Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hailed the performance of debutants William Saliba and Gabriel Jesus in the Gunners' 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.
While Jesus was a thorn in the side of the Eagles' defence with a threatening display, particularly in the first half, at the other end Saliba put in a commanding defensive display – having waited three years for his debut.
Saliba's dominant showing saw the 21-year-old register a team-high seven clearances and win possession seven times, behind only Thomas Partey (eight).
Speaking after the game, Arteta discussed the merits of a partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes.
"You need the right balance," the manager told Sky Sports.
"Physicality in this league is something that you cannot come short, because if you do, you're going to be exposed, and you're going to have to be able to deal with certain games and certain opponents, which demand so much in those aspects.
"The two, for their age, they're really well built, and they give us a different edge, the same with Ben [White].
"That's the resilience we need to win football matches and to see football matches through. We had some moments; you need your goalkeeper because, to be honest, they had the biggest chance in the game, the one against one, and Aaron [Ramsdale] did incredibly well."
Although Jesus was not on the scoresheet for Arsenal, his intent was evident from the start as he put the Palace defence under pressure and contested a team-high 21 duels.
"The fear factor," Arteta said, describing the forward's impact. "He's always on your shoulder, he's always had that ability, the intuition to get the ball off you, and he's never standing still.
"He's always on the move, he's always ready to act, and he's so sharp. For the defenders, it's difficult to play against him."
As well as Jesus, Arsenal have added Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira, Matt Turner and Marquinhos, but Arteta – who celebrated his 50th league win as Gunners boss – is still on the lookout for further additions before the transfer window shuts on September 1.
"We are going to try," he said. "There are a few things that we have planned, and if we can do them, it would be great.
"But now we'll work with the players we have. We're into the season already, and the focus should be on the players we have, to get the best out of them."
Caitlin Foord signs new Arsenal contract
Arsenal have confirmed that forward Caitlin Foord has signed a new contract with the Women’s Super League club.
The 28-year-old joined the Gunners from US side Portland Thorns in 2020 and has since made 94 appearances for the club.
Foord played a big part for Arsenal this season, scoring 11 goals and providing nine assists across 33 appearances.
“I couldn’t be happier to extend my stay here at Arsenal,” she said.
View this post on Instagram“I feel like I’m growing and improving being here in this environment so I don’t want to leave that.“I want to continue to get better and to help the team – I enjoy going out and training every day and wanting to be better and being surrounded by world class players. This feels like the right place – the place I want to be.”
As well as helping Arsenal secure a third-placed finish in the WSL, Foord was part of the team that won the Continental Cup this year and head coach Jonas Eidevall is looking forward to next season with the Australia international.
“Caitlin is an integral part of our team so we’re all delighted by the news that she has signed a new contract,” Eidevall said.
“She is one of the best forwards in the world and has performed to a consistently high standard for us during my time here, providing some crucial goals and delivering on the biggest stages.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together next season and Caitlin will play a key role in that.”
How do the current Man City side compare to Man Utd’s treble winners of 1999?
Manchester City bid for a trophy treble in Saturday’s Champions League final against Inter Milan.
Having seen off Manchester United at Wembley to add the FA Cup to their Premier League title, City can match the feat previously only achieved in English football by their cross-city rivals.
Here, the PA news agency looks at how this season’s City side compares to United’s celebrated 1998-99 group.
Team performanceUnited lost only three games in their treble-winning season but a remarkable 21 draws in 57 games across the three competitions in question sees City overshadow them in most other statistical categories.
Excluding the League Cup from both teams’ records and with their 57th and final game still to play, Pep Guardiola’s side have 41 wins (73.2 per cent) to United’s 33 (57.9 per cent), 144 goals to 121 and 25 clean sheets to 20.
They have conceded only 39 goals to their predecessors’ 56, scoring an average of 2.57 per game and conceding 0.70 compared to 2.12 against 0.98 for United.
