Crypto Casinos UK<\/a>,\u00a0 Louis Saha accuses Manchester City of trying to get away with murder as Premier League hearing moves into second week<\/p>\nThe former United striker also slams Erik ten Hag\u2019s treatment of Marcus Rashford and communication with the press & urges United to make a move for Victor Osimhen to solve scoring crisis.<\/p>\n
Full Transcript<\/h2>\n
Q: We\u2019re five games into the Premier League season, has anything stood out for you?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Louis Saha:<\/strong> “The first five games in the Premier League have shown that there are several teams that can compete for fourth place. The quality of the league seems to rise every single year, which is good for the fans.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\nAston Vill and Newcastle, I think they can fight for a place in the top four and sustain that push over the course of the season.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nI\u2019ve been pleasantly surprised by Chelsea and some of their performances. I wasn\u2019t a fan of how they conducted their transfer business – I don\u2019t like the strategy – but if all their talented players can click, I think they can do something this season.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nLiverpool\u2019s players have completely embraced the new demands that have been placed on them by Arne Slot. When a new manager comes into a club, it\u2019s normal to expect a bedding in period, but I think that transition and the time it takes for the club and the players to adjust from Jurgen Klopp is going to be very quick; much quicker than everyone expected at the start of the season.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nEveryone knows that Manchester City have the greatest talent pool and Pep has the best squad in the Premier League, but even so, it looks like individual players have improved. If you look at Erling Haaland\u2019s game, he is playing like a man possessed and has ten goals already.”<\/span><\/em>
\n<\/b><\/p>\nQ: Which clubs are you tipping to finish in the top four and why?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Louis Saha:<\/strong> “From the way that the season has started, I think the title race will be between Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool. I don’t think it will be that different from last year.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\nI like what Arsenal\u2019s and Arteta has done over the last few years. They have added quality to the squad, but, more importantly, their main players have become more experienced in fighting for the Premier League title.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nArteta looked at his defence, which was the best in the Premier League last season, and he added to it. They\u2019ve changed their style and have become a team that is a lot harder to beat. They are a very difficult team to play against – quite streetwise. Ruthless.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nThe only thing I would say about them is, they still don\u2019t have a killer striker who will score a guaranteed twenty goals a season at a minimum. Arsenal are missing that player who can score a goal when things are really, really tight.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nLiverpool have got brilliant firepower. Like Arsenal, you look at them and think in the number nine position, who is going to score twenty goals for you? That isn\u2019t much of an issue when you have Salah and, Luis Diaz has started the season on fire. I\u2019m a massive fan of Diaz.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nDarwin Nunez is a player that has a lot of interesting qualities. If he could put everything together, he would be a very dangerous player in the Premier League.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nBoth Arsenal and Liverpool can challenge Manchester City, but you have to say that City are the favourites. City have the best squad, the best striker and they have a wonderful collection of defenders. They have an arrogance about them because they\u2019ve done it all before and they also have stability. When you put all of those things together, it\u2019s worth an extra five points over the course of a season. You never hear anything about players being unhappy or discontent behind-the-scenes.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nIn terms of the fourth place, Chelsea, I would say Tottenham. I think Aston Villa and Man United can fight for it, but it all depends on consistency. With the quality in the league, anyone that wants to finish in the Champions League position needs to be consistent.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nChelsea have the talent, but they have a very inexperienced team. There will be days where it doesn\u2019t click for them. They have a lot of potential, but with potential, you don\u2019t have consistency. Chelsea are a young team, and they will make mistakes this season. It\u2019s really difficult to find super consistent performances every week when you have so many young players.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nI\u2019m optimistic about Chelsea because they\u2019ve created a lot of chances in the five games they\u2019ve played. They\u2019re also conceding a lot less stupid goals and making silly mistakes.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nI can see a very, very strong race for the fourth spot. I think it’s going to be interesting to see that this season.”\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nQ: Who has been the best player in the Premier League so far this season?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Louis Saha:<\/strong> “It\u2019s such an easy decision. As a former striker, the only answer I can give you to who has been the best player in the Premier League this season is Erling Haaland.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\nHaaland is above every single player in the league. 10 goals in five games, I\u2019ve never seen anything like it. He\u2019s such a brilliant striker. He\u2019s got unbelievable pace – he\u2019s quicker than many wingers in the Premier League. He\u2019s a player that has absolutely everything in terms of the physical power and technical mastery.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nPeople questioned whether he would be able to score goals at the same rate as he had done in Germany when he joined. People were ready to hammer him, but he\u2019s proven everyone wrong. I always knew that he would be a success because he has everything that you need if you want to be a successful striker in the Premier League.