Today's cover of Corriere dello Sport carries an interesting piece about Daniele De Rossi and his decision not to go to Old Trafford in the summer. With Roma flying high in Serie A and currently unbeaten, he's clearly happy that he decided to stay with his current club, though he could've put it a little more delicately. “Thank goodness I didn’t go to Man United, I would have committed suicide”.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25573324 So Arsenal are the 2013 calendar year champions. It sums Arsenal up really - good form when they're out of a title race and the pressure is a lot less and good form in the first half of the season before the pressure starts!
And what you think there is zero pressure when trying to get a place in the CL? The race between us and Spurs for those places were intense last season, and went down to the final game with both teams not giving an inch. The pressure at achieving a place is in the top four might not be as intense as a title race, but there was serious pressure on the manager and the players to achieve that last season, and you lot (Man Utd) are sure to find that out this season.
And I'm not doubting what you say, but the difference between being a very good team which can match the best, but wins nothing and being a very good team which wins something is clearly illustrated here. Every year the pundits say Arsenal play the best football - and this table suggests you do too - but when did you last win the title? As for Utd, I'd take 4th now if offered.
Bayern have confirmed the long-expected signing of Robert Lewandowski from their rivals Dortmund. He moves in the summer on a free, having signed a 5 year contract. That's any interest that the Bundesliga held for anyone over for a while then, I guess.
Huge shame for Dortmund, losing their two best players to their biggest rivals in consecutive seasons, and for no money! That's about £80m of talent down the drain... rings a bell.
Nottingham Forest 5-0 West Ham United. I don't even think I can laugh at that, it's so bad. Allardyce out, surely.
As the commentators rightly said afterwards, Allardyce himself never seemed up for the game, so how did he expect his players to be. Sadly, it makes our 3-0 defeat by them feel even worse.