REAL UNEASE<\/p>\n
Anxious to sample some traditional Spanish culture while taking in a La Liga match years ago, Football Daily and some friends decamped to Gran Alicant. As we prepared to leave a quaint bodega (the Dick Turpin), where we\u2019d been sampling the local hooch (Guinness), to travel to the nearby stadium, an elderly local resident with an unmistakable mackem accent informed us that the Elche home game to which we were heading was not being played until the following evening. It had fallen victim to Spanish TV\u2019s infuriating habit of rescheduling random top-flight matches with little or no notice or consideration for Johnny-come-latelys who might have travelled from afar to watch them. We never did get to see Elche play in the flesh but did get to watch the current La Liga basement-dwellers give Jos\u00e9 Mourinho an almighty fright on TV on Tuesday night, as they went this close to snatching a point from Real Madrid<\/a>.<\/p>\n Allowed to spend 14 times more on players and coaching staff than their hosts at the Estadio Mart\u00ednez Valero under La Liga<\/a> rules, it was no surprise to see Real Madrid go 2-0 up as they appeared to be cruising towards a routine rout of their lowly opposition. However, a succession of missed chances (hello, Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior) followed by second-half sucker punches from Abiel Osorio and Fer Ni\u00f1o meant Mourinho was sweating as Elche approached the final seven minutes on the front foot, looking for an unlikely winner. Sadly, there was no fairytale and Carlos Esp\u00ed popped up with a late, late winner to break Elche hearts and dig his side out of one of several holes they have already found themselves in this season. While a balmy Tuesday night in Elche may not be the most glamorous of environments, not for the first, second, third, fourth or even 534th time in their history, Madrid found a way.<\/p>\n \u201cThree points and nothing more,\u201d harrumphed Mourinho in his post-match interview. \u201cThe problem seems obvious to me. It\u2019s harder to know why but it\u2019s easier to understand that there are matches that seem over but in the end, aren\u2019t. Matches where we have three, four, five chances to finish them but don\u2019t. After failing to do so, it feels like we go from ease to losing control. With the changes I made in the end, I took all the risks. We won but I could have lost.\u201d Modest to a T, as ever, Mourinho will be hoping for a better performance from his team when they make the short trip to the Wanda Metropolitano to face their city rivals Atl\u00e9tico on Sunday (or Saturday, depending on the whims of broadcasters) before the international break.<\/p>\n While the out-of-sorts Vin\u00edcius Jr did little on Tuesday night beyond convince Arsenal fans they may have dodged a very expensive summer bullet, he was one of three Madrid stars who refused to show off T-shirts showing solidarity with the people of Ceuta that were handed to both sets of players as they made their way out on to the pitch before kick-off. Along with Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 and Ibrahima Konat\u00e9, Vin\u00edcius Jr chose not to show the slogan \u201cTodos somos caballas\u201d (\u201cWe are all mackerels\u201d), in support of the Spanish exclave which was overwhelmed by the arrival of 80,000 migrants, mostly from Morocco, in recent months. Subsequently lambasted in some quarters for being too supportive of the migrants and not supportive enough of the citizens of Ceuta, it was an awkward situation where the Madrid players were put on the spot and simply couldn\u2019t do right for doing wrong.<\/p>\n LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE<\/p>\n Join Niall McVeigh at 8pm (BST) for a red-hot Bigger Vase clockwatch, while Will Unwin will be on deck at the same time for Rumblews Cup goal updates.\u200a<\/p>\n QUOTE OF THE DAY<\/p>\n \u201cI texted a friend after the match and I just wrote, \u2018I regret that I didn\u2019t eat some grass after the match to keep something from this in my body forever\u2019. That was the feeling. That was the moment\u201d \u2013 as part of the FA\u2019s forthcoming feature \u2018Reflections: England\u2019s World Cup Journey\u2019, Thomas Tuchel was recently interviewed by Daniel Sturridge about the aftermath of England\u2019s famous 3-2 win over Mexico<\/a> at the Azteca, and made a bizarre admission about his eating habits while showing an alarming misunderstanding of the body\u2019s digestive system.