The English Football Thread

[Vesper 30,207]

After years of Premier League braggadocio, something has changed    Chelsea celebrate their safe Big Cup passage. Photograph: Adam Davy/PA Rob Smyth ENGLAND (AND SCOTLAND) EXPECTS Not content with routing every European country in the Covid death stakes, England is now teaching them how to play football, again. It’s impossible to convey how hard it is to admit this but, for the first time in The Fiver’s lifetime, England might actually have the strongest league in the world. Premier League also-rans Chelsea’s disturbingly easy victory over La Liga leaders Atlético Madrid reinforced the feeling that, after almost three decades of ludicrous braggadocio about the Premier League being the best in the world, something has changed. This, admittedly, is hard to reconcile with some of the erratic fiascos we have seen in domestic football this season. But the litmus test will always be European competition, and English teams have already seen off some of the finest in Spain, Germany and the Republic of North Macedonia. On Thursday, there’s a chance to add Italy to the list, with Manchester United visiting Milan in the kind of the tie that could give Big Vase a good name. Milan drew 1-1 in the first leg at Old Trafford, and were the better team, but United can be lethal away from home and nobody will remember last week’s performance if they do the necessary. It’s a huge game, almost as big as West Ham at home last Sunday. “The league is always the bread and butter and that’s when you see how capable you are,” roared Ole Gunnar Solskjær. “The cups are sometimes an ego thing for managers and clubs. It’s not like a trophy will say ‘we are back’, no. Sometimes the cup competitions can hide your progress a bit.” Solskjær wants Manchester United to be judged on league form not cup wins Read more In an unrelated development, José Mourinho is hoping to win his 26th trophy and his third Big Vase. His Spurs side have a 2-0 lead going into the second leg at Dinamo Zagreb. The Croatians will have a new coach, Damir Krznar, after Zoran Mamic signed a four-year contract with Big House FC. Spurs are likely to be joined in the quarter-finals by Arsenal, who are 3-1 ahead from the first leg and will have to work extremely hard if they are to embarrass themselves against Olympiakos for the second year running. Last, and definitely not least, are the Pope’s Newc O’Rangers, who host Slavia Prague after a 1-1 draw last week. $tevie Mbe’s side have had Solskjær’s cake and eaten it by making so much progress in the league that they won the bloody thing and got to lift a trophy as well. Anything that happens in Europe is a bonus, though it would be quite an achievement to reach the last eight for the first time since 2008. The draw for both the quarter- and semi-finals of Big Cup and Big Vase will take place on Friday, and England could provide six of the 16 teams. That would be at least twice as many as any other country. On the back of the 2018-19 season, when all four finalists were English, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that any tea-time emails with an allergy to jingoism might want to spend the next few months at a digital retreat on the Kerguelen Islands. LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE Join Rob Smyth and Simon Burnton from 5.55pm GMT for hot clockwatch coverage of the Big Vase last-16 second legs. QUOTE OF THE DAY “The matter was blown out of proportion as Fenwick only chose to express his disapproval of a certain member of the media fraternity being present at a scheduled media briefing. Apologies were exchanged and Fenwick and Fuentes have since agreed to put the incident behind them” – the Trinidad and Tobago FA denies reports that Terry Fenwick butted the national team’s media director Shaun Fuentes before a press conference on Wednesday. FIVER LETTERS “I like Belgium. They specialise in beer, chocolates and smothering chips in mayonnaise. But their latest little wheeze of combining their league with the Dutch top flight (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs) will only have one guaranteed outcome. Residents of Scotland will be subjected to acres of painful newspaper and social media disgrace coverage, as the grasping associates of the Old Firm make yet more ponderous claims that their clubs should be allowed to join the English Premier League, even if that league doesn’t particularly want them. Stop it now!” – Colin Reed. “The infamous German police file Gewalttäter Sport that lists people potentially showing delinquent behaviour at future sporting events has had some new entries since March 2020 – from issue No 158 (March 2021) of Austrian football magazine Ballesterer. This came as no surprise to me, I must say. I knew there was something wrong with all the others” – Karl Leigart.  Our eyes on you lot. Photograph: Ballesterer 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 … Colin Reed. RECOMMENDED LISTENING Here’s Football Weekly Extra. NEWS, BITS AND BOBS The FA has confirmed that former Crewe manager Dario Gradi is “effectively banned for life” from football. It suggested an assessment concluded that Gradi, suspended since 2016, “could potentially cause or pose a risk of harm to children”. Meanwhile, the Offside Trust has called on Gradi to have his MBE revoked. Morecambe midfielder Yann Songo’o is beginning a six-match suspension after using a homophobic slur in a League Two match against Tranmere. Ollie Watkins and Sam Johnstone are in the England squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers, but Trent Alexander-Arnold has been cast aside. Full squad: Henderson (Manchester United), Johnstone (West Brom), Pope (Burnley); Chilwell (Chelsea), Coady (Wolves), Dier (Tottenham), James (Chelsea), Maguire (Manchester United), Mings (Aston Villa), Shaw (Manchester United), Stones (Manchester City), Trippier (Atlético Madrid), Walker (Manchester City); Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Foden (Manchester City), Lingard (West Ham), Mount (Chelsea), Phillips (Leeds), Rice (West Ham), Morris-Dancing Fiver (Fiver Towers), Ward-Prowse (Southampton); Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Kane (Tottenham), Rashford (Manchester United), Saka (Arsenal), Sterling (Manchester City), Watkins (Aston Villa). Former Italy defender Daniele De Rossi is the Azzurri’s new technical coach, joing Roberto Mancini’s national team staff. Charlton have named Nigel Adkins as their new manager. “I believe Nigel is the perfect personality, with the perfect background and the perfect experience to get us to where we want to be,” cooed owner Thomas Sandgaard. And after a flamin’ spell with Newcastle Jets, Wales midfielder Joe Ledley has now rocked up at Newport County for the rest of the season. STILL WANT MORE? David Conn analyses the findings of the Sheldon report, and how the horror of sexual abuse managed to take hold in football.  Clockwise from top left Barry Bennell, rhe FA, Bob Higgins, Kit Carson and George Ormond. Composite: BBC; AFP via Getty Images; Hampshire Constabulary/PA; SWNS.com; Northumbria Police/PA Sid Lowe picks the bones out of Atlético’s defeat to Chelsea … and it’s not pretty. Meanwhile, here’s Barney Ronay on a Chelsea goal that exemplified “the fevered, whirring dreams of Thomas Tuchel, waking at dawn murmuring about rejigs and combinations, the launch codes for an attack assembled last summer in the way you might sluice together a hopeful late-night omelette”. David Hytner reckons Luke Shaw’s England recall rewards a player in the form of his life. Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO! LET’S NOT BE TOO SNIFFY ABOUT THE PAPA JOHN’S JUST YET

