⚽︎Friday, October 20: The Americans Have Invaded Italy
Both A.C. Milan and Juventus have key contributors from the United States. Plus: Chelsea-Arsenal, the Battle of Liverpool, and conflict on the Côte D'Azur.
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It’s a Super Saturday this week as football returns from the international break. You could theoretically park yourself on the couch for 9.5 hours straight, as four quality matches kick off back-to-back. Merseyside and London derbies give way to a game on the Côte d’Azur that’s anything but a vacation, and it’s all a prelude to another hat trick of highly watchable bouts on Sunday. Thank God the real stuff is back. It’s the Football Weekend.
THE HEADLINES
➟ Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali reportedly admitted to betting on A.C. Milan matches while he was still a player there in a hearing at the Italian Football Federation this week. This follows a sensational raid by investigators on the Italian national team training camp a week prior, during which Tonali and Aston Villa’s Nicoló Zaniolo were questioned by the authorities and had their phones seized. Italy manager Luciano Spalletti called the incident “traumatic,” but it may be just the start: the 23-year-old Tonali could face up to a three-year ban from football, though 12 months seems more likely.
➟ Manchester United’s global-scale angst continues, as Sheikh Jassim of Qatar—many fans’ preferred bidder to become the club’s new owner—has withdrawn from the process. British petrochemical billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is the next man up, though he reportedly will only seek a 25% stake in the world’s second biggest club. That leaves the Glazer family—much maligned among the supporter base—in control of things.
There are demands for a renovation of Old Trafford, the legendary but decaying stadium, and a new training facility. But the loudest calls are for changes on the sporting side after 10 years where United have failed to compete at the highest level. Club legend and ubiquitous commentator Gary Neville has laid out his six non-negotiables for the new ownership structure, including that a kind of Red Devil Theme Park be built, along with an additional 16 “questions.” But surely the only question that matters is whether Manchester United can get a competent head of football in. They’ve been spending loads of money badly since the Ed Woodward days, and old rivals Arsenal have shown what you can do when you find people to spend loads of money better.
➟ Belgium and Sweden’s Euro 2024 qualifer was abandoned at halftime after the fatal shooting of two Swedes about three miles away in Brussels. It appears to have been an act of terrorism.
➟ The Belgians have qualified for the tournament alongside France, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Austria, England, and Scotland.
➟ How about Kylian Mbappé’s world-class brace against the Netherlands? It could have been a hat trick when he hit ‘em with a few stepovers at the top of the box and smashed it off the crossbar:
➟ Jordan Henderson was booed in his first match back at Wembley following his move to the Saudi Pro League, and England manager Gareth Southgate was out defending him in the aftermath. Whatever you think of the midfielder’s move after all his vocal support for the rights of queer people, the real question is why Jordan Henderson is still getting games for England. He no longer plays at the top level. Surely James Maddison or James Ward-Prowse or Conor Gallagher deserves a go? Instead, it was Kalvin Phillips—who’s played just 360 Premier League minutes for Man City since his summer 2022 move—who got the start in the big Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy this week. It’s become abundantly clear that Southgate has His Guys, and you don’t want to be anybody else. Just ask Benjamin White.
➟ Neymar tore his ACL and meniscus during Brazil’s World Cup qualifer against Uruguay on Tuesday. He is likely done for the season, another unfortunate chapter in a career that burst with such immense promise when he broke onto the world stage with Santos, the club of Pelé, at just 17. Neymar Júnior became one of the best forwards on the planet at F.C. Barcelona, but things have never quite worked out since.
➟ Incredibly, the VAR officials who royally fucked the Tottenham-Liverpool match a few weeks ago—Darren England and Daniel Cook—will return to making decisions in the Premier League this weekend. The pattern from the PGMOL continues: no accountability or consequences for poor performance, no matter how big the game or the error you made in it.
➟ Barcelona sporting director Deco said this week that it will be tough for the club to do any business in the January transfer window. Most clubs prefer the summer, but in this case it’s a purely financial issue: the mighty Blaugrana, five-time champions of Europe, just can’t scrape together the cash. What an indictment of how the club’s been run over the last decade, though they will wear some sweet kits with the Rolling Stones lick for El Clásico next week.
➟ Did you see Lionel Messi drop the same Peruvian defender twice in a couple of seconds with some trademark vicious body feints? He had a brace in that World Cup qualifier, and 38-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo had one of his own in Portugal’s Euro qualifier against Bosnia & Herzegovina. Fine wine.
