Dear reader, I have to say I was not expecting so much funny football news to be available to me this Wednesday morning.
After all, there was only one Premier League side in action last night and I was presuming that most other Premier League chat would hold back until the back end of the week.
I was wrong, so very wrong indeed.
We start today with Peppy G’s revelation that scoring lots of goals might lead Man City to the Premier League title that Liverpool seem destined to throw away. I’ve always said that Pep Guardiola is ahead of his time. Scoring goals to win matches to win titles. This is why English coaches don’t get the big jobs.
Guardiola also claimed he would rather be in Liverpool’s position than his own right now. Really, Pep? You’d rather be in the midst of a crisis of nerves and watching your lead at the top of the table get smaller each week? I think you might be fibbing.
Guardiola will also have to start coming up with a cunning plan to beat Newport County in the FA Cup fifth round after the League Two side beat Middlesbrough last night. Newport County manager Michael Flynn is considering playing nine at the back meaning Man City’s ploy to score more goals than their opponents might become more tricky.
Andy Robertson is calling Liverpool’s panic a ‘wee blip’ due to ‘fatigue’. OK, then Andy. We’ll go with that for now, shall we? We will pretend it is not the sudden realisation that a 29-year wait could be over if you just manage not to screw it up for long enough.
News just in for all Chelsea fans; Eden Hazard has made up his mind about his future. But he’s not telling you just yet. In an interview with a French radio station Hazard said he knows what he is going to do which, in all likelihood, is bugger off to Madrid in the summer and catch up with his old mucker Thibaut.
Jose Mourinho has been found guilty of tax evasion in Spain but will not be going to prison as the judge felt that three years working for Ed Woodward was punishment enough having left Real Madrid. Instead, Mourinho is paying £1.9m in fines and getting off with a slapped wrist. So, nearly £2m in fines; yes, yes I think his multiple payoffs from the likes of Chelsea and United should just about cover that and some.
Marco Silva has shown his management naivety once again and said in public that he believes he has the ‘full backing’ of the club board despite the main shareholder saying just the other week he wasn’t happy – and Everton have barely won a game since AND been knocked out of the FA Cup by Millwall. I give him until Valentine’s Day myself.
Wolves finally negotiated their way past pesky little Shrewsbury in the FA Cup and find themselves up against Championship side Bristol City in the next round.
Shall we look at some transfer rubbish? Why not.
Liverpool are going to (not) splash the cash on Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne. €71m is being quoted but there is no reason for Jurgen Klopp to spend that kind of money on a forward that won’t get a look in. Oh, unless they are already planning for the day that Mo Salah leaves because Liverpool didn’t win the Premier League title, that it is.
Unai Emery is growing a little frustrated at not having any money to spend at Arsenal. It’s nice to see he did his research before taking over.
Bayern Munich still want Callum Hudson-Odoi and he’d still love to join them. Mind you, given their current form and fragility of their coaches position it could well be a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire. Has anyone heard from Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the last few weeks? And Danny Drinkwater?
