Vesper

big feature on now about Mount

2021-22 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - UEFA, Group Stage England Poland http://www.sportnews.to/sports/2021/world-cup-qualifying-england-vs-poland-s2/ https://www.totalsportek.com/england-football/

oh, ffs! these are actually REAL??????

A little pushback against the punditocracy's blowhardista wing Cristiano Ronaldo in action against Luxembourg. Photograph: Pascal Rossignol/Reuters Scott Murray IT’S ALL HAPPENING England played very well last week against San Marino, for 45 minutes, and were efficient if not exactly effervescent against Albania at the weekend. Nothing to worry about there, although exactly how much use it is to anyone in a world where Belgium’s second string are capable of walking in eight against Belarus, celebrating their goals with little more than an insouciant shrug, is a moot point. Belgium’s haul was one of several eye-catching scorelines in the Human Rights World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday, along with Gibraltar 0-0 Netherlands after 40 minutes and Luxembourg 1-0 Portugal after 44. If we could have blown the final whistle there and then, sat back, got out the popcorn and immersed ourselves in the lovely fallout, we would have, promise you. World Cup qualifying roundup: Ronaldo on target in Portugal win Read more As things transpired, the Dutch went on to rattle in seven, while Portugal turned things around easily enough on account of actually being awarded goals for shots that crossed the line this time. Even so, Luxembourg’s early success against the European champions will have made Stephen Kenny feel a little better about himself in the wake of that nul-points fiasco last Saturday. The beleaguered O’Ireland boss will also have experienced the strange other-worldly sensation of happiness when a lovely training-ground corner routine led to a goal for James McClean in their friendly draw against Qatar. At last, some proof that it is worth persevering with the implementation of a more expansive style! A little pushback against the blowhardista wing of the punditocracy, who think O’Irish fans should settle for hoof and hope until the rapture and be happy about it too. It was also a good night for the Welsh, for whom things were looking grim until nine minutes from time, when Dan James, the Pocket Toshack, rose to claim the points against the Czech Republic with an unlikely header. That instantly upgraded their qualification status from Pipe Dream to In The Hunt, something Norn Iron and Scotland will also be hoping to achieve on Wednesday with home fixtures against, respectively, Bulgaria and the folk who chase Berti Vogts over broken glass in his dreams. All of which leaves us with England, who would have been hot favourites to beat a Poland side with Robert Lewandowski in it, and are hot favourites to beat a Poland side without Robert Lewandowski in it. Still, if things go wrong and the Poles best England for only the second time in their history, look on the bright side: at least the next time they meet, everyone should have finally stopped banging on about 197effing3. LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE! Join Scott Murray from 7.45pm BST for hot MBM coverage of England 2-1 Poland, while Paul Doyle will be on hand for the rest of the HRWC qualifiers. QUOTE OF THE DAY “I had to mark him a lot. Even when I tackled him, it was like: ‘Wow, I tackled Neymar!”” – Trevoh Chalobah gets his chat on with Jacob Steinberg and reveals the confidence-boosting upsides of being sent out on loan from Chelsea to Ligue Urrrrrrrn Lorient. RECOMMENDED VIEWING Look at his face! Just look at his face! FIVER LETTERS “I’m getting bored with the following usage: ‘O’Ireland’, ‘Tin’, ‘Queen’s Celtic’, ‘getting chat on’ and ‘knack’. Just so you know. Maybe time for a little creativity?” – The Man Tim Lynch. “A couple of weeks off from competitive football matches and this is what happens to US soccer news. Apropos of nothing, No 1 is apparently New York City FC coach Ronny Delia (there’s a blast from the past) who, let’s remember, quit the Queen’s Celtic back in 2016 due to his failure of only winning the league. Ah, them was the days” – Noble Francis. Send your letters to [email protected]. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’the day is … Noble Francis. NEWS, BITS AND BOBS Chelsea are the first team to reach the last four of Women’s Big Cup after a smooth 3-0 win over Wolfsburg secured a 5-1 aggregate triumph. Manchester City, meanwhile, are taking on Barcelona now, now, now. Sam Kerr after getting the flamin’ second. Photograph: Szilárd Koszticsák/AP Arsenal Women are looking for a new manager to take the reins off Joe Montemurro, who is flamin’ well off at the end of the season. “I’m hugely grateful to the club for their unrelenting support during my time here and in understanding and respecting my decision,” he cheered. Premier League clubs lined the pockets of Mr 20%s to the tune of £272m between 1 February 2020 and 1 February 2021, an annual increase of £9m despite the pandemic. Adrian ‘Aidy’ Boothroyd has responded to criticism of his management of England U-21s in exactly the kind of defeatist manner that has been the hallmark of his side’s recent displays. “I think the job is the utterly impossible job,” he parped. The FA is deploying psychological profiling to help Hege Riise select the player to replace Steph Houghton as England’s captain in friendlies against France and Canada but, as far as we’re aware, no crime has been committed. Pep Guardiola has described Sergio Agüero as “irreplaceable” so he can rush to replace him at Manchester City with, most likely, Erling Braut Haaland. Stand-in Wales boss Robert Page can’t get enough of his defensive troops for holding strong against the Czechs. “They would have enjoyed that little battle at the end: five minutes, ‘put your tin hat on, dig a trench, and rise to the challenge,’” he roared. And under-fire Republic O’Ireland boss Stephen Kenny says sticks and stones may break his bones but words will never hurt him. “[Criticism after the 1-1 draw with Qatar] doesn’t hurt me because you know what? I don’t care,” he tooted. “I know what I’m doing, I’m very clear what I’m doing.” STILL WANT MORE? Producing serious flashbacks of being chased down the high street by harried Rumbelows staff at 4.30pm on a Saturday afternoon, courtesy of Steven Pye. Some memories right there. Composite: Rex/BBC/ITV/Getty “We’re not little kids”: leading Mr 20%s are ready for war with Fifa over new rules, reports Ed Aarons. Bob Lewandowski-less Poland are hoping for a repeat of 197effing3 against England, writes David Hytner. What are football’s biggest wins or comebacks by teams with 10 men? The Knowledge knows. Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO! IF YOU WILL MARK YOUR OWN HOMEWORK

