WHAT RIVIERA AY?
When UEFA’s referees and VAR staff betrayed their scandalous anti-Tottenham agenda by correctly ruling out Harry Kane’s latest qualifier against Sporting, the matchday six showdown in Marseille suddenly took on epic proportions. Spurs are currently top of Group D but it is tight and they need a point on the French Riviera if they are to make it to the knockout rounds. The only problem is that they don’t have a good record in France, where they have never won an official match. So if history is a clue, and if being Spurs is a clue, this one goes straight to the wire on Tuesday night.
Antonio Conte’s not-so-outrageous reaction to Kane’s shockingly accurate goal-scoring means the Spurs boss is relegated to the stands for the entire game. Before and during the break he will not be able to speak in the locker room or with his team. In fact, if Tottenham have failed to train their cover to secretly go up and down the stairs with notes, Conte will have no impact on the game. “He is a very good coach and an important part of the team, but fortunately he has very good employees,” Pierre-Emile Højbjerg said and fended off the elephant in the fourth, which, given Conte’s record for Grand Cup leadership and his forced absence, it was decent swaying with the body could actually prove beneficial.
The Spurs took another hit overnight at 1:30 a.m. and then again at 4:30 a.m. when two “very long” fireworks were staged in front of the team hotel. As loud as it is pretty, the hisses, hisses, and explosions reportedly woke up several of the players, who are now all broken and cranky, albeit with a half-decent excuse in case something goes wrong. Suboptimal preparation, and that before reaching Marseille four former gunners on their squad in Alexis Sánchez, Mattéo Guendouzi, Nuno Tavares and Sead Kolasinac. Yes, it almost writes itself, doesn’t it?
So then. Ranking was snatched up dramatically by VAR…a banned manager…a hotel misery…several Arsenal-leaning agents of doom…it was all set up in many different ways for another ludicrous outcome of the sort that only Tottenham seem to endure. oh man. But remember that The Fiver has a way of speaking through our hat. So Tottenham fans can thank us for tempting fate if their team somehow avoids the heartbreak that, if history is any guide and if Spurs are any guide, seems inevitable from this perspective.
LIVE AT THE BIG SITE
Daniel Harris will be on hand for all of the evening’s Grand Cup action at 20pm GMT, while Scott Murray will also provide personalized MBM updates on Marseille’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“She used to tell the class, ‘Don’t be afraid of the English language, kids. It won’t break. You gotta stretch it’”: In a topical conversation with Tom Kludt, Georgie commentator Ray Hudson reveals how his former English teacher helped him become a “verbal gymnast” on the microphone and talks about his long journey to the USA UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!! UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!
Ray Hudson, I have a batch of Fiver letters about to go out. Photo: Courtesy of CBS
FIVE LETTERS
“I am a person very much in love with soccer, so much so that I even measure life events/references/history in World Cup years (yes, you read that right). I look forward to every World Cup with a lot of passion and dedication, collecting all the printable material/schedule I can find and watching as many matches as possible. In this context and with a heavy heart, I completely withdraw from this World Cup because I simply cannot understand the extent to which corruption and human rights violations have affected our beloved football. I realize that this is an unorthodox decision and reflect on how important it is to boycott the World Cup, but I simply refuse to contribute to the Qatari and FIFA propaganda machine. I deeply applaud your efforts to continually highlight the themes of this World Cup” – Shpetim Karandrea.
“I agree with the sentiments expressed, but there is no need to take a total break from football caused by the World Cup for Human Rights. Leagues one, two and non-league play during November and December. And November 26 is also the second round of the FA Cup” – Tim Stephens.
“As a Cymruman, an expat from Port Talbot, I was shocked to learn that 1958 was 74 years ago (yesterday’s Fiver). Apparently I was a 10 year old student at the University of London. No wonder I got poor grades: I couldn’t even drown my sorrows in adult drinks or seek solace in the company of an adult friend” – Keith Harries (and 1,056 others).
Send your letters to [email protected] And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winners of our free letter of the day are… Shpetim Karandrea.
Source: www.theguardian.com
