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Manchester City are proving to be very much beatable this season in both the Champions League and Premier League, whereas ‘title rivals’ Chelsea are looking likely to go unbeaten in the league, or as likely as anything can be at this stage.

Meanwhile City have won just one of their last six matches in all competitions, a dismal record by anyone’s standards. The current champions have lost twice in the league during the opening eleven fixtures, and despite playing Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, it’s Stoke City and West Ham United who have managed to topple the champs.

Things are not going well for Man City in Europe either – in fact they’ve yet to win a single game in out of four. When initially looking at their admittedly tough group, CSKA Moscow would have been the top pick for winning 6 points from.

After all not many get anything off Bayern Munich at the moment, and Roma are no slouches either. Yet CSKA are the only team that City have played twice, and after throwing away at 2-0 lead in an empty stadium in Moscow, Man City lost to the Russian side at home.

It’s no fluke that City have lost in the league to two lesser sides, as with a little bit of fortune and the right game plan, City are relatively easy to beat.

The reason that they are beatable is that they play the same every week. Manuel Pellegrini relies on the quality of his players as individuals to pull him through – and they often will, especially with Sergio Aguero on the pitch.

Tactically astute managers will be very much aware that you’re not going to come up against any surprises when you play City, and once realised by a manager who is willing to change their style to suit their opponent, the champions can be overthrown. Of course it’s not just a battle of the managers, and if City’s forwards are on form, there’s not much a team with less quality can do.

Chelsea are already looking certainties for the title despite the season only being 11 game-week’s old. Bookmaker Paddy Power has already cheekily payed out on Mourinho’s men winning the league.

The Blues have a manger in charge who is willing to grind out results if necessary, and change his tactics to suit the opposition. Parking the bus is nothing to be ashamed of when it works, as it did away to Liverpool at the end of last season.

There’s no doubting that Man City’s squad is one of the best if not the best in the Premier League right at this moment. Their strength in depth is phenomenal – on their bench for their last fixture against QPR was Jovetic, Dzeko, Zabaleta, Lampard and Milner. That bench would have been even stronger if it wasn’t for the absence of Kompany, Kolarov and David Silva.

Yet compare that to the side who are a place and four points ahead of City, Southampton, who had both Jack Cork and Harrison Reed come off the bench in their win last time out. Not quite the same frightening names, but The Saints are harder to beat than the Champions.

Perhaps it’s purely a case of being underrated and underestimated each week despite their league position. Everyone tries their hardest against the big teams, and that’s why it can be harder for the top teams. It’s a case of  it being big game for the little teams, and a little game for the big teams, which can make all the difference for the so-called ‘lesser’ side.

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We mustn’t forget that Manchester City are the current Premier League champions, and that they more or less have the same squad and manager as in that victorious campaign. However, they now are up against a team that are playing hard to beat as a collective whilst City remain hoping for moments of magic from genius players.

If enough of those moments come then they may catch Chelsea before the end of the season, but it’s already Chelsea’s to lose and you wouldn’t want anyone else in charge other than Mourinho in that situation.

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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has told his players they must show more ‘steel’ in order to improve their inconsistent form so far this season, the Independent reports.

In the last three matches Rodgers has seen his side lose comprehensively at home to struggling Aston Villa, hammer Fulham the following game and then lose away at Stoke, summing up the Reds inconsistent campaign.

The Liverpool chief feels it is adamant his players begin to show more steel in order to cut out the mistakes, if his side want to seriously contend for European places and silverware in the future.

“If you are going to affect the top of the league, which is what we want to do in years to come, you have to have more steel than that,” said Rodgers.

“But if you concede goals like that it is going to be difficult to win games anywhere.”

“Every game is learning. We learned after the Villa performance and responded well against Fulham and I am sure we will get a reaction on Sunday.”

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“But we want to be more consistent than that. We can’t be reacting al the time.”

The manager will look to strengthen his squad in January to help their cause, but will hope to see an improvement from his current crop of players when they travel to Harry Redknapp’s struggling QPR on Sunday.

