Ross Barkley’s difficult return, VAR inconsistency in the FA Cup, Nuno Espírito Santo impresses and James Maddison’s class.Find the more sport news from SHINE.
1) Barkley gets the Goodison pariah treatment Ross Barkley would have known what kind of reception awaited him at Goodison Park: the type rained down on previous Everton escapees such as Wayne Rooney and Joleon Lescott. Goodison might not be much longer for this world, with the latest suggestion being a new stadium for 2023, but for now it retains old‑fashioned menace to those who have transgressed the Evertonian code. Barkley’s crime among the faithful is to have left Goodison on a cut-price transfer to Chelsea in the January transfer window of last year after running down his contract. As he left the field after being substituted in the 65th minute, he responded to the hail of jeers by applauding all sides of the stadium.
To Barkley’s credit, he has made himself a regular under Maurizio Sarri but like so many other Chelsea players at Goodison – and this season – he is wasted by the Neapolitan’s rigid thinking. 2) Nuno’s Wolves go from strength to strength Wolves fans have been singing “Nuno’s the Special One” for a while but their chant carried particular pertinence on Saturday, as their Portuguese manager helped their team to outclass Manchester United. The hosts were sharper and shrewder at Molineux, a well‑honed unit against an extravagant mishmash. Ole Gunnar Solskjær did not seem to know what to do. He waited too long to make changes even though several of his players looked off the pace, especially in midfield, where, when the going got tough, captain Paul Pogba went missing. Perform like this again and United will be ridiculed by Barcelona in the Champions League and fail to climb back into the Premier League’s top four. “Man United, in April and May, we always find our form,” said Solskjær, who is in tune with the club’s glorious past but needs to do more in the coming week to prove he deserves to remain as manager next season. 3) Brighton have to do it the hard way Brighton would have cried foul if they had not reached the last four of the FA Cup at Millwall’s expense.
Chris Hughton felt they should have had a penalty in the first half, argued that Alex Pearce’s opener for Millwall should have been ruled out and was aggrieved when Jürgen Locadia had a goal disallowed for an incorrect offside decision against Martín Montoya in the final minute of extra time. VAR would probably have come to Brighton’s aid on all three occasions but the technology is not being used at grounds not in the Premier League. “It’s not fair,” Hughton said. “If I’m a team that benefited from it in one game, then I don’t think it’s fair on the teams that don’t benefit from it.” Brighton advanced after winning on penalties but the inconsistency worked against Swansea in their defeat by Manchester City. 4) Swansea’s James attracting admirers Pep Guardiola chuckled and raised his eyebrows as he described the speed with which the Swansea winger Daniel James soared away from Nicolás Otamendi. The 21‑year‑old’s 80-yard dance downfield against Brentford sparked Swansea to victory in the fifth round and, against Manchester City, the Wales international again relished centre stage, only this time the defenders he reduced to all fours were Premier League champions. The Championship side eventually wilted but they have laid down a marker for the rest of the season. “When I first came here, David Silva told me that at Swansea they always play good, and that this team always want to play.
And we saw that.” As for James, who was set to join Leeds in January for a fee rising to £10m only for Swansea to pull the plug at the 11th hour, eye-catching performances such as these could start a bidding war. 5) Maddison excels in unfamiliar role Brendan Rodgers has not yet been at Leicester for three weeks but suffice to say he was not surprised when James Maddison struck with an inch-perfect free-kick.
The manager recalled events on the training ground on Friday. “He had four free-kicks like that in succession where he bent it into the top corner. Top-level players can do that, find the top corner. That’s his strength, his technique, whether it’s a through-pass to Jamie Vardy or a free-kick. It’s not by accident.” If Maddison’s efforts were all the more admirable as illness kept him up on Friday night, he also showed his adaptability. Gareth Southgate cited the fact England do not use a No 10 to explain Maddison’s omission from his squad, but neither did Leicester in the rejig after Harry Maguire’s fourth-minute red card. Maddison excelled at finding space when cutting infield from a new role on the left.