State of Play: International Break Blues: The Injuries and Lack of Rest That Will Hurt These Players/ The New Face of Germany / The Rise of Southgate's England / The Tri-Sexual and Offensive Comments of Antoine Griezmann / Where We Stand

           The international break will always bring moans, rampant freakouts and anguished cries from 99.9% of futbol fans, still bloodthirstily hungry for the expected league matches to end every week and the cup matches in between with their drama, their vicious intensity that always seems to deliver and the goals that shine down on us all, if only for a brief moment in the grim, abyss called
2018: Earth.
        With the international matches comes a lack of playing time for some of our favorite players we are fortunate to see match in, match out, usually every week; It brings 0-0 results and boring, stilted play, even from the best (see France v Germany). These matches also annoy and enrage with big time injuries to some of these players, who after a long, bruising summer campaign involved in the World Cup, will be surely stretched.
      But the most annoying culprit of these breaks seems to be the international futbol media establishment pushing, harrying, fighting for any morsel they can find...any situation that can be turned into a story, every fallacy that can be turned into a trivial "fact".
      We've already seen the media making a big show of Mbappe, Griezmann, Paul Pogba and Ousmane Dembele going to Disneyland: how many memes do we need from you supposed journalists?
     The bizarre, fanciful and crippling insanity of the most desperate of transfer rumors then follows: NEYMAR RETURNING TO BARCA!!! Then, you read the story only to find a Brazilian ex player commenting that "if Neymar were to return to Spain, It wouldn't be to Madri$, it would be to Barcelona".
     Wow...what a scoop.
     He's coming, guys.
     Meanwhile, futbol super agent Mino Raiola is tweeting more than Donald Trump, and it's all about his main client (of seemingly a million), the French World cup hero and prodigal Manchester Puntited midfielder Paul Pogba and how he needs to leave Puntited. Barcelona has become the new rumor, most likely planted in the media by Raiola....just because Messi and Pique reportedly want him to come.
     Then, what follows is ten posts declaring MESSI AND PIQUE DEMAND POGBA AT BARCA. Only to find a theoretical, hypothetical, dictatorial article about Messi and Pique being "interested in bringing on a player of his quality".
       Well duh...who wouldn't?
       It's not even about WHERE Pogba would fit in the Barcelona midfield, or the hypothetical king's ransom and left genital that would need to be handed over to send Paul to Catalonia, it's the absolute boredom and faded "writer's block" of these "journalists" that begs the question:
     IS THE INTERNATIONAL BREAK CREATED FOR JOURNALISTS?
     It's a delicious question.
     The international stoppage had a chance to be intriguing, with an investigation being launched in Germany as to why they cannot seem to score a goal from open play, what it will take to get Ozil back into the fold and if he deserves to be, why Sane didn't go to the World Cup and if he deserves to be playing in this team currently and finally, if Joachim Low must be taken down as the manager of Die Mannschaft.

     All of these are intense problems for the German federation to go into. Low has been there since 2004, under former Germany and US national team coach and former world cup winning player, Jurgen Klinsmann for the 2006 World Cup and then in charge until now. He's taken them to the Euro 2008 final, the 2010 World Cup semifinals, the 2014 World Cup champions over Messi and Argentina, another two trips to the semifinals in Euro 2012 and Euro 2016.
     If he'd left in 2017, after the Confederations Cup victory, he'd be regarded as perhaps the greatest German national team manager of all time.
     Then came the 2018 World Cup with its knack for underdogs winning and upsets galore, aggressive youthful nations pressing the older German players into easy mistakes in midfield and at the back. The ball movement of Germany was beyond patient...it was bordering on senior citizen.
     It still is.

     Germany need a new face, a new change, which may not mean a new manager, though it does mean they must have a new strategy and a player to go with that tactical nous to take them into their next stage.
    Experienced veterans like Neuer, Hummels, Kroos, Reus and Ozil don't necessarily need to depart to make room for this new face, but they do need to get in line and react.
      There are a few players for Germany who could be this side's "new" face: Sane, Gnabry,

maybe having Marco Reus spearhead the attack, the trusty and hungry Timo Werner, or even the unlucky Julian Brandt who hit the post twice, once in two matches, in only 10 minutes of substitute play in the World cup that could've easily changed Germany's fortunes.

