Manchester City

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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One of potentially the biggest moments in English football is coming on Friday, but precious few people understand how important it could be or even know about it.

The Premier League is considering 'anchoring' wages, which would cap the amount any club could spend on their squad at five times the smallest central Premier League broadcasting and prize money payout.

It is a complex argument. The league and some clubs are considering it because they want to ensure wage inflation does not continue to rise endangering their long-term financial security. From the other side - the players and their union, the PFA - this unnaturally limits the amount they can earn in what has until now been a free and open market.

Any changes to that position foisted upon the players without their prior consultation and agreement will not go down well. Remember, the players are the people that the paying public, the TV companies and the advertisers want to see, not a bunch of chairmen, executives and directors arguing over accounts, dividends and profit margins.

The game has increased the number of games played per season without consulting those who are physically doing it. No studies on how that will affect their health in the short and long term were considered, and so the PFA in England looks like it is finally ready to take a strong stand for its members.

Strike ballots are not unknown, I should know, as chairman of the PFA my name was on the bottom of every ballot paper when we last considered strike action over changes in working conditions. The modern owners may have forgotten, but we had 99% backing from our members.

Owners may think of footballers as ultra wealthy, mercenary, thickos who can easily be controlled - well they thought that last time and they lost.

It is time for serious and meaningful negotiation between equals and not a master and serf attitude from one side towards the other.

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Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

One of the biggest stories of the Premier League season so far is the decline of goals scored in open play and how teams have been scoring more from set-pieces instead.

When we compare how goals have been scored to the first 11 games last season, there have been 39 fewer scored in open play and 26 more from team set-pieces and penalties, giving us 13 fewer overall.

If we look at the bigger picture and the number of shots teams are taking, there have been an incredible 370 fewer in open play than at this stage last time out.

So which teams are most responsible for this change in how goals are scored this season?

The above graph compares how teams have gone up or down in numbers of set-piece and goals from open play compared with the same stage last season.

In terms of goals scored from open play, Wolves have seen by far the biggest decline, scoring just four in 11 games and that is 10 fewer than at this stage last season.

Outside of Wolves, the Premier League's decline in open play goals is very much a London thing, with five of the capital's seven sides scoring at least five goals fewer from open play than last season.

In fairness, that is largely down to them scoring lots of goals at the start of last season rather than them really struggling to score in open play this campaign.

Meanwhile Manchester City have seen the biggest increase, with all but one of their 23 goals scored this season coming in open play.

When it comes to goals scored from set-pieces (excluding penalties), Arsenal and Chelsea have seen the biggest increase, with both sides replacing the five fewer goals that they have scored in open play with the same number from dead-ball situation.

Manchester United have scored twice as many goals from set-pieces as they did in the 11 games before Ruben Amorim took charge last season.

On the flipside, Manchester City do not seem to have got the memo about scoring more from set-pieces because they've scored three fewer than last season, as have Nottingham Forest, although that might be down to the change in style they have tried to implement.

Read more about this season's scoring trends here

Tasnim Chowdhury
BBC Sport journalist

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Why Manchester City players like Phil Foden have their hands and wrists bandaged has been the subject of questions sent in via our 'Ask about Man City' form, so BBC Sport found out more about the trend...

The answer is simple. Footballers mainly tape their wrists to protect them from injury.

Sports tape, which is wrapped around the wrist and sometimes fingers, provides support and stability to the wrist joints during a match - meaning that if a player has been tackled, faced a collision or a fall, the tape will form protection to their wrist.

Ben Warburton, a physiotherapist who has worked with Cardiff City, Wales' national rugby union team and Scarlets rugby union team, says players like Phil Foden wear the tape for different injury-related reasons.

He said the first is for "prophylactic measures", such as when footballers fall to the floor helping to "reduce the risk of a wrist injury".

It can also reduce extension at the wrist joint.

"Taping can give reassurance after an injury," explains Warburton. "This restriction in movement can give massive confidence to a player, making them feel they can play aggressively - and should they fall, their wrist is slightly protected."

Warburton also says that wearing wrist tape can just be for show, or for tactical reasons - especially goalkeepers who may have notes on their tape, such as penalty shootout instructions.

Wearing tape could also be part of a footballer's superstitious beliefs, believing they will have a better performance or it will bring them luck if they apply it.

It can also become part of a footballer's identity on the pitch if they become known for their wrist tape.

There are numerous videos on TikTok of people showing how to tape your wrists like Foden, Jamie Vardy and Vinicius Jr.

Foden did not wear the tape until fracturing his hand in January 2024, but the Manchester City playmaker has continued to wear the bandage ever since.

