BehindClosedDoors

Punters’ Picks: Week #004

By James Watson (@james_watson98)

Enable. 10 Group One wins. Two Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe’s (soon to be three). Superstar Mare. This weekend could be the last time we ever see her run as she goes to Longchamp to defend her crown for the third time and looks to become the first horse to ever do that. In recent years we saw Treve try her hardest to do it but was stopped by the same combination that have Enable. Gosden and Dettori have had one hell of a season winning Group One’s in England, Ireland and France with the cherry on top of the cake being this Sunday at 3:05 Longchamp. Enable has captivated the racing world as her grit and determination to win shines through. Look at her performance in the Yorkshire Oaks. The crowds gathered from all around the country to see the superstar mare run for the last time in England. She has captured a nation. On Sunday grab whoever you can round the telly and witness one of the best horses in history. Enjoy 😊

Newmarket is where I shall start with the Fillies Handicap which looks a competitive heat. The Filly I really like in Eva Maria for Richard Fahey and Paul Hanagan. Owned by the Gredley family she is closely related to one of their superstars James Garfield and has never been out of the first three. In her third run at Pontefract she got tapped for a bit of toe and plugged on in then end which saw her step up in trip at Ayr the next time where I think she won a shade comfortably. She has only been put up 6lbs for that win and I think she had a lot more in hand. The ground is currently soft at Newmarket and she has won on good to soft, so I don’t see that being an issue. I really like this filly and think she has a lot more to come against some experienced rivals.

Newmarket 1:40 Eva Maria 5/1

Over to Ascot now and the Cumberland Lodge looks an interesting race. Wells Farhh Go is a bit of a cliff horse for me but will persist with him here. He always puts in a solid performance in the Group Three’s and fails to deliver when stepped up in class. He won very nicely on his seasonal reappearance and went off to hard when running in the Goodwood Cup. Put a line through his run last time the Ebor just wasn’t a race for him and back in an 8 runner Group Three should be more his bag. He has won on Good to Soft as a two-year-old and if he decides to settle, he should be very difficult to beat especially down in trip.

Ascot 2:35 Wells Farhh Go 6/1

The Redcar Two-Year-Old trophy is a race I always used to love growing up and the obvious option for this race would be Summer Sands. However, I will be going against him with Dubai Station for Karl Burke. He has good soft ground form which should put him in good stead. Think the slight step down in distance by a few yards will help as he doesn’t always strike me as he wants further. Two starts back he was beaten by the Middle Park winner which shows strong for and I think Hes massively overpriced at 12/1. He has flopped slightly in some Graded race but stepping back down in class here should see him being competitive and goes into this race fresher than the favourite.

Redcar 2:55 Dubai Station 12/1

Back to Newmarket now where the Sun Chariot Stakes has been the location of Laurens’ last ever run. This filly has been a superstar for John Dance and his team and is a six-time Group one winner. She was below her best last time when finishing fourth in the Matron when trying to defend her crown. I think she may struggle against, but I wish her the best of luck and can’t wait to see her progeny in the future. Veracious’ performance last time was very impressive, and I think Sir Michael and Oisin Murphy may have found the key to here. It was a career best last time when landing the Falmouth which I though was strong at the time. She is improving still with each run and I think she will sit in Laurens slipstream and go past late on.

Newmarket 3:25 Veracious 4/1

Don’t forget to tune in for Enable on Sunday 3:05 on ITV or Sky Sports Racing!!!!!!

By James Watson (@james_watson98)

Chaos is a ladder that United and Arsenal cannot get off

By Urban Newton

(@urban_newton)

“Chaos isn’t a pit. Chaos is a ladder,” says Petyr Baelish in season three of Game Of Thrones. “Many who try to climb it fail and never get to try it again. The fall breaks them.

“And some are given a chance to climb. They refuse. They cling to the realm or the gods or love. Illusions. Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is.”

Manchester United and Arsenal are in chaos.

Last night’s 1-1 draw was one of the worst adverts for the Premier League you will ever see. Mistakes everywhere. Space everywhere. A lack of quality everywhere.

It was obvious the game would be awful.

Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, United have a former player who’s love for the club is unwavering and deluding him. He doesn’t know how he has got where he is. We don’t know how he has got where he is.

