Jonathan Liew's Blog, page 86
August 28, 2021
Chelsea show resilience to survive Anfield’s medieval battle scenes | Jonathan Liew
Thomas Tuchel’s side were forced outside their comfort zone but stood firm during Liverpool’s second-half onslaught
The chaos descended shortly before half-time. Andrew Robertson’s corner from the right precipitated a series of events that would result – roughly several dozen ricochets, a goalline handball, a VAR referral, a full-blown ruck and five minutes later – in Liverpool’s equalising goal. By the time the two sides had finally disappeared down the tunnel, still angrily chirping at each other, the complexion of the game had changed entirely, irrevocably.
It wasn’t just the goal or the contentious dismissal of Reece James, either. It was a tonal shift: the point at which, having played with a cool, implacable detachment for 45 minutes, Chelsea were violently thrown off the scent. After Mohamed Salah had scored the penalty, Édouard Mendy smashed the ball straight at Jordan Henderson in an attempt to prevent him from grabbing it, and a brief but refreshing melee ensued. From the kick-off a rattled N’Golo Kanté put the ball straight out of play. Anfield roared. A man and several eardrums down, the European champions were seemingly there for the taking.
Related: Chelsea stand firm to take point from Liverpool after James sees red
Related: Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel criticises referee over Reece James red card
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August 27, 2021
Never mind the banner: Test cricket’s future looks bright on days like these | Jonathan Liew
As a plane with a protest banner flew over Headingley, the third Test showed off the game’s longest form at its best
It was a luxurious slow burn of a third day at Headingley, one of those days when the moments all seem to blur into a kind of ambient hum, a day when nothing is wasted and nothing is resolved, when everything is moving but nobody is going anywhere. India’s batters seemed content to mark out time; England’s bowlers and fielders ran in with purpose but little urgency; the clouds drifted; the electronic advertising boards quietly scrolled their wares.
Partly this was a function of the surface, slow and lifeless and seemingly in no hurry at all. Partly it was the state of the match, with England dominant and India playing largely for pride and thoughts already beginning to turn to the Oval and Manchester. Partly it was a function of the serene Cheteshwar Pujara, who is the sort of batsman who slows the game to his own pace: batting until one can no longer remember a time before he started batting nor can envisage a time when he no longer will be.
Related: India bat again after England all out for 432: third Test, day three – live!
Test cricket has survived world wars, Twenty20 and a global plague. It may just withstand the launch of The Hundred
Continue reading...August 26, 2021
Haseeb Hameed has captain’s and crowd’s love but needs ruthless streak | Jonathan Liew
The popular Hameed got stuck after reaching his half-century when he could have been making hay at Headingley
There was a rather tender moment after lunch on day one, as Joe Root gathered his England team into their traditional post-interval huddle. This can be a deceptively fraught moment for a captain, geometrically speaking. Allow the same faces to occupy their usual place in the huddle, and you risk letting cliques develop. Huddle too quickly or in the wrong place, and you can kiss goodbye to your dreams of a perfect circle. Watch Kane Williamson’s New Zealand team if you want to see it done properly.
The code-red scenario for a captain occurs when the huddle has formed, all the gaps have closed and there’s someone left on the outside, scampering frantically around the circle looking for a way in. For some reason – and read into this what you will – this always seemed to happen to Kevin Pietersen, who would end up clasping himself loosely around two unyielding teammates and almost certainly missing a good proportion of what was said. It wasn’t easy being him in that huddle.
Related: England in control as Joe Root’s third century in three Tests punishes India
Related: England turn screw on India with Root century: third Test, day two – as it happened
Continue reading...August 25, 2021
Virat Kohli’s plans undone by England patience and mysteries of Headingley | Jonathan Liew
Strange things happen at this ground and, despite a sensible strategy after winning the toss, India fell apart in the third Test
It’s 11.23am and Virat Kohli is jogging down the Headingley steps. The sky is a watery grey, the air is thick with cheers and boos and India are four for two. In his 15-year career as a batter and captain, Kohli has pretty much seen it all. He has played international cricket in 17 countries, overcome adversity of every sort, faced down every kind of challenge in every format. But he has never won the toss at Headingley before.
Related: Anderson cuts through India before Burns and Hameed prosper for England
Related: Cricket’s failures on racism are far more important than any Test | Tanya Aldred
Continue reading...August 23, 2021
Anti-vaxx athletes’ stance shows myths cut across boundaries of privilege | Jonathan Liew
Stereotypical Covid sceptics are a kind of fringe lunatic but elite sportspeople are reared to keep total control of their bodies
A few years ago, I was in India on an England cricket tour, watching net practice. It was a baking hot day at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi, and for the observing media the only available shade was next to a small marquee – really, just a glorified tent – that had been erected for the batsmen to pad up and the bowlers to take a breather. It was while perching in this very spot that I became aware of the surreal conversation taking place on the other side of the canvas.