Ultimately, wearing wrist tape is down to each individual player and their preferences.

Read more about it here

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Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport journalist

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The Africa Cup of Nations kicks off earlier than usual this year, with up to 17 Premier League clubs set to be affected by players jetting off to host country Morocco.

The tournament runs from 21 December until 18 January.

There has been no official announcement about which date clubs will have to release their players by - and it could vary depending on agreements.

Players could miss up to six, or in some cases seven, Premier League matches - plus FA Cup and Carabao Cup games - if they reach the final.

The group stages end on 31 December, so quickly eliminated players may only miss half that amount.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds do not have any players due to play in the 2025 Afcon - with Sunderland and Wolves losing the most players.

• Aston Villa - 1

• Bournemouth - 1

• Brentford - 2

• Brighton - 1

• Burnley - 3

• Crystal Palace - 1 to 4

• Everton - 2 to 3

• Fulham - 3

• Liverpool - 1

• Manchester City - 2

• Manchester United - 3

• Newcastle United - 0 to 1

• Nottingham Forest - 1 to 4

• Sunderland - 7

• Tottenham - 1 to 2

• West Ham United - 2

• Wolves - 5

Read the full article here to know which players will feature at Afcon

Netherlands defender Nathan Ake, 30, is one of three Manchester City players weighing up their future before the January transfer window. (Mail - subscription required), external

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Freddie Pye
Fan writer

Which player is flying?: Aside from the obvious in a certain Norwegian, Jeremy Doku is currently a man performing at the very highest level and making the difference in matches. He has found his range in goalscoring opportunities, creating, assisting and scoring for himself - a stark contrast to his first few seasons.

Which player is floundering?: Savinho. After a summer marred by transfer uncertainty and injury, the Brazilian is looking so far off the pace and raising the question among supporters as to whether Manchester City really should have gone ahead and cashed in on Tottenham's big-money proposals. There is immense pressure on the winger and we are only a few weeks since he signed a long-term contract.

Tactically I think we... look strong. There is real attacking urgency and threat about this latest iteration of Pep Guardiola's side and a new-found control and physicality that was certainly lost last campaign. There is an ability to sit in and defend, counter attack with pace and vibrance, and create against a deep block.

I want my manager to give me more... of Matheus Nunes and Nico O'Reilly as our full-back pairing. Stability is crucial and in a problem position such as full-back, City may have found their much-needed answer, despite recruiting Rayan Ait-Nouri and the failure to sign a natural right-sided option.

Our fans seem obsessed with... Rayan Cherki, and rightly so! The Frenchman is a rare sight in the modern game; a player fearless to try the impossible and a constant desire to entertain. He may not be a replacement for Kevin de Bruyne - and perhaps no footballer could ever hit the heights of the legendary attacking midfielder in terms of assist output - but Cherki could offer traits that the Belgian maybe could not.

But they should be thinking about... how early on we are in the Cherki era. It is almost as if this was a player crying out to see his natural abilities nurtured by a top-level coach and footballing genius, now happening with Guardiola. This is just the start of a potential rise to superstardom.

My expectations for the season were... about challenging more strongly and getting a feeling of dominance back. But after the resurgence we've had since the back-to-back defeats in August, a serious push for the Premier League title is certainly a possibility.

Score for the season so far: 7.5/10, only because of the inconsistencies at the start of the season which naturally brought some nervousness.

One sentence on how you're feeling right now: While I am not necessarily confident of success in May and June next year, and the direction of the major pieces of silverware, I am excited about watching this team play. The fresh energy has been brought about by the new faces and the resurgence of Phil Foden and Doku, with all that feeding into a new form of Erling Haaland - something we thought was not even possible!

Find more from Freddie Pye at City Xtra, external

Over the past week, we have been asking you to send in the best Premier League XI your club could have put together.

We know football existed before 1992 but as a Leeds United fan asked our experts on the club to name theirs - using the Ask Me Anything form on the Whites - we stuck with their parameters.

Here is BBC Sport's Manchester City fan writer Freddie's effort.

And you can ask us about the club using the City Ask Me Anything form at the top of this page or here

Find more from Freddie Pye at City Xtra, external

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is impressed by Cologne's Germany winger Said El Mala, 19, and is having him closely monitored by scouts. (Sky Sports Germany - in German), external

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We have, roughly, run the numbers and here is the XI your submissions have produced.

In many ways, City fans are spoiled for choice but there was also reasonable consensus about who should make this stellar line-up.

With 4-4-2 the most chosen formation, it does mean perhaps slightly unusual positioning for a couple of these players, but it certainly would not hold them back.

And a strikeforce of Erling Haaland and Sergio Aguero would light up the Premier League.

