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Exclusive: Super League isn’t the way forward but clubs won’t turn down billions says Collymore

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 13:02:35 +0000

The spectre of a European Super League raised its ugly head again earlier in the week with news that a judgment would be made on it during December.

No one other than those making the judgment can know which way it’s going to land, but it’s safe to say that former pro and now pundit, Stan Collymore, isn’t a fan.

‘No, I don’t think a European Super League is the way forward. UEFA particularly have bent over backwards, with concessions, more games, more money. If you have a European Super League what’s it going to be predicated on?’ he wrote in his exclusive CaughtOffside column.

‘It’s gonna be very, very difficult for clubs such as Villa and Forest, who have won European Cups in the past, Celtic too, to get into if it’s invite only. That will have a massive impact.

‘I could certainly see an example of clubs already owned by oil states or oligarchs or hedge funds, that are now spending €400m on players and are mopping up their domestic league, will just give a cursory nod to the league that they come from whilst going on and playing in the Super League.

‘Any attempt to start to be able to get momentum, however, should see supporters put their clubs under the greatest pressure to say their clubs must not, under any circumstances, enter a European Super League.

‘I think that particularly with the English clubs, if they were to say no again, we will never join the ESL because the whole idea would be dead in the water. There would be no European Super League that would be worthy of the name.’

Supporters came out in force back in 2021 when it was announced that there had been an agreement for the Super League to come into force.

The protests were almost immediate and forced the clubs that had made the agreement to drop out one by one and even go so far to apologise to their supporters.

Only Barcelona and Real Madrid are left from the original 12 clubs and their fate in the project rests in the judges hands.

Even if the ESL isn’t a going concern post-judgement, Collymore believes we’ll see a derivative of it because of the money that is now in the game.

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‘Saudi Arabia, big American banks… the groundwork has already been laid in some respects. The pre-season International Champions Cup in America is their attempt at giving English and European clubs an insight into what potentially is possible,’ he added.

‘Come to America and play in front of 100,000 at the University of Michigan and we can make you richer than than you ever imagined. I could see a situation whereby the Saudis and the Americans, maybe even countries like India or China may want a little foothold.

‘Several entities will be needed to make it possible but just imagine if Manchester United are offered a billion pounds a season to play in any competition. The odds are that their owners are going to go absolutely yes because they then wouldn’t have to worry about whatever money comes into their club.

‘It’s a very persuasive argument.’

Essentially any organisation that has the money could effectively dangle clubs on a string and send them to all corners of the earth in the name of profit.

That’s a worst-case solution for many, who prefer the old traditions of the game which seem all but left in the past now.

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Messi deserves Ballon d’Or but Man City stars have legitmate claims says ex-pro

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 12:27:19 +0000

Monday night should see Lionel Messi crowned as the Ballon d’Or for an incredible eighth time.

That’s three more than his nemesis, Cristiano Ronaldo, and at least five more than anyone else.

By whichever metric you choose, there’s a cogent argument that the diminutive Argentinian really is the G.O.A.T (Greatest of All Time).

Ex-Premier League striker, Stan Collymore, believes that Messi deserves the award because of his World Cup heroics at the back end of last year.

‘If you’re looking for the fairy tale and the guy that’s come in and almost single-handedly won a World Cup then Messi is a worthy winner,’ he wrote in his exclusive CaughtOffside column.

However, given that Man City did the treble last season and were absolutely awesome whilst doing so, Collymore questioned whether two of their players actually deserved the honour in Messi’s stead.

‘However, if you’re looking in terms of numbers, Erling Haaland comes in and breaks the Premier League record – which is very difficult to do – in his first season, then he has a valid shout,’ he continued.

‘What about Julian Alvarez, who won the World Cup and scored goals, and provided assists for Haaland and his team-mates?’

Like so many, Collymore appears bored by the whole notion of an individual award in what is a team sport, unless there are definable metrics by which a score can be given and the ‘best in the world’ is therefore exactly that because of the highest score.

‘I’m not a big fan of individual awards because they’re so subjective and almost pointless. What’s the criteria? Goals scored? Assists given? Influence over your team or any other metric you ascribe to?’ he added.

‘Then you get people like Pep Guardiola coming out and saying Messi should have his own award, and that will have weighed heavily on the minds of journalists and the people that vote for things like that.

‘[…] Brand Messi and brand Ronaldo have been very, very strong for a long time, but in years to come I would like to see some kind of criteria attached to the award in the same way that you would judge the Golden Gloves or similar.’

What’s almost certain is that no other player will ever come close to matching Messi’s eight Golden Balls, and he will remain forever at the pinnacle of football folklore.

Football will never, ever see his like again.

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Inside Spain: Jude Bellingham’s first Clasico, Real Madrid conspiracy and replacing Michael Jordan

Ruairidh Barlow — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 15:34:07 +0000

Inside Spain is a weekly instalment brought to you by Football España, providing an insight into all of the major stories coming out of the rich and intense climes of La Liga and beyond.

There’s nowhere else to start. Real Madrid face Barcelona at 16:15 CEST on Saturday, and the headline act is a 20-year-old Englishman by the name of Jude Bellingham.