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SATURDAY:
PREMIER LEAGUE: LIVERPOOL—EVERTON
7:30am ET on NBC Sports (USA) / 12:30pm GMT on TNT Sports 1
The Merseyside derby is not what it once was, mostly because Everton ain’t what they once were. It’s been a miserable few years for the Toffees, as they’ve careened through consecutive relegation scraps and discarded various managers along the way. They seem to have found a bit of solid ground this season under Sean Dyche, and perhaps it’s an acceptance of where they’re at that they’ve gone with the avoid-relegation-on-a-budget specialist. Which isn’t to say they haven’t spent money in recent years—they just did that poorly, too, and a recent change in ownership has not exactly assuaged concerns about how this outfit is run from the top.
They’ll have to cling to Dyche, then, and a midfield with real physicality that could test Liverpool’s new-look trio in the middle of the park. Amadou Onana, Idrissa Gueye, and Abdoulaye Doucouré could be a problem for the Reds, though James Garner started in their 3-0 demolition of Championship-bound Bournemouth last time out and scored an early goal. This lot will be a challenge for Liverpool because, for all the refined technical skill the Reds acquired this summer, there are still questions about their ability to get about the pitch. Dominik Szoboszlai is a phenomenal athlete, but could Alexis Mac Allister get overrun by the Everton boys, particularly in the deeper midfield role he’s occupied while Liverpool sort out whether Wataru Endō or Ryan Gravenberch or Harvey Elliott should be in there with them?


Maybe Liverpool won’t need to worry too much, because it’s highly likely that they will destroy Everton on the wings. If Dyche rolls out 38-year-old Ashley Young to mark Luis Díaz, it could get ugly. On the other flank, Mo Salah will be giddy at the prospect of running at Vitaliy Mykolenko, though the young Ukrainian does occasionally turn in a good performance in big games.
Overall, Everton are probably in big trouble for this early kickoff, though Jack Harrison showed last week what they can do when they sign Premier League players with proven end product. They’ll at least steer clear of The Scrap this time around, but it’s all a sad state of affairs for this grand old club. Since the founding of the Football League in 1888, only two teams have taken more top-flight points than Everton: Arsenal and—you guessed it—Liverpool.
PREMIER LEAGUE: MAN CITY—BRIGHTON
10:00am ET on NBC Sports (USA) / 3:00pm GMT on N/A
Brighton showed off a few more freshly unearthed gems last time out. Simon Adingra pounced on a Liverpool mistake to score, and generally looked shot out of a cannon. Carlos Baleba could be a fine replacement for the departed Moises Caicedo in deeper midfield. Even Igor, their new centerback prospect, looked strong despite some (increasingly common) errors from Brighton in deep possession. They’ll need to get it together against the league’s most formidable front-pressing team—and hope there are spaces in behind the City midfield to exploit. Evan Ferguson is the budding star up top, though Danny Welbeck could get the nod in a rare match where Brighton aren’t likely to have most of the ball. Always look for Pascal Groß’s goal threat with late runs into the box, too.
The much-missed Rodri returns for City, and he’ll be tasked with managing Brighton’s transition threat. The Sky Blues lost all three matches he sat out for a straight red card, proving he’s the only truly irreplaceable player in this squad. Well, there’s Erling Haaland, too, but despite eight goals in eight matches, he’s yet to really fire into form. That will come, and Brighton will just be hoping to avoid his—and City’s—vengeful wrath. The champions will want to excise the demons of the last few weeks.
PREMIER LEAGUE: CHELSEA—ARSENAL
12:30pm ET on NBC / 5:30pm GMT on Sky Sports
The question facing the Blues from West London is whether Mauricio Pochettino is slowly leading them out of the darkness, or whether this reno-job is beyond a manager even of his pedigree. They’ve found just a bit of form in recent weeks, to be fair, with consecutive wins over Fulham and Burnley, and young Levi Colwill is looking a little more comfortable next to Thiago Silva in defense. He’s been pushed out to left back amid an injury crisis, though, and the extremely left-footed Marc Cucurella was at right back last time out. Arsenal’s flying wide forwards will have a barbecue unless the locomotive Reece James (or even Malo Gusto) can come back in on the right.
In the middle of the park, Enzo Fernandes and Moisés Caicedo are working up a partnership with an unexpected third wheel in Conor Gallagher. It’s an athletic midfield that will cover a lot of ground, but they face an Arsenal engine room that is truly imposing. Jorginho played well against City and could keep his place beside the titanic Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard for another Big Game™, but if Thomas Partey comes back into things, you can expect the red shirts to really dominate in the trenches. That is, unless we see a triumphant return to Stamford Bridge for Kai Havertz.
