So, thanks all for your company. Pop back in a bit for Werder-Bayern with Rob Smyth, then join us again tomorrow and we’ll look forward to the return of the Mack Premier League.
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I guess we need to finish where we started (and where we visited, periodically, during the day. Here’s Jacob Steinberg with a Marcus Rashford explainer:
Lee Bowyer is on Sky, and looks like Bart Simpson going to church.
Praise indeed. If you grew up in London in the 80s and 90s, you knew that Ian Wright was pretty much the greatest man in the city and he’s still up there now.
Man like @MarcusRashford 👑♥️👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
— Ian Wright (@IanWright0) June 16, 2020
His genius knows no bounds.
Children in our region will benefit because of the actions of this remarkable role model ❤️
— Liverpool FC (at 🏠) (@LFC) June 16, 2020
From Liverpool With Love. https://t.co/mSatwzZZ2E
A hero. An inspiration. One of our own.
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) June 16, 2020
We are so proud of you, @MarcusRashford ❤️ pic.twitter.com/haAb0m2I4u
Not football, but worrying news from the green baize.
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Also tonight, Barcelona play Leganes. They lead Madrid by two points at the top of La Liga, but the reality is that, though both have individuals good enough to win any game, neither are really up to much. The question is whether they have enough money and good enough managers to rebuild to suitable standard; I’m far from sure.
Later tonight, Bayern visit Bremen, where a win over Werder with give them their 56th Bundesliga title in a row. It’s funny how quickly they’ve got proper good again, and also how Thomas Muller has reinvented himself as a playmaker. That him, together with Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka, is a helluva midfield.
It seems “Richard Masters”, chief exec of the Premier League has, while purporting to support Marcus Rashford, warned that players speaking out about non-footballing issues might set “uncomfortable precedents”. I think this is him saying only say something if you’re sure I agree with it and/or it won’t affect my bottom line, but I could be wrong.
Jamie Jackson has “been” to see Josep Guardiola, and reports thusly:
Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City and other Premier League clubs are not ready for games every few days due to players having been on the “sofa” for most of the three-month layoff caused by coronavirus.
The champions return to action with Wednesday evening’s visit of Arsenal, which is to be the second match following the postponement. City have at least 12 matches left of the campaign as they are still in the Champions League and FA Cup. After Arsenal, City’s hectic schedule continues on Monday when they face Burnley at the Etihad Stadium, before a Thursday trip to Chelsea, followed by travelling to Newcastle United on Sunday week for a Cup quarter-final.
He said: “We are ready to play one game but three days after [playing] another one and then four days after that we are not ready. Not just Man City, all the teams. But that’s why we have to rotate and use all the players.
“You can play a game after three weeks of holidays but we were two [months] of holidays lying on the sofa, doing nothing much, and that’s why the players are not fully fit. But we have to start and we have to finish the season because the damage economically to all clubs must be as little as possible.”
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There’s been a load of rammy in Scotland, of course there has, and Partick Thistle are suffering more than most.
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I really like Nketiah, who has the knack and, based on what I saw before the break, has improved his general play too. You need to be very, very good to play up front on your own, but he’ll get goals in any team, which is a good chunk of the battle.
Will Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stay at Arsenal? My feeling is that he won’t, if he can get a good move. It’ll be his last big one and, let’s be real, Arsenal are quite a way away from being good. Similarly, Arsenal can’t be handing out phat stacks to someone who’s 31 when whatever they’ve got needs repurposing to help them be good in, say, two years’ time. They’ll have been burnt by the Mesut Ozil situation, but can they bin off their top scorer? Is Eddie Nketiah ready to take up the slack?
I’ll say it again because I’m still struggling to get my head round it, so perhaps you are too: Marcus Rashford called out the government on live telly while wearing shorts, sock and slides, and they’ve caved!
Marcus Rashford is still schooling MPs.
🗣 to all MPs pic.twitter.com/Dc4weMvTHN
— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) June 16, 2020
As a spectator, and though I enjoy Jota, Jimenez and Traore, I find Wolves hard going – they have the players to play faster, more proactive stuff – but I can see that they’re extremely hard to play against, and think knockout football will suit them. The Europa League is a decent standard this term, but there aren’t many teams I’d back to beat them.
There’s not been a lot of chat about Wolves, but they’re handily placed for a very nifty end to the season. They’re two points off fifth with a decent run-in awaiting them, and still in the Europa League. If they hit stride, they can do stuff.
That game is still the best World Cup game of my football-watching career, and by far. And this goal is one of many, many reasons why.
It looked for all the world like Brazil were going to win this World Cup (if England didn’t). But then this happened...
OTD 86 – What a performance this was.
