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  • The Stay Humble Clásico, Vol. 3 🧘

The Stay Humble Clásico, Vol. 3 🧘

Plus, another Merseyside derby!

September 19, 2025

Hail GFOP! 

I type with fingers trembling ahead of the Merseyside derby. The prospect of a game in which all there is to wonder is when are Liverpool going to do us? The 92nd, 95th or 98th minute? Everton enter with hope, but this game more than any other has taught me the harshest lesson in life: Everton hope is a trap. 

We have a mighty weekend of football to share together. One filled with truths to be revealed. What a weekend of revelations though. An emboldened Manchester City travel to Arsenal for an epic Scando striker duel which will further define which weight class both squads are fighting in. Shame-filled Manchester United host deliciously inconsistent Chelsea. We are blessed to have football in life and to be able to share it. For all our differences, for all of the opposing teams we support, the joy the game gives us is so healing in this moment. Football is such a profound source of shared love. 💙

ii. Last night, we rocked New York City. I had such a blast taking the stage with that Big Bodega, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Chelsea fan extraordinaire, Josh Hart, to revel in all that is good about NYC fandom. There were so many highs of the night. I had never met Matt Freese before, and he is a really soulful yet steely bloke. To hear Michael Bradley talk about what he wants to bring to the game through coaching was to be reminded of the fire and fight he brought in his time playing, and will now sew into the next generation. The show will be released next week on our YouTube. Here is a taste of KAT talking MLS. 🗽

iii. Today, our journey towards making your Premier League weekends all the more meaningful continues as we recorded another episode of the Big Weekend Preview, which will be released here this afternoon. Tune in to get up to speed and mentally prepare yourself for another full slate of footballing wonder. And when those games do once again grace your TV, remember to pull up that second screen with our Discord channel where you can celebrate, commiserate or just share a good laugh with a swarm of like-minded fans. After all, why yell into the void when you can type into a hurricane of memes? Said another way: Football’s better with friends. 🍻

iv. I am off to London next week to film a pretty incredible shoot in a Nando’s. Stuff of dreams for reals. 🍗

Courage,
ROG

MiB HQ Bulletin Board 📣

To the Football 🍻

Liverpool vs. Everton (Saturday, 7:30 a.m. ET, USA)

Anfield is a meat grinder of Everton dreams. Everton have not won there in front of live fans in the 21st century. Our lone victory in the last 25 years was during the pandemic under Uncle Carlo Ancelotti. Can you believe that statistic? Wait, it gets worse! David Moyes has failed in 22 attempts with a golf bag o’clubs to win a game at that stadium. Liverpool have had a perfect start, finding a way to mentality-monster their way to late victory. They are vulnerable in moments across the back, but after a midweek victory against Atlético, Mo Salah looks like Mo Salah again, and Florian Wirtz flourished and menaced in moments. Everton have hope. Jack Grealish is less a footballer, more a mystic. It is unclear if Isak will start, but it really does not matter. Tonight when I go to sleep, my dreams will be haunted by the prospect of Liverpool breaking forward, and every player looking hungry as they charge into the final third. 

I will talk more about the game in today’s BIG WEEKEND PREVIEW PODCAST, but my producer Ben Cook calculated that in my lifetime, Everton’s record at Anfield is six wins, 31 losses, and 19 draws. What was Einstein falsely alleged to have said about insanity?

More: Why do Everton have belief despite Derby nightmares? Ha. HA!

On a more poignant note: Diogo Jota signed for Liverpool today in 2020. His final goal for Liverpool was the winner in this fixture last season. It is such a Jota goal, dancing through opponents before unleashing clinically. Forever in our hearts, No. 20. 🙌

Rogstradamus 🔮: P-A-I-N. Liverpool 2-1. Early and late goals. Of course. Why never us dancing?

Manchester United vs. Chelsea (Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, USA)

Manchester United continue to fall to meme-stock levels: 14th place, their top scorer is own goals, negative goal difference. The Grimsby Fish Slapping still stings. Ruben Amorim has a total of 31 points from 31 league games in charge and appears to be doing whatever “quiet quitting” is in Portuguese. Reports out of Manchester suggest he will receive a $16 million pay-off if he is fired before the first anniversary of his Nov. 1 appointment. Is that why he is not being sacked? The desire to save a bank-load of cash? A win against Club World Cup-winning Chelsea feels crucial as Brentford, then Sunderland await before a mid-October thrashing at Anfield. How low can you go?

