You know who Arsenal’s next boss should be? Pochettino
You know who Arsenal’s next boss should be? Pochettino
Send your thoughts to theeditor@football365.com.
‘Twas ever thus
Leave Fellaini out and United play decent football. Bring him on and he is caught ball watching for Anderlecht’s equaliser. When will Jose realise he’s not good enough?
Paul, Man Utd
Curse the Invincible run
Are there any other set of fans right now who are wishing their team to lose their next game so that they can wake up in time to win the one after rather than to keep drawing games until the end of civilisation?
Monty (Draws should be banned), MUFC
Rojo rows my boat
I’d just like to get some of the esteemed mailbox regulars’ honest opinions on Marcos Rojo.
Since he signed for United he has been a somewhat decent squad member, though playing at left back really doesn’t suit him. His performances have improved so much this season and he has comfortably been our best centre back this year, even allowing for some excellent patches of form from both Jones and Bailly.
While there have been plenty of standout centre backs in the league this year who would be well ahead of him in terms of TOTY, I’d suggest he has been in the top 7 or 8 in his position this season.
From a likely binned player to one of our most consistent performers, and a player who has cut out a lot of the sh*te that made him annoying to his own fans, I’ve really taken to him.
Paddy, Ireland
A rant
So, there’s probably a lot of mail from Man Utd fans, meaning this probably won’t get published but in the slim chance that it is, read on. Watching Man Utd play in Belgium last night, you could notice recurring and frustrating scenes play out, especially during the second half. Lack of urgency, the attempted press (stop laughing!) falling apart in the second half, no one chasing down passes. A lot of players kept expecting another teammate to pick up the 50/50 balls. Apart from his close control and few good passes, Pogba’s play was a bit sub-par (in other news water is wet and the sun is hot). And why does he have to spend 5 days yelling at the ref or ruing a missed opportunity instead of tracking back?
Watching the game on Fox sports didn’t make it any easier. Fellow Americans, can relate. The commentators kept insisting on how well United were playing like we were watching 2 different games. I had to watch the last 30 minutes of the game without sound to escape this mediocre commentary. Broken counter attacks, sideways passing, God I lost count of how many times players played the ball backward when there was a chance to counter, letting Anderlecht back on defence.
If that’s not frustrating enough, Jose failed to urge his players on, and only spoke when he felt like complaining about the tackles. Every time he came on tv, I thought to myself, either he is too afraid to tell his players what to do or he doesn’t know what to tell them. Choose whichever is more damning. I mean, why else would you not talk to your players while on the pitch? In his post-match comments, he mentioned that the forward players failed to kill off the game. Isn’t this something he should’ve been yelling out at them on the sideline (perhaps urging them on?) instead of sitting in the dugout and saving the words for the post game interview?
We already know he will not be leaving anytime soon. All we’re left to do is watch him leave before the whistle blows, not congratulate the players on the pitch, sit in the dugout while players do whatever they like on the pitch, publicly call out Luke Shaw and stifle two of Europe’s most exciting players recently.
I totally hadn’t meant to rant!
Patrick (how many brackets is enough in one mail?) Boston, U.S
Poch to Arsenal
So, Allegri did pull of a tactical masterclass against Barcelona. But do you know who I’d really love to see as the next Arsenal manager?
Mauricio Pochettino, that’s who.
Granted, Allegri has a superior pedigree about him at this stage but there is so much to be said about how Pochettino has built a team. Mind you, Tottenham have had better individual players over the past years (Van der vaart, Bale, Modric) but not a better team.
Also, nicking Totnum’s best isn’t exactly alien territory for the Arsenal now, is it? 🙂
Deepak
(You say heresy, I say ballsy)
More Europa thoughts
* 1st a bomb now a pitch invasion security issues need to be taken more seriously for everyone sake
*if Utd fail to use any of the two avenues they have had this year it will be for the same reason that has plagued us all year not putting teams away . Anderletch only showed glimpses of being a threat for about 10 mins after the break we were even on top when they equalised .
it’s all well and good and Martial when they get past someone and Lingard for busting a lung but the bottom line is they must contribute more goals.
* the lyon besiktas game and celta vigo games showed how much teams want to win this both games were end to end with genk taking a lead away from home before three strikes from three different celta vigo players put them in the lead and Genk pulled one back.
Similarly Besiktas took the lead and Lyon threw the kitchen sink at them before getting a breakthrough and then a gift from the keeper that will be on one of those blooper reels with funny voice-overs in a few years.
