Hey, did you hear? Roy Keane has had a thought.
‘When I was watching it I thought they were 10 points clear in the league the way they were celebrating. ‘No, forget Arsenal. Way over the top celebration for beating Newcastle 4-0. Ridiculous.’
Well I’ll be damned, if there’s ever a person in the world of sport ready with a hot take about joy, it’s gotta be the Irishman. That this sort of commentary still interests people is staggering. It’s so boring.
For me, the best part about the celebration was seeing the players happy again. Lacazette is obviously very highly thought after by the players and it was great to see them all launch at him after 7900 minutes without a goal. Good for them, enjoy life, fuck Roy.
In ‘two drunk uncles fighting’ news, Unai Emery and Arsene Wenger are at it in the press. It’s like two reimagination titans duking it out to see who can fool those lying eyes harder.
This was Emery: “Arsenal was a club on a downward slope for two years before I arrived.
This was Arsene: “In 2017 we made 75 points and won the FA Cup so you cannot say that [Arsenal were in decline] and the year before [2016] we finished second in the league,”
“2018 was my last year but it is very difficult to come out on that.
“Arsenal is a club that is in a very strong position financially. It has good players, after that when you are a manager you have to stand up for what you do and your result and not look around you.
Oof… Arsene, just stop.
I liked that Arteta just pretended he’d not read Emery’s comments. Classy.
Pablo Mari played his first 45 in an Arsenal shirt for the U23 team, dropping a very solid performance according to the nerds that watch those games. It’ll be interesting to see whether he actually starts on Thursday, quite the risk this early, even if it is light opposition.
Robbie Burton, hot prospect from last season, has been shipped off to Dinamo. I cant see what the fee is, but one would assume he must have been told he was surplus to requirements to move to a fairly obscure league. Good luck to him, I love to see British kids moving abroad to land the game time they need in their formative years. Interesting to see that Marcus Mcguane was being touted with a move back to Forest after failing to break into the Barca B team on a consistent basis.
Manchester United kept the race for top four nice and alive, OGS putting Frank Lampard’s team to the sword 2-0 in a VAR controversy fest for the ages. I think the win was ideal for us, the pack is now very tight, just 7 points separate 10th and 4th. I still think it’s a huge ask for Arsenal, but it’s not beyond the pale to suggest a team that dropped a 22 game unbeaten run 18 months ago could do the same again… still feels unlikely though, but we’ll see.
I also think glorious failure of both clubs works for us. United won’t fire OGS if he finishes a close 5th, Chelsea won’t fire Frank if he’s there or thereabouts. Last thing we need is Poch at either of our rivals.
The game on Sunday will be a major test, the ‘SHOULD HAVE BEEN CARLO’ fanboys will be waiting with bated breath to see if he can turn us over. It’ll be a tough home game, no doubt, but it’s one we simply have to win if we want to stand a chance in the league this season.
Right, short post today, I’m off to Virginia… my first time. Make sure you listen to the podcast though, the sound is so spot on it brought a tear to my eye.
Dissenter
I’m pretty sure it was haaland’s choice to go to dortmund
I remember hearing Manure were ready to splash £80M+ on him, then he goes to Dortmund for £15M.
It’s a shame Atletico are a pale shadow of their former selves otherwise they would of thumped Liverpool…
Un
This could be a long conversation!
Liverpool didn’t look like they would score if they played another three hours. No shot on target. Athletico didn’t need a goalie. But the early goal really screwed Liverpool
A. Madrid is a team of bullies. But Salah had a bad game. Mane is not 100% There you go.
Paddy gooner, should have snubbed Oblak for Costa!
Imagine the scenes if Origi scored a 92nd minute equaliser…
Tuchel is a terrible manager
A scratch dishevelled Atletico beat Liverpool while Arsenal a team who have been playing together for years crumble and capitulate to Liverpool
Origi is useless when playing against defenders as big as him.
