Big problem in midfielder’s quest to find top gear, says Arteta
that calibre,” Arteta said. “He was in France and one of the biggest stars in the league. He had an incredible year.
“Now he comes here and a lot of people didn’t even know him and you paid that price tag.And he’s a really young player.”
Arteta still believes the 24-year-old can show his worth.
“It’s not easy to adapt to this league but he’s putting in the effort and he’s willing to do it,” the Arsenal manager said. “First of all he needs the right structure behind him to be able to provide the moments of quality and winning games.
“Afterwards he needs to have a much clearer picture of the things that are happening on the pitch, why they are happening and how he can solve them. He’s in the process of doing that.” Meanwhile,Andy Carroll’s long-term future at Newcastle has been thrown into further doubt by a lingering hip injury.
Boss Steve Bruce was keen for the striker to stay when his deal ends in June. But Carroll has been out for five games, casting doubt over a new contract.
“The big thing is to get him fit and see,” Bruce said. “Andy is still not right, which is a concern for us going forward.
“Just as we thought we were getting Andy back, he volleyed a
PEP GUARDIOLA claimed he could be sacked by Manchester City if he fails to lead them to Champions League success this season.
But it is UEFA who may ultimately have sealed Guardiola’s fate, after European football’s governing body banned City from the Champions League for two years. Their two-year exile from European football’s most prestigious and lucrative competition, for breaking Financial Fair Play rules, is a savage blow to the reputation of the world’s richest club.
But the bigger concern for City is where the decision leaves Guardiola, whose future is now in even graver doubt set against the backdrop of the expulsion.
The ban could also end up ripping apart their double Premier League title-winning squad, with many players ready to move elsewhere to enable them to play at the highest level in Europe.
Guardiola was brought to City to deliver the Champions League and, after leading them to back-to-back Premier League titles with record-breaking totals, conquering Europe was the next step for the Blues.
But that ambition is now in ruins, unless Guardiola can deliver the Champions League this season, before City begin their two-year suspension for “serious” breaches of FFP.
Guardiola is already wanted by Europe’s top clubs, including Juventus and Paris SaintGermain, and the imminent ban will test his loyalty to City, with one year remaining on his current contract.
The 49-year-old has prided himself on never having broken ball in training and hasn’t been the same. We haven’t been able to get a diagnosis for him, which is a frustration for everybody.
“Andy has been dealt a cruel hand. He’s a strong-minded individual, however, even as tough as you are mentally, it affects you if you can’t play.”
Bruce has Joelinton fit, while new signings Danny Rose, Valentino Lazaro and Nabil Bentaleb could all start.
v● a contract at previous clubs Barcelona and Bayern Munich, and has been adamant he will see out his deal with City.
But is arguably the most coveted boss in world football going to stay at a club where the extent of the challenge for the next two years is the domestic title, assuming City’s appeal fails? The answer is almost certainly a resounding ‘no’, with UEFA’s seismic decision providing Guardiola with the perfect exit strategy, despite his perceived loyalty to City and those who run the club.
But the fallout from the ban will not be restricted to Guardiola, with City facing a potential mass exodus of players who will not be prepared to sacrifice the Champions League for two years.
The likes of Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling may ultimately decide, in the wake of UEFA’s extraordinary move, that their careers are best served by moving on. There will certainly be no shortage of takers for City’s star names, with rival clubs sensing the ban as the opportunity to land targets that were previously considered unattainable.
UEFA’s decision has left City in the grip of a crisis, despite the club’s expected belligerent response and announcement that it intends to appeal the ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Having been found guilty of inflating the true value of sponsorship deals and failing to cooperate with UEFA in its investigation, City’s reputation in world football is today in tatters.
But the true cost to City could prove to be even greater in the coming months.
Leno; Bellerin, Mustafi, Luiz, Kolasinac; Torreira, Xhaka; Aubameyang, Ozil, Pepe; Lacazette
Dubravka; Schar, Lascelles, Fernandez; Lazaro, Hayden, Bentaleb, Almiron, Rose; Saint-Maximin, Joelinton