The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
The whiniest club in the country
There’s another boring international weekend ahead when god awful Football League matches are thrust upon an unsuspecting nation.
I’m enjoying the Premier League this season so I will mourn its absence.
Financial fairplay cheats Manchester City will win it again obviously, but Liverpool and Chelsea are at least threatening to make a race of it.
My top-flight observations so far...
1) I find City manager Pep Guardiola a fascinating individual, but I suspect he deliberately plays up to the TV cameras when the opportunity arises. He could have admonished Raheem Sterling in private for his unnecessary showboating in the final stages of City’s stroll to victory against Manchester United last weekend. Instead he’s prancing around on the field like a maniac. In his own way he loves the attention just as much as Jose Mourinho.
2) It’s a shame Sterling didn’t take the chance to nip stories about City’s alleged cynicism in the bud by admitting he tripped over and wasn’t fouled in last week’s Champions League fixture.
Instead we are still focussing on City’s habit of deliberate fouls - led by the peerless Fernandinho - whenever anyone threatens to go on the attack against them.
3) City’s goalkeeper Ederson should play in midfield in a home game against one of the top-flight’s whipping boys. I’m convinced he would have a better pass success rate than Morouane Fellaini.
4) I have been wrong three times this season, a personal worst. I’m now accepting that Bernardo Silva is rather good in City’s midfield, that Virgil Van Dijk is an immense centre-back for Liverpool and that Everton manager Marco Silva (right) knows what he’s doing.
Liverpool would get within 10 points of City if they had a creative midfielder anywhere near Silva’s standard.
5) What a shame Fulham have sacked manager Slaviša Jokanović. He at least tried to get his team to play attractive football, unlike Mark Hughes at Southampton, Chris Hughton at Brighton, David Wagner at Huddersfield and Sean Dyche at Burnley, and Mourinho of course. Good to see Cladio Ranieiri back though.
6) Southampton still whinge more than any other top flight club, no mean feat now that Neil Warnock is back in the big time.
Saints striker Charlie Austin’s rant at a clueless referee last weekend was hilarious and accurate, although he missed out the fact opponents Watford were denied the most blatant of penalties and the red card that would have followed.
The fact Austin has yet to score a single Premier League goal this season also means a description of ‘clueless’ could apply to him.
7) I’m enjoying Arsenal’s resurgence under new manager Unai Emery. He’s proving Arsene Wenger hung around a bit too long. About eight years too long.
8) Just go Mourinho.