CLOSE 2017

Man City aim for fitting finish to record-breaking year

LONDON

PEP Guardiola hopes to end the year with another illustration of his Manchester City aristocrats at their irresistible best. Just don’t ask him to talk about their record-shredding.

“Always here, you talk about the numbers and the records but that’s just a consequence of what we’re doing on the pitch,” sighed City and Burnley.

That also led to some familiar diversion tactics from manager Jose Mourinho, who chose to pick that moment to bemoan how United were under-funded in comparison to City.

Still, the man who has spent around £300 million (RM1.6 billion) on new players in 18 months may just have enough firepower, even if he says he cannot afford to give a rest to Romelu Lukaku, who has scored only four goals in his last 19 United games.

Southampton finally completed their own mega-deal with Liverpool on Wednesday to offload their in-demand centre-back Virgil van Dijk, with the £75 million price tag now making the Dutchman the world’s most expensive defender. Reuters

“If Mourinho was coaching the Manchester City side they would not be playing the style of football we are seeing today. If there is a symbol of that look no further than Kevin De Bruyne, a player Mourinho coached at Chelsea but then sold.

“Where Guardiola is delivering in the short-term with an eye on further development, Mourinho is now about the instant hit. Players who may excel in two or three years time do not seem to be of interest as he rarely hangs around at a club to reap the benefits of their progress.” Daily Mail