ManUnitedBloggers

TRANSCRIPT: Rangnick’s Newcastle press conference – more subs needed and players are encouraged to be vaccinated

Scott Patterson — Thu, 23 Dec 2021 15:38:07 GMT

Following the postponement of our last two Premier League games, Ralf Rangnick has spoken to the press ahead of our match against Newcastle.

The obvious place to start is where everyone’s focus is at the moment. What is the current situation for you and your squad in relation to covid?

RR: As you know, we had the last training session last week on Thursday. On that day with eight outfield players and three goalkeepers, and then we closed down the training ground for four days in order to break the chain. Today was the third day of training this week. We started on Tuesday then trained yesterday and today. We had 25 players, apart from Paul Pogba who is still missing out. The development over the last week has been extremely positive.

Would you feel you’re in good shape for the next fixture? You’ve got a couple more days until the trip to Newcastle.

RR: We will train tomorrow then there will be a day off for the players on Christmas Day. Then we have the last training session on Sunday then will fly on Sunday afternoon to Newcastle.

There has been a lot of talk about the players and player welfare, five substitutes, and various ways of helping the players over this period. What do you think should happen?

RR: As far as I remember, it was decided that every team could substitute five players when covid started. I think it was the right decision to do that, to have more options to change players and save energy for players, especially if they’ve only just recovered from covid. The same is true right now. We have a similar situation to the one we had one and a half years ago so I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t be like it was. As far as I know, in Europe, England is the only country where they only allow three subs. In the other four big leagues in Europe you can substitute five players. On the other hand, you’re still allowed to have eight players on the teamsheet. If you can only replace three of them you’ll always have five players on the bench who cannot play.

Obviously, you’ve only just come to England, but what is your view of having to play a game on the 26th, then two or three days after. Do you think something should have been with the calendar to help teams?

RR: You know better than I do what a big tradition it is in England to play on Boxing Day and the games on the 26th, or 30th and 2nd. I think this is a big tradition and we should stick to the tradition. I’m looking forward to it. It will be the first time in my coaching career to be part of that. There might be two or three others issues that could be discussed, which have been discussed in the past. I think England is the only country in the top five leagues that plays two cup competitions. I think France abolished one a few years ago so currently we are the only country to play two cup competitions. This is something maybe we could speak about. I know the reasons for it. I know the League Cup has been still kept for third and fourth divisions to improve the financial situations of those clubs. But I think if we speak about the tight calendar and having to play too many games this is something we could discuss. I think there has been a change in the last two weeks, the FA Cup won’t have replays after a draw. I think this is a good idea. In other countries you play extra-time and penalties and never have that replay situation. These are issues you could speak about.

Just how challenging has been to prepare a side. Yes, you’ve had a break and come back staggered, but just how challenging has it been to get everyone back in to the training ground. For the Newcastle game, what is the availability?

RR: As far as I could see in training today, they’re all in good shape. They all did their homework. They had their schedule to train at home and they’ve all stuck to that. From what I saw today, I can say most if not all of them might be available. I’ll have to make some difficult decisions on who should be in the squad and the starting XI.

The Premier League met earlier this week with managers set to meet later. What are your senior players hoping to hear about player welfare and substitutes?

RR: Most of the things we have already spoken about. It would be a great help to have five substitutes. This would improve the situation, the emotional situation within the squad, because it’s a big difference if you can give five players game time. I would be in favour of this and in other countries they do that. I haven’t spoken to my players about that but I don’t need to because I know that most of the players would be in favour in that. Apart from that, the Premier League will try everything to keep the league safe, to keep the players safe. The club do it regularly, to encourage them to behave in a disciplined way in terms of contacts, we will make sure we have most of the players vaccinated. As far as I’m aware, we have a good record of players being vaccinated at our club, but the past two weeks show even if you are being vaccinated, you can catch the virus, especially the new virus. You are being protected from severe symptoms. Most of our players who tested positive had weak symptoms and didn’t suffer from that.

Rashford: Everyone is very positive ahead of Christmas fixtures

Scott Patterson — Thu, 23 Dec 2021 14:05:08 GMT

Manchester United had the last two Premier League games postponed following a Covid outbreak at the club. It was reported up to 19 players and staff tested positive, meaning the matches were called off and the training ground was closed. The timing couldn’t have been any worse, given the fixture congestion ahead and new manager Ralf Rangnick needing time on the pitch to implement his new style of play.

However, Carrington is open again and, as it stands, our match against Newcastle on December 27th is still set to go ahead. Two matches on Boxing Day have already been called off.

Marcus Rashford has spoken to the official site about the mood of the squad now they are back in training.

The lads have been training and today we brought all the rest of the lads back to training, there are only a couple left that will be coming in tomorrow. So, we’ve pretty much got the full squad back, which is a positive going into the week.
Everyone is looking forward and everyone is very positive at the minute. We were all disappointed when the last game got cancelled but, at the end of the day, there’s nothing you can really do about it. We have to just focus on the next game that will be played and hopefully that game goes ahead.

United will play three games in a week, with the postponed games yet to be rescheduled, but Rashford enjoys this period of the year when the matches come thick and fast.

I definitely enjoy this time of year. I think the way you start the season and the way you play, and the results you get around the Christmas period, are probably the two most important points [in the season]. So, if we have a good Christmas period now, then we can keep that momentum going and that will take you into the big games where the trophies are, come the end of the season.

Transfer Rumours: Edinson Cavani’s January exit looming?

Academy Writers — Wed, 22 Dec 2021 18:00:00 GMT

As the level of uncertainty across both the country and the Premier League increases due to the rising number of Covid 19 cases, the future of some of Manchester United forwards also seems uncertain going into the January transfer window. While Anthony Martial has made it publicly clear he is looking to leave through the […]

Hannibal dreaming of international silverware

Scott Patterson — Sat, 18 Dec 2021 15:56:52 GMT

Tunisia take on Algeria in the Arab Cup final this afternoon and Manchester United youngster Hannibal Mejbri is starting. You can watch the game on FIFA TV.

Hannibal, whose enjoyed a great tournament so far, spoke to the official site about how much it would mean to him to win the cup.

Of course, I’m really, really excited for the final against Algeria. After all, it’s a final. We’re going to give absolutely everything and concentrate on our game. It would mean so much, not just for the players but for the country as a whole.
Everyone knows what it’s like in Africa and in Tunisia: we live, eat and sleep football. So if we were to win then it’d bring us even closer to our people, moving in the right direction together and it would give us so much strength to go on and achieve even more.

He’s won two Man of the Match awards, including the semi-final against Egypt but isn’t sure which was his better performance.

It’s hard to choose one, because they were both very different matches. In one, we had a lot of the ball and I was able to create lots of different opportunities and in the other it was more about putting in defensive effort. In both of them, I think they were good matches. Both personally and as a team I think we put in good performances in both of them and were tactically very good, so they’ve both got their own qualities: the first one more attacking-wise, the second more defensively.
Everything that I’ve experienced is a learning curve and I’m going to take everything that I can from it. It’s a huge honour and pleasure to play for my country so I thank the staff for giving me that opportunity and thank the Tunisian people.

The Ralf Rangnick Era: Five players who could flourish and five who could leave

Academy Writers — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Manchester United started off the Ralf Rangnick era with a top performance against Crystal Palace last weekend, running out 1-0 winners in a game where United could have scored five. The instant impact of Rangnick’s arrival was evident from the first whistle, with United pressing high up the pitch and recovering the ball quickly. This type […]

Why the debut of Zidane Iqbal is a monumental moment

Academy Writers — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 05:00:00 GMT

On Wednesday evening Manchester United’s new manager Ralf Rangnick took the opportunity to use the final Champions league group game as a tester for fringe players to see how they measure up to his expectations. Due to the game having no stakes at all for United, who were already going to finish top of the […]

Opinion: Ralf Rangnick must be ruthless if Manchester United are to succeed

Academy Writers — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 02:00:00 GMT

Manchester United scraped past Norwich City at Carrow Road on Saturday with a slender 1-0 victory. Cristiano Ronaldo’s perfectly dispatched penalty was enough to mask a worryingly poor performance, something that has become all too familiar for United this season. A lacklustre performance that was in complete contrast to the efforts against Crystal Palace last week should […]

Predicted XI: [4-3-3] Ronaldo, Sancho and Greenwood to start? Manchester United need to be more ruthless in attack!

John Walker — Sun, 12 Dec 2021 23:45:00 GMT

Manchester United will face Brentford at the Brentford Community Stadium in the Premier League on Tuesday evening. The match may be postponed because of coronavirus cases at United on Sunday following the reports that some players tested positive when doing lateral flow tests. However, the club has not suggested anything just yet, so I am […]

Preview: Ralf Rangnick’s Manchester United need to beat Brentford convincingly to push on this month

John Walker — Sun, 12 Dec 2021 23:15:00 GMT

Brentford -v- Manchester United Premier League Brentford Community Stadium, Brentford Tuesday 14 December 2021, KO 19:30 GMT Referee: Andre Marriner Assistants: Simon Long, Scott Ledger Fourth Official: John Brooks VAR: Jarred Gillett Assistant VAR: Lee Betts Manchester United will face Brentford at the Brentford Community Stadium in the Premier League on Tuesday evening. The match may be postponed because of coronavirus […]

Ratings: Ronaldo’s penalty gave United the win against Norwich; De Gea MOTM, Dalot and Telles were brilliant

John Walker — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 20:10:00 GMT

Manchester United beat Norwich City 1-0 at Carrow Road in the Premier League on Saturday evening. Just one goal separated the two sides which was scored from the penalty spot by none other than Cristiano Ronaldo in the 75th minute of the match. It was not a great display by Ralf Rangnick’s side but David […]

Norwich 0-1 Man Utd: A Win Is A Win

Elijah — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 19:23:51 GMT

It was quite a shoddy display against the team that started the day bottom of the table. Much has been made of the fact that United will not face a top 6 until March but if there are going to play the way they did today, then they won’t see much joy from this ‘easy’ run. The goal was decided by Ronaldo winning the penalty and smashing it home to give Man Utd the slender margin. Two clean sheets to match the same record as the 14 before that.

Opposing himself

The early parts of the season were characterised by an ever changing attack, outside of the presence of Ronaldo and Bruno. The wide areas were constantly being changed. It seemed like several were auditioning to make that spot their own. What’s more, with Rashford’s impending arrival from injury, it was only really one spot that was available because he seemed nailed on to keep his wide left berth. A goal in his first two appearances back made it likely that would be the case but the performances have been nowhere near good enough, 2 months since the Leicester game. While he was still able to replicate the numbers he got in what was another breakout season of 19/20, 2020/21 lacked the same play that captivated us. He could be forgiven as he played with not only a shoulder injury but an ankle injury he picked up whilst carrying the former. The summer break post Euros gave him time to recuperate for the first time in a long while.

The excuses aren’t there anymore and while it will take time to get back to full throttle, the stunning lack of basics being carried out was remarkably poor, particularly today. In the first half, only Bruno Fernandes had a higher possession loss rate than the Englishman (36% and 35% respectively). Loose touches that should be easy to control, simple passes going awry, dribbling into cul-de-sacs unnecessarily, holding onto it when simple lay offs would have sufficed. These are unfortunate traits that litter throughout Rashford’s game at the best of times but all of it showing today without any of the upside. It was a litany of errors. What made it worse was the reaction to the mistake was not a positive one. It was the sulking that has become a trademark of a Rashford’s possession concession, with poor effort in getting back. Others can be accused of not being able to cover the ground or having that body language as a default, which Rashford cannot. So it makes you wonder what exactly has happened and when, even. How he adapts on Rangnick will be interesting too. Currently, one of a pair up top, it doesn’t look like he enjoys it as well as he does out wide. Seeing as the interim sees the two behind as more No.10s than wingers, it would be unlikely that he goes there. Fortunately, Rashford possess a tenacity to run the channels and speed that is unmatched within the roster at United. He will need to use it better than he did today at Carrow Road however.

Turning over and over

After the positivity of Crystal Palace, this was anything but in the grand scheme of things. On commentary, a reason for the performance could be the change of coach imposing a training regime to get his charges up to his required standard and within this busy Christmas period to come, it might lead to a lot of performances that we saw today. Rashford’s paucity in technical security today was nothing something that his counterparts didn’t mirror. Outside of Sancho and, surprisingly, McTominay, the rest of the team moved the ball inaccurately and even if it did find another red shirt, it was following through treacle.

With a system as narrow as this one, it promotes the opportunity for combination play, which requires quick passing. The players were guilty of too many touches. With the two No.10s occupying the half spaces, it should mean that balls are constantly feed into their feet at the slightest opening. Only twice did I see, when Lindelof feed a pass into Bruno during the first half and McTominay to Sancho early in the second. It was incredibly ponderous but so much of it was very simple things not being completed. Rangnick repeatedly mentioned the word control in his first press conference in the media and I’m sure that what he was alluding to was being able to control the space without the ball. However, that’s one side of the game. Given that United will have more possession in 70% of the Premier League, being able to control the game whilst we have it is increasingly important. It becoming a basketball match where it is constantly turning over and over will not only make us more uncomfortable but will just tire the players out. More needs to be done on the training pitch in that regard.

Confirmed XI: Ronaldo seeking to increase goal tally against Norwich; Dalot, Telles, Fred and Sancho start

John Walker — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 16:34:00 GMT

Manchester United will face Norwich City in the Premier League at Carrow Road this evening. The match comes three days after the 1-1 draw against Young Boys in the final UEFA Champions League group stage match of the season with United winning the group and making the knockout stages of the competition. It was Ralf […]

CONFIRMED LINE-UP: Norwich vs United

Scott Patterson — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 16:18:00 GMT

Ralf Rangnick will be hoping to continue Manchester United’s recent good form with a win against Norwich this afternoon. Our opposition have a new manager too, with Dean Smith taking charge a month ago. Since then, they have beaten Southampton, drawn with Wolves and Newcastle, before losing 3-0 to Spurs last weekend. They find themselves rooted to the bottom of the table still.

With every passing game and training session, you would hope that the players become more capable of realising Rangnick’s vision. He spoke very clearly yesterday at his press conference about his expectations of the players.

De Gea, Dalot, Lindelof, Maguire, Telles, McTominay, Fred, Sancho, Fernandes, Rashford, Ronaldo.

Subs: Heaton, Henderson, Bailly, Jones, Shaw, Lingard, van de Beek, Elanga, Greenwood.

Norwich: Krul, Kabak, Hanley, Giannois, Aarons, Rupp, Gilmour, McClean, Placheta, Pukki, Sargent.

TRANSCRIPT IN FULL: Rangnick’s Norwich press conference – I won’t be trying to convince Pogba or anyone to stay

Scott Patterson — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 22:46:02 GMT

Could you just tell us, having left an entire team out on Wednesday, is the intention to bring them all back in again tomorrow and what kind of training have you had this week?

RR: Yeh, we literally trained in two different groups before the game on Wednesday. We trained with the team that played against Young Boys in detail to prepare them for the game. The other group that played against Palace, they had a day off on Tuesday and we started to prepare for the game tomorrow on Wednesday, Thursday and obviously today was the last day of preparation of the game.

Can I just ask if there are any fresh injury or illness concerns heading in tot he weekend, I know Aaron Wan-Bissaka had a couple of knocks, any other problems?

RR: Yeh, we have two or three question marks behind players, but since they haven’t shown up as yet, because we only train at two o’clock, we have to wait until after the training session, or at least before the training session, until the Doctor and medical department can tell me what the current situation is like. Aaron, as you said, received one or two knocks in the game, there is still a question mark behind Nemanja Matic, he had sort of a cold, I wouldn’t call it a flu but he was negatively tested with COVID, so I am still hoping he can be available, but we have to wait until we see how he feels today.

I was wondering about Paul Pogba. By the time he’s fit to play, you will have a team maybe playing in your image, playing the way you want them to play. How hard will it be for him to get into the starting line-up and what’s your message to him?

RR: We spoke on the phone two days ago, no I think it was on Tuesday… He’s still in Dubai and is expected to come back today and then we’ll get to know each other in person on Sunday but we had a telephone call for about 10-15 minutes. He told me that he was getting better but obviously still not being fully fit. From what I’ve heard so far, it’ll take another couple of weeks until he’s fit for training again. Then, of course, he has been out for quite some time. So I suppose it will take him another couple of weeks to get him match fit but in the first instance now it’s important for him to get fully fit, to be able to train with the rest of the group and then we have to develop him physically and tactically to be also fit to play in the Premier League.

Could you sum up your first seven days please, what have been the main challenges that you’ve faced?