That night in Paris in March, when Marcus Rashford’s last minute penalty saw them progress to the Champions League quarter finals at the expense of PSG, that somehow got him the job.

Ed Woodward could not wait to appoint the cheap, non-conflictive caretaker as manager of the biggest football club in the world. It was a desperate and easy decision. It was never going to work out.

Solskjaer has often spoken of reinstalling the “Manchester United way”. Since Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, United have supposedly increasingly lost these values.

Attractive, attacking football was gone. No longer was youth being promoted either. Marquee signings came in in every window.

Apparently Ole will rid of all that though. They play on the front foot, with young British players being at the spine, the heart of the team.

It doesn’t work though does it?

The players are not good enough. Solksjaer is no more than a coach. He may inspire the youngsters to play the “United way” in front of the Old Trafford faithful but it just doesn’t work.

A big overhaul is needed yet again at the club. The only solution is to spend. Spend on a tactician to manage the players on the pitch and give the club an identity again, even if it isn’t the “United way”.

Spend on star players again. This time do the right scouting, the right recruitment, the right networking, to ensure the players will be right for the club.

Both United and Arsenal showed nothing last night.

The Gunners in particular should be the team most disappointed with their performance. For all their appalling defending and positional discipline off the ball, they have shown they can at least attack.

That was nowhere to be seen however. In possession, players were isolated, too far apart from one another.

Too many times did they look to counter attack, only to find vastly limited options due to a lack of willing, dangerous runners.

Unai Emery is supposed to be a pragmatic manager too. He is supposed to be able to change things in game when necessary. Yet last night Arsenal were consistent in their clumsy and ineffective performance over the full ninety.

If chaos is indeed a ladder, then Arsenal and Manchester United are very far at the bottom of it.

United are trying to reinstall past glories and philosophies that worked so well previously in a time that cannot be forcefully revisited and discovered easily. Arsenal are moving away from such times under Arsene Wenger but are not exactly doing it well.

Neither side can challenge for the title. They are too tactically inept to win the big games yet have the quality to beat the lesser sides regularly enough to stay within enough distance of the Top Four. One of them will probably stutter into the Champions League places somehow.

The two former giants of world football are not in a good way. They face a very tough challenge, one that requires lots of change and investment, to climb the ladder of chaos and get off it.

By Urban Newton

(@urban_newton)

Early signs show Potter’s Seagull revolution will work out

By Urban Newton

(@urban_newton)

Brighton and Hove Albion are currently 15^th in the Premier League table. They have six points, with only one win.

Yet they are a side in transition. Graham Potter is leading a revolution to make the Seagulls one of the most attractive sides in the division.

It began with that 3-0 win over Watford on the opening day. The Hornets were outclassed and outplayed. The result may not look like much now but it was a shock on the day.

Three draws and two defeats followed that match for the Seagulls and this weekend they face Chelsea.

The trip to Stamford Bridge looks like an enticing prospect. Last season, many Chelsea fans were bored with the tedious, draining methods of Maurizio Sarri, whereas Brighton were a solid, well-drilled outfit under Chris Hughton.

This year however, Frank Lampard’s side know only to attack and Graham Potter is turning his team into a possession-based, pressing outfit.

The Seagulls completely dominated last Saturday’s goalless draw at Newcastle, yet their newfound openness actually led to Miguel Almiron having the best chance of the game.

Similarly to Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United, overlapping centre-backs are now a thing on the south coast too.

Adam Webster has shown just why he was so sought-after in the Summer. Brighton paid £20m for him from Bristol City, a fee that looked obscene, yet him and Dan Burn are revelling in this system.

Lewis Dunk sits as they take turns bombing forward in the inside-channels, offering more runners in the attack.

Dale Stephens’ holding role in midfield, dropping in to cover, must not go unacknowledged too.

The problem, as seems to be with many sides this year, is a goal scorer. It is hard to find a player who can press opponents for a full ninety minutes and also regularly score.

Neal Maupay offers the required mobility but not always the quality in front of goal. Glenn Murray is a natural-born finisher but no more than that. He wouldn’t fit the current system.

Whether Brighton will have to spend big in January to find that player, or if Maupay can rekindle his Brentford form but in the Premier league remains unknown.

