Guapo Football

Why Would Anyone Want To Be A Referee?

Football referees have one of the most heavily scrutinised jobs in the world. Once the thousands in attendance have made their feelings known about your workplace decisions, those watching elsewhere will take to social media to voice their opinions on just how badly you do your job, too.

Going an entire football match unnoticed is essentially the best-case scenario for a referee. When the expectation is to get every decision correct, applauding them for having a mistake-free game is like applauding a fish for swimming, in the eyes of many.

Add in the fact that they are paid a fraction of the athletes they share a pitch with, pursuing a career as an elite football referee seems a puzzling choice.

With this in mind, National League referee Jake Topp draws on his personal experience to help put the pieces together.

At 27, Topp is younger than many of the players he officiates on a weekly basis. Nevertheless, his refereeing journey began over a decade ago.

“When I started out I did it for the money. I could make about £130 from a weekend doing youth football which was the equivalent of doing 20 hours in a pub,” he said.

The money-making venture brought fresh challenges as Topp progressed through the early levels of the pyramid.

“I did my first men’s game when I was 16. I remember being terrified for it, I was the youngest person on the pitch by about five years and I was just expected to control these guys who were as old as my dad.

“Initially I thought everyone was staring at me because I was so young, but actually they just want to play football. Once you’ve got a couple of decisions under your belt it feels perfectly natural,” he said.

The next 11 years hammered home just how much referees have to go through to truly make it. Topp himself relocated from the South Coast to Manchester, partly due to the deep passion for football in the North West.

Although his hardships have not extended to physical abuse on the pitch, other referees have suffered in this regard, an unfortunate reality which the FA are fiercely trying to crack down on.

Despite this, Topp said: “People only view the referee as someone that gets shouted at for 90 minutes but there’s so much more to it than that. It’s like a bug, it’s almost a little bit addictive – when the lockdown happened in March I spent six months without it and I don’t think I’ve ever missed anything so much.”

The Hard Graft of Progression

Refereeing is a release for Topp, who balances elite-level officiating with a full-time job as an accountant during the week. Naturally, committing mentally and physically to both jobs is a challenge in itself.

“When you’re mentally drained after a long day and you have to go out in front of a couple of thousand people, it can be a challenge because you’re handling quite intense conflict – but it’s exactly the same as the players at that level, it’s just part of going up the pyramid.

“The more pressure I find on games the more I enjoy it – when you’ve got 5,000 people on your back it sharpens you mentally and it makes you much more alive. You could have stuff going on in your personal life, you could be having a bad day at work, but once you cross the white lines the only thing that exists is getting the next decision right,” he said.

Officiating regular matches on top of such a demanding job is all part of the hard graft of progression. Once at the top level, however, an improved salary allows referees to go full-time.

After 11 years, Topp has reached level three of ten, meaning he is still two promotions away from full-time refereeing. To go up a level, Topp will need to put in consistently good performances, judged by regular assessments during real matches, to gain promotion through a referee ‘league table’.

For now though, even refereeing at non-league level provides some unforgettable experiences.

In 2018, Topp was selected as the fourth official for a Manchester United reserves game at Old Trafford. Minutes in, the referee suffered a stress fracture in his leg, meaning he got the call up to take over the game.

Topp said: “It was probably the most surreal moment of my life as I’m running down the touchline warming up. The actual experience felt like being subbed on at Old Trafford. I remember feeling as though the stadium was just swallowing me.

“I was doing a long diagonal run keeping up with a United fast break, as I was going down the Stretford End I was just thinking, ‘Nobody is going to believe this’ but fortunately it was all on TV.

“Two days later I’m doing an FA Vase game in front of 75 people. I can just remember doing that game and thinking ‘I was booking Angel Gomes about this time two days ago.’”

Worth the Scrutiny

Anyone who loves football will have an appreciation for the magic Topp experienced that day. His run out at Old Trafford was preceded by a torrid day at work – aside from refereeing, Topp is a normal guy with a normal life, as are most of us in this world.

Only then does the magic and allure of refereeing start to make sense. After all, could there be a better way to express a love of football than to have a front row seat in a professional match every weekend?

Topp said: “First and foremost I love the game. You have instances where the play is so good that you are almost willing the finish to go in. You have that appreciation because of that old cliché that most referees are just failed footballers, that is the case with me.

“I see people do things on a football pitch and I think ‘wow I wish I could do that’.”

Indeed, this kind of admiration has given way to football writers, analysts, coaches and, of course, referees who work tirelessly to cement their position in the wider footballing world based on an undying love of the game.

