Ian Cheeseman- Forever Blue

The Manchester City juggernaut continues to roll on, despite injuries, arrivals and departures within the squad and a shorter preparation time, at the start of the season, than most of their rivals.

Even the summer heat wave in southern Europe couldn’t stop the Blues lifting another trophy as they beat the Europa League winners from last season, Sevilla, on penalties in Athens.

I was over in Greece and I can report that the heat was unbearable, in complete contrast to what we’ve had here in the Manchester area. I was lucky enough to be able to spend the afternoon exploring the Acropolis and other historical sights. The climb up to the Parthenon was a challenge, partly because on my increasing age, but mainly because of the high temperatures and humidity.

I had the advantage of being able to sit on a wall, every now and again and pretend I was admiring the view as I climbed higher and higher, but in truth I needed to recover and consume more water. If you’re planning a visit to Athens, I should warn you that if you plan to visit the Acropolis, it’s not very well signposted. You can always see your ultimate goal because it sits high above the City on a rocky outcrop, but I ended up walking, unnecessarily, all the way around the Wonder of the World, just to add to the energy levels required to eventually reach it.

Later that evening, Pep Guardiola’s team adapted more quickly to the conditions and their possession based football was ideally suited to the climate. I have to admit that this wasn’t a classic City performance and needed a comeback goal from young winger Cole Palmer to earn a place in the penalty shootout.

When it came to the spot kicks, even I could have mustered up the energy to take one, though I doubt I’d have been able to put one away as clinically as the City players did, scoring five out of five to earn their chance to lift the Super Cup.

Just three days later they were back in the British summer to face the coming challenge of Newcastle United. I believe the Magpies will be right up there competing for the game’s honours in the years to come. They’ve got financial backing from their Saudi owners but just as importantly they seem to have a plan and a clever manager in Eddie Howe. I was impressed by their performance at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening and I think a narrow 1-0 win for Guardiola’s team reflected the game perfectly.

Pep Guardiola, in typically sarcastic style, thanked the Premier League for playing the game so soon after their trip to Greece. He knows, like we all do, that it could have been played on Sunday or even Monday, as City have not had a midweek game this week. I completely agree with his sentiments but although I have no particular love for the authorities that run the game, whether it’s the EPL, the FA, UEFA or FIFA, I would point out that all clubs, including City, are happy to take the money from huge TV deals but they then moan about those same TV companies deciding when games are played.

The rules are simple. There has to be two completely free days between fixtures and City had Thursday and Friday clear. The clubs signed up to this and the only thing the TV companies care about is big TV audiences, not helping clubs manage their way through the fixture list.

If you watched Saturday’s game from the comfort of your armchair on Saturday evening, that fixture was aimed at you, not the Newcastle fans who wouldn’t have got home until the early hours of Sunday. Modern football is played for TV and money, that’s just the reality of current times. It’s still been a great week to be a Blue though!