RR: In the first instance, it was about getting to know the players. As you know we had 45 minutes of training before the game against Crystal Palace then obviously we went through quite a lot of video footage with them, to tell them how we want them to play. As we all saw, they did well in that game, not everything was perfect but quite a few things worked out well, we were always on the front foot and we had control on the game. Now it’s about taking the next steps, it’s a lot about trying to be on field, we don’t have that many training sessions, this week we had a few but with the full group, we always had a couple of players from the U19s and U21s to train with us. But it’s now about taking the next steps. I think the basis of what we showed against Crystal Palace was good, we didn’t allow them to score, we didn’t allow them too many opportunities. We had a clean sheet. This is again the ambition that we have now we have Norwich away. They have improved since they changed managers. They play a little bit more direct, a little more vertical than they were under Daniel Farke. It will be a challenge to play at Carrow Road but obviously we want to improve our performance, build on what we showed against Crystal Palace and then hopefully get the next win tomorrow.

It was reported this week that you had a decision to make over your goalkeeper options. Obviously, we saw Henderson on Wednesday night, so what are your thoughts there?

RR: I mean, we have quite a few top goalkeepers and we could also see that against Young Boys, both goalkeepers did well who played. With David de Gea, we have a top goalkeeper as no.1, so this is a position where we have minimum three, if not four or five good goalkeepers. We will see what the situation will be like in the winter. There might be one or two of them wanting to go on loan somewhere but on the other hand we also have to bear in mind that we have three competitions in the next six months, FA Cup, Premier League and the Champions League. We definitely need three top goalkeepers in order to make up for a player being injured or suspended.

Have you had long enough to assess your squad of players now to know if you need to do transfer business in January?

RR: I’ve got to know them better obviously in this week, I saw most of them play in the two games and had minimum three or four or five training sessions but it’s still too early to speak about what might happen in the winter transfer window. If I look at the number of players we have it’s still a big squad, we definitely do not have not enough players but we also need to make sure that players want to stay here, if they’re not getting enough game time here, it might make sense to speak individually with the players and see if a loan deal might make sense but right now it’s too early to speak about that.

Just going back to Paul Pogba. How much are you looking forward to playing him and what position will you play him in?

RR: I’m very much looking forward to working with him, as I did with all the other players. But in order to know what is his best possible position I need to get to know him in person. I also need to speak with him. It’s also about being fully physically fit. It’s high intensity, transitional movements forward and back, so you need to be fully fit to play that game. We saw against Young Boys in the first half hour was OK, if not even good, but then we were struggling in the second half. I want to say thank you to the fans who backed the team for the full 95 minutes although it was sort of an experimental team. But the fans were outstanding in the way they supported the players. Thank you to our supporters for that. Coming back to Paul, it will take some time, and he will get that time, and once he’s fully fit we will see. From what I’ve seen of him so far I see him as a midfielder and not so much a striker or a left winger. We will see which position is the best for him.

Basically, for Man United, Pogba can be absolutely brilliant and world class. But at other times he can be uneven, not quite as good, whereas for France, the view is that he’s always brilliant. Why might that be?

RR: To be honest, I can’t answer that question because I don’t know what he’s being asked to do for the French national team. The only thing that is of interest to me is how do we get him fully fit and in which position can he play for us. Now he’s still injured, once he’s back in training, he’ll probably be out for three months, so no one can expect for him to be fully fit after one or two training weeks for our style of football.

When you look at the make up of your squad, is it as good as any in the Premier League, and it’s just going to take you time to show that to everyone?

RR: Again, too early to say that. I know most of the Premier League squads from TV, I haven’t played against them directly. I’m pleased with the players I have currently and I’m also happy with the performance they showed last Sunday. Now it’s about developing, learning by doing, most of that has to happen on the pitch in games because there is not that much training time in between. That’s what we are trying to do, get better with every game that we play, produce as many clean sheets as we can, and with the group of players that we have we will always be able to score goals. I’m not worried about that at all, it’s about making sure as many clean sheets as we can get.

On Paul Pogba again, he’s now entering the final few months of his contract at the club. How much of a role can you play in trying to convince him to stay? You said before about talking to players who might go out on loan, are you one of these coaches that if a player doesn’t want to stay that he isn’t worth keeping?

RR: I wouldn’t say he’s not worth keeping, but of course a player has to want to stay and play for a club, even more so for a big club like Manchester United, so if a player doesn’t want to play for Manchester United in the medium or long-term I don’t think it makes sense to convince them to change their mind. This is such a massive club, fantastic supporters, I don’t think anyone at the club should convince a player to stay. So let’s wait and see. I’ve spoken to him for 15 minutes on the phone, let’s have him come back, get fully fit, train with the team, and then we’ll see where we stand. He can be an important player, I’m fully aware of that, but that is true of other players that we have. I’m not just the coach of Paul Pogba, but all the other players, and my ambition is to make them better and develop each individual player, and this is only possible by improving the performance of the whole team. In football it’s impossible to develop players individually without the team being successful and develop the team in a sustainable way.

You said earlier this week that Chris Armas would come in as your assistant coach. Mike Phelan is currently the assistant manager. Does that mean Mike’s role is going to change?

RR: Since Michael Carrick is no longer on board we needed someone to replace him so Chris Armas is one of two assistant coaches, along with Kieran, who helped me to prepare training sessions and discuss video footage. Mike Phelan is not watching the training session, he also didn’t do that when Ole was in charge, but he’s also part of the staff but he’s never on the pitch when we train. Chris will not replace Mike, but Michael Carrick.

You’ve said over the past week that the January transfer window is a difficult one ordinarily. If there was any opportunity to bring a player in, is it fair to say that the defensive midfield or a holding midfield position is one that you would look to strengthen?

RR: My opinion on winter transfers is clear. It needs to be a player who improves the quality, who helps the team to get better. It needs to be a high quality player, no matter which area of the pitch. On the other hand, it needs to be a player who, if they were available in the summer, they’re available for similar conditions in the winter. Then it might make sense. It needs to be the right mentality as well as the right quality. For this competitive league, we need the best possible mentality. He needs to be mature enough, have a winning mentality, and for me the mentality in this league is even more crucial than in any other league in Europe.

You mentioned Paul’s been in Dubai. How comfortable are you in principle with players doing rehab away from the club?

RR: I cannot answer this question right now. In my former club, I always tried to make sure the rehab happened in the club itself. So far as I can tell, the medical department is really good, very good, with many different approaches towards rehab. I would not want players to do rehab abroad. But the decision on Paul was taken before I came. For the future, I’ve already spoken to the medical department that if we have long-term injuries in the future, I want them to stay here.

You’re about to enter a busy period of fixtures, it’s the busiest period in English football, I just wanted to ask your opinion on that fixture list.

RR: It’s new to me. It’s the first time I’ve worked in England. In Germany we used to have a longer winter break until a few years ago, now it’s only a short break of two weeks, but at least the players are off for Christmas. Here, we don’t. We maybe have one or two days off and the rest is training because we’re playing against Newcastle on the 27th. So it’s a new experience for me but the players are used to it and it’s for us it’s getting the right balance between recovery after the game they’ve played and preparing the players for the upcoming game.

Martial wants to leave United in January

Scott Patterson — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 14:59:56 GMT

Anthony Martial’s agent has today revealed to Sky Sports that the Frenchman wants to leave Manchester United in the January transfer window.

Anthony wishes to leave the club in January. He just needs to play. He doesn’t want to stay in January and I will speak to the club soon.

Martial’s current deal expires in the summer of 2024, with the option of a further year, so United are under no pressure to sell him. The number of clubs who have the inclination and the funds to buy him are limited, although Newcastle have emerged as a rumoured side to be interested.

The French forward’s form has been fairly erratic at United during six years he’s been at Old Trafford. He enjoyed a fantastic debut season under Louis van Gaal but went off the boil in the Jose Mourinho years. His best campaign to date was the year before last under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when he scored 23 goals in 48 appearances, but his form has taken a turn for the worse since then.

Martial has made 10 appearances in all competitions this season and while he’s had periods of injury, he’s still only managed three hours of football.

Predicted XI: [4-3-3] Henderson, Dalot and Shaw to start against Norwich; Ronaldo, Greenwood and Sancho to lead the attack? Fernandes to shine?

John Walker — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 01:30:00 GMT

Manchester United will face Norwich City in the Premier League at Carrow Road on Saturday evening. The match comes three days after the 1-1 draw against Young Boys in the final UEFA Champions League group stage match of the season with United winning the group and making the knockout stages of the competition. It was […]

Preview: United ready for Norwich challenge; Rangnick to find who to build his team around? Henderson starts?

John Walker — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 00:30:00 GMT

Norwich City -v- Manchester United Premier League Carrow Road, Norwich Saturday 11 December 2021, KO 17:30 GMT Referee: Darren England Assistants: Constantine Hatzidakis, Peter Kirkup Fourth Official: Andy Madley VAR: John Brooks Assistant VAR: Eddie Smart Manchester United will face Norwich City in the Premier League at Carrow Road on Saturday evening. The match comes three days after the 1-1 draw […]

CONFIRMED LINE-UP: United vs Young Boys

Scott Patterson — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 18:43:47 GMT

Manchester United taken on Young Boys this evening in the Champions League with a place a top of the group already guaranteed. It gives Ralf Rangnick the opportunity to see what fringe players have to offer as well give opportunities to youth players.

Michael Carrick oversaw our last game in Europe, a 2-0 away win against Villarreal, but now players have a new boss to impress, with a new way of playing, and will be hoping to earn their place in the starting line-up for the many Premier League games ahead.

United: Henderson, Wan-Bissaka, Shaw, Bailly, Matic, Van de Beek, Mata, Lingard, Amad, Greenwood, Elanga

Subs: Heaton, Kovar, Hardley, Mengi, Iqbal, Savage, Shoretire.

Young Boys: Faivre; Maceiras, Lustenberger, Rieder, Lefort; Camara, Martins Pereira, Aebischer, Ngamaleu; Elia, Siebatcheu.

FA Cup third round draw: United face Gerrard’s Villa

Scott Patterson — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 19:09:11 GMT

The draw for the FA Cup third round took place this evening with Manchester United being drawn against Aston Villa at home. Steven Gerrard, who took over the role last month, will be looking to get one over on his old rivals. The last time he faced United, as a player, he got so badly rattled by our away support he was sent off seconds after coming off the bench in a game we won.

United haven’t won the FA Cup since 2016 under Louis van Gaal and Ralf Rangnick will likely be desperate to get his hands on some silverware during his six month stint as manager.

Other notable draws:

Liverpool v Shrewsbury Town

Chelsea v Chesterfield

Swindon Town v Manchester City

Nottingham Forest v Arsenal

Rangnick: I was surprised by how well we played

Scott Patterson — Sun, 05 Dec 2021 21:43:41 GMT

Manchester United picked up our first clean sheet of the season at home in the league and won three points in our 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace. In a game that we dominated, our decision making and finishing in the final third was lacking, until Fred stepped up to score a fantastic goal.

After the game, Ralf Rangnick spoke to Sky Sports about his happiness with the performance, especially given how limited his time with the players had been.

I’m more than happy. First of all, most importantly, we won the game. Second, we had a clean sheet, third I think we no doubt deserved to win, because we had control of the game. The first half hour was amazing. I felt it was extremely high tempo, high intensity, always on the front. The only thing that was missing in this first half hour was scoring one or two, if not three, goals.
But it was clear that you cannot play the whole game, 90 minutes, on this kind of intensity level. But, still, even after that we had control of the game. Second half, we started the game well and, in the end, we deserved to win. I am more than happy with the clean sheet. Beautiful goal with this weak right foot from Fred. It was about gaining control and we had control most of the time of the game.
To be honest, I was positively surprised by the physical state, intensity and performance of the players. Not only did we play in the late kick-off on Thursday, but we also had two days fewer than Crystal Palace to recover. I didn’t expect us to play at that level after only one-and-a-half training days together with them.
It’s always easier to build on things when you’re successful. I want the players to believe in this kind of football. We continue in this direction, produce further clean sheets, and get better at creating chances ourselves. There is still space for improvement but today was more important for me to see how they played against the ball.

'Absolutely everywhere': Some Man Utd fans delighted with £19.8m star after Chelsea draw

Sri Aswin — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 06:16:50 GMT

A selection of Manchester United fans were impressed with the midfield performance of Fred during Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw at Chelsea.

The Red Devils went winless for the seventh occasion in eight league games, but they produced a solid defensive display to share the spoils.

Jadon Sancho capitalised on a Jorginho error to opening the scoring for United in the 50th minute, but they could not hold onto the lead.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka kicked Thiago Silva in his attempt to clear his lines. This handed the Blues a penalty that was converted by Jorginho in the 69th minute.

The Blues were the better side in the final phase of the game, but United held on for a hard-fought league point away from home.

Fred was one of the top performers for the Red Devils. The Brazilian won two tackles alongside two interceptions and four clearances.

He also won six duels, and looked a different player, operating in an advanced midfield role with Nemanja Matic and Scott McTominay behind.

The 28-year-old had a wonderful late chance to cap his performance with a winning goal, but could not capitalise on Edouard Mendy’s poor pass.

Despite this, it was one of his best performances in a while. Some of the club’s faithful heaped praise on his showing at Stamford Bridge.

Twitter reactions:

Ever since ole was sacked Fred has been playing good ? pic.twitter.com/rEHl7WzCH0
— MufcBen? (@MufcBen9) November 28, 2021

Give fred licence to go and tackle without worrying about leaving the defence open and he balls..

Matic being a DM today, really showed us what type of player Fred is..

Bravo ????
Still needs working on his game pic.twitter.com/oTciONSSH3
— #NFT ? Artist #MUFC ?? (@PrinceChrisMUFC) November 28, 2021

Aside from that attempted chip over the keeper (which he will rightly get panned for) Fred has been really very good today. When he keeps things simple and concentrates on breaking things up he does a good job.
— Doc MUFC (@DocJ_MUFC) November 28, 2021

Credit where it's due, Fred was colossal tonight. He was absolutely everywhere tonight. Bar that wasted chance towards the end, he was superb. #CHEMUN #MUFC ?? pic.twitter.com/qUQOPgHC8d
— Sujal Swain (@officialsujal10) November 28, 2021

Much improved performance, thought the work rate was superb. Some quality stops by De Gea. Fred has been excellent in last 2 games. Big boost for Sancho again.
— Andrew Kilduff (@TuftyMUFC) November 28, 2021

Ralf Rangnick will take interim charge in the coming days, and the German would surely have monitored Fred’s performance against Chelsea.

The German’s style of play depends on regular high pressing, and Fred showed that he has the attributes to fit into Rangnick’s plans.

The £19.8 million-rated star has received criticism from some United fans, but he has regularly impressed for the club in the big games.

He now needs to find the consistency over an extended run of matches. The Brazilian may relish the prospect of playing under Rangnick.

The Red Devils are currently five points behind the top four. They entertain Arsenal at Old Trafford on Thursday. Rangnick could be in the dugout.

Stats from Sofascore.com and Transfermarkt.com

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Mark Lawrenson states his prediction for Chelsea vs Man Utd

Sri Aswin — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 06:10:00 GMT

BBC football expert Mark Lawrenson has stated his prediction for Manchester United’s upcoming Premier League clash at Chelsea.

The Red Devils have lost five of their last seven league games. They are currently six points adrift of the top four and 12 behind leaders Chelsea.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was dismissed earlier this week owing to the poor form.

Michael Carrick guided the club to a midweek European win at Villarreal, and he will remain in temporary charge this weekend.

Ralf Rangnick has agreed to take control as interim boss for the campaign, but United have yet to secure a work permit for him to begin coaching.

Ahead of Sunday’s game, Lawrenson has stated his matchday prediction on BBC Sport. He has backed the Blues to come on top with a 2-1 victory.

On current form, the west London outfit are favourites on Sunday, but United have historically fared better in meetings between the clubs.

The Red Devils are unbeaten in the previous seven league encounters against the Blues, with three wins and four draws in the process.

Their only defeat during this period came in the 2020 FA Cup semi-final, where the Blues ran out comfortable 3-1 victors at Old Trafford.

Despite the dismal run of form in recent months, United should come up with a good response, but they will need to make a quick start.

Meanwhile, there needs to be an improvement at the back. David de Gea has been exceptional in goal but has been let down by his defenders.

Harry Maguire’s suspension could be a blessing in disguise for the Red Devils, given the club captain has had an indifferent campaign.

Eric Bailly has another opportunity to make his mark. The Ivorian produced a good showing against Atalanta earlier this month but could not carry on, conceding an early own goal in the Manchester derby.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com and 11v11.com.

Read: Man Utd could be without seven players for Chelsea clash.

