THINK OF THE CHILDREN
To read or listen to some of the reports from Wembley yesterday, you might be forgiven for thinking that Chelsea’s gnarled and street-wise, serial-winning veterans had just lost a Fizzy Cup final by a cricket score to Liverpool Under-14s. As is often the case, some of a Sky Sports pundit’s musings during the match were used as a stick to bash the losing manager after the match, and a visibly distraught Mauricio Pochettino was forced to defend his vanquished team against the somewhat melodramatic suggestion of Gary Neville. that the Blues were overpriced asses for losing a final to children by a solitary goal, scored in extra-time.
Never mind that this was a match that, with or without offside, could easily have gone the other way. Or that Pochettino started five players aged 22 or younger, compared to Liverpool’s three. Never mind that the combined age of the XI that finished the final ahead of Liverpool was higher than that of their opponents. Ignore the fact that the scorer of Liverpool’s winning goal six years ago cost £75 million and had more big-match experience than most Chelsea players. Never mind that the post-match narrative dictated that Chelsea’s significant injury problems were ignored. And that they are an arguably worse team than Liverpool, who are 25 points and 10 places above them in the league. “It’s Klopp’s children against the billion-pound blue bottle jobs,” announced Neville, whose scathing summary was seized upon by many who heard it and later formed the basis of endless post-match analysis from writers and players. broadcasters who could not possibly have watched the fascinating game of exceptionally fine margins that had just been played.
“I didn’t hear what he said, but if you compare the ages of the two groups, I think it’s similar,” Pochettino said, when asked to comment on Neville’s analysis. “I have a good relationship with Gary and I don’t know if I can take this view that way. But I respect his opinion. We’ve made a few changes with [Conor] Gallagher and [Ben] Chillwell in extra time. But it’s true that we didn’t keep the energy of how we finished the second half. I don’t know how to describe this situation. But I feel proud. I am proud of the players, I think they have made a great effort.”
While Football Daily can hardly agree more with the consensus that Liverpool’s young academy graduates performed commendably when thrown into the thick of the action, we should also note that – for a whey-faced teenager – are all very good at football and weren’t just a collection of random street urchins who stowed away on the Liverpool team bus before it left Merseyside. While talk of blue, billionaire bottle jobs can make for a snappy and alliterative soundbite, we can’t help but think Gary’s slick, gantry complaint was a bit unfair.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Dockers 1-0 Hedge Funders” – David Linden, MP for Glasgow East and apparently at Wembley in Liverpool for their win over Chelsea, posted his smug musings after the game on his Twitter/X/Social Media Disgrace, which was only slightly spoiled by the community comment reminding everyone that Liverpool owner John W Henry is a famous hedge fund manager.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
It is very nice that Jim Ratcliffe wants government support to build a new stadium and rejuvenate that part of Manchester. But given that South Manchester and its surrounding area is one of the richest areas of the country outside London, and given that they have already built a stadium in East Manchester, wouldn’t it be easier to just use the Etihad for all internationals and FA Cups? semi-finals he has in mind?” – Nick Livesey.
“I traveled from Dublin to London on January 1, 1974 to watch QPR play Manchester United on a busy Loftus Road and see my two favorite players, George Best and Stan Bowles, playing in opposition. George played his last game for his club as Stan the Man tore United apart, scoring two goals in a 3–0 win. Thanks for the memories Stan” – John Weldon.
All this talk about the statue of Harry Kane (Football Daily letters passim) reminds me of a newspaper match report from the mid-nineties, in which the absolute Spurs legend and central defender Gary Mabbutt (towards the end of his career , and because he was done being paced by all sorts of nasty youngsters) was described as ‘solid as a rock, and about as mobile’” – Tim Clarke.
Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our Letter of the Day is… Tim Clarke, who received a copy of Pat Nevin: Football and How to Survive It, published by Octopus Books.
