MANCHESTER City’s title bid is being derailed by the absence of a key player from last season.
And we’re not talking about injured midfield lynchpin and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri.
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Julian Alvarez was a key figure in Manchester City winning their fourth title in a rowCredit: Getty
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Because although the Spain midfielder was undeniably crucial to the triumphs of his club and country, Julian Alvarez was front and centre (and sometimes wide) in Pep Guardiola’s side in 2023/4.
And selling Alvarez to Atletico Madrid for a massive profit in the summer is no longer looking like quite as good a deal for City.
It was not only the Argentinian World Cup winner’s 11 goals and nine assists in 36 PL appearances that was important to City.
The versatile star also gave Guardiola the freedom to rotate his attacking options during or between games, keeping them out of the “red” zone and giving them the chance to perform at their peak more often.
But Alvarez wanted to be the main man, playing regularly in a No 10 or No 9 role. That was not going to happen any time soon, so when Atletico offered him the chance to swap Manchester, where he had never really settled, for Madrid, he wanted the move.
And City regarded as good business a fee of up to £81.5m for a wantaway player who cost an initial £14m in 2022.
Yet Guardiola knew at the time that the sale of Alvarez could come back to bite his team, admitting “if we have many, many injuries it will be a problem”.
Guardiola added: “Maybe it is a mistake, I don’t know, but I don’t like leaving players without playing for a long time.
Pep Guardiola admits Man City were ‘hungover’ for FA Cup final defeat against Man Utd following Premier League title bash
“When everyone is involved with a chance to play, the performance of the teams is always better.”
Unfortunately for City, they have a lot of players without a chance to play at the moment.
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On the flipside, title rivals Arsenal are also feeling the effects of losing key players.
And the Gunners are more dependent on their starting 11 than City and so less equipped to cope with injuries.
Last season, four of Mikel Arteta’s squad played more than 3,000 minutes in the Premier League – William Saliba, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Magalhaes.
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Not a single City player did the same, with Rodri’s 2,937 league minutes putting him top of their workload charts but also behind Ben White (2,995) and only just ahead of Bukayo Saka (2,933).
Phil Foden, second in the City rankings with 2,865, would have been eighth in the Arsenal list.
The Gunners are undoubtedly suffering from the loss of injured captain Odegaard, whose skillset would be difficult for anyone to replace.
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But a slight drop-off in form from 2023/4 ever-present Saliba and partner Gabriel is also being felt, because of injuries and a lack of match sharpness among the defensive cover.
Last weekend both Arsenal and City learned once more what can happen even to them if their best players are not fit and/or firing.
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Josko Gvardiol gave City hope at Bournemouth but the champions slipped to a 2-1 defeatCredit: Alamy
For most of the defeat against Bournemouth, Guardiola’s men looked pretty toothless, with Haaland struggling to make an impact and a lack of options on the bench to replace him.
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Andoni Iraola’s men were good value for their win.
And Arsenal gave one of their flattest performances of the last two and a bit seasons at St James’ Park, as hosts Newcastle deservedly completed back-to-back home victories over the Gunners.
At one point on Saturday, all three favourites for the title were losing.
But although Liverpool came back to beat Brighton and return to the top of the league, no one at Anfield will be complacent.
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So far the Reds are coping well with the absence of the injured Diogo Jota, such is the array of attacking options that Arne Slot has.
Yet how would they perform if player of the season so far Ryan Gravenberch or Alexis Mac Allister were to be unavailable for an extended period, despite the good form of Curtis Jones?
And what if captain Virgil Van Dijk was out? When the Dutchman, like Rodri, suffered a serious knee injury that kept him out for much of the 2020/1 season, Liverpool’s title defence collapsed.
While Van Dijk and fellow centre back Joel Matip spent months on the sidelines, then Kop boss Jurgen Klopp desperately tried to plug the gap by moving central midfielders Jordan Henderson and/or Fabinho into the back four.
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The entire balance of the team was thrown off and the Reds only just scraped into the top four.
City’s overall strength in depth and potential spending power in the January transfer window mean they should still be well capable of maintaining a title challenge.
But in a battle that could come down to a handful of points, the sale of Alvarez, as much as Rodri’s injury, may prove crucial.
Speaking in a Monday media availability, Gordon said: “One thing that we do all year long … this is something that you build on year after year as an organization with your teammates and your OEM in Chevy, it’s having these conversations: How do we work together, how do we not work against against one another, how do we share information, and what do we do about being aware of one another on the race track — no matter what race it is all year long but especially when you get into the playoffs.
#24: William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro, #3: Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro
Photo by: John K Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images
“That’s your job as a driver and as a team and a crew chief — it’s to be aware of what’s on the line. Who is in the championship hunt, who (has) got a shot to transfer through if they win, who is tight on points and so I think that’s what you saw really play out yesterday.”
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Radio communication indicated that there might have been some sort of organization from manufacturer allies, or at the very least an intense focus on what was happening with the No. 24. Byron could not afford to lose a single spot, and the No. 3 of Austin Dillon rode behind him for the final leg of the race. When the No. 1 Chevrolet of Ross Chastain arrived, chatter on the Dillon radio wanted to make sure that Chastain’s team knew what was on the line. Neither driver ever passed Byron, forming a rolling blockade of sorts that stopped anyone else from getting close to the HMS driver.
