In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Aston Villa attacker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, including Ivan Toney’s future, Thiago’s latest injury setback and why blue cards should not be introduced, plus much more.
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Chelsea could still save their season…
The problem isn’t Mauricio Pochettino. The problem has never been him. The problem is the owner, Todd Boehly.
Pochettino has a proven track record of getting the best out of young players, so with some time, he’s going to get it right. I can’t believe there is talk already of him getting the sack. Boehly must know he can’t just go on a sacking spree every few months, not just from a financial aspect, but also because of the instability that creates.
It isn’t all doom and gloom for Chelsea though — I thought they were excellent against Aston Villa in the FA Cup earlier in the week. Admittedly, Villa were poor — they were far from their best, but you can only play what’s in front of you and Chelsea did that really well.
They’ve got one cup final coming up at the end of the month and remain in another, so despite how underwhelming they’ve been domestically, this season could actually turn out to be a decent one for them, which, considering how things have gone, feels a really weird thing to say.
I know fans will say ‘Well, they’ve spent £1 billion on signings, winning the Carabao Cup or FA Cup should be the least they can do’ — and that is true to a certain degree, but let’s not forget, they’ve spent the majority of that £1 billion on young, unproven players, so if they can go on and win a Carabao Cup in their first season, then that is a massive win. It proves these young players have what it takes to win silverware and that can only be a good thing for the future.
Fancy Villa Park, Ivan?
It looks like Ivan Toney is going to be one of the big movers in the summer. It feels almost inevitable that Brentford sell him at the end of the season.
All the big hitters are linked and I am not surprised. I think he’s good enough to lead any team’s line but there will be concerns over his discipline record such as his recent ban for illegal betting. No disrespect to Brentford, but the story of Toney’s suspension was massive, could you imagine how much more it’d have blown up if he was at Manchester United, or Chelsea, or Arsenal? — I think those clubs would have already asked themselves that question. But don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that alone stops him from moving to a big club. He’d be a great fit for all of them.
Rasmus Hojlund has moody Anthony Martial to learn from at the moment but someone like Toney, a more enthusiastic striker; a player who knows how to lead a line, would prove beneficial to a youngster like Hojlund. Arsenal obviously need another striker to help take them to the next level. Chelsea’s lack of goals is well-documented but I expected them to go all out for Victor Osimhen in the summer, so Toney may not be an option for them. I would also love to see Aston Villa join the party.
I know Toney’s preference may be to stay in London, but if he fancies a change of scenery, I would happily drive him to the Midlands myself. Unai Emery is one injury away from having no recognised striker. If Ollie Watkins is sidelined, that only leaves Jhon Duran, and he’s injured himself at the moment, so it’s obvious Villa needs a new forward — Toney would be a superb addition.
What next for Thiago?
Now Thiago is out injured with what is reportedly a serious hamstring injury, it looks like he may never play for Liverpool again. That would be a sad ending for him, the club and the fans, but I think his time at Anfield has been exaggerated slightly.
In my opinion, he’s been average for them since he joined from Bayern Munich in 2020. I think he’s probably been a great addition to the dressing room with his experience, professionalism and leadership qualities, but just talking about his on-field contributions, I don’t think he’s really lived up to expectations.
His contract expires at the end of the season and I think it’s a given that it won’t be extended. He’s 32 years old and with injuries clearly catching him up, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him drift off to either the MLS or Saudi’s Pro League in the summer. I certainly don’t think any top European club are going to make him an offer — I think this phase of his career is probably over with now.
Micky van de Ven is a Galactico in the making…
All the talk around him at the moment is about his speed across the ground after he became the fastest-ever player to play in the Premier League after being clocked at 37.38km/h against Brentford last month — he’s crazy fast!
Van de Ven’s running style actually reminds me of Steven Gerrard, although Gerrard wasn’t as quick across the turf as Spurs’ number 37 is, when you watch clips of the two and how they move, they’re very similar.
But pace aside, Van de Ven looks like a top-quality signing. Fair play to Spurs’ recruitment department because even though he missed a chunk of the season out injured, he looks like he is going to be one of the signings of the season.
He has excellent positional awareness and looks to be a solid leader who communicates and organises his backline. There is no doubt about it, without van de Ven, Ange Postecoglou could not play the way he likes. The high defensive line would not work if he didn’t have a player capable of making such good recovery runs and tackles as van de Ven, so his acquisition alone has transformed a huge part of the way Spurs play.
I think Spurs’ only concern will be keeping hold of him long-term. I really wouldn’t be surprised if Real Madrid or Manchester City come in for him in a season or two — they’ve both probably already got their eye on him. Daniel Levy should already be preparing a new contract for him; one that includes a clause to prevent the club from losing a player that looks like becoming their most valuable asset.
Put blue cards in the bin, not players…
The proposed introduction of blue sin-bin cards needs to be scrapped immediately. What a horrible idea, and let me explain why…
A player makes a tackle with 10 minutes left to play that is a clear foul, but it’s not bad enough to warrant a red card, so what happens? — The ref shows him a yellow card. He has effectively been given a final warning and punished for making a poor challenge.
Now imagine another player, playing the same game, swears under his breath at the ref’s decision. Admittedly, officials need to be shown respect, but what is worse? — The poor tackle or the use of foul language? — The answer is obviously the poor tackle, but with the introduction of a blue card, it would be the player swearing who receives the harsher punishment. Although that player would have been shown a blue card for swearing, he would have effectively been sent off because there is just 10 minutes left to play. That is the kind of scenario where the new rule falls flat on its face. Just leave it alone — the use of yellow and red cards have NEVER been a problem, which is why they’ve been around for so long and why other sports have adopted the same, or similar, procedures.
It’s just a really horrible idea and one that players, clubs, managers and officials probably haven’t been consulted on. I hope the International Football Association Board (IFAB) look at the backlash and realise the vast majority of fans do not want this coming into their game.