We have reached the end of another Premiership season, and once again it is the blue side of Manchester that finds itself celebrating a title victory. Meanwhile in North London, Arsenal fans, players and staff will be left wondering what might have been, as having led the league for most of the season, a series of poor results allowed City to catch up and overtake them down the home stretch.
But is it really all doom and gloom for the Gunners? Mikel Arteta just found himself competing for the title with the youngest squad in the league, while of the main squad, only former City players Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus having experience of winning a Premier League title race, and even they had usually been playing more of a support role than stars of the starting XI. Even Arteta is still rather inexperienced, having only taken the lead role at Arsenal in December 2019 (named head coach, with his role expanding to manager in September 2020). While this loss will hurt, the squad will have learned so much, which will benefit them in the coming seasons. And while you would expect some of their rivals to be better next season, that extra year of experience should also be huge for the Gunners.
Of course, this painful end to the season has also highlighted a need to improve the depth of the squad, what is important is to find players who will complement the squad:
Probably most notable from the end of he season is the need for at least 1 more centreback to be brought in, as the Gunners were clearly hurt at the back by the loss of William Saliba. I can’t help but feel that Arteta should be looking to Italy here, where if Roma fail to reach the Champions League it would perhaps provide an opportunity to lure Chris Smalling back to England, which would also provide them a far more experienced player who is already used to the Premier League and has experience of fighting for (and winning) the title.
Similarly, you could argue that more options are required in the fullback positions, as a new right back would free up Ben White to potentially move back inside, while a lack of minutes this season will likely see Kieran Tierney look to move on.
While signing Jorginho in January brought a bit more depth to the midfield, Arsenal arguably need more options here, especially in the deeper position where Thomas Partey operates, as there was no real option available as his form disappeared towards the end of the season, while he could also miss time through the African Cup of Nations. Luckily, there are a couple of big names who may be available to move from other Premier League clubs, as Rúben Neves has expressed his desire to play Champions League football, while Declan Rice could potentially be available if he decides to leave West Ham, and Kalvin Phillips could even become an option should City decide to sell him after a successful move to midfield from John Stones.
Finally, like Manchester City a season ago, Arsenal need to look at adding another option up front in the form of an out-and-out central striker. We have seen the impact that Erling Haaland has had on City this season, providing a focal point in the box while also still retaining the quality of technical attack that we have come to expect of them. Of course, not everyone can get an Erling Haaland, and the obvious big name who may be available—Harry Kane—is highly unlikely to join having been a Spurs fan all of his life, while Ivan Toney’s ban probably rules him out this summer. However, Roma again feels like a potential place to look for the answer as the promise of Champions League football and also the lure of a potential England recall could tempt Tammy Abraham to the Emirates, while boyhood Arsenal fan Ollie Watkins may also be available, especially if Aston Villa just miss out on Europe.
While this will hurt in the short-term, as long as Arsenal learn the right things from this season and make smart moves in the transfer market, Arsenal have every chance of competing for the title again next season, even if we see a resurgence from Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs and continued improvement from Manchester United, Brighton, Newcastle and Villa. Only time will tell. But it feels like some silverware and a title challenge is a must.
Welcome to Sport on the Silver Screen. In this series, I will be looking back over sports movies and series that I have recently watched/re-watched and giving my thoughts on them. Getting into the Schmoedown and starting to follow a number of the personalities from the show has given me a much greater appreciation of movies and seen me starting to watch more, while a resolution for 2022 has also seen me making a resolution to watch more series.
Being a fan of both movies and sports, I have taken the chance to start highlighting the sheer volume of sports movies out there, while also now throwing in the occasional series. In each article I will be giving some details about the movie/series and then a quick review, including a section giving a sports fan’s perspective of the action’s realism.
This series has been heavily influenced by Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai of Action Industries, but I will not be looking at the traditional “Fist-pump moment” and “Favourite line” sections due to just how much more content a series provides compared to a movie, instead talking about the prospects for the future of the show. Be aware, there will be spoilers, but I will try to keep them to a minimum.
After beng interested ever since hearing good reviews upon it’s initial release, and with a new series releasing very soon, I finally opened the wallet to pay for yet another streaming service, and after bingeing through season 1, I’m now here with a review of season 2 of Ted Lasso.
Key facts
Episodes 12
Released in 2021
Distribution (UK) Apple TV+
Starring Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein, Phil Dunster, Nick Mohammed, Juno Temple
Synopsis After last year’s relegation, it’s up to Ted Lasso to find a way to get AFC Richmond promoted back to the Premier League while also managing his own personal demons following his divorce. Meanwhile, Roy Kent adjusts to life after retiring from football, Jamie Tartt must pick up the pieces after a poor career decision. Can Richmond end a season full of personal trials with a return to the top flight?
