Latest news with #OscarBobb
BBC News
3 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
City 'have talent all over the pitch once again'
Former Premier League goalkeeper David James says Manchester City should make a credible challenge for the title this season as they look "fantastic" Guardiola's men dismantled a shaky-looking Wolves side to kick off the new season with three points that left them top of the league after the first weekend."Signing James Trafford was a massive statement," said James on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "I figured he would get in at some point and then it would be difficult for Ederson, but he has already done it."City did look fantastic. The one player who impressed me the most was Oscar Bobb. He has come back looks scarily good."They were against a poor Wolves side, but they showed they have talent all over the pitch once again."I want the final weeks of the Premier League title race to be a mad melee again between Liverpool, Manchester City and others, and I think we have the ingredients for that to happen again this season."Listen to the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
A tricky winger showed exactly what Manchester City missed last season
Oscar Bobb appeared poised to play a prominent role for Manchester City last season. But the Norwegian international suffered a fractured leg on the eve of the 24/25 season. From there, Bobb's season was wrecked, and he never got a run at it. As Manchester City kicked off their 25/26 Premier League campaign with a 4-nil win over Wolves yesterday, Oscar Bobb showed exactly what his team missed out on last season. Based on his dazzling performance at Molineux, Bobb could be set to play a prominent role on the right wing for Pep Guardiola's side. Oscar Bobb played a key role for Manchester City in their win at Molineux. When the Manchester City starting lineup was announced, it was exciting to see Oscar Bobb starting on the right wing. Bobb is highly regarded by Pep Guardiola and his teammates. It didn't take him long to make an impact. Bobb's dribbling and movement stood out in the first half. At times, he mesmerised the Wolves defence. Bobb's pressing out of possession was also a key component of his play, and it helped set up Manchester City's second goal of the game. Bobb dispossessed Andre, then made a surging run at the Wolves defence. He calmly slipped in Tijjani Reijnders, who made it 2-nil with a quality finish. That play showed exactly what Bobb adds to Pep Guardiola's side. Yesterday's match opened up more in the second half, as Vitor Pereira's side chased the game, there was more space for the Manchester City attack to operate in. It was this space that Oscar Bobb and Tijjani Reijnders exploited to set up Erling Haaland for Manchester City's third goal of the game. Bobb was at the heart of the move and his close control and neat passing set Reijnders free to tee up Haaland. Haaland did the rest and it was game over. Bobb could be Manchester City's preferred player for the right wing role as the season progresses. Oscar Bobb's performance yesterday was full of promise. The Norwegian international understands the nuances of Manchester City's play and there is no reason why he cannot make the right wing role his own this season. He has the talent to do so. His performance yesterday was sparkling and showed what City missed so dearly last season.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Wolves 0 Manchester City 4 – How good are Bobb and Reijnders? Is Trafford No 1? What must Pep still solve?
Tijjani Reijnders delivered a superb Premier League debut and Oscar Bobb a reminder of his great ability as Erling Haaland scored twice to help Manchester City sweep aside Wolves in their opening game. Wolves paid tribute to the late Diogo Jota before kick-off with a stand-size display of him celebrating one of his many goals in his two years for the club before he joined Liverpool in 2020, as both teams observed a minute's applause for the forward and his brother Andre Silva, who died in July. Advertisement When the game began it was Wolves who thought they had taken an early lead but Marshall Munetsi's header was ruled out for offside before City scored twice before half-time through Haaland and the impressive Reijnders. Haaland, who has scored on the opening day of the Premier League in each of his four seasons, added a third for City on 61 minutes with a powerful finish at the end of another fine move. Rayan Cherki also scored on his league debut for City, firing in a fourth after a clever exchange of passes. Here The Athletic's Jordan Campbell breaks down the key talking points. Anyone still talking about Savinho? Much of the discussion in the build up to City's opening game centred on the future of the Brazilian winger amid transfer interest from Spurs, but Oscar Bobb produced a display that suggested he may make the right wing position his own regardless of Savinho's future. The 22-year-old Norwegian looked destined to break into the team this time last year when he starred in pre-season and won man of the match in the Community Shield. A leg break days later put paid to that notion and when he returned to the team at the tail end of last season, there was a rustiness that suggested the window of opportunity may have closed on him. Not if the level he produced at Molineux is anything to go by. He brought everything Pep Guardiola demands from his wingers. Time after time he received the ball on the touchline and gradually took City up the pitch, showing a maturity to understand when to retain the ball and when to drive at the full-back. There is a delicacy and flow to the way he dribbles that makes him so hard to read. In the 33rd minute he dazzled three or four Wolves defenders inside the penalty, snaking in so many different directions that they were left chasing shadows. Advertisement But it wasn't just the flashy he