*Ajax look the most likely team to make the next round right now that two nil lead will help against a schalke team that has been notorious for letting in goals at home .They actually haven’t won at home in the knockout stages.
*One of the heart warming moments of the round was when the entire crowd cheered Huntelaar when he came on for Schalke.
*can i moan about darmian what exactly does he do nowadays he lost the ball a lot when he got forward looked like he could be beaten easily when anderlecth tried to come forward and was along with fellani responsible for the goal .
Even Jose’s brain couldn’t help this guy it’s a shame because similar to Memphis he started well but I think he should leave this summer.
*So it’s advantage Utd I believe physically the team and technically UTd were better but the age old problem remains Mboiji and Deondonker broke up a lot attacks at the last minute. they didn’t use their big striker though and tielemans and keise only showed up in the second half.
Utd only really have mata that can add an attacking impetus we needtake our chances and we should be in the draw next friday.
Timi
Mufc
Big Weekend‘s little brother
Stoke City – Hull City. Hard to believe, but if Hull win this one, they’ll be only three points behind Stoke. Very few Potters fans have anything good to say about Mark Hughes at the moment, but the side have played a bit better than their results the last two games. With Joe Allen definitely out, and perhaps Glenn Whelan and Jon Walters unavailable as well, it’s hard to know how Hughes will set up. Plenty of good attacking options at the moment: Xherdan Shaqiri was excellent coming off injury last week, Saido Berahino improves with every match, and Ramadan Sobhi deserves as much time as he can get. They’ll be happy to hear Hull may still be missing Harry Maguire in the back line. With Tom Huddlestone back from suspension, Sam Clucas in good form, and Evandro healthy, the Tigers might try to exploit a depleted Stoke middle. All eyes will be on Glen Johnson as he tries to hold off Kamil Grosicki.
Stat: Of the 25 players who have appeared for Stoke City this year, 22 have been yellow-carded, 88%, the highest percentage in the league.
Southampton – Manchester City. A serious test for the Saints, who have won four of six, but barely hung on to win at West Brom, and have only one point against the top six all season. They got it in October at the Etihad, but Virgil van Dijk was on the pitch then. Still, the Citizens haven’t been terribly convincing lately, and Manolo Gabbiadini is back from injury, although he may not start. Claude Puel seems to have settled on a 4-2-3-1 with Dusan Tadic as the number 10, and in the past six games the side have averaged over two goals per match. Fabian Delph has been a very pleasant surprise in the middle for Man City, and if he starts again, he and Tadic should see a lot of each other. Leroy Sané is a good bet to torment Cédric, which may force James Ward-Prowse back to help out. Pep is now picking a keeper on a week-to-week basis, but whether the keeper is brave or gentlemanly, the Saints figure to harry him.
Stat: By a large margin, Manchester City have the highest expected goals per shot in the league, with an almost 2% higher average chance of each shot going in than second-place Chelsea.
Watford – Swansea City. In his pre-match press conference, Paul Clement said the side had to focus on “the principles of our play,” but those principles may need to change. Will he finally alter his basic 4-5-1? Will he finally play aggressively in an away match? The best news is that Fernando Llorente is back from injury. But Jack Cork has a sprained ankle, and Clement said his options were Leon Britton (experience and leadership), Jay Fulton (youth and mobility), or a change of system. It’s been suggested that, safety assured, Watford will head for the beach. But I don’t think so. They played very well in their last home match, against West Brom, and looked similarly sharp in the first 20 minutes before collapsing against Spurs. In form M’Baye Niang will be looking forward to his matchup with Kyle Naughton. But Watford are shorthanded in defence, with Miguel Britos still suspended and Sebastian Prödl facing a fitness test.
Stat: Watford and Swansea are tied for 18th and 19th in times caught offside. Only Middlesbrough has been caught offside less.
Peter G, Pennsylvania, USA
A woman who watches football
As a woman, I both greatly enjoyed and agreed with Simon Fitzwilliams’ mail.
For a bit of context: I watch (and pay for) at least 5-6 premier league games per weekend (and stream the ones that aren’t shown in Canada); I watch all CL games and follow English teams in the Europa League; I follow major derbies in the Spanish / German / French leagues; I play Fantasy PL and Football Manager; and I wager on-going bets with my partner and his father on the outcomes of various fixtures. While my boyfriend often remarks how lucky he is that we enjoy following the same sport, I’m also quick to point out that I’m lucky he doesn’t get choked with me when I don’t come to bed because my Saints have lost 2-1 to Stoke on FM and Jose Fonte wants a move to Man Utd and Cedric wants out to Madrid. Getting those guys in line is more important than watching the latest episode of The Fall, right??