Review
So I absolutely loved season 1, and I think that season 2 was even better. With the vast majority of characters now established, and with 2 extra episodes, the show can now focus even more on the situations to put the characters in, and on how the players are going to grow. And we see that with most of the main characters. We see Roy trying to find his place following his retirement and Keeley’s growth as a businesswoman, while also navigating their relationship and Roy’s close relationship with his niece. Rebecca is moving on with her life (with some interesting consequences), while a series of bad career decisions sees Jamie reach a low that helps put him on the path to becoming a much better person. Meanwhile, Sam Obisanya becomes integral to so much of this season as we see his own personal development, but also his impact on others. The big character growth here is from Nate, who finds his higher position going to his head. I understand that a lot of people didn’t like the way that his character went this season, but I personally appreciated the reminder that power can change people, while we did also see factors that would push him down this route, such as a father who was not satisfied with what he had done. The most notable of season 2’s new characters is Sarah Niles as Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, a sports psychologist hired after a hilarious opening to the season, and while I never really vibed with the character, she provided a straight-talking foil to Ted’s bubbly personality, and eventually this helps us get to know more about Ted’s life.
While the comedy was as great as ever, I would argue that the emotional moments his me even more this season. And they come in so many different ways that at least a couple are bound to affect you. We have the loss of loved ones, panic attacks, Nate’s fall to the dark side, abusive family members and also just some moments of good old fashioned romance of the sport. But there was never anything that ever felt too contrived; I could easily imagine many of these storylines playing out at professional clubs at some point or other.
As for the sporting side of things, it all feels like a good level for the show, but the quality of the football that we actually see is understandably limited by many of the key Richmond players being actors rather than professional footballers, and sadly this is most obvious in the goalkeeping, which honestly wouldn’t even cut it in the National League (the highest semi-pro level in the English football pyramid). But much like last season, the show continues to throw in enough terms for us football fans while giving them a decent enough level of explanation that someone new to the sport can keep up.
A few final thoughts on the series:
[Spoilers for the end of season 2 episode 8] The end of the Man City episode may be the moment that sticks with me the most from this season. Having just suffered a demoralising loss, Jamie’s drunk father comes in and bullies him in front of the team, until Jamie snaps and (understandably) lashes out. And while Beard throws the dad out, of all people it is Roy Kent who makes the move to go over to embrace Jamie and give him a shoulder to cry on in the moment, despite their mutual dislike. I’m not sure if it’s having been in a similar position to Jamie in the past with (in my case an abusive stepfather) meant it affected me more, but seeing Roy put aside his own history with Jamie in that moment to give Jamie the support he needed was beautiful
I’d love to know the thoughts behind episode 9 following Coach Beard for one crazy night. I initially thought that it meant we would find out more about him, but we didn’t really, and it was an episode that could have easily been removed without impacting the season. Was he number of episodes increased late in production? Or were they worried that an episode may need to be cut? While I don’t hate the episode, I’d have much rather spent some time getting to know the team a little better.
The Future
As I’m so late to the show, season 3 has already began airing, but at time of writing, I am yet to watch. Obviously we have now set Nate up as the main antagonist for nxt season, something we’ve not really had in the show until this point (other than Rupert’s shadow over everything and the occasional timely appearance).
Season 2 left us in an interesting position with some characters’ relationships, so it will be interesting to see how they continue this season, especially considering that the word on the street is that the show will only be running for 3 seasons. And from the sporting point, what does this mean for Richmond? Are we going to see a fairytale title for Richmond in the season after their promotion purely so that the show can finish on a high? Or will they miss out, with the morale of the story instead being about the positive impact Ted has had on everyone in these 3 seasons?
Personally, while I will be gutted if the show ends after 3 seasons, I will always prefer a show that gives itself a set number of series and looks to stick to it, rather than just going on until its eventual cancellation. Having the plan and sticking to it helps to keep the story on track and means that we don’t get any sudden character changes as writers start running out of ideas 6 seasons in.
What did you think of this series? Let me know in the comments. Until next time!
This year, I’m doing Movember a little different with my Movember Marathon.
Welcome to Sport on the Silver Screen. In this series, I will be looking back over sports movies and series that I have recently watched/re-watched and giving my thoughts on them. Getting into the Schmoedown and starting to follow a number of the personalities from the show has given me a much greater appreciation of movies and seen me starting to watch more, while a resolution for 2022 has also seen me making a resolution to watch more series.
Being a fan of both movies and sports, I have taken the chance to start highlighting the sheer volume of sports movies out there, while also now throwing in the occasional series. In each article I will be giving some details about the movie/series and then a quick review, including a section giving a sports fan’s perspective of the action’s realism.
This series has been heavily influenced by Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai of Action Industries, but I will not be looking at the traditional “Fist-pump moment” and “Favourite line” sections due to just how much more content a series provides compared to a movie, instead talking about the prospects for the future of the show. Be aware, there will be spoilers, but I will try to keep them to a minimum.
After beng interested ever since hearing good reviews upon it’s initial release, and with a new series releasing very soon, I finally opened the wallet to pay for yet another streaming service and I’m now here with a review of season 1 of Ted Lasso.
