After his first game managing in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola was asked if he would sacrifice his style for results. He boldly answered, "Impossible, impossible. It's a sacrifice for what reason? If you lose a game, and you believe in it, you keep going.”
Loris Karius, who last season was voted the second-best goalkeeper in the Bundesliga, is in a war of words with Gary Neville, who has never been a goalkeeper but is paid to pretend he knows things about goalkeeping on TV.
No goalkeeper is immune to the vast amount of criticism that will inevitably come their way. Whether being rounded on for a costly howler, unavoidable inexperience or just a perceived general lack of command, a keeper's life is an incessant trial by fire.
A 20-year-old David de Gea making consistent Premier League appearances for Manchester United during his first season in England was a “dodgy keeper” that needed “to grow into his kit”.
Roberto Firmino's Liverpool contract reveals a level of saltiness that's not been seen in these parts for quite some time.
What follows is my favorite paragraph of soccer journalism so far in 2016.
Given the way in which David Luiz was tackled by Sergio Aguero at the weekend and considering the short fuse on Luiz himself, many people were expecting an angry reaction from the Brazilian. As it turns out, that couldn't have been further from the truth.
Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Everton Sunday was noteworthy for two things Zlatan Ibrahimovic did.
The one that everyone is focusing on: his kicking Seamus Coleman in the head early in the second half.
Zlatan wasn't punished on the field for the incident, but his comments after the game could cause the FA to take a closer look.
Bastian Schweinsteiger's exile from Manchester United's first team appears to be dissipating.
The German midfielder played in his first match of the season earlier this week, getting a few minutes of run against West Ham in the EFL Cup quarterfinals. Schweinsteiger made the most of his time, sending a nice pass to set up Zlatan Ibrahimovic's second goal.
This has led Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho to say that Schweinsteiger might not be so exiled after all.