Super Spurs? Oh, get Real
CLASSIC Jose Mourinho, who clearly wants to moan about Manchester United’s injury situation.
Best way to do it? Tell everyone he’s not going to moan about Manchester United’s injury situation, even list a few he’s NOT going to moan about.
It is like when he says he doesn’t have to boast about the 25 trophies he has won – just in case you had forgotten he has won 25 trophies.
He’s nothing if not predictable. ON Wednesday morning I returned from Madrid, where, according to David Ginola, there had been a “great display that sent a message to the world.” Unfortunately, I had been at Real versus Spurs. Sometimes you see a match differently from the vast majority – it is a game of opinions, and all that. Tottenham were good. Harry Winks was tidy, Harry Kane put himself about, while Hugo Lloris was excellent. But the game I watched featured two shocking misses and one bad one, all from Karim Benzema, and two chances for Cristiano Ronaldo that would normally have been buried. Ronaldo also hit the post with a header while Spurs benefited from a very fortunate own goal. Both teams were without key players, incidentally, and Real have been indifferent at the Bernabeu this season. Valencia and Levante have both drawn there and Real Betis won there. It was a significant result for Tottenham but hardly a landmark one.
DAVID WARNER, he of the Walkabout punch, looking ahead to the Ashes: “I try and look into the opposition’s eyes and try and work out: ‘How can I dislike this player’?”
For any England player looking into Warner’s eyes, it should not take much working out.
THERE are probably quite a few people who would agree with Troy Deeney, when he suggests Arsenal do not have “nuts”.
There is probably no doubt Deeney himself has “cojones”.
And there is definitely no doubt that, considering he cannot nail down a starting place for Watford, that the forward also has plenty of barefaced cheek.
PHINEAS TAYLOR BARNUM, of circus fame, was supposed to have said: “There’s a sucker born every minute.” Privately, the promoters of Anthony Joshua’s next fight might be thinking that. On Saturday week, Joshua will now fight Carlos Takam after Kubrat Pulev pulled out with a shoulder injury. Conveniently, Takam had been on standby. With a couple of bookmakers, Joshua (above) is 1-100 favourite. That means you have to stake £100 to make a £1 profit.
Yet still, the Principality Stadium will be rammed. Not with suckers, though, but with people recognising that Joshua is destined to be one of the country’s biggest sporting stars. Ever.