FLOP PISTOL
Everyone remembers the part in Pulp Fiction where dapper hitmen Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega emerge completely unscathed after being ambushed by a young gunman hiding in the bathroom of an apartment they visit to retake. HE brief case. Lured by a barrage of bullets from a “hand cannon” at close range, our brave but somehow unharmed duo stare at themselves and each other in disbelief before turning their own hitmen on the hapless would-be killer and blowing him up. Let your dominion come. “We should be [effin] He’s dead, man,” Jules muses, turning to examine the bullet holes on the wall behind him. “I know, we were lucky,” agrees Vincent, starting a philosophical debate among his colleagues about whether “what happened here” was luck or fate.
It’s a conundrum that may have preoccupied the Liverpool players, who are still very much alive in the FA Cup when they return to Merseyside on Sunday, having secured their place in the fourth round despite coming under the heaviest fire from every imaginable range. a dazzling array of Gunners, but mostly Kai Havertz. The hapless assassin, put forward by Mikel Arteta in his latest bid to solve his side’s poor finishing, left countless bullet holes in the wall, only to see his side dismantled by a more ruthless Liverpool team that would almost certainly win. They don’t care whether their victory is down to good luck or some kind of divine intervention. As the pressure began to mount, it could be argued that it was Jurgen Klopp’s men who ultimately had the big kahunas.
“My request to the fans is to get behind the team,” pleaded Arteta after his side were booed following their third consecutive defeat. “Get behind the team, they are incredibly good. They deserve support for their behavior. “I have not seen a team in the last six months producing what we have done. [Liverpool].” He has a short memory, given that his side have managed to score at least one goal against them in the last two weeks and will now spend some time trying to figure out the best way to start scoring some more goals as they look to win the Premiership in Dubai. League and Grand Cup.
Liverpool’s win over Arsenal was the penultimate match of the FA Cup third round; It was hardly a surprise, despite the heroics of non-league Maidstone and Leeds striker Patrick “Bam-Bam” Bamford. But with just one game remaining, an upset remains a possibility as Plucky Wigan host Manchester United at the DW Stadium tonight. Sitting 18th in League One, the Latics are major underdogs, but given some of the humiliations United have already suffered this season, a home win would come as an entertaining but hardly shocking shock.
FRANZ BECKENBAUER (1945-2024)
Franz Beckenbauer, considered one of the best football players of all time and one of only three World Cup winners as both a player and a coach, has died at the age of 78. Beckenbauer is an icon of German football, having played 104 times for the West. He captained Germany in the 1974 World Cup and repeated the same success 16 years later as coach of Italy. He also won numerous other awards, including a hat-trick of European Cups with Bayern Munich in the mid-70s, where he established his reputation as a defender of outstanding talent. His family confirmed the news in a statement to the German press agency DPA. “It is with deep sadness that we announce that my husband and father, Franz Beckenbauer, passed away peacefully in his sleep with his family on Sunday,” the statement said. “We want us to be able to grieve in silence and not be disturbed by any questions.” RIP Der Kaiser.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We can do fun activities, go out. Many boys take their families out [to Dubai] It also gives people the chance to meet their families. It’s nice to be in the heat and train in nice weather. That’s good for us” – As stakes across the country reach breaking point following Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat against Liverpool, Reiss Nelson took the opportunity to remind people everywhere that not everyone is rewarded the same way for failure.
LIVE ON MAJOR WEBSITE
Join Scott Murray at 19.50 GMT for hot FA Cup fourth round draw updates ahead of minute-by-minute coverage of Wigan 1-3 Manchester United.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
I’m no expert on probability theory, but I believe it was the great Émile Borel who popularized the theorem that “if you give an infinite number of Havertz, an infinite number of balls, and enough time, eventually one of them will stop.” Take lots of touches and shots before giving all opposing defenders time to take cover. But now is not that time” – Noble Francis.
If Ben Brereton Díaz knew everything about Sheffield United before his transfer, as their manager Chris Wilder claimed (Friday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition), why did he move there from Villarreal? –Mick Beeby.
