Theresa May's Mask Slips in Grammar Schools Discussion

After Monday’s announcement that Article 50 will be triggered on 29^th March, and before the horrifying scenes that unfolded around Westminster Bridge and Parliament Square on Wednesday afternoon, Theresa May had a brief window of opportunity in which to focus on running the country.

The NHS might be in crisis and the Scots may be making a dash for the Second Referendum lifeboats, but Prime Minister’s Questions at noon on Wednesday gave Theresa May the opportunity to promote her pet project: the repeal of a 1998 law outlawing the building of new grammar schools.

Jeremy Corbyn, these days the only leader operating out of North London capable of making Arsene Wenger look popular, pressed the Prime Minister on the wisdom of spending £320 million to open the floodgates for new grammars, when her government’s funding squeeze has already imperilled the finances of some 9,000 state schools. Reciting a letter from Eileen, a headteacher who has seen her staff reduced to purchasing their own stationery for primary school classes, it was a well-directed line of questioning from Corbyn, who looked re-energised by the latest round of internecine squabbling within the Labour Party.

Theresa May set out her vision for education on Wednesday

With Corbyn pressing the Prime Minister on whether budget cuts would result in “larger class sizes, shorter school days, or unqualified teachers”, May pointed to grammar schools as one of the “choices” that will enhance opportunities “for every child”.

After the Leader of the Opposition converted an open goal by querying the value for money of new grammars when existing schools are struggling to afford pencils and notebooks, May hit back that Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary and Shadow General Attorney had both sent their children to private school, while Corbyn himself had benefited from a grammar school education. In the Prime Minister’s eyes, this was “typical Labour – take the advantage and pull up the ladder behind you”.

May’s response was at first glance a stinging retort, and was cheered by the Tory benches, but her lunging attempt to expose Labour hypocrisy actually served to expose the utter folly of expanding the grossly outdated grammar school model.

Her tone, focusing on the “the advantage” of private and selective schools, removed the pretence that these schools can function as part of a “diverse” and universal suite of education options. Her words cleared the smokescreen of parental choice, and laid bare the fundamentally elitist agenda of her proposed reforms: grammar and private schools – with their advantages in teaching quality, funding and academic prestige – are for the parliamentarian class, whether they happen to be coloured red or blue. All other schools are to be consolation prizes.

Corbyn noted that even former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan (by comparison a progressive rose between the retrograde thorn thickets of Michael Gove and Justine Greening) couldn’t bring herself to support the proposals of her party, noting in The Guardian that “all the evidence is clear that grammar schools damage social mobility”.

More than this, however, May’s personal slights against the Labour frontbench offer a preview of British society once grammars have been reintroduced to mainstream British education: a new dividing line of privilege between the “academic ” (officer class) and the “vocational / technical” (proletarian) streams of schooling. It will be a society in which the middle class grammar school students will progress smoothly to Britain’s elite universities, accompanied by a cohort of working class quota-fillers for the PR managers to focus on, while the rump population can quietly shift to second-class schools and pursue second-class qualifications in preparation for second-class careers.
     

With contemporary Britain already bitterly divided along economic, regional and cultural schisms, the temptation to further divide the population by educational background must be resisted.   

Karanka Suffers Mentor Mourinho's Fate as Third Season Syndrome Bites

As they slumped to a deflating, demoralising 2-0 defeat at home to Manchester City, Aitor Karanka’s Middlesbrough side had finally come full circle. Just over two years after a famous, fully deserved FA Cup win at the Etihad marked the high point of the Basque manager’s reign, Boro crashed out of the cup against the same team, by the same scoreline. Four days later, Karanka is out of a job.

Sunday’s loss at the Riverside felt heavier, more comprehensive than the eventual two-goal margin suggested, with Boro bamboozled by the swashbuckling speed and skill of City’s Leroy Sane, David Silva and Raheem Sterling. On home soil, Boro mustered just 31% possession. Their beleaguered goalkeeper, Brad Guzan, was named man of the match. Top scorer this season with just seven goals, Alvaro Negredo replaced injured January signing Rudy Gestede in the first half, only to turn in another study in isolation as Boro’s sole striker.

