Welcome to the briefing. every Monday during this season. The Athletic So, here are the three biggest questions that will likely arise from this weekend's football.
This week was a meaningful weekend There have been scathing allegations about the reckless nature of English football, including scathing allegations of refereeing bias, a total blowout within 20 minutes of a 3-0 lead, and moans about crowding at match venues. Also. The incident ended with two apt trends on Twitter: “Embarrassing” and “Bloody VAR.”
Here we ask Manchester United how embarrassed they were by their FA Cup semi-final victory over Coventry on penalties. We also ask the same question of Nottingham Forest following the club's very public reaction to the referee's decision. And finally, is it really that bad to play soccer on Saturday, Pep?
At Wembley, another strange day in Manchester United's modern history unfolds as billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe runs the London Marathon, Clark Kent style, looking calm and in control as he watches United play. It all started when I put on a suit for today's job, which was to look like someone else. Hilariously bad.
Ratcliffe, Erik ten Hag and even Jason Wilcox on opening day. They all mastered the stoic look from 50 yards, all trying to give the impression they knew what they were doing, as their side conceded three late goals in the FA Cup semi-final. -final There is no logical reason.
VAR may have been trending, but the truth is that Coventry's tragic tale of bad luck was not the fault of anyone involved. The decision to penalize Aaron Wan-Bissaka for handball, which sent the match into extra time, was questionable to say the least (especially given the more obvious “unnatural hand position” by Jack Grealish and Ashley Young). ” did not receive a penalty this weekend)).
And if Haji Wright's thumb or left elbow is offside, it's offside.
VAR sticks to the rules, but doesn't like to buy into football jokes.
After winning 3-0, United conceded a goal from the 71st minute onwards, leading to chaos. On the positive side, they won the game and allowed at least 20 shots on goal, including after overtime. That hasn't happened since February.
And at least they regained some dignity by not initially celebrating their gunfight victory. There was no pile-on or sprint towards Rasmus Højlund, who won the penalty, but instead he shook hands with the Coventry players in a gentlemanly manner.
Well, except for Anthony, who at Coventry's peak ran in front of the fallen players and put his hands over his ears. It's the same Anthony who came on as a substitute when United were winning 3-0 and made little contribution to the team's victory.
We don't make it easy for ourselves 😅🔴 pic.twitter.com/4V6h2oFQG5
— United Zone (@ManUnitedZone_) April 21, 2024
But still, it's like, “Yeah, accept that, a small Championship club that only makes 2% of our club's salary sucks!''
The fact that Andre Onana was named to waste time against Coventry City says it all.
How much can Forest blame VAR?
When former Scotland international striker Stephen Fletcher announced to the world via social media that he had submitted a transfer request in 2012, it felt like breaking through football's fourth wall.
Fletcher, who was with Wolves at the time, tweeted: “I only requested a transfer to let the fans know what's going on with me,” along with the immortal hashtag “Heads Gone”.
It was a window into the inner workings of football, but Fletcher was just another frustrated rogue player.
Twelve years later, Fletcher's moment came at a professional football club.
Nottingham Forest manager tweeted: “VAR alerted PGMOL to Luton fans before game but they made no change.” Football and Twitter Traditions.
We simply cannot accept that three extremely poor decisions were made, meaning that three penalties were not awarded.
We warned PGMOL before the game that VAR was a Luton fan but they didn't change him. Our patience has been tested many times.
NFFC plans to consider its options in the future.
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) April 21, 2024
This is the level the club will reach. Earlier in the season, Liverpool said VAR had “undermined the integrity of the sport”, Arsenal chimed in about “even more unacceptable officiating”, and now Forest has left his country, had a bad day and turned his phone away. I'm slamming it against the railing.
Obviously Forest should have been given at least two penalties and certainly they have endured some bad calls this season, but no club in the Premier League has endured bad calls on the field. Given that, perhaps, just maybe, British referees might do that. Did I just make a mistake?
There is ample evidence of that. In fact, it's a lot.
There is absolutely no evidence of this kind of bias among top-level referees, unless Forest is about to announce it to the world. And to be honest, if you're going to make such a claim on social media, and you're not a huge fan, you should probably show some proof.
But if Forest don't understand that a decision was taken against them and the only excuse they come up with is that Stuart Atwell is a Luton fan, then that really begs the question. : Who is Mark Clattenburg, who was hired as a club official? Umpire Analyst – Anything other than Jon Anderson's bad impression of the Gladiators?
How bad is the situation in the City, really?
Sometimes it's only when you go on vacation or something significant happens in your personal life that you can step back and realize how crazy football is.
If you think about it, it's a crazy melodrama.
Manager Josep Guardiola spoke about the health of his players on Saturday after a recent spate of matches, including Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final defeat to Real Madrid, and said he hoped they would “survive” the FA Cup semi-finals. He said he couldn't understand why. The final match against Chelsea.
“This is not normal. The way we played today is unacceptable,” Guardiola said, lamenting the fact that his team could not move the game a day later. He was then asked whether he or Manchester City had contacted the FA about the issue. “They haven't changed anything in this country,” he said, adding that the association is scrapping FA Cup replays so that teams like City have a little bit of freshness for an exciting Tuesday night away trip. The answer came two days after ending a tradition that spanned more than a century. Leipzig.
Guardiola was understandably happy with the decision, saying: “It would have been better… It's a tight schedule with a lot of games.''
of @BernardoCilva We secured our position with a strike. #FACup Last! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/yCufXbtZ1h
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 21, 2024
They also have more money at their disposal than almost any other football club in the world and have the means to sign almost any player they want, not to mention having one of the best academies in English football. .
What else does Guardiola want to help his team? Perhaps he wants the air at every match to be purified. Presumably, the team with more possession in the match should get bonus points. The ball probably shouldn't be more than 20 feet above the ground. Or a club accused of breaching multiple financial regulations between 2009 and 2018, delaying the hearing indefinitely, let alone any future punishment, while winning trophy after trophy and gaining influence. Fewer other clubs may have points deducted for violating the rules. Because they're desperate to keep up with the league's massive spending?
If you're building one of the most expensive teams of all time through an owner with seemingly unlimited wealth, chances are you'll finish high in many competitions (unless you're Chelsea). , will need to play many games. Match. Instead of just making four changes, try rotating your team. Even better, stop moaning after a game you still won.
very soon
- It would be great to win the league title. It is quite remarkable to be one place ahead of your local rivals in the list of the most titles ever won in your country. It's only the second time in the last 14 years that they've won the league title, but that's a very good thing, even though they're a big club and the last one wasn't the same because it was behind closed doors during the pandemic season. Winning the league title by defeating your local rivals in a match is exceptional, amazing and extremely rare. Inter Milan, as the away team, can achieve all that with a win against AC Milan at San Siro tonight.
- Speaking of much-hyped local derby games, Everton take on Liverpool on Wednesday night, a game that is constantly touted as a delicious one, but in reality, Liverpool have been the best players since the turn of the century. They have won 28 derbies and five for Everton. If the Reds fail to achieve 29 wins at Goodison Park, their title challenge will surely end.
- If Pep is happy with that, Manchester City will return to action on Thursday away at Brighton.
(Top photo: Getty Images)