Invictus Medallist James Rose: “I Climb Mountains To Keep Me Sane”

In 2009, 22-year-old James Rose had both legs completely blown off by an IED in Afghanistan. Such an ordeal would knock most people for six, and he was no exception.

Rose, now in his mid-30s, can glance over to two Invictus Games medals sitting on his mantlepiece. He can also declare himself the first double above-the-knee amputee to climb 6,000-meter Mount Kilimanjaro.

From the outside, it seems that an unfathomable tragedy has given way to an extraordinary recovery. But for Rose, there was simply no other way.

From Bed-Bound To Double Medallist

In an 11-year journey of immense challenges, the biggest one came right at the beginning.

“When I got blown up, I was lying in the hospital bed and I couldn’t even see past it. I had to get up and get back to normal, whatever normal is. It took six years after I got injured in 2009 until I started rowing in 2015.

“It’s only when you look back at it that you think there was something definitely wrong. I was drinking a lot, eating a lot, I got up to about 18 stone. When I set out for the Invictus Games it was all about getting myself out of a hole.”

In 2018, Rose was selected to represent Great Britain at the 2018 Games in Sydney, where he came away with a silver medal in wheelchair basketball and a bronze in sitting volleyball.

Not content to sit back with his neck draped in medals, Rose aimed higher.

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

In 2019, Rose and his crew trekked 52 hours over four days to reach Africa’s highest summit. Amazingly, Rose himself made the journey without full-length prosthetic legs attached.

“We got up at 1am on the last day to start trekking and we got to the top at 4pm. That was nails, I had altitude sickness, my head was pounding, I felt sick, but I knew that if I said anything I’d have to go back down.”

Rose describes the 15-hour final day as the most physically challenging in his entire life.

“I completely hit a wall and I just sat there effing, blinding, shouting, screaming, sulking at myself because I just couldn’t go any further. I took two more steps and then sat back down and said that’s it now, I’m completely done.

“I sat and gave myself a good talking to for five minutes and after that something just clicked in my head and I got up and carried on.”

I had the pleasure of meeting Rose’s crew this summer on Catbells, a 451-meter fell in Cumbria which was a very tough day’s work.

This puts into perspective Rose’s monstrous achievement, hoisting himself up a mountain more than 13 times the size of Catbells using little more than his arms and his mental strength.

“When I climbed Kilimanjaro I said to myself I would never do one again because it was the hardest thing in my life” said Rose. His achievement raised thousands for Help for Heroes, as well as serving a deeper purpose.

Staying Focused

Rose tends to makes light of his own achievements.

“Climbing these silly big mountains is just something I like doing now. The main reason I do it is just to keep me sane and focused.

“At the time, I’ll be halfway up a mountain thinking, ‘What am I doing? This is absolutely killing me’, but the joy comes when I’m sat at the top or back in the car and I think about what I’ve achieved, that’s what does it for me.”

Naturally, pondering about the past is dangerous business when one’s past is as traumatic as Rose’s. Six years of pondering between 2009 and 2015 took him to a bad place. With this in mind, setting massive challenges keeps him pointed forwards, albeit in a very demanding way.

Once a challenge is set, it is crucial for Rose to see it through to the end.

“If I’d have given up halfway up Kilimanjaro, I probably would have been in a worse mental state than before I’d started. I would’ve been ticking over and over thinking ‘why didn’t I just do it?’”

Rose has smashed through every hurdle so far, and unsurprisingly is reluctant to rest on his laurels.

“The next challenge is climbing Mount Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa, in June 2021.

“My ultimate goal would be to go somewhere near Everest, even if it was just base camp. Even though, if I got to base camp, I know I’d have to try and get to the top.”

Non-League Football Embraces Full-Time Footballers

After this weekend’s FA Cup fourth qualifying round, the 32 remaining non-league clubs will seek to upset the likes of Hull City, Sunderland and Portsmouth in the first round proper.

Unfortunately for 23-year-old centre-back Kennedy Digie, his Hereford FC side fell in the previous qualifying round to seventh-tier Stafford Rangers. “It’s big for the fans, obviously the players want to draw a big team. Although, when teams get knocked out they are happy to focus on the league, I think the main thing is getting promoted.”

Prioritising promotion over a cup run is crucial for those who rely solely on non-league football for their livelihood. Although they are not yet universal, full-time contracts are becoming commonplace in formerly semi-professional divisions. With this in mind, Digie illustrates what it’s like for part-timers and full-timers to compete at the same level of the game.