Rogstradamus 🔮: United start well but Chelsea romp in the second half to win 3-1. A rubbernecker’s delight as Garnacho scores. It is known.

Arsenal vs. Manchester City (Sunday, 11:30 a.m. ET, Peacock)

Everyone has a plan until Erling Haaland punches you in the mouth. Haaland became the fastest man to net 50 Champions League goals, needing just 49 matches to achieve the feat. Gent has scored six goals in five games for Manchester City and also found time to blast five in one game for Norway. We judge his scoring feats solely against his past peaks, that is how singular he is. How will Arteta’s “starters and finishers” hold him at bay? Martin Odegaard and beautiful Bukayo Saka are expected to be available, but will the manager stick with Cristhian Mosquera or welcome back William Saliba for the “Stay Humble, eh” Clásico?

PS – Reese Witherspoon is a Gooner. And her favorite-player list is 🔥. 

Rogstradamus 🔮: Arsenal 2-1. They for real. A late goal from a set piece scored by a defender who will only just resist the urge to throw the ball at the back of a City player's head after retrieving it from the net.

Brighton vs. Tottenham (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Peacock)

Thomas Frank has reasons to feel optimistic—the four clean sheets he has conjured must feel like a healing balm for Spurs fans. Brighton did the double over Spurs last season and will test Frankball’s progress and his ability to maintain the squad’s focus after a Champions League game for the first time in his career. When asked this morning when he would start keeping an eye on the domestic table, Frank said, “April? I've looked a couple of times. I'm trying to focus on us and our performances. It is so easy to get drawn into something you can't control. The fans can dream and hope. That is what football is all about.” Words to live by.

Rogstradamus 🔮: 1-0, late Brighton goal archly lashed by Mitoma will leave Spurs fans frustrated. 

Bournemouth vs. Newcastle (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, USA)

Toon were undone by a Marcus Rashford Barca-double in a rare Thursday night Champions League game. Eddie Howe’s side must now schlep down to the south coast to face the surging War Cherries, who have won three in a row. On top of that, Howe has not won in six games as Newcastle manager against his former club. I believe Bournemouth are going to be the most heartwarming story of the first half of the season. We are witnessing Andoni alchemy. 

Rogstradamus 🔮: Kluivert will score against his dad’s old team. Tyler Adams hockey assist. 2-1 to the Fruit. 

🗓️ Elsewhere in the Premier League:

Burnley vs. Nottingham Forest (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Peacock) 🩵🌳
Wolves vs. Leeds (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Peacock) 🐺🤍
West Ham vs. Crystal Palace (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, USA) ⚒🦅
Fulham vs. Brentford (Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, USA) ⚪️🐝
Sunderland vs. Aston Villa (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, Peacock) 🐈‍⬛🦁

📬 Enjoying The Raven? Check out our other MiB newsletters:

🌞 The Women’s Game: Everything you need to know about women’s football, sent straight to your inbox each week.

🔍 The Correspondent: Rory Smith’s thoughts on the world of soccer, culture, food, and how they all connect – every Thursday.

🇺🇸 USMNT Only: Your weekly update on the most important topics in the U.S. men’s game, all leading up to next year’s World Cup.

Even More Football ⚽️

The Correspondent w/ Rory Smith: The Super League Hiding in Plain Sight 🏆

Rory writes: The greatest threat to the prestige of the Champions League, of course, has been obvious for some time. It is so obvious, in fact, that it manages to unite arguably the most fractious group of people on the planet: the sundry suits, executives and shadowy power-brokers who run European soccer’s clubs, leagues and self-interested organizing bodies. The problem, they all agree, is the Premier League.

They have said this, quite openly, for some time. England’s clubs have such deep pockets, such unparalleled resources, that they are rapidly unmooring themselves from the broader ecosystem of European football. They can pay for the best talent. They can hire the smartest coaches. They can cherry-pick anyone and anything they like from their theoretical peers in Spain, Italy, France and Germany, and they can strike a double blow in the process: they make themselves stronger and their opponents weaker.

