Pep Guardiola defends Graham Potter, Stevenage rocks the Swedish duo and Anthony is involved in a car crash.
Here are the headlines for today’s English football news.
WEEKLY SNACKIS: Frustrated Chelsea supporters
“went to bot” (something almost went wrong) and ‘Chelsea fans turn their backs on Potter’. So read some English headlines on Monday morning after the London club’s second defeat to Manchester City in a week.
Traveling fans sang about Graham Potter’s Thomas Tuchel and former owner Roman Abramovich at Etihad Stadium. In other words, the atmosphere is not in the best shape.
– Like I said before, you can find excuses and look for explanations or you can say it’s not good enough. Both answers are correct, says Potter according to the Evening Standard.
Former player Frank Lebeouf, now ESPN expert, didn’t utter words at half-time when Chelsea were already leading 0-3 (0-4 on aggregate).
Embarrassing, really embarrassing. “I’ve never seen Chelsea with so little will,” says LeBeouf, “they don’t have the courage to fight for their colors and they lack pride.”
The Daily Star believes Potter will not be spared more humiliating losses.
Quote of the week: Guardiola defends Potter
– I told Todd Bohle to “give him time”. What he did with Brighton is fantastic. But he’s right, you need time in your first season. I had Lionel Messi at Barcelona in my first season, so I didn’t need two because Messi was there. Pep Guardiola said after Manchester City’s 4-0 victory over Chelsea that playing against City, when we are at this level, is not easy for any team.
Teams of the Week: Stevenage upset Villa
Stevenage, who are currently second in League Two, created a sensation at the weekend when they defeated Aston Villa 2-1 in the FA Cup. It hasn’t been a good Swedish day for the Premier League club. Goalkeeper Robin Olsen, who played the whole match, was given low marks by the Daily Mail and Birmingham Live and left-back Ludwig Augustinsson was knocked out ten minutes from time.
State of the Week: Giants fall in the FA Cup
At least nine Premier League clubs will fail to advance from the FA Cup third round this year. Many teams from the top league have not been relegated since the 2007/08 season. The semi-finalists that year were unexpectedly West Bromwich, Portsmouth, Barnsley and Cardiff.
This weekend’s revelation: Man United player in car crash
Manchester United’s Anthony was involved in a car crash on New Year’s Eve. The winger hit motorway roadwork after hours of action in United’s 1-0 win over Wolves.
The 22-year-old was left out of the squad to face Bournemouth (3-0) last Tuesday but returned in Friday’s victory over Everton. A source told The Sun it was “dark and damp and he had misjudged”.
Anthony did not mention any details about the incident in his interview after the last match.
– I’m relieved that I’ve been in a state of shock the past few days, but I’d rather not comment on what happened, Copper tells TNT Sports.
– It’s a private matter. So hard, but I’m thankful to God that I can put this behind me now.