Key facts
Episodes 10
Released in 2020
Distribution (UK) Apple TV+
Starring Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein, Phil Dunster, Nick Mohammed, Juno Temple
Synopsis Ted Lasso, an American college football coach, is unexpectedly recruited to coach a fictional English Premier League soccer team, AFC Richmond, despite having no experience coaching soccer. With everyone doubting him and a changing room that includes some large characters, can Ted’s charm and positivity win people over and help him overcome his lack of experience to keep AFC Richmond in the Premier League?
Review
Let me start by making clear, I’m not the kind of guy who would usually sit down and watch a comedy series like this. Nothing against them, but there are so many movies and series that I have missed over the years that I would prioritise, but much like Friends, How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory, I would happily sit down and watch if I had a little bit of time to waste and it was the best thing I could find by flicking through the TV channels. So while I was hearing great things about the show, I doubt that I watched it were it not for the sports aspect.
And yet by the end of the first episode, I was already in love with the show and absolutely hooked. While the characters are very much caricatures, it allows you to instantly understand them without too much exposition, which then allows the show to immediately look at how it is going to grow these characters in the new situation. Jason Sudeikis as Ted is all sweetness and optimism, so much so that you can’t help but chuckle at his blind optimism and some of his answers to the most basic of footballing questions, but this gets balanced out so well by Brendan Hunt’s Coach Beard, who seems straight-laced by comparison in his own quirky way, while also being as if he has memorised everything about football. And the trio gets completed by waterboy Nate (Mohammed) who is that classic example of a real football fan with an understanding of the game and managed to make it into the business, only to end up in a role that seems a dead-end. Mohammed plays him well as lacking the confidence to speak up—which really makes sense as he is the victim of bullying for the early part of the season—but his deep knowledge of the players is invaluable for a person like Lasso who focuses on improving his team as people as well as players.
Moving through the supporting cast, Waddingham is incredible as Richmond’s owner and one of the main antagonists of the season, who goes on a great emotional journey through the season to actually become really likeable, while Jeremy Swift is great as her kind and largely unwilling lackey. Within the squad, there is a clear focus on a handful of players. Goldstein is hilarious as grumpy veteran midfielder and Richmond captain Roy Kent (based on Manchester United legend Roy Keane), Phil Dunster strikes the perfect balance between being an unlikeable shitweasel but also someone who we want to see grow as he plays Jamie Tartt, the young star striker on loan from Manchester City. Toheeb Jimoh shines as Sam Obisanya, who really feels to me like the heart of the team as the show goes on, as he grows in confidence and improves as a player. And the final mention here has to go to Juno Temple, who plays ageing model and Tartt’s girlfriend, Keeley Jones, who surprised me by how important she ends up being to the show and so many storylines, rather than just being the usual caricature of a WAG. And that’s not all as we have a series of other recurring characters who also perfectly fill their roles as the fans and press.
While the funny moments will always be the ones that people talk about most, the show has that key component that the best comedies have: pathos. And a damn good blend of it too. Were it just 30-40 minutes of jokes and laughs each episode, it would get stale quickly, but the show balances the highs of these jokes with a much more serious side. We have Ted going through a divorce while another character moves on from their own very public divorce as she was replaced with a much younger woman. We have a clique of bullies within the team. And through it all, we have the risk of relegation threatening the team. And while the show focuses on positivity, it does not mean that every storyline has a happy ending. And that is key to not just making this feel believable, but it is also key to forcing characters to grow and adapt.
From a sports perspective, the action is limited, often to shots at the start and end of the match, and when we do see gameplay, it is a big reminder that these are actors not professional footballers, but that is to be expected and was not enough to take me out of the show, even when we had key moments for the show playing out on the pitch. The use of Selhurst Park (home of current Premier League team Crystal Palace) really helps for the believability of the team being a Premier League/Championship level club, even if the training ground seems far too small for a team of that level (they film at the SkyEX Community Stadium, the home ground of Hayes & Yeading United F.C. who are a semi-pro club playing in England’s seventh level). With people from the community being used for the broadcasts and the odd throwing in of current football names (eg Pep Guardiola), it helps to create that sense of realism while terms, names and cameos are not too common as to put off people who are not fluent in football.
All in all, I’ve loved season 1, and I’m off to see what season 2 has to offer!
A few final thoughts on the series:
[Spoilers for the season 1 finale] Roy’s injury and leaving the pitch to a crowd singing his song really hit me hard. The level of pathos and heart was perfect, while the writers were smart enough to know not to ruin the moment with a joke. 3 minutes of perfection from a sporting series.
I think the decision to create a fictional team rather than use an existing one was a smart call as this allows all of the caricatures and stereotypes of a football club at risk of relegation without insulting any real team.
The Future
As I’m so late to the show, season 2 is already available to watch, while season 3 (which I believe is intended as the final season) is due to release shortly.
Given the way that season 1 ended, I’ll be very interested to see how season 2 goes as we see the club play through another season of football, especially given how the season ended for a couple of characters—Tartt and Kent in particular! I expect most of the current characters will continue, with a couple maybe growing into a larger role, and the cast then expanding by giving more focus to a couple more team members or new characters. Dani Rojas seems the obvious example of a player due more time as he looks set to be the star striker going into the next season, while [spoiler for the season 1 finale] the heavy hints that Roy will be retiring and Isaac McAdoo taking over the captaincy surely means that he will have a larger role.
