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Alternative PL Preview: Bravo to use his hands, Stoke to cringe at United's long ball

GettyImages-629855248
GettyImages-629855248

Pep Guardiola to consider allowing Claudio Bravo to use his hands

The Manchester City manager expects certain things of his goalkeepers. In Victor Valdes and Manuel Never he had the ideal basis on which to build his Barcelona and Barcelona teams on, with both shot-stoppers better with their feet than their hands, positioned on the halfway line more than the goal line. Claudio Bravo is so far struggling to fulfil such a brief, though.

The Chilean conceded with every shot he faced in the humiliating 4-0 defeat to Everton last week, even after he pleaded with Premier League strikers to take it easy on for a while. But it’s perhaps only natural that Bravo has found things tough considering that Pep Guardiola hasn’t allowed him to use his hands up until now. Joe Hart used his hands, and looked what happened to him.

Guardiola is evaluating his entire philosophy at City right now though. He might allow Bravo to make a few saves with his hands, but not too many. That would be madness.

Arsene Wenger and Sean Dyche to compare net spend graphs

You wouldn’t think much would link Arsenal and Burnley, but both clubs have shown themselves to be shrewd (okay, stingy) in the transfer market in recent years. Both sets of fans implore them to spend money, but both Arsene Wenger and Sean Dyche laugh in the face of such suggestions. Well, Wenger laughs and then signs a 20-year-old non-league defender. Nobody does it better.

And so with Burnley travelling to North London to face the Gunners Dyche will take along a few printouts showing his net spend. There won’t be a powerpoint in sight; the Burnley boss is old-school, after all. Wenger will take Laurent Koscielny into the room with him. Signed for just £4 million, he is now worth at least double that. Smell that sweet net spend.

Stoke City fans to taunt Manchester United about being a long-ball team

Fellaini
Fellaini

Jose Mourinho had two options with Manchester United trailing 1-0 to Liverpool last week – Marouane Fellaini and Marcus Rashford. Each player represented a very different approach, and so Mourinho opted for the former, with the long-ball ploy eventually paying off as the Old Trafford side snatched a 1-1 draw.

Now United face Stoke City, the spiritual home of the long-ball. But even their fans will find Mourinho’s methods crude, taunting the visitors to the bet365 Stadium for lumping the ball up from the back at the earliest opportunity. Peter Crouch will cringe every time they punt one forward for Fellaini. Even he finds Mourinho’s tactics a little primitive.

Diego Costa to play for Chelsea, but only on a pro-rata basis

Not even Donald Trump is as obsessed with China as Diego Costa. The Chelsea striker might be back in training, but whenever he gets a free moment he checks the weather in Shanghai. That’s where he wants to be. If it wasn’t for Antonio Conte that’s where he would be.

Costa was offered £30 million to make the move to the Chinese Super League, dwarfing the £4 million salary he currently receives at Stamford Bridge. And so he will only play for Chelsea on a pro-rata basis from now on. £4 million into £30 millions means that he will only play 11 minutes per game from now until the end of the season. It’s only fair.

Slaven Bilic to refuse to manage West Ham until he’s allowed to leave

Dimitri Payet won’t travel to the north-east for Saturday’s match against Middlesbrough, sulking in London until he gets his move to Marseille. He won’t even pick West Ham in FIFA 17 anymore. Given the way the Hammers have played this season he’s not the only one to have given up.

Slaven Bilic can’t take any more and will pull a Payet, refusing to manage West Ham until he’s allowed to leave. The Croatian will go anywhere. He’ll even climb on top of that table in the ITV Sport studio again like he did at the Euros, anything to escape the London Stadium and its atrium temporary stands. Payet might have started a trend.