CHINA CRISIS?
Come closer. A little closer. Come on, don’t be shy. A little closer. NO! Too close. That’s weird. Do you have no appreciation of personal space? What’s wrong with you? Still, lean in, because we’ve got something to tell you. A secret. Well, more specifically ‘Arry Redknapp has got something to tell you. He knows the REAL reason Diego Costa might be tempted by the idea of boarding Air Do One, non-stop to China. “I would think it is about money,” nose-tapped Redknapp. “Even the other boy Oscar said he came for the money. You don’t leave Chelsea to go to China for football. They don’t grow up wanting to play for Chelsea. They’re not bothered about the loyalty of the club.”
Well, stone the crows, we think ‘Arry might be on to something there. We’re not sure if he was necessarily lamenting the idea of someone taking a job only for the money, but if so we need not point out why Diego might be laughing his cods off at that one. Costa may or may not be tempted by the fat stacks of cash on offer: one word on the street suggests he might not be massively keen, and is perfectly happy playing for Chelsea. For the moment, at least. And when he’s allowed to, for that isn’t entirely a given. He’s recently been on Antonio Conte’s naughty step, a step which is presumably outside, in the cold and he’s not allowed a jumper. It’s a brave man who gets on the wrong side of Antonio, or a man who, much like a shark that cannot survive unless it keeps moving, is unable to go on unless he’s having an argument with someone. Costa has been relatively sedate in recent months, broadly sticking to the business of being good at football rather than giving people wedgies on the pitch. But he couldn’t hold that in for long.
It’s actually unclear whether the current schism is down to the China crisis, or some disagreement or other with the club’s medical staff (the more things change, etc and so on) over a bout of back-knack. Or indeed some combination of both, what with Chelsea’s evident reticence to sell their best striker at a time when they’d be unable to buy a suitable replacement, potentially sparking all sorts of angst-related-gah in Costa’s spine. Whatever the reason, Conte is none too impressed with his agitating attacker, but rather than the rounds of showdown talks, crisis meetings and high-level discussions that usually occur when a situation like this presents itself, he will simply let Costa get on with things then decide later if he’s going to pick him or not. Which seems like the best thing to do, the sort of managerial equivalent of a parent who says they’re “not upset, just disappointed” at an errant child who soils the carpet or breaks a window. Far better to keep the man on his toes by saying nothing, rather than making a scene and shouting at him, and adding fuel to his ire fire.
Yes, Conte is winning this psychological war, and while the ideal situation would be for no war, psychological or otherwise, to exist between a player and manager, you get the sense that Costa has messed with the wrong hombre this time.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We spent a year trying to find out what the new markets want, but also to show a sense of belonging and looking to the future” – Juventus president Andrea Agnelli offers some spiel about the Old Lady’s makeover for its club crest.
FIVER LETTERS
“Remember how two up front used to be all the rage and now it isn’t? What has happened to all the spare strikers? Are all the second-tier strikers better than they used to be or is there a big pile of them discarded (on the left) just as you approach Birmingham New Street, an EU striker mountain if you will (and while we still can). Just wondered” – Jack Mignall.
“The surrealism gets more surreal. Tom Davies, as you avow (yesterday’s Fiver), was only born 20 minutes before taking the field for Everton against Manchester City, yet he is already well acquainted with surrealism. In the post-match interview he confirmed: ‘It is surreal, like.’ The level of education at primary level on Merseyside is obviously far superior to what elitist southerners might think” – Nick Cox.
“Never thought I would see a Pete Dexter reference in yesterday’s Fiver. What next? Perhaps a comparison of Pep to Dexter’s ‘oddball accident-prone Warren Spooner, who doesn’t so much get along with life as crash into it head-on. But the young man is nothing if not resilient, standing up to adversity in his own dark (often extremely dark) ways’?” – Simon Clarke.
• Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And if you’ve nothing better to do you can also tweet The Fiver. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’the day is … Jack Mignall.
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RECOMMENDED LOOKING
A lovely tribute to Graham Taylor, by David Squires.
NEWS, BITS AND BOBS
A woman has welcomed a judge’s ruling that she was raped by two footballers who never faced a criminal trial. Denise Clair claimed in a civil case that former Dundee United team-mates David Goodwillie and David Robertson raped her in the early hours of 2 January 2011 at a property in Armadale, West Lothian, after a night out in nearby Bathgate. At the court of session in Edinburgh on Tuesday, damages of £100,000 were agreed. “I am pleased by today’s verdict,” said Clair. “However, I am bitterly disappointed that I was so badly let down by the criminal justice system and was forced to seek a remedy through the civil court.”
Louis van Gaal intends to retire from coaching despite receiving an offer to manage the in vogue “unnamed club in Asia”, where he would have trousered £44m in three seasons.
Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp is still feeling funky over Joël Matip’s continued absence due to a dispute over his international status. “In this moment he is not in the squad of Cameroon, so he cannot play for them, but in this moment we have not a 100% guarantee he could play for us. That is the situation,” sniffed Klopp. “I accept rules in life but I think they should always be based on human senses. For me, not a lawyer or a legal person, it is pretty difficult.”
The Swansea City relegation bandwagon has pulled up in Norwich to let Martin Olsson hitch a ride, before stopping off in north London on its way home to thrust £5m into Spurs’ hands for Tom Carroll. “I’ve known Paul [Clement] for a few years and he’s a good man,” whooped Olsson. “I like the way he trains – it is intense.”
Meanwhile at White Hart Lane, Jan Vertonghen will miss two months with ankle-knack.
And Chesterfield’s new manager is Gary Caldwell. “I’m going to work with all the staff that are here and lean on them because they know more about the squad than I do at this moment in time,” he cheered.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
AC Jimbo and co are back for the latest instalment of Football Weekly Extra.
STILL WANT MORE?
From Frédéric Piquionne to Modibo Maïga, West Ham have signed 56,643 strikers in seven years and are still yet to find a solution, writes Jacob Steinberg.
Poor old pass-it-out-from-the-back Claudio Bravo is not the only shot-stopper having a Premier League nightmare, so say WhoScored.
Lincoln City – and their VIP supporters – are going for gold against Ipswich Town in the FA Cup, reports Paul MacInnes.
Just who are the Lions of the Atlas and who goes by the name of the Cranes? That and more in this Afcon nicknames quiz.
What on earth has happened to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, asks Jamie Jackson.
The same old song about Manchester City wanting to splash the cash on Lionel Messi, and other rumours in today’s Mill.
Leighton Baines has said it and now Andy Hunter’s at it too: Everton’s Tom Davies is a proper player.
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