The Warm-Up: Juventus, delete your account
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Updated 05/10/2018 at 10:10 GMT+1
Juventus made a mess of their response to the very serious allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo.
Juventus' Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo reacts during the Italian Serie A football match between Juventus and Bologna
Image credit: Getty Images
FRIDAY’S BIG HEADLINES
Juventus fail to read the room
If reporting around the incredibly serious rape allegation levelled at Cristiano Ronaldo was perceived as rather slow to get going, on Thursday the whole story accelerated as Ronaldo’s chief employers, both football and commercial, went on the record. The difference in the tone they struck was vast.
By now you’ll almost certainly have seen the p***-poor response from Juventus, whose two-part statement on the matter seemed expertly crafted to ensure it will be placed on page one of the textbook, “How Not To Respond To Sexual Assault Allegations Made Against Your Famous Employee.”
A presumption of innocence is a basic function of a legal system and no one would realistically expect Juventus to offer anything but support to an athlete they just paid almost £100m for. Moreover, Ronaldo firmly denies the allegations made against him. But alluding to the historic nature of the allegations, needlessly invoking his “great professionalism” and describing him as a “great champion” all struck completely the wrong tone. It's possible to show Ronaldo some public support while also treating the allegations with the seriousness the situation demands. But the Old Lady failed to read the room.
The Warm-Up thought it was significant that Juventus felt compelled - either off their own back or following some prompting from external parties - to release such a strident statement. It was quite revealing, telling us that this is a story which is not going away any time soon. Not with investigations being reopened and, yesterday, key sponsors wavering.
In a statement to the AP, Nike said:
We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and will continue to closely monitor the situation.
EA Sports, another major commercial partner for Ronaldo, said:
We have seen the concerning report that details allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo. We are closely monitoring the situation, as we expect cover athletes and ambassadors to conduct themselves in a manner that is consistent with EA's values.
Do better, Juventus.
Southgate's England 2.0
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Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund)
Image credit: Getty Images
Stop clinging desperately onto the last remaining vestiges of your youth. It’s over. Time to stop listening to Radio One and staying out past 2am. The first player born in the year 2000 is now in the England squad.
Yes, in a set-piece high in symbolism, Gareth Southgate yesterday announced he had signed a new contract as England manager which ties him down until the 2022 World Cup, before unveiling the most radical and exciting squad of his reign. The exercise might as well have been titled, ‘Forward Looking, from the Football Association’.
Southgate largely stuck with the players who served him well at the World Cup in the September internationals but a succession of injuries - Dele Alli, Fabian Delph, Adam Lallana, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Jesse Lingard - gave Southgate the wriggle room to start his second revolution. Having already expunged the tainted Wilshere-Rooney-Hart generation, the England boss started integrating the resplendent talents responsible for the remarkable successes at youth level over the past two years.
So that meant a fully deserved call for 18-year-old wide forward Jadon Sancho - the leading assister in Europe’s major leagues despite being a substitute for Borussia Dortmund. And a call for Chelsea playmaker Mason Mount, 19, despite currently playing for Derby County in the Championship. Leicester No. 10 James Maddison, 21, also earned his first call while there were welcome returns for Harry Winks, 22, and Nathaniel Chalobah, 23.
Southgate said:
We think there are some exciting young players, who we have been tracking through their clubs and also our junior teams, and it’s a great opportunity for us to look at them. We are always conscious of the balance of how quickly we put those young players in, so we don’t raise expectation or be detrimental to their development. But we think they’re performing well with their clubs, they’re confident players and we’d like to work with them now so they get an understanding of how we work and we get a closer look at them so we’re excited to see them.
Europa Round-Up
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Matteo Guendouzi of Arsenal celebrates with teammate Alexandre Lacazette
Image credit: Getty Images
Arsenal had three new goalscorers in their 3-0 win away at Qarabag as Sokratis, Emile Smith Rowe and Matteo Guendouzi scored in Baku. That's eight wins in a row for the Gunners now, but the manner of their performance was unconvincing yet again.
Chelsea also won, beating MOL Vidi 1-0 at home thanks to a rare strike from Alvaro Morata - but he missed a bunch too.
Steven Gerrard remains unbeaten after 10 games in European competition as Rangers manager after a 3-1 win over Rapid Vienna - just check out this assist:
But Celtic lost 3-1, away at Red Bull Salzburg.
IN OTHER NEWS
Very kind of the PSV fans to chuck Inter star Matteo Politano a nice cold beer during their European match-up this week.
HEROES AND ZEROS
Hero: Emile Smith Rowe
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Emile Smith Rowe, centre, was on the scoresheet for Arsenal
Image credit: PA Sport
The 18-year-old scored his first goal for Arsenal in the 3-0 win over Qarabag and caught the eye with his lively performance. If it’s enough to get Glenn Hoddle purring then it’s good enough for us.
Zero: Loris Karius
Let’s just check in on how the Liverpool loanee is getting on at Besik... oh no. Oh mate.
RETRO CORNER
According to some reports, Jose Mourinho could be sacked as Manchester United manager if they fail to beat Newcastle at the weekend, so decisively has he lost the dressing room, the careless soul. It wouldn’t be the first time Tyneside has played host to such a spectacle: in 1999, Ruud Gullit resigned as Newcastle boss just three days after dropping Alan Shearer for the derby against Sunderland. Come this way for the most unconvincing post-match interview any manager has ever given, and stay for Peter Reid trying to contain his delight that the greatest striker in Premier League history was rested against his team:
Still, at least they were all smiles some years later...
COMING UP
Friday night football is back as newly-resurgent West Ham head to the south coast to take on Brighton at 8pm. Can Manuel Pellegrini's side make it three wins in a row?
In keeping with Southgate's England strategy, Marcus Foley has been replaced for Monday's Warm-Up by a precocious 5-year-old. His finger painting should be off the charts.
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