Sergio Aguero feels Manchester City are stronger for 2013/14
Sergio Aguero believes Manchester City are a stronger side this season despite bidding farewell to Carlos Tevez.
While Tevez endured his struggles during four eventful years at the Etihad Stadium, his arrival helped to spark a surge which carried the Blues to FA Cup and Premier League triumphs.
He decided to move on during the summer transfer window, with Serie A champions Juventus taking him to Italy.
Aguero admits his fellow Argentine will be 'missed' at City, but feels deals for Alvaro Negredo, Stevan Jovetic, Jesus Navas, Fernandinho and Martin Demichelis have City in better shape to push for more silverware in 2013/14.
He said in The Sun: "Carlitos has moved on and he was a great team-mate.
"He's going to be missed but we wish him the best in his next step.
"But I always keep a close eye on Spanish football and Jesus Navas and Alvaro Negredo were two of its brightest stars.
"Having them in our side makes us stronger - the same applies to Fernandinho and Stevan. They are amazing players."
GOLDEN BOLLOX 4-9-1977
Mike Channon scores his first City goals since signing from Southampton for £300,000. The England striker gets off the mark against Norwich City at Maine Road and further goals from Asa Hartford and Paul Power complete a 4-0 win that puts the Blues two points clear of second placed Liverpool at the top of Division One. Though Tony Book’s side finished one point behind the Merseysiders the previous season, Channon was the only major acquisition during the summer with QPR’s England star Gerry Francis’ back problem scuppering a big-money move north. City would eventually finish fourth that season.
Barry eyes England recall after joining Everton
The 32-year-old loanee hopes to secure a place at next summer's World Cup but believes that he was playing well enough at the end of last season to be called up by Roy Hodgson
The 32-year-old has not added to his 53 caps for the national team since missing out on a place in the Euro 2012 squad.
Barry is adamant his form for City last season did warrant a call from Roy Hodgson, but he insists Everton are now is main focus this term.
"My last appearance for England was before the Euros," Barry is quoted as saying by The Guardian. "I made the squad on the back of winning the title and then picked up the injury.
"That was the downturn and affected my call-ups from there. Last season I still felt I was playing consistently well in a top team to merit call-ups but it's about opinions and other players can affect it too. But right to the end of last season I felt I was playing well enough.
"I spoke to Roy after the last Euros when he wanted to see how my injury was, but then you don't make the squad and you lose touch. I'm fine with that. I don't need explanations every time I'm not playing or in a squad."
Barry made 41 appearances for Manchester City last season, scoring twice, but failed to feature under new manager Manuel Pellegrini before joining Everton on deadline day.
GOLDEN BOLLOX 4-9-1965
Youngster Glyn Pardoe catches the eye as he scores his second brace in successive games during the 3-3 draw away to Coventry. The youth team product impressed with two goals the previous week during a 2-1 home win over Carlisle United, yet Joe Mercer will convert the youngster to one of the best full-backs in the country within the next 18 months. With nine goals, Pardoe finishes second top scorer in the 1965/66 campaign.
Why Manchester City owe a debt to Gareth Barry
In any other era it would be unthinkable that a £12million England international would slip under the radar.
Gareth Barry almost slipped into Manchester City unnoticed in that heady 2009 summer of big spending and electric expectation.
In any other era it would be unthinkable that a £12million England international would slip under the radar.
With big names Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz, Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott all arriving in a £130million spree, Barry’s name was not the one being requested by the queues of excited fans in the replica shirt queue at the City of Manchester Stadium.
But in the four years which have followed, Barry out-lived all but Lescott, and has been an integral part of the Blues’ big forward strides from a time when they bubbled underneath the European places to become a major player in the high-stakes competitions.
Indeed, it is hard to find players who have had more influence on City’s rise and rise.
Naturally, skipper Vincent Kompany has been the rock around which the defence, and the team, has been built, a powerful influence on and off the field.
Tevez was a catalytic signing, his very arrival announcing that the Blues meant business, and his goals fired City into Europe and to their first trophy for 35 years.
And the world-class ability of Yaya Toure and David Silva have elevated the team to a whole new level.
But Barry has been arguably City’s most consistent performer in the last four seasons, the glue which binds it all together, providing cover for Kompany, and able support for Yaya and Silva.
There are sneering cynics out there who try to belittle Barry, and who conjure up the horrible image of him being outpaced by Mesut Ozil as England slumped to defeat by Germany in the 2010 World Cup finals.