It’s going to be interesting to see what happens with Paul Pogba. He’s a brilliant talent, obviously, but Bruno Fernandes is now United’s main man, and given both are high risk, high reward players, I wonder how they’ll play together. Against inferior teams, I’m sure the combination will work well, but against the better teams, him and Fernandes trying stuff will mean a lot of time without the ball. To make it work, Pogba will need to do more running and more sitting than he’s been doing, and my guess is that both he and United would happily end the relationship if there was someone willing to pay the money.
Which Premier League players have something to prove? Tumaini Carayol has the answer.
A mood*.
*How do you do fellow kids?
Oof madone!
On BBC2 now, England v Croatia from Euro 2004. Wayne Rooney, oof madone!
Here’s a bit more on City.
Pep Guardiola has been talking about how excited he is for football to resume, and what a nice bloke Mikel Arteta is. I wonder whether, if Arteta is a proper disciple, whether he’ll have the players and money to be as prescriptive as Guardiola in what he asks from his players. His best players are, more or less, his young players, and where he gets quality experience to dot around them I’ve no idea.
He finishes off by saying that for him, the main thing on matchday is to win, so he’d always want to stay on the pitch to do that, but understands if others feel differently.
“I love myself, I love my skin colour,” he continues. What a statement that is to have to make, but what an absolutely top bloke it is making it.
Sterling also says that he’s experienced racism in dressing rooms and that it still goes on today. “In a jokey way ... but if you haven’t felt it, you really don’t understand what it means to the person you’re saying it to.”
Raheem Sterling has told Gary Neville that we need to use this moment to “be one” and to “change society”. He says he has a platform to get this message into the right places, and though he doesn’t have all the idea or know what to do, he can get messages out there.
Any Liverpool fans out there? How are you planning to celebrate when the time comes? I guess the party’s been going since January, but I can say from experience that the moment of collective catharsis is a bigun. This was mine:
Thanks Alex, Daniel Harris back talking about himself in the third person.
Villa Park tomorrow will be completely devoid of atmosphere and fans. And not for the first time, as detailed here:
And here’s our pick of the players who will be playing for their reputations during the madcap next few weeks:
It’s not just England where there’s a big game on tomorrow night. Over in Italy, famed trophy-dodger Maurizio Sarri will be taking on famed Joe Jordan-enrager Genarro Gattuso in the Coppa Italia final.
For added fun, the two meet with Gattuso in charge of Sarri’s old club, Napoli, while Sarri is of course managing Juventus and therefore in the faintly terrifying position of Really Having To Win.
Gattuso sounds up for it: “When other teams put us under pressure, we know how to suffer and deal with it. If we manage to defend and attack with humility, we can achieve great things.”
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And on a similar theme, the Premier League’s chief executive says he supported the move to have the words “Black Lives Matter” on players’ shirts in this week’s games, saying it represents an ethical stance rather than a political one. Teams will also have logos supporting the NHS on their shirts.
“I support them in using their platforms to push good causes. I think it is a good thing that players are using their voices to make what I think are ethical value judgements rather than political statements.” said Richard Masters. “There is a strong and longstanding commitment from the Premier League and all our clubs to anti-discrimination.”
Asked about the Rooney Rule, which operates in the NFL, stipulating that members of minorities be interviewed for vacant coaching positions, he said: “We haven’t discussed that, and we haven’t got any plans to do so.”
Make what you will of that.
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In other Manchester-based humanitarianism news, Man City players will have “Cityzens Giving For Recovery” on front of their shirts when they play Arsenal tomorrow as part of a new campaign aimed at raising an additional £1m to help people get back on their feet following the coronavirus crisis. City Football Group has already committed close to that figure in donations, in-kind support and loaning of facilities to the emergency effort.
“Frontline workers around the world have heroically responded to the immediate threat of Covid-19,” says chief executive Ferran Soriano. “We have been privileged to play our own small part in helping to address that immediate threat. Now is the time for us to look forward, committing to meeting our responsibility to help our communities recover.”
Anyhow, I’m off for lunch – Alex Hess will narrate you through the next hour.
I was thinking last night that if other players joined in, that’d be immense, but there’s also something about Rashford. Everyone likes him, and the simplicity – the purity – of him, on his own, seeking to resolve an issue that affected his own childhood, is extremely compelling. How would anyone go about arguing against him?
Now, I wonder where we go from here. Does Rashford retreat, having resolved this one issue, or does he, perhaps with help from other players, keep up the pressure to bring about more change?
I think we need to be very clear in spelling out what’s happened here. Marcus Rashford called out the government on live television – wearing shorts, socks and slides – they tried to blow him out, then caved a day later. These are absolutely incredible scenes.
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I think my eyeballs might be sweating. What an absolute hero.
I don’t even know what to say.
— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) June 16, 2020
Just look at what we can do when we come together, THIS is England in 2020.
“RASHFORD! 1-0!”
OTD 1990 – England and Netherlands play out a 0-0 draw.
