Pep Guardiola has frequently been accused of overthinking during his time as Manchester City manager, with some even putting their continued failure to win the Champions League down to this reason.

As a case in point, City lost to Chelsea in the 2021 final of that competition when Guardiola decided against fielding a naturally defensive midfielder.

Perhaps it has been a fair criticism at times, but by extension it highlights the self-belief that he can outmanoeuvre opponents before they've even set foot on the pitch.

He might even be accused of having overcomplicated plans for Thursday's trip to Stamford Bridge.

Yet Guardiola also inspired the 1-0 win over Chelsea with his own apparent recognition that he got his initial line-up wrong, his second-half changes proving key as City returned to winning ways after that disappointing 1-1 draw with Everton on New Year's Eve.

It took a while for victory to look likely, though, even with a patched-up Chelsea enduring an injury nightmare.

There was unmistakably a sense of bewilderment around the stadium as Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic sustained knocks that forced their withdrawal.

Only 22 minutes had been played. The double blow continued Chelsea's remarkably bad luck on the fitness front of late, with those two taking their injury list to 10 players having also lost Mason Mount in the previous 24 hours.

And if there's any team primed to capitalise on such misfortune, it's City.

Or, it usually is.

Despite Chelsea's predicament, they were the better team in the first half – quite comfortably so, some fans might even suggest.

Pulisic looked destined to score when John Stones produced the forceful – but clean – last-ditch tackle that ultimately forced the American's substitution.

Bernardo Silva made a similarly important intervention to block an attempt from Pulisic's replacement, Carney Chukwuemeka, who looked lively off the bench.

While it may not have been a case of City struggling to stay afloat, their lack of invention and control was curious, even against a team like Chelsea.

It was nothing like the City we've come to expect.

Still, though, Chelsea deserved credit. For all their problems and poor recent form, they looked sharp, up for a fight, and went agonisingly close just before the break as Chukwuemeka hit the post at the end of a rapid breakaway.

It was in moments like that, when the game was stretched, that Chelsea looked their most threatening – perhaps, then, it was no surprise to see Guardiola make changes at the interval.

City reverted to a back four. Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo were withdrawn; Manuel Akanji went to centre-back; Rodri moved back into midfield, and Rico Lewis came on as a right-back-cum-central-midfielder.

Almost instantly City had the greater control they'd desired. Suddenly Chelsea were struggling to keep their heads above water as the visitors relentlessly poured men forward and snuffed out any counter attempts.

Chelsea survived in the 52nd minute when Nathan Ake's header hit the post and Phil Foden saw a follow-up blocked; Kevin De Bruyne then drilled wide from inside the box a few minutes later.

But while Guardiola's half-time adjustments undoubtedly played a role in altering the course of the match, it was his additional tinkering on the hour that was truly decisive.

Foden's restoration to the starting XI would have been popular among the army of supporters calling for his return, but he was largely anonymous here – the impact of his replacement will have surely drawn a smug grin from Guardiola.

Jack Grealish, with his first major involvement three minutes after coming on, played the ball across the face of goal to put it on a plate for Riyad Mahrez.

He was left with a simple tap-in, opening the scoring with what was also Mahrez's first proper involvement as he got in behind Marc Cucurella.

It had been that area of the pitch where most of City's joy had previously come from, with Bernardo's substitution for Mahrez almost surprising at the time given the Portugal midfielder had been giving Cucurella the run-around in the first 14 minutes of the second period.

Yet Guardiola's decisiveness was crucial. He went back to the wide pairing that had become his favoured option lately, and they showed why that'd been the case in one simple move – and just a few moments after being introduced.

Chelsea's attempts to claw back the slender deficit were valiant, spirited, their young substitutes battling away encouragingly. It was ultimately beyond them, but there is only so much you can expect given the Blues' list of absentees.

No, this was all down to City and Guardiola.

Maybe Guardiola did overcomplicate things for himself, but if you don't have anyone good enough to play chess against, sometimes you've just got to play yourself.

Riyad Mahrez made the difference as Manchester City cut Arsenal's lead in the Premier League to five points with a 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The Gunners' goalless draw with Newcastle United on Tuesday opened the door for Pep Guardiola's side to take advantage, though the defending champions were far from their best in the opening period.

