Player Ratings

Ederson: Made an excellent save to stop City going behind and then did well to prevent them conceding another. 8

Lewis: Pushed forward as he can but Traore should have scored twice after escaping Lewis's attention at the back. 6

Akanji: Kept his composure during a sticky spell for the home team but was caught out for the first goal. 6

Dias: Always vocal and came up with some important contributions at the back, although there were a few struggles. 6

Gvardiol: Made a number of excellent blocks and interceptions to keep City's position in the game. 8

Kovacic: Still hasn't found his sweet spot in front of the defence, but more than made up for that with two moments of quality at the other end. 7

Gundogan: Some bright exchanges early on with Haaland and a header glanced wide, only for his influence to fade. 6

Foden: Did well for the second goal and is coming into form, but still plenty of moments he wasn't decisive where the Foden of last season would have been. 6

Silva: Not everyone's favourite choice on the right wing but he was too good for Robinson for most of the afternoon and did well to set up the second. 7

Grealish: Not involved enough in the first half, although when he did get in the game he set up Silva and then played through for Foden for the second goal. 6

Haaland: Started brightly linking up with Foden but never managed to be on the end of any meaningful chances. 6

Substitutes:

Walker (for Akanji, 62) Ederson spares his blushes after Traore raced past him to be in on goal. 5

Doku (for Grealish, 62) Did not give City the control they wanted, losing possession in his own half. Then he scored and all was forgiven. 7

Stones (for Foden, 78) Lost his man for Fulham's second. 5

Nunes (for Gundogan, 89) No time

Player Ratings

GK: Ederson - 7/10 - Was needed to make some smart saves from decent Fulham counter-attacks.

RB: Rico Lewis - 6/10 - Showed awesome technique throughout the game but was also guilty of losing possession too easily on a few too many occasions. Got an assist for Doku's strike.

CB: Manuel Akanji - 6/10 - Caught out by Jimenez's cute flick which allowed Pereira to strike. Otherwise performed well enough before his withdrawal.

CB: Ruben Dias - 6/10 - Misplaced few of his passes and coped decently in the face of Fulham's pacy attackers.

LB: Josko Gvardiol - 7/10 - Distributed the ball well and rarely came out of a one-on-one duel on the losing side.

DM: Mateo Kovacic - 9/10 - The Croatian's first was deflected and a little fortuitous, but his second was smartly taken and well deserved. Doesn't offer the protection and safety Rodri does but few others in world football do.

RW: Bernardo Silva - 7/10 - Always used the ball smartly and might have had a goal on another day. Grabbed the assist for Kovacic's second.

AM: Phil Foden - 6/10 - Buzzed around brightly and his cross eventually led to Kovacic putting City ahead.

AM: Ilkay Gundogan - 5/10 - Missed a few good opportunities that he created with his late runs into the box.

LW: Jack Grealish - 5/10 - Was always looking to probe and dribble, though his final end product was usually lacking.

ST: Erling Haaland - 5/10 - A more subdued afternoon for the big Norwegian than he might have expected. Couldn't hit the back of the net and looked a little isolated at points.

Substitutes

SUB: Kyle Walker (62' for Akanji) - 5/10

SUB: Jeremy Doku (62' for Grealish) - 7/10 - Showed great feet to dart inside and fire in what turned out to be the winner.

SUB: John Stones (78' for Foden) - N/A

SUB: Matheus Nunes (89' for Gundogan) - N/A

Player Ratings

Ederson (7/10):

Alert when called upon, denying Traore on two separate occasions as the Spaniard raced clear one-on-one.

Rico Lewis (6/10):

Didn't receive much support in what was a difficult matchup against the athletic duo of Antonee Robinson and Traore, but coped well.

Manuel Akanji (6/10):

Made a great challenge to stop Traore on a break but was slow to react to Jimenez's back-heel for Fulham's opener.

Ruben Dias (6/10):

A typically solid performance from City's leader, although he won't be happy about conceding twice at home.

Josko Gvardiol (7/10):

Provided a potentially goal-saving block to thwart Jimenez in the 76th minute.

Mateo Kovacic (8/10):

Turned the game around with his two goals. Kevin De Bruyne's absence will be felt a lot less if Kovacic remains this influential going forwards.

