Forest's Woes vs. United's Good Vibes 🎃

Hail GFOP!

I type with fingers hungry to welcome Premier League football back into our loving arms. Albeit one hour later on Saturday because of the dislocation in transatlantic daylight savings! So many intriguing psychologically fraught match-ups. Are Manchester United really BACK? Is Arsenal’s backline a Wonder of the World? Are Liverpool truly FINISHED? Are the Bournemouth Golden War Cherries REALLY, REALLY GOOD AT FOOTBALL? Are Everton so lonely I could die? (The answers are Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, and Yes, in that order.)

Bring. It. On. 💙

ii. Yesterday I woke up and chatted with Manchester United’s 3-4-3 apostle Ruben Amorim, who was as honest in the midst of the winning run as he was when he came on in time of challenge. I hope talking to me is the nadir of Ruben’s year at Old Trafford. I asked him what had changed during the three-game winning spurt. His first response was that they had gotten “lucky” at Anfield, but he then moved through the change in mentality Mbeumo and Cunha have provided, the confidence the backline have given Senne Lammens, and the reciprocal belief they have received from the young goalkeeper in return, and then the spirit of tenacity that Harry Maguire embodies. We also went deep on whether Frank Ilett will ever get a haircut. It is a lovely piece and drops on our YouTube tomorrow morning. I can’t wait for you to hear it. 🍻

iii. Two other interviews of note this week: One with Brenden Aaronson after his goal and resurgent Man of the Match performance last week. A game which came just a few days after he was slagged off for missing a chance against Burnley. We talked about his return to Leeds, mental tenacity, and where he believes he fits in amidst the scrum of potential U.S. midfielders. Just a lovely man talking from his heart about football. That one drops on Monday. 🤍

iv. I also spoke to Gio Reyna yesterday. It was really poignant to discuss the mental impact of the 2022 fallout, the eight injuries he has suffered since, and his desire to recover the love and freedom he experienced when he was taking the field as a teen with Erling Haaland, who called him, “The American Dream.” I have to keep reminding myself of this: Gio is still just 22 years of age. That one will drop in the next international window. 🦅

v. This interview with Crystal Palace Chairman Steve Parish for our business series, “Running the Game,” is one of my favorites of the year. Listen to him talk about how and why he knew Oliver Glasner was the manager for the Eagles and the process of decision making he has made which delivered the club’s first ever silverware. Learn a lot about football and life here. Also, Jordan Pickford talking about the art of goalkeeping is a human delight. 🧤

vi. My away-day trip to watch Wrexham at Middlesbrough is now live. See me get on the bus at 5 a.m., witness Tomi drink 12 pints, and sit with the massed Wrexham away-day faithful, who are an inspiring, proud army, fearless in devotion. 🐉

🚨 SAN JOSE & BAY-AREA GFOPS: We are heading to you on Thursday, Nov. 20 for The Women’s Game LIVE: Night of 1,000 Stars presented by Nationwide. We’ll be at The GlassHouse SJ at 7:30 p.m. PT for what should be an unforgettable evening where I will join Sam Mewis and some very special guests live on stage as we raise a glass to the 2025 NWSL season and preview the NWSL Championship. It will be a night of joy and good vibes as we say goodbye to another season of wonders set to the vibrant backdrop and footballing culture of the Bay Area. Tickets are on sale now, but are going fast. 🌉

PS - This might be the best-written football chant you will hear this season. Pulitzer Prize worthy. 🎵

Courage,
ROG

MiB HQ Bulletin Board 📣

To the Football 🍻

Nottingham Forest vs. Man United (Saturday, 11 a.m. ET, USA)

A tale of two managers: Sean Dyche desperate to summon a new manager bounce™, something Ruben Amorim has now spent almost a year doing at United. He arrives, cresting after three successive wins. The agony of that “fish-slapping” at Grimsby vaporized by sudden confident, joyous, directly sizzling play. 

Rogstradamus 🔮: Forest have had two more managers than wins (one) this season. Their misery will continue here. Amorim to “Mboom” his way to glory 2-1. 

More: Some read this. Ruben Amorim’s year at United - renaissance of hope on a long, difficult journey.

Burnley vs. Arsenal (Saturday, 11 a.m. ET, USA)

Arsenal’s defence is a clean-sheet producing work of art. Just three goals conceded all season—indeed, David Raya’s only faced a single shot over the course of their last three games. However, Gabriel Martinelli remains out while defender William Saliba is a doubt. Plucky Burnley are on a two-game winning run but they have not beaten the Gunners at home in over 50 years and this will not change here. My favorite comment from an Arsenal-supporting GFOP was this on YouTube from @Crumble00, “Arsenal fan. Couldn’t care less about analysis. It’s been 20 years and we starving.” Savor every second Gunners, you deserve it.

Rogstradamus 🔮: The statistic that impresses me the most is that 11 different players have scored for Arsenal this season. Goals from everywhere. I see that continuing in a relative goal-spree 2-0 win.