Aitor Karanka left Middlesbrough on Thursday

Such anaemic attacking performances had become the norm under Karanka, with Middlesbrough’s failure to score in each of their last four league fixtures contributing to the club’s slide to 19^th in the Premier League table. Boro still boast the fifth-meanest defence in the top flight, even in spite of a winless run stretching back to before Christmas, but the side’s lack of menace in attack eventually convinced Steve Gibson that Karanka was no longer the right manager to stave off relegation to the Championship.

While Gibson will have thought long and hard over the decision to replace Karanka, there is a certain inevitability to the former Real Madrid assistant manager’s departure in his third full season on Teesside. Indeed, Karanka’s reign at Middlesbrough has clear echoes of the problems his friend and mentor, Jose Mourinho encountered in his third seasons at Real and in his two spells at Chelsea. Although played out on different stages, the narrative arc of promising beginning, glorious middle and fractious ending can be seen in each of these three-act tenures.

Mentor: Karanka was assistant to Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid

Taking over from Tony Mowbray at 16^th-placed Boro in the November of 2013, Karanka tightened up the defence and steered the side to the safety of 12^th place in Championship table at the end of the season. He began to impose a physical, but nonetheless possession-based playing style on the team, too, exemplified by the January signings of towering centre back Daniel Ayala and portly playmaker Lee Tomlin.

It wasn’t until Karanka’s side had their first pre-season under their belt, however, that the side really started to sparkle. Of the Spanish Armada signed in the summer of 2014, only Kike Garcia would shine on Teesside, but Karanka’s other signings proved astute at Boro romped to 4^th place in the Championship. Adam Clayton added bite to the midfield alongside the craft of Grant Leadbitter, while Chelsea loanee Patrick Bamford was a revelation. A lightweight but wonderfully deft forward, the 21-year-old Bamford scored 17 league goals and had a hand in many more on his way to Championship Player of the Year. Boro’s lack of Premiership guile would be cruelly exposed in a 2-0 play-off final defeat to Norwich City, but Karanka’s first full season had brought the good times back to the Riverside.

Patrick Bamford led Boro to the play offs in Karanka's first season

Mourinho’s first-season successes at Chelsea are well-documented, with a league title in 2004-05 and a third-place finish in 2013-14, but he also made a promising start with Karanka as his assistant manager at Real Madrid in 2010-11. Succeeding Manuel Pellegrini, Mourinho led Los Merengues to victory in the Copa del Rey, ending a three-year trophy drought in the process, although a 5-0 league hammering to Barcelona revealed the gap still to be bridged between the two sides.     

The similarities between Karanka and Mourinho’s second seasons are similarly striking, with notable triumphs for the two managers in Madrid and Middlesbrough alike, as well as in West London. In Karanka’s second full season, his Boro side went a step further than his first campaign, claiming automatic promotion as runners-up in the Championship. The defence, in the Mourinho mould, was nigh-on impregnable as Ben Gibson emerged as a perfect partner for Ayala in the back line. There were memorable moments, too, with a 3-0 win at Brighton in December a particular a highlight, as Boro ended their hosts’ unbeaten record in some style.  

Boro achieved promotion in Aitor Karanka's second season

However, it could be said that even as he steered his team to promotion, Karanka’s faults were already beginning to emerge. With Bamford and Tomlin both trying their luck in the Premier League, goals, flair and creativity were at a premium, as Boro managed to score five fewer goals than the previous campaign but still finish higher in the table. Indeed, no side in the Championship’s top six scored fewer than Middlesbrough that season.

The manager’s signings began to become increasingly erratic, too, with puzzling continental prospects (Julian de Sart and Kike Sola, anyone?) linking up with grizzled Championship veterans such as Jordan Rhodes and David Nugent. Only Gaston Ramirez, brought in on loan from Southampton in January, was an unqualified success in adding seven goals from midfield.

Underwhelming: Kike Sola failed to make an impact on Teesside

Most troublingly, there were signs of underlying unrest on the training ground and in boardroom, with Karanka storming out of training to“consider his future” and leaving Steve Agnew to manage the team away to Charlton Athletic.

While Karanka did return to win promotion with Middlesbrough, Jose Mourinho’s second seasons have been similarly successful, although often tinged with the same grinding pragmatism. Despite winning titles in both of his second seasons at Chelsea, it is worth noting that in both of his second seasons at Stamford Bridge, his side have been “Champions elect” by Christmas before slowing down considerably on the final straight. The Frank Lampard-inspired 2005-06 vintage saw their lead over Manchester United cut by half in an awful March, while the Hazard-Costa axis of 2013-14 had a similar late-season wobble punctuated by draws and scrappy victories, as the January addition of Juan Cuadrado curtailed the fine form of Willian and Oscar.