Ilkay Gundogan (6/10):

Doesn't possess the same physicality that helps make Rodri such a force in City's midfield, and this may cause issues against more clinical opponents.

Bernardo Silva (7/10):

City looked more threatening down the right than the left thanks to Silva's constant probing. Provided the assist for Kovacic's second.

Phil Foden (6/10):

Handed his first start in the league this season and couldn't repeat his heroics from midweek, but not for a lack of trying. Should continue to improve as he gets more minutes.

Jack Grealish (5/10):

Failed to provide much of a threat down City's left and was replaced by Doku after an hour.

Erling Haaland (6/10):

A frustrating afternoon for the Norwegian, who was left to feed on scraps. That's now back-to-back league games in which he hasn't scored which, for Haaland, is incomprehensible.

Subs & Manager
Kyle Walker (5/10):

Traore's pace is well known but the sight of the full-back being easily beaten to the ball in a straight sprint was a concern.

Jeremy Doku (7/10):

Scored a brilliant goal to seal all three points. The Belgian scared Fulham's defenders significantly more than Grealish did.

John Stones (6/10):

Handed 10 minutes as City tried to see out the game. Couldn't do anything about Muniz's late goal.

Matheus Nunes (N/A):

Not enough time to make an impact.

Pep Guardiola (6/10):

The City boss will have some concerns about the quality of chances Fulham created throughout the game. Rodri's absence was sorely felt in this one, but the international break affords Guardiola some time to think things through.

This post has been edited by kjs86: Oct 6 2024, 01:50 AM

Player Ratings

Ederson-10/10: The man-of-the-match for me. He made two crucial saves and was brilliant in possession.

Rico Lewis-6/10: Not his best performance. Adama Traore exposed him defensively, but he was good in possession, especially in the second half.

Manuel Akanji-6.5/10: He made some crucial interventions at times but was caught out by the Jimenez flick for Fulham’s opener.

Ruben Dias-6.5/10: Like so many of his teammates not at his best. But when needed he made a crucial intervention or challenge.

Josko Gvardiol-9/10: His best display of the season. Was good in possession and vital at the back. His late block was crucial to City picking up three points.

Mateo Kovacic-9.5/10: Scored a vital brace which was the deciding factor in the game. I give Ederson the man-of-the-match honours as some of the times Kovacic lost possession led to Fulham counters. But he was brilliant despite that.

Ilkay Gundogan- 6.5/10: Once again had moments in good positions but didn’t take advantage of them. He was better in the second half than the first before he was substituted late on.

Bernardo Silva-6/10: His battle with Antonee Robinson was a feature of the game. But Bernardo wasn’t at his best throughout the 90 minutes.

Phil Foden-6/10: Had some moments, especially early, but was below his usual high standards for the majority of the game.

Jack Grealish-6/10: Not his best day. Threatened on a couple of occasions but didn’t affect the game as he would’ve liked.

Erling Haaland-6.5/10: He had his chances early, but he never stopped trying for his team. Haaland will have bigger impact on games with his goals, but I thought his contribution to the City’s win was vital.

Substitutes
Kyle Walker-6/10: He was brought on to quell Fulham’s threat on the break. Besides one opportunity that Adama Traore exposed him for pace he did what was required.

Jeremy Doku-8/10: His goal was sublime. As soon as he was introduced he induced panic in the Fulham defence.

John Stones-6/10: Made several crucial blocks but not on long enough to mark.

Matheus Nunes-N/A: Not on long enough to mark.

This post has been edited by kjs86: Oct 6 2024, 01:51 AM

Man City set huge funds aside for new signing after £80m deal agreed

https://www.footballinsider247.com/man-city...0m-deal-agreed/

Manchester City have secured a major victory in their pursuit against the Premier League and their Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules, it has been confirmed.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...s-Unlawful.html


This post has been edited by kjs86: Oct 7 2024, 09:39 PM

Conclusion: All the PL teams are the same

Manchester City sporting director Txiki Begiristain is set to leave the club at the end of the ongoing 2024/25 season,

he won't be starter for pep team

pep domt like this type of player

same like yaya toure

Starting XI: Ederson, Lewis, Stones, Dias ©, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Gundogan, Silva, Savinho, Doku, Haaland

Substitutes: Ortega Moreno, Carson, Ake, Grealish, Akanji, Nunes, Foden, O’Reilly, McAtee

Player Ratings

Ederson – 7.5

The Brazilian made a good save in the first half to prevent the game getting away from City, which allowed the blues to get back into the contest in the first half.

