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A combination of the international break and the legitimately large Mo Salah news means a relative dearth of nonsense around the place today.<\/p>\n
But there is always some nonsense. We have never yet found a day with no nonsense, and don\u2019t believe we ever shall.<\/p>\n
Imagine if it did happen, though. Just a whole day of reasonable reporting of legitimate news. Doesn\u2019t bear thinking about, does it?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Another outstanding bit of headline cut-and-shut work from the Daily Star<\/strong>who are fast emerging from the shadows of their bigger stablemates as the kings of headline housery.<\/p>\n Arsenal news: Declan Rice transfer conundrum as Mikel Arteta told his talisman is \u2018lost\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Now, it\u2019s very, very obvious what that headline wants you to think. Very, very obvious what you\u2019re supposed to infer from it: that Declan Rice is somehow \u2018lost\u2019 and that thus his Arsenal<\/strong> future is in some way up in the air via this \u2018transfer conundrum\u2019.<\/p>\n Obviously, we all know the headline does not in fact mean any of that. But what spare parts have the Star\u2019s skilled story-welders bolted together to make that fiction appear like it could be reality without simply lying?<\/p>\n The \u2018Declan Rice conundrum\u2019 is Chris Waddle saying on some podcast or other that he doesn\u2019t think Arsenal need to sign Sandro Tonali off of Newcastle when they already have Rice.<\/p>\n The lost talisman is in fact Bukayo Saka, thanks to a quote from Paul Scholes on another podcast or other.<\/p>\n What\u2019s interesting here is that until very, very recently we\u2019d be confident the Saka angle alone would have been enough. But it\u2019s very quickly become old hat, hasn\u2019t it? \u2018Saka is struggling\u2019 is no longer a hot take, so you have to take that and make it look like \u2018Rice is struggling\u2019 to get sufficient spice behind it.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Point of order here, really. Erstwhile England boss Fabio Capello has been talking about the Three Lions\u2019 World Cup chances<\/strong> and making some pretty valid and certainly topical points about the weariness of England\u2019s top stars come crunch time at the end of domestic seasons and heading into summer tournament time.<\/p>\n But The Sun\u2019s<\/strong> headline also makes a promise.<\/p>\n Thomas Tuchel sent brutal World Cup reality check by ex-England boss as Arsenal superstar is singled out<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Now we can argue all day about whether Capello\u2019s criticisms of England\u2019s efforts in the finals of Euros 2020 and 2024 really count as \u2018brutal\u2019 (Conclusion: not really) but it\u2019s the last bit we\u2019re interested in: \u2018Arsenal superstar is singled out\u2019<\/p>\n Two issues here. There\u2019s a pretty clear implication that the \u2018singled out\u2019 is negative and connected to the \u2018brutal World Cup reality check\u2019 when it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n It\u2019s Declan Rice again, with Capello mentioning him as a key player who can in fact drive England forward. But even saying he\u2019s been \u2018singled out\u2019 \u2013 whether for praise or criticism \u2013 isn\u2019t quite right.<\/p>\n The three players he has singled out as key for Tuchel are\u00a0Real Madrid\u2018s\u00a0Jude Bellingham,\u00a0Bayern Munich\u00a0striker\u00a0Harry Kane\u00a0and\u00a0Arsenal\u2018s\u00a0Declan Rice, who would be pivotal in central midfield.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Can you single out a trio?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n We can only assume these headlines work unbelievably well, because to Mediawatch these Going For Gold first-person efforts like this one from the Daily Star<\/strong> remain completely baffling.<\/p>\n \u2018I played with Mohamed Salah \u2013 he\u2019s already told me who his dream club is\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n We can just about understand it when it headlines a first-person column or on-the-ground piece of reportage. But when it\u2019s done to make the hoovering up of some years-old quotes that have become handily topical again it just feels a bit grubby somehow.<\/p>\n This one is particularly weird, though, because of the specifics.<\/p>\n The I from the story is Micah Richards. And Mo Salah\u2019s dream club is\u2026 Liverpool. That\u2019s what Salah told Richards in 2015 when they were at Fiorentina in news Richards himself revealed three years ago in a column for the Daily Mail.<\/p>\n But \u2013 and this feels relevant \u2013 it\u2019s also news Salah himself has revealed. Nine years ago. When he joined Liverpool.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Nothing but facts from football.london<\/strong> on Chelsea\u2019s bid for Champions League qualification.<\/p>\n Chelsea learn ideal route to Champions League qualification as Liam Rosenior faces uphill task<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n And what is that ideal route?<\/p>\n Ultimately, Chelsea cannot afford to drop any points during the end-of-season run-in if they want to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. Based on the last three years, the Blues would need to finish the campaign on 69 points to claim fourth place.<\/p>\n In order to do so, Rosenior\u2019s side would need to win 21 points from their last seven games. For the brain boxes among you, on paper, that means Chelsea need to win EVERY remaining game of the season.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The ideal route to success? Simply win all of your games. You can\u2019t deny there is a correctness to it as well as an elegant simplicity. Although we do worry about the idea that Chelsea might only now be learning of this \u2018win all your games\u2019 hack.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n We do always have some sympathy for regional outlets when one giant story<\/strong> dominates the football narrative landscape and has no real link to their clubs. Especially during the barren hellscape that already exists during an interlull.<\/p>\n So, in a way, it\u2019s hats off to football.london<\/strong> for the brazen unapologetic nature of their attempt here to make Mo Salah\u2019s Liverpool exit<\/strong> an Arsenal story.<\/p>\n How Mohamed Salah exit affects Arsenal as Liverpool heading towards transfer disaster<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In essence: Salah leaving Liverpool might make them not as good, which would be handy for Arsenal. And they might not have as much money to spend, which would be handy for Arsenal. They might not compete for the title again next season, which would be handy for Arsenal.<\/p>\n Were it not for the Egyptian, the Gunners might have won the title last season, but the winger had one of the best campaigns of his career and dragged Arne Slot\u2019s side to victory.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Does feel like \u2018by 10 points\u2019 needs some mention in this daydream, but fair enough.<\/p>\n Again, though, we\u2019re mainly just constantly grudgingly impressed by how little subterfuge there actually is here. It\u2019s just all \u2018Here\u2019s the story, that is all about Liverpool. Which will please Arsenal because\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n Perhaps a bigger blow to the Reds over the fact their most talismanic figure is leaving, however, is the fact he will leave before the end of his current deal and without bringing in a transfer fee for the club.<\/p>\n This will certainly please their rivals like Arsenal\u2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n And\u2026<\/p>\n Worse still, Champions League qualification is not yet certain, and without that, it could mean even greater financial restriction.<\/p>\n Arsenal will certainly take encouragement in that\u2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n At least they didn\u2019t try and make it about Spurs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n
Singles in your area<\/h2>\n
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I dreamed a dream<\/h2>\n
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Ideal standard<\/h2>\n
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Get in there and make it about you<\/h2>\n
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