Watch out Arsenal - Aguero set to return for top of the table clash

The Argentina international has been out of action since the end of November but has been tipped to return for the Premier League summit meeting at the Emirates a week on Monday

Manchester City are hopeful Sergio Aguero can make his latest comeback from injury for the top of the table clash with Arsenal in 10 days' time.

The Argentina international, as revealed by Goal on Thursday, will not return against Swansea City on Saturday having failed to fully recover from the heel injury that forced him off in the 3-1 win over Southampton at the end of November.

But City boss Manuel Pellegrini is hopeful Aguero will be back in training next week and fit enough to line up against the Gunners.

"Aguero is improving but he will not ready for the game," Pellegrini told reporters on Friday. "I hope that next week he will start working with the squad on Tuesday or Wednesday.

"We play against Arsenal on Monday so we hope he will be fit for that game."

Pellegrini also confirmed that Vincent Kompany will miss Saturday's game against the Swans but is hopeful that he can also return to training next week, along with Pablo Zabaleta.

"Martin Demichelis was just precaution last game," he added. "He had a problem with his tendon but he is in the squad list. 

"Fernando and Zabaleta are not ready yet, Fernando has a muscle injury so he will have at least two or three weeks more. Pablo and Vincent Kompany I hope next week they can start working."

With Aguero set to miss out yet again, Wilfried Bony looks likely to fill in up front despite dropping to the bench for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Borussia Monchengladbach.

The Ivory Coast striker has struggled since moving to the Etihad Stadium from Swansea in January, suffering a knee problem at the start of the year and contracting malaria in pre-season, but Pellegrini believes he is capable of leading the line for the Blues and was happy to see him score after being brought on as a substitute in midweek.

"I was very pleased because he knows maybe that he was not playing well, but we must remember he also came from a long injury, first with malaria and after that he had to play again after he had recovered for just two or three days after the muscle injury against Aston Villa. 

"He didn’t do it against Stoke but he did a very good performance against Borussia. I am very happy for him and for the team.

"I think he can make an impact in the starting XI or from the bench. The mentality of the player is very important when they don’t start a game and when they go in and try to do their best and we always win or lose the game with 14 players, not just 11."

Walcott: Forget Bellerin, I'm the real Arsenal sprint king

The Arsenal speedsters have been locked in an ongoing battle to prove who is the fastest player at the club and the England international believes he holds the upper hand

Mathieu Debuchy is not the only Arsenal player to have suffered since the emergence ofHector Bellerin – Theo Walcott has had his king of the sprinters crown taken by the flying Spanish full-back.

Bellerin has nailed down his position as Arsene Wenger’s first choice right-back this season and has made a name for himself as one of the fastest players in the game.

The former Barcelona youth product broke the north London club’s 40 metre sprint record, previously held by Walcott and Thierry Henry, with a time of 4.41 seconds.

Bellerin told Goal back in August: "Last year we had a test at the beginning of the season and the numbers came up that I was the quickest player in the squad.

"Theo has always held that title so now there is always a bit of banter between us about who is going to be the quickest next season.”

Walcott admits his Spanish counterpart has got what it takes to compete with him over a shorter distance but insists he would claim the 100 metre crown if Bellerin ever dared to compete with him over that mark. 

“If we did it I’d win,” Walcott told COPA 90.

“To be fair, we wouldn’t do a 100m sprint in a game because there’s no need to do it but I’ll do it for a laugh.

“[But] He’s very quick. The thing about Hector – straight away he’s quick. Some people take a bit of time to get going but straight away he goes.”

Mourinho reveals the FOUR Chelsea players who have underperformed this season

The Chelsea boss, responding to questions about Cesc Fabregas's loss of form, insists the Spain playmaker is not alone in having struggled for the champions this term

Jose Mourinho admits Cesc Fabregas is not the only Chelsea star struggling to recapture the form of last season.

The former Arsenal captain, who was instrumental in helping to secure Mourinho’s third Premier League title, has suffered a dramatic loss of form and was dropped to the bench for the decisive midweek Champions League group stage clash against Porto.

