As usual, football weekends always deliver unrivalled pleasure while it lasts. I'll be running through just a little out of the numerous football events that grabbed my attention in the last few days.
New Country, Same Pogba
Can Paul Pogba stay out of the news for once? The answer is quite simple, no. Pogba spent six years at Manchester United before returning to Juventus this summer. For those six years, he probably had more media success than football success with the club. The English football media has developed on the back of hype and criticism. Paul Pogba gave them both in abundance, with some talking about him being ridiculously talented while the others talk about his laziness and interest in frivolous acts. The latest person to have a go at Paul Pogba is his brother, Mathias Pogba. The guy said he has revelations about the World Cup winner, and the football world is surely keeping a close watch whenever Mathias eventually decides to spill the beans. Brother ripping apart another brother in the public space. Eh, what he has to say already interests me.
Struggling Man U
The win against Liverpool raised expectations, but any Man U fan that wishes to enjoy a long life devoid of hypertension would've been wise enough not to expect too much. Local derbies are always unpredictable, no matter the gap in quality between contesting teams. So, the 2-1 win wasn't totally unexpected. However, it all nearly unravelled at St. Mary's as Man U grabbed three vital points but looked suspect all through. They ended the match with four defenders and three defensive midfielders on the pitch. That tells you how desperately they held on as Southampton searched for the equaliser. No matter the situation Liverpool or Man City are experiencing, you won't see them yielding so much ground to teams like Southampton. Clearly, Man U are still struggling!
Rampant Reds
When you're coming to Anfield as an opponent, the first thing that should stick is the reality that it's going to be fast and furious for most parts of the game. Somehow, Scott Parker didn't tell his boys that home truth and their ignorance got them obliterated. I was actually hoping Liverpool will take their feet off the pedal in the second half, but Klopp indirectly answered dudes like me who felt they should've considered their opponents by keeping the scoreline respectable. He said the season is still quite young and no one knows how important the extra goals may become as the season goes on. Well, Klopp is German, and they're known for ruthlessly dispatching opponents, no matter the colour, size or nationality.
Revived Roma
In previous seasons, Roma would've downed tools and get well beaten after conceding a two-minute goal at Juventus. This Roma is definitely different. They fought hard, dug deep, grabbed an equaliser. Though it's too early to tag Mourinho's Roma as title contenders, getting a draw at the home stadium of the former champions is enough indication this team will go places this season. When the energetic, all-action Wijnaldum returns from his injury layoff, the team will only get better.
My FPL team
My weekend started well with Dalot notching an assist, clean sheet and three bonus points to land 11 points. It got better with Arnold and Haaland delivering double digits, but sorrow took over as Mr. Salah failed to contribute despite his team scoring an unbelievable nine goals. This is probably the biggest shock of the season so far, and has seen 290,000 managers shipping out the popular Egyptian. His form since the tail end of last season has been dodgy, but he stays in my team for now simply because other premium midfielders out there are not doing exceptionally well also. Special shout-out to Brighton's Sanchez (£4.6) who has 26 points from four games this season. Weirdly, he's been on my bench the whole season while Ward has been delivering 0s and 1s.
Mahrez and Neto have been traded for Bernardo and Rodrigo, I've been patient enough with those two. Dalot would've joined the outgoings but a timely clean sheet and Casemiro's possible impact saves him for now. Trippier is waiting to replace him.
I'm available at the comments section for more discussions, jokes, and, of course, banter.
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Image Source: https://fantasy.premierleague.com/entry/1662589/event/4