Potter’s Seagulls may have only one win but they are a side in transition.

Contrastingly, Manchester United are a team with no clear direction. They have no identity on the pitch anymore.

Brighton, meanwhile, are becoming a very attractive side, showing that a team’s on-pitch identity can be altered fairly quickly.

The early signs of the Graham Potter revolution look good. They just need to become more efficient, with more cutting edge, to cement a place well away from the bottom three.

Saturday’s clash at Chelsea is looking like a very attractive footballing prospect indeed.

By Urban Newton

(@urban_newton)

Punters’ Picks: Week #003

This week has been full of trials at Newmarket for the two-year-old’s and the Middle Park looks one hell of a race in prospect. Seven of the best two-year olds this season look set to lock horns with Earthlight looking to continue his unbeaten run from France. Andre Fabre only brings his best to England and his Colt has been one of the only shining lights in French Racing this year. He beat the ultra-tough Raffle Prize last time in the Prix Morny which was a very good performance. He deserves to head the market but isn’t for me. Mums Tipple was nothing but impressive last time when blitzing the field in a sales race at York. The owners have turned down seven-digit figures for him and is obvious potential, but he is running against colts who have been running at the top level this season. I want to see him do it again, but you wouldn’t rule it out and he’s full of potential. Siskin is another one who puts his unbeaten belt on the line, and he grounded out the grade one Phoenix stakes on ground that wasn’t in his favour. Ger Lyons very rarely send his horses across the sea although the sponsors of this race own Siskin so that’s the main reason. He looks to be rock solid but I’m against him. Monarch of Egypt has been looking at Siskin’s backside for two of his runs this season and running well. I think he is the first string of Coolmoore as Ryan Moore is booked and I think he will reverse the placing of the Juddmonte colt. Threat is the second of Richard Hannon’s colts and won the Champagne Stakes a shade comfortably the other week. Hannon has been banging on about Threat all week rather than the more fancied stablemate. Hes rock solid and probably will be knocking on the door with a furlong to go. To summarise, I think Mums Tipple is a very nice animal and think he will take all the beating after that performance last time. I respect the competitors have solid graded form at the top level, but I can’t resist the idea of another performance as last time.

Newmarket-3:00 Mums Tipple 11/4

The Cambridgeshire is wide open as usual and I think the obvious choices are; Le Don De Vie, Lord North and Good Birthday but at the prices I like Korcho. Hughie Morrison’s colt gets in this off a low weight and the three-year-old looks to continue his progression. He was competitive in a hot handicap at Glorious Goodwood where the pace melted down and the horses from behind came to the front. He steps down a furlong in trip and has been dropped 2lbs for that run which was generous as I thought he ran well. His best form is on good ground although he’s has run on softer before. I’m a massive fan of Nicola Currie’s riding and think she will ride him fairly prominently and think he will be competitive from around the front. 40/1 is a massive price about him and I think he’s a fascinating runner after only ten starts.

Newmarket 3:40 Korcho 40/1 Each-Way

Over to the gloop at Haydock where there are some nice handicaps taking place. The 6f sprint has a horse I have been following closely in Captain Jameson. He ran a decent race in the Silver Cup at Ayr last week and I think the ground went against him. I think he wants soft ground although he has run on good ground and won. Hes ran at Haydock twice and ran well both times and seems to become himself at this time of the year. It’s a quick re-appearance but I think he will cope with that and think he has a massive chance.

Haydock 2:40 Captain Jameson

The 5f sprint looks very interesting especially with the addition of True Mason who loves the ground bottomless which it is here. He had a busy two-year-old career which has obviously took its toll this season at racing at the highest level. This is a step down in class here and has dropped to an attractive which I think he can punish. Being out of Mayson the ground should suit and 5f is definitely his trip. He can be very dangerous I think of this mark and will be the main rival to Came from The Dark.

Haydock 3:15 True Mason 11/2

A Personal Ode to Nacho Monreal

By Urban Newton

(@urban_newton)

I don’t look like many footballers.

But apparently I do look like Nacho Monreal, the left-back who left Arsenal this Summer to go back to Spain at the age of thirty-three.

The only nickname that has ever stuck is “Urbs”, but even that’s not exactly a nickname.

