Bukayo Saka, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, and Andre Onana (Photograph by Getty Photographs, The Athletic, Getty Photographs)
In his unique column for CaughtOffside, former England striker Stan Collymore discusses a few of soccer’s largest speaking factors, together with Arsenal and Aston Villa’s Champions League exploits, Liverpool tying down Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk to new contracts, criticism of Andre Onana, and extra.
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Arsenal can win the Champions League after Actual Madrid rout
Arsenal had been glorious final evening in opposition to Actual Madrid. The injury was achieved within the first leg with a really aggressive show, and I believe that was the distinction the 2 groups. Arsenal weren’t intimidated, and for them, that may be a huge step that reveals their development – not solely in direction of profitable the Champions League, but in addition the Premier League. That development has been missing at occasions below Mikel Arteta.
It was a greater good two-legged demolition of Actual Madrid, who’re a group of people. It stays to be seen whether or not they can try this in opposition to PSG, however they need to be assured as I believe that they might not present as a lot naivety as Aston Villa did throughout key moments of their tie. And they need to have extra high quality too with guys like Bukayo Saka.
For my part, there may be nothing stopping Arsenal from profitable the Champions League, as there may be little or no between the 4 groups left within the competitors. PSG and Barcelona are two groups that additionally would not have a lot expertise of being at this stage within the competitors with these squads, and Inter Milan are a group that many in all probability didn’t count on to get this far.
For Arsenal, I believe they may must be even higher in opposition to PSG than they had been in opposition to Actual Madrid, however can they do it? I believe they’ll.
Criticism of Unai Emery for Rashford substitution is misplaced
The overwhelming majority of Unai Emery’s genius since arriving at Villa has been about making the correct choices on the proper occasions, however I believe criticism of his substitutions through the PSG second leg are a bit unfair. The Rashford one killed Villa’s momentum slightly bit, however had Ollie Watkins come on and scored, nobody would have battled an eyelid.
Villa’s downfall in opposition to PSG got here in key moments throughout the 2 legs. The choice to carry on Axel Disasi within the first sport was a naïve one, and that contributed to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s purpose to make it 2-1. On high of this, the late purpose that PSG scored final week and their early opener at Villa Park on Tuesday had been additionally errors that price them. Had these not occurred, they might have received the tie, because the comeback was epic.
Villa will study from this, and they’re going to do higher in Europe going ahead – whether or not that’s within the Champions League once more subsequent season, or the Europa League/UEFA Convention League in the event that they don’t end within the high 5 locations within the Premier League. They have huge league matches developing in opposition to groups in and round them like Newcastle and Man Metropolis, and in addition the FA Cup semi-final in opposition to Crystal Palace. I hope the gamers finish the seasons strongly as they deserve it, however they may also be forgiven in the event that they had been to have a wobble on the again of this PSG match.
Within the greater image, Villa’s house owners are very able to maintaining them in rivalry for the Champions League locations. They’re very rich, they usually can take the membership to the subsequent degree. If Emery and Monchi are essential are intelligent with their recruitment contemplating the specter of FFP, they’ll hold progressing. And they’ll must be good as they are going to be many golf equipment within the race within the coming seasons, contemplating that Man United and Tottenham ought to bounce again.
Maintaining Salah and van Dijk is the very best consequence for Liverpool
It’s glorious for Liverpool to retain the companies of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk. For me, it doesn’t matter how a lot cash they’ve been supplied given their ages, as a result of the cash that it could price to switch them would certainly be a lot extra. Each of them are greater than able to maintaining their ranges for the subsequent 2-3 years, even when they had been to regress barely by way of bodily health.
In van Dijk’s case, he’s very able to sustaining his pure capacity to learn a match even when he slows down – he simply has that factor that so many different defenders don’t. And with Salah, I don’t see him dropping a lot of that crucial tempo two or three years down the road. The one factor that each should be cautious of is being overplayed, which might carry on accidents – however to handle this, I might not be stunned to see them retire from worldwide soccer within the not-too-distant future. There might be a dialog about that after the 2026 World Cup.