More: 15-year-old Max Dowman’s short, brilliant journey. What a read.

Tottenham vs. Chelsea (Saturday, 1:30 p.m. ET, Peacock)

Spurs have risen to third without truly impressing, especially at home where they have gleaned just four of their 17 points. Thomas Frank’s robust, reactive, set-play-powered football flows better without expectation and pressure on the road. Also this: Chelsea have beaten Spurs four times running. Maresca’s team are an undisciplined madhouse of uncertainty. Five wins in their last six matches in all competitions, but they have had a player or manager sent off in an incredible six of their last nine matches. This game is the crossover episode of “In Treatment” that Premier League fans have been crying out for. 

Rogstradamus 🔮: “Na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na-na-na, Micky van de Ven, Van de Ven.” Spurs 1-0 set piece. North London invented corners. 

Liverpool vs. Aston Villa (Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, USA)

Arne Slot’s turn on the rack has been sudden and hard to fathom. Liverpool’s six losses since Sept. 27 are the most of any team in Europe’s big-five leagues. The bald Dutchman made the Premier League look effortless last season. Now he is floundering. He rested 10 players in the midweek Carabao Cup 3-0 soiling at home to Crystal Palace. Sacrificing that means the pressure is on to unfurl an improved performance against City-slayers Aston Villa as a result. "I don't see a reason to change our playing style completely but we need to do better in not conceding goals, that’s for sure," was Slot’s message this morning. Real Madrid awaits midweek, then Manchester City. There can be no excuses. 

Rogstradamus 🔮: Aston Villa and City are less likely to play reactive, counter-attacking long-ball football. But Liverpool have looked so woeful, it may not matter. Unai Emery brings up three years at Villa with a 2-1 win. 

Man City vs. Bournemouth (Sunday, 11:30 a.m. ET, USA)

Fifth place against the heady heights of cherry-flavored second. Bournemouth are playing effervescent football with teen sensation Eli Junior Kroupi (four goals in three games) their latest recruitment pearl. They have never won at City, who are “still alive in the title race,” according to one Pep Guardiola despite last weekend’s damp squib 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa, their third in nine league games. Here is the incredible stat for City: Only players called “Erling” have scored more than once for them this season. 

Rogstradamus 🔮: Haaland was out with a knock midweek, Pep has said he “hopes” he can play. I believe Iraola will have planned either way and the collective play of Lilliputian Bournemouth will down the Haaland-Donnarumma giants irrespective 2-1.

Sunderland vs. Everton (Monday, 3 p.m. ET, USA)

Jordan Pickford goes home. Come for the emotional welcome, don’t stick around for the missionary-position Black Cat win. Everton’s third-straight loss. Me no likey.

Rogstradamus 🔮: Sunderland fans remember Moyes leading them to relegation in 2017. They will relish this revenge game 2-0. Good piece: Sunderland fans in 'dreamworld' led by 'nice guy' Le Bris.

Full Premier League broadcast schedule HERE 📺

The Correspondent w/ Rory Smith: The Premier League Squeeze Is On 📊 

Rory writes: Nobody could ever accuse the people who write the Premier League’s scripts of lacking either originality or imagination. Over the course of what we unfortunately have to call its imperial phase, English football has exhibited a knack for creativity, imagination and – sufficiently consistently that it feels deliberate – downright weirdness.

The list of potential examples here is quite a long one, but we’ll make do with the traditional three. There was the One Where Gary Lineker’s Views on the Middle East Got “Match of the Day” cancelled. There was The One Where The Manager May Have Pooed On The Floor In Revenge. There was The One Where The Defender Kicked A Cat.

It is odd, then, to have followed the opening bars of this campaign with a lingering sense of déjà vu. It is not all familiar, of course. Having three quite good promoted sides is an interesting twist. Going all in on the 1980s revival – first the jerseys, then the set-pieces – is maybe a little derivative of broader culture, but it’s something we haven’t done before. The demise of Ange Postecoglou was a smart subplot.

Read the full newsletter here 📧

Even More Football ⚽️

• Boxing Day gonna hit different this year? There might just be one Premier League game on the day after Christmas! What we meant to do—have to hang out with family and stuff?

• How Harry Kane’s dream of becoming an NFL kicker could come true… 

• This piece is CRAZY: the set-piece obsession means the ball is in play less than ever. The percentage blew my mind.

Introducing Pet FC’s Newest Member: Kai Havertz 🐶

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.

There's no mistaking who Kai is named after – and just like his namesake, he always goes for headers (in his case, head-butting his family). The Pit Bull and his humans love watching Arsenal matches together from Newport, Ky. ❤

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.

Submit your Pet FC stories here 🐾

Beautiful Football Around the World 🌎

Wrexham vs. Coventry (TODAY, 4 p.m. ET, Paramount+) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Friday Night Lights! A game where Wrexham welcome Frank Lampard’s unbeaten Coventry on a run of six successive victories. Massive, massive proctology exam for North Wales’ finest.

