Month: January 2020

Robin Williams s’est donné la mort il y a un peu plus de deux ans, le 11 août 2014, dans sa maison californienne de Paradise Cay. Il souffrait depuis de nombreuses années de la démence à corps de Lewy, une maladie méconnue, entre Alzheimer et Parkinson, qui petit à petit, privait l’artiste de son autonomie. Dans une revue spécialisée, sa veuve, Susan Schneider Williams, publie un témoignage poignant pour décrire la maladie de l’amour de sa vie, intitulé Le terroriste dans le cerveau de mon mari.

Deux ans près la mort de son mari, l’acteur Robin Williams, Susan Schneider Williams n’arrive pas à oublier les derniers jours terribles de sa vie. Elle avait déjà pris la parole l’an dernier pour décrire le triste quotidien de celui qui nous faisait tant rire.

Elle révélait qu’il souffrait d’une maladie rare, mais très grave, la démence à corps de Lewy, diagnostiquée après sa mort. Cette démence présente des caractéristiques similaires à la maladie de Parkinson et la maladie d’Alzheimer. Robin Williams souffrait de troubles cognitifs, et d’hallucinations visuelles, les mois précédant son suicide.

Cette année, Susan Schneider Williams a pris la plume, pour décrire, dans la revue médicale Neurology, l’enfer de la maladie de son mari. Dans un essai intitulé Le terroriste dans le cerveau de mon mari, elle s’adresse aux médecins spécialistes, et aux chercheurs pour améliorer la connaissance sur le sujet.

“J’écris pour partager cette histoire avec vous, spécialement pour vous. Mon espoir est que cela vous aidera à comprendre un peu plus vos patients ainsi que leurs épouses et ceux qui prennent soin d’eux. Et pour les recherches que vous menez, peut-être que cela ajoutera quelques visages derrière le pourquoi de ce que vous faites.”

Mais son témoignage très personnel n’est pas seulement scientifique, il est touchant. Elle décrit d’abord l’amour qui la liait à Robin Williams comme une forteresse inébranlable.

“Robin est et restera un esprit hors du commun qui était dans le corps d’un homme normal, avec un cerveau d’humain. Il était simplement ce 1 sur 6 qui est affecté par une maladie mentale. Je n’ai pas seulement perdu mon mari à cause de la démence de Lewy, j’ai perdu mon meilleur ami. Robin et moi avions l’un pour l’autre un amour inconditionnel, sûr et fait de dur labeur, que nous avions tous les deux longtemps voulu. Pendant nos sept années ensemble, nous nous disions l’un à l’autre nos espoirs et nos peurs sans aucun jugement (…) N’importe quel obstacle que la vie nous jetait, individuellement ou en couple, était d’une manière ou d’une autre surmontable car nous nous avions l’un pour l’autre. Quand la maladie a commencé à balancer un flot de symptômes sur notre chemin, cette fondation d’amitié et d’amour était notre armure.“

Fin 2013, les symptômes se font présents, et le quotidien change.

« Il luttait contre des symptômes qui ne semblaient pas liés : constipation, difficulté à uriner, brûlures d’estomac, perte de sommeil et insomnie et une diminution de l’odorat et beaucoup de stress (…) Avec l’hiver, les problèmes de paranoïa, délire, insomnie, mémoire et de niveau de cortisol – pour n’en nommer que quelques-uns – s’installaient avec dureté. La psychothérapie et les autres aides médicales devaient êtres constantes pour essayer de ménager et résoudre ces conditions disparates. Je commençais à m’habituer à ce que nous passions plus de temps ensemble à compter nos jours.“

Le couple fait front. Ils vont lutter ensemble contre ce mal, ils vont alors cibler, »identifier et vaincre le terroriste dans son cerveau” comme elle le dit dans son article. Mais dans ce quotidien fait d’anxiété et de lutte contre la maladie, Susan Schneider Williams réalise son impuissance face aux troubles dont souffre Robin Williams.

« Mon mari était piégé dans l’architecture tordue de ses neurones et je ne pouvais pas l’en sortir, peu importe ce que je faisais. (…) Je ne connaitrai jamais la véritable profondeur de sa souffrance, ni à quel point il se battait. Mais j’ai vu l’homme le plus courageux au monde jouer le rôle le plus dur de sa vie. »

Se sentant dépérir sans que sa maladie ne soit identifiée, il mettra fin à ses jours le 11 aout 2014, trois mois avant que le diagnostic officiel ne tombe, la démence à corps de Lewy.

Susan Schneider Williams milite activement, depuis la mort de l’acteur, pour la recherche au sein de l’American Brain Foundation, et reste « persuadée que si un remède surgit de l’expérience de Robin, alors il ne se sera pas battu et ne sera pas mort en vain ».

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Mardi matin, La Maison des maternelles diffusait une séquence qui a beaucoup touché Agathe Lecaron, la présentatrice.

