Most Fab One

living my good life on my own rules

[Sayo Aluko @thesayoaluko]

I'm a Policy Review and Development Expert, and I've got one for @UEFA.

For the upcoming Champions League season and beyond, I strongly suggest they add a new policy that reads like this:

"In light of the potential and/or demonstrable proof of shame, all participating footballing associations and leagues reserve the right to trigger their CWL - Club Withdrawal Lifeline. The CWL shall be a one-time [per season] action granting football associations the right to initiate, advice, demand and/or enforce the immediate withdrawal of any of their [erstwhile] qualified clubs from the season's UCL campaign. This new policy shall be deemed applicable where it is evident from all indications that a club's participation will be detrimental to the football association's UEFA coefficient, and consequently, affect other clubs from the same league."

Dear @ChampionsLeague , I urge you to enact this CWL policy immediately. I'm quite expensive, but I'm giving this one to you free of charge.

Because there's no way in h3ll that @ManUtd plans to face Enrique, Flick, Simeone, Arteta, or any team in the UCL with Ayden Heaven, Dalot, Luke Shaw in defence, a £150m joke of a midfield, Cunha as striker and the baby cojones of Carrick. That's woe waiting to happen and a stain on the Premier League's white.

Remove them and simply slot in the World Champions, @ChelseaFC. Dear UEFA, you deserve that much.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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Konisewu™️

[Sayo Aluko @thesayoaluko]

No worries, fellow Judas Maresca hatewatchers. He escaped today, but all the potent signs of crumble were there. So, let's take that. Remember, the walls of Jericho fell on the 7th day. Hold forte, comrades.
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Konisewu™️

[Sayo Aluko @thesayoaluko]

Mr. Mo fi títóbi Olórun Oba búra.
Mr. Mo fi títóbi Olórun Oba s'elérìí.

A sad day for his family.
A sad day for his veteran colleagues and Nollywood as a whole.
A sad day for our collective childhood.

May his family and children, who clearly loved him to bits, find timely fortitude to bear this heart-quaking loss.

Rest on, the Owo in Owo-Blow
Rest on, the Ogogo, omo akúlódò arígíní.
Rest on, Alhaji Taiwo Hassan.

Aljana Firdaus, Inshallah. 🙏🏽

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Konisewu™️

[Sayo Aluko @thesayoaluko]

The Turkish League. The fans are really, really a thing. Damn! Salah is up and running; 2 goals in his first game for Trabzonspor, and the images and clips I'm seeing from their fans across football pages and handles are like prime shindigs. They love the ones they love too absolutely; which is why I think it'll be hard for the league's top players, Osimhen particularly, to leave Galatasaray.

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Konisewu™️

[Sayo Aluko @thesayoaluko]

I terribly dislike messy transfer situations like this Alvarez one with Atletico Madrid. It is ugly AF!

Alvarez wants to leave. 5 years still remaining on his Atleti contract. He wants Barcelona.

Club says NEVER, we won't sell you to a direct rival. We can't sign you from Manchester City on a 7-year deal, give you a bumper salary, build our team around you, and you want to leave just 2 years into that deal.

Okay, you can leave, but never to Barcelona.

And if Barcelona insists, they can go ahead to have you IF they trigger your €500 million release clause. [Yes, Atleti placed a €500 million clause when they were investing in the Julian Alvarez project]. Barca could only table €100m-€135 million offers.

But Alvarez demands Barcelona, he has publicly said it a couple of times and has not looked in the direction of other clubs, including Arsenal.

Atleti and owners are willing to sell to any club that matches his valuation, even if it's Enyimba of Aba or Shooting Stars of Ibadan. But, Arsenal has been knocking, and Alvarez is adamant on Barcelona. Maybe he doesn't want to go to a club without European prestige. Maybe.

Today gave this entire mess a public face. Boy was distraught. Atleti fans booed him from minute 1 to the end and increased the decibels when he came on. It is being reported that Diego Simeone didn't want to name him in today's game in order to "protect him," but Atleti owner insisted he must name him in order to endure the weight of fans' displeasure.

In another game, Barcelona's Raphina scored a goal and he proceeded to stoke fires further by doing Alvarez's Spiderman celebration, a direct, non-subtle signal about Barca's intentions.

Post-match, while Atleti players were acknowledging the fans, an Atleti backroom staff had to advise Alvarez to leave the pitch alone. His body is there, spirit isn't.

