Champions in total control

Possession won in final third

3 0.22 8 1

9

Total passes

Touches in opposition box

5

52

Expected goals

Passes in opposition half

385

99

607

501

Possession

Man City56% Tottenham44%

Champions in total control

Possession won in final third

0. 22

Total passes

Touches in opposition box

5

52

EExpEEE ected goals

Passes in opposition half

385

99

607

501

Possession

Man City56% Tottenham 44 %

Kevin De Bruyne set up

nine attempts for City,

three times as much as

the next-most by Ilkay

Gundogan. De Bruyne

also provided the assists

for both City goals

Maguire and

Lindelof give

United hope

By James Ducker

Even now, 1,925 days since he last

partnered Rio Ferdinand in central

defence for Manchester United, Ne-

manja Vidic still chuckles at how

they used to send team-mates up

the wall with their constant chat-

tering on the pitch. “It’s funny, I re-

member our team-mates saying,

‘Stop talking you two! You’re always

talking and we can’t listen any

more!’” Vidic reflected recently. “It

was crazy how much we talked on

the pitch about different situations.

“Defenders depend on each

other. New generations have to un-

derstand that one without the

other, you can’t play the best.”

The Vidic/Ferdinand axis was

not an instant hit. It was a partner-

ship that required time and work to

develop into one of the most re-

vered in Europe but its lasting suc-

cess has cast a long shadow over

Old Trafford in the years since its

break-up, once and for all, in 2014.

United have had neither the

quality – of body or mind – nor the

consistency of selection at the back

to get vaguely close to a pairing to

rival it, which is why the quiet buzz

of excitement around Harry Magu-

ire and Victor Lindelof now is so

understandable.

Maguire impressed on his debut

in the 4-0 win over Chelsea and

Lindelof clearly enjoyed having the

£80 million signing from Leicester

with him. It was a showing that of-

fered grounds for encouragement,

and Wolverhampton Wanderers

are likely to ask more questions at

bogey ground Molineux tonight.

Very much like Ferdinand and

Vidic, Maguire and Lindelof will

need time to hone their under-

standing, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

believes he has struck upon some-

thing and wants them and goal-

keeper David de Gea to become

United’s bedrock for years to come.

“I think good players can play to-

gether,” the United manager said.

“We’ve only played once so we

want the partnership [between

Maguire and Lindelof ] to develop,

with David at the back.

“We want to play out from the

back but we’ve got good centre-

backs around as well. Axel [Tuan-

zebe] is knocking on the door.

“I hope Victor and Harry don’t

give me a reason to change – no in-

juries, suspensions or lack of con-

centration. They can both play,

they read the game really well.

“Harry with his presence in the

box, it’s great for any centre-back to

have that presence next to them.”

Tuanzebe, the 21-year-old acad-

emy graduate who impressed on

Game zone

Kick-off 8pm. TV Sky Sports

Wolves

Manchester United

loan at Aston Villa in the Champi-

onship last season, is now effec-

tively first-choice backup ahead of

Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Mar-

cos Rojo, none of whom was on the

bench against Chelsea, and Eric

Bailly, who is out until Christmas

after knee surgery.

Solskjaer did not deny that Tuan-

zebe was now third choice, just as

he sidestepped the question when

asked if Smalling was good enough

on the ball to be able to play out

from the back. Gareth Southgate

evidently felt not and dropped him

from the England squad as a result.

“I’m sure both Chris and Phil and

Marcos and Axel will be capable of

playing here,” Solskjaer said, diplo-

matically. “That’s why they’re here.

Pre-season was a great chance for

Axel to show what he’s capable of.

“We know he’s going to be a big,

big part of this club in the future.

He probably impressed me more

than I expected. That’s why he’s on

the bench. He can slot in midfield

and right-back as well.”

There was an acknowledgement

from Solskjaer, though, that he has

at least one centre-half too many.

Rojo’s proposed move to Everton

collapsed on transfer deadline day

but the Argentina defender could

still depart before the close of the

European windows on Sept 2.

“Of course I do have too many

centre-backs to keep everyone

happy, but we need to win games,

we need to perform, so we’re going

to pick the players that will give us

the biggest chance to win games,”

Solskjaer said. “Eric’s injury means

that at the moment I’ve got six fit

ones, which is maybe one too many

to keep everyone involved.”

Inter Milan

have inquired

about the

prospect of

signing

Manchester

United’s misfit

striker, Alexis

Sanchez, on a

season-long

loan before

the Italian

transfer

window closes

on Sept 2.

Sanchez

• who is
  thought to
  have rejected
  a loan move to
  Roma – is
  understood to
  be keen on

following

close friend

Romelu

Lukaku to the

Serie A club.

Reports in

Italy have

suggested

Sanchez could

have a

medical as

early as

tomorrow.

However,

United would

have to

heavily

subsidise

Sanchez’s

wages of over

£500,000 a

week.

James Ducker

Interest Sanchez eyed

put 10 past a team this season

people who pay to watch us and

see how honest we are – to play for

the people. More than anything, I

would like, when I finish here, to

leave that [legacy]. Especially the

last two seasons, we were an

incredible team. I’m a spectator,

too, and what we are looking for,

from the first day I came here, is to

try to play in the way we played

here [against Spurs].”

Pochettino talked about how

City are operating in a different

orbit to Tottenham, particularly off

the pitch. While he sweats over

whether he might still lose some of

his best players, including

Christian Eriksen, Toby

Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen,

between now and the close of the

European transfer windows on

Sept 2, Guardiola knows his squad

will remain untouched.

Even if a European rival came

calling for a player, City can say no.

Tottenham cannot.

A glance at City’s substitutes’

bench reinforced the sheer might

he chop his arm off?

of Guardiola’s squad. Has there

ever been such a gilded crop of

backups in a Premier League

match? David Silva has a World

Cup and two European

Championships to show for his 125

appearances for Spain and

Fernandinho is one of the world’s

best defensive midfielders.

Joao Cancelo is the most

expensive full-back in history,

Jesus is Brazil’s No 9 and Riyad

Mahrez the club’s second-most

costly purchase. Claudio Bravo has

119 caps for Chile and Phil Foden

might be the most exciting English

talent since Wayne Rooney.

“What we have done [against

Tottenham] I don’t know if many

teams can do it against them,”

Guardiola said. “That’s why I said

to the players, ‘Yes, it’s emotional,

it’s frustrating to lose two points in

that way’, but football is like this.

“It’s the only sport you can have

30 shots and the other team two

and draw – and even lose. In other

sports when you do what we’ve

done, you win. That’s why football

is fascinating. But at the same time

we’re sad because we want to win

and didn’t, but tomorrow we will

stand up and prepare better.”

by the

knowledge that

an accidental

handball by a

Tottenham

player in the

same passage

of play might

not have led

to a penalty

for his side.

Under the

International

Football

Association

Board’s new

laws, goals

scored or

created with

the use of

handball, even

if accidental,

no longer

stand, but the

denial of a

penalty

through

accidental

handball could

easily go

unpunished.

A penalty

may only be

awarded by

VAR if there

has been a

“clear and

obvious” error

in the original

decision.

De Bruyne

said: “It’s

impossible [for

Laporte] to

take his arm

away. What can

he do? Should

he chop his

arm off and

play without

it? There’s

nothing he

can do as Nico

[Otamendi] is

10cm in front of

him trying to

head the ball.

You can’t react

in that time.”

James Ducker

Solskjaer craving new

Vidic and Ferdinand

Tuanzebe knocking on

the door, says manager

The Daily Telegraph Monday 19 August 2019 ** 11

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