your maths are off 12m per year was in euros 230,769 euros per week in pounds sterling that is around £196K PW at current FOREX rates ie. around half of what Oblak wants (and Oblak wants a 7 year contract) PLUS Oblak has a 120m euro (£102m) release clause I am not saying we should sign Donnarumma, just giving a fuller picture of the cash involved

Ross Barkley: no England, struggling at Villa, not wanted at Chelsea. So what now? https://theathletic.com/2484274/2021/03/31/ross-barkley-no-england-struggling-at-villa-not-wanted-at-Chelsea-so-what-now/ Another campaign is heading towards its conclusion and Chelsea have a familiar question to answer: what are they going to do with Ross Barkley? The west London club had hoped to be in a win-win situation by now. When they agreed to Barkley’s request to join Aston Villa on a season-long loan last September, the plan was for the attacking midfielder to either play well enough to earn a spot in Chelsea’s squad next season or for his form to earn a big-money permanent switch (whether to Villa or elsewhere). As things stand, neither outcome is assured. After a very bright start to his spell with Dean Smith’s side, Barkley finds himself in a familiar situation — struggling for consistency and starts in the first team. It is why instead of fulfilling the ambition of playing his way back into the England side ahead of the European Championship, Barkley’s dreams of featuring in the tournament are all but over after being left out of Gareth Southgate’s latest squad. How Chelsea must rue this scenario, too. Barkley has impressed under Southgate in the past, earning 11 of his 33 caps under the England manager, but hasn’t featured since October 2019. If he was part of a national team challenging for silverware this summer, it certainly would have boosted his profile and value in the market. There is still time for the situation to be salvaged. The sight of Jack Grealish returning to training at Aston Villa after six weeks out with a leg injury provides some optimism because the duo combined so well in the first few months. Back then, Barkley registered three goals and an assist in his first nine appearances (all competitions), which included a superb display in the remarkable 7-2 victory over Liverpool. However, a hamstring strain sustained in November at the end of that nine-game run ruled him out until the New Year and halted his momentum. Since then, he has found the net just once — against Southampton in January, which was also the last time he played a full 90 minutes. Without Grealish, a close friend who lobbied strongly last summer for him to make the loan switch, he has really struggled. In the last four matches, Barkley has only been used as a substitute. Hardly a promising sign he is a part of Smith’s long-term plans. Aston Villa supporters have complained about a dip in performance levels and as the table below demonstrates, his attacking metrics have declined since returning from injury. Some quick definitions for the uninitiated: expected goals (xG) are a measure of the quality of shot locations based on historical data and can be used to assess how many good chances a player is getting. Expected assists (xA) looks at a player’s creativity by measuring the xG value of shots created by an individual (ie, the likelihood that a certain pass leads to an assist). Barkley’s primary role at Aston Villa is to be a creative force in the final third — Smith has mostly employed him as a No 10 — but he is still expected to contribute defensively by harrying opponents to force a mistake and/or to win back possession. However, the numbers don’t make good reading here either. He is trying to press. This graphic shows he averages 12.9 pressures per 90 minutes, which is the same amount as Grealish has registered. However, the success of those pressures (how often his team regain possession within five seconds of him making the pressure) is one of the lowest in the Villa squad at 23 per cent. This might suggest he is showing intent to regain the ball but lacks the intensity to force the opposition into an error that leads to a turnover of possession. Other defensive statistics also do not show him in a good light. His return of 1.5 “true” tackles (tackles plus challenges lost and fouls made in the attempt of winning possession) is the lowest-ranked out of the 64 central and defensive midfielders in the Premier League with at least 900 minutes played. Of the few tackles he does make, his success rate (27.3 per cent) is also the lowest of that group. As you can also see below, his similar ranking for “true” interceptions (interceptions and blocked passes) highlights how he does not make too many defensive actions for Villa when out of possession. Given he is mostly employed high up the pitch, Barkley is inevitably going to have inferior figures to a midfielder playing a bit deeper. But Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel expects his attackers to defend from the front and be very active in this regard, so this return isn’t going to impress the German in view of giving him a role at Stamford Bridge next season. The option to buy was not included in Aston Villa’s loan deal. The thinking was to see how Barkley did over the course of the schedule and judge whether he was durable enough. Owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens are expected to invest heavily in the market to build on the positives of this season. Funds will be made available to improve the attacking areas, but with Chelsea looking for a significant sum if they are to sell — a minimum of £30-35 million — that would threaten the club record fee Aston Villa spent on Ollie Watkins (an initial £28 million rising to £33 million if add-ons are triggered) for a player who has yet to convince. Barkley, whose £120,000-a-week salary is being paid in full by Villa and will likely remain a significant cost to be met if he moves on, is also still believed to have ambitions of playing for Chelsea or a club of their stature challenging for major silverware. Aston Villa do not meet that description yet. In other words, it is looking unlikely at this stage that Barkley will join Villa on a permanent basis. With a little over two years remaining on his contract, that leaves Chelsea in a difficult situation in terms of what to do next. Things get messy and transfer value can be lost the closer it gets to a contract expiring. Understandably, neither Chelsea nor Tuchel have made any definitive decisions regarding Barkley yet. Chelsea’s head coach, who only replaced Frank Lampard in late January, has been primarily focusing on the task at hand — a top-four finish, plus competing for the FA Cup and Champions League — with the players he currently has on-site. Pre-season will give Barkley a chance to impress. But competition for places is rife, whether Tuchel opts to continue with the 3-4-2-1 formation or employs another system. Tuchel already has Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, Mason Mount, Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi to choose from as one of the attacking midfielders in the 3-4-2-1. Then there is Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who is on loan at Fulham, to consider, too. How does Barkley compare with this group? Well, despite the shortcomings highlighted above, he is actually measuring up quite well creatively (although it should be pointed out that Ziyech, Pulisic, Hudson-Odoi had not registered enough minutes in the more central areas to feature in the table below). Barkley is producing a strong output when playing in a central or attacking midfield role. He is edging it for the most shots (2.5 per 90 minutes), with a goal rate (0.24 per 90) of one every four games. Indeed, only Werner is getting better chances on average when playing in a No 10 role, from looking at each player’s xG. Furthermore, when in that central position, Barkley’s 0.23 xA per 90 also tops the list among his peers. This means the quality of his passes would expect him to get an assist once every four games. Indeed, this creativity has been steadily increasing across his career. Barkley’s xA per 90 are at a career-high — as the table below shows. Put simply, he is passing the ball into strong dangerous areas for his team-mates to score. But getting him fit and performing on a regular basis is a key challenge. At 27 years old, Barkley should be approaching his prime, but his overall progress has stalled somewhat. He has started just 42 Premier League games since leaving Everton for Chelsea in January 2018. That is clearly not enough. Chelsea want to spend big again and are one of the clubs keen to buy Erling Haaland. The need to sell talent to raise funds, especially after not raising much cash from outgoings last summer, means Barkley’s departure will be considered. The attacking midfielder told the Guardian he has “an obsession to improve” last September. “To put in consistent performances you need consistent game time,” he admitted. No one right now, not even Barkley himself, knows where he will have the chance to do that next season.

