Football is no stranger to mind games, managers saying this or that to try to provoke a response, and we have seen that sometimes it not only works but the effects can be very public. Take Rafa Benitez and Kevin Keegan for example. However, over the last month or so José Mourinho has persisted in trying a contradictory approach to put pressure on the opposition, and it seems to have backfired.
The FA Cup may never escape the stigma that is now attached to it. There will always be a question mark over whether the clubs, the players, the managers and the fans really care about it the way they used to. Does that ‘magic’ that was always associated with the cup still really exist?
Football can surprise you, and this week it has been the bombshell of over 18,000 people signing a petition to try and stop Tom Cleverley from being picked for the World Cup squad. The England manager has spoken out to defend the player, and maybe his decision, but if you take form into account it is easy to see why so many fans have voiced their concerns about Cleverley making it to Brazil with England.
Whether most people realise it or not I’m unsure, but in the last week Roy Hodgson has taken a giant leap towards choosing his squad for the World Cup this summer. 30 players were selected for this week’s friendly at home to Denmark, and with that being the last before Hodgson names his provisional 30-man squad for the tournament itself it seems that time is short for anyone new to force their way into the picture.
It seems that it’s never too early for our World Cup disappointment. Another loss on penalties for England and the overwhelming thoughts of ‘what might have been’. But of course we haven’t got out of the group stage yet. In fact, as of this writing, the World Cup is still 105 days away. But we know where this is going, don’t we?