At this point, he should just accept Arsenal. But, wait, he doesn't want....sigh. Such a ugly knot.

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Konisewu™️

[Sayo Aluko @thesayoaluko]

Haters: "Haqhaqhaq...Sayo, do you realize Joao Pedro has taken the cursed No.9 shirt?"

Chelsea Fans with 2-byte hearts: "Oops! Our season is over."

Me: LOL..My friends, read Chelsea's history, check out the record of our No. 9s. Roy Bentley scored 150 Chelsea goals and captained us to our first league title in 1954/55. Peter Osgood scored 150. Kerry Dixon scored 193. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink scored 87 and won the Premier League Golden Boot in his first Chelsea season. Gianluca Vialli wasn't bad at it either.

See, curses are made to be broken. Chains are made to be loosened. Jinxes are made to be unknotted. Heck, spells are made to be misspelt! 😅

So, welcome to making LEGEND my boy, JP9! 💪

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Konisewu™️

[Sayo Aluko @thesayoaluko]

7 Things: On "Good Morning, Tony" | by Sayo Aluko

1] First, kindly leave the young girl alone. She was wrong. However, she does not deserve to be hounded, mocked or made the poster child for everything supposedly wrong with Gen Z. She was a young, inexperienced graduate trainee, she asked a question, she was corrected, and she adjusted immediately. That should be the end of the matter for her, and at best, a ripple for her kind. In fact, we may be missing the beauty of what happened: it was a beautiful teaching moment. She learnt in real time what no PowerPoint or HR manual can fully teach, that sometimes, knowing the rule isn’t enough, you must also know how to read the room.

2] So, young professionals, please learn discernment. Yes, follow company policy. Know your rights. Understand the rules. But don’t become so obsessed with what is technically permissible that you lose the ability to recognise what is socially appropriate. See, corporate life [and also real life outside the corporate world] is full of grey areas where nobody has technically broken a rule, yet someone has exercised poor judgement. Sometimes the handbook says one thing and the context demands that you pause. That pause is discernment. And as I said yesterday, education can teach you what is permissible; experience, actual manners, discernment and tact teach you what is appropriate. Don't learn this the harder way.

3] And please, let’s stop pretending that the West has abolished honour. This part of the argument has amused me. “But in the West, everybody calls everybody by their first name.” LOL... No, they don’t. First-name culture exists in many Western workplaces, but it has never meant that courtesy, titles, hierarchy or honour disappeared. There is that beautiful old clip of Maya Angelou being addressed simply as “Maya.” Before answering, she corrected the young woman: “I’m Miss Angelou.” And remember Trevor Noah’s exchange with Barack Obama, when Trevor was comfortable with “Barack” and Obama reminded him that, in that context, he was Mr. President.

So no, this isn’t some uniquely African obsession with respect. Cultures may express honour differently, but the instinct to recognise age, status, office and context is hardly an African invention.

4] First-name culture is not familiarity without boundaries. An organisation can legitimately say, “We are a first-name organisation.” It can flatten unnecessary hierarchy, make leaders approachable and encourage people to speak freely. But first-name usage does not mean anything goes. You can call your boss “Tony” and still know when to stand, when to listen, how to introduce him, how to address him in a formal setting and how to conduct yourself around him.

Cordiality is not the absence of respect and familiarity is not equality of station or place. There is an almost forensic thin line between them, and the socially-intelligent readily learn to see and apply it.

5] This is where acculturation matters. There is something we once understood more instinctively in African societies: you don’t just learn how to speak, you learn how to conduct yourself. What Yorubas call "Ìwà" and Igbos call it "Àgwà"

A young Nigerian can grow up calling older people “Sir” and “Ma”, understanding the significance of age and station, then enter a corporate environment where someone says, “Just call me Tunde.”

Fine.

But calling Tunde “Tunde” at work does not mean you’ve suddenly lost your cultural understanding of age, seniority, authority and occasion. Because acculturation isn’t supposed to make you culturally confused; it should actually make you culturally intelligent.

Again, the best professionals, young or old, learn to operate in both worlds without losing their heads in either.

6]...

[Most Fab One @themostfabone]

@thesayoaluko He was a menace, right from pre-season

[Sayo Aluko @thesayoaluko]

One Declan Rice was already a handful. Then everyone sat back and watched Arsenal sign another Declan Rice, give him the fake name "Tzolis," and deploy him on the wing.