Last year there was a lot of talk that we were going to buy multiple South American players I wonder if this is one of those I do take issue with the Yaya Touré comparisons Menino is vastly smaller/shorter a full 12cm shorter and not nearly as strong I mentioned (back when speculating about what SA players we might go after) his teammate, winger Gabriel Veron

Sergio Agüero, the muse to Martin Tyler’s signature moment Almost nine years old. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian Scott Murray AGÜERGO Lee Bradbury. Gerry Creaney. Rodney Marsh. Jô. Down the years, Manchester City have never wanted for strikers that would get fans discussing their performances in a highly animated fashion down the drinker. With great feeling. At some length. Using fruity linguistic flourishes. Sergio Agüero can be filed alongside these dudes, too, albeit for slightly different reasons. Agüero has been jaw-dropping in a rather more acceptable way, with his 257 goals in 384 matches, and while he’s not quite as loveable or relatable as the equally legendary Shaun Goater, The Fiver will concede that he’s probably, on balance, a little bit better. Sergio Agüero has been far more than a great goalscorer for Manchester City | Jonathan Wilson Read more But all good things peter out anticlimactically, and on Monday night the muse to Martin Tyler’s signature moment calmly announced his intention to quietly take his leave of City at the end of this supporter-free season. “When a cycle comes to an end, many sensations arise,” began a statement which in an ideal world would have been set to the soothing sounds of the pan pipes. Agüero went on to speak of his “indestructible bond with all those who love this club, people who will always be in my heart” and promised to “give it my utmost for the rest of the season”, which, given his knack problems, will probably consist mainly of sitting in the stands looking on aghast as City somehow conjure up yet another absurd way to crash out of Big Cup while hot favourites. But even if European glory once again evades City, they’re going to win the league, aren’t they, and so Agüero ends his 10-year stay having landed five titles, an FA Cup and 287 Milk Cups. That’s not bad going, especially when you throw in the most dramatic winner of all, one that sent Fergie into a flat spin and knocked Michael Thomas into a c0cked hat. He leaves in search of “a new stage with new challenges”, and unlike the aforementioned Bradbury, Creaney, Marsh and Po’ Jô, bodyswerves a notorious graveyard for strikers with reputation very much intact. No pressure on his mooted replacement Erling Braut Haaland, then, given that at City, this job usually goes one of two very distinct ways. QUOTE OF THE DAY “It was horrible! I apologise to all the mothers who saw their children get the same haircut … but the journalists saw [it] and forgot about the [knack]” – the Real Ronaldo reckons his unique World Cup 2002 hairdo, which looked like a massive forehead-bothering monobrow, ended up being a handy diversionary prop in press conferences. It’s like he’s wearing his face as a mask. Photograph: Daniel García/EPA RECOMMENDED LOOKING David Squires counts your flags and conjures some lifelong England memories. RECOMMENDED LISTENING It’s only Football Weekly: your questions answered. FIVER LETTERS “First, it was pre-empting Spurs’ Big Vase travails, then the lauding of O’Ireland before their meeting with Luxembourg – maybe it’s time to pen a piece on Steve Bruce’s longevity at St James’ Park? You’d never have to buy your own Tin in Newcastle ever again when the inevitable comes to pass” – Jim Hearson. “News that UK culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, is hopeful that crowds of more than 10,000 may be able to attend some matches at Euro Not 2020 has doubtlessly been greeted with envy in Dublin. The FAI won’t be expecting crowds that big until at least the World Cup 2026 qualifiers” – Justin Kavanagh. Send your letters to [email protected]. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’the day is … Justin Kavanagh. NEWS, BITS AND BOBS Rebecca Welch is the first woman appointed to referee a Football League game. “I’ve got no doubt, in the next 10 to 15 years, we will see a female referee in the Premier League,” she peeped before Harrogate Town v Port Vale on Monday. Rebecca Welch will be officiating Harrogate v Port Vale. Photograph: Adam Davy/Reuters Republic O’Ireland boss Stephen Kenny has expressed dismay at the sorry state of human rights in Qatar before his side’s friendly against the 2022 hosts. “It’s not acceptable for so many people to lose their lives,” he said. “You can’t sweep that under the carpet, it can’t be ignored.” Poland expect their 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw with England at Wembley to go ahead despite the number of positive Covid cases in Paolo Sousa’s squad rising to four. Both legs of Chelsea’s Big Cup quarter-final win on away goals over Porto will be played in Seville because of Covid. Mo Salah reckons memories of being shoulder-slammed out of the 2018 Big Cup final by Sergio Ramos will give him more pep in his step when Liverpool face Real Madrid next week. “Let’s just say that I have special motivation to win the tie,” he blabbed to Madrid’s in-house magazine Marca. Shortbread McFiver’s hopes of a Scotland debut have been given a boost after Steve Clarke admitted he is feeling frisky enough to give someone else a go in goal against the Faroe Islands. “I can use the depth of the squad if I feel it is the right thing to do,” he teased. “I know what my team is, I have it written down and it is in my pocket.” And Mongolia are nursing their wounds after a 14-0 shoeing in HR World Cup qualifying. STILL WANT MORE? “I felt degraded”: Ram Marwa on being racially abused as a young footballer. Ram Marwa, pictured with his 13-year-old son Bjorn. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian Beleaguered O’Ireland boss Stephen Kenny needs to be cut some slack and given more time, reckons Paul Doyle. Floating football brain in a jar Jonathan Wilson dissects the meaning of Sergio Agüero and his symbolic importance to City. David Hytner gets his chat on with new Poland manager Paulo Sousa about interacting with his team on Zoom, Bob Lewandowski and the greats he played with. Which Premier League clubs have the hardest and easiest run-ins? Ben McAleer takes a butcher’s. Could a Norway boycott of the Human Rights World Cup in 2022 change the future of football, wonders Håvard Melnæs. Caitlin Murray on the fallout from the failure of the USA! USA!! USA!!! men’s team to qualify for Big Sports Day in Tokyo. Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO! DELVING INTO THE REACHES OF THIS SITE

