After listening to Pep's press conference I was convinced he's stepping down. Now he says this in the embargoed bit, the little tease! At the very least I now think he's staying within the club, although I'm hoping for a triple announcement of pep, wirtz and musiala on the day we make it 5 in a row.
Football needs a rethink on games but there are now too many fingers in the pie to get them all to sit down and compromise. In many ways, FIFA has trodden on the toes of domestic leagues with its new format. What's the answer? Bigger squads? Even more allowed substitutes? Quarterly rest periods? Half time shows and novelty nacho cheese hats, creating games that last a full day with only short bursts of action? More merchandising opportunities? Or limiting players to a number of games they can play based on sound medical guidance, and accepting that either everyone has a smaller piece of pie or someone leaves the party?
Says something when even fans, including me who has been football mad since the 80s, match going and fiercely loyal to my club, are thinking that this is just too much football. I love the idea of city playing new and different teams, but i don't really want to watch us play another ten or twenty games per season. Too much of a good thing can spoil it. But, hey, it was unlikely I was going to buy the sixth kit or the VIP meal and match upgrade for three random games in Seattle, so I'm not the target audience I guess. But football should be a special occasion, not watered down like a cheap bud.
I hope fellow teams can get over their rivalry and realise that it may affect them too, not just see this as another chance to topple city. But I don't think the premier league will feel like doing us many favours right now if rumours are to be believed that they've been handed their arses in the hearing.
It's inevitable otherwise that one competition will become the new Carabao equivalent, b teams and all.
Mard arse bacon chops pulled his tramp team out of the fa cup in the past and there were significantly fewer games back then. But, the precedent is set. If they let United do it, they'd be ok with City doing it too, right?