In Mourinho’s defence (no pun intended), his second season at Real Madrid was more or less faultless: a La Liga title won with record totals in points and goals, and denied a place in the Champions League final only by the iron law of Bayern Munich winning a penalty shoot-out.

Mourinho, Ronaldo and co romped to the La Liga title in 2011-12

If the Real Madrid exception proves the rule, it’s now possible examine the point where Karanka and Mourinho’s teams really fall apart: the third season.

In Karanka’s case, it is more excusable, with Middlesbrough moving up to the Premier League and lacking the resources of the league’s biggest spenders. Even discounting Boro’s relative lack of financial muscle in the top division, however, the Spanish coach has made some unusual signings and transfers throughout this campaign. From summer’s sale of rangy winger Albert Adomah to Aston Villa, to the recent reticence to play Ayala since his return from injury, Karanka has made a number of odd calls.

Influential: but Albert Adomah was sold after promotion

Perhaps the most egregious omissions are those of Bamford, who re-signed on a permanent deal in January, and Ramirez. While Negredo remains a dangerous finisher in the penalty box, he has recently been starved of service, with only the erratic Adama Traore and the static Cristhian Stuani for support. Asked about Bamford’s absence recently, Karanka only commented that he needed “18 fighters” for matchdays, which makes the initial decision to purchase the talented, but rather laconic forward hard to explain.

Similarly to his mentor, Karanka also found himself at odds with the club’s ownership in his third season. He recently bemoaned the lack of investment in the squad, despite Gibson sanctioning January moves for Bamford and Gestede, who cost £5.5 million and £7 million respectively.

In the third season of Mourinho’s first spell at Chelsea, the problem was more with who the Stamford Bridge hierarchy did bring in, rather than who they failed to. Andriy Shevchenko, a personal favourite of Roman Abramovich, rocked up about three years past his devastating peak, while young stars Salomon Kalou and John Obi Mikel largely flattered to deceive. Khalid Boulahrouz, meanwhile, didn’t even manage to deceive.

Frosty: Mourinho struggled to get the best out of Andriy Shevchenko

Mourinho added an FA Cup in 2006-07 but Chelsea lost out to Manchester United in a tight title race, unable to keep pace with the firepower of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. By September, he had departed in the wake of a 1-1 Champions League draw with Rosenborg in front of a half-full Stamford Bridge.

At Real Madrid, Aitor Karanka looked on as his mentor’s third season unravelled into trophyless catastrophe, with the infamous eye-poke on Tito Vilanova a particularly embarrassing nadir for club and manager alike. Even Real's own players felt the Portuguese’s ire in his final season at the Bernabeu, with Pepe slammed in the press and replaced in central defence by a 19-year-old Raphael Varane after he dared to question the wisdom of dropping club legend Iker Casillas.

John Terry was scapegoated in similar fashion after Chelsea made a poor start to their title defence in 2015-16, with Mourinho slipping into a deep paranoia in towards the end of his second spell at Stamford Bridge, accusing his squad of “betraying” him before eventually departing in December. Referees, opposition managers and club physio Eva Carneiro were all blamed for defeats, with Mourinho keen to look anywhere except the mirror when apportioning blame.

Departed: but Karanka's replacement can still keep Boro up 

While the symptoms of third season syndrome have brought the same managerial morbidity to Aitor Karanka as suffered by his mentor Mourinho, Middlesbrough do at least have a chance of retaining their place in the Premier League. Sitting just three points behind 17^th-placed Crystal Palace, and with a superior goal difference to most of their relegation rivals, whoever takes charge of Boro for the remaining 11 games of the season will feel confident of securing survival after reviewing the fixture list. Home games against Burnley, Sunderland and a comfortably mid-table Southampton look eminently winnable, as do trips to Swansea and Hull.

If the shackles that seemed to grip the side in the last months of Karanka’s tenure can be loosened, Boro might be able to start planning dreaming of how to avoid their own third season syndrome in the top flight.  

FPL Week Zero - The Defenders

Like Diego Costa, the blog is battling to be ready for the start of the season. Unlike Diego Costa, the blog will not be partaking in any experimental treatments involving horse placentas or painkilling injections.

