Man City advanced in the Carabao Cup but it was Liverpool who took the moral victory. And Kylian Mbappé reacted to Emi Martinez. But not really.
Excavation site
Manchester City’s Carabao Cup tie with Liverpool was damn good. On that, there should be absolute consensus. No debates there.
But this story of Echo of Liverpooltopping their website at the busiest time of day for website traffic, is most certainly debatable:
‘Pep Guardiola loses his temper after Man City aim for subtle title hunt at Liverpool’
First off, it’s a pretty basic amalgamation of two completely separate stories. Pep Guardiola has lost his temper; Man City have been aiming for a subtle title dig at Liverpool. The insinuation is that the first came after the second, but that is not the case.
It’s harmless stuff and something most outlets – including certainly one not far from Mediawatch – indulge in.
But let’s take a closer look at these composite parts. Guardiola indeed ‘lost his temper’ when he ‘couldn’t contain himself’ on an ungiven offside. All managers, players and fans do it. It’s standard.
What about that ‘subtle title search’ that Man City subjected Liverpool to? Takeaway, Ian Doyle:
“The home side also couldn’t resist a dig when Ilkay Gundogan was announced as the player who scored the goal that won the Premier League title last season – when Liverpool were beaten in the second place. Stay chic, City.
The main character’s energy is real. It was a) a home game, and b) absolutely nothing that Liverpool themselves wouldn’t do in the same situation.
Honestly, “stay classy” is a bunch of nonsense. Even when they lose, there is a supposed moral victory to celebrate.
Admission not possible
The desperation to continue stoking those fires of rivalry between Manchester City and Liverpool extends to Daily Mirror website:
‘Riyad Mahrez rubs salt on Liverpool injuries after Andy Robertson admission’
This headline makes Mediawatch’s heart flutter – there’s been enough coverage of Gianni Infantino’s pitch-invading sidekick lately – so let’s get straight to the point here.
How did Mahrez ‘rub the salt on Liverpool’s wounds’? Well, he ‘suggested that Pep Guardiola’s side are not prioritizing Carabao Cup success over other competitions despite the elimination of holders Liverpool from the competition’.
And it will come as a shock to those who thought Guardiola would start resting Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne in the Champions League to ensure they are fresh for even more Carabao.
So no, Mahrez never “admitted that this cup was not their biggest priority”. It’s not something he should ‘admit’ anyway. It is an obvious fact. But all he said in the first place was ‘we are going to play game by game and focus on the next Premier League game, which is the most important for us at the moment’.
“The next game is the most important” is banal, platitudinal footballing parlance, not messy.
But again, there is an “after” in the title. What about this “Andy Robertson admission”?
“We wanted to stay in this cup, we know how much joy it brought us last season.”
The footballer ‘admits’ he would have preferred to keep a chance to win the trophy. More than we get.
The start of the next line is phenomenal, watch out…
“Robertson admitted City’s dressing room would be ‘much happier’ than Liverpool’s after the result, even though this competition is not their primary focus.”
It’s the worst “confession” of the lot in a strangely crowded field: the winning team is happier than the losing team.
Wrong said Fred
‘PSG’ are eyeing a shock £30m move for Manchester United midfielder Fred’ – despite the Brazilian signing a one-year contract extension at Old Trafford just three years ago DAYS” – MailOnline.
Why is ‘DAYS’ capitalized and not ‘three’ as is the norm?
And that’s before we get into the misrepresentation of club-triggered contract extensions. Fred had no choice in this matter, so whether he signed something or not doesn’t matter; it was Manchester Unitedchose to add an additional 12 months to his contract.
This decision was also made to protect the club’s assets and maintain Fred’s value in the transfer market. So PSG or anyone showing an interest in the player is very much in line with what one would expect next – be it DAYS, WEEKS or MONTHS.
Spotted dick
the Manchester Evening News “spotted” four things during the club’s recent training session and unfortunately none of them relate to Fred.
Three things they saw were that Kobbie Mainoo “was seen participating in exercises”, as were Rhys Bennett and Alejandro Garnacho. The other thing they noticed was that Alejandro Garnacho was wearing a hat, gloves and some sort of face covering in late December.
This Getty Images subscription pays for itself.
Emi Price
Mediawatch does not normally dive into the depths of world of birmingham but this is amazing work:
“Kylian Mbappe reacts to Emi Martinez’s ‘disrespectful’ antics as Aston Villa star comes under fire”
You can falsely claim that this is a story that is at least vaguely relevant to the website. But it’s weird that no one else seems to have reported on this reaction from Kylian Mbappe. It would be huge news if the Frenchman had come out and said something…
“Mbappe made quite a statement today which may or may not be somewhat inspired by the taunts he was subjected to, to prove a point.”
Oh wow. ‘A declaration’. Very official. Very professional. Very interesting.
“His club Paris Saint-Germain have released images of the global superstar making his way to the training ground, just three days after the crushing 4-2 defeat in Qatar – and more importantly seven days before the date planned.”
Ah. So specifically not a statement. And absolutely no reaction to The antics of Emi Martinez. But they already knew that.