That view of Barry is the view of football fans who do not see him play week in, week out. City fans have seen his shrewd tactical play, incredible work rate, physical strength and smart passing abilities – the stuff that never makes the cut in the Match of the Day highlights.
Barry is a consummate professional, always prepared. And on the odd occasion when he has not played well, it is noticeable that City have also not played well as a unit. That is not a coincidence.
Joey Barton once took a swipe at Barry as a “teacher’s pet”. That particular argument should end with a quick glance at the number of England caps amassed by those two midfielders – Barry 53 Barton 1.
Barton seems not to have realised that being a trouble-free zone, a man who takes his football seriously, keeps his nose clean and offers the manager no problems, is a virtue.
Barry is not afraid to express his views, either to team-mates or to his manager – it is just that his words never make their way into the press, which from the perspective of a football club, is the way it should be.
The player has moved on after being told that he was unlikely to figure strongly in City’s squad this season – the arrival of £34million man Fernandinho, and the apparent recovery of Jack Rodwell from his injury nightmare, have shoved him down the pecking order.
He wanted to stay, but after a civilised chat with Pellegrini, he moved out on loan – no bitching, no back-biting, only praise and warm words for the Blues.
You can be sure that when City play Everton on October 5 Barry – who will have to sit the game out under the loan terms – will be warmly greeted by the supporters.
Depending on how Fernandinho settles, and whether Rodwell can avoid further injury trouble, those supporters may even clamour for the loan to be curtailed.
There is a feeling that Pellegrini may yet regret allowing a player imbued with the essence of the Premier League to go so easily.
It was the right decision to make, and the fair decision to make, as Barry wants and deserves first-team football.
And in an era when City have been studiously carving chunks off their wage bill – saving around £30million through their summer deals – a saving of over £5million on Barry’s salary was another key factor, with Everton paying his wages.
If the manager had wanted to be entirely selfish, Barry would have been a very useful man to hold in reserve.
He has been left out of City’s match-day squads this season, the new regime deeming that Fernandinho offers the same as Barry, but with added pace and thrust, to more quickly and effectively turn defence into attack.
So far the Brazilian has yet to show that he can be the dynamic, top-class midfield driving force that was advertised on the wrapper, but it is early days, and it would be harsh to judge him until closer to the end of the season.
But it is hard not to think of the departure of Nigel de Jong, who was allowed to leave last summer, replaced by Javi Garcia, who was meant to be an upgrade.
That has not worked out, with Garcia offering little of the defensive acumen, and the eye for a pass which de Jong brought to City’s title-winning campaign.
Barry, on being unveiled as an Everton player yesterday, dismissed the idea that he had moved in a bid to resurrect his England career in time for one last tournament fling in next summer’s World Cup finals in Brazil.
That possibility will not be at the forefront of his mind.
He is experienced enough to know that focussing on your club form is the only way to catch the eye of Roy Hodgson, who appears to have consigned Barry to history in international terms.
Not many City fans will be surprised if he does become a key figure in the Toffees midfield, and who knows where that might lead if Hodgson re-thinks and plumps for experience, dedication and effectiveness over flamboyance net summer.
City fans tend not forget their heroes, and when the dust thrown up by the whirlwind of the last five years finally settles, Barry will get his own plinth.
And it will stand considerably higher than those of Tevez, Robinho and Adebayor.
GOLDEN BOLLOX 4-9-1982
Dennis Tueart gives City a third-minute lead against Watford but shortly after the Blues lose keeper Joe Corrigan with a dislocated shoulder. Full-back Bobby McDonald goes in goal for the remaining 80 minutes of the game and is roared on by a crowd of almost 30,000 as he repels attack after attack to finally help John Bond’s side to an unlikely 1-0 win and a third successive victory of the new season. The Blues go top, but will finish the season with relegation after a dreadful second half to the 1982/83 campaign.
I will win over Manuel Pellegrini at Manchester City, says Jack Rodwell
JACK RODWELL insists he can still win over new Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini and secure his plane ticket to Rio.
The midfielder endured an injury-hit first season at the Etihad following his £15m move from Everton a year ago.
Rodwell made just six Premier League starts for City last season and has yet to make an appearance for his new manager this term.
But Rodwell says he is now fit, raring to go and desperate to force his way into the plans of both Pellegrini and England boss Roy Hodgson.
"It’s a little bit like starting again when a new manager arrives and you have to win him over," said Rodwell.