Personally, while I will be gutted if the show ends after 3 seasons, I will always prefer a show that gives itself a set number of series and looks to stick to it, rather than just going on until its eventual cancellation. Having the plan and sticking to it helps to keep the story on track and means that we don’t get any sudden character changes as writers start running out of ideas 6 seasons in.
What did you think of this series? Let me know in the comments. Until next time!
This year, I’m doing Movember a little different with my Movember Marathon.
We are just over a week away from the kicking off of the most controversial World Cup. One that proves money is more important than human rights in the eyes of FIFA. One that has caused a drastic shake-up of the football calendar as players are made to face off in dangerous temperatures. And while there will rightly be much talk of matters away from the pitch,there is still a football tournament to watch.
And the build-up to the tournament took it’s next step forward with the naming of Gareth Southgate’s squad. After impressive results in the last 2 tournaments, England have had a year to forget that saw them embarrassed by Hungary on the way to being relegated to Division B in the UEFA Nations League. With a pool containing USA, Iran and Wales, they should be heavy favourites to progress, but how will they do? Can the Three Lions bring it home? Let’s have a look at the squad…
No real shocks here, as Aaron Ramsdale and Nick Pope have had solid starts to the season, while Jordan Pickford is the incumbent. Pickford has the international experience and Southgate has frequently shown his loyalty to players, so while I feel that one of the others would be more reliable, expect the Everton keeper to get the gametime and hopefully not cost the team with a calamitous error.
Defenders
England’s fullback stocks took a massive hit as injuries ruled out Reece James and Ben Chilwell, who would likely have both started. Shaw has had an up and down career but has performed well as a wingback in big games for England, while it will be interesting to see if Southgate prefers the reliability of Kieran Trippier to the sublime attacking quality but questionable defending of Trent Alexander-Arnold. Most likely England play at the back with wing-backs, so I would advocate taking the risk. With that formation taken into account, Kyle Walker seems a reliable call to start on the right of the 3 to help cover Alexander-Arnold, but runs the risk of being undercooked as he returns from injury. To the disappointment of most, Southgate’s loyalty will likely see Harry Maguire continue to start, and we must all help that the Maguire who has been an embarrassment of a captain at Manchester United is not the one on the plane. White, Coady, Stones and Dier are all solid picks, but Fikayo Tomori seems very unlucky to miss out on a spot.
Midfielders
So let’s start with the elephant in the room: Kalvin Phillips is not enough of a generational talent to deserve an immediate spot in the squad after being injured all season, but as another old favourite of Southgate’s he gets in on thoroughly underserved bias ahead of players who have been putting in the effort and performances. Let’s just hope that he is left on the bench rather than forming another partnership with Declan Rice or it will be a very boring tournament for England fans. Henderson provides experience and will likely be brought on to help see out games late on or lead a second string team if they get a chance, while Conor Gallagher is rewarded for his form over the past season and a half, and Mason Mount would have been unlucky to miss out despite an iffy start to the season for Chelsea. All that remains then is Jude Bellingham, who is a player whose quality and maturity is well beyond his age—as one of the few world class talents in this squad, he needs to be starting!
Forwards
And so we reach the final third, where the headline is (finally!) the inclusion of James Maddison—that he only has 1 cap to his name is indicative of Southgate’s issues as a manager, having been one of the best attacking players in the league for years. Harry Kane will obviously lead the line as per,while Callum Wilson’s form deserves a call-up. But spare a thought for Ivan Toney, who misses out. Personally I could have understood his inclusion ahead of Marcus Rashford, but understand that Rashford’s pace and ability to cover the wide position gives him an advantage when numbers are limited. It’s no shock to see Sterling in the squad, but with more talented players like Foden, Grealish, Saka and Maddison, his minutes should be limited—so expect Southgate to play him the full 90 in every match.
Gareth Southgate
And finally we reach the gaffer himself, and here lies England’s biggest issue. While Southgate did a fantastic job of bringing pride back to the shirt and the team, his successful tournament runs have been more about the easy routes then England looking great. But what has frequently been the issue is his inability to play an attacking game, frequently leaving his most impressive playmakers on the bench and relying on formations that feature 5 at the back and 2 holding midfielders, while his loyalty to players who have done well for him in the past is destined to come back to hurt him at a big moment soon. To me, this feels like 1 tournament too far, and it is time for England to move on going into 2023.
My starting XI from this squad:
5-2-3 formation
Goalkeeper: Aaron Ramsdale
Centrebacks: Kyle Walker, Ben White, John Stones
Wingbacks: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luke Shaw
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham
Wings: Bukayo Saka, James Maddison
Striker: Harry Kane
What are your thoughts on the squad? Who would make your XI?