     Any of these players are perfectly capable, granted they're nurtured with a system that will unlock their potential and that of the team. All Low has to do is find the right combination.
     If it isn't Jurgen Klopp, it's not going to be anyone else but Low who could pull this off.
     We go from the England-esque criticism and scandal of Germany and their England-esque results and now discuss England and their Germany-esque results and Germany-esque buoyancy and confidence at the moment. Yes, it wasn't a typo...you weren't blind for a moment, or temporarily insane: yes, England were up 0-3 on Spain, in Seville, Spain and doing it with Spain-esque goals.

     There was England captain and talisman Harry Kane, providing two gorgeous assists and flying on the shoulders of Sergio Ramos, giving him more fits than a conference on sportsmanship and ethics. We saw Marcus Rashford silence doubters with a fantastic finish and another assist. And then came Raheem Sterling, scoring 2 brilliant goals, the second from a near identical goal as to the one Spain scored vs Croatia in the Euro 2012 group stages: Barkley chipping in Kane, with Sterling staying level across from Kane, the ball puts the defenders to shame and falls perfectly on the edge of the six yard box, laying nicely for Kane to tap a square ball with a diving assist to Sterling for the bashing finish (in the Spain v Croatia match, we saw Fabregas chip in Andres Iniesta, who chested down and unselfishly squared it to Jesus Navas who walked the ball into the net).

     It was an outrageous piece of play from England....maybe the best England goal we've seen in a decade.        Ross Barkley (below, right)

showed his mettle against Spain, staking his claim for a midfield place, aka the one he regretted not having while he watched England's run to an improbable World Cup semifinal...one would believe England gaffer Gareth Southgate regrets this, too, as he had to rely on the "technique" of unnatural midfielders at the World Cup, such as Alli and Lingard to play as interior midfielders, leaving Jordan Henderson on an island most matches as they pushed and stretched into their more comfortable attacking midfield spots.
     England has a lot of greatness in their ranks and their future is not only bright, it's damn near unmissable, such as that of France. England should be in semifinals of major tournaments at a minimum for years to come with a collection of veterans who are only barely hitting their mid 20s in Kane, Sterling, Henderson, Walker and Trippier; a group of young players already with expansive  experience and a World Cup journey on their resume: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alli, Rashford, Lingard, Harry Maguire and a mix of brilliant, world class young talents, including the first two who could've been at the World Cup theoretically (Jadon Sancho, Phil Foden, Mason Mount, Callum-Odoi, Smith-Rowe etc.)
     I think they named the English Golden Generation (Gerrard, Lampard, Scholes, Rooney, Terry, Cole etc) too soon....because this one looks absolutely fire.
     And they've already been to a World Cup semifinal, won a penalty shootout which England never does and have now out-played, out-ran and out-foxed world-beaters Spain (who had just beaten a fully loaded Croatia team 6-1, the same lineup, or thereabouts, that had knocked this England side out of the World Cup and had ventured deep to a World Cup Final).
     England remains the most impressive and obvious storyline and surprise from this international break, yet the biggest draw for journalistic eyes has been the French national team:

     French national team stud, World Cup antihero and Atletico Madrid brillantaire, Antoine Griezmann has claimed he's in the same class as Messi and Ronaldo, even to the point of saying he's been better than them both this year and deserves the Ballon D'or. He then backtracked days later to emphasize that he only meant the Ballon D'or winner "should be French".
     So...if Samuel Umtiti won the Ballon D'or, because "he's French" would that be okay with you, Antoine?
     Or...if Ousmane Dembele won it?
     Or would you be envious of the real star, Kylian Mbappe won it? After all, we all know he was the real person responsible for France's World Cup glory. He was earning the penalties you were scoring, finishing off the scraps from deflected fluffy crosses you were putting in (same with Pogba in the final), taking on all-comers and showing the confidence that the entire French attack from the flailing effectiveness of Olivier Giroud or the timid moments from some time starter Ousmane Dembele or every match substitute Nabil Fekir on down. It got so bad, Deschamps replaced a fourth attacking option in the XI altogether for Blaise Matuidi's negative ruggedness and solidity.
     I'm not picking at Griezmann's game. He's one of the best players on earth and has risen in the biggest moments, on the biggest stages (except the Champions League final), but do not go comparing yourself to Lionel Messi and, I begrudgingly say, Cristiano Ronaldo who have consistently scored 50+ goals a season and registered in the double digits of assists at the same time, for a decade plus.
     You have to earn that right, Antoine.
     We all know who the most stacked team of all time is, the most loaded with natural talent and abundant options in the history of the sport of futbol: the current French national team. If Griezmann hadn't scored 4 goals this World Cup, he should've been publicly flogged and anally seized by a group of lowly thugs near the docks of Marseille.