The German could feature at striker—a less risky play than deploying him in a box-to-box midfield role—if Bukayo Saka isn’t ready to start. If he can, Gabriel Jesus will slide back into the middle, and if Gabriel Martinelli is ready, too, Arsenal’s preferred front three could feature properly for the first time this season. The ifs end there, though, as the defense is pretty much set. Barring a shuffle of the deck from manager Mikel Arteta, the severely underrated Ben White will be to the right of the league’s best centerback partnership in Gabriel and William Saliba. From the left, Oleksandr Zinchenko will drift inside to pull the strings from central midfield.
This will be a different test for Chelsea, who’ve yet to face many of the big boys besides Liverpool on the opening day. Arsenal are fresh off a grinding victory over Manchester City, the kind of street-smart performance rarely associated with the North Londoners since the departure of Patrick Vieira and Co., and the scary part for Gunner Haters is they sit joint-top without having really clicked into form in attack. Pochettino is an accomplished tactician and the Blues are not to be underestimated, but it’s not just about this season. Arsenal have won six of the last seven meetings between these two, including their last three visits to the Bridge. Imagine saying that just a few years ago.
LIGUE 1: NICE—MARSEILLE
3:00pm ET on beIN Sports / 8:00pm GMT on TNT Sports 3
It’s been a great season so far on the Côte d’Azur, with Monaco top of Ligue 1 and Nice a point behind them in second. When things kicked off in August, Marseille would have been the safer pick to breathe French football’s more rarified air, but it’s OGC who remain undefeated across eight games. They’re powered by some staunch defense, if not much high-powered attacking. The exception was their 3-2 victory over mighty PSG, and hopefully this one will follow that big-game blueprint. The Nigerian #9, Terem Moffi, is the major goal threat when they do get forward.
There’s little doubt who provides something comparable for Marseille: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has five goals and three assists in 12 matches this season, though just one in the league. Former Watford man Ismaïla Sarr leads there with three, though it’ll be just as important for Marseille to tighten up at the back. The man with the plan will be new manager Gennaro Gattuso. The Milan legend certainly has the fire in the belly required for this one.
Two years ago, this fixture exploded into violence after Marseille’s then-midfielder Dimitri Payet was hit with a bottle. He threw it back into the crowd, and Nice fans rushed the pitch. A brawl broke out amongst players and supporters, and the match was suspended for 90 minutes while Nice’s chairman, Jean-Pierre Rivere, appealed for calm over the stadium PA system. Eventually, riot police were deployed. Marseille’s players and coaching staff refused to come back out of the tunnel, the match was abandoned, Les Olympiens saw players suspended, and Nice were docked two points. Not always a relaxing day on the Riviera, then?




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THE FANTASY NOTEBOOK
The Weekenders have put a couple decent weeks together thanks to some stellar play from permacaptain Mo Salah (£12.6). (If you’ve got somebody hogging upwards of £12m in salary on your squad, it really only makes sense to give them the armband each week.) Julián Álvarez (£7.0) has cooled off just a bit, which is why we’ve brought in Ollie Watkins (£8.2) and Pedro Neto (£5.7). Jarrod Bowen (£7.3) is still good value, while Joachim Andersen (£4.9) was an absolute steal when we brought him in on the cheap. He’s probably still worth a punt with Pervis Estupiñán out for a few more weeks. Alexander Isak (£7.5) also came correct in Matchweek 8.
Elsewhere in defense, you could do worse than Spurs fullbacks Pedro Porro (£5.1) and Destiny Udogie (£4.9), or Aston Villa wingback Matty Cash (£5.1), all of whom are joining their teams’ attacks in a big way. Oh, and bench tip: pick up Matt Turner (£4.1), one of the cheapest players in FPL since he started the season as Arsenal’s backup. He’s starting matches for Nottingham Forest, and he’s good for the occasional clean sheet if you’re in a goalkeeping bind.
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SUNDAY:
PREMIER LEAGUE: ASTON VILLA—WEST HAM
11:30am ET on NBC Sports (USA) / 4:30pm GMT on Sky Sports
The Premier League could have a fifth Champions League spot for the 2024-25 season, but even if it remains a Top Four, these two are in the discussion. Villa sit fifth, and it’s not some early-season fluke: since Unai Emery took charge, they’ve taken more points than anybody outside Arsenal and Man City. They dismantled the last upper-middle-class rival they came up against with the 6-1 over Brighton at the beginning of the month, though David Moyes is unlikely to set West Ham up to be so open.