But Mourinho believes the Spain international is far from alone in having underperformed this season, singling out three other Chelsea stalwarts.

Mourinho said: “If you go player-by-player, last season - Branislav Ivanovic, Gary Cahill, John Terry - you could say were fantastic.

“This season it is more difficult to say this player is being magnificent.

"Normally players and the team have an intimate relationship.

“I don’t see Cesc differently, but what I see is that every minute the professionalism is there and he is never afraid to have the ball or to be afraid to make a mistake. I completely trust him.”

Louis van Gaal says he has failed in his job at Manchester United

United manager acknowledges Champions League failure 
• Dutchman warns fans winning trophies is getting harder

Louis van Gaal has admitted he has failed to live up to his job description atManchester United but insisted he is still the right man for the job.

Van Gaal accepted he was employed to win key matches such as those against Wolfsburg and PSV Eindhoven and had failed to do so. But the manager said responsibility for the Champions League exit also lay with the players.

The Dutchman’s claim that expectations of United are out of kilter with reality because it is no longer fair to demand trophies, and that there were positives in Tuesday’s defeat at Wolfsburg, will not go down universally well.

United slid out of the Champions League and into the Europa League after losing 3-2 in Germany. In the previous Champions League match Van Gaal’s team drew 0-0 with PSV at Old Trafford. This also proved a prime factor in their being knocked out as PSV qualified in second place in Group B.

Van Gaal, asked if these matches were precisely the kind he was hired to affect, said: “I agree. I think also we lost [qualifying for] the next stage in the home match against PSV. When I analyse that game, in the first half we missed so many chances. That was our problem. In the second I think they deserved to draw. If we finished the chances in the first half the game was finished. But when you say that I am hired to make the difference, you are right. I don’t think it is [completely] like that – I can make the difference, in tactics and everything. But I cannot score goals.”

Van Gaal admitted to being sorry for the Champions League disappointment but insisted expectation was too high and said the belief that United should win the competition was out of date.

“They say a club like Manchester United has to win,” the manager said. “That’s the past. You have to analyse the club now. Now we have much more clubs who have money … also the structure and are able to win something.

“Next year, all the clubs in the Premier League have a bigger budget than most in Europe. That makes a big difference. Every club can also buy a player. You think Manchester United has a lot of money – that is true. But other clubs are asking for much more from us than from Bournemouth.

“The difference is not so big any more. The confirmation is every week. The bottom clubs can beat the top teams. There is no other league where that happens as often as it does in the Premier League. It is very difficult for a Premier League club to match with the other leagues in the Champions League. It was not so easy for all the clubs to qualify themselves.”

Ultimately, though, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal progressed – the first two as group winners – and there was at least an admission from Van Gaal his team underachieved. “You shall always say a club like Manchester United shall go further than the group stage. OK. I think the same but the reality is that is not happening.”

Van Gaal pointed to other factors in the disappointing performance, even mentioning the officiating. “You have to analyse the group stage matches,” he said. “When you do that, you can see what is happening. Nowadays, the decisions of a referee are very important. That makes a difference.”

He denied the only way to make up for being eliminated was to claim the title. “No. It is difficult. You want to raise the expectations,” he said. “For the fans it shall be like that. But I want to manage the expectation. It is not as easy as everybody thinks. We live now. It is not only difficult for Manchester United. It is also difficult for Manchester City and Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelsea or Leicester.

“I work hard, my players work hard, now we are in the Europa League and we have to work hard to win that. That is not easy. But nobody hears that – they don’t want to hear me.”

Van Gaal was indignant at suggestions the Europa League counts for little. Asked whether he would be happy to win just that competition, he said: “Just? You think it’s just? I’m not thinking like that. I have already won the Europa League [Uefa Cup] with Ajax in my first season, and I was very proud of that. For me, the Euro League is a big competition.”

Van Gaal would not be drawn on whether he is still among the elite band of managers. “You have to judge,” he said. “I have read already in the media that I am 64 and I am too old. I read the same things 20 years ago. I cannot change what is in your mind. I can only say the facts.He is clear he is still the best manager for United. “I don’t have any doubts,” he said. “You can lose and you can win in sport, and you have to accept that, as a player and as a manager.”