      Griezmann...Antoine, You may have scored the same amount of goals as Messi did when Argentina at least had a team worth a flying fuck in the 2014 World Cup, but they were 3 penalties and a goal that Fernando Muslera literally caught and threw into his own net, a mistake so unbelievably flamboyant you had to wonder if he'd done it after hearing about his family being kidnapped in connection with some bet on Griezmann scoring.
      Still, he ended with 1 goal and 1 assist from a brilliant free kick delivery, something he showed again on the own goal he created in the final and the corner he sent to Umtiti's head in the semifinal vs Belgium.
     It wasn't pretty, but it did the job with all that unspeakable talent around him.
     On the other hand, Messi stunned, he danced, he toyed, he went nuts in that 2014 World Cup, scored and assisted as a substitute when he was a teenager in his first one (2006) and even had his moments with his own team playing against him, in this one (1 goal vs Nigeria and 2 assists vs France).
     Even Ronaldo, who I despise, was scoring and assisting in multiple World Cups and playing at a high level in 2006 and scoring classic goals in this last installment.
     Antoine Griezmann shanked a penalty that would've beaten Real Madrid in the 2016 Champions league Final. To his credit, he did score in the shootout. He has only won the Europa League once and hasn't won a Champions League. Messi and Ronaldo have mountains of titles, including the biggest, but both do lack the World Cup...something that will potentially be used against them for all times.
     But it won't be for Griezmann's benefit. Griezmann could be a legendary player after all, but even Frank Lebouf, Marco Materazzi and Joan Capdevilla have World Cups to their names....
     In the end, we may look back at Griezmann's comments and laugh our heads off....
     On the other side of the coin, he did score and assist in a World Cup final...
     On this international stage, we've also seen the continuing rise of Kylian Mbappe, as he single-handedly took France from the jaws of defeat with a substitute appearance that created an own goal, playing the brilliant through ball that Blaise Matuidi earned the penalty from and then scoring that same penalty with outrageous aplomb, a look of assassin-like confidence.

       This, of course after he scored 4 goals in 13 minutes for his club PSG, all 4 in a match where he hit the post and nearly scored on numerous occasions.  The sky is the limit, truly for Mbappe and it'll be intriguing to see how his ascendancy takes flight. Who will he influence to play with him or what players will move to another club to get away from Mbappe's mere existence for playing time, the goals and the spotlight?
      Would he (?? Could he??) waste these talents of his? Could his ruthless confidence churn over into boiling arrogance?
       In the world of futbol, anything is possible, but most likely, Mbappe is here to stay and is already at a level higher than Griezmann's, despite the Atletico Madrid striker's fantastic and reliable goalscoring and link-up play.


WHERE WE STAND

- Barcelona need defenders and they needed them months ago. Clement Lenglet is new and untested, although looked great vs Tottenham, Samuel Umtiti's knee is making him sit until January at the least, Thomas Vermaelen is made of fiberglass and has rumored to be a human pinata and all Gerard Pique cares about his tennis

(despite international retirement supposedly enhancing Pique's dedication to Barcelona and his in between match rest, he has traveled more miles than the Spanish national team in hopes of sponsoring his own low level tennis tournament). In other areas, Lionel Messi and Sergi Busquets definitely need rest, with Messi and Suarez getting some well needed recovery time these last few days and Busquets being slavishly played every minute for Spain, as always. Busquets is someone to watch, not just for how brilliant and important he is, but for how tired he may be from so much playing time in a row without a moment's rest, thanks to the brutality of dumbfounded manager Ernesto Valverde's lack of rotation.
RUMORS:Ajax prodigy Matthias De Ligt or Tottenham and Belgium master Toby Alderweireld are rumored options for new Barcelona center backs come January.