After last week's magnum opus on Fantasy Football's bargain goalkeepers, I've been bogged down with that grimly ironic ailment: the summer cold. Summer colds are awful. The sun shines without compassion as green phlegm congeals around your windpipe and your sinuses swell to painful proportions. The August heat only serves to exacerbate the burn of your headache. You can't drink cough medicine in the office without people thinking you're a "dirty sprite"-sipping codeine addict.

Like Ledley King, the blog is struggling for fitness

Nevertheless, you can rest assured that I won't be leaving my FPL preview unfinished. The new season beckons, the pitches are prepared, and the loudmouths at work want buy-in money for their Fantasy league. In the immortal words of the great American poet Young Jeezy, let's get it.

Part Two - Defenders

In real football, defenders are the foundations upon which great teams are built. Ideally, they're rugged athletes who can mark their man, win headers and play the ball out from the back. They're competent but unflashy and know how to work as a unit. However, none of this really matters in Fantasy Football, which rewards an odd blend of bruising centre-halves like John Terry (177 points last season) and cavalier full-backs in the Leighton Baines (139 pts) mold.

Those two FPL perennials, along with the freakishly excellent Branislav Ivanovic (179 pts), have been excluded from my selection. Feel free to take a look at that trio, but brace yourself for the hit on your wallet.      

Fantasy Force: Leighton Baines

My first choice in defence is Jose Holebas, who at just £4.5m takes on the role of Budget Baines this campaign. The Greek left-back averages approximately a goal every ten games throughout his career, and is always a pacy attacking outlet for the national team. Add in his Champions League pedigree from stints at Olympiakos and AS Roma, and Holebas represents a good punt, particularly with just 0.6% of managers selecting the defender. "Differentials" like this are vital in grabbing unexpected points, and it certainly beats having John O'Shea back there.

Keeping up the bargain-basement flavour (tastes like chorizo) of my backline is Stoke's Philipp Wollscheid, my official Irrational Confidence Pick. The German centre-half, also priced at 4.5, is a cheap way in to a Stoke backline which managed nine clean sheets last term. When fit, Wollscheid was first choice alongside Ryan Shawcross after arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in January, and the twice-capped defender should make more of an impression in his first full season.

Spurs will reunite Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen

Picking a Tottenham Hotspur defender fills me with trepidation, but the next spot at the back must go to Belgian thoroughbred Toby Alderweireld, newly signed from Atletico Madrid. 5.0 is a fantastic price for a defender who was outstanding on loan for Southampton last season, clocking up nine clean sheets in just 25 games. It also bodes well for Alderweireld's minutes that Spurs' other options alongside Jan Vertonghen at centre-half are footballing luminaries Eric Dier and Federico Fazio. The 47-times capped international can also fill in at right-back, although the rampaging Kieran Trippier (5.5) should be first choice after joining from Burnley.

While FPL crams all defenders under the same positional umbrella, it only feels right to have a proper balance of centre-halves and full-backs, and Chelsea's Cesar "Dave" Azpilicueta is one of the league's best in the latter role. With Felipe Luis returning to Spain after an underwhelming spell at Stamford Bridge, Azpilicueta goes into 2015/16 as the champions' undisputed first choice at left-back. Along with 13 clean sheets, his herky-jerky runs into the opposition half mustered three assists last season. He's relatively cheap, too, at 6.0. To put that into context, noted shithouse Gary Cahill is priced at 6.5, despite earning less points than Azpilicueta last year. It's a no-brainer.

Matteo Darmian: United's new right-back

Rounding off the defence is Manchester United's Matteo Darmian, an attacking right-back recently arrived from Torino. Like Azpilicueta, he's a full-back who plays "off the wrong foot", in this case a left-footer on the right flank. Darmian, who shone for Italy in last summer's World Cup, is set to be first choice at Old Trafford after Rafael's departure to Lyon and will be given licence to get forward under Louis van Gaal. While not that regular a goalscorer or assist-maker in Serie A (six goals, 11 assists in 150 games for Torino), the Premier League should suit the athletic 25-year-old, and 5.5 is a fine price for a starting full-back in a Champions League side. For context, consider the likes of Nacho Monreal, Steven Caulker and Aleksandar Kolarov are available at the same price.

