The Warm-Up: One last night to remember, for old time's sake?
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Updated 29/12/2017 at 09:44 GMT
Jack Lang has news of Southampton targets, Liberian politics and plenty more...
Alexis Sanchez
Image credit: Reuters
FRIDAY’S BIG STORIES
Sanchez joins Arsenal farewell tour
Certain callings in life come with melancholy as standard. Lighthouse resident. Romantic poet. White House correspondent. If that’s you, you’re probably batting above average for wistful looks and heavy sighs.
But it could be worse; you could be an Arsenal fan. There’s the endlessly repetitive Wenger debate, the transfer-market failings, the annual European collapse, the injuries, the fan TV embarrassment, the creeping ennui… it looks like a waking nightmare.
Essential away win today! 😎 Taking three much needed points back home to the Emirates! ⚽💪 #COYG #afc #CPFCvAFC @Arsenal pic.twitter.com/YOyVJhkaMH — Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) December 28, 2017
And when you’re Arsenal, even the good times are bad. Take their current decent-ish run of form (one defeat in ten after last night’s 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace), the main star of which has been Mesut Ozil, a man who has January 1 circled on his calendar and Jose Mourinho on speed dial. There is always joy to be found in good football – luckily for Arsene Wenger – but it takes a bit of the edge off when it’s being orchestrated by someone who is just about to jilt you.
At least Alexis Sanchez, the other half of the Emirates Two, has had the decency to look thoroughly bored during a series of deeply underwhelming displays. Except, oh no, there goes that silver lining: it was the Chilean who clicked into gear to inspire the Gunners at Selhurst Park, netting two second-half goals and generally looking rather excellent.
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Arsenal's Chilean striker Alexis Sanchez (2R) celebrates scoring their second goal during the English Premier League football match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal at Selhurst Park in south London on December 28, 2017.
Image credit: Getty Images
“People who don’t have long contracts are questioned, always,” said Wenger, clinging bravely to his little wooden shield. “But as long as you are somewhere, you give your best. The best way to show they are committed is to give that kind of performance. This kind of Sánchez is a great football player, as we know. That’s the kind of performance we want from him.”
The thing you really want, Arsene, is for him to SIGN A FLIPPING CONTRACT. But then that would clearly be too happy an ending for the Premier League’s leading doom merchants.
From car crash to Carlos
Watch out, £20 notes of south Wales: there’s a new sheriff in town. Yes, former Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal – he of the confusingly-spelt name and knack for angrily making points with props – is the new manager of Swansea City, replacing Paul Clement after a couple of weeks of uncertainty.
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Carlos Carvalhal is the new man in charge at Swansea
Image credit: PA Sport
The Portuguese certainly talked a good game on his first day in charge, calling himself a “football romantic” and insisting that he can change the club’s fortunes. And there were also words of support for countryman Renato Sanches, despite his disappointing form this term.
“I think he needs confidence,” said Carvalhal. “We can forget that even though he played for the national team and Benfica, he’s still a kid. He’s still learning, he needs a role in the team. When he understands exactly what we want, he can be a completely different player.” Only a guess, but ‘not passing to Carabao logos on advertising hoardings’ might be on the agenda for those proposed learnings.
Supermarket sweep
With £75million burning a hole in their pockets, it looks like Southampton will be hitting the January sales pretty hard. Already, a whole host of players are being linked with moves to the south coast when the transfer window opens in a few days.
If all the rumours are true, the Saints will be signing Daniel Sturridge (that Liverpool connection again!), Theo Walcott, Alfie Mawson and Ryan Sessegnon for starters. Although with the coffers so obviously full, opposition clubs will surely make like Harry Enfield…
IN OTHER NEWS
Geoff Shreeves is no stranger to awkward post-match interviews, but this little exchange still got The Warm-Up’s cringe radar bleeping. As a rule, you really don’t want your two interviewees to conduct a mini-assessment of your professional failings live on television, and Mustafi’s exasperated skyward look will surely be haunting poor Shreeves’ dreams for the next few days.
Shreeves "are you back to your best"Mustafi " they love that question"Jack in response to Mustafi."yeah every week" pic.twitter.com/yFbLyvSSHX — Chambo (@Chambster) December 28, 2017
HEROES AND ZEROES
Hero: George Weah
Common things for footballers to do after retirement:
– Management/coaching
– Punditry
– Pub ownership
Less common things for footballers to do after retirement:
– BECOMING THE ACTUAL PRESIDENT OF LIBERIA
Bravo, George.
My fellow Liberians, I deeply feel the emotion of all the nation. I measure the importance and the responsibility of the immense task which I embrace today. Change is on. — George Weah (@GeorgeWeahOff) December 28, 2017
Zero: Dan Ashworth
A nice, slow round of applause for the FA technical director, who finally decided to actually say something about the Mark Sampson affair, literally months after its conclusion.
Something, but not actually very much. To wit: “It’s been a difficult year off the pitch with what happened around Mark Sampson, the England Women’s team and the subsequent fall-out. That has been well documented and the Chairman has rightly identified the way forward for the organisation to improve.
“Lessons have to be learned and I personally am aware of the distress caused to the players involved, and of course the negative impact on the rest of the squad and the wider women’s game. It’s something that we all take seriously.”
So he’s aware of it and taking it seriously. Very reassuring.
HAT TIP
I was going to walk off the pitch and go straight down the tunnel, I was that angry. Steven [Gerrard] grabbed me and said: ‘What’s happened?’ Obviously he realised something was wrong and he put his arm round me. The fourth official told the ref their player had been accused of bullying. He went to the player to say he had been accused of bullying and the player looked like he didn’t know what was happening.
Major respect to Liverpool starlet Rhian Brewster – just 17 but clearly mature beyond his years – for being brave enough to talk about his experiences of racial abuse. The fact that there have been so many should shame football’s authorities, so here’s hoping a few of those in power took the time to read Daniel Taylor’s latest bit of public-service journalism.
COMING UP
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Millwall FC, fans
Image credit: Getty Images
There’s some Championship action to take you into the weekend, with Millwall vs QPR the best of the evening’s matches. The two haven’t met at the Den in over four years, which should lend an extra edge to a game that probably wouldn’t have been lacking one anyway. Crotone vs Napoli is your continental offering.
Saturday’s Warm-Up will be written by no one, because there isn’t one. And Sunday is New Year’s Eve, so we’re slacking off on Monday too. So see you on Tuesday, suckers!
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