City has clear air at top
MANCHESTER City powered seven points clear at the top of the Premier League on Saturday as Ilkay Gundogan’s double inspired a 3-0 win over Tottenham, while Liverpool’s problems mounted after a dismal 3-1 defeat at Leicester.
Pep Guardiola’s side stretched their English topflight record run to 16 successive wins in all competitions.
They are unbeaten in their past 23 matches, since their last meeting with Spurs, and look odds-on to win the title for the third time in four seasons.
Manchester United can close the gap to five points if they beat lowly West Bromwich Albion on Sunday, but City will still hold a game in hand to strengthen their grip.
Tottenham were no match for the leaders on a freezing evening at the Etihad Stadium.
The 25th clash between old rivals Guardiola, pictured, and Jose Mourinho was a mismatch from the moment Rodrigo put City ahead from the penalty spot. Gundogan has been the main man during City’s winning streak and he finished off Tottenham with two ruthless strikes. Spurs have now lost five of their previous
six matches in all competitions.
Amid Mourinho’s awkward rifts with Gareth Bale and Dele Alli, there is a growing feeling Tottenham’s season is spiralling out of control.
They are languishing in ninth place, four points adrift of the top four. “A fresh team against a very tired team, but we hit the post and going 1-0 up could give us the fuel you need,” Mourinho said after Harry Kane’s early free-kick came back off the woodwork.
After sweeping aside City and the rest of the league en route to their first title in 30 years, Liverpool have lost their magic touch.
They crashed to a woeful defeat at Leicester after Alisson Becker’s latest blunder sparked a stunning collapse.
PAUL Roos will have a matchday role in the North Melbourne coaches box as he yesterday labelled suggestions he had anointed David Noble into his new role as “insulting”.
Roos last week joined North Melbourne in an official capacity in a role that will include mentoring of coaching staff and executive as well as a football role on game day.
In his first interview at his new club he said he was already excited about the blend of experience and new emerging talent on the North Melbourne list.
Roos is back from two weeks in Sydney hotel quarantine after returning from overseas and has run smack bang into Melbourne’s five-day lockdown.
But in his first days at the club he already has a good idea of what his new role for 2021 will look like.
“Nobes (David Noble) and I already have a great relationship so it’s just about formalising what they need from me,” he said.
“I know pretty well what it looks like so we will take the next three weeks to go in and observe and decide. I think where I can help will be sitting in the box and observing and helping.
“The football department is a little skinny in terms of what it was in the past (given new footy department caps). I am really conscious that David is the senior coach and that’s his role.”
Noble said this month he only strongly considered the North Melbourne role when Roos called to convince him he had what it took to cross from his job as Brisbane footy boss.
Some commentators wondered if fellow contenders Daniel Giansiracusa and Robert Harvey ever had a chance given that strong endorsement, but Roos says the reality is exactly opposite.
“It’s a bit insulting when I hear that. One of the biggest things for me was getting as many people to the line as we could. There wasn’t an Alastair Clarkson or John Longmire-type person so everyone in the process had an opportunity to get the job,” he said.
“I said when this was put to me, we need to be really transparent about this and put everyone through the process. I know David Noble and I played with him, and what helped him commit was when he trusted that we would run a full process.
“We wanted as many strong candidates as we could and he just stood out through the process. The things we saw on his resume he was able to articulate.”