In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Aston Villa attacker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, including what Rodri’s absence means for Man City, why Michael Oliver got it wrong at the weekend plus much more.
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Pep will issue a clarion call despite Rodri’s injury
If Man City are the champions that they are, Rodri’s absence shouldn’t affect them at all. People keep seeing graphics of games won without Rodri, games won with Rodri and it’s obviously very stark, but somebody has to step up to the plate and make sure that City retain another title.
Pep Guardiola won’t be speaking about Rodri on the training ground and he won’t be speaking about him in the dressing room either, because once you start, in a team game, to suggest that one person is the sort of the icing on the cake or the magic elixir of life, then you get yourself a real problem.
Rodri isn’t irreplaceable. John Stones made a difference at the weekend and can play in midfield, whilst Matheus Nunes has, apparently, been the one told to step up.
There’s this narrative that if Rodri plays City win or if Rodri doesn’t play, City lose. That’s not strictly true, of course, because Man City still win a hefty amount of games without him.
However, this is now a really good chance for Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Villa and all the other pretenders and wannabes to push City hard all the way through the season.
There’s no doubt that Rodri’s injury is going to level the playing field somewhat, but I think that Pep will rightly will be shouting from the rooftops of the dressing room today; ‘we’re the champions, we’ve won four out of the last five titles, we don’t feel sorry for ourselves.”
Michael Oliver got it wrong in City vs Arsenal… twice
I think that when a captain is called out of position and has a discussion with a ref, it is absolutely right and proper to wait until he’s back in position before an opposition player can have the chance of taking a quick free-kick. Particularly, as in Kyle Walker’s case, if you’re a right back.
It’s not as if he was just two or three yards away from the action when he was called over by Michael Oliver during the Arsenal game.
It’s a really big talking point because we’re all clear on the new directive that only the captains can now approach the match officials.
Walker was out of position when Arsenal took their free-kick, something the referee should’ve acknowledged – and which he already knew, to be perfectly honest.
As long as a captain hasn’t been dragged way out of position, then the referee is well within his rights to signal a quick free-kick, but that isn’t what happened at the weekend.
When I was at Liverpool, we always had it drummed into us to take a quick free-kick wherever you can. So you got the ball down, you’ve got it in front of the referee, and you take it because the opposition team are still out of shape.
This latest tweaking of the rules seems like a quirk in the system which has been found out quite early, and it’s going to have to have referees very aware that it’s not just a player coming over and talking to them, it’s a captain.
I do think that we can both have a quick free kick and allow a captain get back into his position. They’re not mutually exclusive.
Sticking with Sunday’s big game, I did think that Erling Haaland throwing the ball at Gabriel Magalhaes was funny, but it was still ungentlemanly conduct – or unsportsmanlike behaviour if you prefer.
Daniel Levy will make enemies of Tottenham fans
Daniel Levy has almost become the poster boy that other clubs want to follow, and his contention that he ignores supporter criticism of him certainly isn’t good PR for the club.
At my own club Aston Villa, there’s been a lot of criticism around the head of business affairs charging for disabled parking and the like, causing the club to backtrack – but there’s still not been an apology.
I think that awful situation and Levy’s attitude towards Tottenham fans are examples of an Americanisation of English sport whereby you are treated as a customer that should have no emotional link to the product.
You pay your money for the product, and clubs will give you the commensurate entertainment for the product – and that’s it. The fact that you’re a fan and your dad’s been coming for years doesn’t matter.
Back in the day you were herded into pens at ropey old grounds, you paid your two quid to go in and you might be able to get a beer and a warm roll, if you’re lucky.
Now you’ve got brand new stadiums that have state-of-the-art facilities, you’ve got a seat, you’ve got a concourse, you’ve got a great view with no restricted views anymore and you’re watching superstars from around the world.
Daniel Levy is effectively saying ‘everything’s been built for you, stop moaning. You’ve got the best of everything and if you don’t like it, somebody will come in and pay more money.’
Unfortunately for him, when this chapter of English football history is written, Daniel Levy will be seen as the man that effectively put his fingers in his ears.
Julen Lopetegui must be given time at West Ham
Is Julen Lopetegui a man that’s capable? The answer is yes. He wouldn’t have had the jobs that he’s had if he wasn’t a capable coach.
I think that where he rubs people up the wrong way is that he’s probably one of those guys within the club that once he’s got his feet under the desk, he wants things done his way and he’s probably not the most tactful of guys.
Unai Emery is a very good ‘football politician’ who knows how to play that side of the game and has surrounded himself with four or five of his men at Aston Villa. He’s insulated from the chairman, the owner, the director of football; all of the big decision makers at the club effectively. So if and when things start to go wrong, the club need to consider whether they’ll want to sack a handful of very important people.
Lopetegui doesn’t have that luxury at West Ham.
The issue he has now is that he hasn’t got results behind him, so he has to get a few wins on the board quickly or he’ll be under mounting pressure.
David Moyes was on Keys and Gray at the weekend which, whether we like it or not, has traction in the English language, and so a lot of people are going to get to watch David Moyes talking again about his philosophy in the game, and how he’s putting himself back out there again. I can see the narrative and what’s potentially coming.
From my perspective, it’s really simple for Lopetegui; he’s probably got to win two thirds of his games before the Christmas break to have a chance of then going “it’s taken a little bit of time, but here we are to silence the doubters.”
Lopetegui’s been at Real Madrid, the Spanish national team, Wolverhampton Wanderers… there are people that will say if you give this guy time, he’ll get you to the promised land.
On Sky Sports the other day they talked about the new manager bounce, and the percentage points of the new manager bounce is relatively small. If the West Ham board were to pick the phone up at Christmas and get David Moyes back, the odds of him being better is about 2%, which would keep them in the position that West Ham currently in, around 12th/13th/14th in the table. Is that really worth doing?
Your move, West Ham.
Top photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images, Carl Recine/Getty Images and Michael Regan/Getty Images