“Have you guys heard of Julian Assange?” one of the England players was asking his teammates. “It’s a mad story. I was up till about 4am reading about it. He’s the Wikileaks hacker who published all these secrets about the US government and all their wars and stuff. And so what the US government did, they basically framed him for rape and tried to get him extradited to Sweden. It’s mad.”
Related: Steve Bruce admits ‘a lot’ of Newcastle players have not been vaccinated
Related: No-vaxx Djokovic: why his spiritual world view can have a dangerous side
Continue reading...August 22, 2021
Arsenal appear a club lacking in every department in capitulation to Chelsea | Jonathan Liew
Mikel Arteta’s side made basic errors in a predictable 2-0 defeat but it is the culture behind the scenes that is the real concern
Arsenal fans: honestly, what did you think was going to happen? Probably, in fairness, exactly that. Indeed, had you simulated this game several thousand times in advance, “an easy 2-0 milking for Chelsea with Romelu Lukaku running riot” would probably have been among the more common outcomes.
All the same, there was a startling quality to the way Arsenal lost here. Not simply the speed of their capitulation but the sheer stupidity of it, the bone-headed determination to keep making the same elementary mistakes, the way the 11 on the pitch were pretty much the only people in the stadium unable to see what was coming.
Related: Ruthless Romelu Lukaku puts feeble Arsenal to the sword on Chelsea return
Continue reading...August 20, 2021
James Vince leads from front as Brave breeze past Rockets into Hundred final
On a cool, translucent night at The Oval, Trent Rockets were bowled out for 96 and trounced by seven wickets in a performance that will go down as one of the most ignominious in the venerable and storied history of the Rockets franchise. For the long-suffering Rockets fans, the agonising wait for a Lord’s final goes on for another year.
Related: Tash Farrant exploits Phoenix batting to send Invincibles into Hundred final
Continue reading...Tash Farrant exploits Phoenix batting to send Invincibles into Hundred final
In front of a boisterous home crowd Oval Invincibles triumphed in the eliminator of the women’s Hundred, setting up a tantalising final against Southern Brave at Lord’s on Saturday afternoon. But it would be just as accurate to point out that Birmingham Phoenix threw this game away: from a dominant position at the halfway stage of their chase, they were bowled out for 94 to lose by 20 runs, their last eight wickets falling for 28 runs in a flurry of desperate hitting, scrambled tactics and superb fielding.
Set 115 to win, Birmingham reached a largely untroubled 66 for two off 49 balls, at which point the game took a sharp tilt. Erin Burns and Amy Jones were dismissed off successive deliveries and, even though the required rate was still only around a run a ball, the lack of big-game experience in their middle order quickly became a problem. The last boundary of their innings came off the 66th ball, after which Oval’s bowlers expertly tightened the screw.
Related: The Hundred men’s eliminator: Southern Brave v Trent Rockets – live!
Continue reading...Arsenal fans need Mikel Arteta to work out what he is trying to do | Jonathan Liew
Twenty months down the line, the manager still has no vision and Chelsea’s visit is unlikely to be played in a full Emirates
On Sunday the Emirates Stadium will finally be at full capacity for the visit of the European champions, Chelsea. It promises to be a stirring, moving homecoming after 18 months of empty stands and cavernous silence, and certainly Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, could scarcely contain his excitement. “I can’t wait to have our fans back after 18 months,” he said. “This is why we are here, to experience those moments.” Alas, it appears that Arteta’s excitement is not universally shared. As of Friday morning, two days out from the game, tickets were still available.
The overwhelming likelihood is that Arsenal’s first game back with a full stadium will not, in fact, take place in a full stadium. In the good times this would have been unthinkable. Under normal circumstances a crackling London derby in the first home game of the season would probably have sold out within a couple of hours, even at the current prices of £64-£95.50. Instead the club’s platinum members received an email this week offering them the opportunity to buy four further tickets for the game. There are numerous anecdotal reports of members who have been marooned on the season-ticket waiting list for years suddenly jumping thousands of places and being offered a seat this summer.
Related: Arsenal seal £34m move for Martin Ødegaard with more signings planned
Related: James Rodríguez admits he did not know Everton play Leeds on Saturday
Continue reading...August 19, 2021
Harry Kane and the endless Tottenham transfer saga – Football Weekly Extra
Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Liew and Simon Burnton to discuss the Spurs striker’s predicament and preview the weekend’s action
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On the podcast today: we discuss Harry Kane’s ongoing transfer situation, with training pictures and tabloid whispers doing little to change the Spurs forward’s situation.
Continue reading...Jonathan Liew's Blog
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