Carney Chukwuemeka and Nathan Ake struck the frame of the goal either side of the break, with clear-cut opportunities limited for both sides throughout.

Coming off the bench, Mahrez changed the picture with a 63rd-minute close-range finish that will leave Arsenal looking over their shoulders ahead of what is set to be a significant month.

Chelsea's injury issues were compounded in the opening 20 minutes, losing Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic. The latter's issue came after the Blues' first real sight of goal, with the American forward halted by an inch-perfect tackle by John Stones.

Substitute Chukwuemeka had the best opportunity in what was a subdued first half, cutting onto his right foot outside the box and beating Ederson with a low drive that bounced back off the left post.

City boss Guardiola shuffled his deck at the break, introducing Manuel Akanji and Rico Lewis in place of Joao Cancelo and Kyle Walker, which sparked life into the defending champions with Ake heading against the post and Kevin De Bruyne forcing a low save from Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Bernardo Silva's fine footwork crafted another opening, teeing up De Bruyne to fire wide, before further changes followed on the hour mark with the introduction of Jack Grealish and Mahrez.

That pair combined three minutes later, Grealish drilling a pass across the face of goal from the left for Mahrez to tap home with ease.

City held on to secure what could be a valuable win in the title race, while Chelsea were left 10 points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United in the hunt for Champions League football.

Chelsea were hit by early injuries to Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic in their Premier League clash with Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.

Sterling came on as a substitute in Chelsea's EFL Cup meeting with City earlier in the season but the 28-year-old was named in Graham Potter's starting XI against his former side on Thursday.

The England international appeared to be starting in a central role behind Kai Havertz, with Mason Mount out of action due to an injury sustained in training on Wednesday.

Yet Sterling went down inside the opening three minutes, seemingly after tweaking his hamstring during a challenge with John Stones.

Sterling attempted to run off the problem down the touchline, but failed to do so and was swiftly replaced by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The injury woes for Potter were compounded 16 minutes later, with Pulisic picking up an issue after a decisive tackle from Stones to deny his charge into the box, with Carney Chukwuemeka his replacement.

Chelsea's cause has not been helped by injuries this term, with Reece James, Ben Chilwell and N'Golo Kante having been long-term absentees prior to the World Cup. Indeed, James suffered an injury on his return to action last week and has been ruled out for around a month.

The losses of Mount, Pulisic and Sterling could potentially further damage Chelsea's hopes of pushing for a top-four finish, and perhaps indicate they might push harder to sign Benfica's Enzo Fernandez, who starred at the World Cup for Argentina.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta believes a revamped version of the European Super League could launch as soon as 2025, without any Premier League clubs taking part.

Barca, along with Real Madrid and Juventus, remained committed to the Super League project in the aftermath of a failed launch in April 2021, though the other nine founding clubs quickly withdrew their support.

In October, it was revealed that plans were afoot to revive the competition, with A22 Sports Management chief executive Bernd Reichart promising an "open format" as he sought support for the proposal.

UEFA called the Super League's supporters "greedy" after meeting with Reichart the following month, while European Union Court of Justice [CJUE] advocate general Athanasios Rantos dealt a blow to the proposed competition by stating UEFA and FIFA could lawfully sanction participating clubs. 

However, Laporta remains optimistic regarding the Super League project, with the remaining clubs hopeful the CJUE will rule any UEFA sanctions are incompatible with EU competition law.

"In March or April we will have the CJUE ruling. It will be a very important sentence and I think it will benefit the clubs," Laporta told Cadena SER on Thursday.

"The Super League will be an open competition. I would not have entered this project if the competition was not open. 

"We want the governance to belong to the clubs. I hope that UEFA will occupy one more chair at the governance table. If the resolution is favourable, I think the Super League will be a reality in 2025."

All six of the Premier League clubs originally involved in the Super League – Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool – withdrew their support following a fierce public and media backlash to the plans in 2021.

Laporta does not expect any English sides to participate in the first edition of any future Super League, though he believes they will eventually join the competition if it succeeds.

"We will have a European competition that competes with the Premier League," he said. "I believe that the English teams will not enter at first. 

"We'd love for them to come in, but my opinion is that initially, they won't. I believe that everything will end with a merger later."