- Liverpool have had some intense injury woes, with Virgil Van Dijk taking it straight in the ribs and, according to Dutch national team manager Ronald Koeman, taking painkilling injections just to stand breathing, Naby Keita having a hamstring injury, Sadio Mane breaking his thumb before his match with Senegal and Mohammed Salah coming off in the 88th minute (you can't make this type of bad luck up) of his match with Egypt. What's next? Jordan Henderson stretchered off with a torn penis after buying a pack of gummy bears from a Melwood training ground vending machine? Bobby Firmino's non-patched eye gets poked out by the corner of a teenager's cell phone?
RUMORS: Look for Daniel Sturridge to get lots of opportunities. Van Dijk and Salah have reportedly (Liverpool Echo?) returned to training.

- Bayern Munich are listless, full of tired, bitter players and strife is creeping in the dressing room. In an already tough and extreme squad, with the likes of the always ready for blood Franck Ribery and his guillotine French Revolution protestations, Arjen Robben's Dutch opinionated anger and cunning, Thomas Muller's flaccid, German libertarianism in attack (he cares not whether he scores or assists or shits the ball into the net) and in his choice of sexual invitations and James Rodriguez's wandering, bittersweet only 2 assists and quit mentality. Nico Kovac is already having a tough-go.
RUMORS: Look for massive changes at Bayern Munich next season.

- Real Madrid look like the Irish national team in attack, the 2002 Spanish national team in midfield and the North Koreans in the 2010 World Cup in defense.
RUMORS: Benzema, or the rotting corpse known as Karim Benzema, is on the outs, Lopetegui's anus has been displayed on a projector in the Madrid board room for all to see and Asensio inconsistency.

-  Arsenal are looking impressive and withstanding  a complete lack of media criticism for once under new man Unai Emery, who's shown faith and trust in young Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi to orchestrate and press in midfield, with Torreira in particular demonstrating an absolute world class midfield arsenal, from the way in which he tackles with commitment, to his unceasingly dangerous dead ball deliveries. Alexandre Lacazette and Aubameyang                                             

up top have scored and assisted each other and the team with an almost preternatural existence up top, with Danny Welbeck and newbie Emil Smith-Rowe showing Unai Emery he doesn't necessarily need Mesut Ozil.
RUMORS: Aaron Ramsey is gonna go and it is a shame they couldn't get anything in exchange for him. Stunning that all of Wilshere, Walcott, Gibbs, Oxlade-Chamberlain and now it looks to be Ramsey, all have left the club. Once the future, now the past. Can Unai make the fans forget?


BEST PLAYERS ON THE PLANET (RIGHT NOW):
1. Lionel Messi 
2. Eden Hazard (just barely below Messi, the closest he has ever been)
3. Kylian Mbappe
4. Neymar
5. Antoine Griezmann

MOST UNDERRATED PLAYER:
- Memphis Depay (Lyon / Netherlands): Cannot stop creating, cannot stop scoring or coming close, the young former Man United flop is delivering on the promise of the 2014 World Cup and we may need to thank Ronald Koeman for that

SURE BETS:
- A well rested Lionel Messi to go off for a desperate and defensively vulnerable Barcelona in the next few matches, most likely culminating in an El Clasico beatdown of Madrid 

-Raheem Sterling to continue his outrageous form for England and City

-Jadon Sancho to come off of the bench, or start, for Borussia Dortmund and notch an assist or two, or three...

-Arsenal to keep getting results

-Chelsea to pass people to death and continue to impress through Barkley, Hazard obviously and Jorginho

-Real Madrid to struggle 

-Bayern Munich to rebound in the league, but decay in the Champions League

-Ajax youngsters Hakim Ziyech, Matthias De Ligt, David Neres and Frenkie De Jong to continue to go bonkers on Eredivisie opposition

-Lyon's Tanguay Ndombele to continue his fantastic form, with Houssem Aouar as well displaying his capabilities in midfield

-New Monaco man and one of the three greatest players to walk the planet, Thierry Henry will have much success as manager at his maiden club and will foster the young talents of Belgian World Cup star Youri Tielemans, Keita Balde once he returns from loan, Djibril Sidibe, young French starlet Willem Guebbels, Barca youth machine Jordi Mboula who should be a fantastic player under Henry's tutelage and he should also improve the fortunes of struggling Russian World Cup star, Aleksandr Golovin.