A Tighter Group, An Ingrained Philosophy

Part-time players often face the daunting task of incorporating a full-time job, two training days per week and a weekend match into their schedule. Digie, currently part-time with Hereford but formerly full-time with Kidderminster Harriers, has seen both sides.

“When you are full-time everything is set up for you in the sessions, you just go and put in work. The manager also has more training days to put things into practice, so we had more time to get their philosophy ingrained in our heads

It helps with the changing room as well. The boys are around each other constantly and the group becomes closer because of that.”

These clear benefits almost always translate onto the pitch. Since the modern National League structure was introduced in 2002, only Burton Albion in 2008-09 have achieved promotion as part-timers. As such, one might think that committing to a full-time playing staff is a no-brainer – but matters in the lower echelons of English football are rarely so simple.

Trade-Off Between Charm And Success

Full-time players require significantly higher wages. All of a sudden, instead of representing little more than a top-up income, contracts must cover the foregone income from a player’s ‘other job’.

This financial leap of faith, so crucial to success according to the history books, requires non-league clubs to become more revenue-oriented. This philosophical change seems to directly contradict the principles of community which have historically governed non-league football. In short, some teams do not want to take the financial risk, whilst some do not want to sacrifice the charm on which their fanbase is built in order to pursue success.

Non-league football is fraught with financial imbalances as a result. The lofty ambitions of Billericay Town, Fleetwood Town and Salford City have all been supported by cash injections and full-time players in recent years, and all have rapidly ascended through the leagues as a result. With only one automatic promotion spot to League Two, spending big almost seems a pre-requisite for success.

“A lot of players love the challenge,” said Digie, “but I don’t think it’s ideal when there’s a big difference between teams’ budgets in the same league.”

Financial Fair Play highlights financial irregularities in Europe’s top divisions, but matters lower down the pyramid tend to be overlooked. While spending big to chase success is a method used at almost every level of the game, such financial imbalances naturally raise questions of fairness.

Growth In Quality

With the vast majority of National League clubs now full-time, the quality gap between non-league and League Two diminishes, as Digie knows well from his experience in the division.

“Sometimes when the wealthier clubs bring league players into our division they’re surprised to see the level of talent. That really shows that it’s not always the better players playing at higher levels.”

Non-league is now a well-known breeding ground for emerging talent. The lower tiers’ gradual professionalisation underlies the steady growth in quality seen in recent years. In many ways, this suggests that non-league football is on a positive path. More full-timers breed more competition, and more competition allows emerging talents like Digie to test themselves against high-calibre opponents.

“I don’t want to sound like a psycho, but my goals are still pretty high. I still think I can go to the very top.”

Players in the fifth, sixth tiers and below know that progression is now possible from such a level, even if part-time structures require many to do it the hard way.

Come FA Cup first round weekend, 32 non-league hopefuls will chase big-time fixtures once again. For many, players and clubs alike, it will be their only opportunity to compete at such dizzying heights. The evolution of non-league football, however, suggests plenty of talented players will see it as a taster for what’s to come.

When was the Last Time Manchester City Conceded Five at Home?

Unless you have been living under a rock, you will have heard that Manchester City were massacred by Leicester City this weekend. If this was not enough, City shipped five goals in their own back yard.

Aside from conceding the most goals in Pep Guardiola’s 600+ game managerial career, a home defeat of this magnitude is simply unthinkable in City’s modern era.

One has to go back a long while for the last time City conceded five at home in the league. Forget the Etihad, forget the dancing feet of Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero, forget summer spending sprees, we are talking about a completely different era.

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The Invincibles at Maine Road

Sun Jihai went on to notch 12 appearances for Sheffield United before finishing his career in China.

On 22^nd February 2003, all of 17 years ago, Kevin Keegan’s blues welcomed a fresh-faced Arsene Wenger and his squad of refined athletes to Maine Road.

Unbeknownst to fans at the time, Wenger was prepping his team for an undefeated 38 game campaign in 2003-04. Indeed, the City faithful were about to be hit with the full force of this now iconic team.

Within 20 minutes; Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires, Thierry Henry and Sol Campbell had made it 0-4 to the Gunners. Meanwhile, ‘keeper Carlo Nash was wishing he had stayed at home. The 6’5” northerner had spent the first quarter of the game peering out from his cap to pick the ball out of the back of his net.

Legendary Frenchman, Henry, was then at the peak of his powers. In 2002-03 he notched a record breaking (now record equalling) 20 assists. The almost comical centre-half duo of Richard Dunne and Steve Howey allowed him to notch two of those in the opening stages. Minutes later, he latched onto a ball over the top, took one touch to control and fired it across the ‘keeper with his left foot. Classically clinical, poetry in motion; Henry brought a slightly different spectacle to the ruthless and calculating Jamie Vardy on Sunday.