did well. He was decisive. For the second goal he led City's counter attack in which he had Reijnders to his left and Haaland to his right. It would have been easy to panic and rush but he took his time before picking the perfect weight of pass to Reijnders to finish first time. Just as it felt like City may be wilting under the intensity of Wolves's pressure, Tijjani Reijnders decided it was time to take things down a notch or two. By that, he meant luring in two players, producing Andreas Iniesta's famous La Croqueta skill to glide through two defenders – all while moving at barely more than walking pace. Rico Lewis reacted by running in behind from right back but there was no clear route through to him so Reijnders chose to deliver the ball via the aerial route. Scooping the pass while on the run, he took out three Wolves defenders and allowed Lewis to cross the ball on the half-volley for Haaland to tap home. It was a continuation of the classy touches he showed in the Club World Cup after joining from AC Milan, but this was the day the Dutchman introduced himself to the Premier League. The pre-assist so may not count toward the headline statistics but he scored a beautifully taken goal to make it 2-0 and then cut the ball back for Haaland to notch his third. Not a bad first day at the new office. This was a day ten years in the making for James Trafford, who joined the academy as a 12-year old. Having only made his return from Burnley two weeks ago, Guardiola confirmed on Friday that Ederson would continue as his No1 if fit. The Brazilian was not in the squad, though, so Trafford made his long-awaited senior debut. While his first act in City's friendly against Palermo last week saw him caught on the ball, it took until the 75th minute for the first hint of any hesitancy at Molineux. Advertisement Nerves would have been natural but he was assured throughout, bar one slack pass that was almost intercepted in the first-half. There was not much in the way of big saves for him to make but there were several time he aggressively came off his line to intercept a cross or ball over the top. The only times he was called into action were in the first half when the ball broke to Marshall Munetsi at the back post, which saw Trafford block the ball with his foot after sprinting out to close the angle with both arms and legs splayed wide. He tipped a deflected shot over the bar in the second half and parried another Strand Larsen shot wide but both were comfortable. He took a little too long on the ball when an awkward back pass came to him on his own goal line and he only got his pass away just as the attacker made contact. There was a 15-minute spell midway through the first half when it looked like City could crumble. Munetsi scored a goal that was disallowed but Wolves were buoyed by how often they were able to counter attack from slack City passes. Kolo Toure was out on the touchline urging the players to calm down but they were unable to get control of the game in the way they used to do so easily. Two quickfire goals helped dampen the spirit of the home crowd but the lack of security on the ball in the first half could easily have seen them trailing. John Stones shone in what was his first Premier League start since February and the understanding between him and Ruen Dias helped provide City with an assuredness they lacked for much of last season in his absence. Finding a way to incorporate so much attacking talent into the starting XI is never going to be easy but Omar Marmoush and Rayan Cherki both starting on the bench, with Phil Foden not fit to make the squad, highlighted the challenge Guardiola is going to have this season. It is a pleasant position to be in but Guardiola did not want to be in the situation where he was forced to leave so many players out. We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference. Saturday, August 23: Tottenham (Home), Premier League, 12.30pm UK, 7.30am ET Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Picking Manchester City's 2025-26 breakout player: Oscar Bobb
Manchester City's, let's say unique, third kit is based on a raindrop design that intends to pay homage to the area's reputation for grey skies. The message was 'rain or shine' but in the promotional video, as Oscar Bobb stands behind a soaked pane of glass and looks up to the heavens, it could easily have been a metaphor for the last year of the Norwegian's career. Advertisement Twelve months ago, he was on the verge of his big breakthrough. He scored an exquisite stoppage-time winner at St James' Park in January 2024, a pivotal victory en route to the club's fourth consecutive Premier League title. And Bobb followed it up with a glittering pre-season that put him in the frame for a starting berth on the right wing. He was given that opportunity in the Community Shield against Manchester United at Wembley and did not let it pass him by. He was named man of the match with his jinking runs from the right flank, eventually leading to an assist for Bernardo Silva. Then the clouds gathered. Just as he was making the step to becoming a first-team player, an innocuous-looking slip in training saw him collide with a team-mate and break his leg. Bobb heard the bone snap straight away and, after travelling to see specialist surgeon Dr Ramon Cugat, his fibula was operated on within 48 hours. It ruled him out until March, virtually eliminating a year of his career just as it was taking off. 'You could see he was ready to be one of the main players,' says club captain Bernardo in the club's in-house documentary following Bobb's comeback. He is back fit and ready to climb that mountain again with those who have observed his 'head down' approach to his recovery, believing he is ready to 'blow up' this season as he looks to make up for lost time. 