Jack Wilshere has been linked with a move away from Arsenal.
The diminutive English midfielder, 23, has suffered plenty of injuries in his burgeoning career but the Arsenal academy product is still thought of as one of the best central midfielders in the Premier League.
Wilshere has made plenty of headlines off the pitch over the past few years, but each time he’s got in hot water his boss Arsene Wenger has jumped to his defense and earlier this month the French manager laughed off speculation surrounding Wilshere leaving the Gunners.
But according to a fresh report in the Daily Mirror, Wilshere will be the subject of a $45 million bid this summer as City looks to restructure its central midfield as the likes of Yaya Toure and James Milner are likely to leave, plus Fernando has failed to impress in his debut season in England.
Would Wilshere be a good fit for the Citizens?
His swashbuckling style of taking players on and throwing himself into challenges in the engine room is one of the reasons he is injured so much, but if Wilshere can calm down that part of his game then his passing, creativity and positional sense will continue to flourish. He is capable of playing in an advanced midfield role but has also been deployed as a holding midfielder by English national team manager Roy Hodgson to great effect.
Wenger claims Arsenal is no longer a selling club after offloading Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie in recent seasons but if City offers upwards of $45 million for Wilshere, is that too good an offer for the Gunners to turn down? Wilshere hasn’t featured since November after injuring his ankle in a 2-1 home defeat to Manchester United and with Francis Coquelin, Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla in midfield, Arsenal looks balanced and also has a plethora of options in the attacking midfield positions in Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott.
Is it time for Wilshere to move on and fulfill his potential away from the only club he has ever known?
He will likely be given a starring role in City’s midfield and is perfect for the style of play their manager Manuel Pellegrini and the club directors want to foster. However, I’m struggling to see why Arsenal would sell one of its most promising midfielders to a direct rival for the PL title. If they ever want to win the Premier League again then the Gunners will have to resist the urge to cash in on Wilshere as his talents could well be exactly what City is missing. Earlier on this season Wilshere put in a stunning display against the Citizens in a 2-2 draw at the Emirates, with the Englishman scoring a sublime goal to show exactly what he’s capable of.
That performance seems to have stuck in the mind of City’s manager.
Who’s looking like title contenders and/or favorites?
As we head into the final months of the 2022-23 season, Arsenal and Manchester City are looking head and shoulders above the rest and although Manchester United briefly surged into the picture, they look more likely to cement their spot as the third best team in the Premier League.
The Gunners will have their hands full for the duration of their title challenge, as Erling Haaland continues to take the Premier League by storm with an almost impossible goal-scoring record.
What about the top four and European places?
Uneven Tottenham are hanging in the top four battle and for the moment have hunted down Newcastle, while Liverpool is back in the Champions League picture after their return to form and Chelsea looks like a top six finish is their ceiling. For now.
Surprising Fulham, Brentford, and Brighton are all hanging around on the periphery with fine campaigns. Can one of them surprise and qualify for Europe?
Who are the candidates for relegation?
Southampton, West Ham, and Leicester City currently occupy the relegation places but that keeps changing all the time and it is so tight at the bottom of the table.
Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, Wolves, Leeds, and Everton all find themselves within a few points of the bottom three as the race to stay in the Premier League intensifies. This could be the craziest relegation scrap in Premier League history.
Below you will find the latest Premier League table.
The Etihad was stunned after Mohamed Salah scored a fine goal to put a vibrant Liverpool side ahead but Julian Alvarez, starting in place of the injured Erling Haaland, equalized in the first half.
Quick-fire second half goals from Kevin de Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan did the damage and Jack Grealish scored a fourth to send the home fans (who did the Poznan) wild as Pep Guardiola was delighted with the way his team surged away from Jurgen Klopp’s dejected Liverpool.
In the end this was a routine win for City as they’re now on 64 points, still eight points behind Arsenal who beat Leeds later on Saturday but Guardiola’s boys do have a game in-hand and Arsenal to play on April 26. Liverpool remain on 42 points and have lost ground in the top four race after back-to-back away defeats in the Premier League.