Liverpool
Good team not great
Var helping 5hem emmensely plus the media mafia who want them to win da league.
Red
Oh is no one giving you any attention!
We’ll all enjoy how SPUDs will get their ass kicked by Leipzig tomorrow.
Origi was awful when he came on. And ox should have played through the middle instead of out wide
Just making the point Atletico have lost 8 players since last season comfortably hold off Liverpool while Arsenal mentally and tactically collapse
Premier league has been exposed as the Scottish league in disguise….
Un
Are you saying that sarcastically or are you genuine
I literally can’t tell
You trying too hard Red
Pedro – what’s your take on the Saka issue? Hopefully you have read the excellent posts by Emiratesstroller. Very worrying. Like I said the other day, Saka needs to be one of the 2025Invincibles.
Liverpool’s only two defeats have both come to European clubs, they’ve also failed to score in two games this season, both against the same European clubs.
Conclusion: Premier league is third-rate
Tomorrow, we’ll see whether Julian Nagelsmann has real sauce or not.
Liverpool will destroy AM at Anfield. There’s no way they survive an all out blitz for 90 mins.
They have made that place a fortress for European nights.
Seeing Sancho and Haaland (who are both 19) play for Dortmund is interesting. Why not Saka, Martinelli, Pepe (if we’re unable to tie Auba & he leaves)? Saka and Martinelli are 18 but if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.
Both, in their breakout season, have contributed close to 25 goals. It’s risky, but it can be exciting.
One thing is for sure, SPUDs will rest Son for another day. Good plan.
Liverpool were poor tonight.
Alexander-Arnold in particular.
Being linked with Daley ‘Bloody’ Blind.
Saka & martinelli with pepe will be as big as jadon & haaland in the later stages of EL and next season.
Im telling you this for free!
Tuchel is Emery without trophies
Liverpool has been assisted by VAR and referees in the EPL they are good not great.
You heard it here 1st!
Sid
Insulting Emery when our current manager has done fuck all in the game is the height of stupidity.
I always thought the height of stupidity was posting obnoxious wind-ups on a blog day in, day out….
The manager should stop europeanising Pepes style and embrace his African flair, the manager should stop accomodating Xhakalsons anti flair style in the team.
Tuchel is inhibiting Mbappe and Neymar flair at PSG
Im telling you this for free!
Sid, “The manager should stop europeanising Pepes style and embrace his African flair, the manager should stop accomodating Xhakalsons anti flair style in the team.” Pepe is born and raised in France. His style of play is completely different from most Ivorian players because he was not raised in that environment. Xhaka may not be the best player, but under Arteta he has a crucial role to play. He protects the left side allowing Saka to attack from higher up. He recycle the ball well and can make long over the top passes. He is currently the only one who… Read more »
What a team this Dortmund team is !! They are a beast .. Great game
Didnt Roy Keane jump and kick a spectator once in celebration ?? This man
should not have a platform to comment on anything.
Hopefully Reiss can emulate his mate Jadon in the future with Artetas help.
Arsene Wenger wants to see a change in the offside law in time for this summer’s European Championships. His proposals would mean a player will be deemed onside if any part of their body is level or behind the last defender. Wenger, FIFA’s head of global development, said: “You will not be offside if any part of the body that can score a goal is in line with the last defender, even if other parts of the attacker’s body are in front. “That will sort it out and you will no longer have decisions about millimetres and a fraction of… Read more »
this for free!
ValentinFebruary 19, 2020 07:03:12
Sid,
”Pepe is born and raised in France. His style of play is completely different from most Ivorian players because he was not raised in that environment.
Pogba, Mbappe, zidane, could the list is endless they have played in immigrant neighbourhoods that havent lost the flair roots.
RE: xhakalson, how many balls over the top balls have produced assists(ineffective tactic) Luiz does it better vs taking on players which pepe, saka, ceb, kola, AMN have done.
Im telling you for free!
