LOSING CONTROL
Staring at his shoes in that errant schoolboy way of his while telling a procession of interviewers “I thought we controlled it for the most part”, Ange Postecoglou cut an increasingly forlorn figure in the wake of Tottenham’s third consecutive home defeat by Arsenal. While his team certainly enjoyed more than their fair share of the ball and dictated play until such time as it came to putting a move together that might lead to one of their players sticking it in the net, the amount of control they had over their local rivals was questionable in the extreme.
As he ran the gauntlet of microphone-wielding interrogators, a far more chipper Mikel Arteta had about him the air of the real Svengali who was actually manipulating proceedings by letting Spurs think they were in control. “We wanted to play a different game, especially without the ball in many areas of the pitch,” he trilled. In an often bad-tempered encounter that briefly boiled over but never seriously threatened to get entertainingly out of hand, Arsenal won courtesy of the obligatory goal from a corner, while Tottenham’s attempts to find a way through the Gunners’ defence at times resembled the efforts of a particularly dim-witted lab rat trying to negotiate a maze.
The previous day in Liverpool, Nottingham Forest had recorded their first win at Anfield for 55 years, a statistic that seems all the more remarkable when you consider Brian Clough was their manager for 18 of them. The 37th different man to take charge of Forest (who remembers Philippe Montanier!?!) since Matt Gillies masterminded a 2-0 win in February 1969, Nuno Espírito Santo could scarcely have looked less like his former Spurs self as his team stunned the home crowd with an entirely deserved win. “It is all about taking your chances in the right moments,” he beamed, following a game settled by Callum Hudson-Odoi’s goal.
Elsewhere at the top of the table, Manchester City continued what is already looking a relentless march to yet another title, albeit a couple of days before the start of a hearing shrouded in mystery, the outcome of which could see them bounced out of the top flight and down to the North West Counties Football League. Whatever Nuno says about taking your chances at the right moments, Brentford could scarcely have taken theirs at a more wrong one and while Yoane Wissa wheeled away in celebration after scoring inside a minute, he and his teammates must have known the game was only ever going to end one way and so it came to pass. “Thomas [Frank] is one of the best,” tooted Pep Guardiola of his opposite number afterwards, providing evidence for anyone who needed it that City had rallied and won.
GARY SHAW (1961-2024)
Gary Shaw, one of Aston Villa’s 1982 European Cup heroes, has died aged 63. The former striker fell seriously ill this month after being hospitalised with a head injury. Shaw was part of a revered side that enjoyed extraordinary and unparalleled success in the early 1980s, winning the First Division in 1981 under Ron Saunders and in 1982 the European Cup and European Super Cup. He is regarded one of Villa’s greatest forwards, having scored 79 goals in 213 appearances after joining as a 16-year-old apprentice. Born in Kingshurst, Solihull, Shaw, who idolised Bruce Rioch and Brian Little as a young fan, was the local boy at the heart of Villa’s greatest days.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“His goal was just the icing on the cake of a promising arrival at the Metropolitano. Who better to provide the music than a Gallagher. Just as Liam marked an era fronting Oasis, Conor is ready to leave his mark at Atlético” – and the award for most tortured analogggehhh goes to … Marca, rhapsodising Conor Gallagher’s goal and performance in Atlético’s win against Valencia.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
There is no such establishment as Ipswich University (Friday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition), though I am sure that the University of Suffolk is looking forward to benefiting from an Ipswich Town Premier League boost” – Peter Kilburn.
May I be the first of 1,057 pedants to point out that where a quote of the day lays into a translation error (Friday’s Quote of the Day), the comment describing the incident also has a typographical error. As far as I know, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) doesn’t run football in the Republic of Ireland, that’s the job of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI). That said, given recent results and appointments, maybe those running motor sport can’t be as half-ar$ed as the incumbents” – Damien Cahill (and no others).
Tuning in to Harrogate v Doncaster on Thursday, imagine my disappointment upon seeing, at the top left of the screen, details as ‘HAR 0-0 DR’. Sky’s graphics person clearly [but possibly mercifully – Football Daily Taste Ed] bottled it” – Tony Harte.
Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day winner is … Damien Cahill. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here.
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