In the second half, Patrick Vieira calmly finished a one-on-one to make it five. Ironically, it took a former Gunner to bring City any joy that afternoon as Nicolas Anelka notched a consolation.

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To Eastlands and Beyond

Only five more Premier League games would ever take place at Maine Road after Arsenal’s 1-5 victory in 2003. Although Blues fans had no way of knowing, their move to The City of Manchester Stadium (as it was then known) would see them embark on a drastically different period of success.

Star names Robbie Fowler, Nicolas Anelka and Shaun Wright-Phillips headlined City’s squad all those years ago. However, some of the more obscure names make more sense of the Gunners demolition. David Sommeil, Djamel Belmadi and Sun Jihai put up a weak fight that afternoon, whilst their subsequent careers would show they were already living on borrowed time at the top level. The elegant, devastating Arsenal were the chalk to City’s cheese in the early-2000s, an exercise of the football elite against a team of forgotten men.

Fast forward 17 years past Stuart and Sven, Welcome to Manchester, Why Always Me, 93:20, four league titles and a domestic treble under the tutelage of a managerial great, and City have come full circle… at least for a brief moment.

Defensive frailty cost City on both occasions, but there is room to bounce back. In 2003, City won their next home game against Birmingham City. Here and now, a date with a dangerous Leeds side beckons. Much has changed, although City will hope they can follow the old guard and return to winning ways. Here’s to another 17 years.

Roy Hodgson: 44-years a Football Manager

Against the odds, Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace toppled Manchester United in their own backyard last weekend to make it two wins from two this campaign.

Having been amongst the favourites to go down, it appears there is still plenty of life in 73-year-old Hodgson and his South London squad. His longevity certainly makes you wonder, where does the endless hunger come from? A look back at a unique career path only increases the neutral’s admiration for Hodgson, who by no means took the easy road to success.

Humble Beginnings

A modest 11-year playing career in England’s lower leagues is all Hodgson can boast on the pitch.

Hodgson after winning the Allsvenskan with Halmstad in the 1970s.

Early retirement prompted a gutsy voyage into football management. A 28-year-old Hodgson was handed his first managerial position at Halmstad, all the way back in 1976. Incredibly, he led the strugglers to a Leicester-esque Swedish Allsvenskan title in his first season. He repeated the feat three years later, telling CPFC “Having been thrown in as a 28-year-old with many senior players who were older than myself, it is incredible the sort of success I was able to achieve there”.

At Home Abroad

Unbelievably, Hodgson spent 27 of the next 31 years managing overseas. Rare stints in England with Bristol City in 1982 and Blackburn in 1997 were straddled by spells with clubs and national teams in Scandinavia, Switzerland and the UAE. Oh… and two spells with European giants Inter Milan.

After three years with the Swiss national team, Hodgson was handed the reigns at the San Siro. “I arrived in October, by when they had already played several games which hadn’t gone very well” he told The Coaches Voice.

Sure enough, he steadied the ship. Steering teams away from trouble has become a hallmark of Hodgson’s CV, particularly in the Premier League.

A group devoid of star names, with the exceptions of Javier Zanetti, Paul Ince and Roberto Carlos, were taken to a UEFA cup final and two solid league finishes. Despite this, Carlos was an outspoken critic of Hodgson. The Englishman’s tendency to play him on the left-wing instead of left-back became a key motivation for his move to Real Madrid. Chin up, Roy, we all make mistakes.

An Overdue Homecoming

At the age of 60, Roy was back in the English big time with Fulham. In his first season, he led them to a famous great escape and guided them to 7^th the following year. An astonishing UEFA cup final appearance came the season after, losing to Atletico Madrid but pipping old foes Juventus along the way.

Fulham’s fierce overachievement took Hodgson to Liverpool. In a career which had perhaps been working up to a job of that stature, it did not quite work out. Admittedly, Liverpool were in the depths of transition, so it was never going to be a walk in the park. Nevertheless, the Kop had chewed him up and spat him out, and it was back to the drawing board.

Seemingly more comfortable in charge of the plucky underdogs, Hodgson subsequently lead West Bromwich Albion to two of their best finishes in recent history. His point was proven. In 2012, five years after his return to the English game, Hodgson was given the England job.