It must have been in Year 11 when people started calling me Nacho. I was happy with it. I’m left-footed, I mostly played centre-back but had some stints at left-back and I support Arsenal.

“Best left-back in the league,” I used to say. (It’s worth noting that this is long before Andy Robertson would solidly cement his place at the pinnacle of the Premier League’s tree of left-sided fullbacks.)

Nacho also became my name when I played Sunday-league. I even had to move club when I was in sixth-form (due to one side folding) and the name came with me too.

In the first year of university, I used to play five-a-side on an all-weather pitch at my accommodation. I was asking for it, turning up every week in a “Monreal 18” Arsenal shirt, wasn’t I really?

But now, as I begin my third and final year at uni, Nacho Monreal no longer plays for Arsenal. And I am gutted.

I don’t think it was an exaggeration when I used to say he was the best left-back in the league. He was so consistent.

There are very few players at top sides who aren’t world-beaters yet can get a place in the starting eleven week-in-week-out due to their reliability.

Nacho was more of a ball-playing full-back. He didn’t bomb forward on the overlap constantly, but he did like to move the ball quickly down the left-hand side and get himself into a position to play a cutback if possible.

In April 2017, he even scored the equalizer in our FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City. A match that we would go on to win, then lift the cup by beating Chelsea in the final.

We played Antonio Conte’s side at their own game that day. Nacho played on the left of a back three that also featured Rob Holding and Per Mertesacker.

We won 2-1 against the runaway Premier League champions. We were immense at the back.

Nacho’s capability to play in a back three just showcased his defensive attributes too. Fullbacks are more like withdrawn wingers in this day and age, but Nacho could defend. His positioning was great.

Arsenal should never have got rid of Nacho Monreal this Summer. He started the first three fixtures we had before the European transfer window shut and played to the same fantastic standard.

Yet the thirty-three-year-old did go to Real Sociedad. He even scored on his La Liga return against Atletico Madrid.

Nacho played at Arsenal for six years. We bought him for just £8.5m on deadline day of January 2013. A ridiculous price for someone so irreplaceable for so many years.

I don’t really get called Nacho any more. It’s probably because I don’t play football as much as I should any more.

I used to love Nacho Monreal- a real unsung hero at one of ~~Europe’s~~ England’s top clubs.

From one wannabe Nacho to the real one, thank you for your services to Arsenal Football Club and how proud you made me feel to be called Nacho, even if it was just a nickname.

By Urban “Nacho” Newton

(@urban_newton)

Can Leipzig dethrone Die Roten?

By Brad Jones (@bradjonessport)

Since promotion from the second tier in 2016, RB Leipzig, like the rest of German football, have been living in the shadows of Bayern Munich’s dominance. But despite six consecutive Bundesliga titles, there’s no disputing that The Bavarians’ throne has been crumbling for some time, and after an impressive start to the season, The Red Bulls look well-prepared to charge headlong and knock Niko Kovac’s men from their perch.

Yet another tactically astute, progressively smart transfer window for Leipzig was met with a summer accomplished on paper but reckless in nature for Bayern. Given the departures of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery this was somewhat understandable: how can you really replace 22 combined years of consistent world class talent in an instant? Nevertheless, this may serve less as a negative for Bayern, who have replaced well, but more as a short-term positive for the clubs looking to capitalise on their period of transition.

Leipzig have won four and drawn once in their opening five matches of the Bundesliga campaign, but their league form isn’t the only reason for Julian Nagelsmann to feel optimistic. They have conceded just four goals and scored 15 in six Bundesliga and Champions League games from which talisman Timo Werner has netted seven times. And whilst the 23-year-old is undoubtedly their main man, perhaps the most important take from the opening stages of the season is that it hasn’t been all about him.

From five Bundesliga games, Marcel Sabitzer has already matched his tally of assists from last season (3) as well as notching two goals, with Emil Forsberg and Yussuf Poulsen having chipped in with a goal and two assists each with the rotation between 3-5-2 and 4-4-2 proving effective from both a defensive and offensive stand point. Even with a couple of injuries partnered with a relatively busy schedule, Leipzig have remained unfazed thus far.