One feature of Laporta's tenure as Barca president has been his poor relationship with LaLiga president Javier Tebas, who he believes is not doing enough to ensure Spanish clubs can compete with their English counterparts.

"Our personal relationship has never been bad, but it has been tense. Tebas is a complicated person," he said. "He should be more concerned with recovering subscribers to football on television, increasing the income of Spanish football.

"We are defenders of financial control, but if you make a comparison between the Premier and the Spanish league... it is up to us to make them look at it."

Marcus Rashford joined Erling Haaland in being nominated for the Premier League's Player of the Month award for November and December after a strong run of form for Manchester United.

With the 2022 World Cup necessitating a seven-week break for elite club football, performances from either side of the tournament contributed towards the nominations.

Having scored three times during England's campaign in Qatar, Rashford hit the ground running on his return to club football by claiming a goal and an assist against Nottingham Forest before netting the winner at Wolves in United's final game of 2022.

Rashford – who was named Player of the Month in September – will face fierce competition for the award from Haaland, who scored four goals in four games for rivals Manchester City either side of the World Cup break.

Casemiro joins his United team-mate Rashford on the shortlist after helping Erik ten Hag's resurgent side win three of their four games throughout November and December.

Meanwhile, leaders Arsenal have strong representation from two nominees, with captain Martin Odegaard on the shortlist after recording six goal contributions (three goals, three assists) during this period – the most of any Premier League player.

Bukayo Saka is also in contention after netting in the Gunners' crucial victories against West Ham and Brighton and Hove Albion over the festive period.

Newcastle United's Kieran Trippier, Brentford defender Ben Mee and Fulham's Joao Palhinha complete the eight-man shortlist for the prize, which will be awarded next week.

Erling Haaland needs to "play with passion" against defenders who attempt to unsettle him, according to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

Haaland scored his 21st Premier League goal since arriving from Borussia Dortmund during the 1-1 draw with Everton on Saturday.

But images emerged after the game of the Norway international arguing with Toffees centre-back Ben Godfrey, while James Tarkowski and Conor Coady were also involved in confrontations with the striker.

Guardiola was pleased with how the 22-year-old Haaland handled himself against three experienced Premier League defenders trying to wind him up, although he stressed he had to draw a line somewhere.

"I like it," Guardiola told reporters ahead of City's league visit to Chelsea on Thursday. "He just needs to limit his behaviour, not him [but] everyone.

"The decisions, you have to use here [points to head] but play with this passion. It is necessary. I prefer that than to be flat.

"Strikers have to handle tough central defenders. Tomorrow he'll have a battle with [Kalidou] Koulibaly, Thiago Silva. That's why the Premier League is so special."

Haaland has taken the Premier League by storm since joining City in June, becoming the fastest player to score 20 goals in the competition, doing so in just 14 games, seven fewer than previous record-holder Kevin Phillips.

However, Guardiola feels Haaland can become even better, saying: "A lot of things he has to improve.

"As much as he continues scoring goals, he still has margin to improve on many things. Of course, he's young, and he'll be better in the future."

Guardiola left it until the 87th minute against Everton before making a change, with substitutes Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden and returning World Cup winner Julian Alvarez unable to steal three points late on.

Asked whether this was an error looking back, Guardiola replied: "Yes, definitely. What was the result? Yeah, a mistake.

"But even with substitutions 15 minutes earlier, maybe we would've lost. Maybe I should've done it earlier, but in that moment I took a decision."

Arsenal took advantage of City's draw with Everton by beating Brighton and Hove Albion to extend their lead at the Premier League summit to seven points, although a goalless draw at home to Newcastle United on Tuesday means Guardiola's men can close the gap to five points with victory at Stamford Bridge.

The Gunners may have missed the opportunity to momentarily open a 10-point gap, but Guardiola was still impressed with their performance – albeit he is also pleased with how his team have played since returning from the World Cup.

"The way they [Arsenal] played yesterday impressed me a lot," Guardiola added. "They dropped two points, but not in the quality they played.

"The way we played the last games, the feeling is good. My target always as a manager is try to do better than the opposition. First of all, be yourself, [but] if it doesn't happen, it's football.

"What I want to see is we still want to fight. We don't give up, until the last chance we can fight and win the Premier League."

