WHY SAY ANYTHING?

As the International Champion’s Cup draws to a close we can only wonder at the “expert’s” comments that a team, travelling half way round the world to play another team located 30 miles away in England, can benefit from such a trip.

Other than money, for example, is there any reason why Manchester United and Liverpool would fly reserve teams to Michigan for a game of football!?

The tournament is played over three continents with some of the clubs never playing each other despite the fact that it isn’t a knockout competition.

Despite this, the theory and rules are actually quite good with all the onus placed on attack-minded football and points are awarded based on performance. A win is worth three points whereas a win on penalties is worth two. Losing on penalties will still get one point for the team and, obviously with this system, there are no draws.

Nobody outside of the organisers and teams involved knows or cares who wins it and the only ones appearing to profit from this long-distance friendly arrangement are the usual suspects, the promoters and the money men at the clubs involved.

The tournament this year is an even more ridiculous proposition than usual given that most of the “big” teams “big” players are absent having played in the World Cup and been given extended leave.

So if the idea is that teams from Europe just play quality opposition in their pre-season friendlies, why don’t they stay in Europe? Surely it would be less expensive and, at this time of year, the weather is just as good as in America or Asia. In fact, with it not being quite as hot the conditions are actually better!

Taking depleted squads halfway round the world doesn’t even make particularly good sense when we look at the real reason the top teams do it – money.

Arsenal and Atlético Madrid are watched by eleven passers-by, a man who went for a lof of bread and two women out walking their dogs

When Arsenal, for example, played Atlético Madrid at the National Stadium in Singapore the crowd of 23,095 was less than half of the capacity. This was, of course, due to the absence of some World Cup stars such as Antoine Griezmann and Diego Costa, to name but two.

The powers-that-be at the clubs will have known the risk before embarking on these tours but decided that the reward was worth it.

Based on this then we have to agree that the likes of United, City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Bayern Münich, Juventus, PSG, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Spurs, for example, will all return home having made a profit which, after all, is far more important than entertaining any fans or even letting them see the star players in action.

Unlike in the majority of other industries, there is nothing to stop football clubs selling their future products and then providing inferior quality. You don’t always get what you think you have paid for.

And finally…..

According to Tuttosport, an esteemed Italian publication, Chelsea have accepted a bid of around £65 million from Manchester United for Willian.

Why should we believe that the Italians know better what is going on between a London club and a Manchester club with regards to a Brazilian player than our own highly respected scribes? Simple, because they were right about Cristiano Ronaldo going to Juventus when Fleet Street’s finest hadn’t a clue, (as usual).

Now it could be argued that they had a little inside information on the Ronaldo deal, what with them being in Italy along with Juventus at the time it was occurring, but they still got it right unlike in England where the media generally don’t know what is going on between two English clubs over an English player.

The signing Tuttosport knew all about but, then again they would, wouldn’t they?

We are now heading off for our Italian lessons so that we can find out what is happening with the potential transfer of Harry Maguire from Leicester City to Manchester United.