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Man Utd could be without seven players for Chelsea clash

Sri Aswin — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 05:10:56 GMT

Manchester United could be without seven players for Sunday’s Premier League clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The Red Devils recently dismissed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from the head coach role after five league defeats in seven games.

Michael Carrick was handed temporary charge for the midweek Champions League game at Villarreal where United returned to winning ways.

The club registered a 2-0 victory over the Yellow Submarines which ensured their progress to the last 16 of the European competition.

Ralf Rangnick has reportedly been appointed as the interim manager, but he won’t be available this weekend due to work permit issues.

Carrick is now set to make his Premier League managerial debut, but the 40-year-old has plenty of injury concerns ahead of the game.

Paul Pogba (thigh) and Raphael Varane (hamstring) are sidelined with injuries and are definite absentees for the west London trip.

Mason Greenwood is also ruled out after testing positive for coronavirus last weekend while Harry Maguire is suspended for the match.

Aside from the quartet, the Red Devils may have to once again contend without Edinson Cavani, who has been nursing a tendon injury.

Carrick has now confirmed that Luke Shaw remains a fitness doubt after suffering a head injury during the 4-1 defeat at Watford last week.

Fred also appears a potential doubt after playing with a twisted ankle during the back end of the Villarreal clash on Tuesday.

He told Manutd.com: “There is one or two that we’re kind of waiting on. Luke took a bang on the head, we’re assessing him and we’ll make a call on how he is. Fred twisted his ankle.”

“He managed to carry on and see the game out, which is pretty incredible.

He played a big part in us winning. We’ll have to see how that works out. We’ll be strong and look forward to the game.”

The Red Devils are unbeaten in the last seven league meetings against the Blues, but they have been on the winning side in just three of those encounters.

The last two meetings have ended in goalless stalemates, but that may not happen on Sunday evening with both teams needing to secure a win for different reasons.

United desperately need three points to avoid losing further ground on the Champions League places.

They are currently eighth in the standings, already six points adrift of the fourth spot.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com and 11v11.com.

Read: Predicted Man Utd line-up vs Chelsea.

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Bailly and Rashford start in four changes | Predicted Man Utd line-up (4-2-3-1) vs Chelsea

Sri Aswin — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 06:13:00 GMT

Manchester United travel to Stamford Bridge for Sunday’s much-awaited Premier League clash against leaders Chelsea.

The Red Devils have been in a poor run of form in the league, having suffered five defeats in the last seven games.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was recently sacked as a result of this. Michael Carrick looks set to remain in temporary charge this weekend.

The club have reportedly agreed a deal with Ralf Rangnick for the interim role, but he needs a work permit to take over.

United have had the better of the Blues in recent years. The west London club have failed to beat them in the last seven league meetings.

Despite this, the hosts will start as potential favourites. United will be keen to prove that wrong with a strong showing this weekend.

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Predicted Line-up:

David de Gea has been in splendid form for the Red Devils in goal.

He came up with a crucial save against Villarreal in midweek before the club secured a 2-0 Champions League win. The Spaniard is a definite starter between the sticks.

In defence, there will be an enforced change with Harry Maguire suspended after his sending off during the 4-1 defeat at Watford.

Eric Bailly appears set to partner Victor Lindelof with Raphael Varane injured while Phil Jones has been out of contention.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka is a nailed-on starter from the right-back spot. Luke Shaw could return on the opposite side after missing the midweek outing with a head injury against the Hornets.

Shaw has been substituted due to concussion in recent league games, and will be hoping for a change in fortunes.

Scott Mctominay and Fred were reunited in midfield in Carrick’s managerial debut on Tuesday.

The duo are likely to keep their places with Paul Pogba out with a thigh injury while Donny van de Beek struggled to make an impact in his surprise start ahead of Bruno Fernandes in midweek.

Fernandes is widely expected to feature in the number 10 spot after starring off the bench against Villarreal. He bagged a late assist for Jadon Sancho.

The Portuguese has been consistent in Europe this term with six assists in five group games.

Sancho looks primed to continue in the right-wing position where he is most comfortable playing.

He impressed in the second half against the Hornets, and carried over the form in midweek with his maiden United goal in the closing stages.

On the opposite flank, there could be a straight swap with Marcus Rashford returning in place of Anthony Martial, who failed to grab his opportunity.

Meanwhile, Mason Greenwood may not make the matchday squad after testing positive for coronavirus.

Cristiano Ronaldo is an undisputed starter up front. The Portugal international continued his excellent form in Europe, scoring for the fifth straight group game for the Red Devils.

He has struggled to find the same consistency in the league with four goals in nine games but will be keen to make a mark on Sunday.

The club are already 12 points adrift of the table-toppers while six points separate them from the top four. They can’t afford to lose further ground.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com.

Read: ‘Carrick’s at the wheel’ – Jamie Carragher aims dig at Rio Ferdinand after Man Utd beat Villarreal.

The post Bailly and Rashford start in four changes | Predicted Man Utd line-up (4-2-3-1) vs Chelsea appeared first on Man Utd News.

'Let him sign it': Liverpool legend reacts after Man Utd's win on Tuesday

Sri Aswin — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 07:54:11 GMT

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher aimed a dig at Rio Ferdinand following Manchester United’s 2-0 Champions League win over Villarreal on Tuesday night.

The Red Devils suffered a shock 4-1 Premier League defeat at Watford last weekend, which paved the way for the dismissal of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Michael Carrick has since been handed temporary charge. The 40-year-old had a fine managerial debut, with the club returning to winning ways at Villarreal.

Following the game, Carragher teased Ferdinand by tweeting ‘Carrick’s at the wheel’.

The former Liverpool star urged United to put a contract out on the table to appoint him as permanent manager.

Man Utd might not thank me, but get the contract out put it on the table & let him sign it, let him right whatever numbers he wants, let him sign the contract. Carrick’s at the wheel man! #VILMUN @ChampionsLeague
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) November 23, 2021

In March 2019, Ferdinand said the same words for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after United came from a 2-0 first-leg Champions League deficit to beat Paris Saint-Germain (3-1 win away) and progress to the quarter-final.

Just a few days later, Solskjaer was handed the permanent head coach role, and Ferdinand was undoubtedly delighted, tweeting his post-match comments after the PSG game.

Yessss Ole is officially at The Wheel… Signed, Sealed, Delivered! Manager of @ManUtd! ?? I hope my Thank You is in post Ole ???? #MUFC #Ole pic.twitter.com/lUUel4f6zw
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) March 28, 2019

Solskjaer had an impressive full season at United last term as they finished second in the league standings, but things did not work out as planned this time around.

After a run of five league defeats from seven league games, the Norwegian was recently sacked.

Carrick has had the best possible start as the caretaker manager, but he is unlikely to keep the job.

United have quite clearly mentioned that an interim boss will be recruited soon.

As things stand, Carrick looks set to remain in charge when the club face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com.

Read: Man Utd fans hail David de Gea’s performance vs Villarreal.

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'What a performance', 'Excellent': Some Man Utd fans hail £16.2m star after Villarreal win

Sri Aswin — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 06:11:00 GMT

Some Manchester United fans on Twitter heaped praise on goalkeeper David de Gea following his crucial save in Tuesday’s Champions League win at Villarreal.

The Red Devils went into the game after back-to-back league defeats, and they produced an average first-half performance where Villarreal had more attempts on goal.

However, there was a notable improvement after the interval. Cristiano Ronaldo has been in stellar form in Europe this term, and he scored for the fifth game running in the 78th minute after a defensive error.

Jadon Sancho put the game to bed before stoppage time. The England international was brilliantly put on goal by Bruno Fernandes. He unleased a powerful shot to find the top right corner of the net.

It was a much better attacking performance from the Red Devils after the break, but things could have been different if not for De Gea’s crucial save in the 58th minute.

The Spain international made three saves on the night. His third was the highlight as he dived towards his right and spectacularly parried the shot over the crossbar with a firm hand.

Some Man Utd fans were delighted for him. Here is how they reacted on Twitter.

Congrats lads it's was tough away from home bt we make it thanks to De gea he keeps us on game first goal for Sancho hopefully we'll see more for him let keep that momentum on #mufc. pic.twitter.com/mZ2RSz9WbG
— Stephen Mwangi (@Stephen64301804) November 24, 2021

Man of the Match for me, he kept us in the game.

Well deserved clean sheet for David De Gea ? #UCL #VILMUN #MUFC pic.twitter.com/59Sxnmg8Wx
— Blessed (@BlessedUtd) November 23, 2021

David De Gea once against keeping Manchester United in the game against Villarreal in the Champions League.

Tremendous stop in Spain by the Spanish international.#MUFC #UCL #VILMUN https://t.co/gQYFKPwxxh
— United View (@unitedviewtv) November 23, 2021

De Gea is the only reason we haven’t been embarrassed even worse in the last 2 months.

The only player who is still playing for the badge. #MUFC
— Aayush (@AayushChatts) November 23, 2021

We finally kept a clean sheet in the Champions League this season!

What a performance De Gea ?????? #mufc pic.twitter.com/wkfE2jpNMP
— Ammad???? (@Ammadutd) November 23, 2021

Delighted for Sancho. A goal you feel he needed. Play him on the right. Give him games.

De Gea excellent. Bruno the game changer for #MUFC.

Job done. pic.twitter.com/XFjosQ6EKH
— Red Devil Talk (@RedDevilTalk_) November 23, 2021

De Gea’s future had been the main topic of speculation over the summer after failing to save a single penalty in the shoot-out defeat to Villarreal in the Europa League final.

The 30-year-old has redeemed himself this season with multiple stand-out performances.

He has stopped two penalties while keeping out numerous shots from the opposition.

He kept United in the game in the reverse meeting against Villarreal with a superb first-half showing and was once again crucial last night with a vital save before the hour mark.

The £16.2 million-rated star appears back at the top of his game after a few average seasons.

He could have another busy outing on Sunday when United face an in-form Chelsea side on the road.

The Red Devils are already six points adrift of the top four after five defeats from the last seven league games.

They are unbeaten against the Blues in seven league meetings and will be hoping to extend the streak with a win.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com and 11v11.com.

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Michael Carrick delivers verdict on Manchester United’s win over Villarreal

markovrakela — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 06:00:00 GMT

Manchester United caretaker manager Michael Carrick says his players put their character on full display in a 2-0 win over Villarreal on Tuesday evening.

United travelled to La Ceramica to take on the Yellow Submarine in a high-stake Champions League fixture in the wake of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking.

The Old Trafford chiefs relieved the Norwegian of his duties on Sunday, less than 24 hours after the Red Devils’ embarrassing 4-1 defeat away to Watford.

In these uncertain times for the three-time European champions, Carrick was entrusted with guiding this soulless United team in one of the most significant matches of the season.

Although the performance was below expectations again, United reached the ultimate goal and progressed into the knockout stage.

Carrick offered his view of the match in the aftermath, hailing his team’s spirit following a painful last couple of days.

“The result obviously is a major plus from the run we’ve gone on – we can’t hide that,” he told Sky Sports.

“To get that feeling of winning a football match for the players is huge, and to keep a clean sheet, David [de Gea] was important again, so all round there’s a lot of positives to take.

“The biggest [positive] I’ll take is how everyone adapted, the reaction and how they pulled together.

“In situations like this, there’s mixed emotions. It’s a test of people and you find out who the real characters are, who’s there with you and who’s not.

“I thought everyone stuck together in terms of supporting me and my staff and we managed to get the win which is very pleasing. It was a big one.”

Going into Matchday 5, the Premier League heavyweights and Villarreal were on seven points at the top of Group F, only two points clear of third-placed Atalanta.

Therefore, there was a situation where United could have slid to third in the standings and thrown their qualification hopes into doubt.

Luckily for Carrick and the Old Trafford faithful, having the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo on your side has its virtues.

The all-time Champions League top scorer came to the rescue once again, slotting home a sublime finish to break the deadlock in the 78th minute and put United in front.

Another marquee summer signing Jadon Sancho joined the party in the stoppage time to finally get off the mark in the red shirt with an outrageous effort from inside the box.

Even though it was not United’s most pleasing performance on the eye by any stretch of the imagination, walking away from La Ceramica with all three points was of paramount importance for Carrick’s side.

The Red Devils have booked their place in the Champions League knockout phase with a game to spare and, more importantly, players have bounced back from a dreadful weekend.

Read: Who will replace Ole at the wheel?

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Man Utd could be without five players for Villarreal clash

Sri Aswin — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 20:35:00 GMT

Manchester United could be without five players for Tuesday’s Champions League clash at Villarreal.

The Red Devils recently suffered a fifth league defeat in just seven games, which contributed to the dismissal of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Michael Carrick has now been placed in temporary charge, and the 40-year-old could be without multiple players to face Unai Emery’s side.

Paul Pogba and Raphael Varane are currently sidelined with thigh and hamstring injuries, and the former could be out until the New Year.

Meanwhile, Mason Greenwood will be sidelined for the Villarreal trip as he continues to isolate after testing positive for coronavirus last week.

Edinson Cavani remains doubtful for the encounter, having missed the Watford trip due to a tendon injury suffered before the international break.

Luke Shaw could be another likely absentee after being brought off due to concussion for a second Premier League game running.

As per concussion protocols, he will be assessed over a seven-day period. He could return in time to face Chelsea on Sunday evening.

The Red Devils are currently top of their Champions League group with seven points, ahead of Villarreal on the head-to-head record.

However, they are only two points in front of third-placed Atalanta. A surprise defeat at Villarreal would dent their last 16 prospects.

Cristiano Ronaldo has singlehandedly saved them in Europe this term, with his five goals contributing to them picking up five extra points.

This includes the last-gasp winner in the 95th minute against Villarreal at Old Trafford. The club were outplayed for the best part of an hour.

Villarreal are also in a poor run of form in La Liga, but United can’t afford to take them lightly and need a quick start to assert their dominance.

This has been lacking over the past few months, and there will hopefully be a change tomorrow with the players responding to Solskjaer’s exit.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com.

Read: Telles and Van de Beek start | How Man Utd could line up against Villarreal.

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Telles and Van de Beek start | How Man Utd could line up against Villarreal

Sri Aswin — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 06:05:00 GMT

Manchester United face Villarreal on the road in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The Red Devils are currently top of their group on the head-to-head record to Villarreal, but Atalanta are only two points adrift of them.

Their performances in Europe have not been up to the mark this term, and Cristiano Ronaldo has saved their blushes with late winners.

He was also the standout performer in this month’s trip to Bergamo to face Atalanta. The Portugal international scored a last-gasp equaliser.

They are now scheduled to face Villarreal away from home. The La Liga outfit have been in poor league form as they lie 13th in the table.

However, the Red Devils have equally struggled in the league in recent months, with a staggering five losses in just seven matches.

They are currently eighth in the standings with just 17 points, only one more than what Villarreal have achieved this season.

The dismal league form recently paved the way for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dismissal after three years as the club’s head coach.

Michael Carrick has been placed in temporary charge, and there could be a strong response from the players in tomorrow’s outing.

Team News:

Raphael Varane and Paul Pogba are out as they recover from injuries. Mason Greenwood is also unavailable after testing positive for coronavirus.

Luke Shaw may need to follow concussion protocols and could be sidelined for a week. Edinson Cavani is doubtful with a tendon injury.

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Predicted Line-up:

David de Gea has been excellent between the sticks for the Red Devils this term.

He has made multiple saves in almost every game and starred against Watford despite the shock 4-1 defeat. The Spaniard blocked a penalty and made three more saves.

Harry Maguire’s slow decision-making cost him against Watford as he received his marching orders in the 69th minute.

He is now suspended for the Chelsea game this weekend but should start against Villarreal.

Victor Lindelof has been the regular central defensive partner alongside Maguire, and the Swede appears likely to get the nod over Eric Bailly, who could return to the line-up for the Blues clash.

Diogo Dalot had a horrid time in the reverse meeting with Arnaut Danjuma getting the better of him.

Danjuma appears unlikely to feature, but Aaron Wan-Bissaka could continue at right-back.

Shaw looks set to miss the game after being substituted for concussion for the second game running.

Alex Telles led the 2-1 comeback win over Villarreal in September with a sublime volley to score his maiden United goal. He could start at left-back.

In the centre of the park, Donny van de Beek should be an assured starter over Scott Mctominay on the back of an impressive second-half display against Watford, capped with a goal.

He could be accompanied by Fred, who was an unused substitute. Nemanja Matic had a difficult outing at Watford, where he was guilty of squandering possession on multiple occasions.

Further forward, no changes are expected. Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho are likely to line up in a three-man attack behind Ronaldo, who is expected to lead the line.

Sancho produced his best showing for United over the weekend, where he combined impressively with Van de Beek in the second half.

He delivered quality crosses into the box, but Ronaldo had an off-day.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com.