Manchester City must be "almost perfect" between now and the end of the season if they are to catch Premier League leaders Arsenal, according to manager Pep Guardiola.

Arsenal dropped points for just the third time this season in Tuesday's goalless home draw with Newcastle United, but they are still eight points clear of second-placed City.

The reigning champions play their game in hand away at Chelsea on Thursday, though Guardiola accepts Arsenal may well be uncatchable on current form.

"The way you have to reduce the gap is to play good and win games," Guardiola said at Wednesday's pre-match press conference.

"They have an average and they're going to do 100 points or more if they carry on, and we won't catch them. We will have to be almost perfect. 

"We'd expect from here to the end of the season they'd drop a little bit in terms of their performances, but they were excellent against Newcastle, so we'll see what happens."

City were held to a 1-1 draw by Everton on Saturday and have taken only four points from the past nine on offer either side of the World Cup break.

However, Guardiola's side have won their past three games against Chelsea without conceding a goal, including a 2-0 win in November's EFL Cup third-round tie.

"It is always difficult when you travel to Stamford Bridge," Guardiola said. "It is a tough game against a tough side who are well managed.

"It doesn't matter the position you are when you travel there – it's always difficult. At the same time, we're looking forward to it and the next few weeks in different competitions."

City face Chelsea twice in the space of three days, first in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge and then at the Etihad Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday.

Guardiola confirmed Ruben Dias remains absent for at least the first of those games, while a late decision will be made on fellow centre-back Aymeric Laporte.

Bernardo Silva is line to retain his place in attack, despite again suggesting this week that his future lies away from City beyond this season.

Asked about Silva's latest comments, Guardiola insisted the Portugal international – under contract until June 2025 – remains an important part of his plans.

"He's a key player, so important on and off the pitch," said Guardiola, who has lost just seven of his 34 Premier League games in London, three of those against Chelsea.

"He's a guy who can talk, always with a nice conversation and always you learn about his humanity, his vision for the club and the league. 

"He's an incredible player against top sides, in decisive games he's always there. Nothing has changed about his future."

City have won their first Premier League game in each of the past 10 calendar years, stretching back to a 1-0 loss at Sunderland in 2012.

Graham Potter says Raheem Sterling's "challenging" start at Chelsea is understandable but he expects the forward to improve as he prepares to face former side Manchester City.

Sterling has come in for criticism since ending a successful and trophy-laden seven-season spell at Man City to join Chelsea in a reported £50million deal ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

That is despite the England international having scored and assisted more goals (nine) than any team-mate this season in his 21 appearances, while only Mason Mount has created more chances (32 to 28).

He was on the scoresheet in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest, which extended Chelsea's disappointing run of form to just one win in five either side of the 2022 World Cup.

With plenty of focus on Sterling ahead of Chelsea's double-header with City in the Premier League and FA Cup third round this week, Potter has called for more from the 28-year-old.

"It's been a challenge for him, I think. But it's been a challenging period for everybody," Potter told reporters. "There has been a lot of change here and a lot of things have happened. 

"In that regard, it's never easy to completely settle and completely hit the ground running. There's more to come from Raheem, I'm sure, but he gives his best every day. We need to help him get to the level that we know we can get to."

Sterling scored 91 goals in 225 Premier League appearances for City, who trail leaders Arsenal by eight points with a game in hand, despite the incredible form of striker Erling Haaland.

The Norway international has found the net 27 times in 21 games this season – seven goals more than any other player across Europe's top five leagues – including seven strikes in his six away league matches.

Rather than focus on Haaland's obvious strengths, however, Potter is focusing on the damage his Chelsea players can do to City's defence in Thursday's match at Stamford Bridge.

"Haaland's obviously had a fantastic season; the goals there are amazing," Potter said. "It's a top team, but we have to think about ourselves, and think about how we can do better.

"We need to think about how we can take steps forward in terms of our game. That's the approach we'll have. Playing well ourselves is the key.

"Then you have to understand the quality they have and try to stop it. It does sound simple when I articulate it now but obviously in reality it's not so straightforward. 

"They're a top team, but we can cause them a problem. We can be ourselves and try to play well and try to put them under pressure. We need to use Stamford Bridge to our advantage and then see what happens."