Welcome to Sport on the Silver Screen. In this series, I will be looking back over sports movies and series that I have recently watched/re-watched and giving my thoughts on them. Getting into the Schmoedown and starting to follow a number of the personalities from the show has given me a much greater appreciation of movies and seen me starting to watch more, while a resolution for 2022 has also seen me making a resolution to watch more series.
Being a fan of both movies and sports, I have taken the chance to start highlighting the sheer volume of sports movies out there, while also now throwing in the occasional series. In each article I will be giving some details about the movie/series and then a quick review, including a section giving a sports fan’s perspective of the action’s realism.
This series has been heavily influenced by Ben Bateman and Andrew Ghai of Action Industries, but I will not be looking at the traditional “Fist-pump moment” and “Favourite line” sections due to just how much more content a series provides compared to a movie, instead talking about the prospects for the future of the show. Be aware, there will be spoilers, but I will try to keep them to a minimum.
Today, I will be looking at the series Welcome to Wrexham
Key facts
Released in 2022
Distribution (UK) Disney+
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney, Humphrey Ker, Wrexham A.F.C.
Synopsis In September 2020, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney announced their intention to buy Wrexham A.F.C., a Welsh football (or soccer to the Yanks) club playing in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. This series follows the actors’ purchase of the club, before following them through the remainder of that season and the whole of the next one, as they look to earn promotion from the National League, where they have played since their relegation from League 2 at the end of the 2007/8 season.
Review
Sporting documentaries following a team through the year are growing in popularity following the success of series like Sunderland ‘Til I Die and Formula 1: Drive to Survive, and while Welcome to Wrexham is another in the growing list of these documentary series, it is not just that, and that is due to the main men: Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
You may know Rob from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, a comedy series which he created and co-developed and on which he serves as an executive producer, co-writer, and occasional director, while also playing the role of Ronald “Mac” McDonald. And Ryan Reynolds… well, enough said there. And their personalities are clearly on show throughout this series, as they will provide voice-over for the series, so even episodes that barely feature them in the story still benefit from their involvement and help to make this a series that will attract viewers who wouldn’t usually look at a sporting documentary like this. And yet while their influence on the series is huge, they don’t take over the show, allowing a number of people affiliated with the club—including manager Phil Parkinson, players, staff and local fans—to all have their own part in this show that is equally important.
And even more than that, Ryan and Rob have had the foresight to know that this show will bring in a lot of viewers, especially in the USA, who won’t understand soccer, british slang, the English football league structure or have ever heard of Wrexham, or even Wales for that matter! And so the show does a great job of explaining things like the league structure, promotion and relegation with quick, simple graphics and explanations that allow the uninitiated to get the info they need without taking too long and making die-hard fans mentally switch off, while they will also take the time to give American translations to certain British words to help avoid confusion, such as “pitch” and “quid”. But even as a Brit, these quick translation breaks don’t feel annoying as they fit the tone of the show, as we have 2 Americans who are new to soccer taking over the club, it just feels like part of their learning process, while the show actually still taught me in these moments by including the Welsh translation.
And this is what I really came to love as the show went on. It is clear that Rob and Ryan respect the community and don’t just see this as a way to earn some extra clout, and that comes through as we see Rob learning Welsh, while the Welsh translations being included lead to an episode mid-way through the series that puts the sporting narrative on hold and instead takes 30 minutes to teach the audience about Welsh history and culture. This show isn’t just gaining Wrexham A.F.C. more fans, it’s putting Wrexham and Wales on the world map.
Of course in all this, I haven’t really mentioned much about the sport side of things, and some die-hards may sometimes wish that we got a bit more of a sporting focus, but that is not the aim of this series, as it instead shows just what goes into owning a club, while I’m sure that season 2 may start to focus on the sporting side a little more now that the team and players have been introduced to the masses. But that is not to say that those stories are not there in season 1. We see the pressure Phil Parkinson is under after early struggles, we see the impact of star striker Paul Mullen, the loss of star defender Aaron Hayden and keeper Rob Lainton to injury. We see a cup run that ends in Wembley heartbreak and a league campaign that ends in crazy fashion. And yet we still have time to look at the role of hooliganism in football after an incident following a game, the role that football can have in male relationships, and even does a great job of finding the right tone to address one of the players going through the heartbreak of his son being stillborn.
This is a show not to be missed, and it says a lot that in a month where there were so many major shows coming out on streaming, I was equally excited for new episodes of this as I was for House of the Dragon and Andor, and more so than She-Hulk and Rings of Power—something that I would never have expected ahead of time as I am such a massive geek!
My highlight of the series: Phil Parkinson’s “enthusiasm counter” during his team talks.
What did you think of Welcome to Wrexham? Let me know in the comments. Until next time!
Ahead of the start of the new Premier League season, I looked at the transfers teams had made over the summer and selected 8 who I thought were worth keeping an eye on. Well the timing of Transfer Deadline Day meant that there was still over a month for teams to make transfers after the point that I released this article, so I’m back with a part 2, looking at a handful more signings, with the caveat being that they were signed after 27ᵗʰ July, when I wrote Part 1.
Part 1’s list has already seen a number of players putting in fantastic performances, so can the players below continue the trend?