Ultimately, Gordon saw nothing wrong with how things transpired from within the Chevrolet camp in the closing laps. He only saw drivers “racing as hard as they could, but also racing to advance and racing to make sure you’re aware of what others are doing and what they had on the line. That means you don’t go wreck somebody or turn somebody. You just give them a little bit more room and leniency and I feel like that’s what I saw from a Chevy side of things”
Gordon thought a Bell penalty was coming
After the race, NASCAR deliberated for 27 minutes. Gordon was right there with William Byron on pit road during the agonizing wait for NASCAR to hand down their ruling. His initial gut reaction after the race was that NASCAR would act on Bell’s wall-ride, which would put them in a good position to get Byron into the Championship 4.
“Immediately my focus went to watching the 20 [Bell] car ride the wall,” said Gordon. “It looked like he was accelerating and even though it wasn’t the same with what happened with the #1 car and Ross Chastain … it looked very, very similar to me.
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“When you saw what happened with the 20 get loose and get up into the wall — we were watching that intently. And then when he rode the wall, I did feel like … NASCAR may have a ruling there.”
Ultimately, he was correct. NASCAR ruled it as a safety violation and Bell was moved to the end of the lap, ending his 2024 title bid. Had NASCAR left it alone, three of the four drivers eliminated on Sunday would have been Hendrick drivers and none would have remained to fight for the championship.
NASCAR stated on Sunday that the radio communications were not part of their immediate decision post-race but that they would review it this week. While the Championship 4 likely will not change, it’s possible NASCAR could choose to penalize the No. 1 and No. 3 teams, and perhaps even the No. 23 Toyota of Bubba Wallace, who slowed with an alleged issue on the final lap.
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England captain Ben Stokes will not take part in next year’s Indian Premier League after opting out of the upcoming auction.
Under tighter rules regarding player availability introduced this year, it means the 33-year-old will also be unavailable for the 2026 competition.
Fast bowler Jofra Archer is among the 52 Englishmen who have signed up for the auction, which will be held on 24 and 25 November.
Archer’s decision is interesting, given hopes he could return to Test cricket next summer.
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Named the IPL’s most valuable player in 2020, the 29-year-old has made his comeback from a series of back and elbow injuries this year in white-ball cricket, but it is still hoped he could feature against India next summer and in the 2025-26 Ashes in Australia.
The 2025 IPL will also clash with the early rounds of the County Championship, potentially preventing Archer from proving his fitness in the longer format.
The IPL brought in a new rule this year that means overseas players signed by franchises who later pull out will be banned from the competition for two years.
The dates for the 2025 IPL have not been confirmed. This year it ran from 22 March to 26 May.
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After the Champions Trophy concludes in early March, England do not play again until a four-day Test against Zimbabwe on 22 May.
Steve Aoki fans in Mexico got a big surprise during his Guadalajara tour stop.
The famous DJ, who is also an avid MMA fan, invited Diego Lopes as a special guest Monday night. Apart from his sets, Aoki has made a tradition of throwing giant cakes at the crowd during his shows and, well, this time he had help from the UFC featherweight contender.
Watch here (via Instagram):
Although he wasn’t needed, Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) recently served as the official backup for the UFC 308 title fight between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway last month in Abu Dhabi. He’s currently ranked No. 3 in the official UFC rankings and has yet to be booked.
Lopes is on a five-fight wining streak, with the most recent victory a dominant unanimous decision over former title challenger Brian Ortega at UFC 306 in September.
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During an appearance on BBC Radio Suffolk, chairman Mark Ashton was asked about the Cobbold Stand by Town fans.
He said of the stand, which houses 750 season ticket holders as well as the away end: “It’s on the to-do list – it’s not the top of the to-do list, I must be honest with you.
“Why? Because I’m certainly not going to take a stand down in the midst of a Premier League season, that’s just not the right thing to do.”
A bantamweight showdown between Ketlen Vieira and Macy Chiasson is back on for a yet-to-be-announced UFC card on Feb. 22, multiple people with knowledge of the situation told MMA Fighting. Ag. Fight first reported the matchup.
The UFC has yet to confirm the location for the show and its headlining attraction.
Vieira vs. Chiasson was originally booked UFC Vegas 84 on Jan. 13 of this year, but Vieira was forced off the card due to a knee injury.
In the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, Chiasson currently holds the No. 4 position at 135 pounds, with Vieira one spot behind at No. 5.
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Vieira (14-4) attempts to rebound from losing a decision to Kayla Harrison at October’s UFC 307 event in Salt Lake City. The Brazilian holds octagon wins over former UFC champions Holly Holm and Miesha Tate, plus one-time title challengers Cat Zingano and Sara McMann.
In two 2024 appearances, Chiasson (10-3) stopped Pannie Kianzad and Mayra Bueno Silva to improve to 7-3 since winning the 28th season of The Ultimate Fighter in 2018. Chiasson knocked out future PFL star Larissa Pacheco on the reality show, and has also beaten surging contender Norma Dumont at featherweight.
It’s election day on The Facility. Emmanuel Acho, LeSean McCoy, Chase Daniel and James Jones cast their vote for MVP, Rookie of the Year, most disappointing team and more.
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