turn back to the players he left out.
Rodgers has been slightly naive in first shipping out Carroll, and then publicly criticizing Downing. Firstly these situations should have been dealt with in house, and not out in the open for the press to dissect. Secondly, you never know when you are going to need these players. The subsequent injury crisis and failure to bring in transfer targets has left Rodgers in desperate need of attacking talent. One is in East London, and one is ‘upset’ at his managers public criticism of his performances.
The likes of Raheem Sterling, Jonjo Shelvey and Suso have shown enough to suggest Rodgers may just about get by until January, despite the striker crisis. Rodgers is convinced the owners will back him in the next transfer window, and told the press he already has a list of strikers drawn up on a transfer wish list. But although he won’t admit it publicly, you must wonder if the Liverpool boss holds regrets over the early treatment of two of his most attacking players. Results from now until January will only tell.
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What do you think of Rodgers handling of the Carroll/Downing situations? Follow me on Twitter @LukeGreenwood89 and let me know your thoughts.
The FA have granted Liverpool an extension in their deadline to respond to allegations of improper conduct, relating to their clash with Fulham at Craven Cottage last week.
The Anfield outfit were handed down two charges after an ill-tempered game; the first to Luis Suarez for a derogatory gesture to the home fans and the second relating to the behaviour of the Liverpool players following Jay Spearing’s red card.
The initial timeline for Kenny Dalglish’s men to respond to the charges was 4pm on Monday, but the Merseysiders have been given an extension to organise their defence.
Meanwhile, Reds attacker Dirk Kuyt has stated that his goal drought is not worrying him, and that he is sure that the goals will start to flow in the near future.
The Netherlands international has not hit the back of the net in the Premier League since May, with only one Carling Cup strike to his name this season; Kuyt feels this will change soon.
“I haven’t scored for a while but we all feel like we are close to it and we have the confidence to keep going and soon we will score more of our chances,” he told reporters.
“The last six months of last season we were all scoring goals. Sometimes in football it is like this, you have to keep working hard and it will come.
“Last season I was scoring five or six games in a row and everything I touched was going in. Now sometimes you are a little bit unlucky to be just in the wrong position or you just miss a chance – that is football.
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“I will work hard and wait until the time comes. I am sure with the way this team plays everyone up front will score loads of goals,” he concluded.
Former Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers made several additions to the playing squad during the summer transfer window, and Wilfried Nancy is tasked with getting the best out of them.
The Northern Irish boss made 11 signings to bolster his options across the pitch before he eventually resigned after a 3-1 defeat to Hearts at the end of October.
Nancy has to try to get the best out of those signings in the coming months and years, as many of them have failed to live up to the hype so far this season.
Ranking Celtic's summer signings
Whilst this may say more about the rest of the business done in the summer, Benjamin Nygren has been the club’s best signing of the season, as he is currently Celtic’s top goalscorer in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, with seven goals in 25 games.
Kieran Tierney, who arrived on a free transfer, and Marcelo Saracchi, who joined on loan from Boca Juniors, have also been solid additions in the left-back position, sharing duties in that role.
Callum Osmand joined from Fulham after his contract expired with the English side and scored one goal and won a penalty in three first-team matches before picking up an injury, which suggests that he is an exciting talent to watch out for when he is back fit.
Ranking Celtic’s summer signings
Rank
Player
1
Benjamin Nygren
2
Kieran Tierney
3
Callum Osmand
4
Kelechi Iheanacho
5
Marcelo Saracchi
6
Ross Doohan
7
Sebastian Tounekti
8
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey
9
Hayato Inamura
10
Shin Yamada
11
Michel-Ange Balikwisha
Ross Doohan, who joined on a free transfer as a third-choice goalkeeper, is the dividing player between poor and good signings in the rankings above, as the most average addition to the squad.
We have Sebastian Tounekti in the lower half of the rankings because he is starting to look like one of the biggest wastes of money since Albian Ajeti.