Guys, this Tzolis’ work rate is demonically stubborn. The man runs like he’s got a personal grudge against oxygen, it's no wonder he’s racking up assists and goal involvements like they’re nothing. He is as Declan at heart as they come, the same relentless engine, the same refusal to quit. But somewhere in there, you can also see a bit of prime Alexis Sanchez screaming to get out.

This boy go really worry o! Man of the Match for me today.

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Konisewu™️

[Sayo Aluko @thesayoaluko]

From every indication, post-Pep Manchester City is set to struggle. Losing Pep was beyond a managerial change, it was like losing their heart and a piece of their soul; but now, even worse, they've lost their mitochondria by losing Rodri, and, safe to say, Bernardo Silva. That's a chunk of their DNA gone; no actual leaders save Ruben Dias, new coaching staff with new ideas, etc. Apart from his Iscariot-ness, Enzo Maresca is not particularly dull, but his near-smarts don't appear to save Man City, who look set to commence their Post-Fergie-like pilgrimage through a wilderness like their neighbours did.

6] Manchester United is on the cards. While is it hard to rate them as contenders, it is similarly harder to write them off. They were lazy in the transfer window, oh, very lazy. For a team playing UCL football next season, I expected more and I'm sure their fans did. Sticking with Carrick was a very dicey gamble for a club of Man Utd's size, it's like a leap in the dark, and thus, I expected the owners to back that decision with more quality at his disposal. Baleba? Okay, let's see.

7] I love the new rules that have been introduced this season. Especially the ones designed to sanitize set-pieces, curb time-wasting, and humanize VAR with additional human layers. Basically, the Premier League wants an end to dark-arts [*Unlucky Arsenal ...LOL*] and a return to more real football. This makes me look forward to this season with even more excitement. So, bring it on, the best league in the world!

Attached is the new ball for this 2026/27 season.

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Konisewu ©️ sayo aluko

[Sayo Aluko @thesayoaluko]

7 Things: As the 26/27 Premier League Starts | by Sayo Aluko

1] Clear favourite? Arsenal. If you know me, you'll understand how hard this part is for me; but I was trained to speak truth. Of all the 20 coaches, Arteta is currently the most experienced by far; no, scratch that, he's the most experienced by a light-year! Man's got the experience of failing a title race, winning a title race, making selection mistakes, making tactical mistakes, scaling them, he's armed to the teeth with nous earned from years cooking in the same kitchen. No other manager has such priceless advantage. And if you now consider the squad additions in the experienced Guimaraes and Konsa, then Tzolis [who turned to Mezut 'assist-king' Ozil in their pre-season], you’ll understand why Arsenal have a very real chance of defending their narrow title win.

2] Arteta may be the most-experienced Manager on the touchline, but he is not the most-experienced winner in the league currently. Chelsea nicked that one, and he will be their ace this season, all things being equal. Xabi Alonso has won everywhere as a footballer; a legend in Liverpool, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Bayern Munich, and Spain; he carried that mentality to become an invincible legend in Leverkusen, and today, Chelsea players still talk up how he is that same legendary player in training per his ideas and push. In addition to the form Chelsea's refurbished attack [that now has a certain Morgan Rogers], the import or impact of this Alonso's winning persona will be a driving force for Chelsea's title challenge. When you also consider they have no European "distraction", their odds of domestic dominance loom as high as Burj Khalifa.

3] The dark horses? De Zerbi's Tottenham. Do not expect a spursy Spurs this season. They will break hearts. After snatching survival from jaws of relegation last season, Roberto De Zerbi is unapologetically keen about maintaining, no, bettering that momentum. And he's got the full support of Peter Charrington, the Chairman who replaced the overly shrewd Daniel Levy. From the hurricane of new signings so far, one can argue that Charrington is the new Roman Abramovich. For a club that finished 17th or so last season, how they've been acquiring top talents in the league is actually jaw-dropping. Tonali, Mateus Fernandes [I was really impressed by the one - boy was a highlight last season], Dubravka, Van Hecke, Senesi, Roberson, and while I was still trying to digest their Savinho acquisition yesterday, Omar Marmoush and Gakpo chimed in too. I was like, Spurssss, calm down! Yes, squad bloat doesn't directly mean squad threat, but when you consider othey key factors like De Zerbi's capacity, how they've got a World Cup-winning player in Pedro Porro [did you watch how they welcomed him? sweet, mentality-upping thing], be sure they'll break hearts this season. And who knows, this De Zerbi's 2026/27 Spurs could potentially pull off a Ranieri's 2016 Leicester.