Friday’s Football Daily quotes Sean Dyche describing VAR’s decision to show Dominic Calvert-Lewin a red card to prevent contact with Nathaniel Clyne: ‘If you slow everything down, you’ll find what you’re looking for’. I wish someone had suggested this to Bono in 1986” – Ed Taylor.
Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of the non-prize letter of the day is… Mick Beeby.
WE RECOMMEND YOU LISTEN
This week on Football Weekly, the pod chats about (poor) Jordan Henderson’s situation and whether Maidstone United are better than Arsenal.
THE ROAD TO WEMBLEY
We were chasing Sutton United in the third round; here the managerless Second Division strugglers faced Plymouth, who were themselves managerless until they appointed Ian Foster as head coach just hours before the FA Cup tie. He started his tenure with a 3-1 win, but being a modest man, he did not take all the credit for the victory. “I don’t think it’s easy for the players to have a new head coach come into the building as late as I did, and they responded well,” he reassured. “I gave them a few messages about the game this afternoon but Neil [Dewsnip] and Kevin (Nancekivell) prepared the team really well in my absence.” We will now follow the Pilgrims’ progress in the fourth round. We will find out later who they will face in the tombola.
NEWS, TITS AND BOBS
Tony Mowbray becomes Birmingham City’s 13th manager in 13 years. Club outfit Garry Cook said: “He is the right leader at the right time for our club.”
Erik ten Hag believes (chuckles) that Manchester United are the best (laughs) club in the world (please wait, no really) – but only if you have the confidence to handle the pressure. “It always depends on your confidence in the players and your abilities,” roared the Dutchman.
Michail Antonio’s knee skills are getting worse. Oh no! West Ham can get a loan by signing as collateral. Hooray!
Kylian Mbappé’s Mr. 15% has rejected reports that the PSG striker has moved to Real Madrid, instead insisting that talks have not yet begun. “No influence can determine the timing of Kylian’s discussions, thoughts, or decisions,” one statement snarled.
Our European round-up includes Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Dusan Vlahovic’s injury-time winner, and sixth-tier Revel, who faces PSG in the French Cup.
And Dorival Júnior resigned as head coach of São Paulo to take charge of the Brazilian national team. “This is a personal dream come true,” the 61-year-old man cried.
STILL WANT MORE?
Our list of the world’s best 100 female football players is coming out this week. We’ve compiled a fantastic list of 112 judges, ranging from Champions League winning coaches to former and current international players and coaches. From Barcelona head coach Jonatan Giráldez to Brazil legend Sissi and broadcaster Lucy Ward, here’s who made our list.
Would reducing the size of the league help the teams and the standard of football? Eric Devin argues Ligue 1 is a good case study and the answer appears to be yes. And by pure coincidence, Sean Ingle wrote his column about why overworked football players produce lower quality plays and put themselves at risk.
Pasquale Mazzocchi waited his whole life to play for Napoli and then received a red card four minutes into his first match; Lost 3-0 to Torino. Nicky Bandini looks at the bones of that red card and Napoli’s final defeat.
Suzanne Wrack chatted to former Lioness Claire Rafferty about her ADHD and why the multi-purpose sensory rooms at Wembley helped her “feel normal”.
Barney Ronay and Arsenal’s rocking team in Kai Havertz.
Ten talking points – make them count! – from the weekend’s FA Cup match.
Sam Kerr’s anterior cruciate ligament injury is the latest blow to women’s football approaching an epidemic, Sophie Downey explains, given that female footballers are six times more at risk of injury than men.
You probably don’t know as much about Mário Zagallo as you should. Here’s Samindra Kunti paying tribute to the four-time World Cup winner and greatest player of recent times.
Morocco is the favorite to win the Afcon; Can they repeat their World Cup heroics? Yara El-Shaboury has (some) answers. And Jonathan Wilson ponders whether an African country can win the World Cup in the next decade (no).
WITH MEMORY STRIP
Spectators watched Everton play Croydon in the Women’s Premier League at Marine FC’s ground at College Road in Crosby in September 1998. Everton were the last champions, but lost their crown that season to their rivals that day. There was no need for the fans to get too excited as the match ended 0-0.