City boss Guardiola has lost eight times against Chelsea in all competitions, with that the joint-most defeats suffered against a single opponent in his coaching career alongside Liverpool.

However, Guardiola's City have won their past three matches against Chelsea without conceding a goal, most recently prevailing 2-0 in November's EFL Cup third-round tie when the Catalan exchanged words with Potter at full-time.

Asked about that conversation ahead of their latest encounter, Potter said: "It was a general football conversation. He understands the challenges that we have here and he's faced some similar ones himself. 

"It was just a conversation after a game you have with football coaches. It's nice, I think it's good. It's good that managers can speak because it's complicated when you're out there.

"There are always emotions, and we're all fighting for the points, but afterwards it's nice to be able to speak as human beings and talk about the game.

"I think if you did the research on football, and not just Pep but the people within the game that played against my teams and have watched the work that I've done, I think there's a general level of respect. 

"There certainly is from my perspective to him, because he's fantastic. He's a fantastic person. But also, what he's achieved as a footballer and was achieved as a coach is amazing."

A new year may bring fresh hope, but the same old problems were clear to see for Chelsea in their 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

A team seemingly stuck in transition and unable to fully adapt to the methods of head coach Graham Potter, Chelsea face a huge battle to even finish in the Premier League top four this season – their absolute minimum target.

Amid all the talk of a struggling attack (only eight other teams have scored fewer goals per game than Chelsea this season), and the need for further freshening up in other areas, the situation regarding the goalkeeping position has all of a sudden gone very quiet.

The opening of the transfer window in recent years, whether prior to the start of a new season or midway through, would lead to strong speculation surrounding the future of Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Not so much this time around, with the Spain international usurping Edouard Mendy since Potter's arrival in September and performing steadily between the sticks in the four months since.

Indeed, it could be argued that Kepa has just about been Chelsea's most consistent performer under Potter, albeit far from perfect in what has been a difficult period for the Blues.

Eight times Kepa has been used in the Premier League this season, each of those appearances coming after Thomas Tuchel's departure, and he has kept a clean sheet in half of those matches.

To put that in some perspective, only Newcastle United's Nick Pope – statistically the best keeper in the division this season – is keeping shutouts at a better rate, with Manchester United's David de Gea and Aaron Ramsdale of Arsenal close behind.

Heading into the midweek round of fixtures, meanwhile, no goalkeeper could boast a better save percentage return than Kepa's 83.3 among those to have played more than once, with Pope (80.7) the closest to him in that category.

While he perhaps could have done a little more to keep out some of the six goals he has conceded, Kepa has yet to commit an error leading to a goal in the Premier League this campaign, unlike De Gea, Mendy, Jordan Pickford (one each) and Hugo Lloris (a competition-leading three) among others.

High-profile errors were for a long time a hallmark of Kepa's game. Not only that, the 28-year-old never seemed to be far from the headlines, a perfect case in point being a little under four years ago when refusing to leave the field after Maurizio Sarri tried to substitute him off in the EFL Cup final.

Three years later, in last season's final at Wembley, it was Kepa's missed spot-kick – the 22nd of a remarkable shoot-out – that led to Liverpool lifting the cup at Chelsea's expense.

There have been plenty of highs and lows in between, but that City match in particular may well come to define Kepa's time at Stamford Bridge, however long it is he remains at the club.

But now at a relative high point of his Chelsea career, the former Athletic Bilbao stopper will be out to prove himself once more when Chelsea and City face off twice in the space of three days this week.

It may well be that Potter opts to rotate for the second of those matches, an FA Cup third-round tie on Sunday, but Thursday's league clash at Stamford Bridge will see Kepa get the nod.

He has a pretty mixed record against City in his five seasons as a Chelsea player, conceding 10 goals in five matches, albeit with six of those coming in a single game in the 2018-19 campaign, and has kept three clean sheets.

"I'm feeling very well, I'm feeling confident with and without the ball. I'm feeling like I'm helping the team when they need it, so I'm happy," Kepa said in October after producing another fine display to keep out Brentford in a goalless draw.

"Of course, every player needs this confidence, this push, and I think for the goalkeeper it's even more important when you have continuity. For a goalkeeper, when you're not playing, in training it's not the same. I have to keep going, I have to keep working."