For me, sport is about entertainment. Obviously I support my team through thick and thin (I’m a Chelsea fan, so laugh if you must), but, at the end of the day, life is short and I just want to watch some interesting PL or CL games and read a good Football365 mailbox afterwards. My time is limited, so when there are so many quality games on TV, why should I watch City Ladies vs Arsenal Ladies when I could be watching Sevilla vs Barca? Of course, an obvious exception to this would be a WC Women’s Semis or Final, but then again I follow all summer tournaments—men’s or women’s—with interest.
Would I kill for a chance to play for a top-flight women’s club? Of course I would. I’m not debasing their quality and I look at them as pioneers in a male-dominated sport. But, as the expression goes, life is too short for sub-par football. Mind you, priorities change: if I have a daughter and she decides she wants to play football, I’ll happily be at every game, regardless of the quality, and regardless of whatever game is on TV. If I’m in Manchester or London or Portland and have the chance to see these amazing female athletes play live, I’ll jump at it! But if it’s 9am on a Saturday (primetime Premier League viewing over here in central Canada) and I have a plate of bacon and eggs, a mug of tea, and my cat on my lap, I’m damn well going to put on Liverpool v Bournemouth and enjoy the subsequent entertainment.
So… Good point, Simon: why should men watch women when women prefer to watch men too? The men’s game is faster, more aggressive, and the skills are out of this world. When I’m playing coed indoor and I nutmeg the male centre back, I imagine myself as Hazard; and when I pull off my first successful elastico, I’m bloody Ronaldinho!
Kristina, Canada
Why women stay away
I’d like to start this note by saying that Gaby Kirschner of Howler Magazine has a great series on women football fans, and that you should probably just go read that instead, but I would really like to emphasize a point that I believe Simon Fitzwilliams missed in his email on the relatively popularity of football among women.
While I don’t deny the underlying assumption that marketing responds to demand, simply saying “women should just take part in football consumption” ignores the very real hostility that most women encounter even while just trying to be a fan of the game.
Women can’t read an article online without seeing “Meet the hottest WAGS in the league” plastered across it, or attend a match without being told everyone is here to shag you, or post on Twitter without being threatened with rape, or work as a physio without being yelled at to “get your tits out”. And that’s all assuming that the club you cheer for doesn’t sign a convicted rapist or wife murderer. The sad part about that list is that the hardest part of compiling it is deciding which examples to use.
So sure, women’s football will gain in popularity when women are more enthusiastic about consuming the sport, but I would suggest that it’s the sport that needs to change first.
While I don’t know why your wife says she likes sport but then rarely engages with you on it, but I would suggest it’s possible that you are ignoring some very obvious reasons for why she keeps it at arm’s length.
Derby NYBlues
Someone doesn’t realise Toby is a Leicester fan
Not really sure why a (presumed) Chelsea fan is taking umbrage at Liverpool fans getting morally high-grounded on Leicester fans.
Oh wait, sorry Toby (Champions) Mitchell I forget Chelsea as a club and as a fan base have ALWAYS acted with the highest levels of decency.
Forgetting Ashley Cole and the gun thing, forgetting the whole “let’s be racist in Paris at a train station” thing, or club leader legend (lol) and his past, you’re totally right to pick up on the fact the person who wrote in was a Liverpool fan…
The reason a Liverpool fan (or any fan really) took offence, is because that behaviour is bloody stupid regardless of allegiance. Choosing to score points against Liverpool instead of correctly condemning the actions of Leicester supporters (without cheap shots) is EXACTLY what is wrong with the average football fan.
Like you, I’ve pointed out some things that are unsavoury about your (presumed) club. The difference is I couldn’t give a toss who you actually support, I do care about ignorance and the impact it has on the wider game and more importantly, society as a whole.
Being a d*ck is being a d*ck, the colour of the shirt you’re wearing at the time is irrelevant. Likewise the colour of your shirt doesn’t stop you from having basic morals either just because your club has made mistakes in the past.
Finally, you’ve said “these fans don’t represent me” yet by your very argument you’ve assumed that all Liverpool fans were keen to overlook Suarez’ mistakes, and that Gerrard was right to (allegedly) thump a guy over Phil Collins.
Can’t have it both ways buddy…
Barry Marelli
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