Madridista mouths will have contained no shortage of hearts on Tuesday when Bellingham limped off against Braga late on, but he has confirmed that he will be present. Not so much for Barcelona’s injured sextet. Sergi Roberto, Jules Kounde and Pedri have been ruled out, Raphinha looks as if he will be back, while Robert Lewandowski and Frenkie de Jong could take pain-killing injections to make it back.

Either way, it will be a match of extra spice. Carlo Ancelotti spent all of his press conference answering questions on referees on Tuesday, after President Joan Laporta claimed that a ‘sociological Madridismo’ was in action in the halls of power in Spain, a general bias in politics, sports, the courts and the media. What is more, Xavi Hernandez called it ‘a reality’.

Cesc Fabregas has been very impressed with Jude Bellingham for a number of reasons. pic.twitter.com/j5uMsvAagU

— Football España (@footballespana_) October 26, 2023

In addition, Barcelona Director said the treatment that Vinicius Junior got on Tuesday against Braga was ‘not racism’, but rather deserved a good slap.

What has not been made up is the court case against Madrid Council. They have given permission for a car park to be built underground next to the Santiago Bernabeu and run by Real Madrid. The locals are taking the council to court, alleging that it is a misuse of public funds to benefit Los Blancos – they could make over half a billion euros on the deal.

Meanwhile Aston Villa are clearly happy with how things are going under Unai Emery, but little did they know they had the Michael Jordan of transfers working above him. At least that’s according to former Leeds United Sporting Director Victor Orta, who was effusive in his praise for Monchi.

Real Betis are back in talks for former Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos, as they are down to their last two central defenders. Real Sociedad continue their sensational form, and are now top of their Champions League group ahead of Inter after an away win at Benfica, while Girona remain second behind Real Madrid. Anything other than a win for the Madrid side in El Clasico, and Girona will have the chance to ensure a Catalan side go top, just not Barcelona.

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“I don’t judge him” – Guardiola makes huge Haaland claim after Champions League brace

Darren Looney — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 15:22:01 +0000

Erling Haaland fired Man City to a 3-1 win over Young Boys on Wednesday night as the Norway international scored his first goals in the Champions League this season.

The striker scored the winner from the penalty spot before hitting a beauty to seal the three points for City after Meschack Elia had cancelled out Manuel Akanji’s opener with a superb strike.

This followed Haaland’s winner against Brighton at the weekend as the 23-year-old looks to be getting back to his best after a slow start to the season by his standards.

There is a lot of expectation on the Man City star following the campaign he put together last season where he broke the Premier League record for most goals in a single season and finished with 52 goals in all competions.

Strikers are judged at the end of the season by how many goals they score but that is not the case with Pep Guardiola.

Haaland vs Young Boys

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Man City boss Pep Guardiola doesn’t judge Haaland by his goals

Following the match in Switzerland, Man City boss Pep Guardiola claimed there is no pressure on Haaland to score goals as that is not what he judges him on.

The Spaniard said via the Daily Mail: “There is the impression after last season that he has to score seven goals every single game. That is impossible.

“But he is scoring a lot of goals and if people want him to fail because he doesn’t score 50 goals it doesn’t matter. He is always there.

“The second goal was really good and he had other chances. The important thing is to create them.

“Maybe in the right moment of the season he will be there, better than now, but he has already scored a lot of goals and we are really pleased.

“I’ve told him many times I don’t judge him for scoring goals, although I know he wants to score goals. He has the desire to improve and I don’t have doubts about that.”

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Video: Napoli’s Victor Osimhen forced to choose between Messi and Haaland for Ballon d’Or

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 12:12:41 +0000

During a recent Q&A with Mario Balotelli and others, Napoli hit man, Victor Osimhen, was put on the spot regarding this year’s Ballon d’Or winner.

The ceremony takes place on Monday and it’s believed that Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi has won an historic eighth title.

However, after ripping up the Premier League’s goalscoring record books and helping to win the treble for Man City, Erling Haaland would seem to be the choice of many.

Osimhen sat on the fence when asked and wouldn’t commit to one or the other saying that they “both deserve it.”

Pictures from Calcio Napoli 24

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Newcastle player ratings: Magpies fail to take chances as Dortmund prevail

Connor Holden — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 10:52:16 +0000

Newcastle lost 1-0 to Borussia Dortmund at St James Park, conceding in the 45th minute to Felix Nmecha.

Newcastle now sit third in Champions League Group F with four points, joint on points with Dortmund who are now second, and two points behind PSG who sit top after three games on six points.

Read on for our Newcastle player ratings, and who wasn’t up to standard for the Magpies…

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Nick Pope – 7.5 – Kept Newcastle in the game, made four saves, three from inside the box and made one high claim and one punch.

Dan Burn – 5.5 – Subbed after 70 minutes, made three clearances, one block and one interception but didn’t help much in build up/progression from the back.

Fabian Schar – 7 – Was solid defensively for Newcastle, making two clearances, two blocks, one interception, one tackle and winning his only ground duel. He also made four of his eight long balls.