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“Another reason to hope that Danny Welbeck makes a decent return to form,” emails David Wall, “is that he’s one of those players who has almost been better, and more important, for his country than for his clubs (see also Darius Vassell). Especially under Roy Hodgson he seemed more assured of his place in the national team than in his club team. Given how important he was on the left side of the attack for Hodgson’s side (including his defensive diligence), I think his injury before Euro 2016 was a key factor in England’s under-performance in that tournament.”
For England, he’ll never be more than a squad player now. Obviously Harry Kane will be through the middle, and wide of him will be two of Rashford, Sterling and Sancho. I’d go for the first two, but it’s a great choice for Gareth Southgate to have. And thinking about who else is available, I don’t think it’ll be long before Bukayo Saka and Mason Greenwood are in the mix.
City also have Leroy Sané back, and if he’s not mentally checked out, that will be huge. Him being fit gives them width on the left, allows Raheem Sterling to play on the right, and Bernardo Silva to play centrally. I’m still not sure what happens in defence – do they keep Fernandinho there to avoid using Stones or Otamendi, or restore him to midfield and hope to keep the ball away from the back four?
Let’s have a little think about Manchester City, who are in a strong position to make a run at the Champions League. Of all the teams in Europe, their best is probably the best, but even with Aymeric Laporte back, you wonder whether their defence and keeper will cost them eventually. I’m not sure I’d pick them to impose their best on Bayern, but those two look the pick of things.
Apparently Lil Mikey Dean will be reffing the Merseyside derby. That could be an absolute treat.
On which point, I’m looking forward to seeing Daniel Welbeck back in the game. He’s had such bad luck in his career, first when Alex Ferguson retired – Fergie properly rated him and would’ve got more out of him than David Moyes or Louis van Gaal – and also with injury. He’s a lovely player when he’s on his game, with a lovely touch and imagination, who makes those around him play better and is also fast and strong.
Here’s Simon Burnton’s Watford preview. They really should not be going down.
Forest won this game 1-0. Personally, I blame Paul Pogba.
Never gets old.
Yesssssss. Here’s your latest Squires.
Today is Mark Crossley’s birthday.
Has Wilder ever seen Keystone Cops? Has anyone?
Chris Wilder news: “We’ve just got to make sure we’ve got some fuel in the tank for the Ford Fiesta and the tyres are pumped up. With a bit of luck we push the Lamborghinis close,” he told the Times.
“Hopefully, we can turn a fabulous season into a memorable one.”
Three months without football has been hard on a personal level, he added.
“I’ve been a nightmare,” Wilder said. “How I’ve not been booted out into the back bedroom... I’ve been a manager for 20 years and in the game since I was 16, so being out of it for three months has been really difficult.”
The team, however, are in good shape and fired up for the restart.
“Our message to the players was that this was a pause,” Wilder added. “It wasn’t a period for downing tools.
“They have climbed the mountain and come the restart we didn’t want them falling off the cliff. They’ve kept themselves in great shape.”
The next obstacle is a Villa side who are second-bottom and fighting for survival.
“I’m sure (Villa manager) Dean Smith will be fired up,” Wilder said. “I don’t know if it will be good entertainment or Keystone Cops, but we’re looking forward to it.”
I wonder which players will have stepped up a level over the break. Mason Greenwood looks to have filled out – if so, that will be significant because if he can put himself about and hold the ball up, he’ll be well on the way to becoming an all-round centre-forward.
On This Day 1996. I’ve never forgiven my parents for banning me from going this game with my mates.
But, as Phil Leotardo would say, down to brass tacks: the Premier League hasn’t discussed a Rooney rule and has no plans so to do. Of course it hasn’t and of course it doesn’t.
Masters supports the players using their platforms to push good causes, and says that they’re addressing issues not party politics. Er, sort of, and, er, sort of not. He says the Premier League has black players advisory group, and he’ll be continuing to listen to them, adding that better representation is necessary and recognises that boardrooms need to become more diverse.
Yerman Masters has backed Marcus Rashford. I wonder how far that backing extends.
Who do we think is going down? Norwich are gone, but it’s tricky otherwise because Villa, Bournemouth, Watford and West Ham have some class players, while Brighton have more points than all of them. So I’m going Norwich, Brighton and Villa, but I’d be glad never to see the London Stadium ever again.
Sky are saying that Werner won’t be playing in the Champions League for Leipzig. I suppose once you mentally check out, you’re out.
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Strange old world.
Happy birthday, Odion Ighalo! 🎁
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) June 16, 2020
The forward is loving life at Old Trafford 🙌pic.twitter.com/C2uCAdwRqx
Er, don’t tell anyone, but it appears that I missed this.
Here are some highlights of perhaps their greatest-ever player.
Graeme Le Saux, who is also on Sky with Campbell, is on the board at Real Mallorca. I did not know that.
