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      Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel reveals he tried to sign Luis Suarez for PSG as he tries to stop Atletico goal machine

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      LUIS SUAREZ is probably the only person happy to see tonight’s Champions League clash with Chelsea moved to Romania.
      The home of Count Dracula is perfect for the bloodthirsty striker with an insatiable hunger for goals.

      Luis Suarez has 16 goals this season for Atletico MadridCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is so bewitched by Atletico Madrid’s controversial star ahead of tonight’s last-16 first leg that he would love his own strikers to be more like him.
      Tuchel tried to sign the Uruguayan for Paris Saint-Germain last year, when the forward became surplus to requirements at Barcelona.
      Suarez is as well-known for biting opponents as he is for scoring goals.
      When playing for Liverpool in 2013 he sunk his teeth into Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic, who is now at West Brom.

      But all that matters to Tuchel is the ruthless streak that makes Suarez feared by rivals for his feet as much as his bite.
      The new Chelsea boss is desperate for his own strikers to add some clinical edge.
      Tuchel complained about the indecision of his forwards in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Southampton, moaning he did not like “the last 20 metres” — meaning his forwards.
      Suarez is now 34 but, with 16 goals this season for Atletico Madrid, boasts four more than Chelsea’s leading scorer Tammy Abraham and six more than new £48million hotshot Timo Werner.

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      Tuchel is spellbound and hopes his players can learn a bit from the flawed genius this evening in Bucharest.
      The Blues boss said: “He is a natural striker, a born striker, and has the certain mentality that only strikers have.
      “This mentality is to show his will, intensity and anger to score, score and score. He is never satisfied.
      “So what a mentality, what a player. I’m not involved in his history with Chelsea and to me it’s never good to look too far in the past.
      “We only look forward. We play him with Atletico and we know of his qualities. We’re aware of them and will try to stop him from scoring.
      “It was a possibility to sign him in Paris.
      “We heard the rumours he was about to leave Barcelona — and who can not be interested in signing one of the best strikers in world football, past and present?

      Thomas Tuchal revealed he tried to sign Luis Suarez for PSGCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      “We tried our luck, we did not make it. He decided to stay in Spain, move to Atletico and has proven his quality.
      “He maybe would’ve been a fit to our squad in Paris. Now things are different.
      “He is under contract now at Atletico Madrid and it’s not worth thinking about it. I haven’t and the possibility is high we won’t think about it.”
      Chelsea’s most experienced defender, 36-year-old Thiago Silva, is staying back in the UK despite recovering from injury, though he would be ideal to keep a close eye on Suarez.
      Chelsea skipper Cesar Azpilicueta has the experience to shackle Atletico Madrid’s most dangerous star.
      He said: “The best way to defend him is to keep him as far as possible from the goal and that is a collective job.
      “As defender, personally I faced him when he was at Liverpool and at Barcelona in the Champions League.

      Cesar Azpilicueta before Chelsea’s tie with Atletico MadridCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      “He is a great striker and we know his numbers, wherever he has played he scores a lot of goals.
      “We will try to control the game and get the attacking players as far as possible from our goal.”
      Atletico boss Diego ­Simeone is full of praise for the hitman who has helped his outfit to the top of LaLiga.
      He said: “It is very important the presence of Luis Suarez in every competition, not just in the Champions League because he gives energy, he gives trust.
      “All opponents are really paying a lot of attention to him because this is a man who is scoring. Of course, he is important every day.”
      This game was moved from Atletico’s formidable Wanda Metropolitano Stadium because of Covid restrictions.
      Azpilicueta added: “It would have been nice to play in Madrid with the fans but that’s the situation we have to deal with. It has been nearly a year of playing without fans.
      “We just have to adapt really. I don’t really know whether it’s better or worse but that’s the situation and you have to adapt.”
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

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      Brighton want Alexis Mac Allister to stay as they open talks over new contract for Argentine revelation

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      BRIGHTON have opened talks to extend Alexis Mac Allister’s contract.
      The Argentine, 22, has been a revelation since the turn of the year and one of the key factors behind the Seagulls’ upturn in form.