Jamaal Lascelles – 5.5 – Just didn’t do as much defensively as Schar, with only two clearances and one block, also won two of his five aerial duels.

Kieran Trippier – 6 – Not his best day for creation, having a total of 18 crosses and only completing two of them and managed no key passes.

Bruno Guimaraes – 7 – Was driving Newcastle forward at times, completed four out of four dribbles and four out of seven long balls, did pick up a yellow card though.

Joelinton – 6 – Subbed after 65 minutes, did make one key pass and one out of one long balls. Just wasn’t as involved only making 22 accurate passes and having 40 touches in midfield.

Sean Longstaff – 5 – Also subbed after 65 minutes, only made 14 passes and only made one defensive action which was an interception. Game just passed him by.

Anthony Gordan – 7 – Missed a few big chances, hitting the woodwork and having two shots on target, he did also have one key pass, one big chances created and completed one of his two dribbles.

Callum Wilson – 5.5 – Subbed on Isak in the 15th minute, hit the woodwork and had a shot on target but missed two big chances and could have done more.

Miguel Almiron – 6 – Only managed the one shot (off target), but did play two key passes. Could have done more in advanced areas on the right at times.

Alexander Isak – N/A – Went off injured after 15 minutes for Callum Wilson.

Subs: Sandro Tonali 4, Jacob Murphy N/A, Matt Target 5.5, Joe Willock 4.

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Manchester City player ratings: Haaland scores brace as City retain top spot

Connor Holden — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 10:37:46 +0000

Manchester City beat Young Boys in the Champions League 3-1 to retain top spot of Group G, with goals from Manuel Akanji and Erling Haaland (x2).

City dominated throughout, having 26 shots (14 on target), holding 69% possession and making 723 total passes. However Young Boys made it difficult equalising in the 52nd minute to make it 1-1, and then holding City out until the 67th minute when Haaland made it 2-1.

Read on for our City player ratings, and who stood out for the Citizens…

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Ederson – 7 – Ederson made three saves, two of which were inside his box and also made two high claims. However did get lobbed for the goal.

Nathan Ake – 7 – Solid defensively down his left side, made two clearances, two tackles and one last man tackle. Also made two key passes from left back.

Ruben Dias – 7 – Was very important in build up for City, making 94 of his 97 passes and playing six of his eight long balls. Dias also made two clearances and one block.

Manuel Akanji – 8 – Scored the opener for City, as well as doing his part defensively with two clearances and a block. Also made two key passes.

Rodri – 8 – Was a huge positive for City having Rodri back in the side, so calm on the ball, got an assist and made 103 of his 110 passes, with four key passes.

Rico Lewis – 7 – The energetic youngster covered a lot of ground both defensively and in central areas, made one key pass and made two out of two long balls.

Jack Grealish – 7.5 – Very direct down the wing, completed three out of three dribble attempts and took three shots (two of which were on target). Also made three key passes and created two big chances.

Mateo Kovacic – 6 – Played slightly higher up on the left side for City in central zones, played one key pass but wasn’t creative enough in that area of the pitch.

Matheus Nunes – 7 – Played slightly higher in midfield too but on the right, made two key passes, completed three out of four long balls and competed three of his five dribble attempts.

Jeremy Doku – 7 – Did well in his 72 minutes, was looking to be direct and ask questions of the Young Boys defense. Completed two key passes, seven out of eight dribbles and had two shots on target.

Erling Haaland – 9 – Scored a brace to secure the victory for City, did what he does best and scored the goals. Had a whopping eight shots, five of which were on target.greali

Subs: Bernardo Silva 6, Julian Alvarez 7, Kalvin Phillips N/A, Sergio Gomez N/A.

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Video: “I always wanted to go to space” – Lionel Messi really is out of this world

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 10:35:57 +0000

Lionel Messi has long been described as out of this world as a football player, and one of his sponsors has taken things up a notch.

Adidas have been part of the Argentinian’s footballing journey virtually since the beginning and only they would dream up a social media campaign that sees Messi end up in space.

In a cleverly put together sequence, it really does appear as though a billboard of the player has been unfurled hundreds of thousands of miles away.

“I always wanted to go to space,” was Messi’ iconic sign off.

them: how big do you want this billboard to be?
us: yes ?? pic.twitter.com/p1CnjSIFYF

— adidas Football (@adidasfootball) October 24, 2023

Pictures from Adidas Football

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Video: Rival fans mock Man City players over “unacceptable” pre-match outfit

Darren Looney — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 21:36:29 +0000

Man City were 3-1 winners over Young Boys in the Champions League on Wednesday night but their pre-match outfit for the game gave rival fans plenty of banter material to attack the Manchester club with.

City got off the bus in Switzerland wearing pre-match cardigans with their names and numbers on the back of it. The piece of clothing looked awful and TNT Sports pundit Joe Cole jokingly branded it “unacceptable” when asked about City’s fashion choice.

Rival fans also found it funny and whipped up jokes on social media as Man City players will unlikely wear them again in the near future.

Man City's pre-game style has sparked some debate ??#UCL pic.twitter.com/pCVPNeTfQw

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 25, 2023

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