There are many, in fact, who are convinced that the Super League – the idea that unified European football in disgust when it was formally proposed in 2021 – already exists. It just has a different name. Andrea Agnelli, the former president of Juventus, said this frequently. Javier Tebas, the man who runs La Liga, mentions it a couple of times a month. Nobody else, they say, can hope to compete.

🚨 We Need Your Help: Our 2025 GFOP Survey 👏

One of the greatest joys of Men in Blazers is this community we’ve built together. A ragtag band of football obsessives spread across the nation, united by the joy, the pain, and the wonder of this game.

Every year, your voices in our annual GFOP Survey help us understand what matters most to you, and how we can make this community even stronger. From the pods, to the newsletters, to the live shows and everything in between, your feedback truly shapes what we do.

It only takes a few minutes to complete, but it helps us create something even better, together. We’d be so grateful for your time... and honestly, who doesn’t like answering questions about themselves?

To thank you, a lucky few who take the survey will win free gear from the soon-to-be-released Breakfast Club Collection from our store. It’s the least we can do.

Beautiful Football Around the World 🌎

Real Madrid vs. Espanyol (Saturday, 10:15 a.m. ET, ESPN+) 🇪🇸

Real Madrid and Espanyol are bound by their shared disdain of FC Barcelona, but the only enemy for Xabi Alonso’s undefeated squad is whoever’s in front of them, so pray for Manolo González’s side. Kylian Mbappé seems liberated lately and already has six goals this season, but will the potential return of Jude Bellingham and the subsequent redistribution of his Galáctico glow hinder that? If the two can work in tandem, it’s game over for La Liga, but spare a thought for sat nav-footed Trent Alexander-Arnold, who could miss six weeks after suffering a hamstring injury in the Champions League against Marseille on Tuesday. Espanyol are soaring at third place in La Liga but will be without their top goalscorer tomorrow, the suspended Pere Milla, who was sent off in his side’s 3-2 win over Mallorca on Monday for saying “you’re terrible” to the echo-named referee, Hernández Hernández. Next time, think it, don’t say it, Pere. 

Udinese vs. AC Milan (Saturday, 2:45 p.m. ET, Paramount+) 🇮🇹

Although it’s the embryonic stage of both the season and Massimiliano Allegri’s Milan return, it’s evident that priorities and policy have changed at the Rossoneri, and Christian Pulisic has so far been a victim of that. Although he’s scored once this season, his last two appearances have been from the bench, while new old boys Luka Modrić and Adrien Rabiot have instantly penetrated the starting XI and turned heads at the San Siro. Allegri’s boiled a bloated squad down to its essentials and prioritized experience over a well-meaning but slightly scattergun youth-driven transfer policy, and was rewarded when days after his 40th birthday, fine-wine Modrić scored the winner against Bologna last weekend.

Barcelona vs. Getafe (Sunday, 3:00 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 🇪🇸

Somehow, Barcelona’s Camp Nou still isn’t ready to host a game of football, so this top-four clash will have to be crammed into the 6,000-seat Estadi Johan Cruyff, which usually hosts women’s and reserve matches. With Getafe only a point and two places behind the champions in fourth, their 5-3-2 system under José Bordalás means they’re well equipped to absorb pressure, but as Newcastle found out last night, Hansi Flick’s side’s version of pressure is like trying to breathe air in a storm. Lamine Yamal might be injured, but even without him there’s two more Ballon d’Or nominees to contend with in Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, backed up by puppet masters Pedri and Frenkie de Yong in midfield. Then there’s Marcus Rashford. Until last night, he’d impressed without dazzling at his new club, but his beautiful St James’ brace complete with that trademark forgotten smile was a meaningful hard launch into Barca hearts. We can’t believe we’re saying this, but… no Yamal? No problemo.