With their star striker out with a groin injury, City turned to Alvarez to fill the significant void. Turns out having a World Cup winning striker as a back-up option is pretty decent. La Arana scored the first, consistently made good runs and Liverpool just couldn’t cope with the movement of Alvarez, Mahrez, Grealish, Gundogan and De Bruyne (all of whom had at least a goal or an assist) in attack. It was a different feel to City’s attack and reminded you that even if goal-machine Haaland is out, they have a Plan B and it works pretty well. That plan won them the title last season and this display gives ammunition to those who say Haaland makes City a little too predictable to play against. They were anything but that against Liverpool as Guardiola was delighted with the movement, pressure and intensity of his forward quartet. Haaland was seen celebrating Alvarez’s goal jubilantly in the stands alongside his father, former City midfielder Alf-Inge, and this display showed there’s no need to rush Erling back and they can get him fully-fit for the Champions League quarterfinal showdown against Bayern Munich on April 11.
Jack Grealish reflects on stunning display
Pep Guardiola says that was one of City’s ‘best ever games’
Jurgen Klopp unimpressed with Liverpool’s performance
Stars of the show; Manchester City vs Liverpool player ratings
Mohamed Salah: Took his goal superbly and was always a threat. Had very little help around him.
Riyad Mahrez: Didn’t score but was superb in setting the tone. Almost unstoppable when he’s in this form.
Kevin de Bruyne: Got a goal and yet another assist as he drove City on.
Jack Grealish: Probably his best display in a City shirt. Set up one, scored another and could have had more.
Man City head to Southampton on Saturday, April 8. Liverpool head to Chelsea on Tuesday, April 4 before hosting Arsenal on April 9.
How to watch Manchester City vs Liverpool live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 7:30am ET, Saturday TV Channel: Peacock Online: Stream via Peacock Premium
Manchester City vs Liverpool live analysis! – By Joe Prince-Wright at the Etihad Stadium
FULL TIME: Manchester City 4-1 Liverpool – Well, that was rather straightforward in the end, wasn’t it? City were sensational in the second half and Liverpool just couldn’t recover from that early goal after half time.
Alisson saves from Jack Grealish, as his volley is straight at the Liverpool goalkeeper. City are just messing around now. Liverpool in full damage limitation mode with their trip to Chelsea coming up in midweek.
The Manchester City fans at the Etihad are now doing the Poznan. Quite the party atmosphere here. #MCFC 4-1 #LFC#MCILIV
GOALLL! Manchester City 4-1 Liverpool. Jack Grealish slots home after a lovely pass from Kevin de Bruyne. Erling Haaland may struggle to get back into this Man City team…
Jack Grealish adds his name to the scoresheet and Manchester City are in full control!
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 1, 2023
Liverpool having a bit of go here to see if they can make it interesting but City are keeping the ball extremely well.
SAVE! Jack Grealish looks to bend one into the far corner but Alisson tips it away. Great effort from Grealish, who has been really good today.
CLOSE! Gakpo’s shot deflects just wide. Liverpool aren’t giving up here.
GOALLL! Manchester City 3-1 Liverpool. That should be that. Julian Alvarez with so much time in the box. His shot is blocked and the rebound falls straight to Ilkay Gundogan who slots home.
Liverpool still have a threat as Gakpo just can’t beat the offside trap after a nice ball over the top. City ominously cranking through the gears.
GOALLL! Seconds after the second half starts Kevin de Bruyne puts Manchester City 2-1 up. Poor defensive mistakes from Liverpool and Mahrez crosses for KDB to poke home. Liverpool and Klopp can’t believe it.
HALF TIME: Manchester City 1-1 Liverpool – A hugely entertaining first half. Liverpool a real threat on the counter, while Man City have been a little clunky but are still carving out plenty of chances sans Haaland. Intriguing second half coming up.
Erling Haaland and Pep Guardiola were FIRED UP by this beautiful build-up play by Manchester City! 🤩
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) April 1, 2023
Moments after being shown a yellow card, Rodri takes down Cody Gakpo cynically as he goes to start a counter. That should be another yellow card. Liverpool players and Jurgen Klopp incensed. And rightly so. Getting spicy out there as TAA catches Grealish unintentionally. Grealish is then taken out by Trent moments later.
