Hits and misses: Kovacic display enables City to overcome Rodri hurdle

‘Top-class’ Kovacic enables Man City to overcome Rodri hurdle

Chelsea’s three-man midfield against Manchester City cost the club a combined £255m, and yet it was a former player of theirs who looked the most convincing in a City shirt as his side triumphed 2-0.

Mateo Kovacic made 221 appearances during a five-year spell at Stamford Bridge, but he impressed in the absence of Rodri at the base of Guardiola’s midfield.

“His biggest quality is his mum and dad,” the City boss said afterwards.

“His mum and dad gave an unbelievable human being. He’s a top-class person. Top. He’s incredibly loved and that’s massively important in our group.”

Not known for his goals, his clincher was a classy disguised finish and richly deserved. Given City lost three of the four games when Rodri was absent last season, it was an important hurdle overcome in their opening match by the champions, who are unbeaten when the Spaniard has played in the past 18 months.

“We’ve broken another record,” Guardiola joked afterwards in reference to City dispelling any fears they are unable to win without Rodri. With Kovacic rolling through the gears and in this sort of form, the pursuit for a fifth straight Premier League title already looks ominous.
Ben Grounds

Jackson’s offside tendencies and finishing remain huge issues

Do people really change? Can Nicolas Jackson truly become a top striker in the Premier League?

The 23-year-old remains very raw. He can light up a game with a flash of expert hold-up play and clever movement but what remains a key issue is his output in front of goal.

There were two big moments squandered against Man City. You cannot afford to waste one against this lot, let alone two.

His lack of awareness in staying onside when Ederson fumbled into his path cost Chelsea the equaliser – it was his 30th offside since the start of last season in the Premier League. Only Darwin Nunez has been flagged more (33).

Then came the big chance. It was a tricky one, on the turn, but from no more than a few yards out these are chances top strikers take, albeit credit Ederson, it was a brave and brilliant reaction save. Jackson has now missed 25 big chances – defined by Opta – since the start of last season. Only Nunez (27) and Erling Haaland (34) have missed more.

“These are the things he needs to get better at if he wants to be a top striker,” noted Micah Richards when discussing Jackson’s performance.

There is a big part to play for him in this Chelsea side but whether he can be relied upon over the course of a season to score the goals that his team need him to, remains a massive doubt.
Lewis Jones

Brentford show signs of life without Toney

The day appears to have finally come where the weeks of speculation when Ivan Toney will leave Brentford actually turn into reality.

“I will miss him if he goes, I will not miss the questions,” Thomas Frank said with a smile in his post-match press conference, hours after he had revealed the England forward had been left out of his matchday squad due to transfer interest he would not expand upon.

Part of his joviality was fuelled by the encouragement of what he had just witnessed in Toney’s absence. Yoane Wissa picked up where he left off last season in the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, netting a 13th Premier League goal since the start of the last campaign.

Bryan Mbeumo was even more encouraging, scoring with a fine solo strike and he looked especially threatening on the break.

Kevin Schade, who missed most of last season through injury and made up the last of the front three, felt like a “new signing” in his manager’s words. His directness was impressive, and he was unlucky not to complete the full set of forwards on the scoresheet.

Brentford ended with an xG of 1.39 against a Crystal Palace side who are a cut above under Oliver Glasner, and all this without their talisman.

Without his replacement either, record signing Igor Thiago who was cruelly injured in his first pre-season game and will not return for several months.

Tougher tests will come when Brentford cannot be the ones to sit back and spring on the counter, when the guile and physical intensity of Toney will be missed up against low blocks and tight defences.

But there is a reason Frank admitted after the game Brentford will not look to replace the target man if and when he leaves.

He already has plenty to work with, and with early signs they may have shored up at the back this season too, the disappointment around the Gtech when Frank made his bombshell announcement ahead of kick-off may dissipate sooner than initially feared.
Ron Walker

End of Palace’s unbeaten run – but no reason for Glasner to panic

Palace boss Glasner was remarkably sanguine about Eberechi Eze’s controversial disallowed free-kick in the 2-1 loss at Brentford, preferring instead to focus on his own side’s deficiencies at the Gtech.

“We have to be very critical of ourselves,” the German told Sky Sports following the match after watching Palace lose in the Premier League for the first time in eight games, a run stretching back to their 4-2 home defeat to Man City in April.

“We concede too many goals and in transition, we need to find a better balance as we struggled a little bit with their speed in offence, so this we need to analyse and make better in the next games.”

However, having lost star forward Michael Olise to Bayern Munich in the summer and after fighting off recent attempts from Newcastle to prise influential England centre-back Marc Guehi away from Selhurst Park, the Eagles can perhaps be forgiven for, as Glasner said, not being “in the rhythm we want to be” as shown by the half-time substitution of top scorer from last season, Jean-Philippe Mateta.

And yet in the end, the visitors were more than a little unfortunate not to leave west London with at least a share of the spoils, especially given the fortuitous nature of Brentford’s winner, plus some other close calls that did not go their way.

Glasner, though, will be desperate for the summer transfer window to now close so he can keep hold of Guehi and Eze, his key England international duo at both ends of the team. Do that and Palace can look forward to another promising season.
Richard Morgan