OUR CUP RUNNETH OVER
The League Cup has always been a strange one. It’s got three handles for a start, and doesn’t have a lid you can wear as a hat. What’s the point, then? Well, it was conceived in the early 1960s by erstwhile Football League boss Alan Hardaker (Little England) in the petty hope of distracting clubs from the new-fangled European scene, a gambit which it would be fair to say had limited success. As a result, the competition has struggled somewhat for an identity ever since. Po’ League Cup! League Cup’s a-cold!
Having said that, The Fiver has always loved it, despite its myriad dignity-stripping associations with hot brands such as Rumbelows, Littlewoods, Woolies, Timothy Whites, Bejam, MacFisheries, Our Price, Do It All, Dolcis, Owen Owen, Panda Pops, Pint of Heavy, Double Cream, Eggs, Yogurt, Beef Dripping, Wang, Mr Tom, Percy Pig and Players No 6. The same can’t be said for Liverpool, though, whose attitude towards their two-legged semi-final with Arsenal has, from the get-go, been ambivalent at best, ever since Jürgen Klopp raised the possibility of deciding it instead by a quick game of rock, paper, scissors. Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan, masterminds of the club’s 1980s four-in-a-row Milk Cup domination, will be churning in their graves.
Liverpool have now got their wish, sort of, in so much as Thursday evening’s first leg at the Emirates has been postponed. This is due to a severe outbreak of ennui at Anfield, though a significant number of players and staff, including both Klopp and his assistant Pep Lijnders, have also gone down with Covid, which doesn’t help. Consequently, the second leg at Anfield next week will become the first, the fixture at Arsenal will now be played on 20 January, and coronavirus fall-guys Leyton Orient are guaranteed to trend for the next fortnight on Social Media Disgrace Twitter, as if people don’t have enough to be up in arms about in the real world. Romelu Lukaku, back in Chelsea’s squad for Wednesday’s game against Spurs in the other semi, sends his thanks for taking the heat off.
LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE!
Join Scott Murray from 8pm GMT for hot Carling Cup MBM coverage of Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We conceded 100 goals, finished bottom and are considered the symbol of a side not doing well in the Premier League but we weren’t a bad side, we were not that far away. We were a very good football team with a lot of good players and we were quite confident on the ball. To be fair, we were useless at defending” – Jan Åge Fjørtoft gets his chat on with Paul Doyle about Swindon’s doomed top-flight season, the day he hit rock bottom and how he bounced back.
FIVER LETTERS
Um …
Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is … Rollover.
NEWS, BITS AND BOBS
Chelsea boss Tommy T will fine Romelu Lukaku despite accepting his striker’s apology for that interview. “To the fans I’m sorry for the upset I’ve caused,” sighed the Belgian in one of those in-house club videos they have the temerity to call “exclusive”. “You guys know the connection I have with this club since my teenage years. Also to the manager I apologise, and to my teammates and the board. I want to move on forward from this.”
Women’s Championship club Coventry United have avoided liquidation with barely hours to spare after an agreement in principle to sell the club’s shares was struck. “We will shore the situation up very quickly and get the players paid for a start,” cheered businessman Lewis Taylor.
Juventus say Aaron Ramsey will do one from Turin in the January window, doubtlessly pr1cking up ears on Tyneside, where Kieran Trippier has already arrived to complete his £12m move from Atlético.
It’s a transfer window so naturally there is Philippe Coutinho news: it says here that Aston Villa are trying to lure him on loan.
Poland midfield tyro Kacper Kozlowski has joined Brighton from Pogon Szczecin for £8m. “His style of play suits us and our style,” tooted Graham Potter as he sent the 18-year-old straight on loan to Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.
Japan international Hayao Kawabe is, er, hopping over from Grasshoppers to Wolves before, er [Fiver clutches for straws after cornering itself], slyly heading back to finish the season there.
And Everton hope the appointment of club legend Graeme Sharp to their board will ease the current disquiet around Goodison Park. “This club is in my blood,” roared Sharp.
STILL WANT MORE?
Which players have appeared on club calendars in years they did not even play for them? The Knowledge has the answer.
Antonio Conte needs to give Daniel Levy a nudge, according to David Hytner.
Everton have a new shiny right-back but what they really need is some wins, writes Andy Hunter.
Paul MacInnes thinks the €uropean $uper £eague could actually have been a good thing for football. Here’s why.
Let the Mill provide your fill of the latest transfer gristle.
And if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO!