The midfielder struggled during his first-season at the Etihad making only six Premier League starts
“It’s a little bit like starting again when a new manager arrives and you have to win him over”
Jack Rodwell
"But that’s the same for everyone. The previous manager Roberto Mancini brought me here, and obviously I was a little bit sad to see him go.
"But that’s football. Obviously Manuel Pellegrini is a great manager and I’m happy to see him come in as well so everyone is in that position where they want to win him over and I’m no different.
"I think everyone feels it’s a fresh challenge more than anything. Everyone has come in and is trying to win the manager over which has brought a new lease of life."
England boss Hodgson is a fan of Rodwell and despite his lack of action for City included the 22-year-old in his squad for the summer friendlies against Republic of Ireland and Brazil.
The former Everton man was sad to see Roberto Mancini depart the club at the end of last season
The 22-year-old is hopeful of gaining a place in the England squad for next summer's World Cup in Brazil
Rodwell came off the bench to play seven minutes of the 2-2 draw with Brazil in Rio to win his third cap for his country
And that taste of action at the iconic Maracana has left the box-to-box midfielder desperate to get himself in Hodgson’s squad for the World Cup next summer - assuming they get the qualifying job done against Moldova and Ukraine next month.
Rodwell missed out on the squad this time for the World Cup qualifiers against Moldova on Friday and next week’s trip to Ukraine.
But he realises he needs to be playing regularly for City before he consider an international call - and that means ousting the likes of Yaya Toure, Javi Garcia and new signing Fernandinho.
"I definitely need to be playing a good amount of games and there is the World Cup with England at the end of the year and that is in the back of my mind," he said.
"That’s my main aim. I am 100 per cent focused and hopefully I can get on that plane to Brazil.
"Playing for England is something I dreamed about and in a World Cup would just be a fantastic experience for me as a player.
"At a club like City I don’t expect to be playing every game. But obviously I want to be playing and getting my fair share of games which hopefully I will do.
"I’d be foolish to think I’ll be playing every minute of every game at somewhere like City, with the players we have got.
"It’s 25-man squad where every player could pretty much walk into any other Premier League team. That gives you an indication of the strength of it. But I’ll be fighting for my place."
GOLDEN BOLLOX 4-9-1979
City seem to be heading out of the League Cup, trailing 1-0 with a minute to go against Sheffield Wednesday. Having drawn the first leg at Hillsborough 1-1, the 24,074 crowed expected the Blues to progress and as many drifted out of Maine Road, it seemed as though that was the end of the road in this competition for another season – until Tony Henry equalised on 90 minutes and then scored another a minute later to send those remaining in the ground wild and complete an incredible turnaround.
James Milner defends under-fire Joe Hart
England midfielder James Milner has leapt to the defence of club teammate Joe Hart by insisting that he feels "blessed" to be in the same team as the goalkeeper.
The 26-year-old has come in for some criticism as of late following below-par displays in Manchester City's 3-2 defeat to Cardiff City last month as well as the Three Lions' 3-2 win over Scotland.
Many also believe that Hart wasn't at his best last season, but Milner feels that the doubters are being far too harsh on the stopper.
"He's a victim of his own success," Milner told reporters. "People said he had a poorer season last season but he won the Golden Glove.
"When we played Borussia Dortmund last year [in the Champions League] it was one of the best goalkeeping performances I've ever seen. We could have lost that game 8-1 very easily and that's not exaggerating.
"I am blessed as a midfielder because if I miscontrol the ball I've got four defenders and a goalkeeper to save me. If Joe makes a mistake it's going to end up in the back of the net. That's the unfortunate thing about being a goalkeeper. But he is a top keeper and we're lucky to have him."
Both players are in the England squad to face Moldova and Ukraine in upcoming World Cup qualifying matches
Manchester City and Tottenham spend big but in a controlled manner
They identified their targets in the transfer window and brought them in with a minimum of fuss – as did Chelsea, apart from missing out on their main target Wayne Rooney
Wow. The studio presenters on Sky Sports News' increasingly unwatchable deadline day special kept saying that to each other, as if something truly remarkable had happened rather than the usual story of football clubs falling over themselves at the last moment to tip money into the pockets of players and agents.
Yes, I am aware than Arsenal obliterating their transfer record to pacify their fans with a thoroughly decent signing represents a more upbeat ending to the summer than many Gooners were predicting, though finally splashing the cash was only remarkable in the light of Arsène Wenger's previous years of caution verging on stinginess.
