Every Premier league game this weekend will start with a tribute in support of Ukraine this weekend. Ukrainian blue and yellow flags will be flown at many grounds. West Ham striker Lukasz Fabianski has voiced his support for Ukraine captain Andriy Yarmolenko as his homeland is invaded by Russia. West Ham manager David Moyes, who gave Yarmolenko the day off when they played Wolves and Southampton, said the 32-year-old “is not in a good place, worrying about his friends and family back home in Ukraine.” Moyes said he would give the player as much time as he needs but he returned to training and was given full support from the players and before the Wolves match Declan Rice held up his No7 shirt. The players carried out their training session this week wearing black shirts with Yarmolenko’s name on the back. Everton have severed links with their main sponsor Alisher Usminov which will cost the club millions of pounds and although he was born in Uzbekistan he is a strong supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Roman Empire in ashes
Russian owner Roman Abramovich selling Chelsea is more significant than fans might think. Donating the proceeds of the sale is the price Abramovich has had to pay for his friend Putin invading a European sovereign country. Roman had to do this before he was pushed into it. Several Russian oligarchs are being investigated by the UK government and whereas he has not had his investments and money frozen or confiscated, the political moves are going that way. But it has one particularly significant effect on the Blues because the Russian oligarch has invested approximately £1.5billion in Chelsea (in the form of loans which he has written off and doesn’t want repaid) and they have bought some of the world’s best players. Now that will not be possible because Abramovich money can no longer be invested in buying new talent while the current Ukraine invasion crisis continues. Make no mistake, he has transformed the Blues, loves to support them and despite not attending many games because of business and visa problems he genuinely enjoys owning the club and this latest move was a bitter pill for him to swallow. Several possible buyers have been mentioned but none of them have the same financial muscle of Abramovich and future investment in the club will probably be limited.
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Arteta more confident Lacazette will stay
Mikel Arteta is convinced he can persuade Alexandre Lacazette to remain at the Emirates for next season. Lacazette rejected a one-year extension to his contract in December because he wanted a longer deal which Arsenal refused. However, things have changed and Arteta said that the French international had shown total commitment to Arsenal and his performances have been excellent. Arteta said this week, “We don’t know for sure what is going to happen at the end of the year but he is behaving like someone who wants to stay with us.”
Ignore Maguire and Ronaldo media reports
There have been many reports regarding the so called conflict between Harry Maguire and Ronaldo and the United the captaincy. Several have claimed that Ronaldo has spoken with coach Ralf Rangnick and roused several leading players to support him taking over the captaincy. I can tell you that this is simply not true. Both players have a healthy respect for each other despite Maguire going through an out of form period which Rangnick is working on. Far from being a disruptive influence within the United camp, Ronaldo in fact motivates the players and yes, it is true that he commands respect, speaks his mind and has a following in the dressing room but it has only been for the good.
United and Gunners interested in Dutch hotshot
Manchester United scouts have been watching PSV Eindhoven’s Cody Gakpo. The 22-year-old is one of the best strikers in Europe with 13 goals and 13 assists this season. He plays out wide on the wing making runs inside defenders before shooting. United are looking for young talented forwards to replace Edinson Cavani who is leaving in the summer and in the longer term Cristiano Renaldo who is now 36 years of age. I understand that Arsenal are also looking at Gakpo as a replacement for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Gakpo has expressed interest in leaving to further his career and it could be he will join whichever club offers him Champions League football next season.
Who are the best pair?
Here is one to talk over with your friends…Harry Kane put through a forty-yard perfect pass for Son Heung-Min to run onto and score for Tottenham against Leeds which took the pair to the top of the Premier League’s most effective combination. The title was previously held by Chelsea’s golden pair Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard. Who do you rate as the top pairing: Kane and Son, Drogba and Lampard or Liverpool’s Salah and Mane? This week Son said of his partner Harry Kane, “What more can I say more about Harry? You can say “superb”, you can say “phenomenal” but for me it’s not enough! I’ve played with him for a long time and I’m still looking at him and thinking, wow, this is unbelievable!”
Hassenhuttl in frame for United job
My inside sources tell me that the management of Manchester United have talked to Southampton’s Ralph Hassenhuttl regarding the next manager’s appointment. He has also been recommended by ex-United legend Paul Scholes and ex England manager and Tottenham star Glen Hoddle. Southampton chief executive Martin Semmens has remarked that Hassenhuttl has suggested who should take over from him as coach if he leaves. An interesting point is that Hassenhuttl worked with Ralf Rangnick when they were both at RB Leipzig and therefore know each other well.
Lampard an inspiration in training
I was delighted to witness a complete change of attitude amongst the players at Everton. during training this week at Finch Farm. They were definitely in great spirits and it is all down to newly appointed manager Frank Lampard. “Enjoy having the ball” he kept shouting during training and Andres Gomez and his teammates were definitely listening to his instructions. Against Manchester City last weekend the players performed with passion, fight and commitment and only a very late goal won the game for City after a highly controversial penalty area hand-ball was rejected by the referee and VAR. A slow motion TV replay showed that the ball was definitely a hand-ball by Rodri which left Lampard and Everton fans fuming.
VAR times to be shortened
FIFA executives have introduced a new VAR system which was trialled in Chelsea’s successful win at the Club World Cup and it could be used in this year’s Qatar World Cup and possibly in the Premier League in 2024. The new technology eliminates the long waiting time taken to evaluate tight offside positions for instance. Artificial Intelligence (AI) software is used to track the movements of every player and show animated illustrations on big stadium screens showing why certain goals had been disallowed. Stadiums will have up to 12 cameras to track every player and eventually the software will track 29 body parts for each one.
Eriksen cheered on by his entire family
I am sure everyone who loves football was overjoyed to see Christian Eriksen run onto the Brentford pitch as a 51st minute substitute. He is the first player in the UK to wear a Cardioverter Defibrillator after suffering his horrendous heart attack last year. The device kick-starts the heart in the event of a failure. My reason for mentioning this is that I was delighted to see this likeable young Danish man was supported by his entire family. At the match against Newcastle he was watched from the stands by his immediate family, parents, children and even his mother-in-law. Well done Christian.