Le 28 mai dernier, Agathe Lecaron a donné naissance à Félix, son second fils. Un souvenir visiblement encore très émouvant pour elle. Mardi matin, sur le plateau de La Maison des Maternelles de France 5, l’animatrice a lancé une séquence qui l’a fait complètement craquer. On y voyait un petit garçon qui rend visite à sa maman à la maternité et découvre sa petite soeur pour la première fois. Emotion ! Agathe Lecaron n’a pu s’empêcher de laisser échapper de chaudes larmes, sans pouvoir s’arrêter : “C’est émouvant, c’est vraiment… Ça rappelle des souvenirs… Pardon, excusez-moi, c’est horrible, a-t-elle confié tout en séchant ses larmes. J’en étais sûre que je pleurerais, pardon !”. L’animatrice a heureusement été secourue par son invitée qui a fini par prendre la parole, lui donnant ainsi le temps de se remettre. Regardez cette émouvante séquence.

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Elle fut l’une des muses d’Alfred Hitchcock. Après Grace Kelly et Kim Novak, Tippi Hedren a incarné la « blonde hitchcokienne ». Fantasmes à l’écran du réalisateur, ces femmes blondes, à la beauté froide, représentaient pour lui « les meilleures victimes ». Une victime vient justement de prendre la parole, 35 ans après la mort du réalisateur de Psychose. Le New York Post vient en effet de publier des extraits de l’autobiographie que s’apprête à publier Tippi Hedren et dans laquelle elle revient sur l’obsession malsaine que lui vouait Hitchcock.

Alfred Hitchcock découvre Tippi Hedren en 1961 dans une publicité pour des boissons amincissantes. Deux ans plus tard, l’actrice de 32 ans tient le premier rôle de l’un de ses films emblématiques : Les oiseaux. Pour la jeune femme, ce film et le contrat qu’elle vient de signer sont une promesse. Mère célibataire, sa fille Mélanie n’a alors que cinq ans, elle enchaîne les petites productions et les contrats de mannequin. L’aventure se transforme pourtant rapidement en cauchemar. En 2012, le téléfilm The Girl produit par HBO, revenait sur le tournage des Oiseaux et le comportement pervers d’Hitchcock envers son actrice principale, incarnée à l’écran par Sienna Miller. Tippi Hedren déclarait à l’époque dans une interview au Telegraph : « Être un objet d’obsession pour quelqu’un est une chose horrible. C’était une forme de harcèlement. Il avait fait analyser mon écriture, il me faisait suivre, et j’ai peu à peu eu l’impression d’être engloutie par lui. »

Dans son autobiographie à paraître, intitulée Tippi, a memoir, l’actrice désormais âgée de 86 ans revient pour la première fois en détail sur cette expérience traumatisante. Dans les extraits publiés par le New York Post Tippi Hedren évoque une obsession qui aurait débuté avant même le début du tournage des Oiseaux, lorsque le réalisateur lui aurait à plusieurs reprises demander de « le toucher. » Les moindres faits et gestes de l’actrice faisaient l’objet d’une attention maniaque de la part d’Hitchcock qui va alors jusqu’à sommer Rod Tayler, son partenaire à l’écran, de ne pas sympathiser et de ne pas toucher celle qu’il appelle « The girl ». Mais le réalisateur va aller plus loin et profiter d’un moment seul avec Tippi Hedren dans sa limousine pour se jeter sur elle et tenter de l’embrasser. Elle écrit : « Ce fut un moment terrible, vraiment terrible. » À une époque où le terme de harcèlement sexuel n’existe pas encore et où ces comportements sont odieusement tolérés, Tippi Hedren choisit de se taire. Elle ajoute, réaliste : « Et puis, lequel d’entre nous était le plus précieux pour le studio, lui ou moi ? »

La situation se détériore encore en 1964 sur le tournage de Pas de printemps pour Marnie. L’actrice évoque alors une agression sexuelle qui aurait eu lieu dans sa loge, à laquelle Hitchcock avait accès grâce à une « porte secrète » qu’il avait fait installer : « Il était pervers (…) Et plus je me suis défendue, plus il est devenu agressif. » Tippi Hedren précise n’avoir jamais cédé aux avances du réalisateur et l’avoir payé de sa carrière. Si elle tourne une cinquantaine de films après Pas de printemps pour Marnie, elle ne rencontrera plus jamais le même succès. Mais la mère de l’actrice Mélanie Griffith ne s’est pas laissée détruire par le maître du suspense : « Il a peut-être ruiné ma carrière. Mais je ne lui ai jamais donné le pouvoir de ruiner ma vie. »

Crédit photo : Bettman /Getty Images

Panique pour CNN ce samedi 21 janvier dans la soirée ! Alors qu’elle retransmettait en direct la “Marche des femmes“ de Washington, la chaîne de télévision américaine a été prise de court par l’arrivée surprise de Madonna à la tribune. Contrainte de ne pas diffuser de gros mots à l’antenne ou de les biper, CNN a dû couper l’intervention de la “Reine de la Pop“ qui s’est pour le moins lâchée.

“Bienvenue à la révolution de l’amour, de la rébellion, de notre refus en tant que femmes d’accepter cette nouvelle ère de tyrannie“, a lancé, hier, Madonna devant une foule d’environ 500 000 personnes ayant répondu à l’appel de la “Marche des femmes“ de Washington.