City have also scored four goals or more on 16 occasions, 28.6 per cent of their matches and twice as many as that United side – and they have an unsurprising advantage when the two teams’ top scorers are compared…
Player statsErling Haaland’s extraordinary 51-goal contribution to City’s potential treble had no equivalent in a United squad that shared the burden much more equally.
Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole formed a potent front two, Yorke edging his strike partner by 18 league goals to 17 and by 29 to 24 in all competitions.
Super-sub Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored 12 league goals despite starting only nine games and 15 in the three competitions with just 14 starts alongside 20 appearances from the bench. Teddy Sheringham was even more sparingly used, but his four goals included the vital equaliser in Barcelona before Solskjaer’s even-later winner.
Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs also hit double figures, with David Beckham on nine.
Haaland won this year’s Premier League Golden Boot with a record 36 goals and will receive the same honour in the Champions League. His 12 goals – including five in a game against RB Leipzig – have him four clear of the pack and no other finalist has more than four.
He has been backed up by fellow summer signing Julian Alvarez with 15 goals in the league, FA Cup and Champions League, the same as Phil Foden, plus 13 from Riyad Mahrez and double figures too for cup final hero Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne.
Eight of Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad featured in 50 or more of the 57 games that led to the treble – goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, defenders Gary Neville and Jaap Stam, midfield trio David Beckham, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, and Cole and Yorke up front.
Just Rodri and Bernardo Silva can boast the same figure for City this term as Guardiola’s famed rotation policy and squad depth shows its worth. Haaland and Gundogan have hit 50 in all competitions, as can Jack Grealish if he plays in Saturday’s final.
Man City’s holy grail and Pep’s tactics – Champions League final talking points
Manchester City face Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some talking points ahead of the game.
City’s holy grailWinning the Champions League has been City’s top objective since their takeover by Sheikh Mansour in 2008 and, after a number of near-misses, it now feels tantalisingly within reach. Beating Inter Milan would complete a mission for the club’s hierarchy, as it would for Pep Guardiola, the man they hired to deliver it. Despite City’s near-dominance of the domestic scene in recent years, and the regularity with which they have reached the Champions League’s latter stages, Guardiola has admitted the club need to win it to truly underline their greatness. On a personal level too, Guardiola has been the greatest coach of his generation but it has now been 12 years since the second of his two triumphs with a Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona and it is an itch he needs to scratch.
Treble bidVictory would not only fulfil a long-held ambition for City, but complete a glorious treble, earning them a place in the history books alongside arch-rivals Manchester United as only the second side to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season. United achieved the feat in 1999, at a time when City were fighting for promotion from the third tier. How their fans are enjoying the change in circumstances 24 years on.
Tactics and formCity will head into this game against the side that finished third in Serie A as overwhelming favourites. After an inconsistent spell either side of the World Cup, they hit form in the spring to reel in Arsenal at the top of the Premier League and power into two major finals. Their level of performance has arguably been better than anything they have produced before under Guardiola, with some particularly outstanding displays in key games against the Gunners, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. Guardiola has often been accused of overthinking and getting things wrong tactically in the key matches, but there seems little reason to deviate now from what has worked well this season.
No injury worriesCity would appear to have a clean bill of health. There were concerns when Kyle Walker did not appear at an open training session on Tuesday, having been substituted late in the FA Cup final on Saturday, but the player allayed any worries, saying he would not miss the Champions League final “for anything”. Guardiola is therefore unlikely to stray much from the side which started against Arsenal and both legs against Madrid, which was: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Akanji, Rodri, Gundogan, Grealish, Silva, De Bruyne, Haaland.
Inter’s planInter will be determined not to make up the numbers but manager Simone Inzaghi probably recognises City are likely to dominate possession, putting his side’s notably tough defence to the test. The Italians will hope to soak up the pressure and catch City on the counter, looking to the likes of Lautaro Martinez, Edin Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku to take any chances that come their way.
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