Monday Mushings
Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
It’s Monday, the start of a fresh week in the world of football – so what would be a better way than to rant about the past and what is in store for us all in the up coming seven days!
Say it isn’t so, Eden…say it isn’t so…
Eden Hazard? PSG? Chelsea supporters will be nervously checking the news from here till september first after rumors have surfaced that the Blues talisman has not ruled out a move to the big spending Parisian club. If the money wasn’t attractive enough, surely the star-studded XI they can field, which will only be reinforced each summer with more talent, is an even bigger proposition.
Hazard has claimed that if his wife wants to return to France, he could not say no – but to be honest here, would a move to PSG be wise? Not a chance, at least for me. He is the key cog in the Chelsea wheel and this could end up being his team. Mourinho was correct when he predicted the young Belgian was on the same track as Messi and Ronaldo and a move to PSG could easily upset that potential. Stay in London, and while you’re at it…
Mourinho must bend over Lukaku issue
Everyone is baffled that Jose Mourinho has said that Lukaku could leave and cites that his poor attitude is the reason he wants him out. But has anyone given any thought to the fact that perhaps Mourinho IS the reason for Lukaku’s issues? His spells at first West Brom and now Everton have been simply fantastic and he appears to be a young player enjoying his football and being the man to lead the line. Could it not be entirely plausible that Mourinho’s lack of faith in the young Belgian hit man is the reason he has not taken warmly to things in London? Reconciliation may be the better part of judgement here as a tandem of Lukaku and Hazard would benefit Chelsea massively as the two link up for Belgium – there’s also the prospect of Marc Wilmots licking his lips if his two best young players become a top tandem for a top side in Europe. Lukaku has what it takes to lead the line for the Blues, and for once they could avoid having to shell out oodles of cash to rectify their woeful issues up front.
Tim Sherwood rumored to be out the door come the summer
And it’s honestly about time too for Spurs supporters no doubt. The former Spurs player come manager has the passion for management, but to say that he lacks the tact required would be the understatement of the month. Not to mention, he has rarely gotten it right with a Spurs side that, on paper, should be leaps and bounds better than what they are producing on the pitch. His record since taking over is also considerably worse than when Andres-Villas Boas was at the helm and it just goes to show you that quick-fire sackings and even faster appointments usually do not work in the end. Sherwood could easily have a future in management, but he should take a page out of the book of Roberto Martinez and ply his trade at a much smaller club before making a leap into bigger expectations.
Norwich City sack Chris Hughton – why?
Just, yeah, just why? Five points clear of the drop zone, the players love him, his staff loved him, the fans adored him – surely at least give him till the end of the campaign? Replacing him with the manager from the youth set-up, with a difficult run-in till the end of the season was quite a poor choice indeed. Stability at this crucial juncture of the season was needed and this monkey wrench of a move will very easily become a massive mountain to climb. If this was mid-season it would make far more sense, but timing is everything in football and this is one situation where I will be surprised if it does not come back to bite them in a very harsh manner.
Arsene Wenger out of ideas
Did it really take people this long to start talking about this? This is one of those few times where I will let my bias come through as an Arsenal supporter, and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that he has been out of ideas for years – it has just taken a new crop of managers to come into the fold who have the ability to exploit him on a weekly basis for everyone to see that the jig is up at the Emirates. Managers like Brendan Rodgers, Roberto Martinez and now for a second stint Jose Mourinho, who are students of the game, will always find Wenger out, though it’s not difficult given the fact that he has been using the same tactics for a decade. Part of being a manager is being open to the way the game changes constantly and Wenger’s stubbornness to adapt to the times has yet again put Arsenal in a bad way. For many Gunners fans, it is clear now that each season will read like the same repeating script over and over until a new manager is brought in.
English clubs will fall short yet again in Europe
The nature of the BPL will rear its ugly head as such a congested fixture list coupled with the physical demands of the hardest league to play in will doom both Chelsea and United this week. Chelsea must reverse a 3-1 first leg loss against a PSG side that can make them in every area of the park and then some, while United have the arduous task of going to Bavaria and hoping to pull a result against arguably the best club side in the world currently. As money comes into the fore in continental leagues, a fact that is married with said leagues having winter breaks, you just have to realize that an English club will have to be flawless to lift the Champions League trophy yet again in the years to come.
Project Merseyside
Liverpool and Everton are the two form sides in the BPL and for good reason – both possess managers in charge that are by no means upstarts that will flame out. In Rodgers and Martinez, both clubs have real students of the game, tactical genius’ and most importantly, motivators who have the utmost belief in their sides but who command the respect and admiration of their players. The numbers do not lie and what Rodgers is doing with Liverpool will not pitter out next season, while the Martinez gamble is proving a master stroke and he is on a massive rise that could well see him leave Everton in a few years. Both managers appear to be beyond thrilled with their time at their current employers and should the balance of power shift back to the west coast of England, not only will the managers remain, but there will be no chance the likes of Ross Barkley and Luis Suarez will leave.