Alexander Isak
With the takeover of Newcastle United and the end of years of stagnation under Mike Ashley, there was talk of all the superstars that the club could afford to sign. And while Eddie Howe has focused on solid and reliable players rather than “superstars”, the signing of Swedish international Isak is a signal of intent. At just 22 years old, Isak already has 37 caps (9 goals) and has averaged a goal every 2-3 games throughout his club career. A huge upgrade on Callum Wilson and Chris Wood (while also much younger), expect him to quickly become a fan-favourite at St James’ Park.
Neal Maupay
Last season showed just how desperately Everton needed to find a capable back-up striker for whenever Dominic Calvert-Lewin was unavailable, as Anthony Gordon is not a striker and players like him, Demarai Gray and Dwight McNeil desperately needed someone to target in the box. Is Maupay the answer though? While an experienced player, goals have never been his specialty, with his 2018/19 Championship season for Brentford (28 goals in 49 matches—all competitions) a clear outlier as he has only hit double figures for a season 4 other times, with 13 goals in all competitions his best return. Can Lampard get the best out of Maupay? At least he should still be an upgrade on Salomón Rondón…
Emmanuel Dennis
Making the jump from Championship to Premier League survival is far from easy and needs some good work in the transfer market. And while Forest have been very busy this summer, Dennis could be a key signing. While the Nigerian’s goal returns are far from the most impressive, he was one of the more impressive players for Watford during the nightmare that was last season, with his 10 goals double that of any of his teammates. With players like Jesse Lingard and Neco Williams now looking to set him up, Dennis has the opportunity of a breakout year in England, which will be crucial for Forest as Dean Henderson does his best to keep out the goals at the other end.
Mikkel Damsgaard
When Christian Eriksen became unavailable following his collapse during the Euros, it was the young Damsgaard who came in for him and made a name for himself with his impressive performances through the rest of the competition. Now, with Eriksen choosing Manchester United over a return to Brentford after they gave him a return to professional football, the Bees have made the same move as Denmark by signing the 22-year old from Sampdoria. The Dane has shown himself as an impressive technical player and should thrive with target men like Toney and Mbeumo in the box, while the Danish contingent at the club will also hopefully help him settle quickly.
I’ll keep this one brief, because first of all, I wouldn’t consider myself even close to an expert on the subject, and second, because even 24 hours on, I’m still struggling to find the right words.
In 1996, 30 years on from England’s World Cup triumph and with the European Championships coming up in England, David Baddiel, Frank Skinner, and The Lightning Seeds released the song “Three Lions” with the hope that 30 years of hurt would end with Terry Venables’ England would go the distance and in their first major trophy since 1966. England eventually fell to Germany in the semifinals on penalties.
But last night, Sunday 31ˢᵗ August 2022, I watched on with barely-controlled emotion as, after 56 years of hurt, England won a major tournament. But it wasn’t Harry Kane and his gang of millionaires. Instead it was Leah Williamson’s Lionesses as Chloe Kelly’s 110ᵗʰ minute goal secured a 2-1 victory over Germany (of all teams!) after extra time in the final of the UEFA Women’s Championship!
The Lionesses have made the country proud. But much more than that, they have helped take women’s football to a new level, with packed stadiums throughout the competition ending with a crowd of 87,192 fans watching at Wembley (a European Championships record, regardless of gender) and a a peak BBC One television audience of 17.4 million making it the most-watched women’s football game on UK television.
At a time like this, you must spare a moment for those who came before. The Steph Houghtons, the Alex Scotts, the Kelly Smiths… those who played and represented their country at a time when there was less support and visibility. They set women’s football on the path and were the heroes the current generation needed to encourage them to take up the sport and then make a career out of it. Now the vital thing is that this is seen not as the destination, but simply the next step on the road to making women’s football equal to the men’s game.
We are clearly making strides. Women’s football is getting more coverage and it sounds as if FIFA 23 will even be giving the women’s game a lot more focus that previous iterations, which only recently began to feature a handful of national teams. But the key is to keep the momentum, with fans now going to WSL games—let’s be honest, they’re bound to be much less expensive than Premier League games—while it is also important that sponsors and broadcasters continue to give more and more focus to the game. One shot fired at the England squad was how white it has become, as the increasing professionalism has seen the clubs move their training bases to more affluent areas, which leaves girls from poorer areas unable to afford travel to training, and so it is vital that money continues to come into the game so that solutions can be found to stop this being an issue.
20 years from now when I’m an old man and talk about this Championship, of how Beth Mead came back from Olympics snub to become Player of the Tournament and win the Golden Boot, I hope that I will not be looking at one shining moment in English football, but instead remembering how this was just the next step in the growth of women’s football. After all, it’s Her Game Too.
The new Premier League season is almost here, and with it, a chance. For Manchester City: to defend their title. For a couple of others: to fight City for said title. For a few more: to fight for European football in the 2023/24 season. And for the rest, to secure their spot in the league for another season.
