Manchester City have been hit with a charge after a feisty encounter with Arsenal in the Premier League
Manchester City and Arsenal have been charged by the FA over the conduct of their players during their Premier League match this week.
The two clubs played out a feisty clash at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday that frequently threatened to boil over. Both sets of players had plenty to say to the referee throughout a match that had numerous flashpoints, and also saw Kevin De Bruyne targeted with objects thrown from the crowd, an incident being investigated separately.
Both clubs have now been charged with failing to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion for the times when they surrounded the match official. They have until Tuesday, February 21 to provide their response.
City have been charged for two separate incidents. The first came in the 42nd minute, when referee Anthony Taylor gave a penalty against Ederson despite Eddie Nketiah getting his shot away.
They have also been charged for an incident in the 64th minute when City players were furious that Nketiah did not receive more than a yellow card for a strong challenge on Ruben Dias. Arsenal have been charged for surrounding the referee when he awarded a penalty against Gabriel for a foul on Erling Haaland, before it was ruled out for offside.
The refereeing body had tried to make a statement ahead of the game by dropping a VAR official who had made an error in the previous weekend. A PGMOL statement read: “We accept mistakes were made and we acted accordingly by calling a meeting and changing appointments where appropriate, however, we are encouraged by the way out officials have responded and are confident they will take the learnings forward, always with the aim of delivering high officiating standards for the benefit of the game. ”
The Premier League table since Pep Guardiola took over at Man City
Pep Guardiola is one of the greatest football managers of his generation. Probably of any generation, in fact. And since he took over as Manchester City boss in 2016, he has overseen a veritable epoch of domestic dominance.
Guardiola started his managerial career with the Barcelona B team in the Spanish fourth tier, but was drafted in as first-team head coach after just a year and has been unstoppable ever since.
At Camp Nou, he put together a team that revolutionised football with its mesmerising passing style and won three La Liga titles, two Copas del Rey and three Champions Leagues.
After a sabbatical in New York, Guardiola then moved to Bayern Munich and, though he was unable to repeat the European success he enjoyed at Barcelona, his team crushed the Bundesliga, winning three straight titles by a combined margin of 39 points.
The story has been much the same in east Manchester. Since arriving to a project that had been perfectly tailored to his desires, Guardiola has won four out of a possible six Premier League titles – and may well be on for a fifth in seven.
Five League Cups and an FA Cup have only made the job he’s done look all the more impressive, even with all the caveats of the money spent on players and the world-class infrastructure built for his benefit.
The praise heaped on Guardiola by even his bitterest rivals and the harshest pundits tells you everything you need to know about him as a football coach.
Speaking in 2021, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said: “[City] have an incredible squad and the best manager in the world and that makes it a good recipe.
“It’s always a joy to play against them because it’s a massive challenge from a football point of view. You can beat them but you have to be at your absolute top to do so.”
Even Roy Keane, formerly captain of Manchester United and one of the most stony-faced commentators around, has gushed praise for the Catalan tactician.
In December 2021, Keane told Sky: “I remember we did a game last year, I didn’t write off Man City but I think I said they lost their mojo. And then they won the league and it was like a doddle to them… I think Pep is the man, I look at all of the managers I think Pep is the man.”
But just how dominant have City been domestically since Guardiola arrived? There have been the four titles, but his first season was not as good as expected and Liverpool nicked the title from them in 2020.
If only there were some way to measure league performance over a period of time.
What’s that? Just look at the number of points every team has accumulated since Guardiola came to the Premier League?
Oh, well, go on then.
So, good readers, here it is; the Premier League table since Guardiola became Manchester City manager. It makes for pretty pleasant reading if you’re a City fan.
Note: We’ve only included the 11 teams who’ve played in the Premier League for each of the seven seasons Guardiola has been about.
All teams have played 250 games, with the exception of City, Manchester United & Tottenham (251 played) and Liverpool (249 played).
1. Manchester City – 587 points2. Liverpool – 540 points3. Chelsea – 473 points4. Tottenham Hotspur – 465 points5. Manchester United – 460 points6. Arsenal – 445 points7. Leicester – 347 points8. Everton – 329 points9. West Ham – 319 points10. Crystal Palace – 294 points11. Southampton – 271 points
Source: manchestereveningnews.co.uk; planetfootball.com