Wengers offside suggestion is revolutionary, what we have now is archaic
Wonders will never cease, Wenger’s idea sort of makes sense.
I think my idea is far better though.
Scrap VAR altogether and stop all this frigging nonsense.
Of course that will never happen.
Graham62
Keep VAR.
Just make the AR portion AI.
“That will sort it out and you will no longer have decisions about millimetres and a fraction of the attacker being in front of the defensive line.” This is the line bothering me. How is it going to sort it out if then VAR would be used to check for milimeters if any part of the attacker’s body that can score a goal is in line with the last defender? It would still be zoomed and disected to see if the attacker isn’t entirely beyond the last defender. How would it sort anything out? It would replace one problem with… Read more »
Dark Hei
AI????
“ChrisFebruary 18, 2020 21:59:09
Haaland ……………….is destined for the Premier League one day. Unlikely to be us but you never know!
This is the problem of English clubs’ scouting. They can hardly ever scout and land a player like that on their own. Now, Spanish giants and English clubs will buy these players well past their prime.
Thank God ManU didn’t get Haaland. Else, there would have been another 8 -2 on Arsenal easily.
P & M
Real Madrid signing their third young Brazilian….
A lot of kids look like the next big thing in their late teens but achieve little or nothing Halaand is not going to be that guy. He’s destined to take over the mantle as a top 3 player of his whole generation and will be a Messi/Ronaldo level player of his age group if he isn’t struck by too many injuries and if he keeps his head screwed on This kid is absolute dynamite, utterly relentless in his goal threat and he’s the complete package already. He touch and shooting is like RVP but he’s also massive and fast… Read more »
I’ve long thought that offside favours defensive set ups which is counterintuitive for the beautiful game. A number of years ago FIFA brought in guidance which stated to referees that where there was any doubt then the benefit of the doubt should rest wit the offensive team. It was a breath of fresh air but was then at some point and without fanfare withdrawn. That is what we need to bring back and Wenger’s greatest contribution in that role would be to re-establish that and if we have to persevere with VAR make it a lot less intrusive. Personally i… Read more »
When one sees Harland play and note his.paltry £18 million price tag or the latest Spurs recruit for a similar amount ( he scored on his debut) …….the mind constantly boggles that Arsenal really did paid £72 million for Pepe and £30 million for Tierney. How and.why they reached these figures when no other clubs were involved is quite staggering. There is not a chance in hell- they will turn a profit on either, unlike the two examples mentioned. Raul needs to go on a crash course on basic economics. He must still think he is at Barcelona with their… Read more »
@CG –
“Even Spaniards- who not always the sharpest when it comes to these matters.”
How so? Explain further please.
We need view on offside is exactly how it should be treated. VAR should be there to establish daylight between defender and attacker, thus giving the attacker the advantage and having the game be more entertaining.
It wouldn’t change the fabric of the game at all, it would simply abolish the marginal nonsense that doesn’t represent an advantage in the first place.
China
Not only is Haaland exceptional in his abilities but he also has an exemplary attitude and knows how to maximise his potential. He takes care of himself off the pitch, he biohacks, you won’t see him anywhere near a night club, and he has his father to keep his feet on the ground if needed. It’s like they are making out his whole career right now. Dortmund was a very, very smart move for him right now.
Haaland and Mbappe may be the next two world superstars following Messi and Ronaldo.
Agree with that CC, keep it simple, same for both sides – clear.
Should also be shown in grounds as part of the frustration is a lack of transparency while a decision is being rewatched at home or in the studio. If fans could see the process and recognise that the correct decision had been made, VAR would be much more acceptable.
CG, his price tag is ‘paltry’ as Dortmund have accepted that after 18 months he’ll be on his way for a fixed fee (£50m). His agent has played a blinder as at that price, shitloads will go to player and agent.
Pepe May have been overpriced but not reasonable to compare.
