Gossip: McAtee attracting interestpublished at 08:13 19 November
08:13 19 November
Fulham and West Ham are both interested in a January move for Manchester City and England Under-21 midfielder James McAtee, with the 22-year-old limited to just one Premier League minute so far this season. (Guardian), external
Former Brazil striker Ronaldo is preparing a campaign to become the new president of the Brazilian Football Confederation in March 2026 - and he wants to appoint Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola as the team's next manager. (L'Equipe - in French), external
Walker tops Rooney's Wembley capspublished at 08:22 18 November
08:22 18 November
Image source, Getty Images
Kyle Walker made his 38th England appearance at Wembley on Sunday and by doing so overtook former striker Wayne Rooney's total of 37 at the stadium.
Only Peter Shilton (52), Bobby Charlton (44), Bobby Moore (43), and Stuart Pearce (41) have now played there more often for the Three Lions.
Gossip: City positive over Haaland contractpublished at 08:52 17 November
08:52 17 November
Manchester City are increasingly confident striker Erling Haaland will sign a new deal at the club that would make the 24-year-old the Premier League's top earner. (Mirror), external
Meanwhile, West Ham are looking at a move for City midfielder James McAtee in January. (Sun), external
'Difficult' decisions with 'pressure' on injured playerspublished at 10:00 16 November
10:00 16 November
Image source, Getty Images
There has been some pressure on players carrying an injury going into international breaks with their national side because you are contracted to these clubs and that is where your income is.
But, for me, as a player I had a similar mindset to Harry Kane that I would always be available - injured or not injured. I would have injections when I was on international duty just so I could represent my country because it meant that much.
It is difficult, however. If you look at Jack Grealish and Pep Guardiola's comments, he has a point because the forward has not been able to play for Manchester City because of injuries. So if you have been sidelined for three or four games, I would agree that you are then not fit and available to go on international duty.
But when you look at some of the other players, ones who have been playing and being managed by their club, then I do not see it being different to being played and managed by your country.
From the club's side, when they are competing at such high levels in the Premier League, you can understand why they would want their players to be rested and get fully fit again over the two weeks, rather than having to come back straight into a hectic period of fixtures.
I kind of get it from both points of view but, as a player, if I am half fit and being played by my club, I would be fully available for my national team.
It is really difficult with the pressure that is on the players, though. I would not look at it as a decision players have made solely.
Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson
Gossip: Guardiola decides to extend City reignpublished at 08:38 16 November
08:38 16 November
Pep Guardiola has reached an agreement in principle over a one-year extension at Manchester City. (Football Insider), external
Why losing games might be least of Man City's problemspublished at 10:53 15 November
10:53 15 November
Pat Nevin Former footballer and presenter
Image source, Getty Images
In top-flight football, teams have to make sure they don't age too much together, because when the fall comes, it can be precipitous.
Manchester City look threadbare, but they also have an ageing core group. I picked what I think is the best City 11 with all players being fit and available, and an average age of 29.5 years popped out.
This may sound perfect, but the likes of Phil Foden and Erling Haaland pulled that average down considerably.
There are also questions over finances. When some of those great older players move on, it will free up a chunk of the wage bill, but you have to be spending that money wisely.
City have been good at buying the best lately. Haaland and Josko Gvardiol were impossible not to spot so not that clever, but what about spending £100m on Jack Grealish. He is a seriously talented footballer, but when you look at what a player who cost that much should be contributing, the numbers are way off for a top-class creative forward.
In terms of combined Premier League goals and assists, it is well below contributing roughly one in every three games. Contrast that with Kevin de Bruyne and Mohamed Salah - or even David Silva, who he partially replaced.
More concerning, his numbers are nowhere near as good as Cole Palmer since he left to join a club who should have been much harder to create and score for.
If City have lost their mojo in the acquisitions department, that is much worse than losing four games in a row.
Why balance is importantpublished at 16:58 14 November
16:58 14 November
Pat Nevin Former footballer and presenter
Image source, Getty Images
Maybe it is time to rethink how squads are built. Can Manchester City and, to a lesser extent, Arsenal still afford to be so top heavy with mega-huge earners?