<\/p>\n Thomas Tuchel failed to mention what he was chewing during that second half with Argentina. Photograph: Ricardo Mazal\u00e1n\/AP<\/p>\n double quotation markI almost wish I was a West Ham fan. As an eternally suffering Spurs supporter, I find myself looking enviously towards the London Stadium these days. The Hammers are top of the table, banging in goal after goal (already 20 more than Spurs\u2019 tally in the league). They score even when they lose and seem to have bought a proper No 9. My Spurs, meanwhile, continue the tradition of the last two years in style, sitting comfortably in 17th with 1,047 wingers on contract, and getting knocked out of one of the competitions they could \u2018conceivably\u2019 have won, the only competition they seem to be able to score goals in as well. In hindsight, West Ham made the right choice to go down. Hammers fans, you are welcome!\u201d \u2013 Yannick Woudstra (and no others).<\/p>\n double quotation markHugh Fordham\u2019s idea [Tuesday\u2019s Football Daily letters<\/a>] has some merit. But it reminded me of a pithy comment by Bill Nicholson. \u2018Do you think he was interfering with play?\u2019, he was asked. Nicholson responded: \u201cIf he\u2019s not interfering with play, what\u2019s he doing on the pitch?!\u2019\u201d \u2013 Harry McDonald.<\/p>\n double quotation markIn support of Hugh Fordham\u2019s suggestion, I remember discussing the idea of interfering with play while on a training course for referees back in the 1960s. We were told that unless someone was \u2018lying injured near the corner flag\u2019 any player should be treated as being involved in play. Not a lot of room for subjectivity in those days. And obviously no thought of stopping play for the hypothetical injured player!\u201d \u2013 Trevor Field.<\/p>\n If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com<\/a>. Today\u2019s prizeless letter o\u2019 the day goes to \u2026 Harry McDonald. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here<\/a>.\u200a<\/p>\n \u200aTHERE\u2019S ALWAYS A BIGGER MISTAKE<\/p>\n After profiting from a VAR blunder in the Manchester derby, Enzo Maresca has gone on the offensive, claiming that City are still awaiting an apology<\/a> for an apparently dodgy goal that helped United in the same fixture three years ago. City lost at Old Trafford in 2023<\/a> after Bruno Fernandes equalised despite Marcus Rashford being in an offside position. \u201cSometimes it happens for you, sometimes it happens against you. It\u2019s football,\u201d parped Maresca, in comments eerily similar to the ones we used to hear in a blissful pre-VAR world.<\/p>\n NEWS, BITS AND BOBS<\/p>\n Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer for English football, has described the law around accidental handball as \u201ca bit of a nonsense\u201d<\/a> and called for its reform to stop referees being drawn into \u201cridiculous situations\u201d.<\/p>\n It is Sunderland\u2019s first European match for 53 years and Granit Xhaka plans to give the Stadium of Light a whole new meaning as they welcome AZ Alkmaar in Bigger Vase. \u201cThe stadium will be on fire,\u201d<\/a> said Sunderland\u2019s captain, who we hope was talking figuratively. \u201cAnd I want to see our players on fire, on and off the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019m a firestarter. Twisted firestarter.\u2019 Photograph: Lee Smith\/Action Images\/Reuters<\/p>\n Good news for the Buenos Aires brand of Kleenex: Lionel Messi will make a farewell \u2060appearance<\/a> in a friendly against Benin in October after his international retirement.<\/p>\n Serie A side Bologna have hoofed \u2060Domenico Tedesco after just four matches in charge, with former Fiorentina and Atalanta coach Raffaele Palladino jumping into the still-warm void in the dugout.<\/p>\n Aberdeen have appointed Adrian Bevington as their new chief suit. The former FA communications head-honcho will start in his role immediately.<\/p>\n Milk Cup updates! Max Dowman starred as Arsenal swatted aside Ipswich<\/a>, while Oscar Bobb scored the winning goal for Fulham<\/a> at West Ham.<\/p>\n STILL WANT MORE?<\/p>\n Coventry have no points, Spurs have no goals and Villa have dipped again. But what does a bad start really mean? Opta\u2019s David Segar has the answers<\/a>.<\/p>\n Andy Hunter spoke with Lewis Koumas<\/a> after the young Liverpool forward\u2019s player-of-the-match award in the 3-1 Fizzy Cup win over Spurs<\/a>. \u201cYou never know when your last time on the pitch for Liverpool is going to be,\u201d he roared. \u201cI just try to leave everything out there every time.\u201d<\/p>\n Lewis Koumas running fast, earlier. Photograph: Robbie Jay Barratt\/AMA\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Iranian football has returned in the shadow of war and with a row over last league title. John Duerden has the latest<\/a>.<\/p>\n All aboard the hype train<\/a>! Leander Schaerlaeckens on whether 16-year-old Philadelphia Union wonderkid Cavan Sullivan is the real deal.<\/p>\n Glory at 11,000ft: Cusco\u2019s Cienciano aim to bring Peru continental success once again, writes Justo Robles<\/a>.<\/p>\n