Head in hands during Iceland’s 2-1 triumph over England at Euro 2016

Picking up from the dull foundations laid by Fabio Capello, Roy’s reign was similarly unspectacular. Three major tournaments all ended with a whimper. Although a four-year reign is nothing to be scoffed at, Hodgson’s visible despair at the sight of England falling behind to Iceland at Euro 2016 summed it all up – a team unable to produce when it really mattered. Still, from Halmstad to Wembley 40 years apart… that’s certainly not bad going.

The Final Chapter

Even at 70, Hodgson was taken on by Crystal Palace after a measly four scoreless games under Frank De Boer. No prizes for guessing what happened next.

By now, Roy had seemingly mastered the art of eking every last drop of potential from his squad. The pattern continues to this day with two early wins hinting at yet another campaign of overachievement to come.

For the majority of his career, Roy Hodgson has walked a scarcely trodden path. Indeed, Graham Potter has done something similar after a rollercoaster eight-year journey at Ostersund. His exciting Brighton team certainly seems to be heading in the right direction under his management.

Perhaps there is something to be said about an apprenticeship served in the wilderness. In Hodgson’s case, it fast tracked him to some of the most coveted jobs around.

In his 74^th year of life and the final year of his contract, there is a good chance this will be his last in football. 44-years a football manager, Hodgson can look back on his career with great pride as a man who has simply done it all.

Have Everton Been Overlooked for the Top Six?

Everton added to last weekend’s away victory at Tottenham Hotspur by cruising past Salford City 3-0 in the Carabao Cup this Wednesday.

With a flawless start and a summer of star-power recruitment under their belt, perhaps Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton could be the latest side to take a crack at the Premier League’s established top six.

An Uphill Battle

A summer spend of £112m in 2019 (according to ToffeeWeb) was only enough to guide a misfiring Everton to 12^th last term. Understandably, fans were not best pleased to finish behind Burnley and Southampton after 38 games.

The capture of long-term target Carlo Ancelotti certainly moved things in the right direction. Although, a 28%-win percentage under Marco Silva only improved to a still disappointing 40% under the Italian.

Upon reflection, the disjointed Toffees were destined for mid-table anonymity. Behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, nobody managed to top three league goals. Meanwhile the likes of Theo Walcott and Tom Davies cut ineffective and unwanted figures in the Everton midfield. As summer rolled around, it was time for Ancelotti to go to work.

The Lure of a Legend

James Rodriguez, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Allan. If you offered this trio to Everton fans at the start of the window for £20 million apiece, most would have snapped your hand off.

Whilst some view James as a risk, the same cannot be said of the latter two. Doucoure is proven at Premier League level and Allan has arrived after five seasons of regular Champions League football with Napoli. If nothing else, this pair will bring much needed solidity and experience to a previously aimless Everton midfield.

Promising on Paper

Everton’s attacking contingent is now packed with sought-after stars. Richarlison is still a raw talent, but an enduring threat with his direct style of play and willingness to drive for goal. James Rodriguez commanded a £63m fee way back in 2014, the same year he secured immortality by winning the World Cup golden boot. Certainly, his stock has fallen since then, but his performance against ‘Spurs oozed confidence and quality. Make no mistake, the Colombian has a point to prove.

Pair this prowess with a manager like Ancelotti and good things are likely to happen. The man has held the top job at Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, PSG, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich… consecutively.

In light of this, one can only imagine how Dominic Calvert-Lewin is feeling these days. After his stellar run of form last season, the Sheffield lad starts this campaign as the bona fide starting striker. Clearly, Ancelotti fancies him, and this colossal vote of confidence should only spur him on after he opened his account against ‘Spurs last weekend.

What’s the Catch?

Many feel that the defensive trio of Pickford, Keane and Mina are Everton’s Achilles heel. I would not be so quick to judge. True, Pickford has endured a poor 12 months by his standards, but we have all seen what he is capable of. If there is one quality he has unequivocally, it is the hunger to improve and put things right.

Keane and Mina are both established and experienced internationals. Besides, if their standards drop then Mason Holgate is a fantastic young centre-half and a more than able deputy.

One thing Everton do lack is depth in attack. If Calvert-Lewin picks up an injury, the only solution is to shoehorn Richarlison up top, or resort to Moise Kean. The former is certainly able to carry the side on his day, but he is inconsistent. Kean is consistent, but only in his ability to spurn good chances.

With this in mind, an injury-free strike force is a priority for Everton. Liverpool seem to manage it though, with the evergreen trio of Mane, Salah and Firmino never seeming to miss a game. Even without these issues, the Toffees won’t be troubling their city rivals in the league standings, although the very early signs suggest they will be a whole lot closer than they were last year.

