Roberto Mancini forgets his specs
Best Team Selection Error of the Week: We'll go with the mistaken omission of Giorgio Chiellini from the Italian team that played Bosnia-Herzegovina, Francesco Acerbi included in the line-up instead. Manager Roberto Mancini held his hands up afterwards, and may even now be in line for an advertising contract with SpecSavers.
“It was my fault,” he said. “They showed me the line-up, I didn’t have my glasses on and just said it was fine. I didn’t notice Acerbi was there rather than Chiellini. But it’s not like we chose a goalkeeper rather than a defender, it’s not a massive difference.”
Tell that to Chiellini.
Quote of the week
“**** you all, **** the Greek police, **** Greece, **** Greek civilisation.”
What Harry Maguire said to the Greek police, according to one of the officers involved in his arrest. If he added ‘And **** Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Archimedes too’, it would have been way more believable.
Number of the week
2005 - It might seem like a wet week ago, but 2005 is the year of birth of Kevin Zefi, the Shamrock Rovers lad who became the youngest scorer in League of Ireland history last week when he scored for their second team against Longford in the first division.
Word of mouth
"I never fancied him with the penalty. I understand players being relaxed sometimes, but he's almost too relaxed… he looks like he's just waiting to go to the toilet or for a taxi." Roy Keane on expecting Iceland's Birkir Bjarnason to miss that last minute penalty against England because he'd looked a bit too chilled in the tunnel pre-match.
"The first training session I had, I realised many things. I came home and I told my representatives: 'Can't the contract be terminated to return to Arsenal?' They started laughing." Alexis Sanchez on deciding on day one that Manchester United wasn't for him.
"Maybe he saw a ghost and got scared and that explains why he play so bad every time." Former Manchester United full-back Rafael wondering if Sanchez had a paranormal experience in that first training session.
Mourinho to make a star out of Kane
Most Humble Exchange Between A Manager And Player Featured In An Amazon Prime Documentary Last Week: We’ll go with when Jose met Harry in All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur, Mourinho having a chat with Kane after he was appointed gaffer at the club.
Jose: “The world looks to English football with an incredible respect but they still think that the movie stars of football belong to other places. We have to build your status in that direction. My profile, I am little bit like that as a coach. The reality is that my dimension is universal and by being with me I think I can help you to [EXPLODE].”
Harry: “That’s my aim .... I want to be Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.”
More word of mouth
"Build your franchise, build your legacy, to become something more, to become the one and only, the first Declan Rice. Stay with the people that brought you to the dance, stay with West Ham and become the champion, become everything that they all know Declan Rice can be." The advice offered the former future Irish captain by, eh, WWE legend Triple H.
"They have to sign a world class centre back. For me, another midfield player. I also think a right winger, a centre forward and you have to look at left back." Aside from that, Gary Neville reckons Manchester United are ready to challenge for the title.
"I underestimated it. I didn't train. I didn't look after my body. I was eating at wrong times. I was drinking fizzy drinks - Sprite, Coca Cola, Fanta - not sleeping ..... I went to bed at six, seven o'clock in the morning. I woke up three, four o'clock in the afternoon, went to training, stayed up again all night." Marco Arnautovic on the less than ideal start to his life with Shanghai in the Chinese Super League.
The prodigal son returns
How excited were Seville about prodigal son Ivan Rakitic returning to the club six years after selling him to Barcelona? Well, this is how they announced the news:
“The father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”
Very.
