I'm going to file this as another example of Italian teams having an almost superhuman inability to beat a Croatian team. Since beating Croatia in a friendly in early 1942 (although I get the feeling the Croats were missing a few players due to Nazi occupation...) Italy's record against Croatia is W0 D5 L3 ...and, no, I can't be arsed to check the records of Serie A teams against Prva HNL teams.
Keeper's in no-man's land, too. Looks like he wants to come for it but changes his mind at the last second. I got lynched for saying it on the Mackem board in the summer, but young Pickford has a heck of a lot to learn still.
How dare you disagree with the Narrative saying Pickford will be England's number one for the next decade ...which hopes we forget that's what was being said about Jack Butland five years ago.
Pickford was a great shot stopper when he was constantly having to make saves. Different game at a bigger club. You have to be able to switch on and perform at your best when you've been idle for 15 minutes or more. The game is more likely to hinge on a few key moments where the 'keeper has to control the situation -organising the defence, coming for crosses, making a crucial save... He doesn't yet command his area of the pitch like top 'keepers do. He's no Southall; he's no Tim Howard either. ****.
City could be looking at being without Mendy for months after injuring his ACL. Just when they thought that was bad enough, the same evening Aguero has apparently been involved in a car crash and faces up to 2 months out with a broken rib.
It's lucky for us that they haven't spent over £380m in the past 16 months or they would be able to comfortably cope with a couple of injuries
I wonder if it will dent the hacks' enthusiasm for awarding the title to Citeh in September? After doing exactly that last season and suggesting a season without a single defeat, one might have thought that a modicum of reserve would be appropriate this season? No such hope. Hacks care only for today's headline. Titles aren't won in the first few games of a season. Sure, you can lose one but you can't win one. Every club has weaknesses that injuries will heighten. Citeh can cope with these but they will hurt them. Both injured players have been in top form. If Kompany blows up as well, then things will get very interesting as the potential replacements for him are rubbish and that's being kind.
You do realise that Pep is God and will be able to make another Aguero from that rib. Hang on though, will she be allowed to play for an Arab owned team? Will she be able to drive? I don't usually smile at others misfortune but in City's case I'll make an exception.
Again, as in the two seasons before, the acid test for Citeh will be their away PL game against Spurs. I look forward to a third successive deflation of the Narrative (TM) .
Chelsea v City is the fixture of the weekend and a match where we can get in the mix at the top there because they can't both get three points. Come on you Spurs.
Fraudiola has said he would like to manage at a World Cup or European Championship Has anyone explained to him that, while Qatar's team are trying to, national teams can't buy titles?
He just needs to find the right bloke at FIFA. The Russians and Qatar bought the staging of the damn thing. It's just a matter of time and price before someone suggests that you can buy the nationality of the world's best players and Bob's yer uncle..........2030 should be about right.
Have you seen Qatar's team lately? I've counted players from Senegal, Algeria, Egypt, Bahrain, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Ghana, Guinea, Jordan, Uruguay and Brazil, as well as French of Moroccan descent and Portuguese of Cape Verdean descent in their squad - mainly because the rules of becoming a Qatari citizen are so loose, every single pundit in the country for the 2022 World Cup will have qualified for citizenship by the final. Thankfully that sort of thing doesn't happen with any other national team. Except for the 42 caps given to Canadian-born Welshman Owen Hargreaves ...or the 79 caps given to Jamaican-born John Barnes ...or the 16 caps given to Brazilian Diego Costa ...or the 64 caps given to Mozambican Eusebio
"With Chelsea and Manchester City still scoreless at Stamford Bridge, Manchester United are sitting pretty at the top of the as-it-stands Premier League table." (BBC Football Live commentary) Just how desperate are these idiots for United to reign supreme once more! They were barely 20 minutes into the game when that comment was posted! I hope City go on to trounce Chavs!
