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SPORTS Tuesday 8 January 2019
Guardiola sends message to Liverpool as De Bruyne returns

By STEVE DOUGLAS since his arrival in 2014.
AP Sports Writer “Of course now, after near-
Receiving a pass at shoul- ly five years, the club is on
der height while facing his another level than five
own goal, Kevin De Bruyne years ago, but how we op-
headed the ball backward erate in four or five years
and over an opponent just didn’t change,” Pochetti-
behind him before spinning no said on Monday. “That is
to collect it and race for- the point when sometimes
ward to start yet another people talk about winning
Manchester City attack. titles. One thing is to reduce
That’s just one snippet from the gap with the top four,
the FA Cup match be- to be competitive, to cre-
tween City and Rotherham ate a team capable of
on Sunday. fighting with the big sides.
It was only Rotherham, “But if we want to win titles
a struggling second-tier we need to operate in a
team. And a 7-0 rout is different way.”
hardly the game to make Similarly, Chelsea coach
big judgments. Maurizio Sarri, who has also
But in a frustratingly injury-hit been lauded for his teams’
season, De Bruyne appears style of play throughout a
to be back and ready to managerial career spent
give a lift to City’s bid for Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne, left crosses the ball under pressure from Rotherham’s Ben Wiles mostly in Italy, has yet to
trophies on four fronts. Ev- during the English FA Cup third round soccer match between Manchester City and Rotherham win a piece of silverware.
erything about De Bruyne’s United at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019. At Chelsea, more than
display against Rotherham Associated Press most English clubs, trophies
— his delivery from wide, his ponent that has done bet- weeks. semifinal to bed early by are what managers are
passing , his hard running ter than us without him. No wonder Guardiola running up a big score in judged on.
and his skill — oozed class. “Now he is back. He will be is so delighted to have the first leg, so Guardiola MORATA’S MISERY
“He is going to give us ex- fresh in the mind and the De Bruyne back, and he can rest players for the sec- It was one of the few times
tra,” City manager Pep legs.” protected the midfielder ond leg in two weeks. there should have been a
Guardiola said. “The cre- This was only De Bruyne’s ahead of City’s packed All the best, Burton. big smile on Alvaro Mora-
ativity in the final third, the fifth start in a season in upcoming schedule by tak- TOTTENHAM VS. CHELSEA ta’s face.
fight. He has the vision to which he has been struck ing him off after 67 minutes The other semifinal match- He scored both of Chel-
see what other people by two knee injuries and, against Rotherham. up is between London rivals sea’s goals in its 2-0 win
cannot see.” most recently, a muscular Next up is Burton Albion, a Tottenham and Chelsea, over Nottingham Forest in
Guardiola also had a mes- problem. third-tier team managed with the first leg at Totten- the FA Cup on Saturday,
sage for Liverpool, which City’s midfield of De Bruyne, by former England forward ham’s temporary home of but still the Spain striker had
leads City by four points in David Silva, and Fernand- Nigel Clough, in the first leg Wembley Stadium on Tues- the look of someone who
the English Premier League inho was the foundation of the English League Cup day. would rather be anywhere
title race. of its record-setting year semifinals on Wednesday. It offers the latest chance else than a soccer field.
“We have done incredible in the Premier League last City is coming off an ex- for Tottenham to pick up a Upon getting substituted
in terms of results, but we season, but that trio has hilarating 2-1 win over Liv- first trophy since 2008, with in the 75th minute, Morata
have an opponent that has yet to play together once erpool, followed by its big- many pundits feeling the looked to the ground as he
done better,” he added. this season. Silva and Fer- gest win in Guardiola’s 2 1/2 club needs something tan- trudged off and headed
“Fifty points is incredible, it nandinho have also been years in charge. The team gible to validate its progress straight down the tunnel in-
is huge. But they are an op- out with injuries in recent might also want to put the under Mauricio Pochettino stead of to the bench.q

WADA to return to Moscow lab in search of elusive data

Associated Press not certified according to that is to be pursued only
MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian law. after “every opportunity
World Anti-Doping Agen- A WADA committee is to comply” has been pre-
cy is returning to the Mos- scheduled to consider sented.
cow anti-doping lab this reimposing the ban next Reimposing the ban could
week in hopes of obtain- week, but that could be allow WADA to impose
ing data it did not receive forestalled if WADA’s ex- tougher penalties on Rus-
before a Dec. 31 dead- perts obtain the data dur- sia under new rules which
line. ing their visit on Wednes- could bar the country
The Russians were sup- day. Russian Sports Min- from hosting major inter-
posed to turn over the ister Pavel Kolobkov told national competitions.
data as part of an agree- state news agencies on RUSADA chief executive
ment to reinstate Rus- Monday “all the technical Yuri Ganus said Russian
sia’s anti-doping agency. issues have been straight- sport was “standing on the
But WADA officials were ened out.” edge of the abyss” in a let-
turned away last month The committee chair, ter last month to President
In this file photo taken on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018, Russian
National Anti-doping Agency RUSADA head Yuri Ganus when Russia raised a late Jonathan Taylor, says de- Vladimir Putin pleading for
leaves the office in Moscow, Russia. objection that the equip- claring the Russians non- the Russian state to coop-
Associated Press ment they brought was compliant is “a last resort” erate more with WADA. q