Silva praises De Bruyne ‘ahead’ of trip to Bristol
‘Chelsea must attack Arsenal’
LONDON, Jan 22, (RTRS): Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has been hailed as one of the best players in the world by team mate Bernardo Silva ahead of the club’s League Cup semifinal second leg against Bristol City on Tuesday.
Pep Guardiola’s side lead 2-1 on aggregate following a closely fought tie at the Etihad Stadium in which De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero scored second-half goals to cancel out Bobby Reid’s firsthalf penalty for the Championship (second-tier) team.
De Bruyne’s strike was his eighth of an outstanding season for the Belgium midfielder and Silva expects him to play another pivotal role in Bristol.
“Kevin, he was already a fantastic player, but he has definitely moved up to another level this season,” Silva told the club’s website (www.mancity.com).
“He is a fantastic footballer and has everything. He has done amazing things this season and I’m certain he has become one of the best players in the world, without a doubt.
“I’ve been fortunate to play with many great players, including Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal. Kevin and Cristiano do not play in the same position, of course, but it is fantastic to play alongside him and David Silva because they are so good and so consistent.”
Bernardo Silva joined City from Monaco for 43 million pounds ($59.8 million) last year but has been restricted to just 13 starts and four goals in all competitions so far.
The 23-year-old’s opportunities have been limited by the excellent form of De Bruyne and David Silva in central midfield and Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane on the wings. “I’m feeling better and better, but I’m still not showing my very best form,” Silva added. “I have to be patient and wait for my opportunities. It’s my first year in England and I know next year I will do much better.
“I always try to improve and that won’t change, but I think the City fans are yet to see the best of me, but will do in the months ahead and next season.”
Gabriel Jesus, Fabian Delph, Phil Foden and Benjamin Mendy remain sidelined for Tuesday’s trip to Ashton Gate, but Vincent Kompany could return from a calf injury.
Chelsea will not sit back and defend against Arsenal in their League Cup semifinal second leg on Wednesday, forward Eden Hazard said. The sides are level at 0-0 on aggregate after Chelsea dominated the first leg at Stamford Bridge but failed to find a breakthrough.
Arsenal are a far more attacking side at home and have scored nine goals in their last three matches at the Emirates Stadium, one of which was a 2-2 draw against Chelsea in the Premier League on Jan 3.
Chelsea played offensively in that game and Hazard believes they should adopt the same tactics on Wednesday.
“It’s a semifinal — we will go there to win for sure. If we are thinking about defending against Arsenal, that’s a bad thing because we need to score goals,” the Belgian told the club’s website (www.chelseafc.com) on Monday.
“We need to find solutions and create problems for them. We will go there to create chances because if we don’t create chances, we can’t score. It is that simple.”
Chelsea will have Spaniards Alvaro Morata and Pedro available after both missed Saturday’s 4-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion through suspension, while goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois could return from an ankle problem.
Cesc Fabregas and Gary Cahill, however, are set to miss out through injury.
“We will see the team. Maybe
Bristol vs Man City beIN
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Arsenal vs Chelsea beIN
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the manager will change some players. We want to win trophies and the League Cup is a good trophy,” Hazard added.
“Big games are special because you know everyone is watching and our fans want Chelsea in the final. The stadium is good and on these kind of nights you want to shine.”
Restoring confidence will be the key to getting Watford back to the fine form they enjoyed at the start of the Premier League season, new manager Javi Gracia said.
The 47-year-old Spaniard was appointed on an 18-month contract on Sunday hours after the sacking of Marco Silva.
The Hornets were fourth in the Premier League after eight matches but Gracia takes over with them 10th in the table, four points above the relegation zone, following a run of 11 defeats in 16 league matches since.
Brighton’s English midfielder Solly March (left), vies with Chelsea’s Brazilian midfielder Willian during the English Premier League football match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Chelsea at the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton, southern
England on Jan 20. (AFP)