Ollie Watkins is one of the streakier scorers in the league, and he’s in one of his feast phases at the moment, but the Villa midfield is also firing on all cylinders. John McGinn is loving life for club and country, and Douglas Luiz is spraying the passes around and even getting forward. Moussa Diaby provides electric change-of-pace and plenty of end product.
For the Hammers, it’s been a solid start that leaves them two points behind the Villans in seventh. Jarrod Bowen’s stock is skyrocketing, and the inside-right attacker has earned himself a fresh new contract. Brazilian #10 Lucas Paquetá and English free-kick maestro James Ward-Prowse have also looked dangerous. Late summer signing Mohammed Kudus is also beginning to settle in and scored an 89th-minute equalizer last time out against Newcastle. His manager will be looking for ways to break this game up and slow it down. Only Luton Town average less possession this season, and they’ll sit in and let Villa have the ball. If Moyes can’t keep control of it, though, this one should be a cracker.
LA LIGA: SEVILLA—REAL MADRID
12:30pm ET on ESPN+ / 5:30pm GMT on Viaplay
One of those compilations of Kaká’s best Champions League goals popped up in the feed this week, and I couldn’t help but think of Jude Bellingham. The England midfielder ate up the ground on the counterattack against Italy in midweek, tall and slim and borderline lanky, but somehow unstoppable running with the ball at his feet. He’s got a deft touch to pop it around the corner and run onto the proceeds, taking defenders out of the play. Milan and Brazil fans will say it’s sacrilege, but Bellingham has The Aura at the moment. He’s the best player at Real Madrid, and he’s only 20 years old. It’s scary to think what Los Blancos will do with him and Vinicius Jr. for years to come, particularly if Kylian Mbappé changes address next summer.
Sevilla will be hoping for a New Manager Bounce after the Andalusians sent Jose Luis Mendilibar packing and hired Diego Alonso to dig them out of 14th in the league. Djibril Sow looked one of the few dangerous attackers in white last time out alongside #11 Dodi Lukébakio. Speaking of which, how about those sans-sponsor jerseys? Beauty. Might need to cop one of those with “Rakitić - 10” on the back. Oh, and there’s always Sergio Ramos, who’s back at his boyhood club as they host the one where he made his name as one of the best centerbacks in the history of the game. He’ll be hoping for a better day out than he had against Barcelona a few weeks back.
SERIE A: A.C. MILAN—JUVENTUS
2:45pm ET on Paramount+ / 7:45pm GMT on TNT Sports 1
The Americans have invaded Italy, or at least two of Serie A’s title contenders. Fresh off a demolition of Ghana (and a demolition by Germany) with the U.S. Men’s National Team, Yunus Musah and Christian Pulisic will link back up with Milan. Their compatriots Weston McKennie and Tim Weah will return to Juventus. It’s not exactly new, but watching clubs like these play Americans in the matches that matter will never get old to Yank fans of TFW’s generation.
Will all four feature from the start here? Pulisic is in the form of his life for club and country—regard the sweet strike he bent past Germany’s Marc-André ter Stegen last weekend—and has four goals and an assist in Serie A this season. McKennie has featured heavily in this competition for Juve, and Weah started alongside him in the Derby della Mole two weeks ago. Musah might be the most likely to drop to the bench here, though he seems to be gaining the trust of Milan coach Stefano Pioli and—crucially—the Milanisti. If Ruben Loftus-Cheek cannot recover from injury, Musah will bring his typical dynamism with and without the ball.






Of course, this is about a lot more than the Americans. These two teams sit first and third, both chasing a Scudetto, and over the years this match has been a playground for legends of the game: Baresi and Vialli, Maldini and Cannavaro, Kaká and Del Piero, Nesta and Buffon, Pirlo and Zidane. Go back and look through the photo archives, and you’ll find Ronaldinho celebrating with David Beckham after he scored in this fixture. You’ll see Clarence Seedorf collaring Edgar Davids in pursuit of the ball, Gattuso battling Pavel Nedvěd.
The silky and intelligent Federico Chiesa and powerful striker Dušan Vlahović could both miss this one for Juventus through injury, but Théo Hernandez and Rafa Leão are fit and firing down Milan’s left flank. Both these clubs have decent defensive records, but Juve in particular keep it tight with just six goals conceded in eight matches. Milan have only shipped two more, but they’ll be missing keeper Mike Maignan. He’s suspended for the red card that saw Olivier Giroud step into goal so heroically last time out against Genoa. After an injury to the #2, it’ll be third-choice Antonio Mirante in net. Giroud will be back up top for this one, and the 37-year-old is A.C. Milan’s top scorer this season. Well, he’s tied with Christian Pulisic, the kid from Pennsylvania.⚽︎