[Vesper 30,207]

 

Friday March 19 2021 Football Nerd

How Emile Smith Rowe revived Arsenal's season with and without the ball By Daniel Zeqiri If Mikel Arteta's Arsenal are improving so much, how come they are still 10th in the Premier League? The reason is they spent half of their league campaign playing like the 15th-best team in the division and the second half playing like a top six outfit. The bookmark in the season was a Boxing Day victory over Chelsea, since when only the Manchester clubs and Leicester City have accumulated more points. That also happened to be Emile Smith Rowe's first Premier League start of the season, and the attacking midfielder has been the catalyst for Arsenal's revival. In this week's Football Nerd, I look at how his presence in the team has improved Arsenal's attacking output and also their pressing from the front.   Looking for up-to-the-minute coverage, live match updates, dedicated newsletters and inside stories? Get a 12-month Telegraph Sport subscription today for £39.       The best of this week's coverage Divided they fall: Hugo Lloris calls Spurs' Europa League exit a 'disgrace' and hints at dressing room split Talent factory: The secrets of the Arsenal academy - and how it drives ambition to mirror Barcelona and Ajax Comment: Chelsea's improvement under Thomas Tuchel proves they were right to sack Frank Lampard The Amad Diallo story: Smuggled into Italy by traffickers, a child 'phenomenon' and a dream move to Man Utd Make or break: Newcastle must win at Brighton to silence Steve Bruce's most rabid critics 'I don’t agree with it because in a head-to-head with Kieran Trippier, for me it's a no-brainer. Alexander-Arnold should be picked.'   In one of two columns this week, Jamie Carragher says Trent Alexander-Arnold's omission from the England squad is not a shock - but is still a mistake.     This week's best stat   10 Should Tottenahm lose at Aston Villa on Sunday, it would be the first time in Jose Mourinho's career that his team have suffered 10 defeats in a single league campaign.     The week in a picture CREDIT: SHUTTERSTOCK Down and soon to be out?: Harry Kane looks dejected after Tottenham's best chance of Champions League qualification slips away with a collapse at Dinamo Zagreb.

