Brendan Rodgers? Nah, Mikel Arteta is the Arsenal equal to a totally different England boss. Next up is Rafael Benitez, who is now.
Send your thoughts to [email protected]. Has anyone else noticed that Maddison and Fernandes have been on fire since Roy Keane slashed them off?
Keane as mustard
He may be a talent. Robert, Birmingham,
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Headache
The match hasnt even started yet and I saw this quote from Maresca given before kick off.
At this point, I believe our Premier League attacking team is the second or third best. For certain, we can strike much and support better.
I’m sorry, but what the hell is he smoking?
Then to see what might be the worst Chelsea 11 in 30 times. Will ( Maresca ) leave?
Shouldnt have been in in the first place )
Yeah, Chelsea were s**t.
Will
Heartbreak or heroism
In my time as a Newcastle fan I have watched them play in 3 Domestic Cup finals and it was not pretty. In the first two, when two giant clubs went about delivering sixes and doubles, they simply became references in the narrative. They went out with a moan in both, with the mass of life being a bit too much to keep. Despite my best efforts, I was actually annoyed by the next one. We went away against a similar power team in Manchester United with a good ( at the time, is he still? ), but no outstanding, coach and Casemiro, who is guiding them. They proceeded to report fairly early and therefore kept the Quest at arms size for the rest of the activity much like an older sibling with their hand on their little brothers head. Later in the season, Newcastle defeated them to complete one spot in the table behind them. No life, no irresistible force, really a pretty good team showing up at the last and getting the job done when efficiently as possible. Man United thinks they can do the work in the last, a little like Real Madrid, but in reality they do. Weve seen it many days before and also possibly see it again before long. Of course, this weekend’s game between Newcastle and Liverpool is
. Unfortunately, England likewise believe they can do the work in the last, what do this Newcastle staff feel this time? Callum Wilson was in the lead last time, and Karius was in goal through a series of bizarre situations. If thats not enough to disturb your confidence I dont know what is. Who knows what Isak will be on display, on fire, or starved of service with no obvious right answer this time around ( not ideal but by far better than a Karius debut ), and Gordon replaces Pope as regrettably suspended player ( seriously, you couldn’t make it up, you were given 2 red cards all season, and one of them just before a final ). Thats also got to be better than 2023. The team has a previous success below, so
They should be able to capitalize on that, and they already have a positive win away from home to boost confidence. Gordon, Botman and Hall may be missed but the alternatives have had a couple of weeks to sleep in and gel. Despite a challenging tuesday, Liverpool must still be the big favorites. League leaders, glass winners in living memory, we not terrible overcome them and the Mo Salah time stacks up to a bunch to communicate. But is it still possible for Wigan and Leicester to win the championship? A gain may be huge for the team now and going ahead. But I really hope it’s competitive because I can’t stand another mediocre education from one of the big boys.
Derek from Dundalk ( watching from behind the couch through my fingers )
Taking the Mik
Hi there,
Ive heard this idea that  ,Arteta is Arsenals Brendan Rodgers and I can see why superficially that might make sense, but I think the more accurate John The Baptist character from Liverpools managerial history might be Gerard Houllier. Similar to Arteta, Houllier founded a failed and fundamentally uninteresting squad brimming with dilettantes and carried out a root-and-branch reboot of the club’s structure, removing well-known but disruptive players ( in this analogy Fowler is Ozil and Aubameyang is ). Danny Murphy, maybe? ) and laying the groundwork for success for a early boss.
But Arsenals NEXT administrator needs to be their Benitez,  , an extremely talented architectural director who gets the , best out of players despite being very harsh with them, and who falls out with every additional staff at the club before the very end. a genius with terrible interpersonal skills.
That, my friends, is Roberto Mancini. And he would be a fantastic addition to Arsenal.
Largely against their will, but nevertheless.
Dara ( Seriously, why is Mancini never in these conversations )? Sure, hes spent the next couple of years in international management, but its not like its prison. )
Fixing Arsenal
Excellent mail from Lee inOReilly, London
Before I get to that though, I would just like to point out the insane toxicity from this mailbox over the last few weeks.