Former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell has waded into the debate surrounding the North London outfit.Manager Arsene Wenger and the players have come under intense scrutiny following a recent run of bad results.Many would have tipped Manchester City to come out on top over the Gunners in last weekend’s Carabao Cup final, but the manner of Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat raised alarm bells.The issue goes back to Wenger’s future and the fact that he signed a new two-year contract last summer.Many fans wanted the Frenchman to end his two-decade tenure at the end of last season, but the board seemingly went against plenty of supporters by offering fresh terms to the manager.On Thursday night, the North London outfit faced City again, but this time in the league and at the Emirates.Arsenal were beaten 3-0 once again, but despite the result, the team put on a more competitive display.Following the match, Campbell interacted with fans on Twitter, and in one conversation he accused the board of not wanting to be “the best”.Majority shareholder Stan Kroenke has, in particular, been criticised by some quarters for his willingness to extend Wenger’s stay.

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So the rumours were true, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has entered the one of the biggest European games in the club’s history at Real Madrid with a wakened team… Steven Gerrard and Mario Balotelli take to the bench, while Fabio Borini, Lucas and Kolo Toure make the team to play the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo… Naturally Twitter has gone into ‘crisis mode’.

Uh oh!

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Italian giants AS Roma are lining up a January swoop for Newcastle’s Danny Simpson, according to talkSPORT.

The Premier League defender has been attracting attention for his off-field antics of late after becoming romantically involved with pop star Tulisa.

However, his performances have not dipped and he has been impressive during his outings in the black and white shirt so far this season.

Despite this, his future appears to be far from certain as manager Alan Pardew continues to openly chase Lille full-back Mathieu Debuchy ahead of a possible winter swoop.

If the Frenchman were to move to the North East, it would likely spell the end of Simpson’s spell at St James’ Park.

This has alerted Roma, who are keen to bolster their defensive options and see the Magpies star as an ideal, affordable addition.

Simpson has had an unorthodox career so far, having played for six separate clubs, despite being only 25.

He started at Manchester United, before moving on loan to Belgian outfit Royal Antwerp.

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He then turned out for Sunderland, Ipswich, Blackburn and Newcastle on loan between 2007 and 2010.

The Tyne club decided to take Simpson on a permanent contract, and he has gone on to make over 100 appearances.

The Marco Bielsa era has begun and Leeds fans in the Tavern are excited to see who the Argentinian manager will bring on board. 

Although Bielsa announced in his press conference yesterday that there won’t be many new faces coming in, the Yorkshire club need some reinforcements in the team in order to push on from their 13th place finish last season. The club are reportedly interested in a forward and have been linked (in the Sun via Football Insider) with Derby striker Matej Vydra and Aston Villa’s on-loan striker, Lewis Grabban.

At the back, however, Leeds conceded 64 goals and could do with some experience and leadership at the back. One player who is available and would fit the bill is former Premier League winner, Robert Huth.

The German centre-back has been released by Leicester, with whom he won the league with in 2016 and could add some vital Premier League experience to push Leeds back into the Premier League at long last.

At 33-years-old and turning 34 in August,  Huth would be on the tail end of his career. However, the former Chelsea man wouldn’t need to play every game and would add some vital depth behind Pontus Jansson and Liam Cooper.

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The German centre-back would need to take a pay cut to join the Championship side but with 322 appearances in England’s top flight and three Premier League titles under his belt, Huth would definitely add something to Leed’s backline. Huth did endure some injury problems during his final season at Leicester City and hasn’t played since last May due to foot and ankle issues but if Leeds can get him fit again, he would be a great signing for Bielsa.

Scottish Cup action returns to Ibrox this weekend as struggling Scottish Championship side Falkirk make the trip to face Rangers in the quarter-finals of the competition.

Having won their last five matches in all competitions, the Gers are red hot favourites to see off a side that are battling relegation in the second-tier. Results may be starting to turn around for Paul Hartley’s side, but the task facing them on Sunday is enormous.

After a busy week of action against Hearts and St Johnstone, it could be an opportunity for Graeme Murty to give starts to players on the cusp of more first team action, testing them against lower-league opposition in a match that carries heavy importance.

The Lights Blues know that the Scottish Cup is their best chance of silverware this season but Murty can afford to tweak his starting eleven ahead of next weekend’s huge match at home to Celtic.

These are the THREE Rangers players who deserve a start on Sunday…

Jason Cummings

Jason Cummings has started just three times for Rangers since joining on loan from Nottingham Forest which is perhaps more a testament to the good form of Alfredo Morelos and Josh Windass rather than anything the former Hibs man has done wrong.