Manchester City Youngsters to Keep Your Eye on in 2020/21

As sparkling talents Phil Foden and Eric Garcia now flirt with regular first team action, who else is waiting in the wings for their big opportunity?

Taylor Harwood-Bellis

By now, we are all familiar with Phil Foden, the so-called Stockport Iniesta. As luck would have it, the Stockport Puyol may also be right under Manchester City’s nose.

6-feet-2-inch, 18-year-old Taylor Harwood-Bellis is a true Blue. According to an interview he gave to Manchester Evening News, the youngster was right there in the stands when Sergio Aguero struck that jaw-dropping stoppage time winner against QPR in 2012.

Having served a 12-year apprenticeship with City’s academy, including a centre-back partnership with Eric Garcia that won the 2019 FA Youth Cup, Harwood-Bellis made his first team debut in a League Cup tie against Preston North End last season. To sweeten the pot further, the then 17-year-old went on to became City’s youngest goalscorer in 14 years when he netted his first professional goal in a 4-1 FA Cup win against Port Vale.

When not turning out for the first team, Harwood-Bellis spent much of last season captaining the Under-23s. His displays thus far have demonstrated a menacing mixture of guile and destruction. With an impressive stature and natural leadership, he is never one to shirk a challenge either aerially or on the floor. Meanwhile, his calmness on the ball is paired with a classy ability to ping the ball right footed to the opposite flank, drilled or floated.

With another year under his belt, do not be surprised to see Taylor Harwood-Bellis lining up in senior cup games again this season. In fact, with Eric Garcia potentially on his way out, his importance may be set to grow exponentially.

Tommy Doyle

Despite the lure of the Etihad on talent from around the globe, the next prospect is also City through and through. More than that, Tommy Doyle practically has royal pedigree as Grandfather Mike Doyle made over 550 appearances for Manchester City in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

The 18-year-old has enjoyed a stellar youth career, making 31 appearances in England’s various youth ranks, appearing as captain on 15 occasions.

Doyle is a diminutive defensive midfielder, gifted with quick feet, agility and an enviable passing range. His skillset allows him to wriggle out of tight spaces with the ball at his feet, whilst he is surprisingly adept at finding the net despite his deep-lying position.

His youth performances have earned him three senior appearances thus far, including his Premier League bow at the back end of last season against Newcastle United. Understandably, the teenager stated in an interview with Manchester Evening News, “it’s crazy when you look over to your right and you see some of the calibre you’re playing with”.

Considering Guardiola’s tendency to utilise youth in the earlier rounds of cup competitions, City fans are likely to see more of Doyle in 2020/21. Fighting for a regular starting spot in central midfield, however, where even the supposedly generational talent of Phil Foden is struggling to muscle his way in, may still be some way off.

Liam Delap

With a surname like Delap, it is difficult to shy away from Liam’s Premier League lineage. Although, the towering 17-year-old striker is likely to be on the receiving end of long throw-ins, instead of launching them long like his father famously did.

Signed from Derby’s youth ranks in 2019, this youngster has bedded in quickly to turn the heads of City coaches and fans. Having scored seven goals and provided six assists in just 11 games for City’s Under-18s last season, Delap is gradually being eased into first team training.

His tall, rangy physique yields surprising pace and power. Whilst he does not charge up and down the pitch legs ablaze in a way which might be associated with a vintage Aaron Lennon, he instead roars into a marauding gallop, akin to that of an Erling Haaland or Romelu Lukaku. All this makes for a daunting challenge as a defender. Twitter is no stranger to his abilities, with a recent screamer doing the rounds to ensure his name is firmly in the back of fans’ minds as one for the future.

At such a young age, it may be another season in City’s various youth levels for Delap. However, if his head-turning ability continues to be put on display, do not be surprised if Guardiola gives him a big chance against some of the English football pyramid’s lesser sides.

Do Manchester City Need Left-back Reinforcements?

Although Manchester City have one of the best squads in Europe at their disposal, they still finished a whopping 18-points behind runaway champions Liverpool last campaign. With Chelsea enjoying one of the most fruitful transfer windows in recent memory, and United beginning to find their rhythm under Solskjaer, the Blues must make crucial tweaks if they are to improve on last season’s position.

Shrewd business has already been conducted this summer, with the arrival of Nathan Ake and Ferran Torres. Another centre-back would be a massive bonus, but serious questions remain about the left side of defence.

Who is in the Shop Window?