Read: Man Utd midfielder Donny van de Beek produces credible second half performance vs Watford.

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Who will replace Ole at the wheel?

Richard Sandor — Sun, 21 Nov 2021 15:11:55 GMT

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed as Manchester United’s caretaker manager in December 2018, after the surprising appointment of José Mourinho ended disastrously.

At that point, Solskajer had limited experience managing Molde in his native land across two spells, as well as an unsuccessful spell at Cardiff City in the Premier League in 2014, which led to the Welsh club’s relegation.

What was meant to be a short-term caretaker role turned into a three-year stay for the former United striker.

His impressive start, which included a manager of the month award in his first month, resulted in a permanent job for the Norwegian.

Solskjaer managing United initially seemed like the perfect match, but the club has experienced some ups and downs, with more downs than ups in recent time.

This disappointing period for one of world football’s giants was capped off by a dismal 4-1 loss against Watford in the Premier League.

The United board have decided enough was enough, and Solskjaer was removed from the wheel.

With Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher set to take over at United until a permanent manager is appointed, we look at the likeliest candidates to take over.

Zinedine Zidane

Source: Getty Images

Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is currently the bookmakers’ favourite to take over at Old Trafford, and perhaps the fans’ preferred choice.

The 49-year-old Frenchman spent his entire coaching career at his former club Real Madrid, where he won everything possible – including two La Liga titles, two Supercopa de Espana titles, three Champions League trophies, two UEFA Super Cups, and two FIFA Club World Cups.

While Zidane is perhaps the highest-profile manager currently without a club, rumours back in June suggested he will reject any club offers in anticipation of the French national team job when Didier Deschamps’ contract expires after the 2022 World Cup.

However, other more recent rumours claim the France legend is learning English.

Whether that is in preparation to take over as the new United manager or to widen his skill set, only time will tell.

Brendan Rodgers

Source: Getty Images

Brendan Rodgers has turned into one of the best managers in the Premier League since his return to the league following three highly successful years at Celtic.

Under his management, Leicester City became one of the new ‘Top Six’, with back-to-back fifth-place finishes in his two full seasons at the club.

Since then, the Northern Irish manager has been linked with numerous jobs, most notably the Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur managerial positions, neither of which happened.

With increasing certainty over Solskjaer’s future, Rodgers was tipped as one of the leading candidates to take over at United, rumours he shot down at the press conference before the game against Chelsea.

The 48-year-old stated that such talk was disrespectful as there was still a manager in charge of United (at the time of the press conference), while also adding that he is happy at Leicester and any rumours of him leaving are ”not real’.

While these are strong statements, only time will tell whether Rodgers can be persuaded to leave the Foxes for the Red Devils.

Erik ten Hag

Source: Getty Images

Erik ten Hag has been linked with numerous Premier League jobs in recent months, with Arsenal, Newcastle United and Spurs being the most notable rumours.

However, after Solksjaer’s exit from United, the Dutchman is now considered one of the leading candidates to take over at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag has spent the majority of his managerial career in his native Netherlands, currently managing Dutch giants Ajax since 2017.

During the last four years, ten Hag won two league titles, two cups, as well as a Champions League semi-final in 2018-19, beating Real Madrid and Juventus in the process.

The 51-year-old is a former ‘student’ of Pep Guardiola, with whom he worked between 2013 and 2015.

He is also a manager with a philosophy of attacking football, which on paper makes for a perfect match with United.

Ten Hag has shown over the years that he is capable of leading a giant club to success, not only in domestic competitions but also in Europe.

However, rumours from a few weeks ago suggest ten Hag would not consider joining United, as he is looking to continue developing a young and exciting team at Ajax.

Additionally, United supporters would perhaps be wary of how the last Dutch manager performed at the club.

Read: Man Utd midfielder Donny van de Beek produces credible second half performance vs Watford.

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'Three key passes, two tackles won': £22.5m Man Utd star stands out in Watford defeat

Sri Aswin — Sun, 21 Nov 2021 06:30:00 GMT

Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek proved that he is worthy of a regular starting role after standing out during the second half of the Premier League defeat at Watford.

The Red Devils were widely fancied to beat the Hornets on Saturday afternoon, but they produced a poor showing that paved the way for an embarrassing 4-1 defeat at Vicarage Road.

David de Gea was kept active in goal once more. The Spaniard saved an early penalty from Ismaila Sarr.

The initial spot-kick was retaken due to encroachment, but the Spaniard denied Sarr again.

The 30-year-old continued to impress between the sticks, but the Hornets still scored twice before the half-time interval with poor defending ahead of him, not for the first time this season.

At the break, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decided to ring the changes with Anthony Martial and van de Beek replacing Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay.

While Martial was non-existent in the second half, Van de Beek made an instant impression, scoring in the 50th minute.

Cristiano Ronaldo put the ball on the plate for him to head home from close range.

That was his only shot on target, but the Dutchman impressed with his long-range distribution, creating three key passes.

He also won three duels while registering two tackles and one interception.

The 24-year-old played just 15 minutes of league football before yesterday, but he turned up with a solid performance that was noteworthy for the man of the match on any other day.

Solskjaer has shown a reluctance to play Van de Beek since his arrival, but the Norwegian handed a surprise second-half appearance for the playmaker with his managerial job on the line.

The £22.5 million-rated star has proved that he is worthy of a regular starting berth on the back of the recent performance, but it should be under a different head coach.

The club have suffered a staggering five defeats in seven league matches while their European displays have also not been up to the mark. Solskjaer is expected to be dismissed today.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com.

Read: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sack announcement imminent, Fletcher and Carrick could take interim charge.

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'It's over': Fabrizio Romano provides update on Solskjaer, duo could take interim charge

Sri Aswin — Sun, 21 Nov 2021 06:10:00 GMT

Manchester United’s owners have approved the decision to part ways with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer by mutual agreement following the embarrassing 4-1 Premier League defeat at Watford, Fabrizio Romano claims.

The Red Devils were in a dreadful run of league form before the international break with four losses in six games.

They were outclassed by Liverpool, Manchester City and Leicester City during that period.

They were fancied to turn their fortunes around with a convincing win at Vicarage Road, but that was not the case.

The Hornets ended up as comfortable 4-1 victors. Solskjaer will now be sacked.

United had an emergency board room meeting last night after a fifth league loss in seven games.

The hierarchy decided to part company with Solskjaer but needed approval from the Glazer family.

They have now been granted their wish, and an official statement is expected in the coming hours to confirm the departure of Solskjaer after three years as the club’s head coach.

The club don’t seem to have an immediate replacement at hand.

As per Romano, technical director Darren Fletcher and assistant coach Michael Carrick could be placed in interim charge for the upcoming games.

Our view:

The Norwegian was walking a tight rope after the embarrassing 5-0 defeat to Liverpool at Old Trafford.

However, the board decided to back him to turn things around as he had done in the past.

Solskjaer remained at the helm despite the 2-0 Manchester derby loss, but it was unlikely that he would keep his job on the back of the shock defeat at the hands of Watford.

The Hornets were just one place above the relegation zone. With their poor defensive record this season, United were fancied to register a comfortable victory on the road.

It was a poor performance yesterday with a lack of defensive cohesion. If not for David de Gea, United could have quite easily conceded five or six goals against Claudio Ranieri’s side.

A change could bring fresh belief to the squad. Even if Fletcher and Carrick take temporary charge, there could be different ideas that may trigger a different response from the players.

Zinedine Zidane has been touted as the front-runner to become the next permanent manager of United.

The Frenchman will need to be convinced to take the hot seat midway through the season.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com.

Read: Man Utd fans sympathise with David de Gea after Premier League defeat at Watford.

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'Doesn't deserve', 'So lucky': Some Man Utd fans react to £16.2m star's display vs Watford

Sri Aswin — Sun, 21 Nov 2021 06:10:00 GMT

A section of Manchester United fans on Twitter sympathised with David de Gea following the club’s disappointing 4-1 Premier League defeat at Watford.

The Red Devils went into the game with just four points from six matches, but they were widely fancied to pick up a comfortable victory at Vicarage Road.

However, the performance was lacklustre over the course of 90 minutes, and the margin of defeat could have been bigger if not for De Gea’s strong showing between the sticks.

The Spaniard saved an early penalty from Ismaila Sarr before Kiko Femenia’s scored from the rebound.

However, the defender was guilty of encroachment along with Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Hence, the spot-kick was retaken. De Gea showed good resolve to deny Sarr once more.

The shot-stopper stood out for United in the first half, but they still conceded twice before the interval.

Donny van de Beek’s goal shortly after the break gave United the impetus to get something from the game, but their hopes were dashed after Harry Maguire’s sending off in the 69th minute.

The Hornets scored twice in stoppage time. De Gea could have done better to deny Joao Pedro, but there is no debate that he was the best player on the pitch for the Red Devils.

Here is how some Man Utd fans reacted to his performance.

dread to think where we'd be this season without @D_DeGea, so lucky to have him as our number 1? #MUFC
— Lucy (@LucyCR7x) November 20, 2021

De Gea since the UEL final he faced three penalties and saved all of them, a great player mentality ?

Legend ! @D_DeGea ??#MUFC pic.twitter.com/a5HCpgGxPA
— Red G ??? (@AghilesUTD) November 20, 2021

David de Gea has been so good this season. Doesn't deserve this. ? #mufc pic.twitter.com/Qy59yTQn7w
— UtdFaithfuls (@UtdFaithfuls) November 20, 2021

Thank you, @D_DeGea ??

Thank you, @Donny_beek6 ??

You really tried your best and the entire #MUFC fan base can see that. pic.twitter.com/J9TAzmBJSo
— Dev Bajwa (@ammandev) November 20, 2021

This is telling. De Gea calls out that the players must at least “play for the badge”. He doesn’t say they must play and fight for ole. He knows and so do we. It’s over https://t.co/n9igody9q1
— B (@OLE_GEND) November 20, 2021

Could have been a cricket score today if not for De Gea – If Ole goes, place Mike Phelan in charge until a replacement is found. #MUFC #WATMUN
— Edwin Reilly ?? (@edreilly28) November 20, 2021

The 30-year-old has been in excellent form in goal during the current campaign, and he has singlehandedly helped United pick up points on multiple occasions.

Earlier this month, Bruno Fernandes said that the club need to offer more protection to De Gea, but that was barely existent at Vicarage Road as the defence looked vulnerable.

United are currently going through one of their worst phases in the Premier League era with five defeats in seven league games. They are already six points adrift of the top four.

They have a tough outing at leaders Chelsea next weekend, but before that, the club have a tricky Champions League outing at Villarreal, who were the better team during the reverse meeting.

De Gea saved United’s blushes back then with multiple saves during the opening half.

The Red Devils made a tremendous comeback to win 2-1 with Cristiano Ronaldo’s last-gasp winner.

Judging by recent results, the £16.2 million-rated star could have another busy game between the sticks.

Villarreal are languishing in mid-table in La Liga but created plenty of problems for United last time around.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com.

Read: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sack announcement imminent, Fletcher and Carrick could take interim charge.

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Man Utd likely to block £19.8m star from joining Premier League rivals in January - report

Sri Aswin — Sat, 20 Nov 2021 06:10:00 GMT

Manchester United could block West Ham United’s approach to sign Jesse Lingard during the January transfer window, a report from The Telegraph claims.

Lingard had an excellent loan spell with the Hammers during the backend of last season, registering nine goals and five assists from just 16 appearances across all competitions.

David Moyes’ side were fancied to re-sign him on a permanent deal over the summer, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made it clear that he wanted to keep the 28-year-old at United.

Lingard has since been restricted to just 63 Premier League minutes. He has scored twice including a winner at West Ham but still appears out of favour for a starting role.

He has no plans of renewing his contract, which expires next summer.

United would be open to selling him at the turn of the year but are reluctant to do business with the Hammers.

The London outfit are now considered as potential top-four rivals after their stunning start to the campaign, and they may have to wait until the end of the campaign for a possible reunion.

Lingard is keen on pursuing a temporary move away from United in January before securing a permanent contract elsewhere next summer.

He is open to taking up a new challenge in Serie A.

Our view:

Solskjaer has spoken fondly about Lingard in recent months. In his press conference yesterday, the Norwegian said that the attacker provides energy and quality in the squad and is ready for selection.

Despite this, it is clear that he is not an assured starter for the league and European games.

Lingard can’t afford to hang around at the club with the World Cup in Qatar in 12 months.

His excellent showing with the Hammers saw him recalled to the England national side but was dropped by Gareth Southgate during the recent international break due to the lack of game time.

United are unlikely to boost the Hammers’ top-four prospects by allowing Lingard to join them in January, and the £19.8 million-rated star may have to look elsewhere, probably on a loan deal.

Newcastle United have also been credited with an interest, but their precarious position in the drop zone could hinder their chances of convincing Lingard this winter.

There have been claims that he could move to Serie A. Roma may enter the race.

Lingard played his best football at United under Jose Mourinho, and a reunion could be on the cards.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com.

Read: Man Utd duo ruled out of Watford clash, striker doubtful.

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Two Manchester United stars absent for Watford clash, striker also deemed doubtful

Sri Aswin — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 15:40:53 GMT

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed that there could be at least three absentees for the Premier League clash at Watford tomorrow.

Paul Pogba is already ruled out for the Hornets game through suspension, but he could be sidelined for the rest of the year after picking up a thigh injury in training with France.

Meanwhile, Raphael Varane picked up a hamstring injury before the international break.

The central defender is not expected to return to action until early December.

Solskjaer confirmed the duo’s absence in his pre-match press conference, he said: “I’ve got to say this week has been really positive.

“Of course, there are a couple of doubts with illnesses and small niggles. Paul is out still for a while, Raphael is out for a while still.”

Aside from the duo, Edinson Cavani appears doubtful to face the Hornets after missing the Manchester derby before the international break with a very painful tendon injury.

Solskjaer did not provide an update through the press conference but, in a separate interview with MUTV’s Stewart Gardner, he said Cavani must be rated doubtful after his fitness concerns.

Our view:

Raphael Varane has been a big miss for the Red Devils. He made his comeback against Atalanta this month but suffered a setback that has ruled him out for the rest of November.

Solskjaer could revert to a back four tomorrow after a mixed set of results with a 3-4-1-2 formation.

Victor Lindelof appears the likely candidate to accompany Harry Maguire in central defence.

Meanwhile, Pogba’s absence is another blow for the Red Devils, particularly with reports suggesting that he may not return to action until the beginning of the year.

The Frenchman has been successful operating from the left wing. His unavailability should provide more playing time to Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial.

Cavani’s absence before the derby came out of the blue. He played with a tendon injury and aggravated the problem during the Premier League win at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Red Devils have picked up just one win in six league games but are favourites to beat the Hornets who have lost both home games since Claudio Ranieri took charge as manager.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com.

Read: Predicted Man Utd line-up (4-2-3-1) vs Watford, Rashford and Greenwood start.

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to recall 24-year-old | Predicted Man Utd line-up vs Watford

Sri Aswin — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 06:15:26 GMT

Manchester United will be aiming to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they face Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday.

The Red Devils have been in a dreadful run of form in recent weeks, picking up just four points from the previous six matches.

They have already dropped five points adrift of the Champions League places while they are further four behind leaders Chelsea.

Saturday’s game is a must-win for the club. Any other result could lead to the potential sacking of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Solskjaer could revert to the traditional 4-2-3-1 set-up after a mixed run for fortunes with a three-man backline.

Eric Bailly could be the player sacrificed in defence.

Predicted Line-up:

David de Gea has been United’s player of the season so far with some outstanding displays.

He made five saves and prevented an own goal in the Manchester derby this month, but United still suffered a 2-0 defeat.

Bruno Fernandes urged for more protection for the Spaniard after the game.

De Gea will be hoping to keep only his second clean sheet since the September international break.

In front of him, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw are undisputed starters in the full-back positions, but the latter’s form has been a worry over the past few months.

The England international made a poor decision that contributed to Bernardo Silva’s goal, and he will be keen to make amends.

Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof appear set to start in central defence.

Maguire had a memorable international break with two headed goals. He became England’s top-scoring centre-back in history as a result.

Hopefully, he can translate the scoring form at club level.

He is likely to partner Lindelof instead of Bailly, who was unconvincing in the derby with an early own goal.

Raphael Varane has been ruled out for the rest of the month with a hamstring injury.

In midfield, Scott McTominay and Fred are Solskjaer’s trusted lieutenants, and no changes are expected.

There have been calls from some fans to play Donny van de Beek, but the Dutchman could be limited to another cameo.

Paul Pogba is suspended for one more game after his sending off at Liverpool.

The Frenchman also picked up a muscle injury in France training and may not return until the turn of the year.