Coiffée d’un bonnet noir à oreilles de chat, la “Material Girl“, fidèle à elle-même, avait donc décidé d’opter pour un ton sans ambages : “ll nous aura fallu cet horrible moment de ténèbres pour nous réveiller, put*in !“ a-t-elle déclaré, mettant en garde contre la menace à l’encontre de “la dignité des femmes“ que constitue l’élection de Donald Trump.

En direct sur plusieurs chaînes de télévision, la chanteuse a renchéri quelques secondes plus tard : “À nos détracteurs qui pensent que cette marche ne se concrétisera jamais, allez vous faire enc*ler !“, avant d’employer le mot en “Fuck“ une troisième fois. Estimant que la ligne rouge était franchie, la chaîne CNN a alors cessé immédiatement sa retransmission en direct de l’événement.

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Habituée des provocations, Madonna avait ouvertement soutenu Hillary Clinton pendant la campagne présidentielle. A l’époque, moins regardante quant aux droits des femmes, elle avait promis une fellation à chaque électeur de la candidate démocrate.

The president of Brazilian side Athletico Paranaense has confirmed that Arsenal are interested in midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.

The 22-year-old has started 33 times in all competitions this season for the Furacao as they finished fifth in the Brazilian Serie A, behind heavyweights such as Flamengo and Santos.

O Jogo (via Sport Witness) claims that Benfica have made a €20m offer to sign Guimaraes with Athletico Paranaense president Mario Celso Petraglia confirming a bid in an interview with the Portuguese newspaper.

Not only that but he revealed that there is interest from Premier League side Arsenal in the Brazil under-23 international, who are reportedly looking for a midfielder in the January transfer market.

“Yes it’s true. Yesterday came the official offer from Benfica to sign Bruno Guimarães,” Petraglia told O Jogo.

“Let’s study Benfica’s offer. On Monday we will meet the club board to assess this situation.

“Arsenal are interested, but will only make an offer towards the end of the season.”

The Gunners have also been linked with a loan move for AC Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu in recent days.

 

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Send your mails to [email protected]…

 

Old school thinking
I would have said that just using the term ‘old school’ makes you old school Johnny.

In reality, you partially answered your own question when talking about why some of the English managers get tagged as being ‘old school’ while others do not. It all boils down to how they present themselves to the broader world. When I first heard about Eddie Howe it was about the way he thinks about the game and trains his team. Same thing with Graham Potter – and his use of analytics. Clearly Frank Lampard is too young to be considered old anything and given that he is giving the youngsters a chance it would seem odd to class him as ‘old school.’ On the field we can also see an attempt at playing a type of game that is not just about being solid defensively.

I have never heard Chris Wilder being referred to as ‘old school’ and I listen to a ton of podcasts and read copiously about the game. It took quite a bit of searching but found 3 – one was a female writer I hadn’t heard of saying he was ‘old school with new ideas’, a Daily Mail article extolling why he was not ‘old school’ and then one in the Times where Chris Wilder himself refers to himself as ‘old school’ because his team chases the game and no one calls out Jurgen Klopp for doing the same. Kind of supporting Johhny Nic’s idea.

Ultimately this is all about positioning. Howe, Potter and Lampard never talk about ‘old school’, never talk solely about chasing and running hard. Wilder does himself a disservice when he positions himself as a manager who rates huff and puff higher than other skills – at least outwardly. After the Liverpool game he praised Liverpool for the fact that they out ran, out hustled his team. As if those were the traits he rated most highly.

He is clearly a great thinker of the game and tactician but his own statements belie that impression.

And lets face it, most of us do consider Hodgson to be from the ‘old school.’ He probably gets a partial pass from the media because he worked abroad for a while, which is never considered ‘old school’ but as a manager who relied on getting players to hold on to a rope to understand playing in a line in a 4-4-2, we are never going to think of Roy as anything but an Allardyce without the northern accent.

And lets face it. Many people who hail from the North, love to extol their more down to earth, ‘real’ people, harder working virtues and play up on their gruff accent and demeanor. The problem arises only later when you want to be considered the urban sophisticate. It’s hard playing both sides of the coin. Fergie and Paisley somehow managed it.
Paul McDevitt

 

What’s the point getting angry?
Alright Mark, Waterdown, LFC, let’s get angry. I am angry that Spurs are managed by the arch-bastard Mourinho. I am angry that Daniel Levy has allowed the club to stagnate because of his money-grubbing ego-fuelled antics. I am angry that Mourinho appears to be instilling an inferiority complex after Poch worked so hard to remove it. I am angry that Mourinho is making excuses about fitness after five years of hard running and last minute winners. I am angry that Poch was fired to make way for this gutless, miserable version of football. I am angry that we were sold a vision of guaranteed trophies from Mourinho and the best he can offer is mid-table form. I am angry that there is nothing I can do about any of this.

So why should I bother ranting and raving about it? Levy doesn’t care. Mourinho doesn’t care. At the risk of going all Johnny Nic, this is not our game any more. The anger doesn’t achieve anything.

