In a match that was treated like a cross between a Champions League final and a UFC event, but was actually just the first scoop of what will inevitably be too much ice cream, Pep Guardiola’s Man City beat Jose Mourinho’s Man United 2-1 in their first Manchester derby against one another at Old Trafford. Though Man United threatened to equalize after falling behind by two goals in the first half, City held on to leave Mourinho with just one win in his last 10 matches against Guardiola. This is only the beginning, but still we must ask, “What if it continued?”
Tag: If it continued…
If it continued… (Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid, Champions League final redux)
The 2016 Champions League final ended with a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty and a lot of utterly exhausted players. But what if the match had not gone to a shootout and instead continued with even more extra time?
If it continued… (Barcelona v Real Madrid)
Real Madrid came from behind against Barcelona to win 2-1 despite Sergio Ramos getting sent off in the 83rd minute. The Clasico win changed very little in La Liga, as Barca maintain a six-point lead over Atletico Madrid and a seven-point lead over Real, but we still have to ask “What if it continued?”
If it continued… (Spurs v Arsenal)
It was mutually assured disappointment in the north London derby as both Arsenal and Spurs proved yet again that they can’t win when it matters most. Despite being outplayed for much of the first half, Arsenal took a 1-0 only to have everything crumble around them in a span of seven minutes as Francis Coquelin was sent off before Spurs scored twice.
With a move into first place seeming inevitable, Spurs then conceded an equalizer to 10-man Arsenal in the 76th minute. To the delight of Leicester, the match ended 2-2, which means we really must ask “What if it continued?”
If it continued… (Arsenal v Chelsea)
Arsenal found a way to lose to Chelsea yet again, extending their scoreless streak in league matches against the Blues to over nine hours in the process. An 18th-minute Per Mertesacker red card and a 23rd-minute Diego Costa goal proved too much for them to overcome, even though Chelsea made it look like it was 10v10 in the second half. Given this near even battle between a club having a terrible season and a club that only plays like they are when they get too close to first place, we had to ask “What if it continued?”
If it continued…and thankfully it didn’t (Man Utd v Chelsea)
Manchester United and Chelsea, two clubs with uncertain managerial situations that both exist under the shadow of Jose Mourinho, played a miserable scoreless draw to end the calendar year. Thankfully, the match came to a merciful end that allowed all interested parties to move on with their lives and pursue more fulfilling endeavors. But since we have a masochistic streak here at Dirty Tackle, we feel compelled to ask, “What if it continued?”
If it continued… (Real Madrid v Barcelona)
The Santiago Bernabeu was pushed to the desperate act of waving of white handkerchiefs as Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 4-0. It was a show of complete domination from Barca that further weakened Rafa Benitez’s authority over Real Madrid and exposed a gulf in quality between the two rivals. When the final whistle charitably blew, it seemed to preempt further destruction that could have wrought untold hysteria. And so, it is our solemn duty to ask “What if it continued?”
If it continued… (Man City v Chelsea)
After a full week of medical staff controversy, Chelsea lost 3-0 to Man City in a match that had them on their heels from the opening seconds. The result marked the first time since 1998 that Chelsea failed to two either of their first two Premier League matches of the season and emphasized the club’s need for further investment.
Still, Jose Mourinho insisted that Chelsea were the better team in the second half, despite conceding twice in the final 11 minutes after a Ramires goal was wrongly disallowed for offside. “The best team in the first half won the game. The best team in the second half was Chelsea, for sure. We had a difficult first half. We didn’t create a lot and our goalkeeper made a few important saves. If the 1-0 was a doubtful result at minute 70, 3-0 is completely fake,” he said.
So if this result was “fake,” we have an obligation to ask “What if it continued?”
If it continued…. (Arsenal v Chelsea)
Arsenal and Chelsea settled for a scoreless draw at the Emirates, extending Jose Mourinho’s unbeaten streak against Arsene Wenger to 13 matches and putting Chelsea a step closer to a seemingly inevitable Premier League title.
Though Chelsea once again employed a strategy roughly akin to a bank handing you all of their money and daring you to escape with it, putting all the blame for the match’s lack of entertainment value on them is like blaming the guests at a party for it being dull. Arsenal had 12 shots, but just one on target. Surely the hosts must take some responsibility for poor planning and execution. And a distinct lack of guacamole.
But while others debate tactics, we must ask, “What if it conitnued?”
If it continued… (Manchester United v Manchester City)
For the first time in five Premier League meetings, increasingly noisy neighbors Manchester United beat their reigning champion rivals Man City. They did it in emphatic fashion, too — winning 4-2 to go four points clear of fourth-place City. It was the type of result that could mark a definitive shift in the two clubs’ fortunes for years come, but what if it continued?