Scott Murray's Blog, page 37

Football Daily | This incarnation of Liverpool must be officially declared over. Kaput. Done

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Say what you like about Liverpool this season – and Football Daily gets the distinct feeling there have been a few rumblings – but their ability to repeatedly locate new depths to plumb with sonar-like precision has been second to none. They lost at Old Trafford to a Manchester United team who had just been gubbed 4-0 at Brentford. They were defeated by a random rabble cosplaying as Nottingham Forest, all of whom had only just met each other 15 minutes before kick-off. They were also beaten by Brentford, for the first time since 1938. They’ve been routed by Brighton and Wolves, lost at home to Jesse Marsch’s Leeds, and arguably worst of all, were unable to beat an Everton team set up by Frank Lampard. Oh Jürgen! How has it come to this?

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Football Daily | Bouncing back with Nathan Jones: friend, boss, non-league entertainer

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QPR have had some brilliant managers down the years. Take Alec Stock, who won the League Cup, or Terry Venables, who won himself a move to Barcelona. Dave Sexton led the club to within 15 minutes of the title; Neil Warnock won the Championship while annoying finger-wagging purists with satisfying regularity; and Ian Holloway was good at improv. But the hits have not kept on coming. Mark Hughes, Harry Redknapp and Steve McClaren, for goodness sake. Whatever did they expect? Mark Warburton took three years to go nowhere in particular, Michael Beale required a mere six months before bolting off to Rangers, and now Neil Critchley has been booted, 12 matches into a three-and-a-half year contract, leading some to suggest director of football Les Ferdinand is struggling to differentiate between his Rs and his elbow.

This is bigger than the rules of football, it’s about life and death. The referee said it was not allowed, but he understood the situation. I am grateful to him for that and I respect him very much – Mohammed Kudus, Ajax star and Ghanaian international teammate of the late Christian Atsu, was not booked on Sunday, despite revealing an under-shirt message in tribute to the former winger.

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Newcastle United 0-2 Liverpool: Premier League – as it happened

An expensive night for Newcastle as Liverpool gained ground in the race for a top-four finish, while Nick Pope was sent off and will miss next week’s League Cup final

Everyone takes the knee – there’s no room for racism – and then Liverpool get the ball rolling. “When Atsu was with Newcastle and he came on as a sub, I recall reacting to the announcement of his name with, ‘Bless you!’,” writes Peter Oh. “Now, for different reasons, I say ‘Godspeed and bless you Christian’, and the same to his family and friends, in their time of grief.”

A warm ovation and moment of solemn reflection in memory of poor Christian Atsu. The away fans sing You’ll Never Walk Alone. A small crumb of comfort that his very last act on a football field was beautiful.

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Aston Villa 2-4 Arsenal: Premier League – as it happened

Arsenal got their title challenge back on track by winning a wildly entertaining game in dramatic circumstances

4 min: Odegaard and Saka probe down the Arsenal right. Coutinho, Buendia and Luiz attempts to counter down the Villa left. A reasonably open, free-flowing start to this game, with both teams on the front foot.

2 min: Luiz takes a whack from the best part of 35 yards. Full marks for vaulting ambition if nothing else.

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Barcelona 2-2 Manchester United: Europa League knockout round playoff, first leg – as it happened

Barca and United served up 90 minutes of front-foot entertainment at Camp Nou

20 sec: A bright start for United, as Fernandes gains a yard down the right and whistles a tempting ball through the Barca six-yard box. Fred slides in but can’t connect. Longer toenails and United would be ahead.

Before kick off, there’s a moment of poignant reflection in memory of the victims of the dreadful earthquake that recently hit Turkey and Syria. Perfectly observed. Then, accompanied by a roar of relief, United get the match started.

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Football Daily | Arsenal, Manchester City and reassurance for all existentialists

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The football calendar has been out of whack for a few years now, what with the pandemic being followed in short order by a World Cup starting in November. All the old reference points, such as being top of the table at Christmas, or receiving an unfunny email every weekday at 5pm, mean absolutely nothing right now. What time is it? Who are we? Where is love? Don’t ask us. So thank goodness for Mikel Arteta and his punctual pals, who went well out of their way to reassure all footballing existentialists that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Good old Arsenal, Jimmy Hill was right after all.

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Arsenal 1-3 Manchester City: Premier League – as it happened

Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland earned Pep Guardiola’s side a hugely significant victory against Arsenal at the Emirates

3 min: City haven’t had much of a sniff yet. A rare instance of the boot being on the other foot.

2 min: Saka has a look down the left but can’t get an early shot away. Xhaka eventually skies one out for a goal kick. The home fans, already up for it, take it up a notch further.

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Football Daily | Graham Potter, time and Chelsea’s 25 years of hair-trigger tendencies

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As we can see at clubs like Everton and Southampton and Watford and QPR, sacking your manager every 10 to 15 minutes proves counter-productive when it comes to building a successful football team. Yet somehow it seems to work for Chelsea. During the last 25 years, they’ve booted, in short order, the likes of Big Cup winner Roberto Di Matteo, Big Cup winner Rafa Benítez, World Cup winner Luiz Felipe Scolari, FA Cup winner Ruud Gullit, Big Cup and Premier League winner José Mourinho, Premier League and Serie A winner Antonio Conte, Big Cup winner Thomas Tuchel … and Frank Lampard. And with barely a second’s thought either! But look at all that silverware.

Jesse Marsch’s potential reappearance at Southampton (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition) would be proof that you never forget how to fall off a bike, as the saying goes” – Jacob Zelten [would be – Football Daily Ed].

Following Robert Blanchard’s missive about sitting opposite a happy Roy Hodgson (yesterday’s Football Daily letters), a few moons ago, I bumped into George Best as I left an airport lounge on the way to board a flight. No words were exchanged, but he half-smiled and nodded to my fawning expression as if to say, ‘yes, I am George Best’” – Gerry Rickard.

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Bournemouth 1-1 Newcastle: Premier League – live reaction

Miguel Almirón’s goal secured a point for Newcastle after Marcos Senesi’s opener on Eddie Howe’s return to Bournemouth

5 min: Lerma looks long down the middle for Solanke, but there’s way too much juice on the pass and it flies through to Pope.

4 min: Bournemouth attempt to play out from the back. Newcastle turn up the press. Almiron eventually deflects Senesi’s panicked clearance out for a goal kick. A passage of play that won’t settle any home nerves.

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West Ham 1-1 Chelsea: Premier League – as it happened

Chelsea had a late appeal for a penalty controversially turned down as Graham Potter’s expensively assembled side were held at the London Stadium

6 min: Paqueta dribbles down the inside-left channel only to be shoved to the ground by Madueke. A free kick coming up for West Ham, but in the meantime Paqueta requires some treatment, having hurt his left shoulder.

4 min: Felix drops deep, playing another clever pass, this time down the right channel. Loftus-Cheek drives into the box but is never quite in control of the ball. He can’t roll across for Havertz, who would have an easy tap-in. When he sorts himself out and eventually delivers the ball, it’s an easy claim for Fabianski.

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