Obviously this doesn’t apply to all fans, because some will rant and rave at every opportunity, but I’m not about to let some smug, self-absorbed, self-entitled multi-millionaires dictate my emotional wellbeing. So I’ve chosen to stop caring so much. A hearty middle finger to the lot of ’em.
Harry, THFC (Levy is the real bald fraud)

 

…Mark asks why Spurs fans aren’t angry about the Liverpool result, particularly the manner of it. I can’t profess to speak for all, but I can give it a go by giving my top 5 reasons.

1. Initial expectations – I think a lot of Spurs fans looked at a team shipping all manner of goals in recent weeks to much inferior sides, with one fit natural centre midfielder (Winks), our 2nd choice keeper still playing, and our top striker recently injured, and figured we’d get absolutely spanked by a team that is capable of steamrolling the best in Europe 4-0!! That we kept the scoreline respectable in defeat is reason enough to breathe a sigh of relief; not get angry.

2. Mark says Spurs have the capability to take even the best on in every game they play. Mark obviously isn’t aware of Spurs record vs. Top 6 under Pochettino. Let me tell him, it was terrible (averaged 1.09pts/game Vs Top 6; over or around about 2pts/game Vs non Top 6); and that was with a manager who, like Mark, thought Spurs should always just play their natural game and try to always attack every team. For once, I was glad to see our team and our manager come up with a system to try to negate some elements of a superior side’s strengths with at least some consideration of how to exploit its weaknesses (counter attacks by fast paced wide men into space behind full backs). It wasn’t perfectly executed in the end, but it was worth trying something different after years of doing what Mark suggested and failing miserably

3. In similar vein – anyone who expected different/better from Jose is either deluded or ignorant. As F365 has continually pointed out, Mourinho is so predictable and has enough of a back catalogue to make this pretty much a paint by numbers. Getting angry at that is as pointless as getting angry about the passage of time – you’ll never stop it; just enjoy the ride as long as you can whilst it lasts!!!

4. Mark says Liverpool now always break down stubborn defences and perhaps that’s ultimately right, as they did do just that on Saturday night; but how many of those teams who camp 8+ behind the ball have defences made up of an African Cup of Nations winner, a World Cup and Euro Champs semi finalist, a Europa League finalist..(yes not all of those are pinnacle events of highest calibre, but all involve high pressure one off games in which experience of mental toughness and concentration levels are gained). With respect to those other side’s, their defenders aren’t as used to the super high pressure situation that is required to keep a team like Liverpool out, so it’s no wonder they eventually crumble. I guess Mourinho assumed/assessed his generally, highly experienced defenders stood a better chance of success…

4. When you have put your faith in a tactical plan, you don’t immediately throw it out the window as soon as a goal is scored. Spurs weren’t playing for a draw from the off; they wanted to win and assessed that keeping it tight as long as possible and withholding some energy for the final 25 mins was the best strategy to do that. Having then conceded a goal; they will have rationalised that the target may need to change to getting a point; but the execution/style didn’t need to be thrown out.

If/when you grab your equaliser or if time is really running out is the time to re-evaluate. So many teams do change system and go chasing the equaliser asap only to quickly find themselves with a 2 goal deficit to fight back from.

5. For me personally, unless we really fall off a cliff from here, I’m willing to give Jose a half season to just suss out the squad full of players he’s inherited. Truth is, they don’t really fit to his usual tactical gameplan, with holes particularly at DCM. So I refuse to get overly grumpy about any result between now and the end of the season – with the exception of the NLD if he screws that up!

Next year on the other hand, after a full Jose pre season and summer transfer window…
Paul (Spurs) T.Wells

 

…Because we know that we aren’t very good.

We haven’t been very good since this time last year, so we’re somewhat resigned to it.

We got to the final of the European Cup, but (get this) we weren’t very good really at any stage in doing so.

Domestically, throughout this, we weren’t very good.

We had a very good manager, but he seemed to get very sad and over the course of a year he was not very good. We like him and hope he gets happy and good again.

Our chairman is very good at some things, but the things that were miraculously working stopped working- he’s now not very good, is the common knowledge.

Very many of our players are not very good. Those that are, aren’t very good at staying very fit.

Even when they are, they get paid the same as players that aren’t very good, and over time that seems to have affected them so that they play as if they are now not very good.

Things that are, in fact, very good:

1: Our stadium

2: The team that played us there at the weekend

So yeah, we’re not very good at being very angry that we didn’t beat Liverpool, because Spurs are back to not being very good.

That’s about it.
Darragh, Spurs, Ireland

 

…Hi Mark, Waterdown, LFC – context is a funny old thing. As a Spurs fan I’d have loved for us to be able to give it more of a go against the mighty reds on Sunday but let me set the scene; Spurs are welcoming, currently, the best, most in form and most organised team in the country (if not the world). We’ve lost 14 league games in 2019 and also lost to Southampton last time out in 2020 – so it’s 15 league losses in all within a 12 month period (which actually turned to 16 after the Liverpool loss). In the same period of time we have won 16 league games. Throw in some terrible terrible draws in that period, 8 to be precise. We are missing our star man, one Mr Kane. We are missing our best midfielder too, N’Dombele. We have a right back who is 100% incompetent and also seems like a bit of a dick for good measure. Add into this we have Mourinho making some odd selection choices as well him chasing a modern game that has passed him by and, with all of the above taken into account, you can see why we may not have given your guys a run for their money.