Keep working he has and, aided perhaps by a slice of luck owing to Mendy's injury problems and reported off-the-field problems, Kepa is now Chelsea's first choice until at least the end of the campaign, bar any surprise January moves.

And on the basis of the numbers alone, there is no real reason why Chelsea should look to change in that department in the long term. Of all goalkeepers in the Premier League this term, only Liverpool's Alison (8.4) has prevented more goals than Kepa on 4.1 – rising to 5.1 when excluding own goals.

Essentially, Kepa has kept out four goals more than expected based on the quality of chances for the opposition, bailing out an underperforming defence a number of times. On three occasions this season, Kepa has had to make five or more saves in a single game.

This may all say just as much about Chelsea's defence, which is stuck between the old and new, as it does Kepa. But as Chelsea prepare for their double-header against City, Kepa can at least afford a little smile as his redemption arc perhaps comes full circle.

Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham will all reportedly attempt to sign Inter defender Denzel Dumfries after his stellar World Cup performances for the Netherlands.

Dumfries, 26, played in all five of his country's World Cup fixtures, highlighted by a stunning display against the United States in the last 16 where he scored one and assisted two in a 3-1 win.

The marauding right-back has played in all 15 of Inter's Serie A outings this season, making 13 starts, although he has only produced a full 90 minutes on four occasions.

Despite the Italian side rejecting all bids for Dumfries in the previous transfer window, he is said to no longer be viewed as indispensable, and could be pried away for a fee of €60million.

TOP STORY – PREMIER LEAGUE CLUBS CIRCLE DUTCH STANDOUT DUMFRIES

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter are willing to accept a €60m (£53m) fee, although it remains to be seen if the amount of interest drives that price up even further.

Chelsea reportedly view Dumfries as the answer to their depth issues at right-back while Reece James battles injuries, as well as being able to play as part of a back-three.

United believe he can replace Diogo Dalot, and Tottenham feel he is a superior option to Sporting's Pedro Porro, who they had been reportedly close to securing on a €35m (£31m) deal, per the Daily Star.

ROUND-UP

– Spanish newspaper Nacional is reporting Man Utd have made an offer for 24-year-old RB Leipzig winger Dani Olmo, who could cost as much as €66m (£58m).

– The Evening Standard is reporting Arsenal, Chelsea and United are not willing to pay the €11m (£10m) loan fee and €283,000 (£250,000)-per-week wages being demanded by Atletico Madrid for forward Joao Felix.

– According to 90min, Manchester City will sign 19-year-old Velez Sarsfield midfielder Maximo Perrone.

– Nottingham Forest will allow 25-year-old striker Emmanuel Dennis to leave the club for a fee of £10m just five months after his arrival, per The Athletic.

– The Telegraph is reporting Liverpool will investigate a potential £44m move for 24-year-old Wolves midfielder Matheus Nunes at the end of the season.

Bernardo Silva will likely seek a "new project" in the next few years, but he will wait until the end of the season before discussing his Manchester City future.

Since signing for City from Monaco in 2017, Silva has won four Premier League titles as well as five domestic cups, playing a vital role in Pep Guardiola's team.

Barcelona were reportedly interested in luring the Portugal international to Camp Nou in the last transfer window, though City's reluctance to sell ensured a move never materialised.

While Silva is focused on winning more silverware with City before the end of the season, he has refused to rule out a move prior to next campaign.

"I'm very focused on this season and it doesn't make sense to talk about leaving because we're in the middle of the season," Silva told Record.

"I've been at Manchester City for almost six years, I have a lot of respect for the club, news keeps coming out and people know that there have been talks between me and the club and, at the end of the season, we'll talk again to see what's best for the two sides.

"I'm 28 years-old, I'll be 29 in the summer, and I have two more years on my Manchester City contract. My contract would end at 31.

"I won't hide that my goal in the coming years, if something good happens elsewhere, will probably be to move to a new project."

While Barcelona appears the most likely destination for Silva, the midfielder did not hide his desire to one day return to his home country with Benfica – where he failed to become a first-team regular at the start of his career.

"My goal was to return to Benfica at the age of 32 at the most," he said. "What do I think today? It depends on what happens next summer.

