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♫ ♪ The champions ♫ ♪ ! Bigger Cup is back, baby! Red-hot action from the world’s premier club competition across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Bigger Vase and Tin Pot clubs must wait for their slice of European action until after an international break almost as long as the Geopolitics World Cup itself. Rather like Gianni Infantino’s North American investment roadshow, Bigger Cup, with its revolving Swiss system, 36 teams reduced to 24 following 114 matches, has become baggier than MC Hammer’s trousers [now there’s a reference for the young readers – Football Daily Ed]. Back in Clive Tyldesley’s ITV pomp, ties such as Liverpool v Atlético, Napoli v Arsenal, and Real Madrid v Inter moved the dial, filling boozers and column inches.

Should Mauricio Pochettino play Russell Crowe in his biopic or should it be the other way around?” – Krishna Moorthy.

Following up on the very entertaining game between Arsenal and Chelsea, there was one piece of tactical brilliance by Xabi Alonso that didn’t get the credit it deserved. Everyone knows how dangerous Arsenal have been at corners causing chaos by saturating numbers in the opposition…

Three…