This is also the short context version. I won’t go into detail on our CL run but, quite simply, this was an absolute distraction from our woeful football in the league at the time. And I mean woeful. I’m grateful we got to the final and experienced some crazy highs but (as someone who doesn’t really agree with away goals) we didn’t even ‘properly’ beat City or Ajax.

We aren’t the 3rd best team in the league and weren’t when the league finished back in May. Anyone who thinks we are needs to take a look at how we actually played football for most of 2019 and how we are playing now. I don’t want to come across all pessimistic (as I actually wrote in on Saturday after the same saying how I saw some positives for Spurs moving forward – feel free to check the Sunday mailbox if you’re really bored) but for us to turn up against the league leaders who haven’t lost in 426 years, missing our best players and in terrible terrible form would just be an awful idea. We made Norwich look like a team of 11 Ronaldos a few weeks back, please bear that in mind.
Glen, Stratford Spur

 

More to Saints than Ings
Reading the winners & losers column, it’s great to see the usual mention of Ings but let’s not forget, he is just 1 of the 11 players and Southampton are playing great in all areas now, The Alpine Klopp really has invigorated the team since our 0-9 thrashing and made the whole squad believe in themselves again – Ings is playing well, but only because the service has returned, the midfield is performing, the defense is strong and the manager has got his mojo back. It’s not just about Ings!
Simon C, SFC

 

…Hello there. RE: Paul in Brussels, I’m a season ticket holder at Southampton and I think there are several reasons to explain the upturn in form.

I think the three big factors that really helped were the board telling the players that he was their man (and I imagine a few were told to put up or shut up) and that he would not be sacked. He has said this took the monkey off his back and made him more confident to play the way he thought would get results (and it has). it also showed those players that if they thought getting beat 9 nil at home would get rid of him, they had another thing coming = they would be sold before he was sacked. I think that probably bought a few of them into line. Finally, hes admitted he got things wrong and I think the players responded to that. He took the blame for the defeat and (given how astronomical the average footballer’s ego must be) I think they have responded positively to that.

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His return to his’ principles that has worked – ​at the start of the season, there was too much going on (players out of position, odd formations) but after the 9-nil (eugh, bit of sick) he went back to what worked last year. It’s been quite simple – he’s worked out his best 11, he’s dropped the players who aren’t up to it and is playing a system that works for them.

People call for their managers head when the club and fans have unrealistic expectations of where they should be (West Ham, Everton anyone) but really, how are clubs ever going to build anything if they chop and change every time things go a bit south. Watford might be doing well with the bounce from Pearson, but I doubt he will be in there this time next year when they are 19th.

It probably also helped that Saints are still paying off Puel, Pellegrino and Hughes mind…
Joe (we will finish top 10, Villa, Bournemouth, Norwich for the drop for me, Clive).

 

In’t football brilliant
I’ve e mailed a couple of times urging people to stop getting so wound up and enjoy this sport that we all supposedly love. Yes, I am a Liverpool fan and we are lucky at the moment to be watching such a great side, I am old enough to know this may not happen again in my lifetime.

But just this weekend, Danny Ings continued his scoring run and hit the bar with an audacious effort. Considering his injuries that was a joy to watch, I desperately wanted him to succeed at Liverpool but everything went against him.

Manchester City’s first half performance against Villa was a thing of beauty. Stunning, incisive football which we are privileged to watch. From a league perspective I obviously want City to lose or draw at the moment but what a performance, that alone should remind everyone why we watch football.

From the same game, the performance of Aguero. Absolutely outstanding, I laughed with pleasure when he scored his second.

We haven’t won the league for 30 years, everyone knows that but rather than fall into an increasingly bitter downward spiral I’ve chosen to enjoy the quality I get to see every week. If a few more people did the same it would make going to the match a far more pleasurable experience.

Anyone who can’t appreciate the sublime nature of Liverpool’s 2nd half performance against Leicester at Christmas, City’s performance yesterday or any of the other wonderful moments we get to see every week should give up and start watching croquet.
Mark Jones, LFC, Liverpool

 

Lucky Liverpool?
Just a quick point on Liverpool and luck from a United fan. While they may have had their fair share – or even an unfair share, I can’t say I watch all the games so I don’t know for certain which it is – of good luck, luck alone counts for very little. Sure, it plays a part in helping them pick up points but the way some people are going on you would think they have scabbed their way to the title on nothing but luck. As much as it pains me to admit, they are a phenomenal squad – not just a great first 11 – and they absolutely deserve to be as far ahead as they are. Luck might have had a hand in a few matches but you have to be good enough to take advantage of lucky breaks when they come your way. While there may have been some luck in the build up to Firmino’s goal (something about a throw-in?), there was nothing lucky about his positioning, his reading of the game, that perfect first touch and the lethal finish. 50/50s going your way is all well and good but you still have to make the most of the opportunities that they present. Liverpool are going to win the league this year and, while it’s going to cause the biggest mass-migraine in the history of mankind, they will fully deserve it because of their planning, the execution of those plans, and the overall quality within the squad and coaching team.