      Brighton want to tie Alexis Mac Allister down to a new long-term contractCredit: AFP or licensors

      Albion are keen to reward their playmaker with improved terms.
      Mac Allister, who has two years left on present deal, joined the club in January 2019.
      He was initially loaned out to Argentinos Juniors and Boca Juniors back in his home country.
      The Argentina international returned to Brighton last January.

      But he saw his adaptation period to a new country and league hampered by the pandemic.
      Yet Mac Allister has become one of the first names on the team sheet for boss Graham Potter in the last few months.
      Mac Allister created Neal Maupay’s winner at Leeds in January.
      The midfielder was also impressive in the recent eye-catching wins over Tottenham and Liverpool.

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      Mac Allister has been in scintillating form for Brighton in recent monthsCredit: Reuters

      Brighton last month rewarded fellow whizkid Tariq Lamptey with a new deal, as first revealed by SunSport.
      Meanwhile, Seagulls star Percy Tau is hoping to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Lucas Radebe, Benni McCarthy and Steven Pienaar after finally making his debut for the club 908 after arriving.
      The 26-year-old became the most expensive player ever to be sold by a South African club when he joined Brighton for £2.5million in July 2018.
      But he could not secure a work permit for another two-and-a-half years, so was shipped out on loan to Belgian sides Union SG, Club Bruges and Vincent Kompany’s Anderlecht.
      In January he finally secured his papers and made his bow in the top flight at Kompany’s old side Manchester City.
      Yet far from being frustrated by his interminable wait, the beaming Bafana Bafana star is just grateful to have got here in the end.
      Tau told SunSport: “I was just hoping any day that it would come.
      “I would have loved it to have happened in 2018 but that doesn’t take away the pride I feel that it is now.”
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

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      David Moyes is achieving something historic with West Ham and the peace and quiet at London Stadium is helping

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      SOMETIMES lockdown really can be a blessing in disguise.
      If, like me, you live in the West Ham heartlands but don’t support West Ham, you wouldn’t fancy going to the pub anyway right now.

      Moyes is working miracles at West Ham – it’s amazing what a bit of peace and quiet can doCredit: Marc Aspland

      The Hammers supporters round my way who wear Stone Island clobber and Herbert-chic flat caps would be unbearably smug as they are currently living beyond their wildest dreams.
      Those particular ones have got their country out of Europe and are seeing their football team get into Europe — possibly even the Champions League.
      And the secret to West Ham’s success? Everyone has just shut the f*** up.
      Owners David Gold and David Sullivan have piped down, the fans cannot protest against them and their London Stadium home is no longer a hindrance when every other ground sounds like a library, too.

      Meanwhile, David Moyes has simply got on with being the manager we remember from his Everton tenure — recruiting wisely, driving a work ethic and fostering team spirit.
      Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal have been masterful signings from Slavia Prague, with Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma the sort of cute buys from the Football League which characterised Moyes’ Goodison reign.
      Craig Dawson, relegated with Watford and West Brom in his last two Premier League seasons, is a mainstay of a mean defence.
      And Jesse Lingard, ignored by the rest of the top flight but a regular in England’s march to the World Cup semi-finals, is thriving.

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      West Ham have been in sparkling form of late and are pushing for a Champions League spotCredit: Reuters

      Did Manchester United underestimate Lingard, West Ham or both when they agreed to loan him out?
      Because the Hammers are genuine rivals to an Old Trafford team by no means certain of a top-four finish.
      Declan Rice is growing in stature as a player and captain, his brilliant late block helping West Ham cling on to victory over Tottenham on Sunday.
      Michail Antonio, who’d pranged his car into a garden wall while dressed as a snowman four days before Moyes was reappointed manager, has been outstanding as a makeshift centre-forward.
      And West Ham do not even possess a specialist senior No 9 — Sebastien Haller, a folly from Manuel Pellegrini’s lavish reign, has been carted off, along with Felipe Anderson and Jack Wilshere.
      Sullivan and Gold messed up when they failed to extend Moyes’ contract after he saved them from the drop on a short-team deal in 2018.
      Nineteen months later, they ate humble pie, mash and liquor by reappointing the Scot, after the catatonic Pellegrini had spent £170million and led West Ham into another relegation scrap.
      The London Stadium was a circus big top and a civil war zone when Moyes re-entered.
      Yet most West Ham fans were underwhelmed when the Scot was appointed on both occasions.
      They had grown conditioned to moaning because of a rightful beef about the London Stadium, which is a wretched place to watch football.

