FIGHT TO ENDRICK
While the preparations for England’s match against Brazil have been dominated by an often deranged debate about the colors of an inconspicuous rectangle adorning the collar of the men’s team’s jersey, we are finally discussing the distraction of real football. Not much of a game, given that the loudest cheer at Wembley on Saturday was reserved for the person who nearly managed to give Fabrício Bruno wings with a paper airplane launched from the middle tier of the stands. In terms of accuracy and precision, the Brazilian midfielder’s young team-mate Endrick went one step further as the 17-year-old scored his first goal for his country, handing Gareth Southgate’s brave boys a defeat that hardly matters in the cosmic scheme of things. from things.
Only Southgate and his team will know whether they have learned much from this contest, but one of the main media takeaways from a largely dismal encounter appears to be that Ollie Watkins is not doing himself too many favors in the race to see whether he or Ivan Toney will race. He earned the right to sit on the bench at Euro 2024 as Harry Kane’s understudy. Forced to survive on scraps against a preposterously inexperienced Brazilian defence, the Aston Villa forward missed a half-decent chance that was not as easy as some Sunday and Monday morning playmakers would have you believe. Against Belgium, Toney will be given the chance to impress and one suspects the Brentford frontman will back him because some jokes, no matter how bad and predictable, just write themselves.
While Kyle Walker, Harrys Kane and Maguire left the England camp with little finesse, there was sad news for reserve goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, who faces a season (and possibly Euro 2024) ending spell on the sidelines after an elbow knock. during training. James Trafford has been called up from the under-21s and has been getting some useful training in watching from the bench lately as he was brought off by Vincent Kompany in Burnley’s final game before the international break. Fellow Trafford Cumbrian Jarrad Branthwaite, an unused substitute in England’s defeat against Brazil and one of the Premier League’s brightest prospects, is hoping to make his England debut in Maguire’s absence. The Everton defender, seen by many as a future England regular, has spent a lot of training this season honing his talent, partnering with Burnley’s goalkeeper.
Following controversy over a minor change to England’s kit last week, the kit worn by Southgate’s players against Belgium looks set to be scrutinized very closely by the public, who are likely to have a lot of time on their hands. In an initiative that is part of the FA’s partnership, the jerseys worn in the second half will not feature players’ names, with sesame logos and multi-coloured panels in various shades, much to the chagrin of some, the similarly pricey dark raisin number. Alzheimer’s Association.
Kate Lee, the charity’s chief executive, said: “We hope to encourage our fans to not only donate to our early detection research, but also support their loved ones as much as they support their football team.” “This means taking crucial first steps when seeking a diagnosis if they suspect someone they care about may be affected.” It goes without saying that this small but important gesture from the England football team has already been dismissed as a pointless waste of time by a mercifully small minority of oddballs who have never had to deal with the heartbreak of being forgotten. A loved one living with this terrible disease.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It was a bit of a whirlwind; It seems like a lifetime ago. My debut was an out-of-body experience, but these were the best moments of my career. It was incredible to be part of the squad and be exposed to a club of this size. I wouldn’t trade this minute for anything” – former Manchester United midfielder James Weir chats to Will Unwin about Louis van Gaal’s early days at Old Trafford, spells in Hungary and Slovakia and how injuries led to retirement at 28 .
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
As for the photo of Tommy Johnson with the cabbage (Friday’s Memory Lane, full email edition), that’s because the County’s manager in 1989 was Neil Warnock, who opened a greengrocer’s shop in Nether Edge, Sheffield. towards the end of his playing days. To be fair he did a good job at County and there was a bit of gossip about him and them in Nottingham at the time. This was the promotion season of the old Third Division. But at the time he was still widely regarded as a part-time upstart who had managed to stay out of the league and had been lucky with Scarborough. I think Johnson is showing support. On the other hand, hanging out at the grocery store was as exciting as life in red Nottingham in 1989, so maybe that’s just what he was doing” – Jon Millard.