When the superstars are injured, or off form, or just plain knackered, or - whisper it - just getting a little older, it leaves a very unbalanced looking group.
Their replacements aren't at nearly the same standard. More worryingly for the bean counters, they have lost the art of finding inexpensive rough diamonds and being able to polish them.
Other Premier League clubs have no sympathy for the stuttering giants. They understood they had to cut their cloth to suit their means.
So Brighton, Bournemouth, Brentford, Fulham and others might not have the superstars, but they have balance. They typically have at least two players of similar ability for most positions.
That means you can cope with the injuries without the standard dropping too far. There are few irreplaceable stars.
In contrast, City without Rodri and Kevin de Bruyne, and Arsenal without Martin Odegaard, suddenly look a lot less invincible.
Maybe this is the biggest point about both sides' wobbles. They suddenly don't look invincible.
It will only take another couple of questionable performances and the vultures will be circling.
It is vicious, but in football there is nothing sweeter than feasting on a once-great beast that suddenly appears vulnerable.
What are Man City missing without injured Rodri?published at 11:06 14 November
11:06 14 November
Image source, PA Media
On the latest episode of Planet Premier League on BBC Sounds, Wales captain Aaron Ramsey spoke about the ways in which Manchester City are missing midfielder Rodri.
The Spain international is out with a long-term knee injury and, in his absence, City are on a run of four consecutive defeats in all competitions.
"Rodri is the Ballon d'Or winner, he's been so consistent with his performances over the years," said Cardiff and former Arsenal midfielder Ramsey.
"I think the way that he can receive the ball in tight situations, he's always one or two steps ahead. He knows where he has to touch the ball to play into a progressive area or how he wriggles out. It's how he sees the game. He doesn't drop too deep all the time. He's always there on the other side of the strikers.
"Little bits of detail like this, which a lot of people may not see, go such a long way and he keeps them ticking over. He gets the ball into dangerous areas, into players in little pockets who can go on to create things, so that link is probably being missed massively there."
Why Man City and Arsenal are strugglingpublished at 13:38 13 November
13:38 13 November
Pat Nevin Former footballer and presenter
Image source, Getty Images
Is this a temporary change or something more permanent?
No, not recent political events, but the weird goings on with the big beasts of the Premier League.
Arsenal have won two points from the past 12 while losing to Inter Milan in the Champions League. This was mirrored by Manchester City losing four games in a row after only scraping past Wolves and Southampton.
I warned here a few weeks ago here that I thought City were creaking. So what is going on?
It might just be bad luck but it is more likely to be the over-working of a small number of crucial players finally taking its toll.
The injuries are obvious causes but asking the leftover squad to play three games a week, while fitting in national team fixtures, after the summer's gruelling international tournaments has had an effect.
The players have gone through these stresses before, but it is the cumulative effect of this year after year, season after season that has had the profound effect - just as many players and coaches predicted.
Suddenly the behemoth squads are looking a little threadbare, which is incredible when you consider their combined costs.
Gossip: Guardiola eyes Dutch defensive duopublished at 07:12 13 November
07:12 13 November
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is weighing up for a move for 23-year-old Bayer Leverkusen and Netherlands defender Jeremie Frimpong and his fellow Dutch defender Sepp van den Berg, 22, who joined Brentford from Liverpool last summer. (Football Transfers), external
Man City 'would like a four-week break'published at 14:15 12 November
14:15 12 November
Freddie Pye Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
The November international break could not have come at a better time.
International action is often dreaded. But, this time around, we would like a four-week break as opposed to just two. The past four matches have been nothing short of exhausting and hugely frustrating.
Manchester City's showing at Tottenham in the Carabao Cup was deserving of better, but the best team ultimately won. Bournemouth was by far and away a deserved win for the Cherries. The first half against Sporting in the Champions League and, most recently, against Brighton in the Premier League was a reflection of the dire fitness situation that City find themselves in.
