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Tag: Manchester City

  • VAR: A gain or pain to football?

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

    When Raheem Sterling scored in the 95th minute of the UEFA Champions League second leg match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspurs at the Etihad, all hell broke loose.

    That goal meant that the Citizens had qualified for the semi-finals, beating the Spurs 5-4 on aggregate. Coach Pep Guardiola ran, jumping and celebrating his victory. Man. City players had gone to celebrate the goal with the English striker.  Even Tottenham fans and players were shocked. Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris sat on the floor stunned and fans were seen putting their hands on the head.

    Suddenly, Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir blew the whistle, disallowing the goal. The Video Assistant Referee, a new technology introduced into football had caught Sergio Aguero offside, shortly before giving Sterling the pass that led to the goal.

    Emotions changed immediately from joy to despair for Man. City, and from pain to joy for Tottenham. The English Premier League leaders were dumped out of the competition on away goal rules.

    This is not the first time the VAR would be involved in critical decisions like this. Introduced in England in November 2017 when the Three Lions faced Germany in a friendly match, the VAR is usually handled by a team of three people who work together to review certain decisions made by the main referee by watching video replays of the relevant incidents.

    They comprise of the video assistant referee himself (who will be a current or former referee), his assistant and a replay operator. They are usually situated in a video operation room which is essentially a bank of monitors offering different camera angles.

    There VAR is responsible for four major decisions such as Goals and whether there was a violation during each episode of the attacking phase of play, Penalty decisions, direct red card decisions and mistaken identity in awarding a red or yellow card.

    In consulting the VAR, the center referee stops play after being contacted from the operation room, blowing the whistle and making a sign of a rectangle with his index fingers indicating a video screen.  He goes to the monitor located in the touchline, just beside the team bench, to review the incident alone, and then takes a decision from what he has seen.

    FIFA approved the use of VAR for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in 2018, making the tournament become the first competition to use VAR in full at all matches and in all venues. A total of 455 incidents were checked by the VAR in the competition with twenty decisions reviewed. The first was in the match between France and Australia where Antoine Griezmann was through on goal when he went down under a challenge from Joshua Risdon, with the VAR spotting it out, and the referee Andres Cunha, awarding the penalty.

    There were controversial moments with the VAR during the World Cup. When England met Tunisia in Volgograd in the group stages, England striker Harry Kane was dragged down in the box during corners in what were considered obvious fouls.  Considering the nature of the penalty which was given to Tunisia in the first half, which appeared to be fairly soft, those sat in the VAR booth had no excuse to miss the two incidents. Sadly, they did, and had the Three Lions not won the match, a wide protest against the VAR would have begun that day.

    Another VAR moment happened in the round of sixteen, when Russia met Spain at the Luzhniki stadium. Four days before the Spain/Russia match, the same Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir (in charge of the aforementioned UEFA Champions League match) was at the center when Nigeria played against Argentina at Saint Petersburg.  Marcos Rojo had tried to head the ball, but only managed to nod it onto his own arm. The referee waved away the appeals of Nigeria striker Odion Ighalo, and after he was pressured by captain John Mikel Obi, he went to look at the VAR, but came back refusing to award Nigeria the penalty.

    However, when Spain met Russia at the Luzhniki stadium, Gerard Pique fouled the ball, this time unintentionally. He was on air with Artem Dzyuba who headed the ball on goal, and the ball hit the back of Pique’s hand. The referee awarded a penalty to Russia without consulting the VAR, bringing the decision against Nigeria four days earlier to questioning.

    Arguments have it that the VAR is likely to kill the beautiful game of football. There is a possibility that referees will be afraid and sentimental in making decisions, as they would rely so much on the VAR.

    With football atmosphere always electric, VAR is likely to kill it. Referees going all the time to cross-check decisions before taking decisions will douse the mood and thrill of the beautiful game.

    There is also the sad possibility of not appreciating goals with the introduction of the VAR. With every goal scored, referees would go on to check the goal, and every incident involved. No one is perfect and some things should be allowed to pass without punishments. The VAR will not allow that, thereby killing the joy of the game.

    There is the call for a review of the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), whether it is truly needed in football or not. This is to avoid the joy and passion of the beautiful game suffering an untimely death

  • Manchester City, Liverpool dominate PFA team of the year

    English Premier League (EPL) defending champions Manchester City dominated the Professional Footballers’ Association’s (PFA) Team of the Year announced on Thursday, claiming six out of 11 spots.

    Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson, forwards Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero, midfielders Bernardo Silva and Fernandinho, and centre back Aymeric Laporte were all named in the side, which also had four players from Liverpool.