      Jesse Lingard and Tomas Soucek have been just two examples of Moyes’ stellar work in the transfer marketCredit: AP:Associated Press
      But if they return in August, with their side in Europe, and perhaps even the Champions League, they may learn to lump the place.
      And the atmosphere — usually either funereal or thermonuclear before lockdown — will surely improve, because they love their heroes in this neck of the woods.
      The ‘Boys of 86’ — the Hammers team which finished third in the top flight 35 years ago — bestride our local scampi-in-a-basket circuit like a modern-day Rat Pack.
      In normal times, their legend is plastered across billboards on the A127 Southend Arterial Road, just as Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr used to dominate the Vegas skyline.
      There is little mention that West Ham finished 16th the previous season, 15th the season after, and were relegated two years after that.
      But that freakish campaign remains the only time in West Ham’s history in which they have finished in England’s top four.
      Even the year they ‘won the World Cup’, in 1966, the Hammers finished 12th.
      So Moyes is achieving something genuinely historic by guiding them into the Champions League places, as London’s leading club.
      He is too much of a football lover not to want the fans back. Or too much of a diplomat to admit it.
      But West Ham have benefited greatly from a little peace and quiet… something we will never experience around here once the pubs open.
      JOSE’S WORLD

      Mourinho believes he’s the best manager in the world – but he can’t get some of the best attackers above ninth in the leagueCredit: Reuters
      IT’S lucky, really, that Jose Mourinho is still the self- proclaimed world’s best manager.
      Because Spurs have one of the planet’s best strikers, Harry Kane, and one of the most lethal partnerships in Premier League history, in Kane and Son Heung-min, as well as Dele Alli, with 121 goal involvements in 238 games.
      Mourinho took over a squad in 2019 which reached that year’s Champions League final and has added a four-time winner, the most expensive British footballer in history, Gareth Bale.
      He inherited seven semi-finalists from the last World Cup, including the winning captain Hugo Lloris, and has spent £125m.
      So if he can’t get Spurs higher than ninth, what hope would they have under anyone else?
      KYL-ER BLOW

      Wenger is still at it telling us about the signings that got away – with this week’s instalment Kylian MbappeCredit: EPA
      ALMOST three years after leaving Arsenal, Arsene Wenger is still telling us about the ones that got away.
      After Kylian Mbappe’s hat-trick at Barcelona came the revelation that the Paris Saint-Germain striker — just like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo — could have signed for Wenger’s Arsenal on a free, if only he’d wanted to.
      WASTE AWAY

      Is the away goals rule really fair when most matches are being played at neutral venues?Credit: AP:Associated Press
      THE majority of European fixtures are being played at neutral venues.
      And the absence of fans means there is no advantage even when clubs are at home.
      So why are Uefa persisting with using the away goals rule?
      And surely these stats about one club winning away at another for the first time in decades must have asterisks against them?
      Away wins should only really count as ‘away’ wins in the history books when there has actually been a home advantage.
      LONG BAWL
      THEY said wall-to-wall televised Premier League football would lift morale in lockdown.
      But did they really mean Sean Dyche’s Burnley and Sam Allardyce’s West Brom playing long balls into high winds in a goalless draw?
      EURS FOR TAKING, CITY