Correction, Nxt superstars are martinelli, haaland mbappe
You heard it here 1st!
I must add martinelli came for less than haaland and they are the next superstars so the team is doing well
Im telling you this for free!
BOB I am not stating we should have bought Harland.( what a shame that other horrible fat agent has all the best players)but the price was sensible. And I am not saying Pepe is a particularly bad player. I am saying- its unacceptable, incompetent, lazy, suspicious and an outright sackable offence to pay £72 million for him if then 3 managers have gone on to drop him. Likewise with the Tierney fee. Preposterous to buy a player from Scotland with his chequered injury past By messing up that transfer window We messed up the Jan window ( eg Cedric and… Read more »
Sid, “Pogba, Mbappe, zidane, could the list is endless they have played in immigrant neighbourhoods that havent lost the flair roots.” This is racial stereotype BS of the highest order. Pogba was coached in France academy system and then in Manchester United from a very early age. He was honing his craft on well attended pit h and not on African arid ground with no grass. Zidane had a complete different style than his Algerian contemporaries. He was raised in an environment that worshipped South American No10, so he is closer in style to them. Same thing about his height.… Read more »
Our Wenger was so close to getting ZZ from Bordeaux and if Stan backed him- we would have had Mbappe and not Lacazette.
Hey ho.
Put them on the Nearly List.
CG
Barca signed Griezmann after Raul left! They also signed Coutinho within a month of Raul leaving so I doubt he was that culpable for this either
Top drawer players at the peak of their game and maturity such as Coutinho will always mean you won’t make a transfer profit on sale – that doesn’t mean the signing was wrong.
We paid £63m for Auba and might make a loss on sale but I doubt many on here will rue the signing
Tierney btw was a reported £25m not 30
Tierney is one of the most exciting prospects from Scotland in recent years – it wasn’t contested because he had a hernia which meant effectively half a season lost. As it transpires it is now mostly a full season although the irony of a shoulder injury means that the stomach region can properly recover. Give the lad a chance and next season imo we will have resolved the LB position and won’t be looking back. Saka was never the solution as he wants to play LW and that is exactly what he is – a brilliant winger prospect who has… Read more »
NorthBanker
“”””Tierney is one of the most exciting prospects from Scotland in recent years””””
He undoubtedly is.
Not much competition mind,
Anyone looks good in a class of one.
I still Jermaine Defoe aged 40 still scoring goals,
(Wrighty should make a comeback in the SPL)
Their football like that Nicola Sturgeon.
Ugly and Garbage!
Interesting article today in DT about the current Technical Director of Red Bull’s Football empire, which is headquartered in Covent Garden London. The guy in charge is Paul Mitchell who is a Mancunian and was briefly a footballer at Wigan before suffering a career ending injury. Subsequently he worked at Milton Keynes, Southampton and Spurs and is widely recognised as one of the best talent spotters in business having discovered Mane, Alli and Son amongst others. His football remit today covers RB Leipzig, New York Red Bulls and Red Bull Bragantino, Sao Paulo,Brazil. In his interview he identifies the revolution… Read more »
Valentin Stop acting like you’re the know all of French football. It’s not incorrect to say that Pogba “played in immigrant neighbourhoods that havent lost the flair roots. His wiki page states that; “ Pogba began his football career at the age of six playing for US Roissy-en-Brie, a few miles south of his hometown. He spent seven seasons at the club before joining US Torcy, where he served as captain of the club’s under-13 team.’ His older brothers play for Guinea. He grew up in a poor immigrant neighborhood and played in his formative years there. No one is… Read more »
I don’t understand why people are getting upset about VAR and offside. If we want to see more goals or give an advantage to the attacker then Wenger’s idea is a good one. We would however still see the same fine margins just the other way round. Suggesting daylight between the players is a stupid idea that will just make it even harder to call a decision quickly. VAR outside of offside needs some serious work – we’ve seen handballs not called (Deli Alli’s springs to mind) and the decision not to send Maguire off the other night was almost… Read more »
The worst part of offside through VAR is that it slows down the game. My suggestion would be to improve the technology to detect the offside similar to the goal line technology. It should inform the lineman who can then decide whether the player participates in the play or not. Then, offside will not be detected through VAR.