'I really want to get back and be able to help the team, not just be a mannequin,' he told the City documentary. For that to happen, he must be given the minutes required to make an impact. At City, the competition for a place in the attack is fierce with Savinho, Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden, Omar Marmoush and Jeremy Doku all capable of playing on the right wing. Guardiola likes his wingers to possess elite one-v-one qualities and tends to prefer his wingers to come inside onto their stronger foot, a combination which marries Bobb's profile perfectly. Advertisement It is why it is very unlikely that Bobb leaves before the end of the transfer window, even though City still need to reduce their squad size. Savinho recorded the most assists of any City player last season, but did not do enough to cement his place, and Bobb looks like he may possess an extra gear when it comes to his explosiveness. He has had to work hard with City's rehab and fitness staff to rebuild the muscle in his right leg after the deconditioning that happens when wearing a protective boot. When he returned to training, it coincided with the day City were marking Kevin De Bruyne's 400th appearance for City. Perhaps a sign of how well-liked he is, Guardiola started off the session by asking the players and staff to applaud Bobb before they got on to the business of recognising the club legend. In the friendly against Palermo last weekend, he showed the close control and dribbling ability that has earned Guardiola's respect. Within 30 seconds, he cut inside and disguised a reverse pass to Cherki in the penalty area. In the 20th minute, he played a one-two with his international team-mate Erling Haaland. Only a cynical foul prevented him from being played in on goal. He had another couple of close moments when he smartly cut the ball back to Cherki, whose shot from 10 yards out was blocked and nearly slid through Haaland. Jack Grealish said Bobb was 'on fire' last pre-season, while Matheus Nunes said 'the amount of talent this kid has is just off the charts'. He scored against Celtic, produced a superb reverse finish at the near post against Chelsea and rounded off a mazy run against Milan by teeing up Haaland. There are no guarantees that Bobb can recapture the momentum, but while other academy products like James McAtee were given sparse minutes as a substitute, it felt like Bobb was a far more serious contender to become a regular option when he brought the ball down from the sky against Newcastle United and rounded the goalkeeper. Advertisement 'He's so good in small spaces; so quick — right, left, he has a sense of goal,' said Guardiola after that winning cameo against Newcastle. 'He has a sense of goal, we saw in the training sessions. We were really impressed in preseason when we started to see it. I knew from the information last season he was the best player by far in the academy. 'We saw in the pre-season, talking with the players – with his teammates: 'Oh, this guy is special, this guy is good!'' Bobb is now 22, and it feels like now or never for him to prove that he is special enough to hang with Haaland in City's front three. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
BreakingNews.ie
25-06-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Oscar Bobb determined to secure Man City future at Club World Cup
Oscar Bobb is determined to grasp his chance at the Club World Cup and prove he has a future at Manchester City. The promising Norwegian winger looked set to play a significant role in City's 2024-25 campaign after building on a positive end to the previous season by impressing on their summer tour. Advertisement But his hopes of making a big first-team breakthrough were dashed when he fractured his leg in training last August. After an aborted comeback in February, he did not play again until April. Now back to full fitness, the 21-year-old has made two substitute appearances in the United States and is determined to establish himself in manager Pep Guardiola's new-look side. Bobb looked close to establishing himself in the City first team when he scored a late winner at Newcastle in January 2024 (Owen Humphreys/PA) Guardiola, having already overseen the arrival of four new players this summer, has said some players are likely to leave before the new Premier League season, but Bobb does not plan to be one of them. Bobb said: 'I expect to be here. I think that's the way I have to look at it and try and impress every chance I get. Advertisement 'I want to play as much as possible, be decisive and play in the big games. 'It's a fresh start for me as well as the team and I think from here on out we can just build. 'I think I'm ready now but we've got 27 players. If I get a chance to play – it doesn't matter for how long – I'll take it.' City are already assured of a place in the last 16 having won their opening two games in Group G by an aggregate score of 8-0. Advertisement Recovery sessions by the sea hit different 🌊 — Manchester City (@ManCity) June 24, 2025 Yet they remain behind Juventus on goals scored and must beat the Italians in Orlando on Thursday to top the pool and avoid a meeting with the winners of Real Madrid's group in the next round. Although there is a possibility of thunderstorms, the match is set to take place in the hottest part of the day with the kick-off at 3pm local time, when the temperature is forecast to reach 32C. Bobb insists the team will be ready with preparations having gone well and spirits high at their training base in Boca Raton on Florida's south-east coast. He said: 'It's warmer than we're used to but it's the same for everyone. We're training in this heat and we just have to get used to it, because it will be like that. Advertisement 'We've got a great hotel. There's lots to do. There's basketball, table tennis and obviously there's a lot of matches, so we stay watching them. 'I think it's been great to see teams from all over the world doing so well and a lot of competition, so it's been good.'