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

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The statistics might say playing at home is an advantage - but what happens when it is not?

So far this season, 53% of Premier League matches have been won by the home team - the highest ever rate in a single campaign.

On the flip side, just 26% have been won by the away team - the lowest rate since 2010-11.

However, this has not been the case for all teams.

For some, being on the road has been more favourable. Tottenham are perhaps the most contrasting example having the joint-most points away from home with 13, but the second-worst in front of their own fans with just five points.

In the second part of her chat with BBC Sport, performance psychologist Marie Cartwright explained: "With crowds when playing away from home, there is a reduced scrutiny as a whole for away teams in that those crowds expect the home team to be the ones in charge. The players feel less judged. The pressure is on the other side.

"Another reason could come down to something in psychology I like to call simplification of the task. The team has a better collective identity when they are away.

"The human brain still goes back to the cavemen days. We have to, as a collective, fight for something. We have to protect our name. It goes back to that hunter-gatherer-against-danger mentality.

"When players are in front of a home crowd, there can be a bit of playing up to the individuality.

"I really do believe that collective identity has a strong enough influence because it amplifies the purpose and the belonging - let's belong together, let's be stronger together."

The focus might be on the players' performances being impacted by being home or away, but what about the managers?

Wolves, West Ham and Nottingham Forest make up three of the bottom four for their home records so far this term, and all have changed their manager in recent weeks.

"100% managers and coaches can be affected, and sometimes even more so because there is so much riding on that one person," Cartwright said.

"The decision-making is the main thing. The crowd is chanting - 'take this player off, do this' - and it can lead to rushed decisions, particularly when the noise becomes relentless.

"Then there is the emotional regulation and touchline behaviour. A manager is pacing up and down, mirroring the stress state, and players see that. It can lead to mimicking and players feeling that stress too."

The impact on teams psychologically playing home or away is apparent, so how can they make the most from these different conditions?

"Our brains are wired to think negatively - it's a protection mechanism," Cartwright said.

"So when it comes to performing home and away, those players and managers who deal with it best are those who know how to use the noise and scrutiny and move on quickly from it - an ability to have a reset routine and regulate their emotions in these pressurised situations."

Read more from Marie in part one of her chat around the impact of playing at home here

Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport journalist

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Generational goalgetter Erling Haaland will get a crack at his first major tournament next summer, after leading Norway to the 2026 World Cup.

And the Manchester City striker did it in sensational style, scoring 16 goals in eight qualifiers - netting at least once in every one of those games.

That makes him the top scorer in World Cup qualifying in any continent.

The 25-year-old's goalscoring record for Norway is nothing short of phenomenal.

He has hit 55 goals in 48 matches for his country and in fact he is only the sixth player ever, and the first in 53 years, to score 50 goals in fewer than 50 caps.

Norway's previous top scorer was 33-goal Jorgen Juve, who held that record for 90 years.

Over a year has passed since Haaland last failed to score in a game for Norway.

Including games for City, Haaland has scored 32 goals in 20 games this season.

For the first time in a generation, Norway fans will experience the joy of supporting their team at an international tournament.

Their nation competed in the World Cups in 1938, 1994 and 1998, and Euro 2000.

Haaland's father, Alf Inge, played at the 1994 tournament. Erling has previously said being better than his father was a big career ambition for him.

Alfie never won a trophy with clubs like Nottingham Forest, Leeds and Manchester City.

Erling has won the Treble with City, another title too and trophies in Austria and Germany.

A World Cup appearance was probably the only thing his dad's career had over his.

"Norway will never win the World Cup," Haaland Jr told Time Magazine in July., external

"If we would qualify for the World Cup, it would be like another big nation winning it. It would be the biggest party ever. Scenes in Oslo would be incredible."

Manchester City are monitoring Eintracht Frankfurt left-back Nathaniel Brown, 22, who made his senior debut for the German national team in October. (Bild - in German), external

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Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

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"Home advantage gives you an advantage."

It is a quote - among many - attributed to the famous former England manager Sir Bobby Robson - a simple, yet fair reflection of a historical format of football.

For as long as teams have played in leagues, games taking place home and away has been the norm, with the idea that playing at home will be to the benefit of that team.

But what is the impact of playing at your own ground in front of your own fans?

In the first part of her chat with BBC Sport, performance psychologist Marie Cartwright explained: "Home impact can be viewed in two ways. Sometimes it does have a positive impact, and what happens is there is an elevated motivation.

"What that means is the crowd energy increases adrenaline and that creates a momentum in effort and intensity in the players. It is also a familiar environment for the players, so that means it reduces the cognitive load. They don't have to think as much about anything else other than their play because they know the pitch, they know the routines, they feel settled.