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nHe’s a threat for 90 minutes in every single game. Whether it\u2019s in the air, running in behind or in the box. He seems to be a player that is always in the right place to finish things off, and, when you play the football that City does, you\u2019re going to score so many goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nHe works hard. He\u2019s dedicated. Mentally, he\u2019s really strong. He’s a perfect professional and that’s why he deserves so much respect. He\u2019s one of those rare animals that has gone into City and improved them – he has given them a different dimension.”\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nQ: What would you consider to be the best signing of the transfer window?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Louis Saha:<\/strong> “It’s difficult to say which signing was the best because, this season, we didn\u2019t see any truly world-class players or big stars join the Premier League. There were younger players, players with potential that can blossom into world-class players signed, and one of them was Leny Yoro.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\nI want Manchester United to be successful. I\u2019m a United fan. When the club signed Yoro, I was delighted because, to be honest, I didn\u2019t think he would join a club that weren\u2019t playing in the Champions League. I know he\u2019s only 18, but this guy is such a talented prospect.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nHe\u2019s one of the biggest talents to come out of France in years. It was obvious after watching him play for Lille last season that this guy was too good for the French league. I can\u2019t wait to see him get on the pitch for Manchester United when he recovers from his injury.”\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nQ: Was there a transfer that left you scratching your head thinking \u2018why have they signed him?\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n
Louis Saha:<\/strong> “I didn\u2019t like what Chelsea did with Raheem Sterling and how they handled that situation. I thought that the club showed Sterling a complete lack of respect in the way they went about their business. I didn\u2019t understand it and I don\u2019t really understand Chelsea\u2019s transfer strategy in general.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\nThey did the same thing to Trevoh Chalobah. To cast off your players like that, it\u2019s strange because they\u2019re both top players.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nI also thought it was strange that Manchester United let Sancho go. There was a lot of talk in pre-season about how he would be given an opportunity this year, but I don\u2019t think that was ever going to happen.”\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nQ: Who do you think is the most underrated player in the league?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Louis Saha:<\/strong> “I don\u2019t know if their underrated because they\u2019re players that are playing every week in the Premier League, but maybe they don\u2019t get the same level of respect as some of the bigger names.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\nI really like Leon Bailey at Aston Villa. I’ve always been a big fan of his and I feel like he doesn\u2019t get the accolades that he deserves.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nIt’s the same with Mohammed Kudos at West Ham. There are player that register less numbers that get more headlines, but I think these guys are really talented.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nI also like what Harvey Barnes is doing at Newcastle. He had a nasty injury last season and was missed – he\u2019s made an impact in the last few weeks, and he looks like a player that wants to make up for spending a long time on the sidelines.”\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nQ: Who is going to be the breakout star this season?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Louis Saha:<\/strong> “If I had to pick one player that will be the breakout star in the Premier League this season, then I have to pick Luis Diaz. He has really stood out for me in terms of his power, his commitment and his desire. I love his aggression without the ball – he\u2019s always looking for an opportunity to hurt his opponent.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\nWe know that he\u2019s a great finisher. We know that he can create. I\u2019m astonished by what he has brought to Liverpool in the first five games of the season. The guy looks completely unplayable at the moment – that\u2019s how highly I rate him.”\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nQ: It\u2019s the race that no one wants to win. Who do you think will win the sack race this season?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Louis Saha:<\/strong> “It\u2019s a really difficult one, but when I see the Everton manager, Sean Dyche, I think if there was to be a manager to go first, it could be him. I don\u2019t enjoy saying that because I have so much respect for Everton – I have great memories of playing for the club and its fans.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\nI like Sean Dyche, I just think that he is going to be asked a lot of questions if he loses his next two games against Crystal Palace and Newcastle, I think he will be in danger. They aren\u2019t easy games, but they need to put a performance together that gives everyone the confidence that this can still be a decent season for the club.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nI was pleased that they got a point on Saturday against Leicester, but we saw the same problems in that game that we\u2019ve seen all too often this season. The club can\u2019t hold onto leads and these defence lapses are costing them too many points.”\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nQ: The Premier League\u2019s case against City is moving into its second week. If they\u2019re found guilty of breaking the rules, what do you think will be an appropriate punishment?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Louis Saha:<\/strong> “Nobody knows how the independent panel is going to deal with Manchester City\u2019s case.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\nIf you look at it from the outside, it looks like Manchester City have been trying to get away with murder! We\u2019re not talking about one or two infringements, mistakes that could have been made innocently, we\u2019re talking about 115 charges.