But if you guys could manage to f*ck it up somehow that would be much appreciated, cheers.
Ted, Manchester

 

Klopp’s 95-minute men
Just a little one. Have noticed recently that Jurgen Klopp always talks about games being 95 minutes long. After the Tottenham game he said “We played super football in their box, but for 90-95 minutes you have to be ready. We were, but we still have to do better.”

Assistant Manager Pep Lijnders did the same in an interview last week saying “It’s easy to say, it’s harder to put it into practice on the pitch for 95 minutes.” Feels like maybe a conscious decision to keep the team mentality there for the entirety of the game.

This season Liverpool have earned the most points of any team from 85+ minutes and from 90+ minutes, so if it is a conscious decision to improve this, it’s working. Maybe I’m reading into it too much.
Joe. LFC fan.

 

Get on board the throw-in bus
Have we really gotten to a point in the discussion about Liverpool’s “luck” that we are debating whether or not they should have been awarded a throw-in?

A throw-in is not a penalty kick; it is not a free kick; it is not even a corner kick. Incorrect decisions for throw-ins happen in literally every game. It is one of the least impactful ways in which a player is allowed to resume play (unless your name is Rory Delap).

My recommendation for the other clubs is to hire more talented and qualified throw-in coaches so that they can more effectively take advantage of “lucky” incorrect decisions on throw-ins.
Chris, Chicago, LFC

 

10 thoughts on… everything
1. Liverpool are not cruising, they are scraping by because teams come at them with all they’ve got. Everyone wants to be the one to end Liverpool’s winning streak but if they get their tactics wrong (everyone is trying something else), they get pummeled. Its like a relegation fight for every match.

2. Spurs couldn’t attack all the way as they simply don’t have the fitness, hence only attacking 100% in the last 20 minutes when Liverpool is more tired. If they had done this earlier on, Liverpool would have pummeled them when they ran out of energy. IMHO, Spurs is only a 75 minutes team at the moment when playing with normal intensity. When Mourinho first took over, they were a 60 minutes team.

3. Brendan is a good coach but he is somewhat one dimensional, he lacks a plan C aside from the usual attack and defense. That’s why Liverpool pummeled them. He had the same issues when he was Liverpool manager.

4. Liverpool have learned to score pragmatically from almost any situation (throw ins, crosses, box penetration, long pass, etc…). They are trained to spot any opportunity. Their problem is the lower conversion rate and inbound crosses from midfield half spaces ala KDB. If they can improve this, expect scorelines to increase.

5. Teams are more afraid of Salah than Mane and mark him more tightly hence his goal contribution is less but his assists are higher. Also, Salah is probably over training his right foot presently so he is losing a bit of touch on his left. When he sorts this out, watch out.

6. Liverpool defence are very good at closing down/forcing attacking angles, that is why when there is a shot on goal it tends to go almost directly to Alisson. Of course, Alisson still has to do the hard work of blocking the shot but the angles are usually close enough to be reachable.

7. Pep seems to have figured out how to make his defence work better (3 at the back during attacking play when playing strong counter attacking teams), hence Man City scoring freely again. However, it remains to be seen if his defence can take a sustained attack from top teams especially European. As such, I don’t think Man City will be bothered again by anyone in lower league positions this season. Liverpool are right to be cautious here.

8. MU needs a strong DM that can dictate passes and a box to box midfielder. Their attack also needs to defend more especially in attack to defence transitions as defence in modern football starts with the attacking players. Everyone has to have a high defence situational awareness and track back.

9. Arsenal needs a strong DM and CB. They will do much better with that. Backtracking is also a work in progress. Arteta’s system is going well so far.

10. Chelsea needs a strong CB. Kepa is letting in too many in on his own. It would be best if Lampard can impose a system rather than relying too much on individual talent. Unfortunately, this has not been the Chelsea way for some time now.
Observer, LFC

 

Pearson’s reputation
Whilst I enjoyed Adam’s praise of Nigel Pearson and his use of maths, I do feel that he significantly ignored the work that Pearson did pre-2015. Who would have thought an Arsenal fan dismissing anything outside of the premier league? Thought I’d fill you in on some important details.

Leicester were literally at the lowest point in their history when he took over. He rebuilt the squad and got them promoted first time of asking (Leeds, Sheff Utd, Notts Forest etc have shown this is not as easy as some might think). First season back in championship he took them to 5th losing on penalties in the play offs. He was then forced out as Milan Mandaric wanted a bigger name as he tried to sell the club. Paulo Sousa then Sven were appointed and Leicester were sh*te.
Eventually the legend Khun Vichai (RIP) reappointed Pearson. He continued building what he had begun previously, developing a lot of the structure that is in place now – scouting, data analysis, medical etc and created a young hungry team with a togetherness in the squad. He managed to get them back into the play offs and then the following season they romped the league.