Another of their standouts from last season, centre-back Dayot Upamecano has been sidelined until tonight’s game against Werder Bremen, and even in his absence, Leipzig have continued to show the phenomenal stability and versatility at the back that has been such a big factor in their success since Nagelsmann’s appointment.

The 32-year-old manager has an outstanding style of coaching which allows his side to counteract their opponents’ way of playing irrespective of the formation and players he opts to utilise.

Throughout 90 minutes, almost all of their starting XI will occupy more than one position at some stage. With their situational nature, they like to patiently play out from the back until a space between the lines emerges further forward. This means that, at times, Werner will move out wide, or Poulsen will drop into the number 10 role, or vice versa with their midfielders edging forward. It is a system that is flexible, requires tactical awareness from every player and when it works, as it so often does under Nagelsmann, is very hard to deal with.

As so many successful teams are set up nowadays, it is their full-backs that are relied upon the most for the system to work, perhaps more so at Leipzig than anywhere else. When playing a back three, they will be given the typical role of the wing back, with an impetus on attacking options whilst creating a back five out of possession.

When they play a back four, their full-backs will be positionally aware of the flanks when bombing forward, but in defence, they are required to tuck into a back three when a centre back becomes the aggressor for an oncoming attacker. Yet another incredibly useful method used by Nagelsmann to nullify the possibility of out-of-position full-backs which has been another essential part of their success this season.

You may think that this intricate system is catered for specific play styles that Leipzig’s first team facilitates, but as previously mentioned, Leipzig have coped faultlessly without a couple of key assets in recent weeks and that is testament to their recruitment of late. Their new, improved level of depth all over the pitch will prove vital when the games come thick and fast, given they reach the latter stages of the Champions League.

Christopher Nkunku, Ademola Lookman and Ethan Ampadu are all players that can slot into a number of positions and will suit the system Leipzig play. If they want to maintain the breath-taking form they have carried on from last season for a sustained period, these three amongst others on the brink of the first team will have a big part to play.

There is no doubt that Nagelsmann, along with a number of the top class talents he has at his disposal at Leipzig, have a long, exciting future ahead of them at the summit of world football. As for the present, can he mastermind this industrious young squad to an unlikely Bundesliga title? It’s still too early to get carried away, but there’s no disputing that they will certainly be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.

By Brad Jones (@bradjonessport)

Punters’ Picks: Week #002

By James Watson (@james_watson98)

Last week saw only one winner in the first week of Punters’ Pick with Threat winning the Champagne Stakes at Even money. It was a disappointing week last week as Gunmetal was never at the races and I see he is entered in the Ayr Gold Cup this Saturday so knowing my luck he will pop up there. Logician was a runaway winner of the St Leger and looked all class in his victory. He has progressed through the grades well and surged to the top level. Sir Dragonet travelled well behind him but just failed to stay the distance in my opinion and think he will need to improve if he is to run in the Arc. Magical was given an inch perfect ride by Ryan Moore who ran away with the Irish Champion Stakes. She has been running behind Enable for most of the season and that win last weekend will certainly put her spot on for her last crack at Enable. Enough of last weekend disaster and let’s look forward to the Ayr Gold Cup.

We will start at the Ayr meeting and the Silver Cup. The consolation race for the Gold Cup sees horses who have just missed the cut for the big one. Alkaraama heads the field as 4/1 favourite for Sir Michael Stoute, Colm O’Donoghue and Sheik Hamdan. He is the least exposed in this field with only six runs with three wins. As good as them stats look all three of his wins have been on the all-weather. However, his 2^nd at Ascot last time was a good performance and should be bang there. A few of these were behind him that day including my fancy in Glenamoy Lad. He’s had just two runs this season at Goodwood and Ascot and he is a hold up performer who likes to come through rivals and I think this race will suit him down to the ground. He’s gone up 2lbs for his 6^th place last time which was a decent performance and he is back on his last winning mark and should be some decent each way value at the prices.

Ayr- 2:40 Glenamoy Lad 25/1 Each Way

The Firth of Clyde looks wide open with 7/2 the field and my selection is Final Option for William Muir. She horses made a very impressive debut at Ripon in August when winning by 5 ½ lengths. A month later she ran in the Dick Poole stakes Group 3 where she finished 4^th behind some good rivals that day from top stables. She is a massive price here at 12/1 in my opinion as she proved that she could pick up a graded race with that run last time. Ben Curtis is booked for the ride and progression certainly isn’t ruled out if she continues her progression.