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nThat makes you think that they must have known what it was they were trying to do. There must have been a strategy at play to bend the rules to their advantage. It\u2019s calculated, well-thought out. It has to be when there are that many charges levelled against you.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nIt\u2019s unfair. I know that the charges are from 2009, but this team that we\u2019re seeing now was built on the success of teams that have been accused of breaking the rules.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nI\u2019m not sure what the appropriate punishment will be, but the rules are the rules, and every club has to adhere to them. For clubs like Everton, it must be hugely frustrating to have points deducted so quickly, while City\u2019s case has been allowed to drag on and on and on. They\u2019ve been given time to organise their case, they\u2019ve been given time to actually defend themselves, or even hide something. That’s not fair on any of the other clubs in the Premier League. That\u2019s a double-standard and you can\u2019t allow double-standards in any walk of life.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nThe Premier League also needs to take some responsibility here. They need to have a stronger process and, perhaps, maybe it would have been better for them to focus on the breaches they were certain they would win on. The paperwork for over 100 cases must be absolutely insane.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nI am baffled by the Premier League\u2019s decision-making when it comes to members who break the rules. You can’t punish one club and not punish the other. That makes a mockery of the rules and the organisation. This has taken far too much time.”\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nQ: Rodri recently complained about the number of games elite players are being asked to play. He said he would go on strike and that is an idea that is supported by others – do you agree with him, and do you think players could strike?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Louis Saha:<\/strong> “I completely understood Rodri\u2019s points about striking and I think he\u2019s right. Anyone that loves football and watches the game with their own eyes can see that the quality if the play has dipped. The games are not as good as they used to be.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\nWhat\u2019s happening is, the truly elite players, the guys that play 60 games in a season, they\u2019re almost picking their games where they give everything. They are playing at 70% and you can see it in their performance.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nI remember games where I was looking at Kylian Mbappe playing for Paris Saint-Germain, he was picking his games. I\u2019m not saying that he wasn\u2019t trying to play properly or that he couldn\u2019t be bothered, but the reality is that he was playing so much football. It\u2019s impossible for him to play full tilt in 60 games or more in a single season.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nUltimately, it\u2019s the fans that are missing out because they\u2019re watching games that are not as exciting.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nI think the governing bodies in football pay lip service to the issue of player welfare. They say the right things, but they\u2019re only interested in making as much money out of the game as possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nThe football industry is about entertainment, but if it\u2019s controlled by people with a financial interest, they don\u2019t care about the product if its profitable. These are the guys that are not good for the game. We\u2019ve seen these types of people try to make as much money from the game as possible, and we can all see them for what they are.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nI think adding more games where the standard is low, it weakens the product. It\u2019s cheating the fans that pay a lot of money to watch it on the television or to go to the stadiums.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nThe Premier League is a Ferrari. If you want to buy it, you have to pay the top price because there are certain things that you get with a Ferrari. You know it\u2019s a high-quality product that is the best in its category. Football is in danger of turning into a used car showroom flogging cheap cars to the highest bidder. The product can\u2019t be world-class without the players. They are athletes not commodities.”\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nQ: Does your old team mate Mikel Arteta need to win a trophy this season?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Louis Saha:<\/strong> “I don\u2019t think that Mikel Arteta needs to win a trophy to demonstrate that he is a top, top manager. He\u2019s shown that he\u2019s one of the best by challenging Manchester City for the title in back-to-back seasons.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\nI think to do what he did, that\u2019s an unbelievable achievement. I\u2019m really impressed with his ability as a coach and winning a trophy wouldn\u2019t change that – everyone can see how good Mikel Arteta is.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nFor a club like Arsenal, and for Mikel himself, he will want to win something. He\u2019s got so close with his group of players, the next step is lifting that Premier League title or winning the Champions League.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nThe best managers are addicted to winning trophies. There\u2019s no doubt that we\u2019re watching a great Arsenal team this season, but for this team to be recognised as one of the best in Premier League history, they need to add some trophies to the cabinet. That is the only thing that is missing at the moment.”\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nQ: You\u2019ve played with some massive players, serious leaders, guys with unbelievable pedigree. Out of your ex-team mates, was Mikel the one who you thought \u2018he\u2019s born to be a manager\u2019.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Louis Saha:<\/strong> “I wouldn\u2019t say that Mikel Arteta was born to be a manager, at least that wasn\u2019t something I thought when he captained Everton, and I played with him.