    Read Also: Breaking: Manchester City beat Crystal Palace, back on top

    The 2018/2019 EPL leaders are a point ahead of Liverpool in the race for the title, with both teams having three games left to play.

    Liverpool dominated the defensive positions with centre back Virgil van Dijk joined by full backs Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold in the side and Sadio Mane named as a forward.

    Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba was the only player not from either Manchester City or Liverpool to be named in the team.

  • Manchester City take big step towards title with derby win at United

    Manchester City took a big step towards retaining the Premier League title with a 2-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

    The win sent the Citizens back to the top of the table.

    City have 89 points, one more than rivals Liverpool, with both teams having three games to play.

    Second half goals from Bernardo Silva and Leroy Sane ensured a comfortable win for City against a United side that remain in sixth place, outside the Champions League qualification slots.

    Read also: Manchester United’s 10 most embarrassing defeat

    United, smarting from their 4-0 hammering at Everton on Sunday, played with aggression and energy in the scoreless first half but the game was put beyond them after the break.

    Bernardo Silva picked the ball up on the right flank and cut inside, surprising United keeper David De Gea with a low drive that sneaked in the bottom corner in the 54th minute.

    Twelve minutes later and City doubled their lead.

    Fred gave the ball away in midfield allowing Raheem Sterling to break forward before feeding Sane on the left with the German’s powerful drive flying in off the outstretched leg of De Gea. (Reuters/NAN)

  • Breaking: Man Utd vs Man City XI

    Pep Guardiola has released the list of eleven men that will defend the colours of Manchester City in the must-win match against city neighbours, Manchester United.

    The Manchester Derby is a must-win for the Guardiola-tutored team to stand the chance of winning a successive English Premiership title.

    Find below the line-ups:

    Man Utd XI: de Gea, Darmian, Young, Smalling, Lindelof, Shaw, Andreas Pereira, Fred, Pogba, Lingard, Rashford

    Man City XI: Ederson, Walker, Kompany, Laporte, Zinchenko, Gundogan, Fernandinho, Silva, Bernardo Silva, Aguero, Sterling​

  • Sterling wants harsher punishment to tackle racism

    Clubs should be slapped with automatic nine-point deduction and ordered to play three games behind closed doors if their supporters indulge in racist behaviour, Manchester City and England forward Raheem Sterling has said.

    Soccer authorities must adopt radical changes to tackle the menace, Sterling added, after signing a manifesto that calls for consistent and suitable punishment for racist and discriminatory behaviour.

    “I’d call for an automatic nine-point deduction for racist abuse,” he wrote in a column for the Times newspaper.

    “It sounds harsh but which fan will risk racist behaviour if it might relegate their team or ruin their title bid?

    “The club should have to play three games behind closed doors. That way, they lose revenue as a direct consequence of racist behaviour.”

    Sterling joined a number of professionals and clubs in endorsing the manifesto which also seeks more black and minority ethnic people in senior positions in soccer and no sanctions for players walking off the pitch if they encounter racism.

    Framed with the guidance of anti-discriminatory bodies Kick It Out and FARE and the Black Collective of Media in Sport, key points of the manifesto also include the need for media and social media to take more responsibility in tackling abuse.

    Read Also: FA Cup: Sterling invites former school Elvin Academy

    “Up and down the game, across the world, black and Asian players, fans and coaches are subjected to racism. Every day, from park football to the Champions League,” Sterling said.

    “In my opinion the people who run the game are doing nowhere near enough to solve the problem. And that’s not good enough.”

    Earlier this season, Sterling had accused sections of the British media of fuelling racism with a negative portrayal of young black players.

    The 24-year-old encountered racist abuse during England’s Euro 2020 qualifier in Montenegro in March, while there have been many other cases in European soccer in recent months.

    Sterling, who is in the running for the Professional Footballers’ Association Players’ Player of the Year award, said that he did not want young black players to endure what he had.

    “I don’t know how long it’ll take for things to change but we have to start now. I don’t want the next generation of black players to have to put up with this evil,” he said.

    NAN

  • Liverpool back at EPL summit after 2-0 win at Cardiff City

    Liverpool regained their place at the top of the English Premier League (EPL) with a 2-0 win at Cardiff City on Sunday that restored their two-point lead over Manchester City.

    Juergen Klopp’s side, who have lost just once in the league all season, have 88 points, a club record in the Premier League era.

    Manchester City, who beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 on Saturday, are on 86 but have a game in hand.

    That extra game for Manchester City will be played on Wednesday when Pep Guardiola’s side travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United.

    Now the champions will make the short trip with the pressure firmly back on.

    Against a Cardiff side battling for Premier League survival, it was a confident, patient performance from Liverpool who have now enjoyed nine straight wins in all competitions.