Further forward, Mason Greenwood should slot into the right-wing position, having played up front alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in the recent defeat to Manchester City.

Bruno Fernandes is an undisputed starter from the number 10 role. Marcus Rashford withdrew from international duty with an illness, but he has returned to full training.

The 24-year-old has been in good form for the Red Devils with three goals from six appearances following his early-season absence due to shoulder surgery.

Ronaldo should lead the line on his own. Anthony Martial could offer support off the bench, but Edinson Cavani could be sidelined for a while after aggravating a tendon injury.

Predicted Man Utd line-up (4-2-3-1) vs Watford

Stats from Transfermarkt.com.

Read: How Man Utd could fare in remaining November fixtures.

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How Man Utd could fare in remaining November fixtures

Sri Aswin — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 09:05:00 GMT

Manchester United have been in a poor run of form in the Premier League, picking up just four points from their previous six matches with four defeats in the process.

It was anticipated they would face a challenge with the tough schedule from mid-October, but the performances were pretty lacklustre with heavy defeats to Leicester City and Liverpool.

They were also never in the game in the Manchester derby before the international break. Manchester City comfortably saw through the second half after securing a 2-0 lead.

Despite the poor results, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continues to stay in charge, but the Norwegian’s future could be hanging in the balance. Another loss could pave the way for his dismissal.

Let’s have a look at how United could fare for the rest of November.

Watford (A) – November 20

United are favourites for this weekend’s game at Vicarage Road, but it won’t be straightforward judging by their recent league fortunes.

The Hornets were second-best against Arsenal this month, but only lost by a slender 1-0 scoreline.

The Gunners had plenty of chances to score, but Ben Foster was terrific between the sticks and also saved a penalty.

United will hope that their graduate does not produce another stand-out display.

Despite the change of manager, the Hornets do concede regular chances, and United should capitalise to return to winning ways.

Prediction: Watford 0-2 Manchester United

Villarreal (A) – November 23

Before the London trip to leaders Chelsea, United have another tricky Champions League clash against Villarreal away from home.

The Yellow Submarines were by far the better team during the previous meeting, but David de Gea saved United’s blushes with a string of world-class saves in the opening half.

United eventually sealed a terrific 2-1 comeback win with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a dramatic 95th-minute winner. The victory was fortuitous, considering their poor showing for an hour.

The Red Devils have been prone to making slow starts to games that has handed the momentum to the opposition.

It could be another frustrating outing at Villarreal where they could share the spoils.

Prediction: Villarreal 1-1 Manchester United

Chelsea (A) – November 28

United have fared impressively against the Blues over the years. They have lost just one of the previous nine meetings. The defeat came in the 2020 FA Cup semi-final.

The Blues have made Stamford Bridge a fortress under Thomas Tuchel, but United have not been beaten in their previous five visits.

However, they have only won twice, with one of those being in the FA Cup.

Three of their last four league meetings at the stadium have ended in draws.

It won’t be a surprise if there is a goalless stalemate. Their encounters last season ended with the same scoreline (0-0).

Prediction: Chelsea 0-0 Manchester United

Man Utd are currently five points adrift of the Champions League places and three behind fifth-placed Arsenal, who have been the in-form club since the September international break.

The Red Devils host the Gunners at Old Trafford on December 2. They could still be trailing the north London club by then if they fail to pick up maximum points in the next two games.

Mikel Arteta’s side have a tough outing at Liverpool this weekend, but that will be followed by a winnable home fixture against Newcastle United, who are five points adrift of safety.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com.

Read: Jadon Sancho – From Ballon d’Or contender to Man Utd flop.

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Jadon Sancho – From Ballon d’Or contender to Man Utd flop

markovrakela — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 07:46:28 GMT

Gareth Southgate recently said that Manchester United misfit Jadon Sancho was lucky to receive a call-up for the England squad (via The Guardian).

Sancho has been a shadow of a player he used to be during his remarkable four-year stint at Borussia Dortmund since moving to Manchester this summer.

Despite an underwhelming start to his life in the Premier League, he retained his place in the national squad in October, courtesy of his previous exploits.

Fast forward one month and Southgate omitted the Red Devils forward from his list for England’s decisive World Cup qualifying fixtures.

It looks like the manager’s words have fallen on deaf ears, as the former Dortmund talisman failed to improve his form at Old Trafford.

United’s marquee summer signing has yet to find the net in any competition for the club, and he is in danger of falling out of favour at the Theatre of Dreams.

So what happened to Sancho?

Has a broken promise led to Sancho’s downfall?

Many had thought that the up-and-coming Sancho could be the missing ingredient to complement Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s rebuilding process at Old Trafford.

United wanted to bring in one of England’s most exciting young talents at all costs and badgered Dortmund to secure his services.

When they finally managed to strike a deal with the Germans in the summer, the Red Devils reportedly offered Sancho the iconic number seven jersey to convince him to swap allegiances.

Little did United bosses know they would re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo in a sensational piece of business just a few weeks later.

Edinson Cavani, who was entrusted with the number seven shirt during United’s negotiations with Sancho, was close to joining Boca Juniors at the time.

With the Uruguayan’s eyes reportedly laid on a move to Argentina, everything looked set for the lightning-quick winger to land the famous jersey.

Unfortunately, not only have United brought Ronaldo back, but they have also decided to stick with Cavani for another season, making Sancho only the third option to take the coveted number.

Ronaldo’s blockbuster return forced Cavani to give up No 7 for obvious reasons, leaving the English youngster with the number 21 shirt instead.

As bizarre as it may sound, it appears that United’s broken promise to Sancho may have had a devastating psychological impact on the player.

Ballon d’Or now beyond the realm of the imagination

It’s been two decades since an Englishman won the Ballon d’Or, while the last Red Devils player to claim the award was Ronaldo in 2008.

United must have hoped Sancho could snap both runs when they put together a lucrative £72.9 million bid to lure him away from Dortmund in the summer.

The 21-year-old winger swapped Manchester City for the Bundesliga as a raw talent in 2017 but still managed to take Germany’s top-flight by storm.

Sancho’s breathtaking dribbling ability, slick passing and deadly finishing made him one of the most enjoyable players to watch during his time abroad.

His dazzling displays at the Signal Iduna Park, backed by the staggering numbers, led to speculation about him joining the Ballon d’Or race at some point in the future.

However, in the most grotesque twists of fate, the English whizz-kid has gone from one of Europe’s hottest young prospects to potentially becoming one of the worst signings in United’s history.

If it’s motivation he’s looking for, Sancho may want to take inspiration from Man City, where Phil Foden continues to gain applause from a broad audience.

According to the bookmakers, Foden is currently the leading candidate to become the first English player since Michael Owen to land the prestigious individual prize.

The Cityzens’ star-in-the-making could be an example for Sancho to follow if he is to reignite his Old Trafford career and regain his place in the England national team.

Read: Juventus star Danilo issues warning to Man Utd over CR7 dependence.

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Juventus' star issues warning to Manchester United over CR7 dependence [report]

markovrakela — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 11:37:16 GMT

Juventus right-back Danilo insists the record-time Italian champions will thrive without Cristiano Ronaldo despite their stuttering start to the new Serie A season.

Ronaldo brought his three-year stint in Turin to a halt in the final days of the summer transfer window to return to Manchester United.

Despite spending just three years at the Allianz Stadium, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner made Juventus depend on his displays, and his departure has caused all sorts of problems for the Bianconeri.

Massimiliano Allegri’s return to the helm was expected to reinvigorate the fallen giants, but it looks like they cannot catch a break without Ronaldo.

Juventus have experienced a thoroughly disappointing start to the season, picking up just five victories from their opening 12 Serie A fixtures.

With the leading duo, Napoli and AC Milan, harbouring a whopping 14-point lead over Allegri’s side, Juve’s hopes of retrieving the league crown already look far-fetched.

Danilo, who shared the pitch with Ronaldo at Real Madrid before reuniting with the Portuguese ace in Italy, puts down Juventus’ struggle to the 36-year-old’s exit.

“Any team would miss Cristiano Ronaldo and all the sides he left have suffered his absence,” Danilo told Goal Brasil, as relayed by Tuttosport.

“The years go by and he remains dominant. With him, every chance is a goal, the numbers don’t lie and he is extremely competitive.

“I learned a great deal from playing with Ronaldo at Juve – we still talk today and wish each other good luck before games, every now and then.

“We will continue to miss him, of course, but Juventus have the capacity and the DNA to get back on track even without Ronaldo and achieve victories with hard work and sacrifice. And Cristiano knows that.”

Do Man United already depend on Ronaldo?

Although we are only a few months into Ronaldo’s second spell at Old Trafford, it already looks like Man United have developed a fair degree of dependence on the Portugal captain.

Under-pressure manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has CR7 to thank for still being in charge, while the Red Devils supporters continue to worship their hero for his iconic Champions League showings.

Ronaldo is single-handedly responsible for United’s successful European campaign, as his goals have brought his side all seven points in Group F.

After scoring late winners against Villarreal and Atalanta, the ex-Madrid stalwart notched up a brace, including a last-gasp equaliser, to hand United a 2-2 draw in Bergamo last time out.

Ronaldo has been a rare shining light in United’s otherwise underwhelming start to the season, scoring some crucial goals in the Premier League too.

His stunning volley to open the scoring in a 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur paved the way for the Red Devils’ triumph in London back in late October.

Even though Solskjaer boasts one of the most devastating attacking ranks in European football, everyone relies on Ronaldo to produce something special.

Ronaldo’s return has somewhat suffocated Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba, who seemed to have forged a formidable partnership at the tail-end of last season.

Only Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood have managed to take a piece of the spotlight alongside the superstar forward.

That could be a massive concern moving forward.

Man United should pay attention to Danilo’s words

Danilo’s words are not far from the truth.

You don’t have to look beyond Madrid’s struggle in the post-Ronaldo era to understand the extent of the veteran’s influence at the Santiago Bernabeu.

It is not just about the numbers. Replacing a player who guarantees 25+ goals per season is challenging enough.

But it’s Ronaldo’s unique mindset and his ability to translate his winning mentality to his teammates that makes him so indispensable.

It comes as no surprise that Ronaldo’s teams often succumb to his individualism, knowing he will repay that sacrifice with goals and titles.

But what after he leaves?

Ronaldo is already in the autumn of his career, and although he still has a couple of years left in the tank, United need to look at the bigger picture.

Instead of tucking themselves in the comfort zone of his brilliance, the Red Devils should learn from Juventus’ mistakes before it’s too late.

Read: Why Man Utd should pursue Nikola Milenkovic – Portugal vs Serbia breakdown.

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Euro giants want to loan Man Utd star with £25m buy clause, he 'likes' them - report

Sri Aswin — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 18:40:00 GMT

Juventus are keen on landing the signature of Anthony Martial on loan with an option to buy in the summer of 2023, Calciomercato reports.

The Frenchman has endured a tough year with the Red Devils, and he is no longer an assured starter in the Premier League.

Martial has been limited to two league starts this season, while he has made only a substitute appearance in the Champions League.

There are suggestions that he could head for the exit door, and it is now reported that the Bianconeri are looking to land his services.

The Frenchman reportedly likes the prospect of joining the Serie A giants, but a deal may not be straightforward with the Red Devils.

Man Utd are eyeing a fee between £38-42 million for his services, but the Bianconeri feel the price is extravagant amid his lack of game time.

The Turin outfit will propose an 18-month loan deal with a £25m purchase option in June 2023. They are willing to pay part of his wages.

Our view:

Martial prefers to lead the attack, but that appears a distant possibility with Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Edinson Cavani ahead of him in the pecking order.

The Frenchman can also play out wide, but he faces similar competition for places.

Rashford, Greenwood, Paul Pogba and Jadon Sancho have all been preferred ahead of him this season.

Martial still has plenty of time to prove himself. The Frenchman’s contract does not expire until June 2024, while the club have the option of extending his deal for another campaign.

Despite this, he could move on at the earliest possibility, considering his lack of regular first-team football could see him miss out on a World Cup berth with France next winter.

He was handed starts for Les Bleus recently but has been out of the picture during the current international break. Martial needs to be playing regularly to improve his selection prospects.

The Bianconeri are yearning for another frontman after parting ways with Ronaldo without landing a replacement. There has been an overdependence on Paul Dybala this season.

Martial has looked far from his old self this year, but a regular run of matches could help him revive his form and confidence. It remains unclear whether United will entertain an extended loan.

Over the years, United have rarely sanctioned winter departures, and they could be tempted to keep hold of Martial for the campaign before deciding on his future.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com.

Read: Harry Maguire becomes top-scoring centre-back in England’s history, surpassing John Terry and Jack Charlton.

The post Euro giants want to loan Man Utd star with £25m buy clause, he 'likes' them - report appeared first on Man Utd News.

‘Noisy Neighbours’ will want to put things right at Old Trafford

James Jones — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 16:18:54 GMT

This weekend marks the 183 rd Manchester Derby in the club’s history, with Manchester City making the journey to Old Trafford for the first of the season. Recent form in the derby sets up a great prospect for United, having won the last two derby games including a 2-0 win at home back in March in the league. As well as this, United have also managed four wins in a row in the Premier League...

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Ighalo Presence Offers Striking Conundrum

The Busby Way — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 17:13:43 GMT

The loan signing of Odion Ighalo was clearly done in haste but with the Nigerian international making a positive start to his Old Trafford career, he may pose questions for Manchester United further down the line. An emergency January capture is always going to be something of a gamble but is Ighalo’s time at Old Trafford really destined to be temporary? The eventual return of Marcus Rashford will...

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Positives for Man United

The Busby Way — Sat, 14 Mar 2020 10:14:14 GMT

There’s been few more positive things in the world of Manchester United recently than Bruno Fernandes. His name had been linked with most of the world’s biggest sides in the last couple of seasons or so, but when the Red Devils were actually able to sign him in January, it wasn’t known how he would cope at the very highest level. And that was perhaps the reason why it’s taken so long for him to...

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Man United vs Burnley – Fan Review

Guest Blogger — Thu, 23 Jan 2020 15:27:58 GMT

Much has been made in recent months of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team’s inability to do it against the smaller clubs and through all the talk and the media circuses, it’s a huge, huge problem for us. Some of that talk has been about it being a phycological problem, with rumours that Solskjaer might even be getting a psychologist or a counsellor in, and I think that Wednesday night’s result against...

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Man Utd need more players like impressive 22 y/o playing for them - opinion

Kaustubh Pandey — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 07:00:48 GMT

Manchester United’s 3-1 win over Norwich City was a reminder of many things. It stood for why Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford can be devastating when playing together. It told why Aaron Wan-Bissaka is probably the best defensive right-back in the Premier League. Among other things, it also showed Scott McTominay’s worth at Old Trafford. Wan-Bissaka winning 11 tackles per game was special.

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'Unbelievable' - Some Man Utd fans mockingly suggest what OGS should do with problem

jamie brackpool — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 06:40:55 GMT

Despite eventually winning the game 3-0, Manchester United will be questioning their ability to convert penalties after missing two against Norwich. The first penalty, awarded after a suspect foul on Daniel James, was to be taken by Marcus Rashford. The young Englishman hit the shot low and to the keeper’s right, before the ball was smothered by Tim Krul. The second penalty, given for a handball...

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Report: Man Utd considered to be favourites in race for striker as outfit fear financial power

Kaustubh Pandey — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 06:20:55 GMT

Serie A giants Napoli believe that Manchester United are currently the favourites to sign RB Salzburg goal machine Erling Braut Haaland, as per Corriere dello Sport (via FourFourTwo). The Partenopei are keeping a keen eye on the Norwegian striker, the report claims. However, it also states that there is a strong feeling at the Stadio San Paolo that United’s financial clout will allow them to sign...

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'All the luck we need' - These Man Utd fans want to see certain man to be picked by OGS

jamie brackpool — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 06:00:53 GMT

Although penalty woes took headlines after Manchester United beat Norwich on the weekend, Anthony Martial’s goal at the end of the game topped off a great performance by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men. With the Frenchman seemingly back to full fitness, fans are expecting the striker to start midweek when the Red Devils take on Chelsea in the Carabao Cup. Frank Lampard’s Chelsea have been in fine form...

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21 y/o used by Van Gaal should still have a future at Man Utd - opinion

Kaustubh Pandey — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 05:40:02 GMT

When Louis van Gaal handed a debut to Timothy Fosu-Mensah in the 2015-16 campaign, it was clear that the player was special. He appeared eight times that season and played a variety of positions. The youngster was used at centre-back, left-back, right-back and even in defensive midfield. That season, the Dutchman made 1.6 tackles per game and won 1.5 interceptions per game too ( via WhoScored).