4] No one can confidently underestimate what Andoni Iraola is capable of. We all saw what he did consistently with Bournemouth, where he practically mastered how to turn water to wine. Man knows how to be faithful in little, now, he's been handed more with this Liverpool job. While they've not be really active in the summer window, I expect Iraola to build something challenge-worthy with this same Liverpool squad. They may not peak this season [I won't bet against it, though], but they will definitely worry.

5]...

[Sayo Aluko @thesayoaluko]

First, it was Welbeck. Now, it's Henderson. Both on the same day. In fact, minutes apart. Tomorrow, I'm sure they'll resurrect interest in Granit Xhaka. 35, 36, and 33 year olds respectively.

Dear Chelsea Board, yes, I asked for experience, but please, can you inject me small small?
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Konisewu™️

[Most Fab One @themostfabone]

@sayoaluko @frankedoho, you should see this 😅😅

Do you think we need Jackson back sir?

[Most Fab One @themostfabone]

@sayoaluko @CFC_Janty @CFCDaily @FrankKhalidUK @Tunnykvng @CFCFANSPAGE_ @the_Lawrenz @CFCMods @akuahwritess

[Most Fab One @themostfabone]

@sayoaluko @obionepodcast

[Most Fab One @themostfabone]

@sayoaluko Killing our selves for Africa. 😅😅😅

[Sayo Aluko @thesayoaluko]

I need me some "we're killing ourselves for Africa!" right now. Bayern, return our son. Nicolas Jacksooooon! 🤭

Chelsea | Delap | Joao Pedro | Maresca | Nicolas Jackson

[Sayo Aluko @thesayoaluko]

7 Things Learnt from Leeds 3 - 1 Chelsea | Sayo Aluko

1] Dismantle Barcelona, dominate Arsenal with 10 men, but play to lose like wimps to 18th position Leeds who have lost 6 out of their lat 7 games. Take points off strong sides only to share them to small teams. Thank you Maresca for effectively turning Chelsea to Robin Hood FC.

2] Maresca is a good tactician, but a foolish competitor. He has the capacity to think like Odin but he competes like King Joffrey Baratheon. Why do you always weaken your chances with your own hands when playing against teams we deem "small?" Even if Leeds had lost games all season, they are only a "small team" on paper, not on the pitch, definitely not in this same PL. In fact, they almost pulled a point from the jaws of loss against Man City over the weekend. But Maresca chose to underrate them by fielding Badia-Tosin and Chalobah as RB?

3] Even if he wanted to rest players and rotate, you can't overdo it by deploying a starting a combination of Badiashile and Tosin. Not even when you've got Acheampong on the bench. That's like pouring a lot of water inside a pot of soup in order to increase its quantity. You end up having nothing to eat. This was how we lost, no story. The lack of idea and slowness from Badia-Tosin dictated pace of the entire squad from behind. Their listless, clueless, and oh lawd, excruciatingly slow build up [build up filled with back and side passes] was the key driver of our poor display. How this simple diagnosis misses Maresca misses me.

4] Tosin. This performance [did I just use the word, "performance"? Please, sugest actual phrases that fit, because that wasn't a performance], just added another nail to his coffin. He's been dead to real fans long ago. Tosin makes Maguire feel like Nesta; Mustafi will be somewhere right now watching him and feeling like Maldini. If Maresca doesn't see it, fans do, and tonight, latest tomorrow, we must get Tosin's "Araujo" statement. What a fool!

5] Maresca's selection mishaps aside, our sqaud depth is sqaud shallow. Depth with us is a myth. Our bench is bare and full of trash humans. Remove Reece, Palmer, Estevao, Caicedo, Cucurella and some other few, all we're left with is chaff. God help us in January.

6] He has been poor, indecisive, spark-less, and today's game sealed it for me. I officially tender my resignation from backing and believing Joao Pedro. Bro, as a 10 or 9, the ball is for shooting, not dressing. Fuckin' shoot! Anyway, resignation in; call me when he wakes up. ...IF he wakes up.