All 20 teams have been strengthening themselves (or at least trying to) in the transfer window. And today, I will be looking at those signings and picking out 8 of them that I really think will be worth keeping an eye on during the season. In making this list, I have forced myself to pick a maximum of 1 new player per team, while please be aware that this is correct as of 27ᵗʰ July, though I may do a second list once the transfer window closes picking up any new signings. *Crosses fingers and hopes United sign Frenkie de Jong and hold onto Ronaldo*
Dean Henderson
I’ll start this off with the one loan signing on this list. Henderson had an incredible 2019/20 season with Sheffield United and broke into the Manchester United XI the next season, putting himself on Gareth Southgate’s radar. But a return to form for David de Gea saw him only make 3 appearances last season. With de Gea holding the starting spot, Henderson has been given the chance to go back out on loan this season to newly-promoted Nottingham Forest, and will be hoping for a repeat of his exploits with Sheffield United, with a strong start to the season potentially earning him a spot on the plane to Qatar.
Richarlison
This is a very interesting signing, with the Brazilian leaving Everton for Spurs. He has impressed in some poor teams, so in theory becoming part of a strike team that contains Son Heung-min and Harry Kane, who could perhaps now drop into a slightly deeper position where his range of passing can be utilised. However, at a reported £60m, Richarison seems a very expensive signing, especially when you look at some of the other forwards who are on this list, and he can also be a little hot-headed at times, which could cause trouble if Spurs have some issues.
Sékou Mara
At 19 years old, Southampton’s signing from Bordeaux feels like a risk. Southampton struggled for goals last season, with their top scorer being James Ward-Prowse, with 11 in all competitions. Is Mara going to be the answer to that? Granted he is still young so should be improving by the year, but with just 12 goals in 50 professional appearances, is he really going to be the answer, especially considering that he will have to get used to a new team and an arguably more difficult league. Could develop into a great player over the next few years, but will be interesting to see what chances he gets this year and how quickly he adapts.
Nick Pope
I talked earlier about Dean Henderson’s loan to Forest giving him the chance to push for a spot in England’s World Cup squad. Well if we assume that Jordan Pickford and Aaron Ramsdale are the top 2 choices, Henderson is likely competing with Nick Pope for the final spot. Pope shot onto the scene years ago now when Tom Heaton got injured, and though he has continued to play well, Burnley’s form kept him far too busy and eventually saw them relegated. Now having moved to a Newcastle team that has been on the up since the Mike Ashley era ended, this looks like a great chance for Pope to remind everyone of his quality an help secure the Magpies in the top half of the table.
Lisandro Martínez
Manchester United’s defence has been a mess in recent year, not helped by the form of Captain Calamity Harry Maguire, while the signing of Raphaël Varane did not quite go as expected as he struggled with injuries. With other options not overly reliable, Martínez could be a huge signing. Coming fro Ajax, you can imagine that he is a player Erik ten Hag knows a lot about if he feels confident to shell out £57m for him, but if he can start making United more secure at the back and reducing David de Gea’s workload, then he’ll be worth every penny.
Erling Haaland
The big signing of the summer. After a couple of seasons of Manchester City largely playing without a recognised striker, they have signed the 22-year-old Norwegian to lead their line. If he can quickly adapt to the league (coming from the Bundesliga, Ithink this is more likely than from La Liga or Ligue 1) then I expect to see him taking the City attack to a new level as they once again have a focal point in front of goal. Signed for a reported £51.2m, it won’t take long for him to start paying Pep Guardiola back with goals.
James Tarkowski
Was linked with Arsenal a few years ago but stayed with Burnley and saw the team decline and eventually get relegated. Now he moves to Everton looking to remind everyone why he was in and around the England squad 4 years ago, while at 29 he is still in his prime for a centreback and can help the Toffees fight back from an awful season that saw then just avoid relegation and get back to the top half of the table.
Gabriel Jesus
I could have picked either of the players who have made the move from the Etihad to the Emirates (or to sound much cheaper, from Manchester to London), but Jesus just beats out Zinchenko here. The Brazilian will finally get the chance to lead the line, while his ability to play out wider keeps the fluidity up front that highlighted the young Arsenal attack last season. At £45m he feels a much better signing that rivals Spurs have got with Richarlison, can he prove it by helping propel Arsenal into a title fight?
Those were the words of Roy Keane following the final whistle of Manchester City’s come from behind victory over Aston Villa to secure the Premier League trophy. But he wasn’t talking about the football; he was talking about the actions of fans, who assaulted Villa keeper Robin Olsen. Olsen took a hit to the back of the head, and footage captured 2 more moments as stewards escorted him off the pitch, with one fan accidentally clocking him around the head as filming the spectacle on his mobile, and another clearly shoving him.