GOODISON NEWS AFTER BAD
The Premier League relegation battle took its latest twist with the news that Everton’s record 10-point deduction for breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules has been reduced to six points on appeal. Sean Dyche’s team are now 15th in the table with 25 points, meaning Luton have dropped into the bottom three. “The club is also extremely pleased with the appeal committee’s decision to overturn the original committee’s finding that the club did not act in the utmost good faith,” Everton’s statement read. Nottingham Forest and Everton face yet another rule breach, meaning the table will be filled with explanatory asterisks for some time to come.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Wilson and Ed Aarons to answer the question: is the story of Klopp’s children versus Chelsea’s billions unfair? That, and more, in Monday’s Football Weekly podcast.
NEWS, BITS AND BOBS
Bordeaux striker Albert Elis has undergone surgery after suffering serious head injuries during a Ligue 2 match against Guingamp, requiring him to be put into an induced coma.
League Cup-winning former Aston Villa skipper Chris Nicholl has died aged 77, former club Walsall has announced. Nicholl suffered from dementia, which he attributed to brain damage caused by repeatedly heading balls during his long career.
Following Liverpool’s latest display of success, Joe Gomez has claimed the players are giving everything to ensure Jurgen Klopp gets the perfect send-off. “There is no need to talk about it,” the defender said, in direct contradiction to his own statement. “Everyone knows the importance.”
Cristiano Ronaldo is in the doghouse after an obscene gesture at the end of Al-Nassr’s 3-2 win over Al-Shabab, whose fans had mocked him by chanting ‘Messi, Messi’. Saudi authorities are expected to take action. And Ronnie was no doubt delighted to hear that Messi was later on the scoresheet in MLS for Inter Miami, with his late goal denying LA Galaxy.
After Sheffield United’s Vinícius Souza and Jack Robinson had a square-go in the style of Dyer v Bowyer, Le Saux v Batty, Grobbelaar v McManaman during Sunday’s loss to Wolves, Chris Wilder tried to cool the water. “That happens at every football club across the country three or four times a year,” roared Wilder. “It will happen at Man City and at the bottom of League Two.”
Sarina Wiegman has defended the decision for the Lionesses to combine two friendly matches with a sun break in Marbella. Only 950 fans attended Austria’s heavy defeat on Friday, 80 km from Marbella in Algeciras. “We’re going to play a lot in England for the rest of the season,” Wiegman gushed. “I hope this connects us enough with the fans.”
It’s FA Cup week (!), and Newcastle’s pursuit of a first domestic trophy since Anthony Eden became Prime Minister of Great Britain continues. “I can’t agree with that,” Howe nodded when the manager was asked whether the futures of Newcastle’s senior players are at stake in Tuesday’s FA Cup tie against Blackburn.
The [Filbert] streets will never forget, part 3,489. Shinji Okazaki, a key part of the Leicester team that defied the odds to win the Premier League title in 2016, will retire at the end of the season. “I have given everything as a footballer so far, but when I realized that my body was falling apart, I naturally felt that I had reached my limits,” sighed the now 38-year-old, who has scored 50 goals in 119 appearances. for Japan.
DO YOU WANT MORE?
Paul Hayward remembers Stan Bowles, whose chaotic lifestyle could not disguise his brilliance on the field.
Jonathan Liew outlines Jürgen Klopp’s greatest legacy: Liverpool’s fearless youngsters.
Chelsea is weird, writes Barney Ronay.
Newcastle’s women can guide Eddie Howe’s men to a first trophy since taking over the club under Saudi Arabia, reports Louise Taylor.
Claudio Ranieri’s Cagliari continued their run of late goals by frustrating Napoli, who are having a miserable time as defending champions. Nicky Bandini tells the story.
Heidenheim’s low-budget charms have seen Union Berlin adopted as the hipster’s choice. Andy Brassell has more.
Jürgen’s boys showed Chelsea how to win with children, writes Jonathan Wilson.
And count them! We’ve got talking points from this weekend’s Premier League and Fizzy Cup action.
MEMORY LONG
March 2005 and an aerial view of the shiny new stadium being built just a few roads down from Highbury in North London.
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