Why Sebastian Tounekti looks like a waste of money
After creating four chances, completing five dribbles, and scoring one goal in his first two matches, per Sofascore, the Tunisia international looked primed to be a star for the Hoops. Rodgers even claimed that he “excites the crowd”.
Celtic paid £5.2m to sign the forward from Hammarby to make him the most expensive signing of the summer, falling just shy of the £6m mark that would have taken him into the club’s top ten most expensive signings in their history.
Unfortunately, three months later, Tounekti has recorded two goals and zero assists in 18 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he has struggled to make an impact at the top end of the pitch.
Since Celtic paid £5m for Ajeti, who scored just nine goals in 48 games as a striker (Transfermarkt), the Hoops have signed six players for more than £5m: Jota (twice), Cameron Carter-Vickers, Arne Engels, Adam Idah, Auston Trusty, and Tounekti.
Jota was sold for £25m, before being re-signed, and Idah was sold for £6m after scoring 20 goals in all competitions last season, which shows that they were not complete wastes of money.
Carter-Vickers, of course, has been a long-serving regular starter for the club and Auston Trusty has made 50 appearances, now established as a regular starter, per Transfermarkt.
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Engels, signed for £11m from Augsburg, has been fairly effective at the top end of the pitch, per Transfermarkt, with a return of 12 goals and 17 assists in 76 appearances since the start of last season.
This shows that the five other most expensive signings since Ajeti flopped at Parkhead have either been successful signings or had plenty of positives in their time at Celtic, even if it did not work out perfectly.
Tounekti, though, has one goal and no assists in his last 16 appearances for Celtic, and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be a regular starter under the new manager, after he was the first player to be substituted in the 2-1 defeat to Hearts in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.
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For a player signed for £5.2m, he has not delivered enough quality at the top end of the pitch to suggest that he was a worthwhile signing, which is why he currently looks like one of their biggest wastes of money since Ajeti flopped at the club with his nine goals in 48 games.
Derby County have already shown they mean business this summer and are closing in on another signing to strengthen ahead of the Championship season, according to John Percy.
Derby County back themselves to make Championship statement
With six new arrivals through the door and John Eustace restoring the feel-good factor at Pride Park, there is every reason for Rams’ supporters to feel optimistic heading into the new campaign.
Captain Ebou Adams shares the sentiment that Derby County can make a ‘statement’ in the second-tier, claiming his side will allow themselves to dare to ‘dream’ as he feels the fans, manager and players are united in their vision to thrive.
Owen Beck has arrived from Liverpool on loan and Derby aren’t keen to stop there after lining up Coventry City’s Jake Bidwell as their latest target, with the Sky Blues open to selling the 32-year-old this summer.
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The Rams also saw a £1 million bid turned down for Bristol City’s Zak Vyner. It remains to be seen whether his future at Ashton Gate is resolved, but their attempt to land his services illustrates that Derby are targeting reinforcements across all areas of their squad.
Now, a familiar face could be set to link up with Eustace again at Pride Park as their recruitment drive accelerates ahead of the competitive kick-off.
Derby County set to re-sign David Ozoh
Taking to social media platform X, reliable reporter Percy of The Telegraph has confirmed that Derby County are set to re-sign midfielder David Ozoh on loan from Crystal Palace, with confirmation expected later this week.
The 20-year-old made 12 appearances during a loan spell last term, but a hamstring injury alongside muscular problems limited his chances of earning further minutes.
Nevertheless, Eustace has previously labelled Ozoh a “fantastic player” back in February, signalling that he will have every chance to shine under his stewardship despite his stint being cut short last time out due to fitness issues.
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All parties now appear to be close to a deal and his parent club seem to be happy with the arrangement, which will enable the Valencia-born man to develop away from the spotlight of Premier League football.
More importantly, Derby will inherit a talented youngster determined to prove a point while also shoring up their midfield at little financial cost.
Glasgow Rangers produced yet another Jekyll and Hyde display in the Premiership, scoring a late winner to seal all three points against Dundee on Saturday evening.