GOALLLL! Manchester City 1-1 Liverpool. Julian Alvarez taps home. Great play from Mahrez and Gundogan to set up Grealish and he finds Alvarez to finish. The TV screens here at the Etihad show Erling Haaland going crazy up in the stands as he celebrates. Minutes later Mahrez almost finds Alvarez but his pass is just too heavy. It is all City now.
A bad giveaway from John Stones and Salah and Liverpool are away again, but Jack Grealish works so hard to get back and stops Salah in City’s penalty box. Great defending from Grealish.
OVER! A flurry of chances arrive for City as they can’t convert a cross and then Mahrez smashes over from inside the box. Great opportunity wasted.
GOALLLL! The goal stands. Mohamed Salah puts Liverpool 1-0 up at Manchester City. A wonderful ball over the top to Jota, who just stayed onside, and Salah finishes superbly. What a goal! I was right in the line with that in the press box here at the Etihad and thought that was offside. Akanji just kept Jota onside.
Mohamed Salah puts Liverpool ahead but it looked like Diogo Jota was offside when the initial ball came over the top. VAR check for offside now…
Now a counter attack as Salah and Elliott both have shots blocked. Lively start, this.
CLOSE! Riyad Mahrez whips a free kick inches wide of the far post. Most of the stadium through that was in. Great effort.
CHANCE! A few decent efforts from City now. Gundogan almost finishes at the back post, then Alisson saves a shot from the edge of the box. Liverpool opened up a few times with long balls over the top.
City look a little rattled early on. Liverpool pressing them high and it is working.
KICK OFF! We are underway here in Manchester. Salah has started up top with Gakpo underneath him. Very attacking lineup from Liverpool and they are pressing very high up the pitch. Extremely similar tactics to when they played against City in their 1-0 win at Anfield earlier this season.
🚨 Hello and welcome to the Etihad!
Live analysis + stream link, videos & more on a huge game for both teams for their title & top 4 hopes ➡️ https://t.co/TsjblqTa7L
The atmosphere is bubbling up very nicely here. The warmups are done and the star attackers from both City and Liverpool were spanking in shots galore. The music is pumping over the PA system here. It is go time. This rivalry has delivered so much drama over the years, let’s see if there are even more twists and turns. I’m sure there will be…
Big, big, big (did I mention big!?) team news is that Erling Haaland is OUT for Manchester City. He has not recovered from his groin injury and Julian Alvarez starts up top. It will be intriguing to see how City cope without their main man who was absolutely on fire before the international break. The rest of the team news is as expected. Jota, Salah and Gakpo up top for Liverpool with Darwin Nunez fit enough for the bench.
Hello and welcome to Manchester for this huge game! It has been a glorious sunny morning here, but the clouds are bubbling up just as the action is about to on the pitch at the Etihad. Buckle up. Sparks always fly when these two meet.
Key storylines & in-form players to watch
The loss of Haaland is obviously a huge concern for City as he suffered a groin issue and did not play for Norway over the international break and returned to Manchester for treatment. Julian Alvarez comes in, which is a pretty good back-up option. Elsewhere, City are flying with Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gunodgan having a big role to play with Phil Foden out following his appendix issue. As always, Kevin de Bruyne is the main man and will relish this chance to cut Arsenal’s lead atop the table.
Liverpool just can’t find consistency right now. They have improved defensively but they are a real Jekyll and Hyde team. Jurgen Klopp isn’t a fan of that and showed his frustration after their defeat at Bournemouth, which was their last Premier League game and was way back on March 11. He’s had a few weeks to stew over that loss and it will be intriguing to see what plan he has come up with. For this game as earlier this season Liverpool beat Man City 1-0 at Anfield by playing a front four which pinned City in.