I think the odds are slim, but not impossible. I am not holding my breath at all.

lol

2 nil Belgium

Bats scored

2021-22 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - UEFA, Group Stage Belgium Belarus http://www.sportnews.to/mysports/2021/world-cup-qualifying-belgium-vs-belarus-s2/ https://www.totalsportek.com/belgium-football/

2021-22 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - UEFA, Group Stage Wales Czech Republic http://www.sportnews.to/mysports/2021/world-cup-qualifying-wales-vs-czech-republic-s5/ https://www.totalsportek.com/wales-football/

Cancelo is a RB, just has been used at times as a LB. Zinchencko is their main LB atm. Mendy is a semi bust IMHO.

Upamecano is going to Bayern, the deal has been done for ages no clue about Konate I am not sold on him post massive injury, but time will tell we need to be all over Fofana Leicester are looking at Ismaël Doukouré but he so young, he BARELY qualifies age wise (turns 18 end of July), and do not see how he will be approved under the new post Brexit rules, if they did buy him he will more than likely have to be loaned out instantly

2021-22 FIFA World Cup Qualifying - UEFA, Group Stage Azerbaijan Serbia https://www.vipleague.lc/1-azerbaijan-vs-serbia-live-streaming https://socceronline.me/azerbaijan-vs-serbia-live/stream-2

