The English Football Thread

[NikkiCFC 8,089]

 

[Vesper 29,250]

Rome wasn’t built in a day but it can be destroyed in a three-year cycle    Tammy and José: what could possibly go wrong? Photograph: Fabio Rossi/AS Roma/Getty Images Daniel Harris  @DanielHarris ROMAN HOLIDAY? Football is a strange old business, full of strange old people, so the Fiver is not remotely surprised to learn that Tammy Abraham has moved from Chelsea to Roma for a fee of £34m. Despite playing just 17 minutes in the final three months of last season, Abraham finished it as his club’s joint-top scorer. But Thomas Tuchel prefers the prolific Timo Werner, who took 20 additional games to match Abraham’s 12-goal tally and whose six goals in 36 league games to date evoke fond memories of Robert Fleck, Chris Sutton, Mateja Kezman and Andriy Shevchenko alike. Of course, it’s hard to criticise Tuchel, a footballing savant who somehow twigged that three centre-backs protected by two defensive midfielders and two defensive wing-backs would make his team hard to score against (especially when the opposing manager is even savantier). As such, Chelsea’s Champions League win not only secured Tuchel’s job for the foreseeable four months, but obscured the combover just about secured to his head so well that no one knows it even exists. Behold the power of tactical genius! Tammy Abraham completes £34m move from Chelsea to Roma Read more To replace Abraham, Tuchel has already bought Romelu Lukaku, because spending £97.5m on a 28-year-old striker with an unreliable first touch and questionable big-game record makes perfect sense. But before you – yes, you – get your fury on, please be assured that the Fiver recognises there is no better striker in the world (who plays like he’s carrying a grand piano) than Lukaku. As for Abraham, he joins José Mourinho at the Stadio Olimpico, Mourinho’s punishment for the mess he made at Spurs having been a move from Tottenham to the Eternal City. Though the Fiver hopes the deal works out well, it is necessarily fearful because, as the famous saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day but it can sure as hell be destroyed in a three-year cycle. QUOTE OF THE DAY “Cristiano is a Real Madrid legend and he has all my love and respect. I have never considered signing him. We look forward” – Carlo Ancelotti does us all a favour and squashes fresh Ronaldo-to-Real rumours via the medium of Social Media Disgrace Twitter. FIVER LETTERS “Monday’s last line was a link to the Newcastle club shop selling a hooded sweatshirt for £165. To be fair, that’s actually only part of the deal – the price also includes any first-team player of the buyer’s choosing” – Mike Wilner. “John Lawton [Monday’s letters] is mistaken – Arsenal weren’t top before they took the field on Friday. They were labouring in third alphabetically behind Abramovich XI and Abu Dhabi FC” – Nick Smith. “Never mind the great joke it played on Arsenal, that bloody fixtures machine obviously has a vicious sadistic streak. Why else would it serve up a 600-mile round trip to Barrow on a Tuesday night for travelling Exeter fans?” – Jeremy Boyce. “Looking at their upcoming fixtures, Arsenal will likely end the month of August with zero points from three games. Do we call the current team ‘the Invisibles’?” – Krishna Moorthy. Send your letters to [email protected]. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner is Mike Wilner, who gets a copy of The Hard Yards: A Season in the Championship, Football’s Toughest League by Nige Tassell. It’s available in hardback from 19 August and we have more to give away. NEWS, BITS AND BOBS Two Mauritius FA board members have resigned and police are investigating after a phone was found recording video in a women’s bathroom at the governing body’s HQ. Harry Kane has taken part in Tottenham training for the first time under Nuno Espírito Santo and could feature in their Big Shield play-off against Paços de Ferreira, according to Lahn’s E’nin Stannah. In a surprise development, Manchester City club legend Pablo Zabaleta has said he hopes Kane moves to the Etihad. “We’ll see if the money is there but it will be nice to see him playing for City,” Zabaleta cheered while waving an inflatable banana. In equally shocking news, Louis van Gaal has backed himself to bring World Cup glory to the Netherlands. “I think if I was the Dutch FA, I’d also have approached me. Who else could have done it?” Van Gaal roared at his unveiling as the new Oranje manager.  Look who’s back! Photograph: BSR Agency/Getty Images Formerly free agent Ørjan Nyland is free no more after the Norwegian goalkeeper put pen to paper at Bournemouth. In other transfer news, Derby have signed Phil Jagielka and striker Sam Baldock on short-term deals. Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus, seemingly happy with how that whole European Super League thing went, are now the only breakaway teams that haven’t returned to the European Club Association fold – all six English sides involved in the weird, misguided adventure have now rejoined. The Queen’s Celtic will make more signings before the transfer deadline, according to their manager [at time of writing – Fiver Ed], Ange Postecoglou. “It’s just a matter of timing and getting things done,” Postecoglou muttered. “It’s not as straightforward as it used to be.” And Mark van Bommel’s debut as Wolfsburg manager could have gone better: the new manager brought on too many substitutes in their German Cup win over fourth-tier Preußen Munster, with the Bundesliga side booted out of the tournament as a result. STILL WANT MORE? Wayne Rooney is facing an uphill task to keep Wayne Rooney’s Derby County in the Championship, according to Ben Fisher. USA! USA!! USA!!! star Carli Lloyd spent much of her career trying to prove her doubters wrong – and the results speak for themselves, writes Beau Dure.  Carli Lloyd, who is set to end her playing career after this season. Photograph: Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images Is Son Heung-min the heir to Harry Kane as Tottenham’s attacking talisman? Jonathan Liew certainly thinks so. Meanwhile, Jacob Steinberg argues that Kane would offer Manchester City a much-needed ruthless streak, if they are prepared to pay the big bucks. Cristiano Ronaldo to join Lionel Messi at PSG All-Stars? Sure, why not, says today’s Rumour Mill. Catch up with the latest moves in our women’s and men’s transfer interactives. Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO! IT’S MY DECK NOW, BUDDY BOY