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'Been our only bright spot' - These Man Utd fans wax lyrical over what 21 y/o managed to produce

jamie brackpool — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 05:20:56 GMT

While Scott McTominay, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial will be credited with the goals, it was Daniel James who caught the attention of some Manchester United fans against Norwich. The young Welshman’s pass found Rashford in tons of space before the Englishman scored the second goal of the match. The pass itself was James’ second assist of the season, once again coming from a wide area cross (...

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Technically Speaking

Thariq Amir — Mon, 03 Jun 2019 00:29:17 GMT

Bleak.

Bleak probably best describes the mood of Manchester United fans as the club enters another transfer window looking to reboot, this time under the auspices of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Norwegian, for his part, is hoping that executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward, will be able to deliver the players required to move United forward – and let go of those who are below the requisite standard.

But does anyone expect Woodward to run the football side of the club with any degree of competency? The one constant in United’s slide to mediocrity has been Woodward who has no vision for how the club should operate on a sporting front.

Indeed, this week former manager Louis van Gaal put the boot in, claiming that Manchester United’s focus on commercial priorities has been its downfall. “Ed Woodward was installed as CEO,” said the Dutchman. “Somebody with zero understanding of football who was previously an investment banker. It cannot be a good thing when a club is run solely from a commercially-driven perspective.”

The lack of vision has never more apparent than in the club’s haphazard approach to finding a new sporting director. It is a search during which the club have turned down some of the best sporting directors in the world, according to Andy Mitten, in favour of traipsing down a nostalgic footpath. The obsession with optics could see the club sink to an even lower ebb.

The question of what Woodward wants is key because the only thing that seems certain is his lack to desire to relinquish any semblance of control. The role vaguely seeks a technical director to fill the gaps in knowledge that currently exist, assisting Woodward and Ole on an overall sporting vision. The reasoning behind recruiting former players, if the rumours are to be believed, is to install those already steeped with the values imbued by Sir Alex Ferguson. Crucially, though, it appears that any power to influence player recruitment is going to be minimal. It begs the question: why bring in a technical director if they’re going to be powerless to enact any meaningful change?

From the outside, looking in, it appears that all a technical director can practically achieve is to curb Woodward’s worst excesses and try to suggest how the club could move forward from a footballing perspective. The new TD, who is expected to be appointed after the transfer window, could arrive at a club in upheaval and dealing with significant unrest, especially if player recruitment is once again underwhelming and there’s a poor start to the season.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]United’s lack of vision has never more apparent than in the club’s haphazard approach to finding a new sporting director.[/perfectpullquote]

It’s naïve to think that United’s executive vice-chairman will suddenly see the light and relinquish control of all football matters. Perhaps the best scenario is the technical director acts as a ‘Woodward whisperer’. If the TD is persuasive, they could effectively shape the footballing vision of United and impress upon Woodward the need to recruit the right players. Ones that suit the head coach and system, rather than grabbing the shiniest trinket in the window.

It is unclear whether a technical director will be given the remit to set out a football vision for the first team. Woodward has been extremely reactive when it comes to hiring coaches, employing three men with completely differing outlooks on how the game should be played. Theoretically, if the TD does have any influence then they can try to foster a sense of continuity that has been so lacking at Old Trafford since Ferguson’s retirement.

The broader issue is that the seems to be a perpetual work in progress. The executive vice-chairman is still learning about football, there is a novice manager in charge, who is under immense pressure to grow into his role in double quick time. To throw into the mix an inexperienced technical director with very few decision-making responsibilities only adds to the perception that United are an unsteady club struggling to find a sense of direction.

An optimistic outlook is that the new TD could settle in and take stock of how United’s season unfolds in order to outline a strategy for improvement. Given the reported lack of power, the role may only be advisory. Knowing that Woodward is in the job for the long haul, unless there’s a takeover, the main hope is that the technical director will be given more responsibility over the course of time.

The fear is that the situation at United will only get worse is evident among the United fanbase. Given how the team finished the season under Solskjaer there is reasonable cause for concern that the club will be left further behind if decisive action is not taken this summer. The sense of dread for the coming window is further exacerbated by the fact that once again Woodward will be the man tasked with bringing in new faces.

Federico Pastorello, Romelu Lukaku’s agent, has predicted that United will have “a lot of success in the summer bringing in players,” but it’s safe to say that he’s in a minority.

In a pivotal summer it is baffling that United heads into June with the same sporting and recruitment structure that brought them to this point in the first place. Woodward has enjoyed plenty of time to address the issue of revamping the sporting structure, but chose to ride the wave of optimism created by Solskjaer. Appointing a technical director after possibly the biggest summer window in recent years seems as counterintuitive as closing the stable door long after the horse has bolted.

The fact that the club doesn’t ye know what the role entails suggests that Woodward is struggling to find a way where he can restructure the sporting side of United without diluting any of his power or influence. The latest rumour is that John Murtough, the head of football development, could be appointed as United’s first technical director. After all, he does know how to work with Woodward and, crucially, he possesses a level of football administration experience that the likes of Darren Fletcher and Rio Ferdinand lack.

Yet, if the end of this process leads to the club reshuffling existing staff and handing them effectively cosmetic duties then questions must be asked as to why this exercise was conducted at all.

Plus ça change, plus ça meme chose.

The post Technically Speaking first appeared on No Question About That.

Much needed overhaul blocked by Woodward’s continuing incompetence

Kumar Shivam — Fri, 17 May 2019 10:42:37 GMT

When Manchester United were searching for a new shirt sponsor in 2009, the commercial team prepared mock shirts with different companies’ names and logos and sent them to executives at each of the targets. The insurance company Aon became United’s shirt sponsor after “a sample shirt had landed unsolicited on the desk of Aon’s new marketing head, Phil Clement,” wrote Tehsin Nayani in The Glazer Gatekeeper. The Glazer family’s former PR man described how United would approach potential sponsors directly, rather than wait for sponsors to come to them. “No need to imagine what it would be like for Rooney to wear your company’s shirt – we’ve already done it for you.”

Such proactiveness, however, seems confined to the club’s commercial activities. On most footballing matters, there is visible lack of foresight and ambition.

Spurs’ swanky new stadium has put the spotlight on the neglect of Old Trafford. Its crumbling infrastructure and outdated technology is symbolic of a once unrivalled institution that has been left behind as competitors have modernized. United’s youth infrastructure and training facilities fall well short of Manchester City’s and there has been little effort to develop the area around Old Trafford itself. Until recently, the club did not even feel the need to invest in a women’s team.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Spurs’ swanky new stadium has put the spotlight on the neglect of Old Trafford. Its crumbling infrastructure and outdated technology is symbolic of a once unrivalled institution that has been left behind as competitors have modernized.[/perfectpullquote]

The men’s first team has fallen behind as well. As four English clubs battle it out in European competition finals and City enjoy back-to-back league titles, United have been admonished to another season in the Europa League. Liverpool’s failure to clinch the league is perhaps all United fans are left to cheer about.

Unsurprisingly the players’ attitude has come under increasing scrutiny. Gary Neville, in one of his increasingly familiar rants, picked six players – Alexis Sanchez, Marcus Rashford, Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and David de Gea – who he felt are underperforming and “deserve far greater scrutiny.” He had earlier stated that he saw players “pretending to run back” against Barcelona. Newly minted permanent United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, when asked post a 4-0 drubbing at Everton if his players cared enough, paused briefly then said: “I don’t know”. Even more pointed accusations have been made by former club legends on television throughout the season and a fan even confronted Paul Pogba after the final league game of a miserable campaign.

Poor attitude or a lack of effort should hardly be surprising at this point. Organizational culture, after all, trickles down from the top. “Playing performance doesn’t really have a meaningful impact on what we can do on the commercial side of the business,” proclaimed Ed Woodward last year, addressing the only group he is answerable to: shareholders. Today United is a Cayman Islands-registered, New York-listed commercial entity, masquerading as a football club. It is just another financial investment in the Glazer family portfolio. Slipping standards on the football field is allowed, as long as commercial revenue keeps growing.

Aptly then, all key decisions at United – footballing or otherwise – are made by Ed Woodward, a former investment banker in JP Morgan’s mergers and acquisitions department. In his six years as Executive Vice-Chairman, he has overseen three disastrous managerial tenures, several botched transfer windows, and little on-field success.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]All key decisions at United – footballing or otherwise – are made by Ed Woodward, a former investment banker in JP Morgan’s mergers and acquisitions department.[/perfectpullquote]

United fans now have their hopes pinned on the impeding restructure, but most managerial firings and calamitous defeats have been followed by reports suggesting “a root and branch review” or “modernization.” After United’s 2-0 humbling away at Olympiakos in the 2014 UEFA Champions League competition, Woodward took a picture of the scoreboard as a reminder that the club must never sink to such a low again. Two top four finishes in the following five seasons hardly suggests progress. United’s expansion and upgradation of the scouting network has had little impact on their scattergun transfer policy. Javier Ribalta was appointed from Juventus in a leading player recruitment position, but left after just six months.

Woodward has had half a year to start righting his lengthy list of wrongs – to appoint a Director of Football and a leadership team with complete control of footballing decisions at the club. As it turns out, a permanent manager has hastily been appointed and most reports now suggest that United will appoint a watered-down Technical Director, presumably with a final say on transfers set to remain with Woodward. He has no intention of relinquishing control.

Underwhelmingly, Sky Sports News now suggests that Darren Fletcher is a leading candidate for a role resembling the Technical Director, with Rio Ferdinand and Dan Ashworth – the Technical Director at Brighton – also mentioned. While it is hard to assess suitability for a role that has not yet been defined, Ferdinand and Fletcher have nothing even remotely resembling credible experience for such a role and there are plenty of experienced, proven candidates that can presumably be recruited. But a historic link to the club seems to have become the sole criteria for evaluation, with no credence given to a track record. In fact, astonishingly, if any of these rumored names are appointed as the Technical Director, the entire footballing structure – right from Woodward to the first team coaches, apart from Mike Phelan, will have no experience at anything close to the top level in their respective roles. It is unnecessary and unbecoming of a club this size.

Admittedly, Solskjaer and other club legends, despite their lack of experience, obviously understand United. And such institutional knowledge is certainly an asset. But such appointments only work when there is a structure to cover for their shortcomings. Solskjaer should have been assisted by an experienced Director of Football, with contacts in Europe and beyond, and with experience of recruiting world class players.

[perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Solskjaer should have been assisted by an experienced Director of Football, with contacts in Europe and beyond, and with experience of recruiting world class players.[/perfectpullquote]

Now it is presumably too late for the Technical Director to influence transfers this summer and Solskjaer has never had to sign a player at this level. Real Madrid (Eder Militao), Bayern Munich (Lucas Hernandez) and Barcelona (Frankie de Jong and possibly Matthijs de Ligt) have promptly identified and signed their key targets as United tumble from one rumored target to another. The much-touted overhaul is already in jeopardy before it has even started.

Such colossal mismanagement has consequences, even at clubs with United’s financial clout. But there’s little incentive to change. “What are the odds that people will make smart decisions about money if they don’t need to make smart decisions – if they can get rich making dumb decisions?” Michael Lewis wrote in The Big Short. While commercial value continues to rise, there is little hope that United will get anywhere close to the modern, analytical operating model that Man City and Liverpool are now reaping the rewards of.

The post Much needed overhaul blocked by Woodward’s continuing incompetence first appeared on No Question About That.

Breathing Room

Thariq Amir — Fri, 08 Mar 2019 21:03:07 GMT

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]hirty-two points from 36. It’s a remarkable tally, Ole’s remarkable tally. Then there was that night in Paris where Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, this time as a coach, once again added to United’s rich European tapestry of successes. The turnaround overseen by Solskjaer since he took on José Mourinho’s wreckage has been nothing short of astounding. United are a club that believes again.

The Norwegian has answered most questions thrown his way in just a few short weeks in the job. Victory over PSG was the latest example, but before that United’s draw with Liverpool offered Ole a different kind of test. Not many top-flight managers have been forced to make three injury-enforced substitutions before half-time, but Solskjaer and his assistant Mike Phelan reorganized efficiently and rendered Liverpool’s much-heralded attack toothless.

Three days later, Ole’s team found a way to another three points at Crystal Palace, with United making light of an injury crisis to secure an eighth away win of the season. As birthday treats go, the result at Selhurst Park was a nice present.

Southampton posed a different challenge at Old Trafford, but once again Ole found a solution, with Romelu Lukaku setting aside a profligate first half performance to deliver a match winning brace in the second period. That’s to mention little of Andreas Pereira’s blockbuster strike. Solskjaer’s team obdurately refuses to lose.

In probably his biggest challenge as a manager, Solskjaer didn’t shirk in Paris and masterminded one of the most unlikely comebacks in United’s European history. Where some would have written the match off, the Norwegian viewed the challenge as a mountain to climb. Scale it he did.

Such has been United’s progress under the Norwegian that the hierarchy might feel justified in removing ‘interim’ from his title sooner rather than the summer deadline Ed Woodward has set.

If anything, the United Board can believe that they have good, attainable options to look at with respect to prospective candidates. What Ole has also done, unwittingly perhaps, is shift the conversation about who should replace Mourinho permanently.

There are plenty ready to argue his case, while others – a shrinking crowd, perhaps – are happy to push the credentials of Mauricio Pochettino. This change in focus will no doubt be met with a nod of approval by Woodward. It has given him breathing room to concentrate on a much-needed overhaul of United’s sporting structure.

The obvious question is whether the executive vice-chairman can be trusted to do so?

In his recent article, Andy Mitten noted that the remit of United’s proposed Director of Football/Technical Director/Sporting Director has been ever-changing. Initially, it was going to be a functionally administrative role, but there is now recognition that whomever is appointed will need to be involved with player acquisition as well; an area that has been of keen interest to Woodward.

Several names have been linked with the role in recent months, such as Paul Mitchell, Edwin van der Sar and Andrea Berta. The possibility of promoting a figure from within Old Trafford has been mooted too, but it shouldn’t be underestimated just how difficult integrating a full-time director of football will be for Woodward and company.

On one hand, Woodward is under pressure to bring in someone quickly, for them to get a feel for the club and prepare for the summer window. On the other, Woodward needs to make sure that he gets the structure and appointment right.

If Woodward does bring in a sporting director before the end of the season, there’s always the danger that the new man’s presence could be disruptive given Solskjaer’s popularity. Any turbulence would be blamed on the new recruit. If a decision has already been made to offer Ole the manager’s job, then a new sporting director will have to work with someone they’ve had no say in hiring. That may be ok, but it’s not an ideal scenario, especially if the vision of coach and director differ on how to take the club forward. Effectively, Woodward would need to recruit a director to fit with Solskjaer.

Alternatively, if the decision to bring someone in is delayed until the end of the season the new sporting director will have little time to identify targets, let alone find a new head coach. If anything, this just goes to show there’s never going to be an ideal time to restructure and Ole’s success may have complicated things a little.

[blockquote who=”” cite=””]Solskjaer has been successful in bringing back club values of yesteryear. He has also given Woodward a template to follow and one that any sporting director of note could adopt.[/blockquote]

At the same time, if Solskjaer had not healed the wounds at the club so quickly the magnifying glass would be hovering over Woodward, with the press and fans alike studying his every move.

United’s recent investor call added a some colour, but little detail. “Looking at our structures and how we should strengthen,” noted Woodward, “It is something we are doing on a continual basis. We are looking to make it stronger.”

Better late than never, so the saying goes, but United have reached or more pertinently gone beyond the point where structural reform was required. If there has been one constant in the post-Ferguson era it’s been an inability to let any kind of football principle take hold at the club. This has allowed for a disconnect to develop, one that has seen players of differing profiles recruited and an unbalanced squad formed. Solskjaer has been successful not only in bringing back club values of yesteryear, but he has given Woodward a template to follow and one that any sporting director of note could adopt.

That breathing room offers Woodward the unique opportunity bring United into the 21st century on the sporting front and could potentially cement an unlikely legacy should this opportunity be seized. From a commercial perspective, Woodward’s star shines bright, but seemingly at the expense of any long-term football vision. Solskjaer’s remarkable turnaround has created the chance to set things right. Woodward could eventually be recognized for more than just profits, briefings and a longing for shiny trinkets.

It bears repeating that Solskjaer has provided Woodward the space to make a sensible, considered decision. It is one that will in turn change the club’s sporting direction for the foreseeable future.

Ever since Woodward sacked David Moyes in the spring of 2014, the club has been on a reactive footing, never quite catching up. Regardless of whether Solskjaer stays or goes, Woodward should be thanking the Norwegian for enabling United the room to take a proactive football position for once.

That’s a gift that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

The post Breathing Room first appeared on No Question About That.