I’m not sure why, but this isn’t Arteta’s first managerial position? Isnt this the same manager who challenged for the title at least 2 years ahead of schedule ( going by the phases in the plan )? Isn’t this the same manager as the one who hasn’t lost a big four game in two years? I can understand rival clubs ( who whether they admit it or not cannot understand why they cant win against us anymore ) but to see Arsenal fans join in this farce is just foolishness.
Perhaps you can’t recall being mauled by Bayern to win a 5-1 home and away match because your memory is so poor. Maybe you cant remember 5 Nils in Manchester and Guardiola massaging our egos with how they play beautiful football. That kind of memory is undoubtedly absent from me. Im sure glad the club doesnt entertain people like you and your insane talk of replacing this manager. Back to Lee,
. You raise some solid points especially on Saka being the only outlet and on who we should be targeting in the summer but I would just add this. The targets are specifically
1. counteract the change in tactics among smaller mid-table teams
2. based on the availability of priority targets. On point 1, mid table team are harder to beat now and are taking more points from the top 4 because of speed and physicality. On point 2, I believe Arteta recognized the importance of using Odegaard in the middle of the team, particularly in terms of how it is being used. Simply put, he simply does not have the unstoppable quality like KDB has /had especially in his prime. He is more like Bernando than KDB like because he takes too long on the ball ( which is not necessarily a bad thing ). Which is what Arsenal really need. After Xhaka left, I believe Arteta may have lacked the opportunity to move him to the left and make him play the game from a deeper angle and release him more quickly ( like Bernando ) like. This is why I think the priority really has to be an unstoppable right-sided number 10. Nwaneri might evolve into this, but we need one right away to win the league right away.
I cant completely blame the manager though. The issue is that there isn’t really anyone in the world of football with those traits right now. In fact, one can argue that Arsenal already have the top talent to look out for in this position ( Nwaneri ). Sesko still makes sense in the absence of Isak, in my opinion. If we cant get an unstoppable number 10, we need an unstoppable number 9. However, you are correct about one thing. The argument for a number 9 has been lazy. Everyone assumes that because of goals, but i believe there is more to it than just goals, which are more closely related to this. This is why spending 60 million on Watkins simply doesnt cut it. He would have only marginally improved Arsenal. He wouldnt have gotten us over the line. Another benefit of Sesko is that he could force Havertz to play with the same right-sided SS he did at Leverkusen and force a late crash into the box.
In all of this, the truth is you still need an element of luck in every season. For instance, I personally think Timber alone would have provided the four points needed to win the league last year. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL. It is life. Slot was lucky to inherit this team and to get one final hoorah from Salah and VVD ( who are both having a season to remember ). He didn’t have to do much, according to the truth. It happens. That is life. But to see the amount of abuse against Arteta is shocking. Stop’em!
Damola AFC Bremen  ,
Liverpools rebuild
With the CL now over and PL more or less tied up ( watch that come bite me on the backside ) and the article on  ,eight players Liverpool should discardI thought sights should be set on the summer and the rebuild. It’s time to clear the decks, then, to enter Championship Manager mode. Rumours seem to linger around the exits of Diaz, Nunez, Gomez, Jota and also Jones/Elliott would be good for PSR. I believe that group can be sold for respectable amounts, and I hope Michael Edwards can do the same there. If the contract rebels all decide to leave then theres also some sizeable holes there that need filling and at least 2 each in defence, midfield and attack. Where budgets allow, I typically raid the league’s other teams while participating in my CM saves.
So keepers first, I actually think itll be Kelleher that goes not Alisson so its he and Giorgi. Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen, both of whom I believe are top players, are intriguing players for Defense and Bournemouth. I like van Hecke at Brighton as a CB option as well.
I believe Carlos Baleba could make a good midfield acquisition at Brighton. I like what Ive seen of Hinshelwood as well. Despite having a lot of potential, I believe Adam Wharton and Palace would be great for FSG. A cheeky bid for Kobbie Mainoo might have legs
Forwards and Bournemouths Dango Outtarra has some Sadio Mane vibes has a goal contribution every other game, maybe needs the next level? Perhaps Anthony Gordon or Alex Isak, who has a lot of connections but will be expensive, would be better. I also like Brightons Joao Pedro and also Wolves Matheus Cunha.
