Alabama won yet another stupid national championship in college football on Monday. Pretty much everyone outside of Alabama hates the Crimson Tide. It’s a common narrative: Hate the team that always wins — be it the New England Patriots, the New York Yankees or Barcelona/Real Madrid.
After scoring 226 goals in a sensational eighty-year stint with Arsenal from 1999 to 2007, Thierry Henry’s sale to Barcelona was seemingly the end of the Frenchman’s legendary time with the Gunners. Five years later, after a period with Barcelona and currently on the books with Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls, Henry romantically returned to his beloved club on a two-month loan deal.
Philippe Coutinho’s official presentation as a Barcelona player took place at the Camp Nou today with the world’s second-most expensive footballer of all-time going through the usual rigamarole, only with the price tag of $192.7 million attached to him.
With Manchester City holding an unassailable 15-point lead at the top of the Premier League table, the managerial mind games in the race for second place began in earnest on Thursday with Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho outlining how his work sets up future managers for success and how he refuses to “behave as a clown on the touchline,” both quips being viewed as digs at Chelsea coach Antonio Conte.
Today we discovered a startling revelation from talented young Liverpool right back Trent Alexander-Arnold: he has one of those "friendship recipe" wall hangings in his kitchen. This is definitely the biggest story of the day involving Liverpool, nothing else going on there really, mostly a relaxing stress-free Thursday for Liverpool fans. Yep.
Tottenham attacker Son Heung-min saved his side from a calamitous home defeat to West Ham United after absolutely lacing a strike in the 84th minute of their Premier League encounter. Pedro Obiang had given West Ham the advantage in the 70th minute with his own vicious punt, but Son’s seventh goal of the EPL season saw Spurs salvage a draw.
It’s still a hugely disappointing result for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, who sit fifth after 22 matches — three points behind Liverpool in fourth. The result also keeps sixth-place Arsenal only two points back on their London rivals.
Where to begin with this game? We'll start with Alvaro Morata. If Chelsea had someone else playing striker, they probably would have won this game running away. But, they did have Alvaro Morata, and he missed three clear chances. So it goes.
You know who didn't miss, though? Jack Wilshere! Welcome back, Jack!
You know who else doesn't miss? Hector Bellerin, who nailed Eden Hazard squarely in the foot with his foot to set this up:
"Despacito," by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, was objectively the only good thing to happen to anyone in 2017. Have a watch and meet me on the other side so we can talk about soccer.
Apparently that's what Tottenham Hotspur play in the locker room. We must say, they have good taste.
Pep Guardiola has it all backwards when it comes to the festive schedule. In a postmatch interview after his side beat Watford 3-1, Manchester City’s manager discussed the busy fixture list and how the English FA doesn’t care about its players. That’s not what we’re taking issue with; we totally agree with that. What we think Guardiola, perhaps the best coach of this generation, is wrong about is why people watch football.
“We’re going to kill them,” Guardiola said of playing two matches in three days. “Here in England they don’t protect their players.”