Nelson
If that could be done it would be the way forward problem is it’s more complicated than a ball just crossing a physical line.
ES “”””””In his interview he identifies the revolution and programme which is now operating in Leipzig, which he believes is the direction that the club is going in. The club is only signing players aged under 24 and they limit transfers to under Euros20 million [£16.6 Million] per player.””””” Sounds like a sensible chap. Can we not get him in. And Edu and Raul out? And can anyone tell me what our 2 Dopes plan of action is- like this Mitchell chap. As our two don’t do interviews either. (They are obviously shy types) (pepe, tierney, luiz, cedric , mari… Read more »
They too- wont turn a profit on those 3 players.The name of the game is to buy low sell high.That’s pretty straightforward for anyone.
Even Spaniards- who not always the sharpest when it comes to these matters.He has it the other way round. “
Some Spaniard is over smart- if you read what I mean.
And Kroenkledoodledoo does not have a clue
Marc I think it’s the concept of having goals disallowed in the basis of a few millimeters. Many of these are goals that the opposition team are already trudging off the restart the game in utter resignation. I do understand the slippery slope you referring to. How do you arrive at an objective separation; is it 5mm, 10mm or the length of the average foot size? I don’t think anything will satisfy everyone. It’s just that it’s not working the way it is now. The entire concept of VAR has been abused in the premier league. It’s better to have… Read more »
I don’t understand the emphasis on not slowing down the game. The game is slowed down by everything from streakers to players feigning injuries. Getting the decision right is more understandable that everything bar players having genuine injuries The practice of playing on to review later is dangerous. They have Ben instances where a penalty is only reviewed 3 minutes after the initial act f=just to allow continuity. What if the opposition team had scored on a breakaway before that of a player has sustained a career changing injury. There’s also a case for replaying those minutes since you’re essentially… Read more »
“Suggesting daylight between the players is a stupid idea that will just make it even harder to call a decision quickly.“ No the stupid idea is what’s currently in place and what the overwhelming majority of fans and football followers detest as being a sterilising component to the game. A line always needs drawn with any rule, by going by Wengers proposal of daylight effectively being the deciding factor then it’s both clear, and more importantly fair in that it respects the notion of favouring the attacker. Football is a game, it’s an entertainment. The onus should be on defenders… Read more »
Walt
“”””if we want to see more goals or give an advantage to the attacker then Wenger’s idea is a good one.””””
Wenger has had a terrific week in his new post.(I am glad you have picked up on it.)
He has at a stroke.
1) Sorted out Man City, enforce FFP- Tick
2) Sorted out VAR- Tick
3) Put The Clown in his place- Tick
But if we our Wenger was as sharp as he used to be- he would be advocating the complete abolishment of the off side rude entirely,
Its just not needed in 2020.
Marc
A line could be drawn based on the last defender. The shirt will be used to detect players from different teams. If a player wearing a different shirt crosses the line, the linesman will be warned.
Dissenter, I am not saying that there is no player who have been influenced by their immigrant neighborhood. I am just saying that the example that you and Sid have used are just wrong. Pogba old brothers were born in Africa, but Paul Pogba is born and grew up in a a semi-rural French city. Watch Little England they had the “only gay in the village character”, Pogba grew in a town where his family were nearly the only African family. Comparing Pogba’s youth environment with a immigrant neighborhood is just plain wrong. Roissy en brie is not that hot… Read more »
Dissenter,
“The game is slowed down by everything from streakers to players feigning injuries.”
I am all in favour of page 3 girls rolling on the floor to stop the opposition scoring, but I am not that this is legal.