6b] Start Guiu and recall Jackson in January. I'll prefer enduring known pain from the Senegalese than carry this burden of unfulfilled expectation from Delap and Joao. Same way I'll prefer watching Acheampong make mistakes that seeing "Uncle Tosin" do foolish too well.

7] Next game: Bournemouth. Expect another defeat. It is not pessimism, it's fact. This was a game we needed to win to build solid momentum after the performance against Arsenal, but Maresca gambled it off. Trust me, Iraola has taken notes and his Bournemouth are way more intense. Title race? Oh, come....🫳🫴 follow me, let me show you where Enzo Maresca buried that.

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Konisewu ©️ sayo aluko

[Sayo Aluko @thesayoaluko]

7 Things: Chelsea vs Arsenal 'Banter Free' Preview | by Sayo Aluko

1] This fixture is a known Premier League icon. The Kanu Nwankwo flick, the Michael Essien screamer, the Alex belter, Van Persie's Stamford Bridge hat-trick, Drogba's Emirates hat-trick, Drogba goal dominance passed on to Hazard, Hazard's solo-goal masterpiece; all coloured further by the dramatic player swaps [Cesc, Gallas, Ashley Cole] and the constant kerfuffle between Mourhino and Wenger. It is a certified thriller; but this particular meeting is even more special because it has been a while since both teams clashed while occupying 1st and 2nd place. Arsenal have been building for years and are now BUILT, they are Europe's top team right now for obvious reasons; they will be facing a Chelsea side full not only of confidence, but of sheer, frightening talent. This is set to be a battle between a team built for the moments [Chelsea] and a team of the moment [Arsenal].

2] The pressure to perform and deliver is heavy on bith teams, but heavier on Arsenal. Why? They've infamously worn the 'bottlers' and 'banter FC' for too long, and now face the toughest test in a season they have proven truly 'built' and determined to shed those tags. However you look at it, you won't need a barometer to read the pressure. Still, this doesn't automatically hand additional advantage to Chelsea; the Arsenal team seem to have a found a way to feed off pressure, rather than fold under it.

3] Arsenal's ace? Eze. Currently, he is Arsenal's mitochondria, the place where Arsenal's creative energy is centrally sourced and tethered to. He is their threat think-tank, while Declan deputizes via other aspects of their play. Thankfully, Chelsea has a solid plan and countermeasure in Moises Caicedo.

4] Chelsea's ace? Maresca. We already know he reads the opponent brilliantly in principle to plan, but if he's able to read this particular game IN PLAY with the same brilliance he does IN PLAN, we won't just win, we'll dominate. To achieve this, I hope to see him get dynamic with tactical [re]deployment and shifts as the game demands, right during play, in real-time. He must not let it slip into overthinking though. His game management should just be as good as his pre-game plan, and we'll be set to win.

5] Chelsea's starting lineup: Sanchez, the one who makes me pray the most; Fofana and Chalobah as CB pairing, three cleans sheets together in a row earns trust; Cucurella as LB, because Saka needs a cage; Reece James as RB, because he offers dual threat if he inverts a bit [Malo? No. I guess he can come on later]; midfield trio of Andrey as 8, Caicedo as 6, and Enzo as a roaming 10 to start, because it offers a solid mix of triple energy, triple interception, triple press, and triple possession; energy, interception, press, possession - the four things needed to stand a good chance at stopping the brains of Eze, the roam of Zubimendi, and the range of Rice. Front three of Garnacho, because he can actually be a thorn to Timber; Delap, because of the need of physicality to peg Arsenal's CBs; and Estevao, simply because, Estevao.

6] No, I won't start Cole Palmer. While his brain and footballing IQ arguably equals the sum total of all the 22 players on the pitch for both teams, I am not sure his body is fully ready. Not an easy call especially when every ounce of intelligence will matter in a game like this; still, something just tells me he's better coming off the bench as a timely sub to consolidate and seal things off.

[Fellow World Champions, share your thoughts on Nos. 5 & 6]

7] My scoreline prediction;
As the football Fan: Chelsea [2] 1 - 1 [2] Arsenal; because the quality on both sides will most likely cancel each other out.
As the Chelsea Fan: Chelsea 3 - 0 Arsenal; because we don't drop when we ride a tide against big teams. Go and verify.

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Konisewu ©️ sayo aluko

[Most Fab One @themostfabone]

@sayoaluko @ChelseaFC @AbsoluteChelsea @Chelsea_FL