SOMETHING FREAKISH
After being beaten 3-0 last week by Anfield, Manchester City will attempt to overturn that deficit in a more sedate environment on Tuesday and advance to Big Cup semi-finals. As they look forward to the game, most Citeh fans have been adamant that no buses must be harmed in the making of the atmosphere, because even if the tie is to be lost, basic standards of civilised behaviour must be upheld. The Fiver agrees. Citeh’s owners from the United Arab Emirates know what happens to dissenters.
Citeh fans’ sense of fair play is perhaps why there was no torchlit parade outside Liverpool’s hotel at 4am this morning, unlike in Tblisi in 1979, when Dinamo supporters arranged such a march before their team’s famous 3-0 victory over a Liverpool side that struggled to stay awake on the pitch and not because Alan Hansen was droning on about diabolical defending. That was one of only five times in Liverpool’s history that they have lost a European match by a three-goal margin. On only one of those occasions were they beaten by a score that would eliminate them today without even extra time. That was in 1966, when Ajax rocked them 5-1 in a stadium containing 65,000 fans who burst out cheering at random moments because dense fog prevented anyone from seeing what was happening.
So it is going to take something freakish for Citeh to emerge victorious today. Or maybe just another red card for Sadio Mané. Pep Guardiola is confident that his “exceptional, extraordinary” team can pull it off if they produce Citeh “the perfect game”. Guardiola, of course, will need to pick the right XI and hope the rebuilding of Raheem Sterling has not been undermined by his sudden loss of faith in the winger before the first leg. Jürgen Klopp, meanwhile, hopes that Liverpool are confident in their ability to avoid a collapse now that they have Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson in the side, neither of whom played when Liverpool conceded three goals this season against Watford, Sevilla and West Bleeding Brom.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Great, tell him he’s Pelé and get him back on.” – John Lambie, the football manager behind these legendary words, has died at the age of 77. Those early-1990s instructions, given to a Partick Thistle physio after being told striker Colin McGlashan had concussion and no longer knew who he was, have been attributed to many others, from Brian Clough to Bill Shankly, but it was four-time Thistle boss Lambie who delivered them.
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David Squires on a week of misery at Manchester City, with a special mention for Paul Pogba’s blue rinse.
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FIVER LETTERS
“If only we’d known about the ‘missing out on competitions that we’ve already qualified for due to administrators not ticking a box’ option, we could have got the FA to do it two years ago and saved everyone a couple of painful/dull/embarrassing (delete as appropriate) weeks at Euro 2016” – Noble Francis.
“I think Marten Allen is on to something (Yesterday’s letters; using team affiliated comedians for post match interviews). They could wheel out Rory McGrath to do the Arsenal ones. Although I suspect it would immediately instigate a heated debate amongst the fan base about whether his past glories in the late 1990’s are enough to compensate for the current weathered, unsuccessful and somewhat apathetic version that seems to simply exist in a state of distressed anxiety these days” – Paul Fowler
“Re: Fernando Torres’ noble gesture in yesterday’s bits and bobs: nice try, but I don’t think not getting selected really counts as ‘step[ping] aside for others’. And, as a Liverpool fan, I’ve got no sympathy, you should have stuck with us, just look at what you could have won” – Tim Woods
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 … Paul Fowler.
THE RECAP
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BITS AND BOBS
Barry Bennell, the former football coach who was branded the “devil incarnate” after subjecting junior footballers to hundreds of sexual offences, is appealing against his 30-year prison sentence.
Thomas Tuchel has had talks to be Neymar’s bag-man coach of Paris Saint-Germain, but Antonio Conte is in the mix.
Having made his first Premier League start at the weekend against Southampton, Reiss Nelson is ready to sign on Arsenal’s dotted line.
STILL WANT MORE?
Manchester City have “wow” factor but they need a Houdini-style escape, says Daniel Taylor of the big one/damp squib at the Etihad.
Virgil van Dijk brings calm and collective spirit to Liverpool’s defence, says Andy Hunter before the expected Etihad “thunderstorm”.
Sterling or Sané? Who should be PFA young player of the year? Martin Laurence asks – and answers – the question.
Sam Johnstone tells Nick Ames that after a dizzying spell of loans he finally feels settled at Aston Villa.
Jordan’s female footballers are taking on attitudes and altitudes, explains Suzanne Wrack.
Liverpool, £90m and an Argentinian in demand. It must be the Rumour Mill.
