Michael Cox

The 2024 version of The Mixer is out now. The most comprehensive account of the Premier League’s on-pitch development over its first 32 years. Amazon link ⬇️ amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/000870…

@Dan__B94 You are right, in fairness. A mid-season World Cup (and the lack of a holiday before the club season resuming) probably helped.

@Zonal_Marking He was also very good in the few months after the World Cup tbf! And again, Ten Hag wanted him to play like he had the stamina of a marathon runner.

Let's be honest: for Brazilians at a certain stage it's all about the World Cup. Club football is largely training / selection for that. Casemiro looked sharp around WC2022. He was completely off it about 2024. He's had a great resurgence ahead of WC2026. x.com/TeleFootball/s…

@CallumNeeter If had been told that he wasn't in Brazil's WC plans there's no chance that he'd be playing like this. This would be his semi-retirement.

@Zonal_Marking I think this is only part of it with Casemiro, the WC is undoubtedly the big one, but i suspect he also feels this is the last time he'll play top level club football too, so there's an element of leaving it all on the field, before going off to enjoy semi retirement in MLS

@Dan__B94 If you like, but there's been plenty of discussion about Man Utd's tactical issues. No-one ever says the reality: in summer 2022 he signed a four-year contract and his two key months were Nov/Dec 2022 and June/July 2026 - and sure enough he's been good in the lead-up to those.

@Zonal_Marking Also can’t ignore Ten Hag’s absolutely mental tactical demands that season

@spooner_ian I mean he lost his footing twice and conceded goals. Whether that was a technical error, or a footwear problem, or a pitch problem, or just unlucky is up for debate. But it's fine to substitute players who are not performing well.

@Zonal_Marking Yes, the career over hyperbole was OTT. But subbing a player after 18 minutes was out of order….if I recall only one of the goals was a direct result of an error by him. And yes, he’s looking great now.

Nice to see Kinsky playing well and being the star but it also shows how OTT the reaction was to his substitution at Atletico: pundits being sympathetic, while also saying "well that's his career done". He was having a bad game and got taken off! That's just how it works.

@mrbradleyg1t @ben_bowman_ he just wasn't a top goalkeeper as was obvious from the 18 months leading up to that and has had about the career I would have expected

@Zonal_Marking @ben_bowman_ Karius never recovered from his big champions league humiliation vs Real Madrid

@kpm584 Yeah he seems like a nice chap

@Zonal_Marking Me too. I’m actually a Liverpool fan & would always tell my mates he’d end up in the Bundesliga 2 so I was delighted that he proved me right in the end 🤣 I’m pleased he’s done so well this season that said. Be nice for him if not every football fan remembers him for THAT game.

@kpm584 Yeah, Mignolet wasn't great but I didn't get Karius at all. I guess they thought he had room to develop and become better. But yeah, even if he doesn't play that CL final I think he probably has roughly the same career path

@Zonal_Marking I fully agree with you on this funnily enough. He was never better than even Mignolet! That was very much a case of the manager picking him based on the fact he’d signed him.

@kpm584 Karius was never good enough. He was hugely fortunate to get the run he had with Liverpool - I don't think he should have been No 1 - and I think he's had the subsequent career his ability merited, from what I saw of him.

@Zonal_Marking I get you point but it did feel at least a small bit like his spurs career couldn’t recover, to me. Reminded me of Karius in 2018. Of course had Liverpool just persevered with him, he could have had a similar arc to Kinsky.

@BLewtasLFC But he was never good enough to be Liverpool's No1 and was, let's be honest, hugely fortunate to be anywhere near a CL final. I think he's probably had roughly the (subsequent) career his ability merits.

@Zonal_Marking Obviously different scenario, but Karius for us had that infamous final in Kyiv for us and his career literally was not the same after. He is an anomaly though. Players usually do get a 2nd chance even after a tough performance like that!

@kpm584 It's rarer, of course. It's also rare for a keeper to lose his footing twice in 15 minutes. It was obviously a tough watch. But football moves on quickly, it was all very strange to act like he wouldn't ever recover.

@Zonal_Marking Yes and no. It doesn’t often work like that with goalkeepers, does it?

@NikhilSaglani Yeah tough situation, but football moves on pretty quickly.

@Zonal_Marking Yep, I said at the time that he'd definitely play for Spurs again. It was a bad game on a pitch that better/more experienced players have struggled on, that he probably shouldn't have been thrown into!

@brucemillington @SkyBet @England I thought the same. But he's called up 51 since taking over. Which doesn't include, say, Shaw, Welbeck, Branthwaite or Tyrick Mitchell!

@SkyBet @England I really hope we get to see this list. Would be some mad names on it.

Thomas Tuchel will submit a provisional @England World Cup squad of up to 55 names to FIFA today 📝 Name ONE player that should be on that list that isn't on most people's radar 🦁

Barcelona’s second goal yesterday both clinched the title and summed up their system perfectly ⬇️ nytimes.com/athletic/72697…

@Dhagoniel Good to know!

@Zonal_Marking I just wish you could enjoy Art a little bit:( 🙏🏼

“I want it to be, like, Messi” 🤝

@Dhagoniel My “takes” are largely based around what he and his mangers said about his performances at the time. Great international player, incredible talent, not a very consistent club player by any means. Cheers!

@Zonal_Marking This tweet smells like guinness (vitamin g) or something like that, which is very nice. But it reminds me of your takes about Zidane, which is embarrassing

@_jkpnro thanks, much appreciated

@Zonal_Marking very good work though

@_jkpnro haha can understand that, yeah

@Zonal_Marking did not have you down for knowing Olivia Rodrigo lyrics