Jonathan Liew's Blog, page 64

Guardiola has found his most interesting Manchester City yet thanks to Haaland | Jonathan Liew

The Norwegian’s influence sometimes looked lacking against Dortmund but his patience again proved devastating

Erling Haaland poses the professional writer a problem. Most of the time, he doesn’t do very much. He jogs towards the ball. He jogs away from the ball. He prowls and waits.

He had a grand total of 26 touches, which is quite a lot by his standards, but still comfortably fewer than both goalkeepers. And so discussing Haaland’s influence becomes something of an unsatisfying binary, pivoting around a single volatile question: did he score or not? If he did, his contribution is likely to have been decisive. If not, then you’ve spent 90 minutes watching a tall blond man look at things.

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Sané seals Bayern Munich’s win against Barça on bad night for Lewandowski

Perhaps the nicest thing you could say about Barcelona here was that of all their recent humiliations against Bayern Munich, this was by some distance the least humiliating. They moved the ball with verve and purpose, enjoyed some excellent chances, looked at times like the old Barcelona with that vague whiff of sophisticated arrogance. Gavi and Pedri were two of the best players on the pitch.

But winning the argument is a poor substitute for winning games of football. Xavi had it right afterwards when he said that his side had to “learn to compete as Bayern do”. The difference here was not one of talent or of ambition, but of maturity. Bayern soaked up the pressure in the first half and took their chances in the second. Once Lucas Hernandez and Leroy Sané had put them clear, they simply slipped into the comfortable old grooves: relentless passing football, players fighting and covering for each other.

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David Dein: ‘We had something special at Arsenal. When it fell away, that really hurt’

Former Gunners chairman enjoyed unforgettable highs at the club but opens up on the lows and his fears for football’s future

The pen sits in his jacket. It goes everywhere he does. At night, while he sleeps, it rests on the bedside table alongside him. David Dein has been in business for more than half a century, and one of his earliest lessons was that it helps if you have a story to tell. And so now he holds it up to the camera: the Mont Blanc pen with which he signed Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell and many more.

Not that Dein needs a memento to remind him of the good times. At the age of 79, the memory is as sharp as ever: an Arsenal fan who became their owner, their saviour and later their martyr. The highlights of his career are also some of Arsenal’s: the league title in 1989, the Invincibles of 2004, the signing of a little-known French coach called Arsène Wenger.

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Nat Sciver’s exit should tell women’s cricket it has some thinking to do | Jonathan Liew

Last week England’s brilliant all-rounder said she was taking a break. The women’s game has grown so fast, but at what cost?

It’s fine to be sad. It’s fine to cry, even if it seems a little silly because, after all, it’s not like you knew her personally. It’s fine to feel bereft, disorientated, to sense the floor subsiding just a little.

Equally, it’s fine to feel nothing at all, perhaps even wonder what all the fuss is about. Though she meant different things to all of us, her loss will touch us all. And with any luck, she’ll be back for the tour of West Indies in December.

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What does Tuchel's sacking mean for the future of Chelsea? – video explainer

Jonathan Liew explains why Thomas Tuchel was sacked and how his departure will affect the future of Chelsea. Liew also discusses how the Tuchel's exit will impact co-owner Todd Boehly's image among Blues fans as he seems to be continuing the frequent firing policy of previous owner Roman Abramovich. Tuchel was dismissed following his side's 1-0 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, which was the final straw for the club's owners following a disappointing start to the new season. They implied, however, that this was a decision they had come to days before. Boehly learned that some senior players were unhappy with Tuchel’s tactics and is now keen to make his own appointment, with Graham Potter believed to be top of the list. 

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Eden Hazard rounds off Real Madrid’s devastating second-half blitz at Celtic

A game that began and ended in a torrent of noise. The important part, though, was what came in between. Three second-half goals and an immaculate display of second-half possession gave Real Madrid the perfect start to their title defence. Was it deserved, did it follow the run of play, did it make any kind of sense? For Madrid, these are questions that have long since ceased to trouble them. This is simply what they do. They enter your house, sniff the air, and then take what they came for.

For Celtic, a valuable learning experience at the highest level. The roar of pride and belief that greeted them at the final whistle was a deserved salute for a team that had left every fragment of themselves on that Parkhead pitch.

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Liz Truss’s strange and chilling desire to ‘channel the spirit of Don Revie’ | Jonathan Liew

An unusual choice of inspirational figure suggests the new prime minister will do little to fundamentally change football

At Conservative party hustings in Leeds six weeks ago, Liz Truss declared she wanted to “channel the spirit of Don Revie”. Which suggests she wasn’t entirely familiar with his experience of leading his country. Still, as she takes office amid dismal poll ratings, with a sceptical parliamentary party and an election looming in 2024, the new prime minister may just regard three years in the job, followed by a lucrative and widely reviled sinecure in the Middle East, as a pretty decent outcome.

Of course, political coverage in this country has long been influenced by the confected drama and basic unseriousness of its sporting counterpart. And sure enough much of the recent coverage of the Conservative leadership “race” has been essentially indistinguishable from the media flurry that usually greets big managerial appointments in football.

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Lampard makes his point as Everton fans buy into improved showing | Jonathan Liew

The derby draw with Liverpool was no great escape and many players are growing in stature former Chelsea manager

It was the plumes of blue smoke that gave the game away. As the Everton team bus inched its way up Goodison Road, the crowds reluctantly parted to allow it through. Shirtless children. Women with blue soot on their face.

Men clutching their four-packs of San Miguel with one hand and shaking a fist with the other. A swelling, soaring, billowing wall of noise filled the narrow little terraced streets like a fever. A “Road Closed” sign was slapped by an Evertonian for the crime of being red.

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Antony’s arrival signals audacious upheaval of Manchester United | Jonathan Liew

Erik ten Hag’s plan for such major surgery in only a short amount of time at Old Trafford is both ambitious and flawed

We probably need to talk about the money first. It’s the 13th most expensive transfer of all time, slotting in between Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid. It brings Manchester United’s spending this window to about £200m plus potential add‑ons, and together with the signings of Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martínez means United are responsible for about 48% of the Eredivisie’s entire summer transfer income.

“God decides my future,” Antony said in an interview last week, when he was still an Ajax player. But, you know, an £86m bid from one of the world’s richest clubs doesn’t hurt either.

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Klopp-age time at Anfield, while Aston Villa let it slip – Football Weekly Extra

Max Rushden is joined by Ewan Murray, Jonathan Liew, Jordan Jarrett-Bryan and Barry Glendenning to review all the midweek action

Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.

Today on the pod: a last-minute sickener for Newcastle at Anfield as it all gets sparky between the benches.

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