José – Year Four

Thariq Amir — Mon, 26 Nov 2018 21:25:43 GMT

Once upon crisis, at the close of an underwhelming summer transfer window, the spotlight turned to Ed Woodward, the Manchester United executive vice chairman. Woodward decided, in all his wisdom, to announce that the club would recruit a Director of Football.

Over the course of a thus far disappointing campaign Woodward has managed to reel in talk of a complete overhaul by ‘clarifying’ the club’s position. Firstly, insisting that a Technical Director would be hired and not a Director of Football and then confirming that any appointment would be made once José Mourinho leaves Old Trafford.

The thinking behind the staged rollback is that Woodward and the board do not want to impose a new structure on Mourinho unless the manager explicitly approves. All in all, it seems to be a rather convenient excuse. For the time being at least.

No matter what side of the Woodward-Mourinho divide you find yourself, it’s probably fair to say that as a football entity United are being run in a haphazard way.

If history is anything to go by, Woodward will fire Mourinho should the club fail to secure a Champions League berth for next season. So far, so normal. Yet, the difference between Mourinho’s potential sacking and those of David Moyes and Louis van Goal before, is that Woodward might find himself in a position where he is almost obliged to change the sporting structure of the club along with the manager.

If the executive vice chairman’s dalliances with the topic are anything to go by, it would be an issue he will tackle with extreme reluctance.

There could be many reasons why Woodward wants to keep things as they are; he may believe that a restructure is unnecessary, or that modernizing the sporting side of the club is a long-winded process too far. Woodward could also be concerned about his image. After all, ditching three managers in the space of six years is not a good look. Perhaps the most likely argument, is that he simply just wants to retain overall control of football operations and not dilute his power.

This leads to the obvious question: could United retain Mourinho by default? Granted, the odds of this scenario playing out seem remote at this stage of the season, but this is a club that runs on the principle of playing performance not having “a meaningful impact on the business side of things.” It is not unreasonable to think that Woodward will opt for the path of least resistance.

If United and Mourinho do part ways in the summer then a narrow range of options are available to Woodward. Zinedine Zidane is the bookmakers’ favourite, but there is no guarantee that the Frenchman would accept the position. Meanwhile, Antonio Conte is no shrinking violet and has never been afraid to air his gripes in public, much like Mourinho. Leonardo Jardim would require a new sporting structure built around him to succeed. Then there is Mauricio Pochettino, arguably the best equipped to operate in United’s current set-up, who would be extremely hard to extricate from Tottenham Hotspur.

Thus, the idea of “Mourinho – Year Four” is not as outlandish as it may first seem. While Woodward has options who could be procured, with varying degrees of difficulty, there are very few clubs in world football that fit a man of Mourinho’s profile. Florentino Pérez has entrusted Real Madrid to Santiago Solari for the time being, Thomas Tuchel will be into year two of his stint with Paris Saint-Germain, while Bayern Munich could sack Niko Kovač, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’d turn to Mourinho given that Zizou is on the market. Even a return to Inter could be difficult should Luciano Spalletti depart. The Milanese club are on the verge of appointing Beppe Marotta as the sporting director, who may choose to lure Massimiliano Allegri to the Nerazzurri instead.

Though it’s not impossible for United and Mourinho to mutually-consent themselves into different directions this coming May, there’s also an argument that the split might be a year too soon for both parties. It may even suit Woodward and Mourinho, though maybe not United, for the Portuguese to complete his contract and then sever ties.

After all, Woodward would not have to worry about making a hefty payments to dismiss the manager and if the Portuguese manager turns things around there’s the option to trigger a one-year extension. On top of that the executive vice chairman could put off restructuring for another season at least. Mourinho, for his part, may want to use the extra year to salvage his reputation before moving on to pastures new.

If Mourinho does stay that would send both manager and United into near unprecedented territory. Mourinho’s first stint at Chelsea remains the only time in his managerial career that he started a fourth season at a club – the 2007/8 campaign – and even then, he lasted only until September. United would take the chance only in the hope that José rediscovers his mojo, while Mourinho would need to rethink his methodology if he wants to turn things around.

What the coming summer offers both Mourinho and United is time to prepare, with no major international football tournament to worry about. There’s a full pre-season as well, in which, theoretically at least, the club can execute a well thought-out transfer strategy. In dreamland, Mourinho would have his strongest possible squad available to properly prepare for the 2018/19 campaign. In short, the excuses he has made for United’s poor start this season, will not be available for the beginning of the next.

In this scenario, Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna would have the opportunity to solidify their positions and extend their influence behind the scenes. Replacing Rui Faria, Mourinho’s long-time collaborator, was never going to be an easy proposition, but with a year’s experience under their belts Carrick and McKenna will be more confident in implementing their ideas.

Of course, this is an ideal scenario and does not take into account the futures of Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial, a pair of sagas waiting to happen that could disrupt United’s preparations next summer if not managed swiftly and decisively. If Woodward and Mourinho want to extend their partnership into a fourth year then it’s critical that there are no disruptions with which to contend.

The January window may shed more light on José’s future and it could be bleak, especially if there’s a repeat of what happened in the previous summer. That said, it will be understandable if the club refuses to splash out in January given the relative lack of value in the winter window and – more importantly – Mourinho’s less than spectacular transfer record since he arrived at Old Trafford. Perhaps the only scenario where Woodward and company backs the manager in the market this winter is if the club is desperate in the search for a top four position.

All indications suggest that come the end of the season United will call time on Mourinho’s tenure, but do not underestimate Woodward’s appetite, or lack thereof, to change the club’s sporting structure. The task of making United successful again on the pitch will take more than a mere managerial change and that could mean Woodward’s role changes as a result.

Under Woodward’s stewardship the club have pretty much taken the path of least resistance when it comes to the sporting side of things. That means there’s always the danger, remote as it is, of United coasting into José, year four.

The post José – Year Four first appeared on No Question About That.

Not seeing the Woodward for the trees

Thariq Amir — Sat, 27 Oct 2018 21:06:10 GMT

[dropcap]C[/dropcap]ast the memory back to moments after the transfer window closed in August. José Mourinho was already in a huff during Manchester United’s summer tour, holding little back in his critique of the summer’s business. The United manager also let slip that he had submitted a five-man wish-list to executive vice chairman Ed Woodward well before the end of the last campaign.

In the run-up to the window’s closure the club was linked with moves for Diego Godín, Jérôme Boateng and Harry Maguire. Meanwhile, the long-running pursuit of Toby Alderweireld came to nothing. In the end, United signed Fred, Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant, much to Mourinho’s chagrin. Rubbing salt in the wound, the only major announcement that the Old Trafford club made on transfer deadline day was the launch of a new app. It was poorly timed, but very much in keeping.

After enduring a disappointing window, the sensible position, from the board’s perspective at least, would have been to leave the past in the past, look ahead to the new season and accept the more-than-occasional Mourinho moan. Woodward and company knew, or should have known, the kind of character they hired.

Yet, shortly after the window closed, the Guardian’s Daniel Taylor published what appeared to be a classic Woodward briefing. The Board, it appeared, had “misgivings” about the United manager’s preferred targets, with the decision makers not wanting to waste “tens of millions of pounds on a short-term fix.” Farcically, the briefing also suggested that the club would have been willing to spend more than £100 million on Real Madrid’s Raphaël Varane, revealing that Woodward had breakfast with his Real Madrid counterpart, Florentino Pérez.

The aim undoubted aim was to present the club’s point of view, but the real effect was to undermine Mourinho’s authority and convey that Woodward, a man with limited experience in football, was United’s de facto Director of Football.

On the face of it there were some sensible points: that the club was unwilling to commit large amounts of money on ageing players with a limited shelf life, and that any transfer policy must encompass a long-term vision.

Mourinho wasn’t doing himself any favours either; Henrikh Mkhitaryan has come and gone, Victor Lindelöf has still not adjusted to the Premier League, Alexis Sánchez has flattered to deceive, while Paul Pogba and Eric Bailly have not always seen eye-to-eye with their manager. Even £50 million Fred has found himself in and out of the team. The only qualified successes are the departed Zlatan Ibrahimović, together with Nemanja Matić, and Romelu Lukaku. There is plenty of qualification about the latter pair as well.

However, the obvious counterpoint to Woodward’s briefing was simply this: who is the United suit to say that his judgement of a footballer’s worth is better than the multi-title, two-times Champions League winner manager? Indeed, the Portuguese made a point about the perceived lack of backing, stating that his title “should be downgraded to ‘head coach.’”

[blockquote who=”” cite=””]After enduring a disappointing window the sensible position would have been to leave the past in the past and accept the more-than-occasional Mourinho moan. Woodward should have known the kind of character he hired.[/blockquote]

Extrapolate the point further and the episode revealed a frightening truth about how the club operates. Regardless of who is managing – or coaching – the first team, Woodward will always have the final say on any football matter. Woodward’s argument didn’t have the impact it intended, with the spotlight quickly turning to executive’s role at United.

It was more than a little convenient when another briefing came forward shortly afterwards: that the club was looking to appoint its very first Director of Football. It might be a welcome move, but one couldn’t help but feel that it was a reactive decision after the heat the executive vice chairman received.

Soon enough big names such as Monchi, Andrea Berta and Fabio Paratici were being linked to the role, but then the parameters changed. Yet another United briefing suggested that the club was, in fact, after a technical director to work with both Woodward and the manager. Speculative as it may be, it’s not much of a stretch to say that the implication of hiring a Director of Football dawned on Woodward; that his influence on the sporting side of things would be severely diminished. For a man who probably now sees himself as United’s chief on both a commercial and sporting front, taking a backseat in football matters would just not do. The decision making off-the-pitch mirrors how United play on it – it is all far too reactive.

Beppe Marotta’s decision to leave Juventus brought forward inevitable rumours that he would soon join United, along with for Old Lady manager Antonio Conte. Given United’s penchant for recruiting unattached talent in the backroom, a move for the pair seemed feasible. Yet, if there was any substance to the rumours one would have to question the club’s tact in acquiring the first available option and not settling on a vision and properly targeting the right recruits. Not for the first time, United’s strategy seems to be dependent on luck more than judgement.

In all likelihood, United fans will not see Marotta at Old Trafford any time soon given that he would want control of football affairs, a role that Woodward now enjoys. Indeed, recent reports suggest that any restructuring will be shelved until after Mourinho leaves, with Woodward happy to promote from within.

It’s all a bit too handy, yet very believable. After all, in a time of crisis Woodward reacted by briefing, then briefed further to counteract his initial messaging. He then slowly walked back the stated goals. If this was the plan all along then it’s a Machiavellian piece of art.

Maybe Ed’s just engaging in an act of self-preservation, not with the Glazers, but with the wider public after stirring the hornet’s nest. After all, no supporter would ever feel comfortable knowing that the executive vice chairman is also effectively United’s Director of Football.

Then comes the manager. Mourinho is the most fixable problem at Old Trafford, but his eventual departure alone won’t see United’s woes leave with him. The dark mood hanging over Old Trafford may be temporarily lifted, but the systemic fault lines will still be there, especially if Woodward stays true to type and panics as soon as any negative spotlight is cast in his direction.

There is no doubt that the club’s needs somebody to provide a unifying vision but, for now, the it is being led by those prone to letting events get ahead of them. The subsequent struggle to react decisively is unsurprising.

The post Not seeing the Woodward for the trees first appeared on No Question About That.

Manchester United: From Cash Cow to PR Project

Thariq Amir — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 20:15:12 GMT

Once upon a time, Rant mused that the Glazers might sell. Peter Lim, Chinese investors, and even the Red Knights were said to be potential buyers should the Glazers decide to cash-in on their prize asset. Conspicuous in its absence was Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth. If there’s any group that needs positive PR right now, it is the House of Saud.

The Saudi government’s strategy to increase soft power and diversify its economy away from oil has included investments in Formula One and WWE, among numerous tech investments. It won’t have escaped Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s attention that near-neighbours Abu Dhabi and Qatar have benefitted internationally from the ownership of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain respectively.

From this perspective alone, recent speculation about Saudi interest in United makes sense. After all, there are few better ways to boost an international profile than by owning the planet’s most iconic football club.

At the time of writing, there are few details of any potential bid. Reports range from the Glazers not being willing to sell to United staying quiet about a possible takeover. Whatever the truth, the rumours initially benefitted the club’s share price to the tune of five per cent. The exact source of any takeover rumour is yet to be ascertained though that hasn’t stopped the news from capturing the imagination of the sports pages. Avram Glazer’s plan to attend the ‘Davos in the Desert’ Future Investment Initiative added fuel to the speculation, although he latter pulled out alongside many others. United already benefits from a partnership with the country’s General Sports Authority, while Saudi Telecom is the club’s longest running commercial partner.

Whatever the truth of Saudi interest, the Glazer family remains in a strong negotiating position. Now under no pressure to offload their prize asset, the Glazers can choose to keep United and milk the cash cow. Meanwhile, any sale would be well in excess of the current £3.5 billion market capitalisation – a very tidy profit on the heavily leveraged £790 million takeover 13 years ago.

Don’t expect the Glazers to make any moral judgements either; any decision will be made on purely business lines. United fans might find themselves in a difficult place, caught between vast new wealth and a pariah regime. If Bin Salman succeeds in at the mooted purchase, United’s mission could change from a being profit-making machine to a public relations institution for a country facing accusations of murdering a journalist, among other human rights violations.

The House of Saud will not run short of oil cash any time soon, but the regime is aggressively trying to improve its global image. United could focus the world’s attention away from the less savoury aspects of the Saudi government – specifically its record on human rights – much in the way City has for Abu Dhabi and PSG for Qatar.

[blockquote who=”The Independent” cite=””]Figures familiar with the area say the centralisation of power around Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in a country where it has previously been very spread out has made such moves much easier. It is the Crown Prince who is claimed to be personally interested in bidding for the Glazer family’s private shares.[/blockquote]

On another level owning United would see Middle Eastern politics potentially played out in the Champions League, Europe’s premier competition. Whether the greatest prize in the European game should turn into proxy struggle between oil rich Arab states is another question.

On the sidelines, literally and figuratively, is the United fanbase, which will have little say in any potential transaction. On a purely financial level, a Saudi takeover could see the club become debt free given the net worth of the House of Saud is estimated to be over $1.4 trillion. Moreover, a surefire way for any new owners to ingratiate themselves with the fanbase would be to pump money into all areas of the club, from investing in the stadium, building projects for the community, and into headline-making transfers.

After all, decisive action in the transfer market has worked wonders for the Abu Dhabi royals over at the Etihad Stadium. At United, new owners could put into place a proper football structure, while retaining the club’s highly successful commercial arm. Indeed, if Saud is looking for a template they only need to see how the Blue side of Manchester has gone about its business.

But then United – being the most valuable club in the world – shouldn’t be hamstrung financially with respect to the transfer market anyway. Executive Vice Chairman Ed Woodward famously boasted that “we can do things in the transfer market that other clubs can only dream of.” If anything is holding United back, it is the prioritisation of finance over football. The club has only belatedly recognized the need to revamp the sporting structure.

But what should the average supporter feel if Bin Salman spearheads a takeover at United? Certainly, there is unlikely to be appetite for mass revolt. BUT the question of human rights cannot be ignored. City and PSG are the properties of nations with questionable records. Indeed, United fans – among others – have pointed to that fact about the owners over at the Etihad. Should United be acquired by a country who’s record is perhaps even worse it should give supporters pause for much thought. Money would come at a significant price.

[blockquote who=”” cite=””]Whether the Glazers retain ownership at United or sell to new buyers, the club faces the prospect of continuing as a business venture for uncaring owners, or a public relations tool for new ones.[/blockquote]

Fans are powerless, and are unlikely to sway either party should a real bid come forward. Football is not known as a business that concerns itself too much with morals. The recent World Cup in Russia was hailed as one of the best in recent memory, although it was held against the backdrop of an increasingly autocratic country. Football has a habit of duping supporters and the media into focusing on the diamond without ever needing to explain how the precious stone was procured in the first place.

Whether the Glazers retain ownership at United or sell to new buyers, the club faces the prospect of continuing as a business venture for uncaring owners, or a public relations tool for new ones. It is a naïve strand of thought, perhaps, but many would welcome United becoming a football club once again.

The post Manchester United: From Cash Cow to PR Project first appeared on No Question About That.

José Mourinho: must we carry on

Samuel Hartford — Sat, 20 Oct 2018 09:43:07 GMT

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he recent events surrounding Manchester United – both on and off the pitch – have created an embarrassing air around the club. Gary Neville’s scathing, yet heartfelt, attack on the state of the club two weeks ago resonated with many supporters. Yet, in focusing his displeasure on Ed Woodward alone, Neville failed to address two other issues: United’s ownership and the manager’s failing performances.

