The Premier League has instituted a new rule that requires all managers who do not hold a UK passport to select an adjective denoting which “One” they are.
Tag: Dirty Tackle
Diego Costa: “Don’t blame Mourinho for my fatness”
Chelsea players have been coming to Jose Mourinho’s defense after starting the season with four losses in eight matches. John Terry and Cesc Fabregas both talked up his talents, but Diego Costa has mounted a different defense, blaming himself and his fellow players.
Jurgen Klopp delivers giggly first message to Liverpool fans
A message from Jürgen Klopp to #LFC fans. Watch the new boss’ first interview now: http://t.co/0YnXR3e2lp #KloppLFC https://t.co/gN2UZtODXi
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 9, 2015
Jurgen Klopp is officially the new manager of Liverpool and in his first interview with the club’s in-house TV channel, he provided an introductory message to the fans. But it had more of a “wisdom from a kid who just took a massive bong rip” vibe to it than a “world-class motivator and tactician” vibe.
Didier Drogba brings Mourinho mind games to MLS
Didier Drogba has gotten off to a tremendous start in MLS, scoring eight goals in his first eight matches, but scoring prowess isn’t all he’s brought to the league. During Wednesday’s match against the New York Red Bulls, Drogba demonstrated what he’s learned from former manager Jose Mourinho on the art of getting under an opponent’s skin.
England goalkeeping coach impales ball on a pole with one in a million shot
England coach Dave Watson wowed the team’s goalkeepers in training with a shot that flipped a post out of the ground and impaled the ball on the spike end. Dave Watson is a ball murdering wizard.
FIFA’s official website tries to downplay Blatter, Platini, and Valcke bans
In a historic decision, FIFA president Sepp Blatter, vice president Michel Platini, and FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke have all been suspended for 90 days by the FIFA ethics committee. This is obviously huge news that could mean Blatter has already slithered out his final day in office, but you wouldn’t get any of that from the hilariously vague headline that FIFA’s official website used to announce the news.
RB Leipzig striker’s shot boomerangs off a defender and hits him in the face
This is just spectacular. Red Bull Leipzig’s Marcel Sabitzer tried to take a shot off the rebound in a 2. Bundesliga match against Nürnburg, but the ball ricocheted off a defender and hit him in the face, sending him to the ground.
Elsewhere, in Bochum’s 5-0 win over Greuther Fürth, a defender deflection worked to Terrazzino’s advantage, setting up a terrible attempt to clear the ball off the goal line…
Mexico training sessions are getting weird
Mexico will face the U.S. in a one-match playoff this weekend for a spot in the Confederations Cup. As strange as that premise is to begin with, it gets weirder still for Mexico since this game will mark the end of interim manager Tuca Ferretti’s four-match reign, because he doesn’t want the job full time after filling in for Miguel Herrera, who was sacked for punching a reporter at Philadelphia airport. But Juan Carlos Osorio has accepted the job and will take over next week, according to ESPN FC.
And now, with all this going on, the players are wearing deflated balls on their heads during training sessions. This is goalkeeper Moises Munoz wearing his new hat and perhaps crying out for help.
Chelsea fan delivers spectacularly furious rant after Southampton loss
We featured this in The Goalmouth earlier (sign up!), but it’s so good that it needs to be shared here, as well. Following Chelsea’s 3-1 loss to Southampton at Stamford Bridge last weekend, a Chelsea fans YouTube channel interviewed a man who attended the game (the whole game — an important distinction, as you will soon discover), as you do.
The interview begins with subdued disappointment in a team that just lost their fourth match of the season, but as the discussion goes on, interviewee Louis starts to build some momentum. Then a few celebrating Southampton fans pass by, acting as the lighter fluid dumped on the bonfire of fury built up inside Louis. Then the interviewer mentions Branislav Ivanovic’s name, lighting the match that sets the whole thing ablaze.
No one is safe from Louis’ rage — Ivanovic, Cesc Fabregas, even fellow Chelsea fans are all addressed in loud and sweary terms. It really a tour de force.
Hopefully Louis found the experience as cathartic. After all, it’s only October.
Massimo Luongo declares his Ballon d’Or nomination “a bit random”
When the 59-player Ballon d’Or long list was leaked last week, a few names stood out. One of those was 23-year-old Australia and QPR Massimo Luongo.