Join me very soon (too soon) for part three of the preview, where you'll find out my midfield picks,  and sign up to my league with the code 382422-233533 

FPL Week Zero - The Goalkeepers

Like most of my SMS messages, I'd like to open this blog post with an apology. I apologise that I've been away for so long. I've been working hard in a new job and moved to London, where distractions abound. I also apologise that the blog's new focus on Fantasy Football is not reflected in a pithy pun in the website URL. 'Let Me Be Your Fantasy', 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy', and 'Notorious FPL' were all considered, but it was felt they lacked the combination of oblique pretence and literary sincerity that 'Stream of Details' offers.

I do not and shall not, however, apologise for the new subject matter. Among fans of the Premier League, Fantasy Football is the great leveller, a common denominator which lets obsessives of all shades test their wits against each other. It pits the Walkabout loudmouth in his gold-lettered 'Champions 20' United jersey against the Sid Lowe-worshipping, Raumdeuter-advocating football hipster, only for them both to be beaten by the guy in your office who looks up Betfair clean sheet odds and openly admits to preferring rugby. It is the acid test for pub bores, counters of blocks and interceptions, and people who punch the air after seeing that Marcin Wasilewski has got an assist. It is played by over three million people and I absolutely love it.

Artist's impression of a FPL gamer

My blog will be weekly and will break down the previous gameweek in detail, before picking out useful signings for the next round of matches. Bear in mind that I had Diafra Sakho in my FPL team from as early as gameweek six last season. As a trade-off, however, you will be subjected to at least 400 words of prose on a diverse range of topics. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wonder about the mental health of a single 24-year-old with a full-time job who spends his free time detailing how Joel Ward's ability to step into midfield makes him a valuable budget addition to your defence.

A quick note – this blog will only cover the official Premier League Fantasy game. For those of you playing The Sun's version, I applaud your commitment to fighting the European single currency and suggest you take a look here before demanding a refund. The rest of you, enjoy part one of my season preview.

Part one – The Goalkeepers

Goalkeepers have traditionally been somewhat isolated figures: lonely specialists standing on the periphery of a team game. It is a role has always bred mavericks, from Colombian 'keeper Rene Higuita and his kidnapping conviction to former Hereford shot-stopper David Icke, now best known for his 'unconventional' views on the royal family. Albert Camus, meanwhile, was a standout goalkeeper at youth level.

David Icke - the Hereford United years

However, this eccentricity seems to be fading from the art of goalkeeping. Perhaps it stems from implementation of the backpass rule, forcing goalkeepers to use their feet like anyone else, subliminally bringing their personalities into line with the rest of the dressing room. Look at the new breed of sweeper-keepers: identikit beanpoles with good feet and zero charisma. There's Joe Hart and Manuel Neuer, the school bullies who cried when they couldn't get a game outfield; Courtois and Pantilimon, built in a lab out of discarded limbs from the 1980s Boston Celtics team; and then you've got Brad Guzan. Could Brad Guzan tell you anything interesting about Brad Guzan?

Liverpool's Simon Mignolet, then, with his degree in Political Science from the Catholic University of Leuven, might be seen as the Premier League's only concession to a more off-the-wall era of goalkeeping. His footwork is similarly retro, as time and again he uses both feet with equal skill to hammer the ball out for throw-ins halfway inside the Liverpool half. This poor distribution, coupled with a number of high-profile gaffes last season, should have made Mignolet's position as the Reds' number one untenable by now. Can you recall a single great Mignolet game?

Liverpool's Simon Mignolet: Garbage?

He clings on to his role between the sticks, however, as surely as he fails to cling on to any lofty back post cross. Like a Tory government, he impresses nobody but survives through fear of the alternative. Seeing off the challenge of Brad “safe hands” Jones last season, he will be quietly confident of remaining ahead of highly-rated youngster Adam Bogdan in the Anfield pecking order this campaign. Game time is guaranteed.

Quietly and inconspicuously, he keeps clean sheets too. The Belgian stopper somehow oversaw 14 shut-outs last season, joint-highest in the league. Considering he will be enjoy the luxury of playing behind a genuine right-back this season, his 5.0 price tag looks a bargain.