Lazio vs. Roma (Sunday, 6:30 a.m. ET, CBS Sports) 🇮🇹

In Rome, everything stops for the Derby della Capitale. It’s one of the most ferocious and consequential grudge matches in European football, and although it’s too soon to predict what each of these sides will be competing for this season, the chance to land a spear to the heart of one another is utterly seductive. Compared to the halcyon days of superstar matchups that this fixture used to boast, it’s more Paul Mescal than Russell Crowe now, but the real intrigue is in the dugout, as Dons Gasperini and Sarri go head-to-head. The two oldest managers in Serie A might be the most innovative and untraditional Italian coaches of the modern era, and the added special sauce of this being a gladiatorial blood match only makes it more compelling viewing. When Gian Gasperini left Atalanta for Roma in the summer, Maurizio Sarri said, “It will be a nice derby between people who know and appreciate each other.” A lovely sentiment that carries a similar weight to your uncles promising not to talk politics at the dinner table. 

WSL - Manchester United vs. Arsenal (Sunday, 9:50 a.m. ET, ESPN) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Only one team can preserve their perfect start to the season when Arsenal meet United at Leigh Sports Village. Both sides put five(!) goals past their hapless opponents last week, with Arsenal taking down West Ham 5-1, and United registering the same scoreline against London City Lionesses. United did play midweek in the Champions League (there’s a sentence we haven’t seen in a while), which may give Arsenal the edge this time round.

NWSL - KC Current vs. Seattle Reign (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ion) 🇺🇸

Is this it (Is this it? Is this it?)? After the Washington Spirit failed to overcome Angel City late Friday night, the KC Current could lift the club’s first ever NWSL trophy Saturday if they can get a win against the Seattle Reign at the CPKC Stadium. Vlatko Andonovski’s side have only lost TWICE this season, becoming the fastest side to reach 50 points with their draw last week against Washington and extending their shutout streak to eight games. THAT SAID, the last team they lost to? Seattle.

Introducing Pet FC’s Newest Member: Enzo 🐶

We have partnered with the two-legged people at Purina to create Pet FC, a new initiative where we will be featuring YOUR four-legged friends that show a true love of football on par with their human counterparts.

This Chelsea-supporting Staffordshire Bull Terrier-Retriever from Ballston Spa, N.Y., is just as fierce (and handsome) as his namesake, Chelsea captain Enzo Fernandez. His favorite pastimes are watching his Blues play, and chewing up boots. 💙

Do you have a great football story involving the dog or cat in your life? Click the link below to submit your pets and pet stories, and we will be regularly featuring the best of the best here in the Raven and on our social channels. What's more, we have Purina prize packs for every pet featured.

MiB Mad Libs 📝

This week’s phrase is: “Liverpool’s ability to score late goals is not tactics or fitness or mentality. It’s real cause is _______”

Email us your submissions to be in contention to win a coveted MiB patch.

There were many excellent submissions this week—so many made me laugh—but there can only be one winner:

Antonio Munaco: Mel Gibson and Zach Galifianakis would play Ange Postecoglou and Evangelos Marinakis in a buddy cop movie that would be called “Lethal Weapon 11: Year 2 - The Glorious Hangover.”

Not Football and All the Better for It 📖

A GFOP Writes… ✍️

Steve Latener from Columbus, Ohio asks, “Rog, do you really feel as bleak as you do before Everton play, or do you just speak out your worst outcome to try and dull its pain?”

Rog writes: Steve, good weekend to ask me that question. I think you are on to me. I once wrote a piece for ESPN where I spoke to psychoanalyst Barry Stern who told me the following: “You take control of the experience of disappointment by preemptively becoming disappointed. You savor the anticipated loss when the team is down, a stance from which you can comfortably root for a win, without risking too much. Viewed like that, the 1-0 lead is inherently less pleasurable. Rather than enjoying your team being ahead, you manage the anxiety associated with them inevitably mucking up, negating the positive mood created through their lead… by spoiling it yourself. No more anxiety, just depression, and the familiar feeling of managing the weak sense of hope they might just pull this one out.”

Read that again — I try to spoil it myself, which is just… incredible. I do it to myself. 

Keep sending your stories and questions to [email protected].

To Better Days Ahead for All.

Let’s not take a moment watching football together for granted and make great memories.

Big Love.

Courage,
ROG