Of the few names batted around, David Alaba seems the most likely candidate if fresh meat is to be introduced. The connection makes sense given the 28-year-old Austrian’s fruitful spell under Guardiola at Bayern. However, a £60m price tag may prove to be a stumbling block, particularly given the astronomical sums thrown at City’s defence thus far.

The likes of teenager Alphonso Davies, the best left-back in the world at the time of writing, are surely unattainable. Besides, having just lifted the Champions League with Bayern, who is to say he would want to leave a side at the very top of their game.

The domestic crop of left-backs offers little hope to boot. With Ben Chilwell soon to appear in Chelsea blue, and Andy Robertson in no rush to end his love affair on Merseyside, the two best in the Premier League are firmly off the market.

Indeed, Alaba seems the only remote possibility, although a more reasonable deal would have to be thrashed out with Bayern, and it has to be said the rumours have gone cold for a number of weeks. With this in mind, perhaps City would be best advised to work with what they already have.

£160m of Choices

A number of current squad members have tried and failed to cement their position at left back in recent months. The talented Oleksandr Zinchenko has proven to be a sublime spot at £1.7m in 2016, and has looked exciting, at least offensively, against lesser sides. Ultimately though, his pedigree as an attacking midfielder detracts from his true defensive capabilities. Defensive mastery cannot be learned in just a couple of years, and City certainly do not have the luxury to facilitate on-the-job learning.

Benjamin Mendy, one of three £50m+ full-backs, started promisingly but soon fell victim to long-term injury. An astounding athlete, but perhaps not the most technical footballer, he has certainly shown his ability to charge up and down the wing and whip in a mean cross since his arrival from Monaco. Although, he has often failed to convince, particularly since he was side-lined. This being said, his price tag may grant him another full season as first choice in which a greater level of consistency will be demanded of him by fans and manager alike.

Joao Cancelo was a rogue ingredient thrown into the mixing pot at left-back during the back end of last season. Being right-footed, the tricky Portuguese perhaps saw his City career blossoming down the right side, although he has struggled to unseat Kyle Walker since arriving from Juventus. Despite this, his performances raised a few eyebrows. Lung-busting surges created left-sided overloads, alongside Raheem Sterling, which put sides firmly on the back foot. This makes Cancelo an attractive alternative for Pep to consider on the left.

The Resolution

At £60m, Joao Cancelo is an extremely expensive asset in City’s ranks. Having demonstrated his ability to play on the left last season, perhaps City are best served to use this asset as something of a utility full-back. It is often said that competition gets the best out of players. In that case, if Cancelo is, at the very least, able to put pressure on the starting spots at both right and left-back, and of course take over if required, he has added value to the team.

Ultimately, it may be down to Benjamin Mendy to command the left side of defence this season at the Etihad. Although, he can perhaps owe this luxury to the scarce crop of attainable talent at left-back in the current transfer market.

With City’s problems last season largely boiling down to defensive frailty, a few alterations are needed. Nathan Ake is unlikely to answer all of City’s prayers in this regard. Certainly, Pep will need to keep a close eye on proceedings at left-back early in the season, with an unconvincing starter and promising deputies ready to battle it out once again.

Hart to White Hart Lane: Dissecting a Move Which Doesn’t Make Sense

Upon arriving at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola’s first course of action was to unceremoniously should Joe Hart the door. Ultimately, the once surprising decision proved to be a savvy one as Hart’s journey has taken him to Italy and back without success.

Last season, Hart could be found warming the bench at Turf Moor, a scenario which no football follower worth their salt could have predicted four years ago. Why and how, then, has the 33-year-old recently put pen to paper on a two-year-deal with a side fighting for the top four?

To Italy and Back

The years since his City exit have been a gradual hop, skip and jump down from the relative prestige of Torino, to a scrap for a starting spot with Adrian at West Ham, to the final humiliation of serving as understudy to Nick Pope. At all three clubs Hart was given every chance to stay between the posts, but his performances made the manager’s decisions simple.

From the outset, Hart’s switch to Burnley was strategically questionable. Coming in at a time when Tom Heaton and Nick Pope were injured, he was awarded an instant run in the team. Months later however, a 5-1 defeat at home to Everton consigned the former England stopper to the bench. Quickly, with the distinguished Burnley pair returning to fitness, Hart found himself as the lowly third choice.

Escape from ‘Burnley Hell’

Having failed to notch a single Premier League appearance during 2019-20, Hart would be the first to admit that his Burnley switch had not worked out well. Frankly, signing a two-year-deal when brought in as a short-term stop gap for an injured Tom Heaton was poor business for both sides.

