Of course not.

The player would have been on holiday and while trained to some degree but nowhere near the level needed.

Playing football at this level playing games at this stage is more then when you last played a game of football.

Its a marathon not the 100m. No matter how bad a defensive or any other crises playing a player who is not match fit would be a very bad idea.

my point was more blaming ramsay's injury on being "forced" to play him before he was ready after the euros but he had players like xhaka and cazorla sitting on the bench who could have played if he was so worried about ramsay

most arsenal fans have been saying all summer that there was no squad depth in the centre of defence and in the very first game of the season that lack of depth costs them. if you are a team like arsenal, supposedly competing at the highest level, then you should be addressing gaps in the squad before the season starts.

he should have changed his training to make sure he is match fit.

Surprised me how poor Arsenal have been in opening games over the last few years

Had forgotten they've lost at home to West Ham and Villa and drew with Sunderland

Yep it is really that simple.

He should have made him run around cones instead of poles 100 times instead of 50. It would have made such a difference

In the real world its not that simple.

At this stage of the season the only thing that can make a difference is time and that is something nobody has any say over. If someone is not ready to play football (more so against a team like Liverpool) then the only thing you can do is give them that time. At the start of the season you need to manage how long players play for and when they play more closely then you do at the middle and end of the season.

None of the teams are 100% competitive match fit.

Why can a footballer not be fit for the first game of the season?

It's preposterous. Would United rest Pogba if he wasn't banned? Heck no

Well I'd imagine they'd listen to the sports science people who would advise them against playing the player if they don't think he is match fit or should play.

Who would of thought some players need to be managed differently when it comes to fitness.

Forget the experts just listen to a poster on DS who know's best.

If he was not fit then no they would not play him.

Who has said anything about a player being rested? He is not being rested, Its the opposite of being "rested"

Plus the fitness of one player for a different team working for a different manager working in a different system,playing against a different team etc etc etc etc has nothing to do with each other, All this is basic common sense

Its not preposterous, Its common sense and logic and happens every single season, Is this something you have just noticed?

There is a major difference between being "fit" and being ready to play a game at the level needed etc.

There are many reasons why a player might not be a certain level of fitness at this time of the season.

To say all football players should report back at the start of the season at a certain very high level of fitness now that is preposterous utterly and completely on every single level

Toure left out of the City squad again.

Unless he drops his standards in terms of wages, then I don't see a way out for him, as the clubs that could afford him, most likely have no need for him.

Tricky situation for City and him.

If he hadn't been banned then yes, United probably WOULD have rested Pogba considering he's mostly been on holiday since the Euros finished.

He'll probably end up in China. Wages don't seem to be much of an issue there.

I think one of the reasons the transfer went on for a while was because he was on holiday. I read Man United fans reacting to the news of the suspension by saying he wouldn't have featured anyway.

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I think there transfer deadline has passed plus you have to remember he might not want to relocate to china.

Worst comes to worse he will stay at City and earn a fortune finishing a great career

Yes it closed about two weeks ago I think, so he won't be moving over there just yet.

That is what I meant about a tricky situation for him and City.
If he did want to leave he would have to dramatically drop his wage demands, as no big club that could afford him will be interested in him in his current state.

hmm, do i keep taking this wheelbarrow full of cash each week for not playing, or do i move in january for a wheelbarrow full of cash and playing a few games?

Tricky decisions.

I think he will stay at city and "fight for his place" etc

I find myself rock bottom of the league me and my friends have set up on Fantasy Football, so unbelievably, I find myself wanting my captain Hazard to score a hat trick today.

Please don't be as crap as you were last season Eden.

A dark day for Swedish football after a masked hooligan stormed onto the pitch in the 89th minute of Jönköpings Södra v Östersunds and attacked the latter's keeper Aly Keita.

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Well that was a fun first half

west ham look pretty bad. sooo slow

Costa should of went for that tackle

Totally out of the blue!

Great finish!