Sadly, this was just one of a number of incidents during recent weeks during pitch invasions by fans:
During a pitch invasion following Everton’s win over Crystal Palace (which secured the Toffees’ place in the league next season, assuming no penalties for questionable finances) a fan taunted Palace manager Patrick Viera, which led to the Frenchman apparently kicking out at the fan
A Nottingham Forest fan was jailed for 24 weeks after headbutting Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp following their play-off semi-final tie
Swindon Town manager Ben Garner said his players were “physically and verbally abused” after their League Two play-off semi-final defeat by Port Vale
And that’s not even counting all the cases of people in the crowd throwing items at the players, or racist abuse. Or that absolute travesty we saw from England fans after the final of the Euros.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
It’s time for the FA, UEFA, FIFA and all other governing bodies to step up and take action, with a zero-tolerance approach. A fan’s place is in the stands, so anyone invading the pitch should get a lifetime ban, as should any fan found abusing players or throwing projectiles. Get them out of the grounds so that the people who love the game and will represent it in the right way are present.
But the punishment for clubs/national teams should be huge as well, in order to set a deterrent. Any misbehaviour from fans has to be punished. Fines must be much larger to actually impact these clubs ran by the richest men on earth. But more than that, it’s time to make playing in empty stadiums (or at least banning home fans) and points deductions (or being thrown out of the competition if a cup match) the norm for fans misbehaving. If every incident of fans misbehaving is going to result in a fine, a further financial hit by being forced to play a match without fans (an refunding any tickets out of their own books) and a points deduction/disqualification from a cup, then teams would suddenly put a lot more emphasis on controlling and improving the behaviour of it’s fans.
If something doesn’t change soon, the beautiful game will be forever tarnished by the ugliest of smears…
The first November/December World Cup is getting closer by the day and now with just 3 places still to be decided, the pools have been drawn. 37 teams (who will be whittled down to 32 in the final couple of qualification matches) were sorted into 8 pools of 4, with the top 2 from each pool proceeding into the knockouts.
As always, the pools were selected by a random draw, with confirmed teams split over 4 bands depending on their spot in the FIFA World Rankings to keep the pools somewhat balanced (though as hosts, Qatar earned a spot in the top band despite being ranked at 51), while nations from he same confederation could not be drawn in the same pool, with the exception of 5 pools having 2 European nations.
So how are the pools looking and who will be making the last 16? I’ve taken a look at each pool to give my thoughts. For each pool, I’ve listed the teams included in the order of the bands they were in (top to bottom), with their current pot in the FIFA World Rankings in [brackets].
The pool that everyone in Bands B-D would have wanted to end up in due to Qatar taking the Band A spot. The rankings certainly suggest that the Netherlands and Senegal should go through, but could home comforts give Qatar a boost and see them pull off an upset? And further to that, don’t ever rule out Senegal from an upset against a European team in the World Cup—France learned the hard way in 2002.
Pool B
Teams: England [5], USA [15], Iran [21], Euro Playoff Winner (Wales [18]/Scotland [39]/Ukraine [27])
The first pool still awaiting confirmation of their final team, and as such it makes it a little more difficult to predict. That said, this should be England’s pool for the taking with the quality of players they have. While the rankings would suggest that the USA would join them in the last 16, I can’t help but feel that Scotland or Wales could take the second spot should they qualify. But what of Ukraine? Well if they qualify, could they find that the current events going on in their country gives them extra impetus, similar to Denmark in the Euros following the loss of Christian Eriksen.
Pool C
Teams: Argentina [4], Mexico [9], Poland [26], Saudi Arabia [49]
The rankings are certainly a little misleading here in regards to Mexico, as they so rarely play teams who are currently ranked in the top 20. As such, I expect things to be relatively comfortable for Argentina, while the match between Poland and Mexico will be crucial in deciding who joins them. Don’t be shocked if this goes down to goal difference.
While there are still 3 possible teams to fill the last spot, I must be honest and admit that I can’t see any of them seriously influencing the outcome here. France will be the obvious favorites to top the group, while I expect Denmark to be too strong for the other nations and secure the runner-up spot.
Again no offence to Costa Rica or New Zealand, but I can’t see either of them really troubling the other teams in this pool. A European 1-2 looks the obvious call here with the match between the pair deciding who tops the pool, but if one of them comes in struggling for form, then Japan could become a threat.
Another pool where a European 1-2 looks the most likely, as the rankings don’t give justice to the difference in strength of squads between Croatia and Morocco. Meanwhile Belgium find themselves with a squad brimming with talent but without the trophies to back it up; could a solid group performance to top the pool set them up for their first appearance in a World Cup final?
Pool G
Teams: Brazil [1], Switzerland [14], Serbia [25], Cameroon [37]
A favourable draw for Brazil, who should be able to rotate and qualify comfortably for the knock-outs. Meanwhile I expect a tight affair behind that, but think that Switzerland have the experience to qualify just ahead of Serbia.
Pool H
Teams: Portugal [8], Uruguay [13], Republic of Korea [29], Ghana [60]
Oh how Ghana would love to get some revenge in Qatar for Uruguay controversially knocking them out of the 2010 World Cup on penalties, but I can’t see it happening here. Portugal v Uruguay will likely decide the pool winner as the pair qualify comfortably. I will however predict Uruguay getting the top spot in this pool.
This year, I’m doing Movember a little different with my Movember Marathon.
Eyes on the Ball 