Ayr- 3:15 Final Option- 12/1 Each Way

My Ayr selections have been big prices so far and continue here with Hey Jonesy who is a four-year-old who is not easy to get right but think he might be tuned up to run a big race here. He has been running over 7 furlongs of late which I don’t think has suited him. He has only ever won one race and that was on his second start at York, so he is not prolific at getting his head in front. He has a visor on for the first time and his usual jockey is booked on board. He normally likes to run of softer ground which it probably won’t be, but he has a couple of good runs on good ground as a three-year-old so that shouldn’t be a worry. He’s been drawn low in eight which is possibly the only negative as I would rather him be on the other side but there is pace from Justanotherbottle, Staxton and Soldiers Minute which should give him a lead. I think he is massively overpriced and look out for the extra places.

Ayr-3:50 Hey Jonesy 25/1 Each Way

Over to Newbury now where Dakota Gold looks to continue his winning run through the grades with a Group 3 performance. The Michael Dods gelding has worked his way through the handicaps and topped off last time with a Listed win. He moves away from his beloved York to Newbury which shouldn’t be an issue and usual jockey Connor Beasley is legged up and he should lead from pillar to post. He’s a fairly short price but you could double them up with my next few selections.

Newbury 1:45 Dakota Gold 7/4

The Mill Reef has an illustrious list of winners in James Garfield, Ribchester and Harry Angel. Pierre Lapin looks to emulate his half-brothers’ victory from 2016 in this after his impressive victory at Haydock. He looked a big unit that day and overcame trouble in running to win comfortably in the end. He has been off five months which will have done him the world of good and is bred for sprint trips which it looks they will stay with. His main rival is Mystery Power who has won a group 2 and carries a penalty here and if Pierre Lapin wins here it will cement his place for next seasons Commonwealth Cup. I think the world of this horse and think he will make an even better three-year-old.

Newbury 2:55 Pierre Lapin 3/1

By James Watson (@james_watson98)

No need to panic about Bruce’s Newcastle… yet

By Urban Newton (@urban_newton)

It is now exactly nine weeks since Newcastle United appointed Steve Bruce as their new head coach.

The replies to the club’s announcement on Twitter were not exactly positive.

“Managing Newcastle has never been my dream,” was a quote someone had pulled from the Sunderland Echo during his time on Wearside. A meme of Peter Parker in the latest Spiderman film stating: “Everywhere I go, I see his face. I just really miss him,” was accompanied by Rafa Benitez’s face on a billboard instead of Tony Stark.

“Ah piss,” said popular Geordie YouTuber WillNE, whilst the most popular comment reads: “To quote Hamlet, Act III, Scene III, Line 87; No.”

It wasn’t an ideal start to life as Magpies boss for Bruce either. He struggled to get a visa to travel to China for the club’s pre-season participation in the Premier League Asia Trophy.

But nine weeks on and Newcastle have surprised many.

Four points from the first five Premier League games is not disastrous. The Toon Army needn’t worry… for now at least.

Bruce’s appointment was not universally accepted because of the lack of inspiration. From one of the greatest tactician’s the country has ever known in Rafa Benitez, to Steve Bruce.

It also lacks ambition, something the departing Benitez said has become a staple of the club under the ownership of Mike Ashley. Benitez wanted the resources to move up the Premier League table, to compete in the top-half and in cup competitions. To not settle for lowly mediocrity.

Yet in Bruce, it seemed Ashley would have a yes-man who will do just that- be content with Premier League survival year-in-year-out.

It is also telling that Bruce seemed to have a similar role in the latter stages of his Hull City stewardship. After an FA Cup Final appearance and flirting with European football, the Allam owners, with the club and fans already greatly divided, chose to not invest and become an unsustainable yo-yo club between the top-flight and the Championship.

Newcastle have already faced Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool so far this season. The Arsenal match was somewhat there for the taking, but they failed to create anything meaningful.

