Don’t let the international break get you down! Come with me as I look back at some of the funniest and most controversial moments in English football over the course of the last seven days. We’ve had a strange mix of FA Cup quarter-finals and Premier League relegation battle six-pointers but one Liverpool striker’s comments off the field have landed him a place in the Wally of the Week shortlist this time around.
3. Charlie Adam
The Scottish midfielder has been stealing a living in football since his impressive but misleading debut Premier League season with Blackpool at the start of this decade. To be fair to Adam, he’s got a wicked left foot but that’s about it really. The Stoke man hasn’t exactly kept himself in shape over the years and has come under scrutiny this season for his dodgy performances for the relegation candidates. This week he was given his marching orders for a challenge on Wayne Rooney in Stoke’s home defeat to Everton and he could have no complaints about the lunging tackle. In fact, he seemed quite happy to leave the pitch and sprinted straight down the tunnel, leaving the rest of his teammates with two-thirds of the game to play and in a snowstorm. It’s been said that the ‘rugby player in football boots’ made his way off the pitch quickly because of the arctic weather but I’d expect better from a Scotsman.
2. Miguel Britos
After Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ashley Barnes, Mohamed Salah is the last player you’d want to face as a defender at this point in time. The Egyptian has the most goals in Europe’s Top 5 leagues this season and his pace and dribbling strikes fear in the opposition on a weekly basis. This week it was the turn of veteran Watford defender, Miguel Britos, to face the electric winger and he won’t remember this encounter fondly. Britos was deployed on the left of a back three by Javi Gracia – right in the firing line of Salah who likes to cut in from the right wing. Within four minutes Britos watched Salah score his first goal of the evening on his backside after the Egyptian had twisted and turned inside the area, causing a troubled Britos to fall off balance like a lightweight on a night out. Salah went onto score three more goals before the game was up as Liverpool ran out 5-0 winners over the hopeless Watford side as Britos was taken off, probably to avoid further embarrassment, with 10 minutes to go.
1. Roberto Firmino
The Liverpool striker has been one fine form this season and has been an integral part of the Reds’ successes both domestically and in Europe but he made some outrageous claims during an interview. He was asked to name the best players in the Premier League and came back with some reasonable responses; Mo Salah, Harry Kane and Kevin De Bruyne before naming Moussa Sissoko alongside those great names of English football this season. The Frenchman has been the subject of much criticism since joining Tottenham from Newcastle for a ridiculous £30m in 2016. His performances have been below par and he’s looked out of place in this very good Spurs side so naming him as one of the best players in the league has raised the odd eyebrow. Firmino also named the likes of Paul Pogba, Ilkay Gundogan and Gabriel Jesus which were slightly questionable but Moussa Sissoko takes his naivety to a whole new level.