Arsenal close on Liverpool, Amorim ‘in danger’ at Manchester United, Chicago Bears lose
Arsenal sneak win to keep Premier League pressure on Liverpool, Chicago Bears humbled again, Heta hits nine-darter but loses to Woodhouse
Back in 2020, then Juventus president Andrea Agnelli haughtily questioned first-time qualifiers Atalanta’s right to compete in the Uefa Champions League. For those keen on schadenfreude, we are happy to remind you that after Agnelli’s preposterous utterings, his favourite club’s run of nine straight league titles has been followed by four barren seasons. Good.
Anyway, we digress. Agnelli’s self-serving argument was founded on the idea that a regular Champions League club - he name-checked Roma in an effort to affect broader concern - should not be exposed to the financial risk of failing to qualify. “We need to protect investment and costs,” Agnelli pleaded.
It was in another of his daft comments, however, that we can draw parallels with the views of a small share of English football supporters. “I have great respect for what Atalanta is doing, but without international history, and with a great sporting performance, they have had direct access to the highest European club competition. Is this right or not?” Agnelli said.
And in England there are some fans who would gladly return historically ‘smaller’ clubs such as Brentford, Bournemouth and Brighton & Hove Albion to the lower divisions, in favour of getting the likes of Leeds United, Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday into the top-flight. Never mind that the aforementioned little-guy trio occupy positions in the Premier League’s top-11. A match between two of them was among the sporting events that happened while you were sleeping.
1-0 to the Arsenal
Arsenal made heavy weather of beating Ipswich Town to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to six points. The Gunners won 1-0, courtesy of Kai Havertz’s first-half strike, but their feast-or-famine approach to scoring must concern manager Mikel Arteta.