Two of those starts came in previous rounds of the Scottish Cup, scoring in one and assisting in the other. It’s a fair bet then that the Scottish striker wouldn’t let his side in Sunday’s action at Ibrox.

Despite being utilised plenty from the bench, the Falkirk match is a great opportunity to give him more game time and he’ll likely be extra motivated to impress given his lack of starts.

He has a great record in the competition with eight goals and five assists in 16 Scottish Cup matches across his career. He clearly thrives on knockout football and this weekend is a great chance for him to prove that again.

Andy Halliday

Andy Halliday is working hard to prove himself to Graeme Murty but with competition for places fierce the midfielder has made just two starts for the club since returning on loan from Azerbaijan.

His exile to the far reaches of European football may have ended but he isn’t quite assured of a long-term future at Rangers, something he’ll know better than anyone.

Played in an unusual position against St Johnstone on Tuesday night, this weekend’s match should be a chance for him to show what he can in the middle of the park at Ibrox, with the pressure to win high.

He has let down Gers supporters previously, but if he’s ever going to win them round he needs big performances and the match against Falkirk is a great opportunity.

Bruno Alves

Bruno Alves made his first appearance since December for Rangers this week, but it was from the substitutes bench late in the game when the match was already won.

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Despite being fit to play, Graeme Murty has persisted with a David Bates and Russell Martin partnership owing to their decent form at the back of late.

Sunday’s match though is a great chance for him to remind everyone why he was a much-hyped signing last summer. With a World Cup coming up he’ll be desperate for action and motivated as a result.

Alongside Bates, who could do worse than learn next to the Portuguese star, he has more than enough about his game to see off the threat of Falkirk and it would give Russell Martin a rest ahead of next weekend’s crunch tie against Celtic.

Is time for Alves to make his high profile return to the Rangers starting line-up?

The way most teams spend these days seems to completely undermine what I understand to be the Financial Fair Play’s laws.

For someone who spends so much time watching, reading and writing football, why is it that I barely know what FFP stands for? How important is it? Does it even matter?

When Financial Fair Play was first introduced to football I was under the impression it had something to do with the amount of home-grown players within your squad and a limit on how much money you spend.

I didn’t spend much time forcing myself to learn about it as I thought I would suddenly get the gist of it as time went on. I didn’t. It rarely gets discussed and never seems to be in effect.

The past couple seasons watching the UEFA Champions League would tell you this. Teams like Manchester City and Paris St Germain spend heaps on transfers and wages seemingly breaching what would be FFP rules.

They both have assembled some of the most expensive teams in the history of football but it hasn’t seemed to have paid off on the major scale. Also both teams have very little homegrown talent in their squads.

When Man City’s purchased Jack Rodwell and Scott Sinclair I branded that as a clear attempt at trying to bring in ‘homegrown’ players in. I was proven right when neither was able to truly break into the first team with Rodwell following former England star Adam Johnson to Sunderland.

When the Citizens were fined last season I thought it would help shed some much-needed light on the often-overlooked issue. It didn’t. What it did though was prove that even when there are laws, money speaks volumes.

Somehow City have come out of their issue with UEFA much happier than Legia Warsaw. It has to be money that decides these things, Legia’s argument did nothing for them but City managed to get their own way in European football.

With the amount of spending Europe’s biggest clubs partake in, it is hard for smaller clubs to compete. In the Premier League you often have matches where one team’s starting XI price completely eclipses their opponents’ whole squad.

Also something that I expected FFP to combat was the gap between the bigger teams and midtable teams. Liverpool were able to go from the lower levels of the table back into the top four last season and I also expect Manchester United to do so – but they aren’t even really the mid-table teams.

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Teams like Stoke, and in the past Aston Villa and Fulham, were generally consistent with the position they finished in the table but it never amounted to much more than that (barring that one time Fulham made it to the Europa League).

So I understand that FFP has something to do with money; salaries, revenue etc. But I still ask what is it exactly and does it really matter?

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French international striker Loic Remy is set to leave Olympique Marseille with Tottenham and Newcastle waiting in the wings, The Sun reports.

Remy’s season has been blighted by injury resulting in poor form, which has restricted the striker to one first team start, eight sub appearances and a failure to hit the back of the net in Ligue 1 this season.

Les Bleus international’s own frustration is now very much apparent, with his agent Bruno Satin hinting at the possibility of his Stade Velodrome exit.

“If they [Olympique Marseille] were to get an offer of £10million, the club would let him leave.”

