Return of the prodigal SANE SHEIKH’S VOW: I’LL KEEP SPENDING MOUNTAINS OF CASH
They are fast and strong... but we didn’t make it easy for ourselves with that start
SHEIKH MANSOUR says Manchester City are still “only halfway up their Everest”. That’s an ominous message. The Abu Dhabi billionaire bankrolling City’s transformation says he will carry on investing in star quality in the pursuit of more trophies. The Champions League is presumably at the summit of his ambitions. In an open letter to City fans in the matchday programme, the Sheikh – who has just celebrated 10 years in control but has only attended one game at the Etihad – talked of his ambitions for the next decade.
He said: “It feels we are only halfway up our Everest. There is much more to do and there is much more to win. That is why you will continue to see us strive to recruit the very best talent into this club.”
But on the evidence of this comfortable win over Fulham – they scored 98 seconds into the first half and 97 seconds into the second period – Pep Guardiola doesn’t really need any reinforcements.
City look in fine fettle as they launch their eighth attempt to win Europe’s biggest club prize against Lyon on Wednesday.
Leroy Sane, so brilliant for City last season but seemingly fallen out of favour, was making his first Premier League start of this campaign.
It didn’t take him long to repay Guardiola’s trust.
City netted three goals but as Guardiola said it “could and should have been five, six or seven”, such were the chances they created.
Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic (right) said: “The result is fair. They showed they are one of the best teams in the world. They showed great possession of the ball and great attacking weapons. “They were fast and strong and we didn’t find our perfect level. But we didn’t make it easy for ourselves with the way we started the game and how we started the second half.” There were always likely to be goals in this game considering Fulham’s four previous fixtures had featured 16, one more than in City’s four games. And it always looked a case of how many City
would score. Fulham faced the dilemma most teams face when playing the reigning champions.
If you try to sit back and frustrate as Newcastle did before the international break, Guardiola’s men have the quality to eventually open a team up.
But if you have a go like Fulham did yesterday, City will exploit the spaces and rip you apart.
The London club didn’t help their cause by gifting their opponents the lead in the second minute after trying to build from the back and falling prey to City’s high press.
Jean Michael Seri’s intended pass to Cyrus Christie was intercepted by Fernandinho who raced through before squaring the ball to Sane who was left with an easy tap-in to toast the birth of his baby daughter.
It should have been two soon after when Bernardo Silva showed deft skill before sending through Raheem Sterling whose shot went through the advancing Marcus Bettinelli’s legs but deflected onto the bar.
But City didn’t have to wait long for another goal. David Silva crashed a shot into the net off the underside of the bar after his namesake Bernardo had turned the ball back from the byline and Sergio Aguero’s shot had deflected off Denis Odoi.
The goal means Silva marked his 350th appearance for the club by becoming the fifth City player to score 50 for them in the Premier League – after Aguero, Yaya Toure, Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzeko.
Andre Schurrle underlined Fulham’s attacking intent by twice forcing Ederson into saves with long-range efforts but at the other end Bettinelli denied Sane and Sterling.
City made a fast start after the break when Sterling tapped into an empty net after a low cross from Aguero, who came off soon after his assist feeling the effects of a jarred ankle which makes him a doubt for the Lyon game.
His replacement Gabriel Jesus, Sterling and Bernardo all missed chances to turn City’s dominance into more goals before they pitched camp at 3-0.