Liam and Noel Gallagher have finally settled their differences to reunite Oasis next year, though their allegiances towards Manchester City have never altered.
Manchester's great duo are, after years of wait, heading back to England's biggest stages, with the news announced on Tuesday to confirm their comeback as definitely, not maybe.
Having last played at V Festival in late August 2009, the pair split just before their beloved City fired to centre stage, rising from the third tier to dominate the Premier League since the brothers' ill-tempered farewell.
With eight Premier League titles, one Champions League crown, three FA Cup wins and six EFL Cup successes, City have transformed their fortunes since Oasis' split.
Here, we unpick the data behind City's success, watching rivals Manchester United Slide Away from the top spot for the city's bragging rights since the Gallaghers parted ways on August 22, 2009.
Champion Supernova
City have lifted eight Premier League titles since Oasis' final performance, winning a massive 1,252 points across that period – 152 more than nearest challengers Liverpool in the same timeframe.
That points tally is also 163 more than neighbours United, with Supersonic City's 385 top-flight wins (219 at home, 166 away) in the aforementioned span far greater than second-placed Liverpool's 322.
The four-in-a-row champions have also managed 1,306 goals, a total that Liverpool (1,112), Arsenal (1,074), Chelsea (1,044) and Man Utd (1,008) can get nowhere near.
Pep's Masterplan
Pep Guardiola may be the only man in Manchester able to rival the Gallagher's fame, with the City boss leading his side to unprecedented heights since his arrival in England eight years ago.
In the same Oasis-less period, Guardiola's 227 Premier League wins are the most of any City manager, ahead of Roberto Mancini (82), Manuel Pellegrini (70), Mark Hughes (five) and caretaker Brian Kidd (one).
That dominance owes to the fact Guardiola is the longest-serving City boss of the span, though his winning percentage of 74% is once again greater than nearest rivals, Mancini (62%) and Pellegrini (61%).
Stop Crying Your Heart Out, Newcastle
Some Might Say no team can keep up with City in the Premier League, but Newcastle United are the side to have struggled most with the Oasis-stricken blues.
Man City have defeated Newcastle 22 times in the Premier League since that fateful last Oasis performance in 2009, suggesting the Magpies are at least Half The World Away from the Citizens' quality.
As Newcastle's hopes of a rare win over City appear to have faded away Little by Little, West Ham have also lost 21 games in that period against the Manchester club, with Villa third on 18 defeats.
Whatever the other teams have struggled with, Middlesbrough – now in the Championship – have suffered no such issues, remaining as the only Premier League side to have not lost against City in the period (two draws in two matches).
Gundowall
Ilkay Gundogan was, at least in jest, said to have played a part in Oasis' reunion after the same Gallagher brothers attempted to lure the Germany midfielder back to the Etihad Stadium.
His 44 goals for City in the period without Oasis rank him 11th on the list of Premier League scorers for the club, which is headed by Argentina's Rock 'N' Roll Star Sergio Aguero, on 184.
The striker's tally is more than double his nearest competitor, Raheem Sterling (91), who makes up the top five with Kevin De Bruyne (69), Erling Haaland (67) and Yaya Toure (62).
As for appearances, former midfielder David Silva answered City's call the most to Stand by Me, racking up 309 league appearances – ahead of Aguero, who is just behind on 275.
Guardiola shares secret to Spanish coaching success ahead of Lopetegui meeting
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says the secret to the success of Spanish coaches is their development when it comes to the tactical side of the game.
Guardiola, who has led City to four successive Premier League titles, will go up against compatriot Julen Lopetegui when his team travel to West Ham on Saturday.
It has been a summer of success for Spain on the international stage, with La Roja winning Euro 2024 before their Under-23s won gold at the Paris Olympics.
Mikel Arteta, Unai Emery and Andoni Iraola form the rest of the Spanish contingent of managers in the Premier League, and Guardiola shared what he believes is the reason for coaches from his nation enjoying such success.