"However, there are a couple of potential negative impacts as well, with the potential intensification in pressure in the home fans, most times, expecting dominance from the home team. That can lead to mistakes from players feeling bigger to them.

"There can then be what we call a threat state. The players might perceive consequences as high, so they feel they might be facing more criticism when they are at home."

While those who watch football know there are more factors than just where the match is being to take into consideration, the statistics do suggest the influence is there.

Since the Premier League started, the home win percentage has outweighed the away win percentage in all bar one season - the Covid-hit 2020-21 campaign in which fans were largely not allowed admission saw a 38% home win rate compared to 40% away win rate.

So how a team handles this additional crowd pressure seems to be a key factor.

"In psychology, there is something called the challenge and threat theory," Cartwright said.

"In reality what that means is a 'challenge state' can push the player into thinking, 'I've got this, I've got the resources to cope with this'. That leads to better decision making and quicker reactions.

"The threat state, on the other hand, players might think the consequences outweigh their ability to cope. In any match context, that can mean they have a narrow sense of focus, the focus is not quite the same, so the play becomes slower because of overthinking."

"It can also be called 'red brain or blue brain' - with red brain being the one with fear-based dialogue and internal negative self-talk, while blue brain is the cool, calm and collected one that can handle its emotions.

"What sits in the middle of these is distraction. How a player responds to distraction and filters out the noise, like the crowd, can impact which of these mindsets they move into and ultimately how the team performs."

Read more from Marie in part two of her chat about why teams some teams play better away from home and how it impacts managers - that will be on this page early next week.

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We wanted your suggestions for Manchester City's all-time best Premier League XI.

You have provided us with an interesting selection so here's some of your picks:

Bob: 4-4-2. Ederson, Walker, Kompany, Dias, O'Reilly, Doku, David Silva, De Bruyne, Mahrez, Haaland, Aguero. Team of world beaters from a few years ago with added modern strengths.

Chris: 3-5-2. Ederson, Walker, Kompany, Stones, De Bruyne, Yaya Toure, Rodri, D Silva, Foden, S Aguero, Haaland. I'm not convinced Erling and Sergio could play together but can't leave either out. I'm sure that midfield would create for them both and score a few themselves!

Daveed: 4-4-2. Ederson - multiple trophies won already. Walker, Kompany, Dias, Gvardiol - again trophies amongst them and a blend of experience with Kompany captain. Silva, Toure, Fernandinho, De Bruyne - basically four of my six top players woven into a classy midfield. Haaland and Aguero. I'm just going big up front and they should surely feed of one another.

Andrew: 4-1-3-2: Donnarumma, Walker, Kompany, Stones, Cancelo, David Silva, De Bruyne, Rodri, Sane, Haaland, Aguero. Legends and legends in the making together. Absolute world beaters.

George Mills
BBC Sport senior journalist

In a recent addition of the Football Extra newsletter, Roger asked BBC Sport: Players are frequently injured on international duty - such as Chris Wood for New Zealand last season, which may have ultimately cost Nottingham Forest a Champions League place. Are clubs compensated by the country or does insurance cover compensation?'

Since 2012, Fifa's Club Protection Programme has covered the salary of players injured on international duty - although there are some conditions.

Firstly, the player must be out of action for a period of at least 28 consecutive days and the injury must have been sustained during an "accident", which is defined in very boring and legally-specific detail in Fifa's guidelines, though it covers most of the examples you could think of.

The scheme pays the salary of an injured player up to the maximum amount of €7.5m (£6.6m) until they are declared fit to return for their clubs.

Transfermarkt lists Chris Wood as missing 18 days - three games - with the hip injury you mention from last March, suffered on international duty with New Zealand. As he returned inside 28 days, Forest would not have been eligible to claim compensation.

There are a couple of clubs who will currently be beneficiaries of this scheme though, including Newcastle United, whose £55m summer signing Yoane Wissa is yet to make an appearance since suffering a knee injury while playing for DR Congo.

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Shamoon Hafez
Manchester City reporter

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After finishing third in the Premier League last season, seeing an early exit from the Champions League, losing the FA Cup final and suffering a shock exit at the Club World Cup, questions were rightly being asked whether Pep Guardiola and Manchester City could regroup and go again.

Was last term the start of a downfall or merely a blip?

Sunday's dismantling of champions Liverpool, extending their run to just one defeat in their past 14 games, emphatically answered any doubts.

After going under the radar in the early part of the campaign, City seem like they are back to their old selves and teams in England and across Europe will now be paying closer attention.

