I’m interested in words. They way they sound, their meanings, because all words can mean slightly different, or even vastly different things. And I love a new word. Just because. And if its an Arabic word, so what? I can borrow it.

Most of the Arab world uses the word ‘naqba’ to describe the day Israel became an independent state. It means ‘disaster’ or ‘catastrophe’. I use the word in slightly different context, to describe the day my football team imploded. Catastrophically. Disastrously.

It wasn’t even a normal ‘catastrophe’ which would have been merely losing to any team, but Chelsea in particular. This is less metaphorical and way more literal than that would have been.

Romero got sent off. We lose him for 3 matches. Destiny Udogie was sent off and will miss a few too. Both ‘stars’ in the current (til last night) wave of wonder. James Madison, the best player in the league, limped off with a dodgy ankle, followed by Micky Van der Ven, our new and really star defender, with what looked like major hamstring trouble.

Half the team was either kicked off or carried off the pitch. And by the time the dust settled, we were down to 9 men, half of those substitutes. So what do you do?

What most do is two things:
1. Sit 8 men permanently on the edge of the box and stay put.
2. Start working out the statement blaming VAR for all the woes and unfairness.

Postecoglou is not ‘most’. What he did was:
1. Sit his 8 men on the half way line. So we could attack, given an opportunity, and playing a very dangerous ‘offside game’. Which was so dangerous it failed 3 times and Chelsea scored 3 of their goals from them. Well, actually, they scored the same goal 3 times. Mainly due to the players we lost were the fast ones. And you can’t play an offside trap depending on the likes of Eric Dier to race back and do something useful. With Van der Ven it may have worked, but he was on his way to hospital by then.
2. The fact that there were 4 disallowed goals by VAR in the first half alone speaks volumes. Neither I nor Ange is blaming VAR for our woes, they were certainly self-inflicted. We leave the blame game to Arteta and Klopp.

I love Cristian Romero deeply, madly, truly. I would bear his children. But he needs to keep his cool and return to the more disciplined style he’s managed this whole season until last night. His sending off tackle was almost as bad as Kai Havertz’s on the weekend.
And Udogie has been a revelation. But again, he narrowly missed a sending off in the first half, so thought it a good idea to repeat it in the second?

We’re still second in the league and I’m still loving Ange. And the fans who were there sang their little hearts out right to the final whistle, in support and love for they way our team played and our manager managed.

There was no shame.

Just a touch of upset. Bit of anger, maybe…

Happy Tuesday

A xxxx