      It really is starting to look like 2020-21 could be Man City’s year in the Champions LeagueCredit: Reuters
      THE measure of Manchester City’s remarkable consistency during this pandemic is best shown by looking at Europe’s other major leagues.
      While City were rattling up their 18th straight win at Arsenal, perennial French champions Paris Saint-Germain were beaten 2-0 at home by Monaco and trail leaders Lille by four points.
      Bayern Munich, going for a ninth straight Bundesliga title, were beaten 2-1 by Eintracht Frankfurt and lead RB Leipzig by only two points.
      LaLiga leaders Atletico Madrid lost 2-0 to Levante as Barcelona — champions ten times in 15 years — sit eight points adrift.
      And Juventus, aiming for a tenth straight Italian title, are way off Inter Milan’s pace.
      So perhaps City can finally conquer Europe this year?
      They will be one of the few teams who don’t have to focus on a true domestic title race.
      TONY OUT OF TUNE

      Anthony Martial has scored just four goals this season as a striker at the Premier League’s top-scoring sideCredit: EPA
      SUGGESTION for a new song at Man Utd….
      “Tony Martial came from France, the English press were healthily sceptical, Fifty million, a lot for an unproven youngster, Tony Martial – four goals all season for the Premier League’s highest scorers.”
      Anyone?
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

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      Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich’s bright new £430 million superyacht seen for the first time

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      ROMAN Abramovich’s new £430million superyacht is seen in all its glory for the first time.
      The 460ft Solaris, which will have eight decks including a helicopter pad, is nearing completion.

      Roman Abramovich’s new 460ft Solaris worth £430million is captured for the first time in all its gloryCredit: Carl Groll/TheYachtPhoto.com

      The Chelsea boss’ superyacht, who already owns £475 million superyacht Eclipse, will be the most powerful yacht in the worldCredit: AFP or licensors

      No expense has been spared and its two advanced electric engines will make it the most powerful yacht in the world.
      Solaris is almost ready for sea trials and should be handed to the Chelsea owner, 54, by the summer.
      A source said: “This will be the yacht of the year when she is launched later this year.”
      The yacht is being built at the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany.

      The shed it is being constructed in is larger than Buckingham Palace.
      Solaris will have 48 cabins, accommodating up to 36 passengers, and a crew of 60.

      Solaris will boast 48 cabins which can accommodate up to 36 passengers

      The stunning superyacht will have eight decks, including a helicopter padCredit: Carl Groll/TheYachtPhoto.com

      The 460ft Solaris is being constructed in a shed larger than Buckingham PalaceCredit: Rex Features

      But Abramovich, who already has £475million superyacht Eclipse, will not be setting sail for Britain often as he has visa issues over his Russia links.
      The source added: “Details are being kept top secret but she will be a magnificent addition for the owner.

      ‘To give you an idea of the size of Solaris the yacht shed she is being built in is bigger and taller than Buckingham Palace so you have some idea of the dimensions.”

      A source said ‘Details are being kept top secret but she will be a magnificent addition for the owner’Credit: PA:Press Association

      A 282ft superyacht built for billionaire Roman Abramovich filmed crashing into St Maarten bridge
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      Solskjaer insists Man Utd ARE still in title race despite 10-point gap to Man City… as ‘surprises’ happen in football

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      OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER says Manchester United must hang in there in the title race – as strange things can happen in football.
      The Red Devils brought the gap to leaders City back down to 10 points thanks to goals from Dan James and Bruno Fernandes versus Newcastle.

      Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants his Manchester United side to believe in their title bidCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Many believe Pep Guardiola’s men already have a third crown in four seasons in the bag – but the Old Trafford chief is not giving up just yet.
      Solskjaer said: “I’m never going to say it’s done until it’s done.
      “You’ve seen so many examples of teams just hanging in there, doing their own jobs and something might happen.
      “We’ve got to be there just in case. Every time we get three points we’ve done our job. We’ve got loads to play for.

      “We can’t control any other team but ourselves – but there have been many surprises in football.”
      United had their preparations for the game thrown into chaos when members of their backroom staff tested positive for Covid.

      Mike Phelan and Michael Carrick were among those missing from the bench as Nicky Butt and Mark Dempsey stepped up.

