MANCHESTER UNITED AND Manchester City could learn a thing or two from sumo wrestlers after Sunday’s derby clash at Old Trafford reportedly descended into a post-march fracas, according to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger
Players from both clubs are said to have been involved in an alleged incident outside the away dressing room after goals from David Silva and Nicolas Otamendi gave City a 2-1 win – extending their lead at the top of the table over United to 11 points with a record 14th consecutive Premier League victory.
Among multiple accounts of the flashpoint are reports of United boss Jose Mourinho having a carton of milk thrown in his direction and visiting assistant coach Mikel Arteta suffering a cut head.
Arteta was Wenger’s club captain at Arsenal before taking up a role on Pep Guardiola’s backroom staff last year and the 68-year-old Frenchman’s views on the incident were keenly sought at a news conference ahead of Wednesday’s trip to West Ham.
Wenger’s Arsenal were involved in a well-documented post-match clash in the Old Trafford tunnel back in 2004, when Alex Ferguson was infamously hit by pizza thrown by then-Gunners midfielder Cesc Fabregas.
“I heard about that but I have not seen anything. They are part of the incidents that can happen in big derbies,” he said.
“In the press, you build these things up like it is life or death and then something happens after and you are surprised.
“That’s part of the intensity of the importance of the game. Sometimes it can go a bit overboard.
“It happened to us, it happened to them [United]. It’s unfortunate. Ideally you would commit 100 per cent, 200 per cent on the pitch and be an angel after. You want the passion to be on the football pitch.”
The weekend confrontation supposedly began when Mourinho approached the City dressing room to complain about what he perceived to be over-the-top celebrations.
Wenger conceded such instances can be hard to endure and drew an unusual contrast he experienced while managing Japanese club Grampus Eight between 1995 and 1996
He said: “It is difficult to take when you lose a big game to see the 100 per cent celebration of the other side. It is almost like an offensive experience.
“That’s why when I was in Japan I liked sumo. In sumo, you can never tell the guy who wins. He doesn’t show his happiness out of respect to his opponent. That shows how deep the culture of respect for each other is there.
“Is it something we can repeat here? I don’t know because it is not part of our culture.”
On Monday, the Football Association asked City and United for their observations of the incident. Referee Michael Oliver did not witness it and, therefore, did not include it in his report of the match.
Mourinho and Guardiola are set to address the media later on Tuesday ahead of their teams’ respective games against Bournemouth and Swansea City.
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Head-to-head result decides Pool so Australia are through
Best Runner-up will need at least 10 match points + a better overall score difference if tied. NZ/SA both have 10 points in Pool C + score differences more than +60 ahead of Ireland’s [63 and 64 respectively]
So Ireland need NZ/SA to win convincingly and then to out score Italy by enough to make up the 60+ point gap less the NZ/SA points difference. So – if New Zealand beat South Africa by 20 clear points [+ deny them a try scoring bonus point], Ireland would need to beat Italy by 44 points
France v Argentina is also relevant. A French victory means that the best Runner-Up cannot come from Pool A. Both could finish on 11 points though if they get 1 and 5 points respectively from their match. In which case they would both qualify for the knock-out stages if either NZ or SA fail to get a losing point. If Argentina deny France any match points then France will finish with 10 match points and will have lost the game by at least a score difference of 8 so have on overall total of no better than 27. Ireland would have to beat Italy by 40 pointsto have that outcome covered….
@Solon Harrison: Fair play to you
@Solon Harrison:
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Does anyone know if Ireland can still go further in this competition if they beat Italy ? Are there quarter finals or only semis?
@Jack Hackett: Are chances are slim after yesterday’s result. My understanding of it is that the winners of the three pools, plus the best runner up, all make it through to the next stage-which is the cup semi-final.
Ireland (5pts) are currently 5 match points behind Australia (10pts), plus a hefty score difference (64pts). We would need England to hammer Australia and Ireland to hammer Italy if we were going to top the group at this stage.
Both Argentina (6pts) and New Zealand (10pts) are in better positions to also get the best runner-up spot as things stand too.
@Jack Hackett: Unless it’s changed this year.. There’s usually also playoff games to determine each teams ranking from 5 to 12 with 12th place being relegated. I presume if Ireland finish 2nd in group but don’t reach the semis we’ll be in the 5th/ 6th place playoff. Open to correction though.
@Captain NerbNerb: Hasnt changed. All 12 teams play 5 games and the ranking games determine the pools for next years competition.