Live

Highlights on Off The Ball

02:00 PM-06:00 PM

Highlights on Off The Ball
Advertisement
Soccer

Sunday Night Takeaway: Louis' Lads show promise and Gaelic football's new 'Mark' leads to doubts

Another weekend comes to an end and it's Manchester City that have got their hands on the first b...



Sunday Night Takeaway: Louis&#...
Soccer

Sunday Night Takeaway: Louis' Lads show promise and Gaelic football's new 'Mark' leads to doubts

Another weekend comes to an end and it's Manchester City that have got their hands on the first big trophy in English football this season.

Meanwhile, Arsenal felt the wrath of Marcus Rashford at Old Trafford as Manchester United had something to smile widely about at long last.

Louis Lads

Louis van Gaal has been long enough at Old Trafford (at least in modern terms) to have a crop of youngsters tenuously named after him by commentators.

Thus Louis' Lads spearheaded by the four-goals-in-two-games-teenager Marcus Rashford, long-named left-back Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, winger Jesse Lingard and Paddy McNair are being heralded as part of a new crop that are unlikely to rival Fergie's Fledglings but have come by opportunities through first team stars injuries and Van Gaal's willingness to give them a chance.

Rashford came up trumps again today to help sink Arsenal and while Man United are still far from their pedestal, the freedom of youthful exuberance made for a far more vibrant performance than United fans have been used to seeing in the last few months.

The Gunners on the other hand should be disappointed that they did not test a make-shift defence consisting of Guillermo Varela, Michael Carrick, Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo (replaced by Timothy Fosu-Mensah later on due to injury) often enough given the talent they had up front.

And Alexis Sanchez's form will be a worry as he struggles to return to the potency that he is capable of.

Liverpool's head coach Juergen Klopp passes his players as they line up before the English League Cup final soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

Liverpool's challenge 

Man City learnt their lesson from the 4-1 Premier League defeat against the same opposition, albeit needing penalties to overcome Liverpool in the penalty shootout.

But more so on Jurgen Klopp's side, there is much to ponder ahead of next season with Liverpool carrying a squad packed with mostly mediocre talent from goalkeeper to higher up the field.

If the Reds want to be regular trophy winners again, it's hard to imagine the likes of James Milner, Jordan Henderson or Simon Mignolet being core parts of any future success.

Good players though all three may be at their very best, (and this is picking out just a small sample size from a squad that leaves a lot to be desired), great is what Liverpool aspire to and Klopp has plenty to chew over to turn the current crop into gold.

Congress leaves much to ponder

The 2016 edition of GAA's annual meeting of delegates came to an end with a number of motions failing to attain the necessary two-thirds majority.

But one that did pass will be a major talking point as it is implemented.

The proposal to introduce the Mark just made it through at 68%, and has led to much debate about whether it is workable and will have a positive effect on the game.

Billy Joe Padden gave his take on the rule change on Off The Ball and he feels that it will contribute to an increase in defensive football.

Certainly we will be hearing more on this as the days, weeks and months pass just as when the black card was introduced as a means of clamping down on cynical fouling.

Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!

Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.


Read more about

Soccer