Rico Lewis – 7

Praise has been aplenty for Rico this season, but it wasn’t one of his best outings on Sunday, in a somewhat underwhelming display from the defender.

John Stones – 7.5

Stones will have to take partial blame for the Wolves goal, but who cares about that. 90+5, Johnny Stones; sound familiar?

Ruben Dias – 6.5

Dias likewise could have done better to stop the Wolves attack, not committing to the challenge which would’ve stopped the cross coming in for the opener.

Josko Gvardiol – 8.5 (MOTM)

Make no mistake about it, Josko Gvardiol is one of the best defenders in the world, and his goal and performance reflected exactly that against Wolves. An absolute colossus at both ends of the pitch for the blues.

Mateo Kovacic – 7.5

The injury to Rodri earlier this season has left a gaping hole in the midfield of City, but it doesn’t mean his successor has played poorly. Another fine display in midfield by the Croatian.

Ilkay Gundogan – 7

Life back in England may not have been what he quite dreamed of upon his return from Barcelona this summer, but the German probably didn’t anticipate seeing this much action given the injury to Rodrigo.

Bernardo Silva – 7

Popped up in good areas but couldn’t quite click into gear. Silva was involved in the centre of the “controversy” surrounding City’s late winner.

Savinho – 6

Worked hard but ultimately failed to deliver anything going forward, a poor performance from the winger on Sunday as he was replaced by Jack Grealish.

Erling Haaland – 6.5

An afternoon Haaland will want to forget this one. Invisible for large parts of the game.

Jeremy Doku – 7

Gave the fullbacks on both flanks a headache in each half before being replaced by Phil Foden after 65 minutes.

Substitutes:

Phil Foden – 6.5

Largely ineffective upon arrival, but did manage to grab an assist from the corner for City’s second goal.

Jack Grealish – 7

A solid display from Grealish off the bench in this one, after replacing Savinho late in the second half.

Matheus Nunes – 7

Purely for winding the home crowd up following his introduction.

Player Ratings

Ederson: Another big save, this time when City were 1-0 down, that helped his team to earn a point. 7

Lewis: Caught in no man's land as Larsen stroked in the opening goal. Pushed forwards regularly but was unable to make the difference. 6

Dias: A few wayward passes aside, it was a decent performance and he nearly made himself the hero with a low effort that Sa tipped wide. 7

Stones: A board for City to bounce passes off, he was also culpable for the goal conceded and annoyed Guardiola with some decisions but netted late winner. 7

Gvardiol: The goal came down his side but he stepped up to level the game with a fantastic effort, and made plenty of excellent defensive contributions. 8

Kovacic: Still (understandably) doesn't seem to give the team the same control as the world-class Rodri, although he improved as the game went on. 6

Gundogan: Some nice passes and off-the-ball runs but there wasn't enough connection with Haaland to say he was closest on the pitch to him. 6

Silva: Very effective wherever he ended up, doing the running but also producing a goal threat that kept Wolves troubled. 7

Savinho: One of City's brightest, offering a threat in attack and doing excellent work defensively. His finishing could have been better though. 7

Doku: Earned his spot after a fine goal against Fulham but made too many poor decisions on both flanks despite a lot of the ball. 5

Haaland: A fruitless day where he saw little of the ball, but on the handful of occasions it did come his way he wasn't at his sharpest. 5

Substitutes

Fodn (for Doku, 66) Struggled to get involved. 6

Grealish (for Savinho, 73) Little impact. 6

Nunes (for Kovacic, 86) Crucial tackle and shot at the end. 7

Player Ratings

Ederson (5/10):

Didn't command his box well for the goal, but made himself big to thwart Semedo from making 2-0.

Rico Lewis (5/10):

A rare difficult afternoon for the teenager, who couldn't influence the game as he liked and lacked awareness in defence.

Ruben Dias (5/10):

Passive for the goal and out of position when Semedo came haring in behind.

John Stones (7/10):

Moved ball around well to keep Wolves on their toes and delivered the fatal blow at the death.