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Throwing everyone under the wheels of Funtime José's party bus    All aboard! Photograph: Luka Stanzl/PA Scott Murray ALL ABOARD FUNTIME JOSÉ’S PARTY BUS! Beep beep! Parp parp! Honk honk! On Thursday, Funtime José Mourinho took the lads out for another exciting ride in his Party Bus. It’s usually a laugh riot on the Party Bus, everyone loves it, but sadly the beano for once didn’t go exactly to plan. Parking up in front of goal in Zagreb, Funtime forgot to let everyone out to play until it was way too late. Then on the way home, the ride became very uncomfortable and extremely bumpy, less to do with Croatian motorway disrepair and more with Funtime oppressively sulking while his captain systematically threw everyone else out of the door and under the wheels. 'It is a disgrace': Lloris damning of Spurs defeat and claims togetherness lacking Read more “We had a great moment in the past because we could trust the togetherness that was in the team,” sighed Hugo Lloris, reminiscing of those glory days when Spurs nearly won the Milk Cup, and nearly won the Premier League, and nearly won Big Cup. “[Now], I’m not sure about that. It is not [enough] to stay on the side and complain.” A searing indictment, and one which Funtime was only too happy to embellish: “On behalf of my team, in spite of some of them maybe not sharing my feelings and emotions, I can only apologise.” Given he once required nearly eight minutes to deliver the unprompted soliloquy that prepared the groundwork for his dismissal at Chelsea, kudos to him for whittling this particular art-form down to a mere 22 words. Years of practice paying off there. Despite the fractious atmosphere, and the suspension of the Party Bus being tested to its limits by prone members of Thursday night’s starting XI, Joe Hart remained asleep in the back. When he finally awoke, the near-empty Party Bus pulling back into the garage, the somnolent shot-stopper was horrified to read that one of his vast team of social-media disgrace lackeys had posted “job done” using his SMDT account. “I’ve literally just woke up, someone thought we’d won 3-0,” he yawned. “As sloppy as it sounds, it’s the truth.” It speaks volumes that this was, by some distance, the least farcical element of Tottenham’s big day out. Beep! Parp! Honk! LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE Join Ben Fisher from 6.30pm GMT for WSL MBM coverage of Arsenal 2-2 Manchester United, before Scott Murray is on hand for Fulham 1-2 Leeds in the Premier League. QUOTE OF THE DAY “Let’s be clear, it’s disparaging. There’s an element of xenophobia about it. There are negative undertones. It’s clear that football is resisting this appointment through feeding journalists with negative information about the candidate – what he can’t do, why he shouldn’t be there, the process is wrong” – Gary Neville condemns elements of English football for their reaction to Maheta Molango’s appointment as PFA chief suit. FIVER LETTERS “Re: yesterday’s Fiver. You just didn’t want to preview the FA Cup quarter-finals today, did you? So you thought you’d tempt fate and see which team(s) nibbled so you could cover them instead. I beseech you – you must use your powers for good in future” – Jim Hearson. “Here in the land of soccer, we have a concept called the woof god, malignant sports deities who smite those who brag (woof) about their team(s). Clearly, they were listening to yesterday’s Fiver when it hyped the British teams in Big Vase – smiting Tottenham. Then, seeing it was The Fiver, they took pity on the other English teams, and let them escape by a single goal, but still took down the last Scottish team. Beware the woof gods, for they are mighty” – James Armstrong. “José Mourinho must be the only manager in history who, in the space of six days, has watched his team score a goal-of-the-season contender literally off the back foot and then seen the scorer sent off for two fouls of Scholesian predictability; seen a two-goal lead overturned in Europe and then offered to play the role of internal critic himself, because ‘I don’t need external critics’. Remember when his teams used to score once and shut up shop? These days they can score as often as they like but it’s open all hours, and Spursiness abounds” – 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 … James Armstrong. NEWS, BITS AND BOBS Liverpool will face Real Madrid in Big Cup quarter-finals, knowing victory would lead to a semi against Chelsea if they can overcome Porto. Elsewhere, Dortmund’s Erling Haaland has a date with his dad’s former employers in Manchester, while PSG are out after being drawn with Bayern. In what must be a first, Manchester United will face their former ITV region Granada in the last eight of Big Vase. Arsenal, meanwhile, must tackle LWT. Sorry, Slavia. United have also announced a five-year £235m shirt sponsorship deal with TeamViewer, which starts from next season. The Queen’s Celtic will not give the Pope’s Newc O’Rangers a guard of honour to mark their Scottish title when they meet on Sunday. “For us, we spoke collectively about it and we won’t do it,” sniffed caretaker boss John Kennedy. “It is not about lacking class, nothing like that, because we are a club that always shows class and dignity and do what is right.” And in Vietnam’s second tier, Can Tho’s goalkeeper celebrated saving a last-minute penalty he had conceded in the 1-1 draw with Cong An Nhan Dan by knee-sliding at the referee. Very foolish behavior by Can Tho Capital’s goalkeeper. He was already carded for the tackle that led to the penalty, runs at the referee after blocking the shot. pic.twitter.com/hxYudgWAEk — Viet Footy (@VietFooty) March 19, 2021 STILL WANT MORE? Stick or twist for Brucie? Louise Taylor on crunch time for Newcastle. Powered by Abu Dhabi’s wealth, the Guardiola blueprint works in India and across Asia – although conflicts of interest await. John Duerden digs deeper. Phil Foden should be central for City and England, neutrals should root for Brighton and the Queen’s Celtic seek a long-term plan. Yes, it’s 10 things to look out for in the FA Cup, Premier League and beyond this weekend. Suzanne Wrack sets the scene as Arsenal and Manchester United battle it out for the third automatic Women’s Big Cup spot. Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO! BETTER TIMES AT THE WHITE HART

