1. Photo of the day
Ryo Miyaichi really wanted to play.
2. Tweet of the day
Great result for us today! A lot of respect for #Saints and their fans, they played some really good football nd wish them all the best #AFC
—Alex Ox-Chamberlain (@Alex_OxChambo) September 15, 2012
Alex’s definition of good football is far too nuanced for you or I.
3. Downplaying significant stuff of the day
Jose Mourinho isn’t worried about CR7. Why should he be, anyways. The Portuguese superstar may not be happy, but his performance on the pitch hasn’t suffered. I don’t believe a word of what I just wrote. An individual’s stature, or lack there of, shouldn’t be taken into account when mental health is in play. Mourinho came off like a bit of a clown, frankly:
“If he’s sad and plays the way he plays, that is perfect by me, it is all the same to me,” Mourinho said during a news conference Friday.
It’s a business, I get that. But Mourinho’s casual dismissal of Ronaldo’s ‘sadness’ is grating. Managers are not babysitters, but their success is defined by the players on the field. After making a living off of these men, treating their problems with utter disdain is not cool. In the same press conference Mourhinho spoke about this fact:
“I am a coach and results are my job because when the results aren’t good, I get killed,” Mourinho said. “Cristiano works at the highest level, sometimes better and other times worse and he can’t always score goals, but he is a team player, works in solidarity and in our practices and at our level of discipline he sets the highest example.”
Pitch perfect. He’s right and we know it, but I think he needs to sit down with his star and talk – would be surprised if they haven’t already.
4. Video of the day
Via r/soccer we get this string of amazing challenges in the Manchester United-Wigan game. It’s like FIFA in real life!
The Spanish title race may already be over. Unless they win both clasicos they have to chase down a club that hardly ever drops points.
Real Madrid has over come the hurdle that is Barcelona I think they’ll still win the league even after this poor start. Had this been last year or the year before I think Real Madrid would be done. But they no longer fear Barcelona.
hahahahaha you must be havin’ a LAUGH.
madrid don’t fear barcelona only when in a final, or if they have something of great significance to lose.
Now in the next clasico, not only will they have to not lose, but they will HAVE to win. WHICH MEANS!!! That they cannot play their stupid method of defending with 10.5 players scoring on a sucker punch then being scared and praying for the rest of the game.
madrid gonna get raped by Barcelona when they open up =) And they know it hahahahahahaha
paul scholes: the ginger butcher
ryo needs playing time. stat
- gooner 4 life
If I’m remembering correctly, this little series/documentary about Mourinho I watched showed that he is actually quite involved with his players and gets to know them well, and more importantly cares about what’s going on with them. In that case, I’m thinking Mourinho is just keeping in house talks and business in house. The media already went nuts over one little thing Ronaldo said, so they’d probably have a seizure from the sheer excitement hearing about Mourinho and Ronaldo’s talks.
Solid points, R.