A lot has been talked of the survival the following season but they had actually played pretty well most of that season without getting the results. He kept belief and morale in the squad high and then the signing of Robert Huth in January made a huge difference in the second half of the season and beyond. Leicester still benefit even now from the work that Pearson did and I was gutted when he had to leave because of what happened in Thailand.

Pearson gets a hard time because he looks a bit like a bully PE teacher and he is certainly spiky with the media but speak to any player who has played for him and they say that he is not like that at all, he is an excellent man manager who gets the most out of his players.

Or it could just be magic?
Joel

 

Tough gig
I mean, how dare Ernesto Valverde win back-to-back La Ligas and be top of the league again this season…
Chris, Barnet

 

Iron VAR
I was so exasperated by the whining and moaning of Declan Rice and David Moyes after the late disallowed goal against Sheff Utd. Which part of the rules do these two not understand. I would have to suggest that both of them (Moyes, in particular) need to be given some basic education on the ruling.

What’s really frustrating about this is the media noise that then gets created which masks the real issues with VAR. They are quite simply:

1. The amount of time it takes to get to an answer (and)
2. The failure to adequately apply the advantage rule. Theo Walcott being denied a penalty against Brighton, being a case in point. What this does (if I’m a defender), is that I know I can have a nibble and will get away with it. The incident should have resulted in a penalty and a red card.

The nonsense talked about the VAR offsides is also really silly. If your offside, your offside, armpit or 15 yards. Pre-VAR, we used to be palmed off with the “these things even out over the course of a season” nonsene. Well, actually, it’s exactly the same with these VAR offsides. Only these days, the even-ing out is of being on the right or wrong side of the “correct” decision. If you are going to have a moan, have one about misfortune, not about the fact that the right decision was made.
Dale LFC, (VAR is not going to be scrapped any time soon, so get used to it)

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has been sacked and replaced by Quique Setien despite the club being top of the La Liga table.

Valverde, 55, took training on Monday morning amid intense speculation his time as coach was about to come to an end and his fate was sealed later in the evening.

The former Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol manager has guided Barca to La Liga titles in each of his two full seasons in charge, as well as winning the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup in 2018.

Former Real Betis boss Setien was named as Valverde’s successor soon after, on a contract until June 2022.

A statement on Barcelona’s website read: “The club publicly expresses its gratitude to Ernesto Valverde for his professionalism, his commitment, his dedication and his always positive treatment towards all that make up the Barca family. We wish him luck and success in the future.”

Barcelona are top of La Liga on goal difference from Real Madrid, and through to the last 16 of the Champions League after topping their group, but some of their performances under Valverde have fallen short of the club’s usually high standards.

Barca have suffered embarrassing Champions League exits over the past two years, losing on away goals to Roma in the quarter-finals in 2018 despite winning the first leg 4-1 at the Nou Camp.

Last year Barcelona beat Liverpool 3-0 in the first leg of a semi-final on home soil, only to lose the return 4-0 at Anfield.

Valverde’s position was brought into further focus following some inconsistent performances from the Catalan outfit, the most recent being last Thursday’s Spanish Super Cup semi-final defeat to Atletico Madrid.

Barca led 2-1 with nine minutes remaining, only to suffer a 3-2 loss, and that proved to be the final straw for Nou Camp chiefs.

Spanish media reported a meeting between president Josep Maria Bartomeu and Valverde took place at the club’s training ground on Monday afternoon, and was followed by a scheduled board meeting.

That came after reported summit talks on Sunday involving Bartomeu, director Javier Bordas, chief executive Oscar Grau, technical secretary Eric Abidal, and assistant Ramon Planes.

Xavi, currently in charge of Al Sadd, was one of the names who had been touted as a possible replacement for Valverde and the Qatari club’s sporting director Muhammad Ghulam Al Balushi said over the weekend that Nou Camp officials had made an approach for their ex-captain.

The 39-year-old former Spain star admits it is a “dream” of his to one day coach Barca, but insisted his focus right now was on Al Sadd.

Xavi made a club-record 767 appearances for Barca from 1999 through to 2015, winning 25 trophies in the process. He subsequently joined Al Sadd, initially as a player before finally retiring in May last year, and then taking over as head coach for this season.

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The Spanish giants have instead turned to Setien, 61, who will be presented to the media at 1.30pm GMT on Tuesday before holding his first press conference shortly afterwards.

Manchester United’s midfield injury crisis could mean they are forced into a situation where they have to give Nemanja Matic a new contract, according to reports.

The 31-year-old is out of contract in the summer and is free to talk to foreign clubs this month.

The Red Devils were prepared to let him leave during the current transfer window for a bargain fee, with a number of top clubs said to be interested in the Serbia international.

But United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has problems in central midfield, and is looking to recruit this month to bolster his ranks in the centre of the park.

Paul Pogba has just had surgery on an ankle injury and is facing an extended spell on the sidelines, while the Frenchman’s long-term Old Trafford future remains up in the air.

Scott McTominay is also expected to be out for some time, leaving Solskjaer desperately short of options.

It is understood Old Trafford chiefs spoke with Matic’s camp earlier this week to explain their plans for his future.

