Every week, Sportsnet.ca will chat with soccer commentator James Sharman about the big stories and issues surrounding the Premier League.
SN: What are your thoughts on the recent managerial appointments of Brendan Rodgers at Leicester City and Scott Parker at Fulham?
SHARMAN: I think Leicester’s signing Rodgers is a great piece of business. The Northern Irishman couldn’t do much more than he did at Celtic and sadly a European run seems a distant hope at this stage for the Scottish side, so Rodgers gets what he wants, which was a return to England and the Premier League. He will bring an attack-oriented approach to Leicester, and will continue Claude Puel’s underrated work that focuses on bringing youth through to the first team. The Foxes are ambitious, will spend money, and now they have a top manager.
As for Parker, Fulham is a mess, and has dealt with promotion as poorly as a club possibly could. We have no idea as to whether he will turn out to be a great manager, but let’s just hope his bosses listen to him, and give him a chance.
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How do you think Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has handled the Kepa Arrizabalaga saga?
Considering how this could have played out, I think Sarri dealt with it well – aside from the incident itself, when he should have ordered his captain to walk Kepa off the field. Since the incident, Sarri benched Kepa, scolded him publicly, and then put him back in goal. The results? Back to back wins for Chelsea. I’d say that is a win for the coach, and an end to a very unsavoury saga, although I still bet Sarri will be out of a job by the end of the season.
Do you agree with the FA handing Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino a two-match ban following his confrontation with referee Mike Dean?
One thing I can’t stand are players getting in referees’ faces. I think they should get an automatic ban, so I can’t argue when a coach gets sanctioned for something he said, too. Mike Dean clearly felt it was offensive, and regardless of the circumstances, a coach has to be respectful to the officials, so I am fine with the ban.
I doubt this will send a message, but let’s hope the standard is now set for any future issues. Whether it is the fans in the stands, the players on the pitch, or the coaches on the sidelines, the general behavior of football culture is vile, and would not be accepted in any other work place.
Arsenal hosts Manchester United on Sunday. Do you think the Red Devils should remove the “caretaker” label from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and hire him as their full-time manager?
If I am Manchester United, I am not changing a single thing. Yes, Ole should be given the job on a full-time basis, he’s been incredible, but why mess with a good thing? Nothing can be gained by making the move official at this point, so just wait.
There are still important questions to be asked, such as what model will the club use going forward, will there be a director of football, and how much power will the manager have? I am sure he will be offered the job, but let’s not mess with the magic at the moment.
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