      The United boss said: “We’ve got good staff elsewhere. Of course it was a different preparation for the boys but that’s the situation we are in.
      “We have to be ready. We did that. And we’ll have to follow the protocols.”
      Newcastle looked capable of getting something from this game when the lively Allan Saint-Maximin equalised in the first-half.
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      But they end the weekend just three points ahead of a resurgent Fulham – with the Toon Army fearing the worst.
      Bruce said: “There are six or seven teams in and around it with 13 games to go.
      “There’s a few looking over shoulders, but I’m still quietly confident we’ll be fine. If we play like we did for first hour I think we’ll get the results we need.”
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

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      South African star Percy Tau aims for footsteps of Radebe, McCarthy and Pienaar after three-year wait for Prem debut

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      PERCY TAU waited a whopping 908 days to realise his dream of playing in the Premier League.
      The 26-year-old became the most expensive player ever to be sold by a South African club when he joined Brighton for £2.5million in July 2018.

      Percy Tau is finally able to live out his Premier League dreamCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      But he could not secure a work permit for another two-and-a-half years, so was shipped out on loan to Belgian sides Union SG, Club Bruges and Vincent Kompany’s Anderlecht.
      In January he finally secured his papers and made his bow in the top flight at Kompany’s old side Manchester City.
      Yet far from being frustrated by his interminable wait, the beaming Bafana Bafana star is just grateful to have got here in the end.
      Tau told SunSport: “I was just hoping any day that it would come. I would have loved it to have happened in 2018 but that doesn’t take away the pride I feel that it is now.”

      Tau now wants to emulate South African legends Lucas Radebe, Benni McCarthy and Steven Pienaar in not only playing in England but shining on our shores.
      One of his earliest football memories is watching McCarthy help Jose Mourinho’s Porto win the Champions League in 2004, giving him belief that he too could one day play at the top.
      But growing up Tau’s biggest idols were his older brothers, who were also football fanatics.
      They included elder sibling Mogau Tshehla, who also became a professional like Percy, playing as a right-back for hometown club Witbank Spurs and Polokwane City.

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      Graham Potter is a great leader. He’s engaging. I think he’s managing the group quite well.
      Percy Tau

      Tragically, Mogau was killed in a car accident three years ago when travelling back to Polokwane from Witbank, where he had returned to see family.
      Tau reflected: “It’s a topic that still gets to me and I don’t share much about it. I always miss him.
      “When death is in your family, everyone reacts to it differently.
      “I was looking forward to playing against him because we were playing in the Premier League in South Africa.
      “We always talked about it. We used to say, ‘I’m going to kick you! I’m going to do this!’
      “Not to see him fulfil that dream that we had of playing against each other, that hurts also.”
      There is no doubting the influence Mogau had on Percy’s life, along with the Albion star’s four other brothers and two sisters.
      The 2010 World Cup also played a huge role in his journey.

      Tau recalls the impact of the 2010 World Cup on South AfricaCredit: Getty

      Countryman Benni McCarthy, who won the Champions League with Porto, is a good example for the strikerCredit: AP:Associated Press
      It brought the beautiful game to South Africa, converting many to the sport and giving those who dreamed of turning professional renewed belief.
      Tau, who remembers watching Kaka live when attending Brazil versus Ivory Coast, said: “For South Africa, it changed everything.
      “It helped us build infrastructure. Economically, it helped a lot of people. And we also got to introduce vuvuzelas to the world!
      “For the players, it gave us hope. The World Cup was one of the tournaments we always watched. We felt very close to it and everyone wanted to play.”
      Tau is idolised in his home country after winning the South African Champions League and hitting 12 goals in 28 international games.
      A studious character off the field, Tau has a degree in market management.
      He is a keen reader of political and historical non-fiction, with his last book analysing African leaders past and present.
      It should endear him to Brighton chief Graham Potter, one of the game’s deep thinkers, who himself has a master’s in leadership and emotional intelligence.
      Tau has only worked Potter for just over a month but has been instantly impressed.
      The forward said: “He’s a great leader. He’s engaging. I think he’s managing the group quite well. I don’t know that much yet but I’ll learn more.”