"I'm not going to lie, it's not something I don't think about. I think about it every year. It has always been a goal. I couldn't fulfil my dream of playing for Benfica when I was 19, 20 years old, but I still want to fulfil it.

"Being very realistic, for me to leave Manchester City for Benfica, or to leave another great European club for Benfica... I cannot leave with two or three years on my contract, because Benfica do not have the money to pay these clubs.

"I have to go free. I'm in a difficult situation that I have to manage, but we'll see what happens."

Silva's current side lost more ground in the title race on Saturday, drawing 1-1 against Everton as Arsenal extended their lead at the summit to seven points by beating Brighton and Hove Albion.

Silva is hopeful City can claw back that deficit, while a first Champions League title is also a key target after they lost the 2021 final against Chelsea.

"I'm focused on winning more titles for City," Silva explained. "We want to win the league again.

"We have a competition that we have never won and that is a great objective, which is the Champions League, so we want to try again."

Manchester City are reportedly prepared to offer Jack Grealish as well as a hefty transfer fee to Milan for in-demand forward Rafael Leao.

Leao, 23, has scored six goals with five assists in his 14 Serie A fixtures this campaign, following a 2021-22 season where he contributed 11 goals and 10 assists in 34 league appearances.

Meanwhile, 27-year-old Grealish has been trending in the opposite direction, with the most expensive Englishman in football history only playing a complete 90 minutes in two of his 10 Premier League outings this season.

Chelsea have reportedly already seen a £62million (€70m) bid for Leao brushed off by Milan, who have apparently said they will wait for someone to meet his £133m (€150m) release clause, though a new report suggests City could be ready to make their move for the Portugal international.

TOP STORY – CITY PREPARED TO OFFER GREALISH IN BID FOR LEAO

While it remains to be seen exactly what price Milan would be happy to part ways with for their young star, City reportedly feel they have an ace up their sleeve in negotiations due to their willingness to send over a replacement player as part of their offer.

According to Calciomercato, City are willing to offer a package of Grealish plus cash to Milan for Leao, and the same outlet reported on December 6 that Milan had interest in Grealish in the event of Leao's departure.

Further reporting from Football Insider has stated City are looking to recoup £60m of their £100m initially spent on Grealish for a potential pursuit of Jude Bellingham.

ROUND-UP

– According to L'Equipe, Napoli are the leading candidates to land 22-year-old Angers midfielder Azzedine Ounahi, while the Express adds Leicester City will also mount a charge for the Morocco standout if Youri Tielemans leaves in January.

– Media Foot is reporting Everton are in discussions with Montpellier about a potential £22m (€25m) move for 20-year-old striker Elye Wahi, who has represented France at the under-19 level.

– Manchester United are one of the clubs keeping a close eye on 25-year-old Borussia Monchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram after reports the French international will be available for just £10.6m (€12m) in January as he enters the final six months of his contract, per the Daily Mail. 

– Sport Arena is reporting Arsenal have agreed to a five-year contract with 21-year-old Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk. 

– According to Fichajes, Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has had a change of heart and would now like to join Man Utd at the end of the season.

Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez playing together could help Manchester City to break down teams who sit back against them, according to Pep Guardiola.

City lost ground in the title race on Saturday after drawing 1-1 at home to struggling Everton, with leaders Arsenal then extending their advantage at the Premier League summit to seven points with a 4-2 victory at Brighton and Hove Albion.

Haaland had given City the lead against the Toffees, but Demarai Gray scored a superb strike to peg the champions back and hold them to just a point, putting another dent in their title hopes after losing at home to Brentford in the final game before the World Cup break.

In his attempts to win the game, Guardiola brought on World Cup winner Alvarez up top with Haaland in the 87th minute, and though it did not reward him with three points on this occasion, he says he may have to start the pair if they are to improve their results at home.

"You have two strikers who are going to score goals," City boss Guardiola said after the game.

"To create the chances you have to make the process and for the process sometimes you need other types of players to create these chances.

"But of course they can play together - especially in defence against five at the back they can play together.

"In the last minutes when it is 1-1, we needed people in a central role, in and around the box, and that's why he [Alvarez] played."

Phil Foden has come off the bench in all three of City's games since returning from the World Cup, with England team-mate Jack Grealish preferred to start over him in the last two league matches.

