Burns Returns in Opening Night Rout

He told us he was different. He told us he had changed. Gone were the petulant tantrums that so defined his previous seasons. It took all of 79 minutes to prove that was all nonsense. Liverpool had been rampant, and Chilwell and Kovacic had already been booked for late “tackles” (meant to break up the Reds’ blistering 1-2s) when the mask finally slipped.

Firmino and Mané were bearing down on Mendy’s goal yet again when Antonio Rüdiger lashed out at the Senegalese forward in a blatant attempt to injure the star man. Rightfully, the referee produced a straight red card. Such attempted intimidation did nothing to stem the red tide; and immediately after Salah completed his hat trick Mendy booted the kick off straight into his own net in childish frustration. It was an appropriate way to round off his GIMP debut: and own goal after conceding 8.

Where does this leave Chelsea and Burns? We will soon find out. As macabre as his Chelsea antics have historically been, he’s been worse with England. Unfortunately for him, his next match is as England boss against the DFA’s current in-form manager. A manager he has never even laid a glove on, let alone gotten a result. He’s got another chance to prove that he’s a changed man, but I think most of the DFA will forever see him as a slave to that hellion’s temper.