The side are spearheaded by the prolific Erling Haaland, who has rightly taken many of the headlines this season, but Guardiola's team is sprinkled with a supporting cast unheralded so far.

Midfielder Nico Gonzalez had a difficult start following his move from Porto in January but is starting to make the number six position his own in the absence of Rodri, while Nico O'Reilly continues to grow at left-back, keeping Mohamed Salah in his pocket at the weekend.

Phil Foden is back to his best, earning a recall to the England set-up. Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol are a formidable centre-back pairing. There is plenty for fans to be excited about.

Now comes the most demanding part of the campaign with 10 games to be played from 22 November until the end of the year, with tough trips to places such as Real Madrid, Newcastle and Crystal Palace on the agenda.

City's victory over the Reds following Arsenal's surprise draw at Sunderland cut the deficit to four points and it does not need spelling out how good Guardiola sides are at hunting down the leaders.

Come through this next period unscathed and the chase for the title will well and truly be on.

Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalist

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This season Nico O'Reilly has very much established himself as a regular at Manchester City, making 10 Premier League appearances so far, scoring one goal and providing two assists.

It led to him picking up his first England cap on Thursday and impressing in the 2-0 win over Serbia.

Interestingly, however, left-back was not initially his calling.

Previously describing himself as a box-to-box midfielder who grew up admiring Yaya Toure and David Silva, he was deployed in the full-back role last season by manager Pep Guardiola through necessity because of injuries.

At one stage last term, City went on a run of one win in 13 games and boss Guardiola told BBC Sport the upturn in results after that "would be difficult to imagine" without O'Reilly's contributions.

"I loved the emotion he plays with," former Manchester United and England defender Phil Jones said.

"He is always controlled with his emotions for a young player, to play in those magnitude of games.

"He has got that real good state of mind - he plays on the edge, but he is calm.

England manager Thomas Tuchel added: "He seems to be very shy, he doesn't speak a lot, but he is very intelligent on the pitch and adapted so well to all the new things we demand from him."

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Read the full article here

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Manchester City defender Nico O'Reilly says it was a "dream come true" to make his England debut against Serbia at Wembley Stadium, adding that he has already set his sights on a spot in Thomas Tuchel's official World Cup squad.

"I'm over the moon," O'Reilly told BBC Radio 5 Live after the 2-0 win. "It has been a very special night making my England debut - a dream come true for me and my family.

"I want to thank everyone who has helped me get here, my mum, stepdad and sister. For them to watch me play here at Wembley is a crazy feeling.

"I got told I would be starting earlier on in the day. We had a meeting where the squad was announced and I was in the team. I was calm and excited.

"I knew it was a big moment but I was calm, level-headed and just ready for the game.

"Everything happens for a reason and it comes at the right time. I take it game by game and day by day. I will keep working hard and keep going.

"The World Cup squad is an aim of mine. I would love to be there. I just need to keep working hard and hopefully I'll be there."

Image source, Getty Images

We wanted your suggestions for Manchester City's all-time best Premier League XI.

And you delivered!

Here's a first bunch:

Rushy: 3-4-3. Ederson, Stones, Kompany, Walker, B Silva, De Bruyne, D Silva, Rodri, Foden, Haaland, Aguero. Dangerous lack of width for sure, but more than made up for by sheer firepower up front. Great creativity, composure and energy in midfield. A defence that combines strength and pace, Walker and Vinny, with considerable technical skill, Stones and Ederson.

Martin: 4-4-2. Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Dias, Clichy. KDB, D Silva, Fernandinho, Y Toure, Aguero, Haaland. Best of the old and new. We have been fortunate at City to have the best of the best. There are so many superb players that I could list.

Milo: 4-2-3-1. Ederson, Zabaleta, Kompany, Dias, Kolarov, Y Toure, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, D Silva, Sane, Aguero. Honourable mentions: Hart, Walker, Laporte, Dunne, Rodri, B Silva, Ireland, Gundogan and Sterling. Haaland so unfortunate but Kun is in a realm beyond legend.

Timothy: 4-3-3. Donnarumma, Walker, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol, Rodri, De Bruyne, Foden, Mahrez, Haaland, Sterling. This squad is technically strong and capable of winning trophies each season.

Charlie: 4-4-2. Ederson, Cancelo, Kompany, Dias, Zabaleta, Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne, Foden, Aguero, Haaland. At peak form and fitness, there's nothing this team can't do. An honourable mention to Fernandinho missing out to Ballon d'Or winner Rodri.

Sid: 4-4-1-1. Donnarumma, Walker, Kompany, Dias, O'Reilly, Rodri, Sane, Foden, De Bruyne, Doku, Haaland. This team could be world beaters.