😉
I want to return to a couple of things TR7 said the other day, as they reflect a perspective that I understand but which I think is misguided in a number of ways. Rather than quote him at length, I’ll simply distill his comments into their essential points. His POV was/is as follows: 1. the squad does not need “an overhaul” to compete for top four 2. all we need to add are two CMs (and maybe one defender) 3. Auba, Laca, Torreira, Holding, Pepe, Saka, Martinelli and Bellerin are all top four quality players & can serve as the… Read more »
Pedro
Interesting podcast. When discussing the reasons for our second half improvement I’m surprised you missed the fact that Auba was moved closer to the centre in the second half freeing up space for Saka and Özil to move in to..
Abolishing offside is one solution that would take the problem away – it would change the way teams set up / defend etc and would most likely have unforeseen consequences but it would be interesting to see how it worked.
If Auba hasn’t signed then selling him will be a necessity and if there is an auction for him then we’d be mad to do otherwise. The previous comments about him being better on the left than in the centre are interesting and given that this is where Saka and possibly Martinelli also play at their best then it is going to get crowded there. If we could get a natural CF like Jovic (possibly no going cheaper at RM) then I’d be more than happy to sell him. We need a CAM and possibly a top drawer CB to… Read more »
Now not no
Maybe this is a dumb idea, but I think there should be a 5 or 10 second time limit to watch VAR for offside calls.
If it can’t be determined whether or not the striker is offside within the time limit, the benefit goes to the striker. Enough of this ‘it looks like his shoelace was ahead of the last defender, let’s watch it repeatedly for 2 minutes to make sure’ nonsense.
Christ, never learns
Bamford, You keep repeating that this squad is not capable of top 4 while even under Emery we nearly got top 4. As TR7, I think that with a competent manager all we need to be a shoe in for top 4 is 2~3 additions/replacement: If I remember correctly TR7 stated that we needed a beast CM, a beast left CB. Personally I would add a better goalkeeper. If we want to compete for the title, then it is different, but I can’t see us compete to that level in one transfer window. We need to learn to walk before… Read more »
Most of the problems with var stem from the fact of the” reason” for the final decision by var/ ref.unlike Rugby union the fans are not privy to the “ reason” var has intervened nor the reason the ref has made his decision.what are the afraid of? That they would be even more accountable to the fans? This needs to be introduced .you can clearly hear it in rugby & NFL.
There are a few changes I would make to improve the game . Time wasting through feigning injuries, substitutions, delaying free kicks etc add to frustration from the fans and players. Most of these antics occur in the latter stages of the game, so an easy solution to avoid this frustration and annoying tactic of time wasting is this. On 75 minutes a stop clock begins with the amount of time left in the game . This will include any other time that needs to be added on. The clock will show 15 mins + injury time(say 3 minutes) making… Read more »
Walt “””””Abolishing offside is one solution that would take the problem away – it would change the way teams set up / defend etc and would most likely have unforeseen consequences but it would be interesting to see how it worked.”””” CG Offside Solution for 2020 You cant be offside if you have possession of the ball in the oppositions half. But you can only be offside if you boot the ball forward from your own half. that way you have more goals, produce a better spectacle, more goals and less linesman and less VAR nonsense. Like most things in… Read more »
Valentin You certainly have no idea what you’re talking about. Pogba’ s two brothers, his father and mother were all born on Guinea but Pogba is more French than Guinean? I suppose they just carved out a part of the house and called it little France. His mannerism, dance, music…vast majority of his cultural expression are all Francophone west African. I trust that you know this. Like I said you have no idea what you don’t know. How can Pogba’s family be the only African family in the town he grew up in when several footballers of African descent like… Read more »
Agree with that Valentin although I do think Auba will have to go as part of that process. Leno needs to be upgraded but i don’t think that is a priority next window unless there an opportunity to sign someone like Oblak for a decent fee. There are 4 possible areas to put as in the running for competing for top 3 and pushing for the title, even if winning is beyond us in just a year. Attracting Upamecano to play with Saliba as our ultimate first choice CB pairing would be a massive start although i am interested to… Read more »
Pierre
Thanks for that last post.