Best players of the first trimester 2021 The CIES Football Observatory has developed a unique methodology to compare the performance of players irrespective of their position. Issue number 331 of the Weekly Post highlights the outfield footballers with the highest score for domestic league matches played since the 1st of January 2021 for each of the 98 big-5 league clubs. Only players fielded for at least two thirds of minutes during this period are included in the rankings. The greatest value overall was recorded for Lionel Messi: 92.5 out of 100! Eliminated from the Champions League, the Argentinean striker and FC Barcelona can now focus on the Liga. However, the departure of Luis Suárez will be a major obstacle to the title race. The Uruguayan has indeed the top performance score (84.3) at Atlético Madrid, while Toni Kroos (87.5) leads the table for Real Madrid ahead of Karim Benzema (85.3). In the other four main European leagues, the highest CIES FO performance index values were registered for Robert Lewandowski in the Bundesliga (89.5), Cristiano Ronaldo in the Serie A (89.3), Guillermo Maripán (86.3) in the Ligue 1 and Jorginho Frello in the Premier League (89.4). In the latter competition, Chelsea’s midfielder outranks Rubén Dias (89.4), Wilfred Ndidi (85.2) and Luke Shaw (83.4). The technical profiles of all big-5 league players are available here.

Losing to a nation whose big claim to fame is not having a claim to fame Luxembourg bringing the pain, earlier. Photograph: Clodagh Kilcoyne/AFP/Getty Images Barry Glendenning @bglendenning O’IRELAND! If the Republic O’Ireland’s weekend defeat at the hands of Luxembourg was an FA Cup giant-killing, it would be classed as more of a noteworthy surprise than a particularly seismic shock. Granted, the presence of both national teams in the draw for the Grand Old Competition would initially raise eyebrows, but in terms of David slaying Goliath, Luxembourg’s victory ought to generate no more surprise than maybe a high end League Two side travelling to the home of mid-table opposition in the division above and securing a late and not entirely undeserved win. While O’Ireland’s footballers, their manager and fans have every right to feel embarrassed by losing to a country whose biggest claim to fame is not actually having any claims to fame, nobody who has had the misfortune to sit through pretty much every single game O’Ireland have played in the past five years will have been particularly shocked to see them lose. Indeed if anything sums up the inherent Luxembourgness of Luxembourg in a nutshell, it’s the fact that arguably the greatest triumph in their football history turns out not to have been a particularly big deal. Collins denies Ireland's World Cup dream is over after 'embarrassing' defeat Read more Having mastered the art of looking sheepish and telling fans what he thinks they want to hear during years of post-match interviews in his role as Everton captain, Séamus Coleman didn’t mince his words following O’Ireland’s defeat. “We should be embarrassed,” he said. “As players we need to have a good hard look at ourselves. You need people demanding the ball out there and I don’t think we did that enough. If we were building up on one side then you need people to want it out the other side. I don’t think we heard enough voices. I’ve got to come out here and do an interview but there are no words for that,” he added, having just used 75 of them to sum his side’s performance up quite succinctly. O’Ireland’s latest reverse means that their manager, Stephen Kenny, has now masterminded victory in precisely none of his opening 10 games in charge, a dismal record that has prompted many of his compatriots who didn’t consider him worthy of consideration for the role in the first place to call for his head. Unable to afford to replace him even if they wanted to, assorted Football Association of O’Ireland bigwigs have said they expect him to remain in charge. Having become the first “major” football nation to show their determination to boycott what promises to be a controversial World Cup in Qatar, O’Ireland must now prepare for more potential embarrassment on Tuesday night. Their next opponents? None other than Qatar. QUOTE OF THE DAY “We’re in dreamland” – Hornhchurch boss Mark Stimson, whose Isthmian Premier Division season was abandoned on 3 November, is still trying to get his head round how his side fought back from going behind to Notts County three times before winning 5-4 on penalties to make it to the FA Trophy final. ‘Just a pub team from Hornchurch!’ Photograph: JMS Photography/Shutterstock RECOMMENDED LISTENING Get your ears round the latest Football Weekly podcast here. FIVER LETTERS “So much for Stephen Kenny’s Republic O’Ireland coming-out party (Friday’s Fiver). I don’t know if Bossman Steo actually does smiling, in any case. As for The Fiver’s Eurovision comparison, this is the FAI we’re talking about here, so there’s zero chance that O’Ireland’s nul points represents Kenny’s Waterloo” – Justin Kavanagh. “In the 62nd minute of Romania 0-1 Germany, the camera flashed to the suave German coach sitting in a padded Covid-restricted ‘Do Not Sit Here’ seat in his nice knitted sweater and matching overcoat. Is he a Löw unto himself?” – Steve Lewis. Send your letters to [email protected]. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’the day is … Steve Lewis. NEWS, BITS AND BOBS Gareth Bale has backed the idea of a mass social media boycott to tackle online abuse. “If it was a campaign where a lot of influential people in sport and other forms of life [boycotted it] to make a statement then I think it could help,” said Bale, whose Wales teammates Ben Cabango and Rabbi Matondo were abused over the weekend. Hal Robson-Kanu, Matondo and Tyler Roberts have been sent home from the Wales camp after “breaching FAW protocol”. An official statement confirmed that all three players will miss Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier against Czech Republic. The culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, is hopeful crowds of more than 10,000 fans may be able to attend some matches at Euro Not 2020, with the semi-finals and final to be played at Wembley. “I’m very hopeful and optimistic that we will get many, many more people in for the later stage games,” Dowden roared. Aidy Boothroyd is trying to stay optimistic with his England Under-21s facing an early exit from the Euros after a limp defeat to Portugal. “It’s still mathematically possible, we have to go out and get a good result [against Croatia]” mused Boothroyd, who is set for (presumably brief) contract talks this summer. Oh Aidy! Photograph: Jurij Kodrun - The FA/The FA/Getty Images Gareth Southgate is channelling Liberty X and asking his England players to give him just a little bit more. “I’m pushing for a bit more because I think that’s the standard we’ve got to set if we want to be a really top team,” Southgate crooned. Meanwhile, that distant cheering you can hear is Harry Maguire and John Stones digesting news that Robert Lewandowski’s knee-knack has ruled him out of Poland’s World Cup qualifier with England. And referee Danny Makkelie has held his hands up after Portugal were denied a legitimate winning goal against Serbia. “I apologised to the Portuguese team and coach for what happened,” Makkelie told A Bola after his team of officials failed to spot that Cristiano Ronaldo’s shot had crossed the line. “When [referees] are in the news in this manner, it doesn’t make us happy at all.” STILL WANT MORE? Get your WSL talking points, right here! Manchester City’s Chloe Kelly, Everton’s Hayley Raso, Chelsea star Sam Kerr and Birmingham’s Ruby Mace in composite picture action. Composite: Getty/Shutterstock San Marino don’t deserve derision but perhaps a pre-qualifying tournament would offer a better pathway to improvement, writes Barry Glendenning. Greg Wood on how Football Index dangerously blurred the lines between betting and investment, leading to a collapse that has cost its customers millions. England cannot simply cram all their attacking talent into the same team, so Gareth Southgate is right to be pragmatic, notes Jacob Steinberg. Plus: player ratings from England’s victory in Albania. Go, go power rankings! Arsenal’s hipster full-back Héctor Bellerín has fallen in love with photography during lockdown. He gets his chat on with Nick Ames here. Fancy a thousand words on England v Poland in 1973 from floating-football-brain-in-a-jar Jonathan Wilson? Of course you do. Doink! The latest Joy of Six offers up half-a-dozen great toe-poke finishes from football and futsal, with an emphasis on Brazilian flair. Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO! SOY OF THE ROVERS