Manchester City team news, injuries, lineup
OUT: Phil Foden (appendix removed), Erling Haaland (groin)
Your City XI 📋
XI | Ederson, Stones, Akanji, Dias, Ake, Rodrigo, Gundogan (C), De Bruyne, Mahrez, Grealish, Alvarez
Eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table with nine games to go, what do Arsenal need to win their first Premier League title in 19 years?
Mikel Arteta has his young side on the cusp of a pretty remarkable and very unexpected Premier League title win.
With a solid defensive unit, perfectly balanced midfield and the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard having fine campaigns in the final third, there is so much to love about this Arsenal team.
But how, and when, can Arsenal seal the Premier League title they crave? How many points do they need to gain? What are the scenarios based on their huge game against Manchester City in April?
How many points do Arsenal need to win the Premier League title?
With nine games remaining, there are many different ways the Gunners can win the Premier League title.
In its simplest form: if Arsenal win eight of their final nine games they will be crowned Premier League games.
The magic number for Arsenal to reach is 95 points. If they reach 95 points, Manchester City cannot catch them.
But if Man City beat Arsenal in their huge game at the Etihad on April 26 and win their game in-hand, Arsenal will need to win all of their other remaining game to be sure of the title. That would give them 96 points and Man City could only finish on 94.
If Arsenal drew against Man City then Man City could only finish on a maximum of 92 points. That means Arsenal would need to reach 94 points to win the title.
If Arsenal win at Man City then Man City would only be able to reach 91 points. So, Arsenal would only have to win six of their other seven remaining games to seal the title.
All of this proves just how massive the Manchester City vs Arsenal game on April 26 is in deciding the title winner.
When did Arsenal last win the Premier League?
They last won the Premier League title in the 2003-04 season, the famous ‘Invincibles’ campaign as they didn’t lose any of their 38 games that season.
Think Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Freddie Ljungberg, Sol Campbell and Robert Pires in full flow and Arsene Wenger with a huge smile on his face on the sidelines. Magnificent.
When did Arsenal last win a trophy?
The last trophy Arsenal won was the FA Cup in the 2019-20 season, they also won the FA Community Shield in 2020.
Both of those trophies were won by current boss Mikel Arteta.
Which trophies have Arsenal won?
Here are the list of trophies the Gunners have won in their history:
No, you didn’t turn back the hands of time; We’ve got a proper top-four battle between Manchester United and Newcastle United at the latter’s St. James’ Park on Sunday (watch live, 11am ET on USA Network and online via NBCSports.com).
There are significant injury or absence concerns for both teams as Casemiro and Joelinton are both suspended, Miguel Almiron out, and Raphael Varane, Marcus Rashford, and Christian Eriksen in question.
Man United will enter the match in third place, three points clear of fifth-place Newcastle. Both have played 26 matches this Premier League season, two fewer than fourth-place Tottenham.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Newcastle vs Manchester United.
How to watch Newcastle vs Manchester United live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 11am ET, Sunday TV Channel: USA Network Online:Stream via NBCSports.com
Newcastle vs Manchester United video preview, predictions
Key storylines & star players
So we know the stars: Bruno Fernandes, Bruno Guimaraes, Antony, Alekander Isak. But who’s going to step up if Botman or Pope can’t go for Newcastle? Will Fred and Scott McTominay be able to pull off a top performance should Sabitzer join Casemiro on the shelf? Is Harry Maguire going to deliver the goods if Varane cannot go?
Injuries, man. They cause so many questions!
Newcastle team news, injuries, lineup options
QUESTIONABLE: Sven Botman (other), Nick Pope (thigh), Allan Saint-Maximin (thigh), Joelinton (suspension) Anthony Gordon (ankle). OUT: Emil Krafth (knee), Ryan Fraser (other), Miguel Almiron (thigh).
Manchester United team news, injuries, lineup options
QUESTIONABLE: Christian Eriksen (ankle), Marcel Sabitzer (knee), Anthony Martial (groin), Raphael Varane (other), Marcus Rashford (ankle). OUT: Donny van de Beek (knee), Casemiro (suspension), Alejandro Garnacho (ankle), Mason Greenwood (other).