Dundee went into the half-time interval holding a slim 2-1 advantage, which they soon stretched to 3–1 thanks to a goal from Scott Tiffoney.
Goals from James Tavernier, Tom Lawrence and then Cyriel Dessers – on his 100th appearance for the Light Blues – sealed another comeback victory.
Despite missing several chances throughout the tie, the Nigerian striker finished as the hero for Ferguson with his game-winning goal.
Cyriel Dessers’ display in numbers vs Dundee
Starting alongside Hamza Igamane, Ferguson once again operated with a 3-5-2, aiming to dominate the midfield, with plenty of chances being created for the two frontmen.
Chalkboard
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It worked to an extent, with Dessers registering an incredible 12 shots – nine on target and three off – yet he missed five big chances.
He won only 50% of the duels he contested while losing possession 13 times and succeeding with just one dribble.
Dundee vs Rangers – Key Statistics
Metric
Highest-ranked
Accurate passes
Nicolas Raskin (47)
Key passes
Mohamed Diomande (4)
Tackles
Connor Barron (6)
Shots on target
Cyriel Dessers (9)
Ground duels won
Josh Mulligan (8)
Via Sofascore
Persistence paid off, as he slotted the ball home with three minutes left, but this shouldn’t paper over the cracks.
Igamane was also far from his best, losing the ball 17 times along with having just one shot on target. Dessers, however, appears to have finally shifted his scapegoat tag, despite still missing chances on a regular basis.
Has this now been passed on to Jack Butland? Who endured another poor display for the Ibrox side.
Rangers could now have found the new Dessers
Butland enjoyed a relatively solid debut season for the Gers. His mistake in the dying minutes of the Scottish Cup final against Celtic proved costly, but it was deemed a one-off.
Fast-forward nearly a year later, and the Englishman has made a few high-profile mistakes throughout the current season, with journalist Josh Bunting stating back in December that he was “in a real rut of form”, while looking “shaky”. His mistake against Motherwell at the start of March was costly in the eventual 2-1 defeat.
Jack Butland
He also clattered into an opponent during the match against St Mirren on Boxing Day, giving away a penalty that saw the Gers suffer defeat.
Against Dundee, Butland took 42 touches, was accurate with just four of his 13 long ball attempts and completed only 65% of his passes.
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It was his mistake for Dundee’s second goal which looked as though it could cost Rangers, however. A weak Simon Murray shot somehow spilt out of his hands and into the path of Joe Shaughnessy, who slotted the ball home to make it 2-0 to the home side.
Given that this wasn’t his first mistake of the campaign, might his time at Ibrox be coming to an end? Especially with a new manager arriving in the summer.
A large section of the fanbase certainly hope so. His penalty shoot-out heroics against Fenerbahçe a few weeks ago are now a distant memory. Mistakes like these can cost the club titles, no doubt about that.
With Dessers having turned the corner, Butland is surely the new high-profile villain for the Ibrox faithful.
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Aston Villa manager Unai Emery could be a busy man when the January transfer window comes around.
The club are in a great position to make it through to the knockout round of the Champions League, with these added games adding more pressure to the squad.
That pressure has been ramped up after six consecutive games without a win, meaning another few bodies will surely do in the upcoming transfer window.
Who Aston Villa could sign in January
According to reports emerging in recent days, it looks as thought the Villa Park side are in the mood to sign a new forward despite the form of Jhon Duran and Ollie Watkins this season. Indeed, it’s claimed that they are showing interest in Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee, who is currently struggling at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim is looking at making some drastic changes at the Red Devils and this could see the Dutchman sold in January.
Elsewhere, CaughtOffside has reported that Emery is looking to sign Real Madrid youngster Arda Güler on loan, with the Spanish side open to let the teenager leave on a temporary basis until the end of the season.
These two signings could certainly offer something extra for Villa going forward, although will Emery need to move some players on to free up the wage bill and raise funds?
That may well be the case, so who is the most expendable asset?