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United do not want to lose him on a free transfer, and told him they plan to trigger the 12-month option in his contract, according to The Sun.

That deal keep Matic at the club until the summer of 2021, but they could at least recoup around £15million for him in the summer.

Matic, who earns £150,000-a-week, already had one eye on a move to Italy with Inter Milan showing interest, along with MLS outfit Chicago Fire.

 

The 20-year-old defender has seen his crossing ability hailed by Pat Nevin, with big things expected of another academy graduate at Stamford Bridge

Reece James is the latest youngster to make a breakthrough at Chelsea, with the 20-year-old full-back seeing his crossing ability compared to David Beckham by Blues legend Pat Nevin.

A number of academy graduates have been given an opportunity to shine on the Premier League stage by Frank Lampard in the 2019-20 campaign.

James, who spent last season on loan at Championship side Wigan, is among those to have made the most of first-team chances afforded to them .

He has taken in 18 appearances across all competitions, recording three assists along the way.

The most recent of those came in a 3-0 win over Burnley, with the England U21 international showcasing his impressive delivery from the flanks .

Former Chelsea winger Nevin has acknowledged as much, telling the club’s official website of a hot prospect: “One skill that looks much easier than it first appears is sending in a vicious cross at pace, with perfect direction while on the run.

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“Think of David Beckham at his best, his crossing was his finest attribute by far, and suddenly you realise that being brilliant at one particular skill can get you a very long way in the game. I mention Beckham because the quality of crossing that we see most weeks from Reece James reminds me of his level.

“Hyperbole is common in football, but I hope I am not afflicted by the temptation to go down that route too often, so talking about Reece in that company hopefully means something.

“It is easy enough to put a ball into that area between the defence and the keeper but it is much harder to do it unerringly with pace so the defenders are scared to touch it, the keeper has no chance of coming out to collect it and all the forwards have to do is get on the end of it with any sort of touch. Kevin De Bruyne has that ability along with his many others, but it is rare to that level.

“Reece is extraordinary in this area but looking at his performances of late it is becoming very clear that he is long away from being a one-trick pony. His tackling and recovery have been exceptional and still appear to be improving at a pace. His comfort on the ball is remarkable for one so young. In fact it is already impossible to think of him as a ‘raw’ 20-year-old.

“He turned out last season for Wigan and as we all know, he was named player of the year for the Latics and had more appearances than anyone else at the club.

“That is superb in itself, but there were some seasoned Wigan fans at the end of the campaign who were seriously asking the question, ‘Is Reece James the best footballer ever to play for the club in its entire history?’ A bold suggestion, but even asking the question speaks volumes for a youngster only there for a season on loan.”

James will be in contention for more competitive minutes on Saturday when Chelsea taken in a trip to Newcastle.

The Brazilian pledged to give his “all” to the club’s cause after starring in a thrilling draw with Monaco at Parc des Princes

Neymar says that there is still “immense affection” and “great respect” between him and Paris Saint-Germain supporters, despite his attempts to force through a return to Barcelona last summer.

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The Brazil international joined PSG for a world-record £200 million ($260m) fee back in 2017, bringing to an end a hugely successful four-year spell at Camp Nou.

Unfortunately, Neymar’s time in France has been blighted by fitness and disciplinary issues, leading to plenty of speculation over his future at the club.

The 27-year-old made no secret of his desire to go back to Barca last year, but the Blaugrana were unable to negotiate a final deal with the French champions.

Neymar was gradually reintroduced to the first-team fold at the start of the 2019-20 campaign, but he was booed by his own fans upon his initial return in a fixture against Strasbourg on September 14.

He has only recently managed to rediscover his best form after recovering from a hamstring injury which stalled his progress once again.

The former Barca talisman has hit 10 goals in 11 Ligue 1 appearances this term, with his latest double coming in a 3-3 draw at home to Monaco on Sunday.

Speaking after the match, Neymar insisted that he is happy with his relationship with PSG supporters and promised to continue giving “100%” on the pitch.

“My arrival here was one of the best feelings of my football life,” he began. “The way the supporters received me was great. And, for me, the relationship takes its course. 

“Everyone knows what happened last summer. It’s in the past. Today, I am a PSG player, I continue here, I give my all. 

“PSG can have a great season. They are good supporters, I have nothing against them, on the contrary. 

“There is immense affection, great respect. I hope they will support us and help us again. I want them to continue to do what they do in the stands and, on the field, I will give 100%.”

Thomas Tuchel opted to start Neymar, Angel Di Maria, Mauro Icardi and Kylian Mbappe in a front four against Monaco, which left his side exposed defensively on a number of occasions.

Neymar jumped to the defence of the PSG manager’s 4-4-2 system, and went on to suggest that Islam Slimani was offside when he scored a 70th-minute equaliser for the visitors.

The goal was initially ruled out, before a VAR review judged that Marquinhos played the Monaco striker onside.

“It’s in the video, it’s everyone’s interpretation,” Neymar said. “I don’t think it was intentional [from Marquinhos], but I don’t want to create controversy and even less want to be suspended again (laughs).”