Richard Martin

"It sharpens your mind, and there are clear similarities to football," said Erling Haaland when he announced his investment in the Total Chess World Championship this week. "You have to think quickly, trust your instincts, and think several moves ahead. Strategy and planning are everything." The Manchester City striker’s strategy cannot be faulted except at one stadium in particular: Wembley.

Harry Maguire marked his return to the England squad in an unwanted manner as he was sent off in Manchester United's disappointing 2-2 draw at Bournemouth. The Red Devils twice took the lead in the second half, from a Bruno Fernandes penalty and then an own goal by James Hill. But they were pegged back each time and had reason to complain for the Cherries' first equaliser.

The last time Manchester City and Arsenal faced each other in the League Cup final, Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta sat side by side in the Wembley dugout as head coach and assistant before celebrating as their City team destroyed the Gunners 3-0 and claimed the first of piece of silverware of the former's time in England. The rampant win only crystalized the widening gap between the two clubs.

Michael Carrick instantly solved one of Manchester United's biggest problems from the Ruben Amorim era by simply playing Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot in their natural positions. The full-backs have started all nine games under the former Red Devils midfielder, playing their part in the coach's astonishing run of seven victories, one draw and one defeat thus far.

Pep Guardiola insisted through gritted teeth that Manchester City's defeat and elimination at the hands of Real Madrid was not his last stand in the Champions League. Which is just as well, because this was not a fitting way for him to say goodbye to a competition that he took to a whole new level with Barcelona and has won three times in total, only trailing Carlo Ancelotti.

Bernardo Silva was sent off for the first time in his career in what may prove to be a nightmare farewell to the Champions League with Manchester City as Pep Guardiola's side lost 2-1 at home to Real Madrid to exit the competition 5-1 on aggregate in the last 16. Bernardo was given a double punishment for handballing Vinicius Jr's shot on the line as the Brazilian scored from the penalty spot to give City an almost impossible task.

With Manchester City trailing Real Madrid 3-0 ahead of the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, you might have assumed Pep Guardiola would spend the day before the game at the Etihad Stadium running through tactical instructions with his squad or delivering motivational messages to help them overhaul this daunting deficit against the kings of European football. You would certainly not have imagined the coach would give his players a day off.

Pep Guardiola has made a surprising admission when explaining why he has given his Manchester City players the day off 24 hours before facing Real Madrid in their Champions League last-16 second leg. City lost the first leg 3-0 in Madrid and are hoping to become only the fifth team in the competition's modern history to overturn a deficit of three goals or more.

Wayne Rooney has told Manchester United to make Michael Carrick head coach on a permanent basis after his former team-mate oversaw a 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Sunday. Casemiro, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko were all in target as Carrick recorded his seventh victory out of nine matches since succeeding Ruben Amorim until the end of the season.

Manchester United are hoping to raise the price of Marcus Rashford's transfer to Barcelona as doubts are emerging over the initial deal struck with the Red Devils last summer. Rashford made a blistering start to his loan move after making the switch from Manchester to Spain last summer, raising the prospect of clinching a permanent move to Camp Nou for €30m (£26m/$34m).

When Real Madrid were paired with Manchester City in the Champions League last-16, the groans could be heard all the way from Plaza Mayor to Piccadilly Gardens: 'Again?!' The complaints were entirely predictable and, at some level, understandable. By the end of the second leg next Tuesday, the two teams will have faced each other 11 times in the past five seasons, and on 17 occasions since 2012.

Manchester City twice threw away the lead to draw 2-2 at home to relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, thus ceding ground in the Premier League title race to Arsenal. Antoine Semenyo and Rodri scored for Pep Guardiola's side but they were caught out twice in the second half by a pair of magnificent goals from England duo Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson.

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been found guilty of non-serious assault and handed a suspended 15-month jail sentence, reduced from an original sentence of 21 months following the retrial into a violent incident in Greece in 2020. Maguire was arrested six years ago while holidaying with eight other people, including his sister, brother and wife.

Manchester United midfielder Jack Fletcher has been hit with a long ban for using homophobic language while playing for the club's under-21 side. Fletcher, the son of former United midfielder and recent caretaker coach Darren, has admitted to using a discriminatory term during an EFL Trophy match at Barnsley in October, which led to him being sent off. He has apologised for the offence caused by his words.

Pep Guardiola has claimed that he is not a "big, big fan" of the January transfer window, but Manchester City's recent winter business suggests otherwise. City have signed six players in the last two January windows, spending a total of £264 million ($353m) in the process. But whereas last year's purchases smacked of desperation, the recent acquisitions of Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo are looking like masterstrokes.

Michael Carrick has taken a thinly-veiled pop at Premier League leaders Arsenal by saying there is now too much contact in the penalty area from set pieces. Mikel Arteta's side have scored a league-high 22 goals from set pieces this season, with their strategy to prioritise dead-ball situations fuelling their bid to win a first league title since 2004.

Pep Guardiola has given an update on Erling Haaland's injury as Manchester City sweat on their top scorer's fitness before their Premier League clash at home to Nottingham Forest on Wednesday. Haaland sustained a minor issue in training last Thursday, missing the 1-0 win at Leeds United. Haaland's availability was naturally the main talking point ahead of the game against struggling Forest.

Manchester United made a special pitch to Benjamin Sesko which convinced him to join the Red Devils over Newcastle despite the Magpies offering him a higher salary. Sesko was the subject of interest from Arsenal and Newcastle last summer before opting to move to Old Trafford in a £74 million ($99m) signing and after a slow start he is beginning to pay off the fee with a spate of goals since January.