"The secret is [Spanish coaches] work really well from early ages on tactics, on methodologies, to understand the game," he told Man City's official media channels.
"So in a team sport, you need to acknowledge why things happen. Spanish coaches work really well to understand the game.
"Today, all the managers and coaches are really well prepared. That’s why the football is getting better and better."
Guardiola added that competition is what drives him on.
"I think the competition itself ignites something in all of us. Why should it stop? I think when it stops, you should retire," he said.
"When the competition comes, we say okay, let’s try it again. That mentality is always there.
"Managers always drink knowledge from the staff, from the players – it’s not always me to the other people. It's a back and forth, not in just one direction.
"Just to have nice people around you is the most important thing, to have the good vibes in the team. If not it’s always conflict – conflict is the enemy that can beat you. The rest has to be a healthy, nice environment."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
West Ham - Michail Antonio
Antonio has been involved in 99 Premier League goals for West Ham (67 goals, 32 assists), and could be the first player to reach 100 for the club.
Five of these have been against Man City (three goals, two assists), with the Jamaican only having a hand in more against four clubs (Crystal Palace, Tottenham, Liverpool and Watford).
Manchester City - Erling Haaland
Haaland has scored 16 goals in 10 Premier League appearances in August, averaging a goal every 52 minutes, the best minutes-per-goal ratio by a player in a particular month in Premier League history (min. 500 minutes played).
MATCH PREDICTION: MANCHESTER CITY WIN
City have lost none of their 16 Premier League meetings with West Ham under Guardiola (W14 D2). It is the joint-most a manager has faced a specific opponent without ever losing in the competition's history (Alex Ferguson vs Charlton also 16).
The champions are unbeaten in 21 Premier League games so far in 2024 (W18 D3), their longest unbeaten run from the start of a calendar year in league history. Overall, they are unbeaten in 25 Premier League games, winning the last 11 in a row.
City have scored more away goals against West Ham than they have against any other opponent in the Premier League (42). Meanwhile, their 25 goals at the London Stadium is the most an away team has scored at a specific venue in the Premier League since its opening in 2016-17.
West Ham are winless in their last 17 Premier League meetings with City (D3 L14) since a 2-1 away win in September 2015. Indeed, City have lost just one of their last 14 away league games against the Hammers (W8 D5), and are unbeaten in their last nine visits since a 2-1 loss at Upton Park in October 2014.
The Hammers have conceded at least once in each of their last 10 Premier League home games, last having a longer run without a clean sheet between April and December 2009 (12).
Only Liverpool and Nottingham Forest (37 each) have had more shots than West Ham (32) in the opening two Premier League games this season. However, only three sides (Everton, Southampton, Ipswich Town) have had fewer attempts on target than the Hammers (six).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
West Ham - 16.4%
Man City - 64%
Draw - 19.6%
Brentford confirm arrival of 18-year-old Nunes from Gremio
Brentford have confirmed the capture of 18-year-old forward Gustavo Nunes from Gremio for a reported £10million transfer fee.
Nunes, who operates predominantly on the left-hand side of the front line, has signed a six-year contract, with the Bees having an option to extend the deal by two years.
The Brazilian made his first-team debut for Gremio in February 2024, coming on as a first-half substitute and providing an assist in a 1-1 Serie A draw with Sao Luiz.
Nunes netted his first goal six days later, scoring the opener in a 6-2 triumph against Santa Cruz-RS, going on to make 20 appearances in Brazil's top flight.
He made 40 appearances in all competitions for Gremio, scoring seven goals as well as adding four assists in that time.
Nunes becomes Brentford's fourth arrival of the transfer window after the signings of Liverpool duo Fabio Carvalho, Sepp van den Berg and Club Brugge striker Igor Thiago.
“I am very excited that we have managed to sign Gustavo,” said head coach Thomas Frank. “It is another good signing; we have fought with other clubs.
“He is a winger who can go past players one-on-one. He is direct and he can create.
“Gustavo has a lot of potential and of course we need to maximise that in every aspect. He needs time to settle, but this is a very exciting signing.”