A rose between two thorns

My alternative suggestion is Newcastle's Tim Krul, with the Netherlands international representing a very solid rotation option at 4.5. In contrast to Mignolet, Krul is all about the glory games. Right from his debut as a 17-year-old against Palermo to his 14-save freakshow against Tottenham, Krul has put up shows of defiance to which General Custer himself might aspire. Unsurprisingly, playing behind the likes of “Iron” Mike Williamson and Paul Dummett, these clean sheets don't come around as regularly as Fantasy managers might like, but when they arrive they tend be accompanied by Bonus and Saves points.      

Coupe de la Ligue finalists Lyon offer glimpse of the future

As the Lyon players celebrated what turned out to be the winning goal over Paris Saint Germain in Sunday's Ligue 1 clash, it was startling to see goalscorer Jordan Ferri in the middle of the ruck, visibly appealing to his teammates for calm. The 22-year-old midfielder, whose curling shot had just put Lyon ahead after 31 minutes refused to get excited, perhaps already turning his mind to repelling the PSG attacks which inevitably followed. Lyon eventually held out for the win, and Ferri's stoicism neatly embodies the careful rebuilding project underway at Lyon, as Les Gones look to regain their dominance in French football.

Not getting carried away: Lyon's Jordan Ferri

Not armed with the staggering wealth of PSG or AS Monaco, Lyon owner Jean-Michel Aulas has recently sought to develop Lyon into a self-sustaining club which can once again claim domestic titles and compete in the latter stages of the Champions League, as l'OL did in the early 2000s. Central to this business plan is the opening of the club's eye catching new 58,000-seat stadium in the Decines suburb of the city, which will generate considerably more in match-day revenue than the current Stade de Gerland. The new Stade des Lumieres, which is set to host a number of matches in the next European Championships, is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2016.  

On the pitch, meanwhile, expensive foreign imports in the mould of Juninho, Lisandro Lopez and Michel Bastos have been eschewed in favour of graduates of a youth system which has already produced the likes of Karim Benzema and Loic Remy. Current manager Remi Garde, best known to English fans for an unspectacular spell at Arsenal in the early Wenger years, is beginning to enjoy success in blending Lyon's youngsters with established French internationals such as Yoann Gourcuff and Bafetimbi Gomis. After recovering from a poor start to the league season, Lyon currently sit fifth in Ligue 1's table, and can also look forward to meeting PSG again in Saturday's Coupe de la Ligue final.

Remi Garde's young squad are improving quickly

Garde's side have lost just three times in their last 18 league games, and although the chances of bridging the nine-point gap to third-placed Lille in the last Champions League place look slim with just five league games remaining, Lyon's good form bodes well for next season. Similarly encouraging are the performances of Lyon's next generation, with the likes of Clement Grenier, Maxime Gonalons and the aforementioned Ferri particularly impressive in a well-balanced midfield unit. Grenier, who was the subject of Newcastle's customary "couldn't quite get it over the line" interest in January, provides the creativity and precision set-pieces, whereas club captain Gonalons is an athletic enforcer who is equally comfortable sitting in front of the defence or pressing higher up the pitch. Ferri, meanwhile, is a diminutive but tenacious hustler with an eye for the spectacular.

In attack, 22-year-old striker Alexandre Lacazette has added composure to his searing pace in order to score 14 goals so far this season, drawing interest from the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. Perhaps Lyon's most promising youngster, however, is at the other end of the pitch in the shape of 23-year-old goalkeeper Anthony Lopes. Lopes, who was born in France but has received call-ups for the Portuguese national team, made a string of fine saves in the narrow Europa League defeat to Juventus, as well as Sunday's win over PSG. It is equally impressive, meanwhile, that Lopes recalls former Lyon 'keeper Hugo Lloris in his ability to command the penalty area and sweep up any loose balls behind the defence.

Young goalkeeper Anthony Lopes impressed against Juventus

Lopes and his defence can expect to be tested when they face PSG in Paris' Stade de France this Saturday, particularly if PSG's talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic recovers from a thigh injury in time to participate in the Coupe de la Ligue final. Ibrahimovic, who was absent in the recent defeats at Lyon and Chelsea, adds an extra dimension to PSG's already potent attack and has already claimed 40 goals in all competitions this season. Garde's Lyon, however, will look to attack in the hope that PSG's exit from the Champions League, coupled with Sunday's shock defeat at the Stade de Gerland, will have dented the French champions' previously unshakable confidence.

