I type with fingers stuffed with fish and chips. I am in London for the weekend. We arrived last night, I am two curries deep already and am all hepped up for some Carabao magic. What a final. The trophy is still a trinket, but the storylines floweth over. Arsenal’s profound yearning pitched against a listing Guardiola eager to prove himself to himself again. We are not worthy. More on the Wembley of it all below. 

Also: I am still rocking from this angle of that Harry Kane goal. 😮‍💨

ii. Next week we head to Atlanta for a couple of days. I love the energy of that city so much, and believe that its lemon-pepper-wet majesty is going to be one of the true winners of the World Cup, in terms of the legacy of the spotlight of the tournament. 

Next Friday night, we will take the stage live with Big Boi and Clint Dempsey amongst our guests. Not only will the OutKast icon himself be sitting down with us on March 27 for our World Cup countdown show, but to be joined by Nacogdoches, Texas’ own Clint Dempsey will be a cultural crossover that is sure to be nothing short of magical. Grab your tickets here. 🍑

iii. TAMPA BAY - SAVE THE DATE! We can't wait to head to your city on April 17 for Men in Blazers Live from Tampa Bay, presented by Verizon. Joined by a cast of luminous guests, we'll revel in the magic of the Premier League, shoulder to shoulder with this city’s vibrant footballing faithful. Join us here. 🏝️

iv. I am elated that my David Moyes conversation is out in the world. I know a lot of Everton fans are frustrated by our inconsistent form, especially at home. I really believe that what he has done with such a tactically imbalanced squad—bereft of fullbacks and reliable strikers—is a remarkable achievement, and am quite inspired by his rededication to the mission, which he clearly feels as deeply as when he was a young manager desperate to prove himself first time round. 

Also, I love that Moyes still can’t say James Garner’s last name. (Sorry – as of today, England international James Garner!) 💙

v. Irish Manager Heimir Hallgrimsson also returned to the show this week to talk about his adopted nation’s World Cup playoff tilt. I adore Heimir, whom we first met as the dentist-manager of Iceland in 2016. Man lives to overachieve with island nations. That drops next Thursday. 🇮🇪🇮🇸

vi. Adidas has dropped all their World Cup away kits and there are some absolute beauties. Have a look here. 🥵

vii. Thank you to all those who have sent in photos of themselves reading my book. It thrills me to see it in your hands, whether it is on beaches, on your couch, or with your faithful hound. I wrote this book for you—in the hope it can give a sense of joy and excitement that is in short supply in our world now—and either rekindle your own magical World Cup memories, or make you feel like you lived the Maradona and Zidane of it all, even if you did not. Thanks to Amazon for making the book an editor's pick. Grab yours now. (I also voiced the audiobook myself, which was wonderful and weird to do.) 📚

viii. Lastly, this long-throw statistic is mind-blowing. 🤯

Courage,
ROG

P.S. - Cheers to the weekend, there’s no one doing it like Vermont Green fans. 🍁

Carabao Cup Final Magic: Arsenal vs. Manchester City 🏆 (Sunday, 12:30 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

Arsenal bring their quadruple-curious tendencies into what they hope will be their first of three finals of the season. They face a familiar nemesis: Manchester City. Ferocious in our imaginations, but one humiliated by the impotency of midweek Champions League defeat against Real Madrid. One team is gunning for a domestic treble. The other is aiming for the history of a four-trophy, clean-sweep bender.

We know what Arsenal will do: bring their “winning is its own form of beauty” stylings to Wembley. Will Pep counter with the all-in attacking approach which fell apart at the Bernabéu, or repeat his unexpected Park L’Autobús strategy which scrapped a 1-1 win at the Emirates last September? 

Rog-Stradamus 🔮: City have not beaten Arsenal in three seasons. They will not here. Arsenal are self-admittedly fatigued. In Declan Rice’s words, “I’m shattered… It's been every three days since October.” They have enough to come from behind 2-1 as City once again take a lead only to squander it. Arsenal fans, don’t listen to the haters. Enjoy yourselves.

Bournemouth vs. Manchester United (TODAY, 4 p.m. ET, USA)

The Carrick-aissance has been humanly remarkable to witness. At its core, the resurrection of United has been the ultimate testament to the power of less football. So much more. United soaring into third place in a season in which they have no European football or domestic cup success, and experience glorious, fresh-legged free midweeks. 

Rog-Stradamus 🔮: No Tyler Adams for a couple of weeks, out with a quadricep injury. The 10th-placed Cherries are unbeaten in 10 top-flight games, though five of their last six have been draws. Make that a half dozen. 1-1. 

Brighton vs. Liverpool (Saturday, 8:30 a.m. ET, USA)

Effervescent Liverpool head south in the aftermath of their ecstatic Champions League triumph that delivered so many tropes of joys past: a roaring Anfield, flowing open-play goals which made the pulse soar, capped off by a (now injured!) Mo Salah classic. The AmEx has been some test in recent years. The Reds have not won in their last five visits. Brighton, winners of three of their last four, have come alive. They are the middest mid-table that ever mid-tabled: 10 wins, 10 draws and 10 losses. 

Rog-Stradamus 🔮: Liverpool games = late goals conceded. Incredible that in their record run of eight Premier League goals conceded after the 90th minute, they have either lost or drawn each game. The surprise here will be they don’t concede, and do win. 1-0. 

