Tag: Lionel

CITY THRASHES WEST HAM TO JOIN OTHERS AT THE TOP

Manchester City continued their brilliant form in the new campaign under Pep Guardiola as they defeated West Ham to get maximum points over the weekend.


The win ensures the have nine points, as with Manchester United and Chelsea. The victory sets up an interesting encounter with United in the Manchester derby after the international break.

From the start of game against West Ham, Man City showed their superiority, with nice one touch passes, and good ball control. Within the first twenty minutes, the top level of play yielded two goals, almost sealing the game off. An improved showing from Raheem sterling was a sight to behold, compared to his games last season and at the Euro 2016. He got a goal, and Fernandinho added the second for the Sky Blues.

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic was confused at the dominance of City, but was helpless. The difference in the games of City since the appointment of Guardiola is obvious. He supervised the tiki-taka style of play in Barcelona, with veteran midfielder Xavi, Iniesta taking the play to another level. Expectations were high with the employment of Guardiola, and so far, the Spaniard has shown his quality.
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Xavi Hernandez backs Messi

The former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez claims that superstar Lionel Messi is not the kind of player to involve in simulation or any other form of cheating.


Messi has come under fire recently after playing the role in the sending-off of Atletico Madrid defender Filipe Luis when the two teams met each other back in January. The defender claimed that Messi gets preferential treatment from the referees due to his stature in the game. Xavi dismissed those suggestions claiming that Messi is someone who is desperate to play in every game and does not get involved in playacting of such sorts.

Xavi was already a first-team regular when Messi was just coming through the ranks. However, he formed a bit devastating partnership with Messi over the last five years and it saw them lift numerous honours both at a club level and at international level. There have been extraordinary players have been accused of getting unfair advantage in the game. The likes of Diego Maradona, Pele, and Cristiano Ronaldo have all been not exceptions to the list. However, there is a feeling that Messi is one of the few who likes to stay on the pitch even when he is being harassed by opposition. Continue reading Xavi Hernandez backs Messi