A moment of silence is one of the most stirring events to witness in the world of soccer. Of course, the idea of holding a moment for remembrance is not soccer-specific, but there is something distinctly special when it takes place in the monolithic stadiums of world football.
Usain Bolt, the fastest man on the planet and a long time supporter of Manchester United, has frequently reiterated his belief that he could turn out for the Red Devils. However, Bolt has now rescinded his own offer for a trial at Manchester United on the grounds of Louis van Gaal’s management style.
Liverpool are having a miserable season, but there is a silver lining behind their ninth-placed cloud. That metaphor is particularly apt in regards to Liverpool fans because clouds are a major part of storms, which Liverpool fans find themselves walking through with their heads held high.
AND DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK...
Sorry, we got a little carried away there. But it is pretty much a universal truth that miserable people sing the best songs, and with the likes of Christian Benteke and Simon Mignolet in the squad, Liverpool fans are singing pretty well right now.
The Arsenal-Liverpool game from the other day was exciting. More exciting than Chipotle’s secret menu even (yes it’s a thing — supposedly there’s something called a Burritodilla). It had goals, crunching tackles, endless drama, and that classic England atmosphere of perpetual rain. But even better than the show on the field was Jurgen Klopp’s celebration off it.
Today was the Liverpool vs. Arsenal match, which holds a special place in The18's heart because two of our staff writers, Sam Klomhaus and Ivan Anich, are diehard fans of Liverpool and Arsenal, respectively. We made them watch the game together (plus a few cameos from Connor the intern), and hilarity ensued. Here's what transpired (Liverpool in italics, Arsenal regular):
Liverpool’s lineup: Mignolet; Clyne, Toure, Sakho, Moreno; Can, Milner, Henderson; Lallana, Firmino, Ibe
Yaya Touré blasted the African confederation for not awarding him the African Player of the Year award, the Ivory Coast starlet finishing second to Gabon and Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
In a startling outburst, Touré reportedly labelled the decision as “pathetic”, “indecent” and one that “brings shame” to Africa.
So far this season, Liverpool FC have dominated Manchester City at Manchester City, done the same thing to Chelsea, been the first team to hold Leicester City scoreless, gone to penalties with a fourth division team, lost twice to West Ham, beat Southampton 6-1 and lost to Newcastle at home.
In short, Liverpool's season makes no sense. At least, that's what we thought. And then we found this video of Martin Skrtel wearing a mechanical turkey hat. And everything made sense.
With news emerging that Chelsea is prepared to make Shakhtar Donetsk forward Alex Teixeira the first signing of the Guus Hiddink era (Part II) for a reported £30 Million, the Blues are once again relying on owner Roman Abramovich’s checkbook to build a winning squad once the transfer window opens in January. Like any other major club, Chelsea has had its successes and failures in the transfer market.
Jose Mourinho is like a carton of milk — once past expiration, it is no good to anyone. The magic in the Special One’s “us-against-them” approach quickly wore off in 2015/16 as the Chelsea dressing room dissipated into warring factions and clash of egos. The Portuguese has long been hailed as the premier man manager in the world, but that gift left him when he needed it the most.
After a rough November in The Premier League, which saw Arsenal collect two points, the Gunners are back on track for a second-half surge for England’s most coveted trophy as they only trail Leicester City by two points. Throw in the 3-0 result against Olympiacos to propel them into the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, as well as the impending chase for a third-consecutive FA Cup, and Arsene Wenger’s team have quite the full plate in front of them.