Remy was close to moving to White Hart Lane last summer, commenting that discussions with Tottenham representatives took place, but ultimately ‘came to nothing.’

With news of Chelsea nearing a shock move to bolster their attacking options by bringing Luis Suarez to the Bridge, Brendan Rodgers might soon feel the need to fill a void left by the Uruguayan.

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Meanwhile, Newcastle will be keen to add another stiker to a team sitting 14th in the Premier League and scoring a mere 13 goals in 13 games this season.

Players have been moved around, seemingly haphazardly, and the results have mostly gone against them so far

Mohammad Isam14-Oct-20232:09

Where have Bangladesh faltered?

The quality of Bangladesh’s batting at the start of their World Cup match against New Zealand was almost matched by the awkwardness of the conversations at the end of the day in Chennai.Najmul Hossain Shanto struggled to explain why Bangladesh were unsure about the positions of the batters in the middle order, while assistant coach Nic Pothas’ convoluted clichés left many befuddled.Shanto, who had settled into the No. 3 role in all three formats for the last 12 months, has batted twice at No. 4 so far. Mehidy Hasan Miraz took Shanto’s place at No. 3 when that happened. Shakib Al Hasan has switched between Nos. 4 and 5, while Towhid Hridoy has been at No. 7 after making most of his runs this year at No. 5. Mushfiqur Rahim, meanwhile, has been at No. 6, even though the evidence suggests he should, perhaps, move up to No. 4.Related

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Mahmudullah didn’t have to bat in the win over Afghanistan, was dropped for the England game, and batted at No. 8 against New Zealand; he hadn’t batted that low in an ODI since 2010.When asked the question at the post-match press conference, Shanto said captain Shakib and coach Chandika Hathurusinghe would be better placed to answer the question. He, however, said that the batters were made aware of their new positions before every game, but admitted that it took a bit of time to adjust to the new roles.”I am prepared to bat at any position for the team. I have scored runs at No. 4 before. I just haven’t scored runs in two games [in the World Cup],” Shanto said. “The decision [to change the order] is with the captain and coach. I can bat anywhere they tell me to. It does take a bit of time to adjust. Everyone has to be a little bit flexible to bat in any position. We are informed ahead of time. We are aware of our batting positions.”Now we are talking about it because nobody has performed in those [new] positions. When Mehidy was sent up the order against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup, we didn’t talk about it much. Some of these things are right, some are wrong. The batters haven’t made runs. Miraz and I batted in those positions for the left-right combination. We might have two lefties against the new ball. We don’t have many lefties down the order.”Shanto, the vice-captain of the side, also said that none of the batters had complained about the tweaks. “I think the middle-order batters – those who bat at Nos. 4, 5 and 6 – there’s flexibility in some teams. In our side, every batter is quite comfortable. Nobody is complaining that they are being given new batting positions every day.”On Friday, Litton Das’ first-ball dismissal, when he charged Trent Boult only for his flick shot to be caught at fine leg, was a bit unfortunate. In that, he found the only fielder in the deep on the leg side. Pothas argued that Litton’s shot was part of the team’s bold approach, but looking at the manner of the dismissals – mostly soft – of the other top-order batters, that argument felt a bit thin.”He made a positive statement. The ball goes five yards either side, it’s four. We are not having this conversation. We want our batters to be brave,” Pothas said. “Litton had a plan. Boult is a quality left-arm seamer. We have seen what happens when people stand and play. I have no problem with Litton.”1:17

McClenaghan: Your best batters should get more time to score the runs

When asked whether it would have been wiser for Litton to hold back for a few deliveries, Pothas said, “You are talking about an outcome, I am talking about process. We are talking in different language. We wouldn’t be having this conversation if that ball went for four. If he batted three more balls and got lbw, we would be having the same conversation.”Process is the most important thing. His process and thinking was brave. It was well thought for a guy who swings the ball into the bat. He wanted to meet him. The ball went to a fielder. That can happen.”Whatever Pothas and Shanto might say – or leave unsaid – Bangladesh are in a difficult situation, with two losses to one win so far. England and New Zealand have showed them up, proved that Bangladesh aren’t sure of their strengths and plans. Shanto and Hridoy’s batting demotions are cases in point. And it won’t get any easier, remember: their next two matches are against India and South Africa. That semi-final dream is already looking quite improbable.