Never one to shy away from a faux pas (or its French equivalent…), French clown and part-time boss Raymond Domenech has today declared the following:
“The advantage is that everyone knows them. They are a sort of England B side. They all play in the English league so all our players know them: some of our players play alongside them, while others against them. There will be no surprises. We know what to expect and we know what we have to do.”
If ever there is a nation not to confuse with England, it’s probably the Irish, not a group who by and large, take their nationalist separatism lightly. But it does raise the question, are Ireland actually the England B team? Would anyone bar Shay Given get a game for Capello’s men? Leave us your thoughts below…
England the hors d’oeuvre ahead of an Argentine main course
Starting at 5pm, you can take your televisual pick from five meaningless World Cup qualifiers, before the real action starts at a slightly-inconvenient-if-you-work time of 11.
Germany (already through) vs Finland (already out) help ESPN stave off the test card from 5pm, before channel hoppers enter heaven at around 7. Sky Sports 2 at 6:30 is the place to be to watch Shay Given clap the crowd who in turn will be clapping him, as he wins his 100th cap against Montenegro. Meanwhile Slovenia’s inevitable win in San Marino, makes Czech Republic vs Northern Ireland (7:20 BBC red button) another dead rubber.
Liverpool TV is the place to watch the top two in Group 5. Turn on at 6:45 for Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Spain, a match Rafa doesn’t want any of his stars to play in, although presumably LFCTV advertising execs take an opposing view.
Or walk the way of ITV1 at 7:30 to watch Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ben Foster, Michael Carrick and assorted others once more prove they aren’t quite up to international football. But all this is mere flotsam and jetsam compared to the second oldest derby in international football. Separated by the widest river in the world, tonight’s result could ensure many more miles will be separating the players of Uruguay and Argentina next June. Maradona’s men need a draw to qualify, but should they lose, and Ecuador win in Chile, the World Cup 2010 will take place without the world’s best player. Sky Sports 1 at 11 for the game of the season thus far.
UPDATE The Chile vs Ecuador match bizarrely (and slightly unfairly) kicks off an hour earlier, so if the away side win that game, the second half in Montevideo really will be something.
Mark Hughes’ side get a massive confidence boost in Spain
Barcelona 0/ Manchester City 1
Despite the support of 90,000 supporters and some keerrazzee limited edition shirts, European champions Barcelona lost the annual Juan Gamper Tournament to Manchester City last night.
Bulgarian Martin Petrov proved he is still alive with a first half strike that punished some terrible goalkeeping from a goalkeeper who nobody has ever heard of. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s immeasurable talents were out in force, but in the end, the overrated Swede was simply too rubbish to put one past Shay Given.
Spoiler bonus: Elsewhere in friendly action, Real Madrid spanked Borussia Dortmund in front of 75,000 fans, but C-Ron failed to get on the scoresheet. Highlights after the jump…
Which division would triumph in an MLS All-Stars style match?
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The Spoiler was surprised by the results of yesterday’s poll, where 76% of you disagreed with Cristiano Ronaldo’s claim that La Liga was stronger than the Premier League.
That poll took into account a number of factors: for example the difference between the best and worst teams, entertainment value and European success. Today, we want to focus on which is the better league in terms of galacticos.
Let us know which of the two teams we’ve created to represent each league is stronger - and if you disagree with our line-ups tell us who you would pick instead - with a vote and comment below:
Reports claim there is a changing room divide at Manchester City
The Daily Mail claim that one of Manchester City’s four January signings is so frustrated with Robinho and Elano’s attitude that he has demanded that someone “sort them out”.
Considering three of those new arrivals are Wayne Bridge, Nigel de Jong and Shay Given, it seems fairly reasonable to assume that the loudmouth in question is Craig Bellamy, who despite a chronic lack of loyalty is renowned for his work-rate and dedication in training.
The mystery player is also reportedly angry that neither Brazilian has spoken to him since he joined the club. This scans with comments the Welsh striker made in December about being disappointed that vocal players Anton Ferdinand and Bobby Zamora had been replaced with silent foreigners like David Di Michele and Diego Tristan at West Ham.
A cursory glance at the headlines this morning suggests Garry Cook [pictured above with something very overpriced] and Manchester City have learned nothing from the embarrassing Kaka saga. Several papersclaim the Eastlands side have already failed to land David Villa, David Silva and Gianluigi Buffon, while bids are reportedly being lined up for Shay Given (for whom Newcastle want £!4m!), Carlo Cudicini and Thierry Henry. One of the more feasible deals, however, is a reported swap with Chelsea…
Didier Drogba and Robinho switch-a-roo The Star, The Sun and The Mirror have all noticed that Didier Drogba wants to leave Chelsea, and that Robinho is a little unsettled, so naturally they have put two and two together. Big Phil only has Wayne Bridge’s transfer fee to play with, so will have to offer Le Drog, Alex, Salomon Kalou or Florent Malouda if they want Robinho to come to the club he should have joined several months ago. The Spoiler truth-o-meter: With the amount of players and offers being touted at Manchester City, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether this is real or a fabrication. However, one thing does stand in the way - FIFA rules stipulate that a player must have “just sporting reason” to move to a third club within twelve months. Is “I regret chasing the money and joining an international laughing stock” a “just sporting reason”?
Andrei Arshavin to Arsenal
The quick and efficient transfer of the Zenit star is nearly over, say Sky Sports. Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood has said the club will offer absolutely no more than £15m, and insists they maintain a “plenty more fish in the sea” attitude. Hence,
Manchester City are linked to at least 4,000 players a day, so it is understandable that manager Mark Hughes has lost track of transfer dealings. Or perhaps he is being given little say over who comes and goes - when asked about the prospective purchase of a Newcastle goalkeeper, Hughes pleaded ignorance to the situation:
“No, I don’t think there has been an offer for Shay Given”
You don’t think there’s been an offer, Mark? Shouldn’t you be the one to know that?
Sparky gave further evidence of being kept out of the loop when questioned about slightly-past-it French striker David Trezeguet:
While Caliendo has ruled out a move to Eastlands, City boss Mark Hughes has claimed that he has no knowledge of any interest in the striker from his club.
“It’s news to me,” he said.
Either Hughes is being extremely coy about City’s movements in the transfer market, or the board and owners are keeping their cards far too close to their chests…
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