Sport
Seven Days in Seven Points
Mahrez stays!
Well well well! After months and months of speculation, Riyad Mahrez has finally confirmed his future direction – and he’s sticking with the champions! At the beginning of the summer it seemed almost inevitable that the 25-year-old would be heading for pastures new, but the Algerian has followed in the footsteps of Jamie Vardy in committing to the Foxes. The news will be a huge boost to, a Leicester side that absolutely nobody – even the club’s own fans – expects to be able to retain their title, but, lest we forget, we all had similar thoughts last season. They may have lost Kante, but retaining Mahrez and Vardy arguably makes this a successful transfer window for Leicester. As Meat Loaf once said; two out of three ain’t bad.
Value for Mane
It didn’t take long for Liverpool’s big summer signing to show his worth. His goal against Arsenal was a joy to behold – so good, in fact, that it secured him a piggy back from boss Jurgen Klopp. Mane also managed to score in a pre-season friendly against Barcelona, so it’s safe to say he’s hit the ground running on Merseyside. However, it appears that he may have suffered an injury in training – some reports say a dislocated shoulder while others are claiming a muscle strain – so it’ll be very interesting to see how the Reds cope should their current star man be out for any lengthy period of time.
Do Arsenal lack experience?
Well, according to Arsene Wenger they do. Speaking in the wake of his side’s defeat to Liverpool – a game which saw his defence flounder on more than one occasion – the Frenchman admitted that his team is ‘lacking defensive experience’. The comments will no doubt anger Gunners fans, many of whom have been calling for Wenger to sign defensive backup for months, if not years. Arsenal have been coy in the transfer window this summer – as is their style – and the supporters are getting angry. Even as I Spurs fan, I have some sympathy.
Does Juan matter to Jose?
The simple answer is, nobody seems to know. Jose axed the Spaniard when he was Chelsea boss despite much anger from fans, and most football supporters expected a similar conclusion when he took the Manchester United reigns. However, with just two weeks until the window closes, and after Mata impressed against Bournemouth, it seems Mourinho could be tempted to keep hold of the 28-year-old. Although, saying that, Jose has surprised us all before, so who knows what’s going through his head?
What next for Joe Hart?
After being dropped for Manchester City’s opening game of the season it seems that Joe Hart’s career as a Citizen could be coming to a close. The 29-year-old has been hit with much criticism in recent seasons – from City and England fans alike – following a spate of silly mistakes and an apparent inability to dive to his left. For now 34-year-old Willy Caballero has taken the place of Hart, but it appears Pep is looking around for a new stopper before the window slams shut. If someone like Marc-André ter Stegen is available, then this could well be the end for Hart.
So, for €90m Juventus managed to buy a fat Gonzalo Higuaín
If you managed to catch any of West Ham’s pre-season friendly with Juventus, you will have noticed that Higuain has put on a bit of weight over the summer. Actually, that’s me being kind; the Argentine striker looks like he’s playing with a rubber ring around his waist. If I were a Juventus fan I’d be fuming; when you splash such a significant amount of cash on a player the minimum you expect is for them to be fit enough to run around the pitch for 90 minutes without sweating grease. Newspaper reports claim that the Old Lady have now placed him on a strict diet in a desperate bid to get his weight down prior to the season starting, but it’s a somewhat embarrassing state of affairs for both club and player.
If ever there were a goal to sum up Aston Villa…
Just skip to 1:46 in the video and try your very best not to grimace.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKqeCh5MP7w