However this young Lyon team fare in Saturday's final, it is clear that Garde and Aulas are gradually building a team of home-grown players which may soon be able compete with the star-studded lineups of PSG and Monaco. Moreover, Lyon's new stadium reflects Aulas' desire to create a stable and sustainable football club where a successful team can be constructed in time. While the foreign owners of PSG and Monaco continue to marginalise their own young players in favour of talent brought into Ligue 1 by eye-watering transfer fees and wages, Lyon fans will be confident that their club's patient model of business may pay dividends in the long run.        

Supreme's "Cherry" - A REVIEW

Supreme is a brand which provokes strong reactions. Some people believe creator Bill Strobeck's company is one capable of liberating men's style from the flanneled, bearded "urban lumberjack" drudgery of the early 2010s. However, the brand has also begun to face accusations of selling out, particularly after gaining patronage from celebrities such as Rihanna, Odd Future and, more worryingly, Justin Bieber. Indeed, it often seems that Supreme's nine worldwide outlets now resemble little more than consumer battlegrounds between wealthy tourists and thirsty hypebeasts.

Shoppers queue for Supreme's London branch

"cherry", Supreme's first full-length skate video in its 20-year history, then, can be seen as an attempt to return to the company's roots. Supreme opened as a skate shop in Manhattan, New York City in 1994, and as Strobeck himself recently pointed out, "Supreme is still a store where people go to set up a board or get a bearing". The line-up of skateboarders featured in "cherry", however, is far more formidable than the usual shop squad, with the likes of Eric Koston, Alex Olson and Guy Mariano appearing alongside a new wave of insanely talented New York youngsters.

These young ams, namely Nakel Smith, Tyshawn Jones and Aidan Mackey, provide the video's most surprising section, in what must be the first ever Chief Keef-soundtracked part in a major skate film. The famous New York courthouse drop-off gap is handled in daring new ways, along with the usual array of handrails and ledges. Kevin Bradley, too, develops from the irritating Odd Future swag kid seen in Cliche's Bon Voyage into a sort of mini-Ishod Wair, all huge kickflips and kamikaze front crooks.

On sale now. YouTube availability to be confirmed.

While the almost daily technical progression of modern skateboarding means that these stunts may be bettered within a few months, Strobeck's artistic touch sees "cherry" distinguish itself the from the deluge of HD-filmed web footage through unique presentation. New York's hectic atmosphere seems to permeate throughout the film, with montages and shared sections usually preferred to strictly defined "parts" for named skaters. A wealth of lifestyle footage, ranging from interviews with models to practical jokes on crack smokers, is interspersed with the skateboarding too, often via surreal split screens. The soundtrack is similarly schizophrenic, lurching from The Cure and Raekwon to pan pipe solos.

The picture is largely shot in black and white, which recalls East Coast classics such as Dan Wolfe's Eastern Exposure 3. The video's most effective throwback, however, is the presence of Jason Dill and Anthony Van Engelen. Dill is Supreme's talisman, whether standing on street corners deriding "white people with dreadlocks", posing for fashion shoots with Chloe Sevigny, or spinning through another mind-bending manual combination. There's around three minutes of Dill footage here, and it is as captivating as ever. Van Engelen, meanwhile, remains about power and precision, with that all-time great switch 360 flip still going strong.

Dylan Reider and Bill Strobeck (photo by Jonathan Mehring)

AVE is a clear influence on his former Alien Workshop teammate Dylan Reider, who skates to INXS's 'Never Tear Us Apart' with fellow #teamgoodlooking co-captain Alex Olson. This section is low-impact skateboarding at its finest, as Olson and Reider attack New York spots with speed, style and no small amount of creativity. Forget about stair counts and appreciate the quickfire wallies and smooth smith grinds. Olson hastens his march into skateboarding folklore by fighting a man over a rail and earning membership of Snoop Dogg and A$AP Rocky's exclusive Men Who Can Pull Off Pigtails Club.

It is this mix of skateboarding excellence and aesthetic bravery with makes "cherry" so captivating. While the video has made me no more likely to spend £40 on a five-panel cap than before, Supreme's first full-length skate film is much more than an advertising ploy. It is a wonderfully disorientating celebration of urban youth, which needn't die out when you pass the age of 22. It is a vindication of style and expressionism which laughs in the face of staid conformity. Bill Strobeck might prefer it if you go shopping at Supreme after watching the video, but "cherry" has convinced me that that's not all his company cares about.