Josko Gvardiol (7/10):

How does he keep scoring these absurd goals? Strong in attack and made a big contribution defensively by jockeying Semedo and putting him off.

Bernardo Silva (6/10):

Had a big influence throughout with his seamless passing.

Mateo Kovacic (6/10):

Gave City control and was tidy in possession, but Rodri he is not.

Ilkay Gundogan (5/10):

City's creative engine but his passing was not incisive enough.

Savinho (5/10):

Some nice flashes but kept on being let down by final pass or shooting. Tested Sa from long-range. Booked in first half.

Erling Haaland (3/10):

Surprisingly anonymous given his record eight goals against Wolves. Took very few touches and had no shots. Shown up by compatriot Strand Larsen.

Jeremy Doku (5/10):

A twisting run nearly led to a goal but he kept on taking wild shots, to the anger of Guardiola, who hooked him on 66 minutes.

Subs & Manager

Phil Foden (6/10)

Swung in the corner from which Stones struck.

Jack Grealish (7/10):

Gave City more penetration down the flank.

Matheus Nunes (N/A):

Booed heavily by his former supporters, but won the corner which lead to the breakthrough goal.

Pep Guardiola (6/10):

It wasn't the best performance but his side kept on probing and his changes helped them snatch victory.

Player Ratings

GK: Ederson - 6/10 - Made an impressive save to deny Wolves a second in the first period and was largely untested during the rest of the encounter.

RB: Rico Lewis - 7/10 - Stepped into midfield regularly from right-back and helped orchestrate Man City's attacks in tight spaces with some neat passes.

CB: John Stones - 7/10 - Couldn't get close enough to Strand Larsen as Wolves went ahead but redeemed himself with the winning goal in injury time.

CB: Ruben Dias - 6/10 - Very rarely had to step out of second gear but will be frustrated with the sluggish defending that allowed Wolves the early lead.

LB: Josko Gvardiol - 8/10 - Man City's free-scoring left-back has returned and he produced a stunner from outside the box at Molineux. Offered plenty of promise on the overlap throughout.

DM: Mateo Kovacic - 7/10 - Made some characteristically powerful runs from deep and was tidy when receiving the ball in the final third.

DM: Ilkay Gundogan - 7/10 - Took up some nice positions in the final third and showed his class with the occasional moment of ingenuity.

RW: Savinho - 6/10 - Incredibly bright in the opening 20 minutes but his influence waned as the game wore on. Similarly to his teammates, he lacked cutting edge in the key moments.

AM: Bernardo Silva - 6/10 - Saw plenty of the ball as he floated across the front line but seldom caught the eye in possession.

LW: Jeremy Doku - 6/10 - As is so often the case with Doku, driving runs and electric pace was rarely followed by end product. Another slightly frustrating performance from the fleet-footed Belgian.

ST: Erling Haaland - 4/10 - Anonymous from the first minute to the last and was overshadowed by his Norwegian compatriot in gold. Man City needed more from him against a Wolves backline that has struggled this season.

Substitutes

SUB: Phil Foden (66' for Doku) - 7/10

SUB: Jack Grealish (73' for Savinho) - 6/10

Manager

Pep Guardiola - 5/10 - More question marks raised following another underwhelming performance without Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne. Fortunate to come away with victory.



SUB: Matheus Nunes (86' for Kovacic) - N/A

Player Ratings

Ederson-7/10: Could do little about Wolves’ opener but did make a great save from Nelson Semedo to prevent the hosts from doubling their lead.

Rico Lewis-7/10: Caught out for Wolves opener but was better after that. Another decent display from Lewis.

John Stones-8/10: Was the hero again with his late winner. Besides that, he was good on the ball and defended well when required.

Ruben Dias-7/10: Defended well against Wolves long ball threat and was good in possession.

Josko Gvardiol-7.5/10: Scored a stunning goal for City’s equaliser. Was good in possession throughout the game.

Mateo Kovacic-7/10: Kovacic was good in midfield once again. Dictated the game well when City had possession.

Ilkay Gundogan-6/10: Gundogan never stopped trying, but he has yet to discover his best form.

Bernardo Silva-8/10: An all-action display from Bernardo. One of City’s best over the course of the full 90 minutes.

