A REAL FAN
The rational part of the Fiver, and there is one that peeks its head above the parapet every couple of years, is well aware that professional footballers do not necessarily love the clubs they play for. Not like supporters do. This is OK. We’re all adults. Even so, it’s usually quite nice if players pay some sort of lip service to the concepts of loyalty and romance. They don’t have to ostentatiously kiss the badge, pose aggressively in front of a green screen for a trailer, or pretend to play the flute. Just a few mumbled platitudes will do. Keep the paying punters happy. Dance the dance.
Penny for the thoughts of Real Sociedad supporters, then, as 2013’s Adnan Januzaj sails dangerously close to the wind before the Basque club’s Big Vase tie with Manchester United. Now playing in La Liga, Januzaj nevertheless remains a cult figure with United hipsters and Gilbert O’Sullivan aficionados, and the feeling appears to be very much reciprocated. “I love United a lot,” says the La Real midfielder, who is now 26 (yep, so enjoy yourself because it’s later than you think). “They’re my favourite club. Even to this day I watch every single game of theirs because I love the club.” Come on, son, toss your current fanbase a pintxo.
Ah, here we go. “Obviously, when I saw that I would have to play against United, it was a bit of a weird feeling,” was how the San Sebastián branch of the United supporters’ club began pulling it back. “But at the end of the day I want to play them and try to beat them, to show them also what they have missed.” He’s still going to do his job then, out of spite, so there is that. Good for him.
Recent history would appear to be on his side, because United are on a barely believable nine-game winless run against Spanish opposition, a miserable sequence that stretches back to their frankly fortunate win over Celta Vigo in the Big Vase semis in 2017. The Fiver would wish Adnan all the best, but he appears to be on to a winner whatever happens, so what would be the point?
LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE
Join Scott Murray for Big Vase coverage of Real Sociedad 2-1 Manchester United, Wolfsberger 0-1 Tottenham and Slavia Prague 0-0 Leicester (all 5.55pm GMT), before Rob Smyth jumps in the hot seat for Antwerp 1-2 Rangers and Benfica 2-1 Arsenal.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I would never have had these conversations two or three years ago. Never. I didn’t understand why I felt like I did. So, if I couldn’t figure it out, what was I meant to say to someone? Now I’m happy to talk to anyone about it. People are going to have bad days and bad weeks but it shouldn’t fester for years and years” – Burton forward Kane Hemmings talks candidly to Ben Fisher about tackling his mental health issues.
View image in fullscreenKane Hemmings in action for Burton Albion earlier this year. Photograph: Jez Tighe/ProSports/Shutterstock
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FIVER LETTERS
“I see the chief Premier League suit is bothered about being excluded from a big pile of telly cash. Do you think he has sufficient self-awareness to notice he’s being swept away in a river of hot salty tears that flows from all but 20 grounds in England?” – Jon Millard.
“The BBC seems to have redefined the length of a minute. Their Porto-Juventus match report described a goal after 63 seconds of play as ‘in the first minute’. One shudders to think of the chaos that may now ensue on Just a Minute” – JM McFadden.
“Neymar missing both legs against his former club with knack (Tuesday’s Fiver)? Pfft – players nowadays. Back in the day that wouldn’t have stopped them from playing” – Neale Redington.
“Thierry Henry at Bournemouth? ‘Cherry Henry’ has a pretty decent ring to it” – Peter Oh.
Send your letters to [email protected]. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’the day prize is … Neale Redington.
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NEWS, BITS AND BOBS
Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham has described social media abuse targeting black players as the “biggest problem” in football, after Eddie Nketiah was the latest victim of racist comments online this week.
Former Manchester United player Ronnie Wallwork has been warned he could face a prison term after admitting an assault charge. Wallwork pleaded guilty on Thursday to a charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm last December.
Premier League head honcho Richard Masters has said a European Super League would be “destructive to the value of domestic football across Europe”.
The PFA will no longer subsidise an online sport management course for players after Brexit drove the price up by an eye-watering eight thousand notes.
View image in fullscreenThe British Prime Minister, there. Photograph: Toby Melville/AFP via Getty Images
Referee Darren Drysdale has been removed from his assigned League Two match at the weekend following his midweek tête-à-tête with Ipswich’s Alan Judge.
Diego Llorente is available for Nasty Leeds’ game at Wolves on Friday night, with various knacks having restricted the defender to just two appearances since joining the club in September.
Luis Suárez fancies sticking around in La Liga and rubbing Barcelona’s noses in it for a little longer. “I don’t see myself playing in MLS,” he told Spanish outlet Cope. “I would rather stay in the elite, and Atlético is the elite.”
Another Liverpool legend, Djinkin’ Djibril Cissé, has come up with the original line that football is not the same without fans. “I have played in empty stadiums and it is not the same. In a derby, you need the fire of the fans,” he parped prior to the Merseyside derby.
Roy Hodgson has hit back over a banner put up outside Crystal Palace’s training ground, accusing the club of “a pandemic of apathy”. “I don’t think it was up for very long but I heard about it, of course”, said Hodgson. “I would deny it’s a lack of interest or desire on the part of the players. We can’t deny we haven’t played well enough.”
And the Guardian has picked up 12 nominations for the 2020 Sports Journalists’ Association awards, including nods for Jonathan Liew and David Conn. Ed Aarons, Romain Molina and Alex Cizmic have been nominated for scoop of the year, for their exclusive report on abuse in Haiti.
STILL WANT MORE?
Sid Lowe has had a big ol’ chat with Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino before he plays Manchester United in Big Vase.
Meanwhile, David Müller explains that Spurs are playing Wolfsberger and not Wolfsburg tonight.
After suffering a stroke in 2013, Matt Crossen returned to football and is now captain of the England cerebral palsy team. Read more here.
A new Netflix documentary on Pelé is dropping soon. Read our review.
Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO!
