“It is terrible that Luton captain Tom Lockyer collapsed on the pitch during the Bournemouth game. We can all be glad how it turned out in the end and that he should hopefully be okay. The worst part is that it wasn’t the first time it happened to him. After the first incident with his heart, however, he was given the green light after examinations and was able to continue playing. Now, of course, he is awaiting further examinations, but personally I don’t see many chances that he will continue his active career. In my opinion, it will be difficult for him to come back, I think he himself will think about it. Of course, football is his livelihood, he enjoys it, but he only has one life.
I have no doubt that in the Premier League the tests are rigorous and detailed. If he wasn’t fit, he wouldn’t get the permit. But in England, the rules are not as strict as, for example, in Italy, where midfielder Christian Eriksen, who now works for Manchester United, had to leave Inter Milan after a collapse. Perhaps even in England now the controls and measures will be tightened even more.
The highlight of the weekend was the match between Liverpool and Manchester United, which ended in a goalless draw. According to the course of the match and overall statistics, Liverpool was better, had more chances, probably deserved the victory, but was unable to score a goal. The team from Manchester is certainly more satisfied, even though their game was not great and they were quite lucky. Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk criticized the opponent, former United captain and now TV expert Roy Keane got into it. It was an interesting shootout.
The pair of Virgil van Dijk and Roy Keane provided the sharp end of yesterday’s hit between Liverpool and Manchester United. ????
In your opinion, was VVD’s statement really arrogant or was the Red Devils legend’s reaction exaggerated? ???? pic.twitter.com/1N78L4yrXO
— CANAL+ Sport CZ/SK (@CANALSportCZ) December 18, 2023
But in the situation that United find themselves in, there is little to be surprised about. They have big swings, they are criticized and against a strong Liverpool they wanted to get a point at any cost, which they subordinated their tactics to. Everyone remembers well how United scored seven goals at Anfield Road in the spring, the players and coach Erik ten Hag could have had that in their heads and they certainly did not want to take away a similar debacle again.
Not even Manchester City is in the top at the moment, having lost their lead and drawing 2:2 with Crystal Palace. When a team like City’s has a 2-0 lead at home, they should look much better at the end. After the goal at 2:0, the home team started to make mistakes, they were unfocused. It is repeated, this negligence came from their side several times. It can be a great confidence boost. They believe in everything, they think that they can solve every situation with football. But sometimes they should solve it simply, the Premier League is extremely balanced, every team is dangerous.
With the first conceded goal, Nathan Aké could have done better in the goal and especially the second goal conceded was completely unnecessary. Bernardo Silva has the ball, he can kick it, but he zigzags and wants to take a foul. He could hit the ball or pass it to a teammate who would, and it would be over in no time. But he lost the ball, Phil Foden then reacted late, hit Jean-Philippe Mateta and it was from the penalty spot. Lack of concentration costs City points, they are getting a lot of goals now. (edit of the match here).
Aston Villa managed a difficult match in Brentford. The pitch was full of emotions during the game, but Aston Villa managed to turn the game around and continue to stay on top. They have the same points as Liverpool and one point less than first place Arsenal. This win will boost their confidence again, but let’s talk about the title? It’s still a long way off, there are still a lot of games to go. Anyway, the program until the end of the year and then in January will tell a lot.
Brentford were knocked down by a red card to Ben Mee at 1-0 in the 71st minute. Then the visitors turned the score around. I agree with the red, Mee went into the fight at full speed, there was a lot of intensity and it was very lucky that he only brushed Leon Bailey. If he had hit him directly, he could have broken his leg. As I say, I think it was the right decision.
Ollie Watkins’ celebration after the winning goal was also discussed a lot, he was pointing something towards the Brentford fans. At the same time, he played for Brentford in the past. Watkins then explained it by saying that it was a reaction to one person who was supposed to insult him throughout the match. Emotions work, it’s hard to coach them. Plus Aston Villa are on top, they can feel the chance that something big is brewing. Maybe that’s why he reacted like that.
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins surprised most of the football public yesterday by celebrating a goal into the net of his former team – Brentford. The author of 49 goals in the PL tried to moderate the whole situation, which brought out the already strong emotions on the pitch, in his post-match statement. ????⤵️ pic.twitter.com/QLHUugiLDo
— CANAL+ Sport CZ/SK (@CANALSportCZ) December 18, 2023
At the very end, there was a scene from Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, who got into a fight with Neal Maupay. It was completely unnecessary, but when it’s not malicious or over the line, you can have a little fun. Martínez pushed him just a little, Maupay fell as if he had been punched. Martínez then grabbed him by the shirt, he’s a hothead, it belongs to him, but I don’t think it was a red flag. But in the ensuing push, midfielder Boubacar Kamara got the ball. There was a lot of emotion.
West Ham won 3:0 over Wolverhampton, recovered from the previous debacle at Fulham, and defeated Freiburg in the Europa League last week. Mohammed Kudus scored two goals, he is starting to assert himself. He also needed to get used to the competition and new teammates. Now he capitalized on Lucas Paqueta’s great passes. They can make a striking duo.
I am also happy for the Czech boys Tomáš Souček and Vlaďa Coufal, that they play for West Ham and help the team. Let’s hope they continue to do so. Both need to be ready for the European Championship. Of course, we’ll see what happens with the Government. The new coach is not yet known, we will see how he solves his offense from the last meeting. But I don’t think he should lose the EURO. He made a mistake, everyone knows that, but no one is perfect. Cuf helped the Czech native a lot. I don’t think that one stupid thing should close the door to the national team. He’s already apologized, he’s sure to make amends with the new coach. Personally, I would put it behind me and move on. If he performs as he does now, he should definitely be in the nomination.” (match clip here).