With said contract running its course this summer, I suspected it might be time for the 2x Premier League winner to swallow his pride, drop down a division and start rebuilding his shattered confidence.

Instead, Hart extends his stay in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur, of all places. Jose… Joe… explain yourselves?!

A Move of Necessity

With all Hart’s pedigree; 75 England caps and 348 appearances for Manchester City, trying to unseat a World Cup winning captain in Hugo Lloris is optimistic to say the least. For all his occasionally reckless faults, Lloris is a big game player capable of jaw-dropping moments. Based on events in the past four years, the Frenchman is unlikely to feel threatened.

Even more perplexing is the fact that Paulo Gazzaniga, another ‘keeper in Spurs’ ranks, has himself performed admirably when called upon. Indeed, Hart may have a scrap on his hands just to make the bench every week.

Of course, approaching the twilight of one’s career one does not easily pass up the opportunity of working with Jose Mourinho. No doubt, Hart will also be sitting on a reasonable wage, albeit well short of the big bucks he was on at the Etihad.

All this points towards Hart’s switch representing a move of necessity. For Spurs, he is an essential homegrown squad member in a group fraught with overseas stars. Furthermore, he is a big personality with major international and domestic tournament experience under his belt.

For Hart, it is hard to see his Tottenham transfer as anything other than a desperate attempt to stay in England’s topflight. Of course, he will tell the media he intends to take the number one spot under Mourinho. But… is that realistic? When the big man looks back on his career he may just have wished he had chosen to spend two of his later years out on the pitch, instead of up in the stands.

Manchester City vs Arsenal: Pep and Arteta set to lock horns

At shorter notice than expected, Wednesday will mark Mikel Arteta’s return to the Etihad stadium. The young Spaniard will pit his Gunners side against the reigning Champions and Pep Guardiola, the very man under whom Arteta honed his managerial craft. The difference in talent will be compensated by Arsenal’s heightened desire to lift themselves out of 9^th place. City, meanwhile, may find it tough going with a return leg against Real Madrid undoubtedly weighing on their minds.

One thing is for certain, the build up to this heavyweight fixture will be dominated by talk of Arteta and Guardiola locking horns for the first time. The clichés will rain down. The student challenges the master, the wise old head against his former protege. But just how will this 90-minute chess match play out?

As Arteta’s tactical philosophy was developed right under Guardiola’s nose, perhaps we will see something off the wall from the Gunners boss. If Arteta does deploy a predictable setup of quick, flowing passing with a dynamic, attacking front four then one would expect Guardiola to have a considered response up his sleeve. It may thus be that Arteta opts for an element of surprise. He has been remarkably consistent in setting up a 4-2-3-1, but an untested setup may prove a calculated gamble in an audacious attempt to outwit his former employers. That is, of course, unless he fancies meeting City head on and challenging Pep at his own game.

After making a promising but relatively slow start under Arteta, Arsenal come into Wednesday’s game on an upward trajectory. Consecutive league wins against Newcastle, Everton and West Ham have lifted Arsenal into the top half. The atmosphere around the club, infamously toxic at times, appears healthy once more. The fans are brimming with optimism as their slick, penetrative style is finally beginning to win points. The Gunners may truly fancy themselves against a City side prone to slip-ups of late.

City, meanwhile, must recover quickly from a painful defeat at the hands of bitter rivals Manchester United. Despite the narrow loss, City threw a lot at the United defence whilst scattered sub-par performances will knock individual confidence going into a defining few weeks in City’s season. With 2^nd place effectively sewn up for the Citizens and the Champions League taking top priority, Guardiola will have a job on his hands to extract a hungry performance out of his side this Wednesday.

City’s Premier League hunger, lacking as it may be, is mitigated by their plethora of attacking options. Rotation for Guardiola will do no harm whatsoever. Phil Foden and Gabriel Jesus have come to the end of their apprenticeships as squad rotation players and their form in recent weeks has thrusted them right into the mix. Unless Guardiola has an unpredictable trick up his sleeve then City will attack Arsenal in their usual style. However, don’t be surprised if even the likes of Aguero or Sterling make way for the aforementioned youngsters.

With both teams shaky at the back and powerful going forwards, the Etihad could be set to witness a classic slugfest. Based on this season’s form, you would expect Manchester City to land the decisive haymaker more often than not. But how often do manager and assistant, as recently as December, face off against each other in the same season. Have no doubts about it, this will be no normal battle. Smiles and handshakes will be plentiful before kick-off, but both men will be utterly desperate to get one over on their former right-hand man.