Sam Lee

Big article on a big goalkeeper 💥How he fits in new-look City 💥The technical details of his Anfield save 💥Improvement in his punching 💥His importance to team spirit 💥Irked by idea he can’t pass (so is Pep) nytimes.com/athletic/70361…

The ball was bundled into the net at the far post and the visiting supporters went wild. While the celebrations continued, I was sitting 136 miles away, in a dark corner of a TV studio in west London, fearing the worst. As the video assistant referee (VAR), I had spotted three potential offences in the build-up. As I worked through the checks, it felt like the walls were closing in, the darkness was intensifying and my mouth was getting drier while my heartbeat rose. In 20 years as a referee on the pitch, I never felt the kind of pressure that goes with being a VAR. Eventually, more than three minutes after the goal had been scored, I confirmed that it could stand. It had felt like a waste of everyone’s time, that a joyous and spontaneous moment had been ruined by a nerd desperate to find cause to wreak misery. Nothing could be further from the truth. Referees are people too, and feel the pain inflicted by a video review system that is simply not fit for purpose. Graham Scott, The Athletic's new referee columnist. 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/71836…

🎙️ LET ME TALK: LIVERPOOL With @SamLee away, join @DomFarrell1986 and @DavidMooney to discuss: 🔹 Is this... the click? 🔹 Haaland back to form 🔹 Cherki and the midfield 🔹 Khusanov's performances 🎧 Sign up to listen in any podcast app: lmtpod.city

@Halliwell1986 He was a lovely fella. But yes

@SamLee Did you flying roundhouse kick them in the face?

Have genuinely been in Japan for one hour and somebody has already said to me that Guardiola doesn’t like Cherki because he does too many skills

@naskabir11 I think I’ve seen one and it was Liverpool, but I think that was a tourist. I remember from being here in 2023 that team shirts aren’t common unless there’s a game on

@SamLee Which premier League team shirts did you notice the most dude?

@____TJ_______ My thoughts on fashion is that you can wear anything if you do it with confidence, but he pushes it

Thoughts this time @SamLee

Ruben Dias stars in the latest edition of “wtf has Ruben Dias turned up to training wearing”

"A young market trader at the Siyob Bazaar [in Samarkand, Uzbekistan], where fruit, ceramics, spices and tea are sold for a pittance, doesn’t know the English word for money, or father, but mention the words ‘Premier League’ and the look of recognition is instant. "'Khusanov, Manchester City, Premier League,' he says..." ✍️ @TimSpiers nytimes.com/athletic/71578…

🎙️ LET ME TALK: MAILBAG Join @SamLee and @DavidMooney to discuss: 🔹 Rodri's interview, injury, and future 🔹 More on Guardiola's future 🔹 Getting Foden back to form 🔹 All the 115 rumours 🎧 Sign up to listen in any podcast app: lmtpod.city

@Rosenbergradio On the contrary… sounds great

not aging great

@eajwhite Yeah City were planning to offer him loads last summer

@SamLee Wasn’t there chat of a mega deal like what Haaland got? Then acl, could be city have only offered a few years and he’s pressuring for more?

The Rodri answers about Madrid felt inevitable to me. He’s done a couple of post-match interviews with Spanish reporters in the last fortnight, which is quite rare, and it felt to me - and I may be wrong - that he was ready to drop some kind of hint about his future. International breaks are usually good for that. I feel City’s squad doesn’t need much work this summer as it’s very strong, but if Rodri and Bernardo go then it’s a bigger job. Rodri does say he’s happy in the PL for now so it may be that he does the last year of his deal, or even stays, but it’s interesting that he’s still open to the idea of playing for Madrid (he always has been) after the Balon d’Or stuff.

@tancredipalmeri What’s funny is you posted this in a patronising manner and it’s you that doesn’t understand This was in late in the 80th minute 2-0 up Cherki was keeping the ball and had no intention in delivering the ball

@Murd1973 @DailyMail If he has to

@DailyMail @SamLee

'Woke' BBC 'pulls' Bob Monkhouse Repair Shop episode after complaints over 'sexist jokes' trib.al/GVDCwKz

🎙️ LET ME TALK: ARSENAL (part two) Join @SamLee, @DomFarrell1986 and @DavidMooney to discuss: 🔹 Baiting the press (and not pressing) 🔹 Second goalkeepers 🔹 Guardiola's future 🔹 Cherki, Doku, Nunes 🎧 Sign up to listen in any podcast app: lmtpod.city

@derbymanager @TheAthleticFC they've rebuilt the squad, playing very well at times but still have flaws. That's normal with the amount of new players, especially given how they usually play and the things they're now learning

@TheAthleticFC @SamLee Underachieving massively let’s face it they should be top and far more dominant n terms of wages and expenditure - no other team can bury transfer mistakes like them, or have J Stones as 5th choice centre back etc. Don’t get the ass kissing from media.

Yes, Manchester City are flawed. Yes, they get caught on the break. They miss chances. They fade in second halves. But they proved against Arsenal just how good they are… and why they could be Pep Guardiola’s next great creation. 📝 @SamLee 🔗 nytimes.com/athletic/71389…

Shame Guardiola’s not on twitter (🙃) because I feel he needs to see this

Big game for Guardiola’s belief in the team. ‘Nobody bet £1 on us, even me.’ ‘I didnt believe we could do it against that Arsenal team.’ ‘My emotions are linked to our performance’. Hell of a week to be deciding his future (reportedly) nytimes.com/athletic/71389…

🎙️ LET ME TALK: ARSENAL Join @SamLee and @DavidMooney to discuss: 🔹 Carabao Beer 🔹 The performance against Arsenal 🔹 Nico O'Reilly's stature in the team 🔹 Cherki, Trafford, Doku 🎧 Sign up to listen in any podcast app: lmtpod.city