weekend football: ontd_football

News

Mario Balotelli to PSG: 'Don't forget, up there, on top, it's Nice' Funny!

Mesut Özil: ‘My future at Arsenal depends on Arsène Wenger staying’ intriguing

Nathan Ake: Chelsea recall defender early from Bournemouth loan Poor Bournemouth. In the middle of their season, too

CLAUDIO MARCHISIO: JUVENTUS’ QUIET MAN If you don't know about Marchisio, you know now

Diego Godín and the story of football’s ultimate survivor LONG READ

Coverage for AFCON if you're interested

FA fixtures

Featured Matches

Liverpool 0- 0 Plymouth

Klopp put a lot of academy talents in the game as well as reserves. I'm not even mad, because I can understand Klopp's reasoning about academy talent having chances to play. In addition, he doesn't believe in extended loans (at LFC now, our policy seems to be that you sell a player and have him leave permanently instead of going on loan. Goalkeepers excluded)

Ben Woodburn is seen as an up and coming talent. A lot of pretty football, but Plymouth wasn't having it. They were so solid. I can't blame them, I think they got £9.000 for this fixture (I don't think it came on TV), and will get more money on the second leg. That's like, their budget for the year, these small teams. Once you make it through to round three and play the Premier League teams, that's when you get PAID

I gotta say, seeing a team wearing green as their primary colour is so weird. I do love their crest though, it's a ship with masts. I love the green, the badge, but I don't know if I'm convinced by the Puma design

Sturridge, Lallana and co came on, but it was too little, too late. Klopp threw shade though, saying, "I don't know how many people live in Plymouth, but they were all in the goal area." Mate, English lower league football is brutal, defensive stuff. Eddie Howe needs him some of that at this level.

Chelsea 4 - 1 Peterborough

Battered, Pedro got in the goals

The Posh got a goal in

SMH at Ruben Loftus-Cheek. At his age, he should be playing every week. Don't reupp with Chelsea, Loftus-Cheek, go somewhere, anywhere and play. You're good good to be riding the bench

Willian killed the game. Poor Luke McGee, but it's all for the good of his career.

Tottenham Hotspur 2- 0 Aston Villa

Take aways from this game. Vincent Janssen is struggling. When he's on, he slows down Spurs' attack, turns his back to the goal, loses the ball. Doesn't have pace, but doesn't have the guile and confidence of Kane either.

Dier was captain for the day

I thought the Villa goalie (Johnstone) was pretty good. He's a loanee from Manchester United.

Trippier works hard and has a cross on him

Ben Davies scored his first goal for Spurs.

Still not impressed by Sissoko, although he's working harder

Jack Grealish! Honestly, he played well yesterday. Tricky, an eye for a good pass. He looks leaner, meaner, stronger. I don't know what Steve Bruce has said/done to him but... he was one of the better Villains on the field yesterday. Keep it up, Jack!

The main reason why I've enjoyed watching Spurs over the past two seasons, is seeing Pochettino (the coach) improve in terms of his subs, tactics and in-game management. Most of the coaches' careers I've followed (Mourinho, Klopp, Wenger, Simeone, etc.), I've come to them when they were already 'whole' with titles and accolades and a set style of play. To see Pochettino thinking through his philosophy (from the highs of a Cup final to the lows of his CL campaign) has been a learning experience for me too. Watching him working stuff out has improved my appreciation of the game if that makes sense. Anyway, he took off Jansen for Dele, then took off Alderweireld for N'Koudou. Changed the formation from 3-4-3 to his favoured 4-2-3-1. Trust me, a year ago, Pochettino wouldn't have won this game

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