Inarguably, the biggest story in footy is whether Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger definitely should be or definitely should not be manager of Arsenal. Last year was a roller coaster of emotions that ended with the Frenchman missing the Champions League for the first time since Christ was a boy, winning the FA Cup (again) and signing a two-year contract extension.
Hey! It’s soccer! Or football, whatever! The Premier League is back baby! Those pointless preseason friendlies and the miserable Gold Cup are a thing of the past. Jamie Vardy and Alexandre Lacazette are our glorious present and future. Late Welsh equalizers and meaty French foreheads somehow have Arsenal at the top of the league.
82 days have passed since we put a lid on the 2016-17 Premier League season, but now it’s time to do it all over again. We’ll be treated to the same storylines we’ve all come to know and love (Arsenal in crisis, Newcastle United on the verge of self-inflicted implosion, Manchester City spend a lot of money), but we’ve also been provided with some fresh takes to look forward to.
Liverpool have been chasing Southampton center back Virgil van Dijk all summer, and they're running out of time.
Earlier in the transfer window, a move seemed imminent, but then Southampton reported Liverpool to the FA for supposedly "tapping up" the Dutch international. Liverpool were forced to apologize and said they had ended any interest in van Dijk.
However, van Dijk is training alone at Southampton because he wants to leave. He handed in an official transfer request and word on the street is he only wants to go to Liverpool.
This weekend a man named "Tripp" caused a stir online when he went viral for writing an Instagram post repeatedly calling his wife fat. At first, he was applauded for calling his wife fat and then the people online began mocking the whole situation.
Good news: Beavis & Butthead has finally caught on in England. We know this has happened because in a Championship match between Bolton Wanderers and Leeds United Leeds midfielder Connor Shaughnessy gave away a penalty when he demonstrated his Beavis & Butthead fandom by turning Bolton's Gary Madine into The Great Cornholio.
My hero, My mate, Big Gary Madine #bwfc pic.twitter.com/rFCR6lrUm7
I have some thoughts on goalkeepers taking penalties. Goalkeepers taking penalties is a net positive from an entertainment standpoint. Goalkeepers taking penalties is a net negative, from a soccer standpoint.
Sure, there have been goalkeepers who double as penalty specialists and they are professional footballers, so they can be expected to have enough skill to score from the spot when called upon. On the other hand, hello Thibaut Courtois in the Community Shield:
ABBA is no longer just the greatest export of Sweden.
Arsenal defeated Chelsea 4-1 in a shootout following a 1-1 draw in the Community Shield on Sunday at Wembley Stadium in London. The match itself was nothing special but the ABBA format for shootouts made its debut in England.
The Champions League and Europa League have used end-line assistants for a few years now. The Confederations Cup used VAR this summer, and Major League Soccer will start using video review on Saturday. The English Premier League has popularized goal-line technology and this year will have a panel to suspend those who dive or feign injury.
It’s taken a while, but soccer is finally getting its shit together when it comes to officiating the game.