[Vesper 29,250]

David Squires on … the Premier League’s big opening weekend

Our cartoonist on the return of the English top flight, Arsenal embarrassment and VAR enlightenment

https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2021/aug/17/david-squires-on-premier-league-opening-weekend

[NikkiCFC 8,089]

 

[kiwi1691 255]

Top 6 game on general sale?

[Vesper 29,250]

2021-22 English Premier League

Liverpool              
Burnley                 

http://www.sportnews.to/sports/2021/premier-league-liverpool-vs-burnley-s1/

https://www.totalsportek.com/football/premier-league/liverpool-vs-burnley-live-stream/

[Vesper 29,250]

8 hours ago, kiwi1691 said:

Top 6 game on general sale?

there is no more Big 6

arse and spuds have fallen out

its a Big 4 + 1

Chels

Citeh

Manure

Victimpool

+

Leicester banging on the door

 

[Fulham Broadway 16,987]

Got this on BT sport, commentators are rimming liverpool, and the bits I've looked up to watch Mike Dean might as well be wearing a liverpool shirt

[Pizy 18,538]

Tbf, Liverpool look back to their best attacking wise. They look pretty sketchy at the back here so far, though. And an opponent who actually have a midfield unlike Burnley would probably get some joy in there as well.

[DH1988 1,332]

1 hour ago, Vesper said:

there is no more Big 6

arse and spuds have fallen out

its a Big 4 + 1

Chels

Citeh

Manure

Victimpool

+

Leicester banging on the door

 

I read the Spuds forum just for the Kane news at the moment, and it has been absolutely comical when they refer to themselves as a big club. Hardly ever seen such delusion, like I get it every fan loves their club, but they really do think Spurs are a big club alongside us, City, United, Liverpool and formerly Arsenal. Sad, but funny.

[DH1988 1,332]

Liverpool look suspect except for up front, though if you were to have the audio on and no video, you'd think that they were playing unbelievable.. Commentators are ridiculous.

[DH1988 1,332]

Ergh offside.

[Magic Lamps 11,677]

I hate Liverpool as much as the next guy but this move and goal was absolutely beautiful.

 

[OneMoSalah 8,810]

If Burnley had a few better quality players in attack this game would be different. Barnes and Wood do the basics right but missing that little bit extra and McNeil cannot provide a spark for them every attack.

Personally think the van Dijk love in after today is going to be OTT, the Burnley pair have won a fair amount of duels against him and Matip. Just lacking final bit of quality to punish them though.

Edited August 21, 2021 by OneMoSalah

[Pizy 18,538]

Hope this is finally the season that Burnley are flushed down the toilet. They’re such a pointless club both on the pitch and off. They don’t invest at all in the squad and have been playing basically the same XI for seemingly years now with the same shit tactics. They add nothing to the PL. Hope they go down and allow an ambitious club like Leeds have been to come up and actually try to improve rather than just cling on the the PL prize money.

As for Liverpool, I’ve thought for a while now that loads of pundits writing them off was silly. If they can get and keep their defense fit they’ll be back to being a force. They’re genuine title contenders who have 3 forwards who can score 20 goals across all comps.

[DH1988 1,332]

Gilmour starts v City

[Vesper 29,250]

2021-22 English Premier League

Manchester City         
Norwich City               

http://www.sportnews.to/sports/2021/premier-league-manchester-city-vs-norwich-city-s1/

https://www.totalsportek.com/football/premier-league/manchester-city-vs-norwich-streams/

[Vesper 29,250]

2021-22 English Premier League

Leeds United             
Everton                      

http://www.sportnews.to/sports/2021/premier-league-leeds-united-vs-everton-s2/

https://www.totalsportek.com/football/premier-league/leeds-united-vs-everton-live-stream/