Five of the best moments in football of the week - 20th October

It was a rather busy week in football after leagues resumed their football after the international break. The Indian Super League also completed their week in world football, and it is safe to say that it has been receiving quite the reputation.From controversial sending offs to unexpected player gestures, we take a look at the five most interesting moments from this last week:

#5 Pep Guardiola: I hate tiki-taka

Pep Guardiola hates the philosophy he is best known for.

Pep Guardiola is often regarded as the pioneer of the idea behind the tiki-taka and false 9 philosophy, but what does the man think about it himself?

In a new biography by journalist Marti Perarnau about the Catalan manager titled Pep Confidential, there are descriptions which portray his true feelings about the style of play so successfully employed by his record-breaking Barcelona side. According to the book, Guardiola blasted Bayern Munich players at the dinner table after an unimpressive win over Nürnberg.

“I loathe all that passing for the sake of it, all that tiki-taka. It's so much rubbish and has no purpose. You have to pass the ball with a clear intention, with the aim of making it into the opposition's goal. It's not about passing for the sake of it.”

Following the meeting, Guardiola told his players the next day that passing is pointless without purpose. “Be yourselves. You need to dig into your own DNA. I hate tiki-taka. Tiki-taka means passing the ball for the sake of it, with no clear intention. And it's pointless.”

“Don't believe what people say. Barça didn't do tiki-taka! It's completely made up! Don't believe a word of it! In all team sports, the secret is to overload one side of the pitch so that the opponent must tilt its own defence to cope. You overload on one side and draw them in so that they leave the other side weak,” he added expressing his disappointment with the brand of football he is often related to.

You can read the full story here.

#4 Arsenal manager backing the Indian Super League

Arsene Wenger believes that the ISL can take off.

A sign of approval is what every league official would want when they are looking to publicize a new-league like the Indian Super League is.

Arsenal’s longest-serving manager Arsene Wenger has backed the ISL to be a big success, also calling it out to be a perfect platform for world class players who are past their prime but yet are willing to play.

“Being completely at the top finishes when you are 34 at the latest,” the manager told Arsenal Magazine. “After that, you have different leagues like the MLS and the Indian Super League. I encourage players to play as long as possible if they really love it. Pires is 40, but he still plays and when he comes to training here, he's still very good.”

“They can make football popular on different continents and in different countries, where it's taking off. I think it's fantastic,” he adds. “If you look at the history of football, it has always become quicker and it looks like it grows everywhere. It's like a virus that multiplies, so I don't imagine that it won't take off.”

“It took a while in the United States but it's now very popular. It faces cricket in India, but there's always room for a second sport. There's only really badminton and cricket in India at the moment, but there's room for another sport. I know that the people there watch the Premier League and I'm convinced that with such a huge population, it will take off,” he concludes.”

Read the whole story here.

#3 Southampton registering a thumping 8-0 win over Sunderland

Southampton players celebrate after Santiago Vergini scored an own goal during a Premier League match between Southampton and Sunderland.

Southampton’s impressive performance against Sunderland with a thumping 8-0 victory on Sunday is our third best moment from the week. They were one of the least-rated teams to perform well at the start of the season as most of their major players had left the team for better prospects. However, they continue to prove everyone wrong with yet another win as they lie third in the league 16 points from eight matches played.

Graziano Pelle continued his brilliant goalscoring form, scoring his 5th and 6th goal of the season, however, it was Dusan Tadic who was adjudged as man of the match because of his exceptional vision as he completed the match with four assists and a goal to his name.

Santiago Vergini’s own-goal remains to be the highlight from the match.

#2 Mario Gotze\'s reaction to a dumb question from a reporter

Mario Gotze during Germany’s Euro 2016 Qualifier match against Ireland.

Following Germany’s 2-0 defeat to Poland in a Euro 2016 qualifier, Mario Gotze was stunned by a reporter’s question when he asked German superstar Mario Gotze if the team is in a “small crisis” at the moment.

Offering a smirk, Gotze dismissed the question with silence upon hearing it, and I mean, who wouldn’t. It has just been three months since Germany’s World Cup winning night when the Bayern Munich midfielder had scored the goal that earned them the title.

#1 Cavani gets sent off for celebrating his goal

Referee Nicolas Rainville gives a red card to Edinson Cavani during PSG’s Ligue 1 match against RC Lens.

The biggest news from this week’s football was from France after Edinson Cavani of Paris Saint-Germain was sent off in a match following his shot-gun celebration. This was after he had won a penalty, scored it, got a yellow for celebrating and then got a red for protesting the yellow all within seconds of each other. In a Ligue 1 clash between Paris Saint-Germain and relegation threatened-side Lens, it was the home side which took the shock lead within 10 minutes. PSG hit back with a long range effort from Yohan Cabaye in the 28th minute from a Maxwell assist who himself scored off a beautiful lob just six minutes later.

It was in the 54th minute when the real drama began as Lens defender Jean-Philippe Gbamin got his second yellow for bringing Cavani down in the box who duly scored off the spot kick.

Referee Nicolas Rainville wasn’t amused with Cavani’s celebration and eventually booked the Uruguayan for a gun-totting gesture that he has done many times in the past.

Read more about the incident here.