Napoli vs. Como (Saturday, 1 p.m. ET, Paramount+) 🇮🇹

Antonio Conte’s Napoli are back on top of Serie A, but will be without KDB until early 2026 at least. However, cometh the hour, cometh the McTominay. With his midfield partner sidelined, this is the Scot’s opportunity to step up and find a return to last year’s incredible form. Cesc Fàbregas’ Como are a flexible but methodical unit, sitting seventh in the league having not lost in eight matches.

Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen (Saturday 1:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) 🇩🇪

Harry Kane is on a rare one-game goalless patch, so Bayer Leverkusen will need to man the barricades ahead of their visit to the Allianz Arena. Bayern Munich have a 100% win ratio in all competitions this season, while fifth-placed Leverkusen are in recovery after Kasper Hjulmand took the wheel from a reckless Erik ten Hag.

Real Madrid vs. Valencia (Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN+) 🇪🇸

Real Madrid’s 2-1 El Clásico victory against Barcelona last weekend felt seminal, not just because it put them five points clear of the Catalonians, but it seemed to decimate their rivals’ souls in its ruthless aggression. Valencia are winless in five La Liga games, where they’re struggling for breath at 18th, so a visit to the Bernabéu feels like turkeys voting for Thanksgiving.

Celtic vs. Rangers (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, Paramount+) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Death, taxes and Old Firm drama are surefire guarantees in all of our lives, but the jeopardy of this, a mere Scottish League Cup match, is heavier than usual. After Rangers eventually replaced Russell Martin with the equally handsome former Bayern and RB Leipzig coach Danny Rohl, Celtic’s impenetrable dominance has truly been perforated. It’s not the fall of Rome yet, but amidst fan protests against the board, and a 3-1 loss to league-leaders Hearts, Brendan Rodgers quit as manager having won 11 trophies for the club. He’ll be replaced in the short-term by club legend Martin O’Neill, another former Bhoys boss. An existential Glasgow will be absolutely electric on Sunday.

More: Who are the lead candidates for the Celtic job?

MiB Mad Libs 📝

This week’s phrase is: “Set pieces to Arsenal are what ______ is to ______”

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:

Ewan Clow: “If I could rename El Clásico, I’d call it For Whom the Ball Tolls."

Big Ewan - Email us your postal and we send you da patch…

This Week in The Women’s Game ☀️

NWSL Decision Day! 🇺🇸

Six games kick off at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday as North Carolina and Racing Louisville do battle for the league’s last playoff spot. Racing hold the advantage heading into the weekend — their two-point lead over NC means if they win, they’re in. Meanwhile, North Carolina will have to hope for a win against Gotham (ESPN) and a shock victory for 13th-placed Bay FC against Emma Sears’ Louisville (NWSL+).

WSL - Man City vs. West Ham (Saturday, 8 a.m. ET, ESPN) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

One point separates Chelsea and Man City atop the Women’s Super League as we return from the international break. Both sides kick off at the same time Saturday — a win for Sam Kerr’s side against London City would guarantee they end the weekend top, while a draw or loss could see City leapfrog into pole position for the first time this season.

More: Why are USWNT players leaving the NWSL for Europe?

The Women’s Game at Men in Blazers is putting together a relentless attack of unbelievable content. From Sam sitting down with Alex Morgan, Trinity Rodman or her own sister Kristie on their new show, “Mewis Squared,” to Becky chatting with Mina Kimes, Katie Nolan or the inimitable Elizabeth Banks, it’s a constant source of entertainment and wonder. Head over to TWG to add a little joy to your life. 📺

Not Football and All the Better for It 📖

• Present company excluded: The Hatred of Podcasting. 

• Will the real Bill de Blasio please stand up? British newspaper spoke to the wrong de Blasio, not an ‘imposter’.

• "The reaper and a spandexed vigilante pose for their mother behind a weathered headstone." Salem’s Unholy Bargain.

• The pumpkin spice latte may have been invented by... Tori Amos? Next we'll learn that Dubai chocolate was actually invented by Sarah McLachlan.

• Perform for me, reader! Are you an actual book nerd, or are you just 'performative reading'?

• I read this book and LOVED IT: “The Pennant” by Richard English. A full-color history of that American staple. A piece of felt that connotes identity and community. I adore pennants and English is the leading historian of the art form. The book is published by JPress, that great American heritage brand I have long adored, and all the more now Rowing Blazers founder Jack Carlson has jumped aboard as creative director. 

• This song helped me through the week: “Stay in Your Lane” by Courtney Barnett.

A GFOP Writes… ✍️

Tim Mason of Charleston, Ill. writes: Perhaps it's just me, but whenever the name of the Sunderland manager is mentioned I think of the director of “Springtime for Hitler” in Mel Brooks' “The Producers,” Roger De Bris. Do you think Régis Le Bris would ever attend a costume party dressed "like the Chrysler Building"?

Rog writes: Tim, now you’ve mentioned this, I will never get it out of my head. Next time I see the quite brilliant Régis Le Bris, I will hear "The thing you've got to know is... everything is showbiz!"

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

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