Personally I thought the most amazing bit of business Wenger did in the window was persuade Roma to part with £8m for Gervinho, and while I wish Mesut Ozil all the best I hope he can cope with all the expectation now that Arsenal have effectively put all their eggs in one basket.
What Sky were mostly wowing about, however, were distinctly unimpressive bits of news, such as Manchester United leaving it to the last minute to pay over the odds for Marouane Fellaini, a player they could have targeted the moment David Moyes took over from Sir Alex Ferguson, or Romelu Lukaku being redirected late in the day from West Bromwich towards Everton. This was not dramatic, it was business as usual, given that many clubs now seem to prefer to conduct their trading in a chaotic hurry, as if participation in the annual homage to It's A Knockout was a stipulation in the small print of the television contract.
Even top-four clubs do not really need to do this, as Manchester City proved with £88.5m of spending before the season started, topped up with a modest £3.5m for Martin Demichelis as defensive cover as the deadline approached. That might be termed sensible spending, though as City parted with £92m, and only managed to rake in around £16m, mostly through the sale of Carlos Tevez, the outlay seems neither sensible nor sustainable. That is not to say the owners cannot afford it, but City's spend accounted for almost a sixth of the total Premier League outlay. So what? Tottenham accounted for even more, though at least the £100m or so they shelled out was balanced by the money received for Gareth Bale, Tom Huddlestone, Clint Dempsey and Steven Caulker.
What City and Spurs had in common was not just that they spent pots of money, but that they did so in a controlled way. It looked as though they identified their targets and brought them in with a minimum of fuss. So did Chelsea, apart from missing out on their main man, whereas hanging on to Wayne Rooney was just about the only unalloyed success Manchester United were able to claim at the end of the window.
If the window is an inflationary device, as its critics claim, and not only that but one that promotes disharmony and panic-buying, then at least some clubs appear capable of rising above it. But not every club has the spare cash to augment the squad with a £32m Willian here or a £27.5m Fellaini there.
The three promoted clubs, for example, all spent summer overhauling their squads and bringing in about 10 players each for roughly that sum of money.
Cardiff spent most, yet their total spend only matched what Chelsea paid on the spur of a moment for a player they scarcely needed but suddenly fancied pinching from under Spurs' nose. Because of the Shane Long deal collapsing at the last moment Hull spent only around half that amount, and it remains to be seen whether a lack of goals will now cost them in terms of Premier League survival.
Again, you have to wonder about the priorities of the Premier League, or even whether it counts as a league in any meaningful sense, when Bruce's hopes were scuppered because West Brom realised late in the day that Lukaku had been told to report to Everton. That tells you everything you need to know about the struggle for survival in the bottom half of the table. It is one thing when a chain of major transfers is predicated on a record signing such as Bale, quite another when loan deals for a reserve surplus to Chelsea's immediate requirements can throw the plans of two smaller clubs into disarray.
Yet it is worth remembering, instead of merely moaning about the madness of the (late) summer transfer window, how and why the present arrangement came about. It was not introduced at Sky's request, despite all appearances, and neither was it really about levelling the playing field and making sure the bigger clubs could not buy themselves out of trouble in mid-season.
Lip service was paid to such lofty ideals at the outset, but the real reason the window came into being was that football did not have a ready answer to the new problem of post-Bosman freedom of contract, and the agents who appeared almost overnight to exert a greater hold on players than their clubs and agitate for lucrative moves whatever the state of play or time of year.
Clubs suddenly felt the ground shift beneath their feet, and when governing bodies were advised that the transfer system might be illegal any way under the terms of the Treaty of Rome, it was hastily decided to usher in restricted periods of trading to at least reduce the disruptive effect to the close season and a few weeks in January.
It was a botch from the outset, in other words, and the transfer window remains a botch. It still needs refining, though all those arguing for a return to year-round trading need to remember that agents and new freedoms have arrived since the good old days. What you would have, in effect, is the Rooney situation with Chelsea going on all year, or Liverpool never being able to sit back and relax in the knowledge that Luis Suárez would remain their player for a given amount of time.
As the window is itself the best the game can make of a bad job, it seems inevitable that clubs' experiences will be uneven, sometimes comically so.