Pep Guardiola's makeshift line-ups, particularly in defence, have meant they could only compete for 45 minutes in their past two matches, following up an encouraging first half with a calamitous second.
Kyle Walker, who is badly out of form, followed up last week's criticism in this column with multiple lapses of concentration once again, while Rico Lewis appears overworked and heavily fatigued given his responsibilities across several positions.
Teenager Jahmai Simpson-Pusey has emerged as a strong future talent. Excellent on the ball, composed in finding passes, but unfortunately has found himself exposed by a lack of a competent defensive midfield.
There is very little in the way of the necessary legs in City's more advanced midfield roles too, and Guardiola is likely to have been left wondering how he can solve such an issue given the age of his solutions to Rodri's absence in Mateo Kovacic and Ilkay Gundogan.
The attack certainly cannot hide from criticism either and, particularly in the past two matches, City should have been ahead by a clear margin come the interval had chances been taken.
To keep everyone optimistic, City do remain in a strong position in Europe and the league, while some of their most senior and key names are on the verge of returns, namely Ruben Dias.
In the absence of a true leader at the heart of defence, the Portugal international could prove to be the ultimate difference upon his return, and Guardiola will be hoping for the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Jack Grealish to step up their own responsibilities almost immediately having been afforded extended recovery periods.
What do you make of players pulling out of international duty injured?published at 11:41 12 November
11:41 12 November
Image source, Getty Images
BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty has been tackling your questions as Premier League players head off to international duty
Harry asked: How do you feel about players dropping out of the England squad through 'injury' but then suddenly being fully fit to play as soon as club football returns. Was this happening five, 10, 15 years ago?
Phil answered: Players dropping out of England squads has been happening for as long as I can remember and there has always been a lot of noise around whether injuries were genuine or not, usually from fans of rival clubs who feel others are putting club allegiances ahead of the national side's interests.
I certainly believe most of the injuries have been genuine and this weekend I do not think there can be any question these players were injured.
Trent Alexander-Arnold was forced off after 25 minutes of Liverpool's win over Aston Villa with a hamstring injury, while there is no way Arsenal duo Declan Rice or Bukayo Saka would have departed the game against Chelsea prematurely unless there was absolutely no way they could continue. Rice was already playing with a broken toe, while the Gunners are waiting to discover the extent of Saka's injury.
Jack Grealish's situation was interesting. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola clearly did not believe he was fit enough to be with England after missing club games through injury, but Lee Carsley selected him.
Are Man City in a crisis?published at 09:46 12 November
09:46 12 November
Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club about Manchester City's run of four straight defeats:
"By City's standards, yes, it is a crisis. But blimey... it's a bad two weeks. And that hasn't happened very much when Pep Guardiola has been in charge. It's about finding a way back.
"The backline has, in the past 14 games, been chopped and changed in every one. You think: 'It's Manchester City, they're all top-quality players and they should be able to connect and have that understanding, and they're all great readers of the game.'
"But maybe there is something in that where it looks like they're not controlling games as they previously have done.
"A big part of that would be Rodri's absence, but I think the chopping and changing may be a reason why they're struggling at this moment in time."
Players have to take responsibility - Gundoganpublished at 08:17 12 November
08:17 12 November
Mike Minay BBC Radio Manchester reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Last week, I wrote a piece about what is going on at Manchester City. They were just my opinions. So what's the take of a player - and who better to ask than Ilkay Gundogan?
"When things are going like this there is always talk and always things that come out - people try to look for reasons," he told BBC Radio Manchester.
"As players, we have to take responsibility. We have to look at ourselves individually and collectively."
Manchester City have not been at the levels we associate with them, the form tells us that and there is probably a multitude of reasons behind it.
And they have been here before. There have been numerous times when they have been a long way off the leaders in their four-in-a-row title grip. Gundogan acknowledged that all the chat around City has happened before.
"We have to stay calm. Take that frustration, that anger and produce it into work and dedication for your job and change things," he said. "This competition is tough. The majority of teams got better. Not just the first five, six, seven, eight teams - everyone now can play really good football and punish you."