How Aston Villa can raise funds in January
One name who might be open to leaving the club is Emiliano Buendia, who hasn’t been getting too many opportunities under Emery since returning from a serious injury.
Former Norwich midfielder Emi Buendia.
The Argentinewas signed by former manager Dean Smith in the summer of 2021, it was initially seen as an exciting move. Smith was only too pleased to capture the attacking midfielder, saying:
His first season saw the attacking midfielder score four goals for the club in the top flight, while the 2022/23 campaign saw Buendia net just five times. Nine goals in two seasons for a player who cost Villa £33m was hardly the best return.
Things went from bad to worse, however, when he cruelly picked a cruciate ligament injury that ruled out the former Norwich star for the entirety of last term.
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Villa subsequently went on to make great strides without him, signing new England international Morgan Rogers in January, who eventually settled into the number 10 role – Buendia’s favoured position.
Emiliano Buendia’s statistics in PL for Aston Villa
Metric
2021/22
2022/23
Goals
4
5
Assists
6
2
Big chances created
8
8
Key passes per game
1.4
1.1
Successful dribbles per game
1.1
0.7
Via Sofascore
Of course, he is still battling back from this injury, yet the midfielder has played only 196 minutes in all competitions for the club this season. With a contract until the summer of 2026, might Emery look to use January as the time to cash in on their once-record signing?
Taking home £75k-per-week for minimal output on the field, he should be one of the players who the club must be keen on moving on sooner rather than later.
Although hailed by Smith as being an exciting signing in 2021, he hasn’t quite lived up to his lavish fee. That’s a certainty.
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Crystal Palace have reportedly submitted an offer to sign a "special" attacker and have already received a reply, Sky Sports report.
Crystal Palace eyeing new forward signing
The Eagles have been making preparations behind the scenes ahead of Oliver Glasner‘s first season in charge, with two new signings already made. Centre-back Chadi Riad from Real Betis was the first to arrive at Palace and, more recently, they also secured the services of attacking midfielder Daichi Kamada on a free transfer.
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Now, attention appears to be on securing a new attacker after Michael Olise officially completed his move to German giants Bayern Munich. Former Watford winger Ismaila Sarr, now at Marseille, has been linked with a return to England, whereas a bid worth more than £12m has been submitted for Sporting CP winger Marcus Edwards. Juventus’ Matias Soule is also another who could become Olise’s long-term replacement, with Fabrizio Romano saying:
“Another player they've been tracking is Matias Soule but Juventus want €40 million for him. Also, West Ham United and Leicester City are interested, but €40 million is a lot of money, so not that easy. And I expect Crystal Palace to do something absolutely because Oliver Glasner, apart from obviously Daichi Kamada joining, wants one more player.”
However, an attacker closer to home appears to be of interest, with an offer now submitted to secure his services.
Crystal Palace make Emile Smith Rowe bid
According to senior Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth in the last 48 hours, Crystal Palace and Premier League rivals Fulham have both made offers to sign Arsenal forward Emile Smith Rowe.
However, the Gunners have turned down the proposals from Selhurst Park and Craven Cottage, with talks ongoing at Palace on whether or not to make an improved bid.
The 23-year-old has progressed through the academy with Arsenal and has gone on to make 115 senior appearances for the Gunners, scoring 18 goals and registering 13 assists in all competitions. Smith Rowe has also come in for high praise earlier in his career, with Jamie Carragher waxing lyrical over his displays back in 2021.
“Emile Smith Rowe will get England caps, absolutely no doubt. There are so many good young players. He'll have to bide his time, there are other young players ahead of him right now but I absolutely love that lad.
kalvin-phillips-emile-smith-rowe-west-ham-opinion
“I always want him to do well, you're urging him on. To watch him in full flow, I've said he's the best player in the Premier League running the ball.
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“He's so exciting, the pace, moving with the ball. He's a special talent. He can pop up in different positions, he has that ability to play all four positions up top and that's a real bonus.”
He struggled for game time under Mikel Arteta last season though, playing under 500 minutes of football in total, so a move away could be just what is required.