Alan Pardew says that even with Joe Kinnear's help he could not identify any players better than the ones Newcastle currently possess, and I am sure everyone believes him. West Ham appear to have had a quiet summer but in addition to breaking their transfer record actually spent £20m on two English players, so fair play to them. Andy Carroll is probably at the stage where he wishes he could join a new club without breaking its transfer record, and according to his detractors he soon might be, though if he ever gets fit he could recover a lot of his old confidence at Upton Park.
Carroll gets my vote as wild card of the summer transfer window. The best Premier League signing is undoubtedly Ozil, but he could also be the player under the most pressure. The newcomer with most to prove is Fellaini, closely followed by his manager, who on and off the field has begun his Manchester United career in just the sort of uncertain manner he would have been hoping to avoid.
Peter Odemwingie also has plenty to prove, or possibly live down, as he begins with a clean slate at Cardiff. Manchester United kept hold of Rooney, and though no money changed hands, that could still prove to be one of the best overall results of the window.
Some might argue Suárez staying at Liverpool could be an even better outcome, and it might, as long as the striker can improve on his woeful disciplinary record. Liverpool have been quietly impressive in adding to their squad over summer, and arguably the pick of their signings has been Simon Mignolet, who already looks a bargain at £9m. Steal of the summer might be Jonjo Shelvey or Tom Huddlestone, both decent buys at £5m, while riskier propositions include Victor Wanyama at £12.5m, James McCarthy at £14m and Stevan Jovetic at £22m. There is nothing wrong with any of those players, it is just that their prices appear on the high side, especially as Jovetic is still waiting for a kick at Manchester City.
Of the loan deals, Lukaku looks sure to do well for Everton, Victor Moses will shine at Liverpool if given the chance, and even if age is now against him Samuel Eto'o is still capable of making a statement at Chelsea. Indeed, with Moses, Lukaku and Demba Ba all being offered elsewhere, perhaps Eto'o has already made it. If he is only here for a season, chances are it will be a pretty good one.
[spoiler]
[/spoiler]David Moyes will bid again for Athletic Bilbao midfielder Ander Herrera, 24, and Everton defender Leighton Baines, 28, in January to try to restore Manchester United's crumbling reputation as a major player in the transfer market. DSSC
Manchester United failed in a bid to sign Netherlands midfielder Wesley Sneijder, 29, according to his Turkish club Galatasaray. Metro
A phone call from the multi-lingual Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger convinced attacking midfielder Mesut Ozil, 24, to move to the Emirates from Real Madrid. Daily Telegraph
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy called Real Madrid president Florentino Perez in a bid to stop him selling Ozil to Arsenal. Daily Express
Manchester United made a last-gasp attempt to pip Arsenal to the signing of Ozil. Daily Mirror
Arsenal were left frustrated on transfer deadline night after Chelsea blocked the proposed move of striker Demba Ba, 28, who was set to join the Gunners on loan. DSSC
Hull City manager Steve Bruce is furious with West Bromwich Albion after his £5m move for striker Shane Long, 26, was scrapped 70 minutes before the transfer deadline. Daily Telegraph
Leeds boss Brian McDermott is ready to make a move for Birmingham winger Chris Burke, 29, when the loan window opens on Sunday. Daily Star
Barry Fry, Peterborough's director of football, has hit back after Livingston midfielder Stefan Scougall, 20, claimed his transfer had fallen through because the London club had "moved the goalposts". Scottish Herald
Moyes is facing a battle to win over Manchester United star Robin van Persie, with the 30-year-old striker yet to be convinced by the new Old Trafford boss, who replaced Sir Alex Ferguson in the summer. Daily Star
Sunderland have lifted Phil Bardsley's club suspension after the 28-year-old defender apologised for mocking the club's opening-day defeat to Fulham on Instagram. Sunderland Echo
Midfielder Marouane Fellaini, 25, agreed to sacrifice £4m in loyalty bonuses to ensure his move from Everton to Manchester United went through. Daily Express
England and Arsenal winger Theo Walcott, 23, has likened Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney's head injury to "something out of a horror film". DSSC
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has decided to play Luis Suarez, 26, on the wing when he returns from his 10-match suspension. Guardian
A truce is expected to be called in the battle for control of Rangers, with an announcement understood to be expected before the weekend which will see Paul Murray and Frank Blin appointed to the board of the Glasgow club immediately. Daily Record
In a bid to avoid trouble in their upcoming Champions League games, FC Copenhagen have refused to sell home match tickets to any fans with 'non-Danish sounding' names. Metro
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