“Within two days we have to beat Bournemouth. That is very difficult. Bournemouth is playing very positive, pressing a lot, working very hard as a team. To beat them shall be very difficult. But we can beat them, just as we could have beaten Wolfsburg. You have seen that. But I didn’t read it. I didn’t see that you say anything positive for [Guillermo] Varela or [Cameron] Borthwick-Jackson. Because you can see that as a positive. Memphis [Depay] is 21, [Jesse] Lingard is 22, [Anthony] Martial 20 and still we could hurt the No2 of Germany.”

Liverpool fans attack BBC and FA over Friday night Cup tie at Exeter

Match will kick off 90 minutes after last train to Merseyside departs 
• ‘It shows the contempt and lack of regard with which they hold supporters’

The Football Association and BBC have been accused of a blatant disregard for supporters after scheduling Liverpool’s FA Cup tie at Exeter for a Friday evening.

Fans face an overnight stay or 500-mile round trip for the third round clash after it was moved to 7.55pm on 8 January. The last train to leave the Devon city forLiverpool departs at 6.25pm.

The Reds fans’ group Spirit of Shankly has attacked the plans saying it does not take into account the safety of thousands of people travelling or the general inconvenience it will cause.

“It shows the contempt and lack of regard with which they hold football supporters,” a spokesman, Jay McKenna, said. “It is a physical manifestation of their greed. For the BBC to schedule a match for a Friday night when the only way to get there is by car or coach [shows] they don’t care whether supporters can get there and back safely at a decent hour.

“We are relatively powerless but I think this will have a negative impact on a lot of Liverpool supporters who will not go – and that is not about the travel, it is the fact they will have to take Friday off work – and those that work Saturdays will have to take two days off.

“I will probably be watching at home and some of our committee members have already said they can’t justify taking two days off.”

McKenna also criticised the authorities and broadcaster for failing to consult adequately over their plans for the match, although he accepts fans’ views are rarely taken into consideration.

“We are not the first club to suffer from this – and we won’t be the last – as FC United had their match moved to a Monday but what angers us is they don’t actually speak to supporters to ask what impact it will have,” he added.

“Both clubs but mainly the FA and BBC should be saying: ‘We realise it is going to impact on you and this is what we will do to help.’ The FA and BBC should be offering financial compensation with subsidised tickets and travel.”

The Football Association announced on Friday that Manchester United’s third round tie against Sheffield United will be shown by BT Sport, making it the 48th successive FA Cup match featuring the 11-times winners to be televised live.

Manuel Pellegrini: Man City have been the best team this season

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini is convinced his teamhave been the best this season and denied they are too inconsistent.

City's form since opening the campaign with five impressive, clean-sheet victories has been up and down with convincing wins interspersed with some dismal defeats.

• SHARE
• GO TO

Two of the losses were particularly heavy, to Tottenham and Liverpool, while last week's surprise defeat at Stoke knocked them off the top of the Barclays Premier League soon after they had reclaimed first place.

But despite slipping to third, City remain title favourites and Pellegrini also has a firm answer to any critics.

He said: "I know that we are qualified in every competition, I know that we are top of the table... or we were top of the table just one game ago.

"For 13 games we were the leaders so I expect that we have a very good team. Maybe we played three bad games in the whole season but in all the other games I think that we are a very consistent team and the best team this season."

There is a feeling Pellegrini's attacking philosophy leaves a defence already weakened by the absence of the injured Vincent Kompany too exposed, but he denies this is an issue and will not change his approach.

He said: "I like to play attacking football, I like to score a lot of goals, but I prefer to win 4-0 than 4-2.

"If we are conceding goals it's just not because we are playing attacking football. For the two goals of Borussia (Monchengladbach) we had seven or eight players near our box."

If that is the case, then Pellegrini accepts mistakes must be being made elsewhere, and he knows they need to be eradicated to keep the title bid on track.

He said: "Of course. We need to because we're too ugly. You can lose to any team here in England but you can't lose ugly, by an important amount of goals.

"It's an important thing that we analyse why but I know exactly what to expect from this team every game."