Asked whether Foden needs to adapt to be included in his starting line-up, Guardiola replied: "No, Phil can play in a thousand, million positions.

"When I am in the pitch and in the training sessions, I see something with my intuition and I decided to play with Jack for these games because Jack give us extra, extra, extra passes.

"When it is more vertical, Phil is better, so both can combine, both can play together but this time I decided on this line-up."

Manchester City are not worried about the Premier League title race despite losing ground on Arsenal, so says Manuel Akanji.

Pep Guardiola's side were held to a 1-1 draw by Everton at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, after Erling Haaland's finish was cancelled out by Demarai Gray's superb strike.

With Mikel Arteta's Arsenal claiming a victory against Brighton and Hove Albion it means the gap is now seven points to the summit for reigning champions City.

Akanji, though, is not concerned, with City having not yet faced their title rivals.

"It's the midway point of the season," he told City's official website. "Of course, Arsenal are in first but in the end, there are lots of games to play.

"We have to play them twice. We'll keep the pressure up and try to win our next game and keep on going. There's still a long way to go."

Not for the first time, City saw their firepower neutralised by cracks in their defensive line, with Gray's goal the only shot on target Everton mustered.

That their domination on the ball was undone by a lapse at the back is not lost on Akanji, who believes they must bank clean sheets to stay in the mix.

"We had enough chances, and we've got to keep the clean sheet in a game like this," he added. "We can't give the opponent the opportunity to score.

"It's something we have to [do] better in the next game. One point is not enough out of these 90 minutes.

"We tried to dominate the game. I think we did it pretty well and had enough opportunities to score a goal. In the end, we have to manage to keep the clean sheet.

"There's going to be some tough games where the opponent is defending well, and we've got to do a better job. We have to be more focused

"If we can do that, we might be better the next time. It's something we have to improve."

Arsenal are unlikely to be stopped in their quest to win a shock Premier League title, according to their former midfielder Paul Merson.

The Gunners impressively moved into a seven-point lead at the top of the table with a 4-2 victory at Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.

Draws for Manchester City and Newcastle United earlier on New Year's Eve gave the Gunners a chance to increase their lead at the summit.

And they grabbed it with both hands at the Amex Stadium, Bukayo Saka setting them on their way with a goal after only 66 seconds.

Inspirational captain Martin Odegaard doubled Arsenal's lead and Eddie Nketiah added a third goal, with Gabriel Martinelli getting in on the act either side of strikes from Brighton duo Kaoru Mitoma and Evan Ferguson.

Arsenal are sitting pretty after five consecutive top-flight wins and face third-placed Newcastle at home on Tuesday in a crucial contest.

Merson believes the title battle is already a two-hose race between Arsenal and City, with his backing going to the Gunners despite Pep Guardiola’s champions remaining favourites with the bookmakers.

"I think they'll beat Newcastle," Merson said to Sky Sports. "They've just won two games, scored seven goals, confidence is high. 

"They've won every game at home this season in the league - that's some doing.

"Arsenal are good to watch, it's not a fluke. You've got to look at Man City, they've lost at home to Brentford and drawn at home to Everton who are on a bad run. 

"They are two games City are expected to win. That's five points dropped. I don't see anyone stopping Arsenal at the moment."

Wins over West Ham and Brighton since the World Cup break have delighted Merson, as Arsenal bid to win a first league crown since their 'Invincibles' team tasted success in 2004.

He added: "When we stopped for the World Cup you thought this could only harm Arsenal. They were flying. They've come back and scored seven goals in two games.

"They've got a platform, it's in their hands. I know there's a long way to go, but there are big teams in this league who can't win it - Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, probably Man United.

"It's out of Arsenal and Man City unless the other teams go on the most extraordinary run you've ever seen in Premier League history.

"Who goes to Brighton and scores four goals? Arsenal are playing great football and at the moment, they're the best team in the country and the number one team.

"They've given themselves a little gap where they can afford to lose a few games. Man City are not going to win every game, so Arsenal are right in this, I couldn't talk highly enough about them.

"This is not a fluke, they are where they are because they are a very good football team.

"They went to Old Trafford and got beat, and I didn't think they deserved to. There are ways of losing matches and they bounced back.

"The other night, they went 1-0 down to West Ham and they came back and brushed them aside."