The Warm-Up: English diving 'masters' and the return of Riyad Mahrez
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Updated 09/02/2018 at 09:40 GMT
Adam Hurrey leads you into the weekend with some gravitationally-challenged news...
Tottenham's Dele Alli is booked for diving against Liverpool
Image credit: Getty Images
FRIDAY’S BIG STORIES
Wenger: English players may be the ‘masters’ of diving
We’ve made it! After 25 years of English football’s Age of Enlightenment, we might still be terrible at stringing passes together, remain a bit too keen on the odd agricultural challenge and actually listen to Paul Merson, but we are now apparently pioneers in the most un-English practice of all.
Arsene Wenger, probed on the week’s hot topic, offered one of his mischievous grins as he praised English players for finally nailing the dark art of diving.
I remember there were tremendous cases here when foreign players did it but I must say the English players have learned very quickly and they might even be the masters now.
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Mauricio Pochettino, left, and Arsene Wenger face off on Saturday (Adam Davy/PA)
Image credit: PA Sport
“We have to get diving out of the game,” Wenger continued, hot on the heels of Tottenham’s Dele Alli being booked once again for simulation last weekend. “I don’t tell my players to dive. I don’t encourage them to dive at all.
That hasn’t been interpreted as an attempt at mind games with Mauricio Pochettino – who gave his best what’s-the-big-deal performance when asked about diving earlier this week – but the first through-ball in Saturday lunchtime’s north London derby at Wembley might test one or both managers’ resolve over the issue.
Missing Mahrez not available again…or is he?
Suddenly, Manchester City’s transfer policy becomes clear: with the smokescreen of a couple of ligament injuries, try and bid for the best player of each of your opponents until they go on strike and don’t play against you.
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Leicester midfielder Riyad Mahrez is still absent from the club (Mike Egerton/PA)
Image credit: PA Sport
Riyad Mahrez, you may have gathered, has not pulled on a Leicester shirt since deadline day, when they – quite understandably – held out for for a cool £95m or so. City, you suspect, will be back soon enough but, in the (very) short term, it’s worked out alright. Here was Claude Puel’s low-key update:
“I think Riyad is not available for Saturday’s game. I hope Riyad can get his head right and come back with us and work hard. The best way is for him to come back and enjoy his football.”
But then…a twist. Late on Thursday night, it emerged that the Algerian was to return to training on Friday and declare himself available for Saturday’s game, the late kick-off at the Etihad. A huge, huge boost for the narrative, at least.
IN OTHER NEWS
Did I tweet this purely for the purposes of embedding it here, in the traditionally offbeat corner of this morning’s Warm-Up? It’s best not to spoil the behind-the-scenes magic.
Dimitar, welcome to India.
Meanwhile, over in Spain, Barcelona were setting records. But before the final whistle against Valencia confirmed them as the first club to reach five consecutive Copa del Rey finals, Lionel Messi and Ivan Rakitic were topping up their pass completion.
That would have earned you a boot up the backside not long ago.
HEROES AND ZEROS
Hero: Carlos Carvalhal’s imagination
We were last when I arrived, five points from safety I think. Now we are in a better position. We have our heads above the water and we are breathing fresh air, but the sharks are still around us. They will push us back down if we do not keep going, and we have to make sure that does not happen.
Employing the odd analogy as a football manager makes the drudgery of press conferences arguably more bearable, but there’s always the risk of straying into Ian Holloway territory. Thankfully, Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal drew the line in the sand with his Jaws-themed approach to their relegation scrap. Nope, hang on…
Very good, Carlos but any more of this and there will be points deductions.
Zero: The semi-forgotten, on-loan Lucas Perez
Having failed to pull up any trees at Arsenal last season after a £17m move from Deportivo La Coruna, “forward” (translation: striker who doesn’t score goals) Lucas Perez was welcomed back with open arms to his former club. Six months on, though, that sentiment appears to have faded.
Depor fans graffitied the straightforward message of “Lucas Perez, go now” on a wall near his home this week…
…only for an end-of-their-tether neighbour to pin up an A4 sign pointing out that “Lucas no longer lives here, assholes”.
Just hire a plane, lads, that what Arsenal fans would do.
HAT TIP
Tait started on Sesia, Sesia’s team-mates started on Tait, and then Ancona manager Massimo Cacciatori tag-teamed himself onto the pitch and chokeslammed Blues winger Ricky Otto. Colin Tatum, the only English journalist at the Stadio del Conero, described the Sunday League-esque free-for-all as “some of the most amazing scenes I have ever seen on a football field”..,and the ref was hospitalised with broken fingers as he tried to stop more fighting in the tunnel afterwards. Italian police were looking to extradite four Birmingham City players, who fled the country that night ‘winding down mountain roads like something from The Italian Job.
Mundial magazine’s James Bird takes a 100mph look back through the highly unorthodox history of the long-defunct Anglo-Italian Cup.
RETRO CORNER
On this very day in 2005, Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos lead the charge – sorry, stroll – against a Hong Kong XI, who celebrate their consolation in a 7-1 thrashing unlike anything you have seen before.
COMING UP
Tonight, it’s all about the Derby della Roberto Baggio, as Juventus visit their dear old friends Fiorentina, who like to refer to them as “hunchbacks”. Great stuff.
Monday’s edition will be brought to you by Adam Hurrey again, actually, which is some nice symmetry to bookend your weekend, isn’t it?
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