he will start making them not worried only player on the squad I am worried about (besides the always present in these discussions Kepa) is Pulisic Ziyech looks to be heating up Tuchel was raised the level of some I was done with Rudiger is beast level atm Alonso has been so solid when he plays hell, Emerson too, and he scored and played well for Italy I want (so hard to pull) Håland if not, I am so open to Lukaku returning and for a CB, Fofana is by far my number one CB target, we only need one, as we have so many other options out on loan plus Mbuyamba eventually from the youth team sell Kepa and grab a good backup (unless we can get Donnarumma cheap, which is a pipe dream) IF Roman (now that FFP is binned) wants to truly go wild, hell buy Oblak (last year for him, as he wants a 7 year contract and if we buy him in summer 2022, he turns 30 in a few months, which is too old for a 7 year contract, he is not a tall keeper, so as he slows down he has not big height to fall back on, for some reason I do not see him as the type who will still be great at 36, 37yo Rice is likely not going to happen atm, so I would go hard for Camavinga (so hard as he will likely go to RM or Barca), 2nd choice Boubacar Kamara that is about it unless we can steal Theo Hernandez at LB Jesús Corona is interesting, but I do not like the fact we would only get one full sub 30yo season out of him

beast

it was a chance but not a sitter

Jokceleny Fernandes Carvalho