    “It was prepared to be a proper banana skin and we knew that, the boys were unbelievable. It was clear, difficult for all of us,” said Klopp.

    “The boys tried really with all they have, we only speak about the things we have to do.”

    “Their attitude is outstanding and it’s a tough season but a very positive one as well,” added the German.

    Cardiff defended deep and in numbers and limited Liverpool’s opportunities, but Roberto Firmino missed a great chance to open the scoring in the 22nd minute.

    He found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Neil Etheridge but lifted the ball over the bar.

    Etheridge was then quick off his line to save with his legs from Mohamed Salah, while Cardiff offered a warning when Alisson Becker tipped over Oumar Niasse’s close-range effort.

    After an intense spell of pressure following the interval, Georginio Wijnaldum broke the deadlock for Liverpool in fine style with a first-time strike.

    It came from a clever short corner kick from Trent Alexander-Arnold.

    Sean Morrison then missed a golden opportunity for Cardiff to equalise, making a hash of a header when he had an open goal at his mercy after Alisson misjudged a cross.

    Late in the game, Morrison was judged to have pulled down Mohamed Salah in the box.

    Substitute James Milner converted the 81st minute penalty kick to make sure of the crucial three points for Klopp’s side.

    Liverpool’s ability to avoid slip-ups against lowly opposition has been a key part of their season.

    They have taken 52 points from a possible 54 against teams in the bottom half of the table.

    Cardiff remain in 18th place, the final relegation spot, and are three points behind 17th-placed Brighton & Hove Albion, having played a game more.(Reuters/NAN)

  • Guardiola: Man City players yet to get over UCL heartbreak

    Pep Guardiola has said his Manchester City players are still not over their dramatic elimination from the Champions League quarterfinals at the hands of Tottenham, who they face in the Premier League on Saturday.

    City suffered injury time heartbreak in midweek when a last minute goal from Raheem Sterling, which would have sent City through, was ruled out by the video assistant referee and Spurs progressed on away goals.

    The two sides meet again in at the Etihad and City know that if they win their five remain fixtures, they will be crowned champions again.

    “If you believe it doesn’t hurt, or it’s over and forget it, I would say no,” Guardiola told a news conference. “I don’t want the players to forget what they lived.

    “If they forgot what happened on Wednesday that would not be the truth — they would not be human beings. It will take time but you have to live with that feeling and play with that feeling and it’s nice.

    Read Also: Guardiola: repeat of record-breaking season ‘impossible’

    “What we lived last Wednesday in terms of emotion and simple life, it was incredible — we were fortunate to live it. More than 55,000 people went from joy and happiness and within one second everyone was devastated. There is not an activity in this world you can put in these limits.

    “Always it will remain in our hearts. The performance we did was incredible at this level. I don’t want to see my players saying it doesn’t matter what happened, I like to see them that it hurts.”

    Guardiola said he needs to see how his players have reacted to their exit before deciding on the side to face Mauricio Pochettino’s team for a third time in a matter of weeks.

    “We saw each other yesterday and we congratulated each other on the game,” Guardiola said of Pochettino.

    “I hope the [reaction will be] our best, we have five games in the Premier League and an FA Cup game and tomorrow another game against Tottenham and we’ll see.

    “We’ll see today how people recover, mentally and physically from the last game then we’ll take a decision tonight as we play early. We’ll see.”

    While City needs a 100 percent record to keep the title destiny in their own hands, Spurs are also desperate for the three points as they battle to ensure a top-four finish and a Champions League spot.

    Tottenham are a point clear of fifth-place Chelsea, who have played a game more.

    Pochettino’s focus may now have switched to their European semifinal against Ajax but Guardiola is expecting another tough game.

    “Both teams are going to attack, them in their way with long balls to Llorente or Lucas Moura picking up second balls and the attacker running in behind,” he added.

    “We are going to attack with a more positional game but it will not be easy because they are an incredible top team — we saw it in the last two games — but we are going to try.”

    ESPN

  • UCL: Tottenham Hotspur stun Manchester City to advance after 7-goal thriller

    Tottenham Hotspur lost 3-4 on Wednesday but reached the semi-finals of the 2018/2019 UEFA Champions League on away goals after a 4-4 aggregate score against Manchester City.

    Spurs, who won the first leg 1-0, will now face Ajax Amsterdam of Holland for a place in the final match against Liverpool or FC Barcelona.

    In a dramatic finale to an astonishing contest, Manchester City had a stoppage time goal from Raheem Sterling, which would have sent them through, ruled out for offside.

    VAR review confirmed that Sergio Aguero was offside in the build-up.

    In a breathtaking quarter-final second leg game in Manchester, City took a fourth minute lead through a beautiful curling shot from Sterling.