Emery tempers top six aspirations ahead of East Midlands derby
Unai Emery admitted Aston Villa will do everything in their power to reach the top six this season as they prepare to face Leicester City on Saturday.
Emery watched on as his side suffered their first defeat of the Premier League season, losing 2-0 to Arsenal at Villa Park despite creating the better chances.
Last season's top scorer, Ollie Watkins, endured a difficult spell in front of goal, squandering two golden opportunities either side of the half-time interval.
But the Villains' head coach was confident his players will improve but acknowledged the difficulty of replicating last season's fourth-place finish in the division.
"I accept the result today because we are doing our way and trying to improve our things and develop as well. It is the second day in the Premier League," Emery said.
"There's still work to do. We will improve and use those matches we played against West Ham and today to understand our way. We will try to be in the top 10, the top six.
"I am happy and if we were scoring goals then maybe we would be winning. With Arsenal, we feel we are close to getting a performance. The players will stay calm and have two days rest and then get ready for the match against Leicester."
Leicester were involved in EFL Cup action in midweek, producing a dominant 4-0 triumph over League Two side Tranmere Rovers at the King Power Stadium.
The Foxes bounced back from their 2-1 defeat to Fulham in the Premier League, with new signing Jordan Ayew among the scorers on Tuesday.
Ayew was one of two new faces on show, with midfielder Oliver Skipp, who arrived from Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month, also handed his Leicester debut.
Steve Cooper expressed his delight at the attitude shown by his players during the contest, and is keen for them to carry that into their meeting with Villa on Saturday.
“The most important thing is to win and play well. We had real dominance from start to finish," Cooper said.
"Jordan (Ayew) made it happen with his goal, which is obviously a wonderful strike and good for him to get off the mark on his debut, but we needed more moments in the final third, whether it was one vs. one or combination work.
"The expectation is to play well. That starts with the right attitude, and I think we showed that mentality in the game tonight, which should be non-negotiable.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Leicester – Jamie Vardy
Jamie Vardy has been involved in 98 Premier League goals at the King Power Stadium (71 goals and 27 assists), scoring their equaliser on the opening day against Spurs.
The veteran striker is looking to become the 14th player to have 100+ goal involvements at a single venue, while since 2014-15, only Mohamed Salah at Anfield (128) and Kevin De Bruyne at the Etihad (111) have more goals and assists at a venue than Vardy at the King Power.
Aston Villa – Ollie Watkins
After enduring an uncharacteristically difficult day in front of goal against Arsenal, Watkins will be hopeful of halting his goal drought against the Foxes.
Watkins has now gone seven Premier League appearances without a goal for Villa, his longest barren run since an eight-game run between August and October 2022, just prior to Emery’s arrival.
MATCH PREDICTION: ASTON VILLA WIN
Villa are expected to bounce back in the East Midlands derby, winning 48.5% of Opta's data-led simulations, with Leicester prevailing in just 27.4% of those instances.
The Foxes, however, have lost just seven of their 28 Premier League meetings with Saturday's opponents (W11 D10), their lowest loss rate against any side they’ve faced 20+ times in the competition (25%).
But keeping goals out has proved to be a problem. Since a run of five clean sheets in six Premier League games prior to the 2022 World Cup break, Leicester have kept just one clean sheet in their last 25 matches in the top flight.
Cooper has also failed to win either of his first two league games in charge of Leicester (D1 L1); the last Foxes manager to win none of his opening three was Paulo Sousa in August 2010.
But since Emery's arrival at Villa Park, he has enjoyed playing away from the West Midlands. Only Man City (23) and Arsenal (20) have won more away games than Villa (15).
Villa are also looking to win their opening two away matches in a Premier League season for a fourth time, previously doing so in 2009-10, 2014-15 and 2020-21. But they will be hopeful of doing so with a clean sheet, having gone seven top flight games without a shutout.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Leicester – 27.4%
Draw – 24%
Aston Villa – 48.5%
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