Savinho-6.5/10: He threatened on occasions, but like Doku, his end product wasn’t there. Had one good effort saved by José Sá late in the first half. Also, like Doku, he looked more dangerous on the right wing rather than the left.

Jeremy Doku-6/10: Picked up an assist with his layoff for Gvardiol’s wonder strike. While he was dangerous, especially in the first half his end product was lacking. Doku was infinitely more dangerous on the left wing rather than the right.

Erling Haaland-5/10: He couldn’t get into the game as Wolves defence kept him quiet. Still had his moments at times but was well below his best

Substitutes

Phil Foden-6.5/10: Set up Stones’ winner with a perfect corner. He didn’t contribute much after coming on but that was the pivotal moment in City’s win.

Jack Grealish-6.5/10: He immediately offered a threat on the left when he came on.

Matheus Nunes-N/A: Not on long enough to mark.

Player Ratings


Ederson – 6/10 Made an important save in the first half, largely untroubled for the rest.

Rico Lewis – 7/10 Clever movement into midfield helped City’s attacking phases.

John Stones – 7/10 Redeemed himself with the winner after struggling against Wolves’ forwards.

Ruben Dias – 6/10 Generally solid but will be frustrated with the defensive lapses.

Josko Gvardiol – 8/10 A stunning goal and consistently dangerous going forward.

Mateo Kovacic – 7/10 A driving force in midfield, combining well with the attackers.

Ilkay Gundogan – 7/10 Influential in the final third, pulling the strings in key moments.

Savinho – 6/10 Started brightly but couldn’t maintain his influence as the game progressed.

Bernardo Silva – 6/10 Played a key role in the winning goal but wasn’t at his usual best.

Jeremy Doku – 6/10 Pace and energy, but lacked the final product to make a real difference.

Erling Haaland – 4/10 Struggled to get involved and was well marshalled by the Wolves defence.

Substitutes:

Phil Foden – 7/10 Injected creativity when brought on, helping City push for the winner.

Jack Grealish – 6/10 Didn’t have much impact in his brief cameo.

Matheus Nunes – N/A

Manager:

Pep Guardiola – 5/10 Tactical questions remain as City struggle without key players, despite the result.
View publisher imp

Starting XI: Ortega; Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Ake; Gundogan, Nunes, Foden; Bernardo ©, Haaland, Savinho.

Substitutes: Ederson, Carson, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly, Kovacic, McAtee.

Player Ratings

Stefan Ortega Moreno – 7

Had very little to do, but made a good save in the first-half.

Rico Lewis – 7.5

Really comfortable on the ball and always wanting to go forward.

Manuel Akanji – 7.5

Solid defensively and was confident on the ball. An assist for the Swiss defender tonight, albeit via the individual brilliance of Phil Foden.

John Stones – 8.5

Great goal and stepped forward to provide the extra option around the penalty area. An option to play at striker in any absence of Erling Haaland, according to Pep Guardiola.

Nathan Ake – 7.5

Was unlucky to have his goal disallowed and stopped any visiting threat. An encouraging return to life with the squad after injury.

Ilkay Gundogan – 7

Didn’t have the impact expected in this game but still played well.

Bernardo Silva © – 8

Controlled the tempo of the game in midfield and took his role of captain very seriously.

Phil Foden – 8.5

Did well to score so early on and remained a threat in the final third. Awarded UEFA’s Player of the Match award for the second European contest running.

Savinho – 8.5

Very quick feet and was a constant threat down the wing with his dynamism. Earned an assist from Erling Haaland’s brilliance.
Erling Haaland – 9.5

He always surprises with what he can do on the pitch and shocked everyone with his first goal. He is a serial goalscorer. That’s 44 goals in 42 Champions League appearances now.

Matheus Nunes – 9 (MOTM)

Very effective when playing with confidence grabbing two assists and earned his goal tonight.

Substitutes

James McAtee – 7

Played okay when he came on and will be looking to get more minutes on the pitch.

Mateo Kovacic – 7

Very clever when on the ball and he did his job well after coming on.

Josko Gvardiol – 7

Created an extra threat with his tendencies to go forward and attack up the pitch.

Ruben Dias – 7

Had very little to do when he came on but remained in control of the defence.

Nico O’Reilly – No time to mark