Everton vs. Chelsea (Saturday, 1:30 p.m. ET, USA)

Well played, Premier League scriptwriters. A reeling Chelsea, in their first game since being slapped on the wrist with a fine for breaking financial rules, play away at Everton, for whom the memory of a recent destabilizing points deduction still stings. 

Rog-Stradamus 🔮: I expect Chelsea to deal with us like they have reportedly dealt with their lineup-leaking mole. 2-1. Massive, much-needed, note-free Rosenior win. 

More: Chelsea’s punishment was surprisingly lenient. Why was the club let off when others were severely punished?

Newcastle vs. Sunderland (Sunday, 8 a.m. ET, USA)

Behold! The 158th Tyne-Wear derby. Unbelievably, Newcastle are on a 10-game winless run in league meetings. Remember the last one in which Nick Woltemade’s brilliantly-angled own goal gave the Black Cats the fine taste of victory beers? Can Eddie Howe shake off the hangover of that 7-2 Champions League Camp Nou humiliation? Sunderland’s problems are physical, not mental. Key players Robin Roefs, Nordi Mukiele, Dan Ballard, and Enzo Le Fée are amongst those facing fitness tests. 

Rog-Stradamus 🔮: Who will be taking the bants-filled post-match photo in front of their own fans? Sunderland can’t score. Newcastle can’t defend. Expect more red cards than shots on goals. 1-0 Sunderland. 

Tottenham vs. Nottingham Forest (Sunday, 10:15 a.m. ET, USA)

Rubberneckers delight at this schadenfreude classic. Two self-soiling entities forced to scrap for our watching delight in a game soaked with indignity at levels known only to the Human Centipede. Children watching at home remember the moral of this one: never aspire to ideas above your station. Neither manager has won a Premier League game. The players will be in the spotlight, but the humiliation and existential dread experienced by both teams was cooked in the boardroom. 

Rog-Stradamus 🔮: Winning the Champions League home leg but losing the war against Atlético gave Spurs fans synthetic joy. A dread-filled 1-1 draw will make everyone happy. And by happy, I mean have no reason to boo. 

More: The Igor Tudor baiting in the English media is hard to watch. English is his second language. I talked about this with Rory on Wednesday’s show if you want to hear more about it. However, it makes it even crazier that he was appointed, seeing as crisis communication is such a key part of his mission.

🗓️ Full Premier League schedule here.

Eight games left for teams dreaming of the world’s most lucrative promotion. Coventry and Middlesbrough sit in the two automatic promotion slots, while Ipswich and Millwall have a grip on two of four playoff positions. Beyond that, the race really opens up—every team down to Swansea in 11th could see a late run of form take them into the Championship’s postseason. 

Sheffield United vs. Wrexham (Saturday, 11 a.m. ET, Paramount+)

Wrexham’s 3-1 loss against Watford midweek saw them fall out of the playoff spots. Fans can take solace in Phil Parkinson’s promotion bonafides: last season, his side won seven of their final 10 games, while the season before saw Wrexham win seven of their last eight fixtures to clinch their second successive promotion.

This week’s phrase is: “The main reason English football got found out in Europe is because _______”

Email us your submissions to be in contention to win a coveted MiB patch.

There were A LOT of incredible entries last week, but there can only be one winner:

Frank Drigotas: “Igor Tudor is the managerial equivalent of Charlie Brown and Jesse Pinkman having a love child.”

Big Frank, send us your postal and we will get you a patch.

🇪🇸 Real Madrid vs. Atlético Madrid (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN+)

Thibaut Courtois’ groin injury leaves Real Madrid fighting with one hand tied behind their back in Spanish football’s most-played fixture, a culture clash in the capital that pits the unblemished Álvaro Arbeloa against battle-hardened man in black, Diego Simeone.

🇩🇪 Bayern Munich vs. Union Berlin (Saturday, 10:30 a.m. ET, ESPN+)

Harry Kane’s brace against Atlanta took him to 52 goals for the season and the England captain’s latest punching bag is midtable Union Berlin, who are managed by Temu Tommy Shelby, Steffen Baumgart.

More: A short story of the fans who bled for and literally built Union Berlin brick by brick.

🇮🇹 AC Milan vs. Torino (Saturday, 1 p.m. ET, Paramount+)

AC Milan’s loss to Lazio last weekend meant their title challenge lasted as long as a Roy Hodgson GIF, but lower-midtable Torino at least offer target practice for Christian Pulisic, whose 13-game goalless streak stretches back to the end of last year.

Martín Sarzosa-Rojas: “I am Martín. I am nine years old and my dad allowed me to send you this email. We heard in our podcast radio that you were looking for a name for the new MiB podcast logo. I want the dog to be named Blazer, because you’re the Men in Blazers. It is short, catchy and it just makes sense. Much more sense than “Win.” We love your podcast and send you a Chelsea-referee huddle hug.” 

Wow, Martín! You are the Max Dowman of letter writing. So many digs in one tiny missive—the Win the Dog putdown. The hugs. I adore your writing and hope that football brings you and your dad so much joy together. I will be thinking of you both at the final whistle of Chelsea’s win on Saturday, knowing you take pleasure, even in my agony, which is some solace. Enjoy your football, together. 

Also: Thank you for all your ideas for what we should call that magical dog on our new logo. Keep sending us your name suggestions, stories and questions to [email protected]. WE LOVE THEM SO MUCH!

To better days ahead for all.

Let’s not take a moment watching football together for granted and make great memories.

Big love.

Courage,
ROG

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