The game should just have a stop watch on the screen that stops anytime play goes dead. It shouldn’t be left to the referee’s discretion.
Bamford As each week passes and our results and performances improve offensively and defensively , I look forward to you and a few others moving the goal posts to justify your criticism of the present team. Do not be surprised to see Arsenal within 3 or 4 points of a champions league place, plus a quarter or semi final spot in europe and Fa cup by Easter. The team will be hitting their peak at just the right time for all the big important games coming up. TR7 is right ,we do not need wholesale changes , a top quality… Read more »
Dissenter, There is a difference between your family environment and your neighborhood. Both impact you. Wilfried Zaha is a classic example. When selected by Cite d’Ivoire they had to have a translator for him, because his French was not good enough. Anybody thinking that he is a pure Ivorian would be seriously mistaken. He is a London boy, yet his family was Ivorian. Pogba is the same. He may have grown in a Guinean family, but he does not identify as Guinean. His older brothers who grew up in Guinean do identify as Guinean. We were specifically talking about football… Read more »
CG 13.08
We are bad enough WITH THE OFFSIDE RULE.
Without it does not bear thinking about.
CG
“You cant be offside if you have possession of the ball in the oppositions half.
But you can only be offside if you boot the ball forward from your own half.”
Could work .
Pierre
Most of the sport in North America are like that. In hockey, the play clock starts only when the plug is in play. The game will become quite a bit longer. The clock will decide when the game finishes.
Pierre
“””CG,You cant be offside if you have possession of the ball in the oppositions half.
But you can only be offside if you boot the ball forward from your own half.”
Could work .”””
Its bloody brilliant. Brilliant in its simplicity, at least.
I am glad you like it.
On topic of VAR , I would say that it should be out of the referees’ hands. Both teams should get two reviews per game , just like in cricket. Whenever a teams feel a bad call is given they can opt for it and if proved right their review remains. If ref is proven right then you lose one review , simple. The data will also then point out refs who consistently give out bad decisions.
Why not go back to the old rule where any player is deemed offside on the pitch.regardless on whether he touches the ball or not…
Sherlock
Why not scrap VAR altogether, you plum
CG, You cant be offside if you have possession of the ball in the oppositions half. I am not sure that would improve the quality of football. A striker could spend his entire time just shadowing the goal keeper. If his team intercepts the ball in the opposition camp, long ball to him. As soon as a player gone through the mid way half, long ball to the striker. The only way to counter that would be to assign a CB to defend against the striker who shadow the goalkeeper. Defenders could not try to compress the area of play… Read more »
Why are strikers and pundits moaning about the offside law when everything is in their favour from no tackles from behind to defenders unable to pass back to the keeper …
Valentin “We were specifically talking about football environment. Claiming that Pogba is the result of the African Guinean culture is just pure BS. ” That;s not what I wrote. Now you’re trying to create a straw-man to argue against. I wrote that the Guinean culture is a major part of who he is. He’s the scion of moslem African immigrants and still maintains that aspect of his culture- his dance, music choices,family celebrations and lifestyle as depicted on his social media pages suggest that. He grew up in an immigrant-rich communities and his formative childhood years were playing for the… Read more »
Jamie Carragher:
“There has been a lot of positivity around Mikel Arteta coming in & how things have changed. He hasn’t actually changed the results that much, in fact they’ve actually got worse in some ways”
Now Valentine starts to shift goal posts.
Let me make things clear for you Pogbas brothers and father have strong african influence he probably played football with them alot, most likely even most of his friends.
And zaha not knowing french? Well french isnt an African language
Thierry from the carribean you expect his friends and family to influence his style.
The only stereotype is you talking about red mud of Africa and small quick Algerians