FIVE STARS              

More than Peerless Pirlo for England to Fear

With less than ninety days remaining until England begin their World Cup campaign against Italy in Manaus, Roy Hodgson is likely to have been encouraged by the performances of Liverpool's six English players on Sunday afternoon, as they dismantled Manchester United at Old Trafford. England captain Steven Gerrard converted two penalties, and youngsters such as Jon Flanagan and Raheem Sterling turned in assured performances in English football's bitterest derby.

Optimistic: Roy Hodgson 

However, Hodgson's optimism may have been dampened later that evening if the former Inter Milan manager took the time to look over results in Italy's Serie A. Along with Parma claiming an Antonio Cassano-inspired win over AC Milan, the most notable result came at Genoa's Stadio Luigi Ferraris, where Andrea Pirlo's 89th minute free-kick secured a 1-0 victory for Juventus over I Rossoblu. The win saw Juve go 14 points clear at the top of the table, and extend an unbeaten run which stretches back to October.

Pirlo, who so tormented England in their exit from Euro 2012, has been instrumental in Juventus' formidable domestic form. The 34-year-old playmaker has defied his advancing years to feature in 21 league games already this season, supplying four goals and four assists as Juve chase a third consecutive Scudetto. Pirlo remains equally important for Cesare Prandelli's national team, featuring in each of Italy's last three friendlies, and was shortlisted for the Golden Ball in last summer's Confederations Cup.

Pirlo may return to haunt England in Brazil

Hodgson will be particularly wary of Pirlo's ability to dictate the pace of play when England face the Azzurri in the sapping heat and humidity of Manaus, where June temperatures hover around 30 Celsius. Even in milder temperatures, Pirlo's sharp movement and deft first touch make him hard to close down, as James Milner and Scott Parker learned in 2012. What little pace Pirlo possessed in his youth has gone, but the veteran midfielder's game has never relied on athleticism, and his eye for a pass remains as keen as ever. The former AC Milan star remains a menace from dead ball situations, too, with all of his goals this season coming from direct free-kicks.

Five days after their opening clash with Italy, England's second game in Group D will see them take on Uruguay in Sao Paulo. While Luis Suarez's goalscoring exploits are well known to fans of the Premier League, his strike partner Edinson Cavani is also a serious threat to England's backline. Cavani, who has already plundered 21 goals in 33 games for Paris St Germain this season, is a tireless runner who will be content to play second fiddle to Suarez. Uruguay manager Oscar Tabarez called Cavani "the perfect son-in-law", and the forward's honest work rate makes him a perfect foil for the more flamboyant talents of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Suarez at club and international level respectively.

Uruguay's Diego Godin has excelled for Atletico Madrid

Uruguay's defence, meanwhile, will be marshalled by 28-year-old centre back Diego Godin, who is enjoying an excellent season at Atletico Madrid. As well as a place in the Champions League quarter-finals, Atletico have the meanest defence in La Liga, and Godin has the pace necessary to cover for aging Uruguay captain Diego Lugano, who has been in indifferent form since joining West Bromwich Albion last summer.

Costa Rica, who England face on 24 June, appear the least threatening team in Group D, but England should guard against any complacency in their final group game. Joel Campbell, the striker on loan from Arsenal to Olympiakos, scored against Manchester United in the Champions League, and has the pace and flair to cause problems for England's defence. Bryan Ruiz, the mercurial Fulham forward currently on loan to PSV Eindhoven, is also finding form back in the Eredivisie, with three goals in his first eight games.

Keylor Navas makes another save

As anyone who witnessed England's demoralising 0-0 draw with Algeria in the 2010 World Cup will attest, even draws against lowly opposition can feel like a defeat, and Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas could be the man to ensure a stalemate. Nobody has made more saves in La Liga this season than Navas, who plies his trade at Levante and has been linked to both Arsenal and Liverpool. He was particularly impressive against Barcelona in January, as Levante held the reigning Spanish champions to a 1-1 draw.

Considering the talents of these individuals, then, it may be best for Roy Hodgson and his squad to temper their optimism ahead of the World Cup. While Liverpool's youngsters, along with the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Luke Shaw may inspire whispers of a golden generation, England supporters should realise that qualification from Group D will be an impressive feat in itself.