    But Spurs struck back with two quick goals from Son Heung-min — the second of them a magnificent finish.

    The manic opening period continued when Bernardo Silva brought the home side level in the 11th minute with a deflected shot.

    Then, Sterling struck again to make it 3-2 in the 21st minute.

    However, while a thundering strike from Aguero in the 59th minute put Manchester City in the driving seat again, they were again stunned in the 73rd minute.

    Spurs substitute Fernando Llorente bundled in a Kieran Trippier corner kick to restore the London club’s advantage through away goals.(Reuters/NAN)

  • Breaking: Manchester City beat Crystal Palace, back on top

    Raheem Sterling’s double and another goal from Gabriel Jesus fired Manchester City back to the top of the Premier League ahead of Liverpool’s game against Chelsea as they won 3-1 at Crystal Palace.

    Sterling had already wasted a great chance by the time he shot high into the net to give City the lead after 15 minutes, and he wrapped up the points with a close range finish after the break.

    Luka Milivojevic made it an unexpectedly nervy finale for Pep Guardiola’s side when he whipped in a free kick from the edge of the box nine minutes from the end, but Jesus had the last word as he rounded off a 90th-minute counter-attack.

    City started purposefully, fashioning an early half-chance for David Silva, who was just unable to connect cleanly with a low Kyle Walker cross.

    They missed a golden chance after 10 minutes when Silva did brilliantly to reach the byline and cut the ball back to the unmarked Sterling, who could only roll it past the post.

    But Sterling made amends on the quarter of an hour mark when Kevin De Bruyne’s pass down the right enabled him to advance into the area and fire home an angled finish.

    The home side soon had an injury concern, Jeffrey Schlupp limping off after a collision and being replaced by Cheikhou Kouyate, with City continuing to threaten and Scott Dann doing well to clear another Silva cross.

    Sterling showed the other side of his game, tracking back to help Walker deal with Wilfried Zaha, and Aguero fired over as City maintained their control.

    But Palace showed a flicker of attacking life soon afterwards, Milivojevic crossing and Christian Benteke heading down before City hacked clear.

    Read Also: Aguero ruled out of Man.City/ Liverpool UCL clash

    Soon after the half-hour, Sane forced a good save from Vicente Guaita when he fired an angled drive towards the near post.

    Guaita was in the thick of the action again when the ball fell to De Bruyne and he fired goalwards, and then Benjamin Mendy’s strike was straight at the Palace keeper.

    City began the second half in the same dominant way, De Bruyne narrowly failing to play Sergio Aguero through and Guaita gathering well when a De Bruyne cross deflected off Martin Kelly.

    But the visitors doubled their advantage after 63 minutes, Sterling again on the mark when he coolly converted Sane’s angled cross from the left.

    Bernardo Silva came on for David Silva as Guardiola made the first change of the afternoon, and then Ederson made a straightforward save as Benteke swivelled to bobble a strike towards goal.

    Dan headed well over from a Palace corner, and City took off Aguero and replaced him with Gabriel Jesus with one eye on next week’s Champions League game against Spurs.

    Palace introduced Max Meyer for Andros Townsend – and they found a route back into the game when James McArthur was fouled and Milivojevic thumped the free kick home.

    McArthur made way for Bakary Sako for Palace, John Stones replacing Sane for City, who removed any lingering doubts about the result when Jesus kept his cool after De Bruyne had played him into the area.

     

  • Man City battle AC Milan in race to sign £45m Everton

     

    Manchester City are way ahead in the race to sign £45million-rated Brazilian striker Everton Soares after they held talks with Gremio.

    The 23-year-old’s current deal at the Brazilian outfit lasts until December 2022 and includes a £90m release clause. But the club is prepared to accept £45m and City are keen to beat AC Milan to his signature, according to according to The Sun

    Having Brazilians Gabriel Jesus, Ederson, Danilo and Fernandinho at the Etihad Stadium could help in the battle with the Serie A side.

    Everton, who has one goal in three appearances this campaign, discussed a possible switch to the Premier League back in November. He told SporTV: ‘We all hear rumours at some point, right?

    ‘I’m going through an exceptional phase, and we know how hard it is when clubs from England look at Brazilian players for their quality.

    ‘Let’s see what happens at the end of the season, wait until it is over, and see what’s best for both me and Gremio.’

    Everton joined Grêmio’s youth setup in 2012, from Fortaleza. Initially on loan, he signed a permanent contract in October 2013, whilst also being linked to Manchester City in the process.

    Promoted to the main squad by Enderson Moreira ahead of the 2014 season, Everton made his first team debut on 19 January of that year, coming on as a second-half substitute for Yuri Mamute in a 1–0 Campeonato Gaúcho away loss against São José-PA.