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Liverpool, Tottenham and the battle for superiority
IT’S ABOUT MORE THAN JUST WINNING
Time was when fans of different clubs would bicker at great length about whose was the best, only for the teams in question to play against each and provide them with an answer. They were halcyon days, before heat maps, expected goals and green rectangles festooned with numbers, arrows and circles, the non-existence of which meant people were more or less happy to use the evidence of both the scoreboard and their own eyes to assess which of the two teams they were watching was better.
Of course that was then and this is now, and with debate still raging over which was the better team in Liverpool’s victory over Tottenham Hotspur long after the final whistle was blown, a daily football email could be forgiven for wondering why the two teams bothered playing each other at all. What, after all, is the point in two sets of players going toe to toe on the field of play, if doing so only serves to provoke, rather than settle debate over which of them is superior?
Related: Mourinho's firing of darts shows he believes Spurs can win the title | Jonathan Wilson
Like many disputes before it, this one was prompted by comments made by José Mourinho, specifically his post-match claim that “the better team lost”. It is an arguably spurious view Liverpool fans greeted with post-match apoplexy on their Social Media Disgrace Twitter accounts, despite the cold-eyed and completely unjaundiced manner with which they usually greet any opinions that might be considered even mildly critical of their team or its glorious leader. In stark contrast, Spurs fans were quick to endorse their manager’s view, pointing out that despite having 0.00000001% of possession, their team created more clear-cut chances and would have won comfortably if: a) they’d scored more than one of them; b) hadn’t fallen victim to a fluke deflection; and c) had bothered keeping tabs on Bobby Firmino for that late corner.
Valid points on both sides of this sophisticated debate then, The Fiver is sure you’ll agree. It is an argument that looks set to rumble tediously on until the season ends. And if, as seems quite likely, one of these teams goes on to win the title, then and only then will we know which of them is the better. Except we won’t know, because if Wednesday night’s frothing internet frenzy showed us nothing else, it’s that we have now reached a point of absurdity where teams attempting to decide superiority on the football pitch is merely the prelude to a series of far more unseemly squabbles elsewhere.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Leo Messi loves Barça, and I think he’ll consider the proposal the new Barcelona president makes him … it’s not about money, never has been; if it had, he would have taken very different decisions throughout his career. We have work hard to continue that beautiful story: Messi and Barcelona” – Joan Laporta, standing again to become president of Barcelona, tells Sid Lowe about his vision for the club.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
Football Weekly Extra is right here for you.
FIVER LETTERS
“Big Sam gets the West Brom job after all (yesterday’s Fiver). A kick in the swingers might have been a better Christmas present” – JJ Zucal.
“I suspect Paul Sheppard’s hero, Paul Moulden (yesterday’s Fiver letters) will now have every hungry Boltonian turning up with a home-made Bournemouth face mask expecting a free fish supper (or since it’s Bolton, a complimentary John Bull, chips and curry sauce). That great goal against Newcastle is going to cost him dearly” – John Myles.
Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’the day prize is … John Myles.
RECOMMENDED SHOPPING
Available at our print shop now, Tom Jenkins’s pictures of the past decade. There’s also a Gazza picture, one of Pelé, another of Kenny Dalglish and this Bobby Moore one too.
NEWS, BITS AND BOBS
Edinson Cavani has been charged with misconduct by the FA for using the word “negrito” on some social media disgrace and could be banned for three matches if found guilty.
David Elleray reckons VAR’s benefits outweigh its problems. “It’s clear that football is fairer, but it’s also clear that [it] has had an impact on the flow of the game,” he whistled.
Bad news for Jürgen Klopp and co: Premier League clubs have voted against the proposal to allow five substitutes, although the number allowed on the bench has increased to nine.
Arsenal fans will doubtless be gratified to hear that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has solved all the club’s problems in the wake of their 10 men holding Southampton to a draw. “We have to stay cool in the head and try to be a little more intelligent,” he advised, “and try to stay with 11 on the pitch.”
Barcelona came from behind to beat La Liga leaders Real Sociedad and Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty – it’s all going off in our Euro roundup.
And $tevie Mbe is sifting through the remains of the Pope’s Newc O’Rangers’ 27-game unbeaten run, after they were knocked out of the CIS Insurance Cup by St Mirren. “You’ve got two choices. You either let it linger and feel sorry for yourself, or you react in the right way,’” he roared. “You stand up and be counted.”
STILL WANT MORE?
It’s Jonathan Wilson – tiny violin in one hand and pen in the other – on poor, misunderstood, put-upon José. Meanwhile, Barney Ronay writes a love letter to Curtis Jones.
Nicky Bandini contemplates the potential end of a love story between Atalanta and Papu Gómez.
Jonathan Liew’s piece on West Brom features a particularly fetching picture of Big Sam.
Specially-designed boots for women – featuring narrow heels and changed studs – are finally here. Suzanne Wrack tells all.
YouTube of the classic variety.
David Hytner on the three As: anxiety, Aubameyang and Arsenal.
Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO!