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\nI\u2019m not surprised that he has gone on to be a very good manager though. He was involved in almost every single detail at Everton. He was really tactically aware about things, and he wanted to know as much as possible about the reason David Moyes would make certain decisions. Arteta and Moyes, they were always speaking.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nYou could tell that he had a football brain. He liked to talk about football and was a good communicator.\u00a0<\/span>Even though I played with him and know him well, it\u2019s still a bit strange for me to see him as the manager we see now every week with Arsenal.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nI think what he\u2019s achieved at Arsenal over the last few years has been spectacular. He\u2019s established a playing style, and he\u2019s improved players. He\u2019s taken the club up several levels.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nHe made some big decisions early. I was surprised by the ruthless approach used to handle the Aubameyang situation, and he did something similar with Ozil, which couldn\u2019t have been easy for him because he played with him.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nHe\u2019s over-delivered on the initial expectations that I had for him.”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nQ: Emile Smith Rowe joined the club for a record fee from Arsenal. He\u2019s been in great form for his new club – could Arsenal regret letting him go?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Louis Saha:<\/strong> “I hope that Arsenal regret letting Emile Smith-Rowe leave because that would mean that he has been a great signing for Fulham.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\nI absolutely love Fulham Football Club. They will always have a special place in my heart, and it makes me happy to see that the club are able to sign top, top talents, players that don\u2019t see moving to Fulham as a step down, but more like a trampoline and an opportunity for them to boost their careers. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>Andreas Pereira, for example. He was finding it difficult to establish himself in the Manchester United team and now you see him at Fulham, and he\u2019s blossomed into a proper playmaker. Having Smith-Rowe and Pereira in your midfield adds a lot of creativity and gives Marco Silva some great options.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nFulham have wingers that want to attack, and Smith Rowe will complement the way that they can hurt opponents. These days, Fulham are playing a type of football where they will give anyone a game. They can cause problems to anybody in the Premier League. It\u2019s amazing to see them use this approach.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nYou can tell when you watch Smith-Rowe that he was educated at Arsenal in terms of his speed of thought, the way he does things. He\u2019s incisive and he makes Fulham play with more purpose and speed.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nThere were a lot of games last season that they drew, when really, they should have won them. If they can turn those draws into wins this season, then I think there is a chance that they could qualify for a place in Europe.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nWhat I love about my old club is that the ambition is not just to avoid relegation. They want to play beautiful football, and they know that they can beat the best teams in the country when everyone is playing at the top of their game.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nI think Fulham will have a great season.”\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nQ: Judging by Everton\u2019s collapses in games do you think Sean Dyche has lost the dressing room?<\/b><\/p>\n
Louis Saha:<\/strong> “I don’t think that Sean Dyche has lost the dressing room. I think Dyche has challenged his players to improve publicly because he felt like he had too and everyone in the club will be tired of going into games prepared for a fight. It\u2019s draining when you\u2019re going into games and your confidence is low.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\nI think the managers comments were designed to wake up his players. He didn\u2019t pick on any individuals, and he said what everyone can see if they watch the club play, but it\u2019s never nice hearing those kind of comments from a manager if you\u2019re a fan of the club.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nEverton have conceded 14 goals in five games. Sometimes you need to get your players to face reality, even if it can be unpleasant.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nThey have the players and the manager to turn things around. They have all of the material. They need to work hard and, in many ways, go back to basics and start trying to be a team that is difficult to beat and hard to break down.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nThey showed a lot of resilience last season. They weren\u2019t impacted by the points deduction at all. Everton is a club that has overcome difficult moments in the past, and I think they will do so again.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nI\u2019m backing Sean Dyche to turn things around. He needs to make them a lot more sound defensively and quickly. The next two games at home to Crystal Palace and Newcastle are absolutely massive for him.”\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nQ: Newcastle\u2019s performance at Fulham was uncharacteristically slack. The vibes at the club are a bit sour. Does the game against Man City give the club the perfect opportunity to show the world that the performances are not going to be impacted by what is happening behind-the-scenes?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Louis Saha:<\/strong> “That’s the reality of the football industry, you always have the next game to respond and show your fans and the world what you\u2019re made of.\u00a0 <\/em><\/span>Whether you win or you lose, you have to be ready for the next weekend. Newcastle knows this; they know that there on a journey and that there is a process that Eddie Howe is trying to implement.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\nIf Newcastle\u2019s ambition was to finish in eighth place, I think they could achieve it easily because they have got some great players, but that\u2019s not the ambition of the cub or the vision of Eddie Howe. They want to establish themselves as a top six club year after year.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n
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