Should you had informed me final summer season that Liverpool would hold Salah and van Dijk however lose Trent Alexander-Arnold, I’d have been doing cartwheels – and I’m positive that supporters will really feel the identical. The latter is a wonderful participant, however he isn’t as essential to Arne Slot’s facet as the opposite two. Conor Bradley is greater than able to stepping up, and by way of passing output, there may be already the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister. However Liverpool are usually not an extended passing facet anyway.
Man United might be criticised as a collective – not simply Onana
It has been a troublesome interval of Andre Onana, however placing it into context, it isn’t simply him that has been the worst in Man United’s historical past as Nemanja Matic put it final week. From after I began watching soccer again in 1977 to the beginning of the Alex Ferguson period, Man United had been very common. The first goal of the groups again then was to cease Liverpool profitable titles, not profitable them themselves.
For me, this Man United group is the worst in two generations. They purchased Rasmus Hojlund on the idea of him being younger and Scandivanian like Erling Haaland, in order that they wished him to play to that degree even though he had barely performed for Atalanta and Denmark. That was a panic purchase, and they’re paying for it now. Mason Mount – the place has he been? He’s been injured more often than not, however when he has performed, he has seemed woefully off the tempo. Can he be argued as considered one of Man United’s worst ever signing? Sure, completely.
You may undergo the whole first group squad and query whether or not these gamers are among the worst signings in Man United historical past, however solely Onana appears to draw criticism. Possibly it’s as a result of he performs because the goalkeeper, which is crucial place on the pitch, or possibly it’s as a result of he’s seen as attracting scrutiny with a few of his antics. However he’s completely proper to ask the query about why it is just him that’s being criticised as a result of that is undoubtedly the worst Man United group that I’ve ever seen by way of mentality, want, management, bottle and so many different traits.
Nobody is saying that Onana shouldn’t be criticised – he needs to be as a result of he has been poor. However he ought to solely be equally criticised in comparison with the remainder of his Man United teammates. And at the least he’s dedicated to enjoying each week, which can’t be mentioned for gamers just like the lesser-spotted Mount. The place’s his criticism?
Lacking out of the UCL wouldn’t be a failure for Forest
I by no means thought that this season run-in was going to be simple for Nottingham Forest, even when so many different individuals have checked out their fixtures and thought that they might choose up victories right here and there. There’s a small group of on-line supporters that each membership has, they usually merely don’t perceive soccer. And by that, they don’t perceive how troublesome the run-in may be – and it’s not simply them, as I appear to be one of many solely pundits that values this.
A Premier League run-in, which I take into account to be the final seven or eight matches, is likely one of the most troublesome set of soccer fixtures – it’s mainly like a Grand Nationwide inside one other Grand Nationwide. It’s a lot more durable than different leagues like Serie A or La Liga, as even the groups that aren’t already relegated or not competing for something nonetheless have issues on the road – it might be satisfaction, a brand new contract or perhaps a summer season transfer in case you are somebody like Liam Delap at Ipswich.
I skilled this example many occasions after I was a participant, and the message when the run-in began was all the time that you just had been enjoying for one thing. It’s the identical whether or not you’re on the high or the underside of the desk, and that’s distinctive to English soccer. And if you find yourself concerned in title races or battles for the highest 4/5, your thoughts begins to play methods on you with excited about the potential outcomes.
And as regards to Forest, it is likely one of the achievements of the season for them to be fourth within the Premier League at this stage. Nobody, not even probably the most optimistic Forest supporter, would have predicted that they might be the place they’re now, and they need to be celebrated for that, no matter how the remaining weeks in the past.
Even when they had been to not qualify for the Champions League, it could not be a failure or a “bottlejob”. If any Forest fan thinks that, you have to give your head a wobble. Soccer doesn’t work like that, golf equipment can’t relaxation on their laurels and assume that they need to end the place they’re simply because they’re there now. In the end, wherever your group finally ends up on the finish of the season is the place they deserve to finish up.