I haven’t even tried to determine the player’s value because it could be anything until the summer; all I know is that the investment would be significant. And Ive stuck to the PL at the moment, maybe the next chapter will be venturing to the mainland starting with going to Slots former team for some talent. The manager names that I typically use in CM are
most important? Hash Brown or Jeff Leopard. Is it the most obnoxious thing allowed on a football pitch right now?
Cheers,
Adam, Black Cat Roundabout ( LFC) ]
Apologies for the click-bait opening, weve all got to survive in this attention economy. But please hear me out:” Push in the back.” I dont mean borderline shoulder to shoulder that turns into shoulder to back. I don’t even mention a traditional seat belt or tangle of arms. I mean a flagrant shove in the back with hand or forearm, by a player NOT attempting to play the ball in any way, and with no hope of gaining possession. Officials, commentators, pundits, pundits, and even players are all well-versed in this. If youre behind your opponent, as they go to play the ball youre allowed to give them a little shove with your actual hand or forearm, in their actual back. The player in charge of this must be strong enough to handle it, as per general opinion, unless it exceeds a predetermined threshold of force ( or something ).
By way of example, two Konate incidents :
1. Final Goodison Derby Beto doesnt get off the ground and pushes his forearm/elbow into the back of Konateas he goes up for the ball, putting him under a clearance he would easily make otherwise. Not sure what transpired following that.
2. First leg of PSG withdrawal. Shoe on the other foot, Konate pushes Barcola in the back when hes through on goal, sending him sprawling. Should have been red.
Neither one whistled or VARed. either bad or bad? Both? neither? On the basis of what? ? force How much force? Both of
were clear fouls, in my opinion. Konates push on Barcola more obvious to the eye test, because it was on the run rather than in the aerial melee of the box. Barcola and Konate both have larger flanges. Both incidents exist in the expanding grey area of how much of a cynical shove in the back is allowed. UPDATE: I wrote most of this earlier while watching the Real Madrid Atletico Madrid game. Conor Gallagher gets a proper shove in the back that sends him lurching forward as he tries to play the ball, right in front of the lino/assistant match official. Good to go.
UPDATE 2: Unintended consequences dawning on me. A higher tolerance for pushing would probably be preferable to complete contact intolerance. Hate those technical free kicks where the player waits for a whisper of a touch from behind, goes down, and the ref has to give it.
Rob, LFC, NYC ( referring to Atletico Madrid’s recent return? )
Stadium chat
Dear MC,
Ive just been reading Jim Ratcliffes thoughts on stadia with a wry smile :
The north of England has won 10 Champions League medals, London has two. However, the United co-owner claims that London also has Wembley, Twickenham, Wimbledon, and the Olympic Village.
The north of England deserves a stadium where England can play football, where we can hold the Champions League final, and one befitting of Manchester Uniteds stature. He is absolutely correct, but he has somehow overlooked the existence of a stadium like that. It can be found at Bramley Moore Dock in Liverpool and will be home to the mighty toffees from the end of this season.
Best wishes
PhilT ,
Double touch
Player ( possibly ) kicks ball twicewhen taking a penalty. Disallowed, no retake. Keepers saves the penalty but went off his line
. Retake, but not an automatic goal for the penalty taker. Does that make sense, exactly?
Gary AVFC, Oxford ( Thats an actual Champions League QF spot )
Matt Stead writes that the footage showing the double touch in that overruled penalty was deeply inconclusive.
I suppose he hasn’t noticed the angle from behind the goal, where it’s obvious that the standing ( slipping ) foot does indeed slam against the ball. Its available on the BBC website.
Personally, I believe that ruling it out for that is against the game’s spirit, but VAR’s entire goal is to achieve that. Undoing goals for reasons imperceptible to the naked eye is basically what it was invented for.
Martin, BRFC
Fat Sam must be raging to say that VAR was not a thing in 2004.
The winning goal in the league Cup final was a clear double touch by Bolo Zenden taking a penalty for Boro against Bolton. God bless Mike Riley, who later claimed he saw it but kept the goal in his hands.
James Clarke, Dundalk ( One Job on Teesside )