The Blues now have two weeks off for the international break - although for many of their players there will be no time off. In a stretched and not fully fit side, the next fortnight could be worrying for fans.
"We have to stay fit during the international break - maybe that's the most important for our players right now," Gundogan said. "Get back in the best possible shape and attack fully. That's something we've done in the past.
"We need to put a big effort to turn things around the way we want them to."
Listen to Total Sport on BBC Radio Manchester every weeknight at 18:00 and listen to every Manchester City game - home and away - live on BBC Radio Manchester.
Gossip: Blues keen on Maignanpublished at 07:04 12 November
Opta supercomputer backs Liverpool for the titlepublished at 19:30 11 November
19:30 11 November
As the Premier League pauses for the November international break, the Opta supercomputer, external has been looking at each club's chances of winning the title this season.
Liverpool are flying under new boss Arne Slot, currently sitting five points clear at the summit. They have been given a 60.3% chance.
Defending champions Manchester City are second after consecutive league defeats and have been given a 34.3% chance of winning a fifth straight title in May.
Arsenal are third favourites after a tricky spell themselves and Opta say they have a 5% of winning the league from here.
Chelsea are the only other side given a chance at glory. A first title in eight years has a 0.3% chance according to Opta.
'Guardiola will get zero sympathy from outsiders'published at 16:06 11 November
16:06 11 November
Image source, Reuters
BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions.
Jez asked: Do you still think Manchester City will be Premier League champions at the end of the season?
Phil answered: I picked Manchester City as my predicted champions before the start of the season so I will not be backing away from them after only 11 games.
What I will say is that the landscape is very different from what I expected, with City suffering many injuries - Rodri being the most debilitating of all - and looking more vulnerable than I have seen them for a long time.
Liverpool have also played into this change, looking so efficient and confident under new head coach Arne Slot.
Pep Guardiola will, of course, get zero sympathy from outsiders should he mention injuries but he has every right to do so, as other managers at the top of the table have when they get problems.
I was at Brighton on Saturday night and they could have no complaints about their fourth successive defeat. They were overpowered for most of the second half, the midfield provided little protection for the defence and Brighton targeted Kyle Walker relentlessly and successfully.
So, in answer to your question, I stick with City as champions but I am a lot less confident than I was at the start of the campaign and would now not be surprised if this was the season when their run came to an end.
Brighton 2-1 Man City - the fans' verdictpublished at 12:34 11 November
Chris: That was a fantastic win and every credit to the manager for the changes he made in the second half. The calibre of the substitutes also demonstrated the excellent strength in depth we have now with the likes of Lewis Dunk, Solly March and Yankuba Minteh still to come back. A very exciting few months ahead.
Mark: Memorable evening at Amex Stadium. City may have dominated the first half but Carlos Baleba dominated City in the second half. He’s putting in man-of-the-match performances week after week in the way that Moises Caicedo used to. The Seagulls legendary player recruitment process strikes again - our next £100m player?
Chrissy: Unbelievable scenes. Showed no fear against City and stuck to our system. Thoroughly deserved the three points. We played with courage and belief. Absolutely buzzing - loved it.
Man City fans
Ian: City started the season playing better than they usually do but too many players are off form. Ilkay Gundogan is a shadow of his former self, as is Phil Foden and to a degree Bernardo Silva. Erling Haaland works off a minimal supply that has now virtually disappeared. Savinho is still adjusting while Matheus Nunes is not City standard. All this on top of critical injuries. It will improve.
Danny: Dominating possession but not scoring enough goals has been an issue with City. What’s the point of possession if you dont make it count? They need to be more direct and quicker moving forward. The ball needs to be played to Haaland’s feet more and he needs to be demanding of the ball.
Phillip: Again very disappointing. We didn’t deserve to win unfortunately. Yes we are missing key players , but players like Foden who are now senior players in my opinion are not doing enough . He runs round like a headless chicken . But the fact is we are missing Rodri as he dictates pace and direction of play . We look lost without him .
