One Liverpool player ‘utterly infuriating’ as Milan pretend to be Spurs

Liverpool won in Milan but the Italians made it easy, though not easy enough for Darwin Nunez to stay onside.

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Nunez = thick?

I saw a statistic recently highlighting how rarely Haaland is caught offside.

Watching Milan-LFC, I’m reminded that it’s not the crap finishing of Nuñez that drives me the most insane, but rather the utterly unnecessary offsides that seem to happen every other counter-attack. Utterly infuriating, and to me surely a very telling sign of how intelligent and disciplined a striker is.

It’s one thing if you’re fat and immobile, but if you’re already faster than the vast majority of players, what bloody excuse do you have?!

Henry, LFC

Were Liverpool playing Spurs or Milan?

Not aiming to be overly bantery with this… but when we scored two quick goals to overturn an early deficit tonight I might’ve fleetingly thought we were facing Tottenham at the San Siro.

A fullback assisting the center half for an easy, towering header from a dead ball, ok. A second fullback assisting a second center half for an easy, towering header from another dead ball, alright then. A willowy opposing goalkeeper with noticeably limited core strength (in this case possibly due to injury) flapping at crosses and set piece deliveries, it’s starting to get uncanny now.

All we missed was a gruff Aussie with hard, perma-sulk expression on the touchline and we’d have completed the full set.

Slight remorse for any bewildered Spurs supporter catching strays on a night their side don’t even lace them up, but this is genuinely what I thought in real time as the pictures come through. Maybe in his presser now Fonseca will say he doesn’t care about set pieces, then we’ll really have something won’t we.

Eric, Los Angeles CA (Tsimikas will never, ever be the Glen Johnson-type fullback capable of cutting in weak foot to opportunistically score. Absolutely atrocious strike on the player but rather inexplicably, left, right or center he does just keep trying doesn’t he.)

READ: Liverpool complete greatest ever comeback against Milan in massive dig at White, Jover and Arsenal

What’s the referee’s role again?

My mind is blown here. Clattenberg literally said the ref needs to give Milan some small fouls to “calm the crowd down because Milan are getting upset”. Is this really the referees role here? To manage the crowd? Not to play the game that is in front of them? And we wonder why fans get so irate with refs! How can we expect impartiality when we have an ex pro ref admitting he makes decisions to control the narrative of the game. Madness.

Matt J Morgan

Champions League apathy

Does anyone else have absolutely zero interest in this Champions League group stage? Game week 1 last night and I didn’t even bother turning on the TV as an avid football fan who literally spends the week reading about football and listening to podcasts.

Jeopardy and novelty is what makes sports exiting, how have the dimwits who run FIFA and UEAFA not realised this? I couldn’t give a shit about Inter playing Man City or Arsenal playing PSG in a money spinning exercise where after a load of pointless games the worst that will happen is that you have to play an extra play off game. As opposed to for example, if Arsenal were to play Real Madrid or AC Milan in a knock out tie with real jeopardy and novelty (as they don’t play each other every year) I would be all over that like a rash.

The same reason why the Super League will never work and the MLS is a load of rubbish. No jeopardy.

Chippy

Some reasons for Man Utd cheer

Just finished watching the highlights of the United game and while it was fun to watch, United dominating for a change, don’t see any of those goals being scored against better opposition. Barnsley really did not do themselves proud.

Nevertheless, there were some positives from United. The chemistry between the front three was excellent and there was some excellent decision making in the final third, which has been lacking even against weak sides. Rashford seems to have his mojo back and both of those were proper striker’s goals.

Eriksen struck two beautiful goals but he was moving like a retired footballer and it’s concerning that United will have to rely on him against stronger opposition where he can easily be a liability.

Adeel

Why Arsenal don’t need a striker, thank you

OK, go on then, I’ll bite to Andy H, Swansea.

Regarding our bench, you’re right, it did look a little different to what we would usually have but that’s going to happen when you’re missing Odegaard, Rice, Calafiori, Zinchenko, Merino and Tomiyasu. Want to tell me what City’s first eleven and bench looks like without Rodri, De Bruyne, Ake, Lewis, Bernardo Silva and Akanji?

You play the game in front of you with the players you have available. Arsenal were confident Tottenham couldn’t hurt them (proven correct) and they could get a goal on the break or at a set piece (proven correct). They may well play the same against City on Sunday – pretty sure City didn’t score against Arsenal last season. So, would Andy say City aren’t a good team either then?

On his point about top-notch striker…we seemed to do alright when Havertz got comfortable in that role and not only scored a load of goals but brought others into the game. I don’t think the way we play suits an out and out goalscorer as that could restrict the impact of others and that’s clearly what Arteta wants – everyone involved and everyone a danger.

We missed out on the title by two points last season and those were given up in silly results before Christmas, not when we started playing as a well-defined team and system.

Finally, from the weekend – what choice did the ref have when Szoboszlai booted the ball away after giving away a free kick whilst being on a booking? Not seen it discussed much so I was hoping someone could tell me as I want to be really clear on all the rules this season.

Stew

Are Spurs in trouble?

There’s been a lot said about big Ange (mate), apparently he’s lost 7 out of the last 11 league games. A quick check online seems to support that statistic. Their only wins during this sequence? Against Burnley (relegated with a whimper), Sheffield United (relegated without a whimper) and Everton (definitely candidates for the same unless there’s a drastic change).

That’s relegation form…at best. So, when their only win so far this season is against an Everton team that cant hold their own water, it begs a question, when do the media put him under the same scrutiny as ETH? Surely, he’s got be in the sack race now.

If he is, where do Spurs go from here? Tried hiring known winners in Conte and Mourinho, tried the up and coming in Big Ange, mate. So what’s next?

Just a thought.

MadX

P.S I like him, he seems down to earth, but almost resigned to the fact that this is Spurs being Spurs.

READ: Angeball among many Premier League things now on borrowed time

League table not important says man who supports team in fourth

Can people please stop referencing league positions 4 f**king games in as if they’re a barometer of anything? 3 points separate 2nd and 8th place for f***’s sake meaning that any alternative iteration of those positions could be reality next weekend (caveats apply).

Grow up. And don’t look at the table until at least 8 games in (unless doing so to compile a needlessly moody email).

James Outram, (tired and grumpy) Wirral

Can the blind lead us on commentary?

I was going to write in to reply about commentary for the blind and partially sighted but I’m neither so I’m not qualified to talk about their experiences. It would be good to hear from a visually impaired person or maybe for F365 to do an article on the subject. I’d imagine given the number of audio descriptive services “tech bros” at clubs are starting to provide shows that radio is not the ideal solution. Is ADC much more detailed than radio? I don’t know, it would be interesting to hear from someone who does.

I initially brought up more descriptive commentary because it was something I hadn’t considered before, that commentary has a broader audience outside of me that may not have their needs met. After listening to it from someone else’s perspective my selfish conclusion was that it wasn’t even meeting my needs.

SC, Belfast