[NikkiCFC 8,331]

Leeds 4 disallowed goals in the last 200 minutes. 

[Milan 17,959]

 

[NikkiCFC 8,331]

2 hours ago, Milan said:

 

And who is Antonio Conti? 😂

[Jase 43,479]

Southampton first side through to the FA Cup semi finals.

[NikkiCFC 8,331]

1 hour ago, Jason said:

Southampton first side through to the FA Cup semi finals.

Lets get them in semis than. Reaching final without playing any top10 club in the country.

[Vesper 30,207]

2020-21 English FA Cup, Quarterfinals

Everton                                
Manchester City                 

http://www.sportnews.to/mysports/2021/fa-cup-everton-vs-manchester-city-s1/

https://www.totalsportek.com/page-3/

[NikkiCFC 8,331]

Come on Everton. Win here and our hand would be on a trophy.

[Milan 17,959]

Gundogan firing City to the next round.

[Atomiswave 6,117]

City brought on Mahrez and KDB in second half with Kun there too.......what a poor squad they have.

[Magic Lamps 11,692]

Looks like we are gonna play City 3 more times this season. In the league, in FA Cup and in the CL final

[Azul 1,615]

22 minutes ago, Magic Lamps said:

Looks like we are gonna play City 3 more times this season. In the league, in FA Cup and in the CL final

Bayern are going to slap them. Every team is fearful and parks the bus against City. What happens when the best attack in the world goes up against their high line? City have not faced an elite European team in a while.

Edited March 20, 2021 by Azul

[nyikolajevics 2,700]

27 minutes ago, Atomiswave said:

City brought on Mahrez and KDB in second half with Kun there too.......what a poor squad they have.

While Agüero and Ferran Torres stayed on the bench..

[killer1257 3,282]

21 minutes ago, Azul said:

Bayern are going to slap them. Every team is fearful and parks the bus against City. What happens when the best attack in the world goes up against their high line? City have not faced an elite European team in a while.

I am not so sure if Bayern is able to do that and if they are able to do that, I am not so sure if it really is a key to beat them. Man United beat them because their counter attacks were ruthless. That is the most easy way to beat them. 

[NikkiCFC 8,331]

17 minutes ago, Azul said:

Bayern are going to slap them. Every team is fearful and parks the bus against City. What happens when the best attack in the world goes up against their high line? City have not faced an elite European team in a while.

For years I'm reading how they are biggest favorites in CL. Every year they got knocked out by inferior side. Monaco, Liverpool that fought for top4 that season, Spurs and Lyon that finished something like 6th in Ligue1. Still no semi final for Guardiola which Pellegrini did. So I wouldn't be surprised if they chock against Dortmund. But yeah, Bayern or PSG would destroy them. 

[Jase 43,479]

Those who are already jumping the gun by saying we'll reach the Champions League final or even the FA Cup final are gonna jinx us so hard! 

[Jase 43,479]

10 minutes ago, killer1257 said:

I am not so sure if Bayern is able to do that and if they are able to do that, I am not so sure if it really is a key to beat them. Man United beat them because their counter attacks were ruthless. That is the most easy way to beat them. 

But how often do the teams go and press City head on though? Probably only Liverpool have successfully done that under Klopp. The rest chose to play on the counter, for one reason or another.

All I know is if Bayern and Man City do face each other in the semis, there's gonna be GOALS. Bayern have the firepower to test City defensively while City are capable of exploiting Bayern's shaky high defensive line. 

[DDA 9,941]

32 minutes ago, Jason said:

Those who are already jumping the gun by saying we'll reach the Champions League final or even the FA Cup final are gonna jinx us so hard! 

I know.. our fans are taking wild, just like they did at the beginning of the season when they were banging on about us winning the league. I was telling everyone at work that we would never win the league this season with that many transfers and changes to a mediocre 1st eleven. I fear there will be quite a few eggs on faces come thr end of this season... hopefully I'm wrong but the competition is feirce.