Manchester City followed up that fantastic display in Naples last Wednesday with a very a big result against Arsenal on Sunday. City were not at their fluent best all game but they had enough to see off Arsenal. Their first half performance however was as good as anything they’ve done this season. They pressed well without the ball, closed arsenal down and forced the gunners into playing long balls and making silly mistakes. When they had the ball, they countered with pace and precision. The ability of Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva to pick out pockets of space between defence and midfield came into play for majority of the first half as the city midfiled combined so well with intricate passing and movements. This was seen in De Bruyne’s opener where some good interplay in midfield allowed him some space to let go of a left foot effort into the far bottom corner. Arsenal improved in the second half and got a goal in between an Aguero penalty and a controversial Jesus effort for city. It wasn’t the dominant performance from city all game but the quality on the day was just about enough. As good as city were though, you can’t help but question the set up of Arsenal on the day. Coquelin coming back into the 11 was meant to give arsenal some defensive solidity but it left Arsenal very open at the back and the plan seemed to have backfired completely. The midfield were forced too deep and struggled to even play out of their own half. It was as though the team played in fear of the opposition and looked very inferior to them. In Arsene Wenger’s own words, “if you don’t believe ,then you have no chance at all”. This team showed no belief in whatever they were doing on the pitch on Sunday and were just not good enough. Its 4 losses in 11 games for Arsenal and they already trail the league leaders by 12 points. This game certainly showed that Arsenal aren’t only 4 places below Manchester City on the league table but are miles below them in every quality needed to win a premier league title.
Chelsea pip United
The Sunday late kick off saw Chelsea welcome Manchester United to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea were seeking a response after the humiliation suffered at the hands of Roma in midweek while United looked to keep up the pressure on league leaders Manchester City. Chelsea welcomed PFA player of the year , N’golo Kante back from a 4-week layoff while United were unchanged for the game. Jose Mourinho deviated from his usual cautious approach in big away games by opening up a bit more at the bridge. The performance though gave a good understanding as to why perhaps, Jose might have a reason to play as he normally plays. United were more open as usual and when Morata headed in on the 55th minute mark, he did so unmarked and in acres of space. Eric Bailly was tasked with keeping Eden Hazard out of the game and he did a good job at that. The consequence though was that, it left spaces and a lot of gaps in defence which allowed chelsea’s other attackers to move into. It was a deserved win at the end of the day for Chelsea but United’s performance has led to many thinking that , maybe Jose is right after all to ‘just go for the point’ in these kind of games. Questions will also be raised about the fact that after two summers and almost £300m spent, Manchester United still find it difficult to be brave and get a result in these big games. What is for sure is United face a tough task as the defeat leaves them 9 points behind City.
Partey
Ghanaian international Thomas Partey continued his fine start to the season after his brilliant freekick in the 94th minute gave Atletico all 3 points away to Deportivo. The Ghanaian is now Atleti’s top goalscorer in all competitions in what is turning out to be his best season yet for them. A combative box-to-box midfielder as he’s always known to be, Partey’s recently developed eye for goal has come as a welcome addition to his already massive quality as he continues to develop into a very fine midfielder. He’s been able to translate this form at international level as well where he has recorded 5 goals in his last 4 games for the Black Stars including a hattrick away to Congo last September. In a period where big name attackers like Antoine Griezmann are firing blanks, Partey’s recent goalscoring form can only be good news for Diego Simeone’s side.
Deontay Wilder “declares war” on Anthony Joshua
“I’ve been waiting on that fight for a long time now, I declare war on you. Do you accept my challenge?” Those were the words of 32-year old Deontay Wilder directed at British IBF and WBA champion Anthon Joshua after he knocked out Bermane Stiverne in the 1st round of his WBC heavyweight title bout. The American stretched his unbeaten run to an impressive 39 bouts with 38 won by knockouts. The manner in which he he pounced on Stiverne with incredible power and spectacular violent display caused Stiverne to drop to the ground three times in the opening minute of the bout. The final straw of which referee Arthur Mercante had to intervene after wilder came at him with the aggressiveness of a Lion hunting its prey. So hard was his punches that it left Stiverne in a very bad shape while he He held on as best as he could to the ropes for support. However, he shied away from celebrating his incredible victory and was quick to send out a message to his long time rival and co-champion Anthony Joshua. The British boxer has been regarded as Heavyweight boxing’s biggest star since sending Wladimir Klitschko into retirement . Wilder said, “ A king doesn’t chase peasants. A king takes kings. I want Joshua. If he don’t give me the fight,we have other plans…. The world want Joshua, Joshua ,come and see me baby. No more dodging, no more excuses. Make the date ,don’t wait. We might not have to wait long for the bout though, as organizers and promoters are scheduling a JOSHUA-WILDER fight next year. Boxing fans all over the world just can’t wait for that to happen.
BONUS: 
Andrea Pirlo played his last game as MLS franchise, NYCFC were eliminated from the MLS play-offs. The “coolest man in football” as he is called by many has called time on his very illustrious career where he won the UEFA champions league twice with AC Milan, the world cup with Italy in 2006 and the Serie A 6 times with Inter , Milan and Juventus. He leaves football loving fans with so many memories. I personally rate his performance against England in the EURO 2012 quarter final as the second best individual performance I have ever seen in my 16 years of following football. His legacy leaves on forever and he will certainly be a role model for up and coming young players.
Avot.
The Green Turf 
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