He´s not afraid – Wenger praises Nketiah

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger praised Eddie Nketiah for his character and movement after the teenage forward's EFL Cup heroics.

Nketiah, 18, came off the bench and scored a brace to lead Arsenal past Norwich City 2-1 after extra time at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

Wenger said he knew the teenager was capable of delivering off the bench, with Nketiah equalising immediately after coming on in the 85th minute.

"I know he has character and is not afraid," Wenger told a news conference.

"He smells the combination movements, he can give and go and once a player has that in his game, they have always a chance.

"The guys who can understand that if they give the ball somewhere and they can get it back and know where to get it back, the quality of reception is a very important quality.

"I would say the quality of the reception, he has that."

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Bosz pleased with impressive Isak

Borussia Dortmund coach Peter Bosz praised Alexander Isak for taking his chance in his side's DFB-Pokal thrashing of Magdeburg.

Sweden international teenager Isak marked his first Dortmund start with a maiden goal and an assist in the 5-0 victory on Tuesday.

Bosz hailed the impressive 18-year-old, urging the former AIK forward to continue grabbing his opportunities behind the first-choice Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

"Alex works hard in training," he told a news conference.

"He has Auba above him in the pecking order, so it's not easy for him. When he gets the chance, he needs to take it. He did so today."

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Talking Point: Majestic Manchester City´s solid defence justifying lavish spending

After watching Manchester City finish a relatively underwhelming season third in the Premier League last season, few were surprised to see Pep Guardiola take a no-nonsense approach to their transfer dealings.

His defensive department was reviewed with the most brutality, with a host of players departing.

Fernando, Aleksandar Kolarov, Gael Clichy, Pablo Zabaleta, Willy Caballero, Joe Hart and Bacary Sagna were all moved on in one way or another, freeing up not only space in the squad, but also on their huge wage budget.

In came Benjamin Mendy, Kyle Walker, Danilo and Ederson as defensive reinforcements to the tune of a reported £159million and so far Guardiola's dealings appear to have had the desired impact, with City – five points clear at the top of the table – looking almost unrecognisable at the back.

There was never any doubt about City's ability in attack and, although their forwards have taken much of the praise for their scintillating start to the new season, their defence has given them an immensely solid platform to build on, as Opta data can evidence…

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