PEP GUARDIOLA doesn’t do regrets. Like football’s Edith Piaf, he refuses to cry about past events.
But if Arsenal win the Prem, he still might want to get out the flux capacitor and revisit last summer’s decision to sell Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko have spearheaded Arsenal towards the title
With the benefit of hindsight, that one is shaping up to be the costliest own goal since, well, let’s not go there.
Not because the absence of the Brazilian striker and the Ukrainian full-back has weakened Manchester City. It hasn’t.
But the £75million duo have given the Gunners such a powerful leg up they are now odds-on favourites to snatch City’s throne next month.
It’s a scenario which Guardiola couldn’t possibly have imagined when he banked Arsenal’s cheque for two men who had been bit-part players for much of their Etihad spell.
Hell, even Mikel Arteta didn’t see this one coming.
Selling Raheem Sterling to Chelsea seemed to be a far greater risk at the time.
But ask anyone at the Emirates for the spark behind this season’s success and they will all point to the arrival of Jesus and Zinchenko.
They are constantly cited for their winning mentality and it’s noticeable that whenever the Arsenal players gather for their pre-match huddle, it’s usually one of those two issuing the rallying call.
Zinchenko has allowed Arteta to take a leaf straight out of the Pep playbook by pushing his left-back into midfield.
And if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, just look at the number of goals Arsenal now score from two yards out after ripping the opposition to shreds in the channels.
Jesus’ return from injury could not have come at a better time to re-energise a team with a reputation for choking in the final reckoning.
He’s only got seven goals this season while his City replacement Erling Haaland has 42. So, there’s no comparison on that front.
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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola may regret selling Jesus and Zinchenko
But you could argue that Jesus’ influence on his team has been even greater than the Norwegian powerhouse because of what he brings to the dressing room and the training ground.
He might have won four league titles during his five years at City but most of that time he played second fiddle to Sterling and Sergio Aguero.
It was the same for Zinchenko, whose opportunities were restricted by Benjamin Mendy and Joao Cancelo.
So, now they are relishing the responsibility of being the main men and will be absolutely crucial in the horrible games to come at Anfield, the Etihad and St James’ Park.
Those are the fixtures which are going to decide this season’s title race.
And having already collected more Prem medals than he knows what to do with, you suspect that winning another would probably mean less to Guardiola than it would to Arteta.
But those former glories won’t take away the pain of being the unwitting architect in his own downfall.
Nottingham Forest are still standing behind manager Steve Cooper
Evan help him
WHEN your manager is feeling the pressure and needs an arm around the shoulder, who better to deliver that reassurance than Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis?
The big softie has moved to “end the speculation” about Steve Cooper’s future by warning: “Results and performances must improve immediately.”
It’s probably the most intimidating vote of confidence in the history of football.
And with Forest’s next five opponents all in the top half of the table, Cooper can take great comfort from the knowledge that his boss is right behind him . . . with a bloody great axe.
Amir Khan has been hit with a two-year ban from boxing
Khan’t do you good
AMIR KHAN has been hit with a two-year ban from boxing after testing positive for ostarine following his grudge match with Kell Brook.
Not sure what ostarine is supposed to do — I thought it was an eyewash — but judging by the state of Khan after his sixth-round battering, it was clear the drugs don’t work.
Rafa still no gaffer
THERE have been 13 managerial vacancies in the Premier League this season and, so far, Rafa Benitez has not managed to land any of them.
That would suggest he’s not quite as sought after as he thinks, although there is now talk of him replacing Brendan Rodgers at Leicester.
But even if he doesn’t get the nod there, he needn’t worry too much.
Because the way things are going, there are bound to be a few more jobs coming up in the next week or two.
Rafa Benitez is still without a job despite many Premier League dismissals
Happy to LIV a little
OF all the major sports, golf is the one I care least about.
Still, I’ll be keeping an eye on this year’s Masters because the 18 LIV participants are all threatening to invade the 18th green if one of their number wins the Green Jacket.
They need cheering up after a ruling effectively banned them from the Ryder Cup.
Which makes them . . . rebels without a course.
Eight to break it
THE FA plan to appeal Aleksandar Mitrovic’s eight-match ban for shoving ref Chris Kavanagh as they don’t think the punishment is tough enough.
What’s the point of sending disciplinary issues to an independent commission?
The FA can’t rely on outsiders to deal with offenders then moan when they don’t like the verdict.