The photo you have included was taken when Johnson was early in his career as a striker at Notts County and was told by the then chairman that he needed development to increase his stamina. A local grocer (possibly Warnock? –Football Daily Ed) arranged for a well-balanced veggie box to be delivered on time to help with the reinforcement plan. “Villa fans may remember him coughing up his pre-match meal in the center circle before his first game, so he clearly remembers having a special relationship with food” – Richard Bullock.
I can’t take credit for it, but I liked the reference to the Virgin Islands derby as ‘No Taxi’ in another August magazine” – Rob Taylor.
Send a letter to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of the non-prize letter of the day is… Jon Millard.
WE RECOMMEND YOU LISTEN
Join Max Rushden and the Football Weekly capsule team as they share the excitement of the weekend.
♬♪♬♪ RECORD BREAKER! ♪♬♪♬
When we heard that a Baumgartner had made headlines over the weekend with his sporting success, our minds immediately turned to October 14, 2012; Brave Austrian Felix Baumgartner has thrown himself from the edge of space and bounced back in a supersonic freefall funded by Red Bull. As the world watched with mild alarm… but mostly amazement, I descended to earth from a height never reached before.
But it was Austrian Christoph Baumgartner, who broke the eponymous speed records this weekend, that took us back to the days of schoolyard dribbling as he raced onto the pitch from kick-off and blasted the ball past Slovakia’s stunned goalkeeper in just six seconds. It was the fastest goal in international football history. “We’ve done this variation before, taking all the risks away from kick-off,” he said after the 2-0 win. “Somehow the order of the steps worked and I was able to run.” Christoph earns his corn at RB Leipzig; This means that he not only has the same nationality and surname as Felix, but also his paymaster. If Red Bull had scored a goal or something…
NEWS, TITS AND BOBS
Dani Alves, who was convicted of rape, paid the bail of 1 million euros and can be released from prison until the appeal.
Former Chelsea chief executive Marina Granovskaia is named in documents showing Roman Abramovich’s offshore payments as part of the ongoing investigation into allegations of breaches of football spending rules.
Newcastle United co-owner Amanda Staveley has been forced to pay more than £3 million to the Greek shipping boss following a legal battle in the high court.
Portsmouth’s Abu Kamara said being one of five players named by former Norwich club Stuart Webber was an example of the need for black footballers to do so “because the alternative is prison”. “I want to say to all black and ethnic minority children that you don’t need to be a professional athlete to avoid living a life of crime and it’s important that young audiences are not left to this false narrative,” he said. “I’m proud of where I’ve come from and acknowledge the sacrifices my family made for me to have a career in football.”
Wales and Polish fans have been warned not to bring pyrotechnic devices to the European play-off final in Cardiff. Four Polish fans were arrested in Cardiff 18 months ago for possession of pyrotechnics and the Football Association of Wales was fined more than £14,500 after home fans threw flares in World Cup play-off victories against Austria and Ukraine.
UEFA has made “no meaningful efforts” to resolve claims on behalf of 1,200 Liverpool fans affected by the chaos surrounding the 2022 Champions League final, a law firm has said.
João Cancelo is still reeling from his unexpected departure from Manchester City. “Lied,” he shouted, trying to quell rumors that he was having a devastating effect.
Ashley Cole is also the latest name to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. “I am privileged to join the likes of Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand,” said the former Arsenal and Chelsea full-back as he looked around at his stylish new virtual club.
STILL WANT MORE?
Here are your WSL talking points from the weekend event. Getting stuck in!
Wembley and Belgium are giving Ivan Toney a big chance to show Gareth Southgate that he is Harry Kane’s ideal backup, writes David Hytner.
It’s time for the USA USA USA men’s team to rally, shouts Tom Dart.
Xabi Alonso’s choice is a little easier than Sophie’s, but which of Liverpool, Bayern or Barcelona should he choose to manage next season? Jonathan Wilson offers career advice here.
Greg Wood brings the latest on the continuing sad story of Football Index and those screwed by it.
When AI football is on the horizon, be grateful to those prepared to rage against the machine, writes Barney Ronay.
WITH MEMORY STRIP
There appears to have been some involvement by Arsenal reserves against their Chelsea counterparts on 20 March 1948. On the right is Denis Compton, who played 78 Tests for the England cricket team.