Andy Robertson’s words will resonate at Anfield this weekend
There is a scene in Shadowlands, Richard Attenborough’s film adaptation of William Nicholson’s screen and stage story about the relationship between CS Lewis and the American poet Joy Davidman, in which Lewis emerges in public for the first time since his wife’s death. A fellow scholar greets the author with a comment about how life must go on, to which Lewis replies: “I don’t know whether it must, but it certainly does.”
That line, one that perhaps only those who have experienced loss can truly appreciate, came to mind this week when Andy Robertson spoke about Diogo Jota in the aftermath of Scotland’s World Cup qualification.
“Today, I’ve been in bits,” said Robertson. “I know that the age I’m at and everything, this could be my last chance of a World Cup. I couldn’t get my mate Diogo Jota out of my head today. We spoke so much together about the World Cup. He missed out in Qatar because of injury, I missed out because Scotland never went.
“We always discussed what it would be like going to this World Cup, and I know he will be somewhere smiling over me today. I just couldn’t get him out of my head all day, so I was in a bit of trouble in my room earlier. I think I hid it well from the boys, and I am just so glad it ended up this way.”
For reasons both patriotic and personal, Robertson might have been expected to be in high spirits. The 31-year-old is Scotland’s captain, a veteran of 11 years standing who has made 90 appearances for his country. Already the third most capped player in the team’s history, his next appearance will pull him level with Jim Leighton; he may yet go on to eclipse Kenny Dalglish’s all-time record of 102 caps. As Robertson acknowledged, this is an opportunity unlikely to come again; the last time Scotland qualified for a World Cup, he was four years old.
Notwithstanding all that, Robertson’s only thought beforehand was of Jota, the team-mate who tragically died in a car crash alongside his brother André Silva this summer in northern Spain. His first words afterwards were of a friend with whom he shared not just glory on the pitch but hopes, ambitions, the mundanities and frustrations of working life.
It put football in perspective; not casting it as an irrelevance, but also acknowledging that, for Robertson and his team-mates, the game has been recast as a dimension of grief since Jota’s. It is perhaps something to which too little thought has been given.
Football, like life, goes on; not because it must, but because it just does. Something to think about in the 20th minute at Anfield this weekend, when Jota’s name will ring out across the terraces, just as it always does.
Will Erling Haaland set a new Premier League record against Newcastle?
With Newcastle set to welcome a resurgent Manchester City side to St James’ Park on Saturday teatime, manager Eddie Howe will have spent much of the international break pondering how to avoid a third straight defeat.
The sight of Erling Haaland continuing his extraordinary goalscoring run for Norway will have done little to make that task feel less onerous. Two goals in six second-half minutes against Estonia followed by a 90-second brace at the San Siro on Sunday took the Norwegian’s tally for club and country this season to a preposterous 32 goals in 20 games. Should he add to that total against Newcastle – and only Tottenham and Aston Villa have denied him in his 15 appearances for City this term – Haaland will become the quickest player ever to score 100 Premier League goals.
Barring injury, it seems inevitable the 25-year-old will reach that landmark anyway, given he has 99 goals from 108 league appearances. To set a new benchmark on Tyneside would be special, however: the current record holder is Alan Shearer, who needed 124 games to chalk up a century.
What do the numbers really tell us about the outcome of Arsenal vs Tottenham?
Everything points to an Arsenal victory against Tottenham on Sunday afternoon. Mikel Arteta’s side have won five of the past six meetings with their north London rivals – Tottenham managed one draw in that sequence – and sit eight points clear of Spurs at the top of the table. Liverpool are the only team to beat Arsenal this season, while only Manchester City and Sunderland have even taken points off them. The latter result, on the eve of the international break, was a surprise, and Arsenal will no doubt be determined to get back to winning ways. Most expect them to do just that, with Opta’s supercomputer giving Tottenham just a 13.7% chance of victory.
Yet context is everything, and in that regard Tottenham’s cause is by no means lost. Thomas Frank’s side are the only team unbeaten on their travels this term, with Brighton the only team to claim a share of the spoils against them. Tottenham have taken 13 of a possible 15 points across that sequence – an identical return to Arsenal’s, even though the Gunners have played one more game on the road. Spurs have also scored more goals – 12 to Arsenal’s eight – and conceded one fewer (a division-best three to Arsenal’s four).
Frank, who will be taking charge of his first north London derby, has predicted “chaos” and believes “everything is possible”. And while that might feel like an emotional response to a contest that statisticians insist is already decided, not everything can be reduced to graphs, pie charts and tables. Indeed, the Dane is counting on it.
“When you are in it, you sense it and feel this is important,” said of the derby. “You feel from the fans, you feel from the staff members, the players, the people that’ve been working here for years, this is the big one. I always say the next game is the most important game, but I’m very, very aware there are two games a year that are even more important. This is the first of them, and we are ready.”
Game on.
Will Ruben Amorim celebrate a year as Man Utd boss with a win?
As Erling Haaland seeks to become a centurion for the blue half of Manchester, those of a red persuasion will hope to celebrate a minor landmark of their own when Everton come calling.
Monday night marks the one-year anniversary of Ruben Amorim’s reign as Manchester United manager and, after a chequered 12 months at the helm, the Portuguese could be forgiven for breathing a sigh of relief that he finds himself up against opponents who have tended to struggle at Old Trafford. Everton’s last win at the ground came in December 2013, their 1-0 victory that day marking the Blues’ only success in the past 32 games between the sides.
Given that United, unbeaten in five games, are on their best run under his stewardship, Amorim will be eager to ensure that trend continues. Particularly since Everton, currently 13th, would draw level with United on 18 points should they win.