      Tau spent over two years out on loan before being granted a UK work permitCredit: AFP – Getty

      Tau will hope to get his first taste of an English derby on Monday when Brighton host arch-rivals Crystal Palace.
      And he has already been informed just how important this fixture is to Seagulls fans by staff at the hotel where he is staying.
      The former South African Champions League winner said: “I’ve never heard them speak to me before about football.
      “But for Crystal Palace, the message was clear: we need to win that game.”
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

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      Conor Benn still eyeing Josh Kelly showdown but says welterweight rival ‘must prove he wants it’ after first career loss

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      CONOR BENN still fancies a Josh Kelly showdown — despite the Mackem’s painful Saturday night loss.
      Sunderland’s welterweight ace was beaten up by Russia’s David Avanesyan and stopped in the sixth round.

      Josh Kelly suffered a sixth-round TKO loss to David AvanesyanCredit: MATCHROOM BOXING

      Josh Kelly’s coach Adam Booth mercifully threw in the towel in the sixth roundCredit: MATCHROOM BOXING

      Conor Benn is still eager to face Josh KellyCredit: MATCHROOM BOXING

      Kelly’s failed European shot means he has dropped drastically down the pecking order.
      But the son of British ring legend Nigel knows he still has a mega-money fight on the table.
      Benn said: “Kelly has got all the skill. He is naturally gifted.
      “Why does he keep blowing up after four or five rounds?

      “Maybe it is a weight issue, maybe he should move up a weight, because I like Kelly, I do.
      “I’m gutted for him, to be honest, I really am.”

      Conor Benn is still intrigued by the prospect of facing Josh KellyCredit: ©Mark Robinson Ltd

      Benn, 24, was ringside in Wembley to watch Kelly crumble at his first serious test.
      He said: “Everybody knows Kelly is good for four, five, six, but when it gets past that and it gets on top of him, he folds.

      “That’s what happened. Avanesyan kept applying the pressure.
      “Josh will come back. He’s just got to sit down and question how much he wants it.”

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      Mikel Arteta asks Arsenal fans not to expect Guardiola-style heroics in first job… as he doesn’t have Lionel Messi

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      MIKEL ARTETA has warned: I just cannot do a Pep at Arsenal.
      Arteta and Guardiola were both educated in Barcelona’s academy and worked together with great success at Manchester City.

      Pep Guardiola was blessed with Lionel Messi during his first head coach role at BarcelonaCredit: AFP – Getty

      But while Guardiola’s first job as a head coach was in charge of Lionel Messi and Co at Barca, putting theory into practice at the Emirates is another kind of task for rookie Arteta.
      And with boss Pep already lifting EIGHT trophies at City, if you include Community Shields, the Arsenal boss said: “You cannot compare his situation to the one with us. They are very, very different.
      “You can share some values, some ideas and the way we were raised and educated in football is very similar because we had the same background.
      “The fact we worked together united us a lot to get that chemistry.

      “How do you make it work and what do you need to make it work? You need time. Sometimes you need a lot of investment, sometimes there is a group of players that can already provide that.
      “You have to keep evolving and finding  a way because there is not one formula that works. You cannot try to follow that because you will fail.”
      The success or failure of Arteta’s first full season in charge will become apparent in the coming weeks.
      Last season the Gunners lost miserably at home to Guardiola’s City but  produced an excellent performance to defeat them in the FA Cup semi-final on their way to lifting the trophy.

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      Mikel Arteta wants to keep expectations realistic at ArsenalCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      But they have struggled since their FA Cup and Community Shield triumphs and could be facing their lowest league finish since coming 12th in 1994-95.
      After 12 league wins in a row, Guardiola’s men are on their way to a fifth Premier League title, so victory for Arteta would feel even more significant.
      The Arsenal head coach will need his forward players to deliver, but some fans have questioned his decision to shift Emile Smith Rowe out wide to accommodate loan signing Martin Odegaard in the middle.
      There is already talk of Odegaard making the move from Real Madrid permanent.
      Arteta said: “First of all we have to maximise this time with him to try to bring to the team all the qualities he has.

      “At the end of the season we will sit together and decide where we can take that relationship forward. At the moment it doesn’t just depend on us.
      “He is a young leader. On the pitch he is showing a lot of character and a lot of intelligence. They are characteristics that a leader should have.
      “He has been here a very short time but he has adapted very quickly.”

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