Tell you what I’ve never got: scarves. Just get a big coat and zip it up.
Richard Masters is the Premier League chief executive. Here he is, smouldering wistfully into the middle distance.
Yellow ticker alert! Sky have an interview with Richard Masters coming up! I am not sure that constitutes “news”.
Spurs currently sit four points off Manchester United, who are in what is currently the fifth Champions League place. Those two meet on Friday, and I wonder if United would take a draw – that lead, a significantly superior goal difference, a friendly-looking run-in and eight games to go would put them in a very strong position to finish above them. On the other hand, if United could win that’d probably see Spurs off, though of course, Wolves and Sheffield United are still involved too.
Spurs will be interesting to watch. They were in a right old two-an before the break, but now they have Kane, Lamela, Son and Bergwijn all back. Their defence is still creaking, their midfield is still lacking and their manager still their manager, but they have the firepower to cause any team problems.
Here’s David Hytner’s Tottenham preview.
It’s been a while since we mentioned Marcus Rashford, so get a load of this.
Back to Villa, I’m really glad that John McGinn is back. When I watched them play in the Championship last season, he impressed me more than Jack Grealish, and is everything a midfielder should be – tough, tenacious, skilful and clever.
It’s a tricky one, is this. The Champions League is in August and Werner is moving countries, so will want to settle in London, and professionally he needs to get to know his new team-mates. On the other hand, Leipzig are in the last eight and capable of beating anyone on a good day – ultimately, he’s entitled to work for who he wants, when he wants, but I’d be surprised if the pull of potential glory didn’t win out in the end.
Meanwhile, Timo Werner is tempted to lozz the Champions League.
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More Marcus Rashford...
Dean Smith has a stained-glass window in his office. Is it a converted synagogue or church? He says the main difference now and pre-lockdown is that there’ll be no crowd. A man of rare perception, the Villa head coach. My guess is that the absence of crowd will work in favour of the better teams, because with the removal of that factor, quality becomes even more important.
Tentatively positive corona news: The Norwich player who tested positive for coronavirus in the last round of tests has now returned a negative sample, the club’s sporting director has said.
The Premier League club confirmed the positive test on Saturday, which came after they had played a friendly against Tottenham the day before.
Stuart Webber told the Beautiful Game podcast that the player in question had now tested negative, and would undergo further tests.
“Luckily the player in question is completely fine, 100 per cent, there’s nothing wrong with him,” he said.
“He’s actually done an independent test with our doctor which has come back negative, which is confusing, so now he’s got to have a third test to see if that comes back negative and to check if he’s got antibodies which could prove that he has had it in the past but doesn’t have it now.
“The main thing is that he’s healthy and the rest of the group are healthy, but it’s a good wake-up call. We’ve done all of these measures and one of us could still get it, that’s quite scary really.”
Campbell is now pointing out that the symbolic interventions of Black Lives Matter being worn on the back of shirts is nice, but what change is going to happen? I wonder if we need some kind of manifesto so that we know the structural issues we’re going to resolve: a Rooney rule and something similar for boardrooms and official bodies to begin with.
On Sky, Kevin Campbell has been talking about the thick skin necessary to make it as a footballer in the face of the racism that he faced. He mentioned the inspiration of Andy Gray living near him, which reminded me of a game I went to in 1989, in which he scored two brilliant goals in a game of brilliant goals.
So our first games, tomorrow, are:
Aston Villa v Sheffield United
Manchester City v Arsenal
Both of those should be decent. It’s getting to the point at which Villa, who have better players than some of the teams near the bottom, need to do something, but Blades need points too.
Arsenal, meanwhile, retain some hope of reaching the Champions League, making two hopes in total – some hope, Bob Hope and the rest of Bob Hope’s family – but financially, will not want to miss out on the Europa League, which is eminently more likely.
Rashford has done an amazing job of simplifying the complexities and quietening the noise. As a society, are hungry children something we’re cool with?
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As if you didn’t already know. But there’s more.
We are trending no 1 and 2 in England. I need everyone’s help to keep this noise going as I head to training but before I go, to ALL MPs in Parliament, this is not about politics. The same way us players put rivalry aside when we put the England shirt on, please #maketheuturn
— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) June 16, 2020
With whom can we start today, but Marcus Rashford? It is with intense pleasure and pride that I report he is at it again.
1. When you wake up this morning and run your shower, take a second to think about parents who have had their water turned off during lockdown #maketheuturn
— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) June 16, 2020
Preamble
When did people, never mind adults, start measuring things in sleeps? Well, we’ve got one more of them – apart from those we’re having at our desks and during childcare – before, on Wednesleep, Premier League football is back!
So, that being the case, we’re going to spend Tuesleep, that being todsleep, looking forward to it because, let’s be real, what else have we got to look forward to? Exactly.