In the Spurs game, they were magnificent. Paul Dummett seems to have finally flourished this year, looking massively comfortable and competent on the left of the back three, and he put in a man-of-the-match display in the 1-0 win.

Liverpool were not exactly at their best on Saturday lunchtime but their quality was what got them the three points, coming from behind to win 3-1 at Anfield.

Those three games are not the cause concern though, it is the other two games. They were played off the park by Norwich, losing 3-1 again, and went toe-to-toe with Watford in the 1-1 draw at St James’ Park.

Those, particularly the Watford game, are the fixtures they must win this season. They host Brighton this weekend and that is completely the same.

The Rafa Benitez-like performances against the big teams that get the plaudits simply do not put points on the league table.

On Saturday, Newcastle had so many chances to counter a high, open Liverpool defence but the end-product was poor.

Joelinton has shown he has the capable hold-up play, yet too many times he and Miguel Almiron were not on the same wavelength. Watch their attacking play back and you will see the two too far apart, making runs too far away from one another.

Nine weeks gone for Steve Bruce and thirty-four left until the last day of the 2019/20 Premier League season. There is no real need to panic yet.

Steve Bruce was not expected to reinvent the wheel on Tyneside and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

His appointment may show a lack of ambition in the long-term, but in the short-term Newcastle are putting in some decent defensive displays, though he must get his team to attack against an expansive Brighton side at St James’ on Saturday evening.

By Urban Newton (@urban_newton)

Neymar’s Paris renaissance

Jeered roundly as he celebrated one of the great goals of his career, a match-winning goal against Strasbourg on his return to the Parc Des Princes, but how has the Brazilian icon fallen to such a stage?

Upon arrival, the Brazilian superstar signalled the crowning moment Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Qatari Sports Investments had long desired. A footballing icon to spearhead Paris Saint Germain’s all-out assault on European football had arrived, courtesy of a world record transfer fee of €220 million.

UEFA Champions League

Since the summer of 2017, the 27-year-old has fallen unceremoniously from the top of his perch in Paris. Brought into secure the club’s maiden UEFA Champions League trophy, the furthest the club has ventured is the round-of-16 stage in both the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons, falling to Real Madrid and Manchester United respectively.

Featuring in only the first leg defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu in February 2018, Neymar has been a powerless onlooker in PSG’s vital European games, as viral gifs of the Manchester United exit have infamously shown. Is the lack of European glory solely to blame for this situation though?

Yes and no, the fans would certainly have expected progression with the likes of Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe leading the team, but the injuries and a clear desire to facilitate a return to Barcelona have left the fans with little choice.

A relationship that strained little by little over the years has reached a toxic low after this summer’s will he or won’t he leave saga, ending with the Brazilian seemingly marooned in Paris.

Five domestic trophies in two seasons are nothing to diminish but failing so miserably on the continent just won’t cut it. As Unai Emery found out, domestic success isn’t enough with the holy grail of the UEFA Champions League hovering over the club.

A seemingly unrepairable relationship is heading to a tumultuous ending but there could be one way to get back in the club’s good books. Lifting that famous trophy in Istanbul come June would go a long way to beginning the reconciliation process between the Brazilian and the fans.

This season’s UCL campaign begins against Real Madrid on Wednesday evening at the Parc des Princes, without a suspended Neymar who carried over a three-match ban for comments made about the refereeing after the Manchester United defeat.

Injuries

Neymar injury eight days before Real Madrid clash in 2018. (Credit: Getty)

21 missed games in 2017/18 and 31 missed games in 2018/19 showcase another underlying frustration between the fans and Neymar. Injuries, of course, are unfortunate, but it is the timing in which he has gone down. In both seasons, his largest spell on the sideline has coincided with the knockout stages of Europe’s premier club competition.

Irritatingly, in 112 competitive fixtures since his arrival in the French capital, the forward has played in just 59 of those games. Considering, however, when he has featured, the Brazilian has contributed 52 goals and 27 assists. Not only capturing the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year in 2017/18, he was also named in the UNFP Team of the Year for his two seasons in the metropolis.

‘Not one of us’

PSG ultras show their discontent. (Credit: AFP)

The summer of 2017 not only brought the former Barcelona and Santos man to PSG, it also brought Paris’ prodigal son Kylian Mbappe back from Monaco. What was once undeniably his team, how times have changed. Whether there is any opportunity it will ever be his team again remains to be seen.

Arriving as the saviour and possibly departing as second fiddle to his 20-year-old superstar teammate, what a fall from grace that would be. No doubt a bitter pill to swallow for a man whose move to PSG was manufactured in the first place to try and escape the shadow of one Lionel Messi.

Stating in July that one of the Champions League greatest comebacks featuring Paris Saint Germain and the MSN trifecta, was amongst his best memories in the game and was seemingly the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The second leg was the game Neymar ultimately played a match-winning role in. Even then as he chipped the ball over the defence for Sergi Roberto to score a famous famous goal, it was Messi who received all the plaudits.

It is quite possible history could repeat itself if PSG does go on to lift the Champions League trophy in Istanbul. For the Brazilian international, it is a situation he ultimately has no control over anymore.

Football must come first this season, as a season of retribution that could not only mould his immediate future but also his lasting legacy in the Messi and Ronaldo era. Once perceived as the heir to the throne, his clubmate may never give him the chance to fulfil his dream.

Time for talking is over, Neymar must once again prove to the world why Les Parisiens paid a world record transfer fee for his services. Third place in the 2015 Ballon d’Or voting shows the superstar can reach those levels but this is the season he needs to return to his past heady heights.

As the boos reign down and the fans continue to show their vitriol towards Neymar, all the Brazilian international can do is show the world why he is one of the most talented players of his generation.

Manchester City: trouble in paradise?

By Urban Newton (@urban_newton)

Defending is a collective effort. Too often we compare and contrast individuals that are tasked with stopping opponents from scoring.

Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Manchester United’s Harry Maguire, for instance, are constantly lauded for their individual ability. They have supposedly single-handedly improved their respective side’s back four.

Manchester City yesterday evening were missing Aymeric Laporte- an outstanding individual defender- but it is far too simple to say that City’s shortcomings at the hands of a shock defeat away to Norwich City were due to the 25-year-old Frenchman’s absence.

Look at the collective defensive effort of the City side yesterday and you will find faults that were not simply down to just Laporte missing.

Rodri, fielded in the holding role that Fernandinho has made his own for years at the Etihad, showed that he certainly is not a direct replacement for the ageing Brazilian.

He lacked the positional discipline, too often wanting to move further upfield and get involved in plays in the final third.

Manager Pep Guardiola has often deployed another midfielder alongside Rodri this season, clearly in the knowledge that he will often stray at times. But there was no such partner last night. The back four were often isolated, giving Norwich the freedom to counter attack a lot if they so wished.

Ilkay Gundogan played like a man who is not often given starts in a role where he is less restricted. As one of the more forward-thinking midfielders, he was just not in the game at all. Confused, delusion, he looked like he was not told what his role was supposed to be.

As has been common in the Premier League, you could even say across Europe, at the start of the season, the art of defending seems to have gone completely out of the window.

Norwich were expected to take the game to City, just as they had to Liverpool on the opening day at Anfield, and they did so magnificently. They got the balance right of when to press high and hassle the City defence and when to sit back.

The gap between the Norwich midfield and defence, the line that City so often play between and through, was simply not there, hence why the City goals came from a cross and a hit-and-hope.

Yes Norwich are a very, very good footballing side too. But come on, this is Manchester City we are talking about. The side that is supposed to be winning not only the league but the Champions League as well.

The full-backs were far too often out of position and they just could not hold a line at all. Far too many times did Norwich get runners in behind, with the odd City defender desperately, hopelessly, flailing an arm up in the hope that the assistant referee will be convinced of offside.

Manchester City were nothing short of torn apart yesterday evening. Daniel Farke’s side were immense, showing that the Liverpool game in August unluckily came too early for them.

Obviously, City missed Aymeric Laporte, with John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi appearing like they have never even met never mind played at the heart of a title-winning team before.

Though Liverpool have also looked just as defensively poor at this stage of the season, the Reds of Merseyside have already opened up a 5-point gap at the top of the Premier League table.

It is the biggest lead a side has had after five games and shows that City will have to put in a much better defensive collective effort this season, even beyond Laporte’s return in the new year.

By Urban Newton (@urban_newton)