While the Chief Executive and those above must take much of the blame for the failures of the past five years, Mourinho is as key contributor to United’s crisis. The drama surrounding the recent fixture with Newcastle United seemed to further draw the battle lines between the manager and his Board, with some fans bent on opposing the latter by showing loyalty to the former.

It is a no-win scenario, yet, when it comes to the state of the club, there is plenty of blame to share around. Increasingly, United fans are angry at the whole situation, recognising the need for holistic change.

The manager’s job is usually the first step in that process. After all, the Board cannot be sacked – at least not while it is dominated by Glazer children – and a playing squad requires time for evolution.

Mourinho deserves the terrace support that Old Trafford has offered every United manager, even those who struggle, but fans risk falling blindly into a trap, perhaps out of some misguided faith that Mourinho is indeed some kind of victim. It’s the narrative the Portuguese wants – his calculated, self-indulgent comments after the game attest to that.

The broader question is whether this is Mourinho’s march towards an exit, and whether United should push before the manager jumps?

Boardroom politics should not detract from the poor state of United’s performances this season, that half against Newcastle excepted. Mourinho is largely at fault for results. Recent performances against West Ham United and Valencia, for example, should have proven a nadir for the manager’s tenure, while the win over Newcastle barely papered over the cracks in his regime. That fightback and international break granted Mourinho a stay of execution. If he cannot muster an upturn in results then it should not be held for much longer.

Pressure could mount though, with a fixture list that includes games against Chelsea, Manchester City and Juventus. If United play in the same fashion that has been common of late then the misery of Mourinho’s reign should come to a swift end.

There are few indicators that Mourinho will turn it around. History says that when the rot sets in, it remains. At Real Madrid and Chelsea he lost the confidence of his squads. On the pitch his approach now feels outdated, a man wedded to his former glories, but totally unable to adapt.

Of course, United’s players and Board must take responsibility too. It leaves a sour taste in the mouth to lay all ills on the manager, yet change may well need to begin with Mourinho.

[blockquote who=”José Mourinho” cite=””]I am 55 years old. It is the first time I see man-hunting. I can cope with it. I can live with it. Some of the boys, in spite of them not being the man that is hunted, they are not coping with it. There is too much wickedness in something that should be beautiful. I cope with it, with some sadness.[/blockquote]

West Ham and Valencia showcased a manager void of ideas. The switch to a back-three in London looked like a roll of the dice, rather than a genuine plan. It is an observation confirmed by the change of shape for the following games against Valencia and Newcastle.

If the inclusion of Scott McTominay at the back in London was bemusing, then the youngsters’ continued presence is an insult to more established players. Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof have suffered poor form this season, but McTominay’s selection has reeked of a deliberate point made to the Board.

West Ham and Newcastle became the latest teams to showcase the brittle nature of United’s defence. The resolute rear guard of Mourinho’s first two campaigns has now evaporated. In fact, Marko Arnoutavic’s goal marked the 12th Mourinho’s side has conceded in the league this season. It was 17 December before that total was reached last year.

Beyond the defence, United has continued to look incoherent in attack, relying on moments of individual brilliance rather than a defined philosophy. The second half rally against Newcastle was born out of desperation, but at least the side attacked with fluidity and purpose. Yet, it is wishful thinking to believe that Newcastle will be a catalyst for change. We’ve seen this film before, against Crystal Palace and City last season. The irony that goals came from players Mourinho has often stifled should be lost on nobody.

Mourinho talks of respect for his previous achievements, but he looks far from replicating those earlier feats. Meanwhile, United’s rivals seem far more assured. Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino’s methods are now well embedded, while Mauricio Sarri and Unai Emery are implementing attractive styles at Chelsea and Arsenal.

Perhaps the most damming signal of this shift came as Liverpool recently took on City. The match between United’s two fiercest rivals has now become the Premier League’s hottest fixture. When Guardiola arrived at City, Mourinho was expected to be his greatest challenger. The Portuguese is eclipsed by Klopp.

Even Mourinho’s man management caché has taken a nose dive. For example, the decision drop Alexis Sanchez for United’s trip to West Ham was justified, but forcing the player to travel to London and watch from the stands smacked of cheap points scored, alienating another player devoid of form and confidence. The Chilean’s return against Valencia only underscored Mourinho’s scattergun approach to assembling his team.

Underperforming players are far from blameless and Mourinho cannot be held accountable for every individual errors. Yet, the notion that the manager is not responsible is naive. Mourinho’s persistent public conflict with players is beginning to have an effect on the squad’s confidence. Demotivation is now widespread. While the manager has never been afraid to employ conflict as a tool, it is a strategy that – along with his tactics – now seems outdated. Whether veiled or direct, airing United’s dirty laundry in public has added to the appearance of a circus at Old Trafford.

Some have come out of the other side. Luke Shaw has been rewarded with a new five-year contract, but the left-back felt the brunt of Mourinho’s ire for two full years. As Shaw broke into the team this season, the consistent run of games has brought improved performances.

Yet, the manager’s loyalties are as fickle as ever and his trust in players rarely stretches beyond one poor performance. Lindelof, Sanchez, Bailly, Andreas Pereira, Jess Lingard, Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba have all been subject to omissions following an off week. Bailly, substituted after half an hour against Newcastle, has not recovered from from being inexplicably left out of the squad last spring.

Mourinho demands consistency, but the manager is far from consistent in his squad management. There are those that remain in the manager’s favour, such as McTominay, but it often feels political. Mourinho’s insistence on awarding the Scot Manager’s Player of the Season last was a calculated message towards Pogba

Mourinho’s demeanour is beginning to irritate many. The Portuguese has always been slave to his ego, but when results fail to match the bravado, the act wears thin. United supporters crave a return to dominance enjoyed under Sir Alex Ferguson. Mourinho was supposed to hold the same winning mentality. Indeed, the regime began with bold claims and two trophies. After years of meek performances under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, Mourinho appeared to be a better fit for United. Yet, when things begin to go wrong, Mourinho turns inwards and the atmosphere turns sour quickly.

The manager has entered the same toxic mode that marked the end of his time in Madrid and west London: Trumpian distance from poor results, a narcissistic twisting of the narrative after victory, soundbites that from the summer onwards have become increasingly negative and self-indulgent.

Mourinho is stung over what he feels is a lack of credit for last season’s second-place finish, yet he has now presided over United’s joint worst start to a Premier League season. That is not the result of a media agenda against the manager.

There is, of course, a higher scrutiny on Mourinho. United’s history in and place in world football ensures that. The level of performance this season was always likely to bring criticism and Mourinho has struggled to deal with it.

Given the wider issues at the club, the slump in form requires a manager that breeds unity, not division. It is a squad that needs motivation and inspiration through the kind of leadership Mourinho is now unable to provide.

Mourinho deserves some sympathy, of course. The club’s owners have leached more than £1 billion out of the club in interest payments, fees and dividends since 2005. There’s an outdated football structure too, and Woodward is short of deal-making skills required in the transfer market. There are players that the club should sell and seemingly cannot.

None of those issues are going to be resolved quickly. The more immediate concern is that by mid-October Mourinho is leading United’s season beyond the point of no return. There is still time to turn results around, even if Mourinho is unlikely to change United’s playing style for the better. The upcoming run of fixtures is central to United’s season.

If United posts a series of poor results in the next month, the plug will surely be pulled. Patchy results will only deepen the toxic atmosphere that now lingers darkly over Old Trafford. If Mourinho’s team can muster a few wins, with a more positive approach, then the manager will have cause to bring forward that famous ego.

The next month may well finally prove whether the Special One is still special.

The post José Mourinho: must we carry on first appeared on No Question About That.

José: the musical interlude

Thariq Amir — Sun, 08 Apr 2018 20:47:29 GMT

Wrecking Ball: José’s Ode to Marouane

Marouane Fellaini walks into Mourinho’s office.

Fellaini: You wanted to see me boss?

Mourinho: Sit down.

José closes the door, plays Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” and begins to sing…

I picked, you played, ne-ver complained,

They jeer and I don’t know why,

You foul, I yell “oh bloo-dy hell”,

You just let your elbows fly,

You don’t ever say, “I can’t play José”,

I will always pick you,

Scott McTominay will not take your place,

I will always pick you,

Fellaini you’re my wrecking ball,

Your chest control is wonderful,

Sign your contract please don’t see me bawl,

Just be careful not to el-bow-oh me,

No, don’t, don’t el-bow-oh me,

You are near-ly two metres tall,

So sign, the deal down below,

Don’t make me break Ed Woodward’s door,

I’m skint, with all the fines I owe,

Don’t you ever say, “Farewell my José”,

I will always pick you,

I can’t live a lie, you’re my perfect guy,

I will always pick you,

Fellaini you’re my wrecking ball,

I’ll never sub you like Mata,

Sign your contract please don’t see me bawl,

Just be careful not to el-bow-oh me,

Fellaini you’re my wrecking ball,

Your hair is better than Pogba’s,

Sign your contract please don’t see me bawl,

Just be careful not to el-bow-oh me,

No, don’t, don’t el-bow-oh me,

I never thought I’d see you off,

I don’t want to watch you in Turkey

This is all Ed Woodward’s fault,

You have a deal from PSG,

I never want to see you go,

Yeah, you always played for LVG,

We value you, we both agree

Don’t you ever say, “best of luck, José”,

I will always pick you,

Fellaini you’re my wrecking ball,

Your chest control is wonderful,

Sign your contract please don’t see me bawl,

Just be careful not to el-bow-oh me,

Fellaini you’re my wrecking ball,

Your new deal is so gen-e-rous,

Sign your contract please don’t see me bawl,

Just be careful not to el-bow-oh me,

No, don’t, don’t el-bow-oh me,

As the performance ends Marouane cuts a bemused figure.

Marouane: Umm…boss…I don’t know what to say. Was the sledgehammer and wrecking ball necessary?

José: Yes, now sign the contract and shut up!

Let Him Go: José’s Ode to Luke Shaw

At a press conference José Mourinho is asked about Luke Shaw. José snaps and instead of offering an answer he breaks out into song, crooning to the tune of “Let it Go” from the movie Frozen.

I haul him off cos he didn’t play right,

He never listens to me,

A player who was left over,

From the time of LVG,

My anger rises, yes he’s not my cup of tea,

Should not have turned me down, back at Chelsea,

I’ll knock him here, I’ll knock him there,

Does he have feels? You know I just don’t care!

Well Ed, don’t dread, go with the flow,

Just so you know,

Let him go, let him go,

I don’t rate him anyway,

Let him go, let him go,

I will never let Luke play,

Ashley Young,

Can play any day,

Oh let Luke train on,

He will never play for me anyway,

Oh Luke may be a player,

But he is no athlete,

He’s quicker at eating Nandos,

That peri-peri treat,

Tac-tic-ally he has no clue,

I have to tell him what to do,

Replacements are the things for me,

Tierney!

Let him go, let him go,

Let him run to the press and cry,

Let him go, let him go,

Why does he have French fries?

I don’t care, how much he cost,

I’m in full meltdown,

He says to me “Please, mister take me from the pitch”,

And I am angry because he has made me do the switch,

And am I scapegoating like a vindictive man?

Oh no it’s all a part of José’s masterplan!

Let him go, Let him go,

I’ll find someone else to blame,

Let him go, let him go

And my reasoning’s not lame!

I don’t care if he wants to stay,

It’s my ego’s call,

Luke will never play for me anyway.

The post José: the musical interlude first appeared on No Question About That.

Stepping back to move forward

Fergus Lockhart — Sun, 08 Apr 2018 19:50:07 GMT

[dropcap]F[/dropcap]inancially, Manchester United is the world’s élite club. A summary of finances for 2016-17 shows revenues totalling £581 million; larger than Real Madrid or Barcelona, Paris Saint Germain or Manchester City. Despite huge investments in terms of player recruitment, contracts and signing on fees, a profit of near £40 million was also achieved. Meanwhile, the projected revenue for the current financial year is guided to reach £575 to £585 million. Noisy neighbours Manchester City may have the backing of Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth, but it is United that still leads the way on commercialisation.

In fact, the club represents an increasingly massive cash cow for the Glazer family, with revenues accelerating since Ed Woodward took on the role of Executive vice-chairman in 2012. United’s global status has been shamelessly exploited in Asian and American markets by a club willing to partner up with the highest bidder across many product and service categories. United is now a “global partner” to a staggering array of businesses and organisations that want to align with the club: Adidas, Aon, Chevrolet, 20th Century Fox, Aeroflot, Apollo Tyres, Canon Medical Systems, Casillero Del Diablo, Tag Heuer, and Uber, to name just a few. Most recently, Woodward announced a global tractor partner.

[blockquote who=”” cite=””]The club represents an increasingly massive cash cow for the Glazer family, with revenues accelerating since Ed Woodward took on the role of Executive vice-chairman in 2012.[/blockquote]

Woodward and his mostly London-based commercial team led by Richard Arnold have, ethics and integrity aside, demonstrated a masterful command in maximising the brand’s earning potential. United will now proudly stand by the side of any firm that is willing to pay.

By contrast, on the pitch, it has been a very bumpy transition since Sir Alex Ferguson retired at the end of the 2012-13 season. It is perhaps all more impressive that the club can continue to increase earnings regardless of on-field success.

It is a story of constant adaptation to the market, in which all boats are rising. Global accessibility to and coverage of the game has changed irrevocably over the past 10 years. The younger audience is more comfortable with social media, memes, and soundbites than watching 90 minutes. Attention spans are getting shorter, and the desire for brand association is sought more than emotional investment and commitment. Instant gratification is demanded; if there’s no YouTube showreel of a player’s ‘tekkers’, then he cannot be a player of note.

Perhaps this explains why the business model has continued to work despite the mundanity of United’s performances in the post-Fergie era. Speaking about the acquisition of Alexis Sanchez in January, Ed Woodward gleefully informed investors that over that month, the transfer had generated three times more shirt sales than any other player in the club’s history. The transfer set new social media records for the club’s accounts, and generated “75 percent more interaction than Neymar’s world-record move to PSG last summer. It was the biggest United post on Instagram with two million likes and comments, the most shared United Facebook post ever, the most retweeted United post ever, and the hashtag #Alexis7 was the number one trending topic on Twitter worldwide.”

It is also how the club operates in the transfer market under Woodward. Players are viewed as commercial assets, and marketability takes precedence over effectiveness. Five years on from replacing David Gill, Woodward has developed a strategy that delivers high-profile transfers after his early clumsy dealings in the market. He once resembled a lonely drunk stumbling around a nightclub as he publicly failed to woo Sergio Ramos, Cesc Fabregas, Thiago Alcantara, Toni Kroos, Gareth Bale and even Cristiano Ronaldo. Woodward managed only to bag each of these world stars bumper new deals with their existing clubs.

Of course, it didn’t take Woodward long to realise that he could overcome this problem by outsourcing it to agents. He has made Mino Raiola, agent for Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and many others, the best paid man in football.

Ferguson was no fan of Raiola, once stating that he distrusted the agent “from the moment” the pair met. This ringing endorsement fell on deaf ears at Old Trafford, especially with Woodward under fire. Many of the club’s transfer dealings are now conducted with clients of Raiola and another super-agent, Jorge Mendes. The desperation of United’s hierarchy to land players of suitable fame has left the club at the mercy of unfathomably wealthy vultures, who generate offensive fees for babysitting the commodities signing huge contracts.

During the period between October 2015 and February 2016 United spent more than £10 million on agent’s fees. This was almost double the amounts spent by Liverpool and Manchester City – at £6.6 million and £5.8 million respectively – over the same period. United did not make any signings though, with the sum attributed to re-negotiating player contracts.

Meanwhile, Raiola is reported to have pocketed £41 million for his role in bringing Pogba to Old Trafford, and £12 million for allowing Romelu Lukaku to sign on the dotted line for United instead of Chelsea. More recently, between February 2017 and January 2018, United spent more than £18 million on agent fees, although this was far from the highest in the division. Raiola, as Pep Guardiola has articulated this week, has only his own interests at heart.

Paying these fees does not appear to be a problem for the club nor Woodward though. Certainly, Woodward is held in high regard by football’s super agents as he fires lorry loads of cash from his seemingly bottomless money pit. It is, of course, how things now work at the highest level of European football.

“He now has a reputation with agents for being very transparent and very clear,” noted former Inter Milan CEO Massimo Morratti, in a puff piece published in the Mirror last summer.

“He surrounds himself with experts and makes sure he is advised by the right people. He’s a very, very confident businessman and highly intelligent. He can sense what is right and what is wrong. From what I hear and what I have seen at that level, Ed is highly respected.”

United remains one of the worst offenders: a once astutely run club that maintained a level of integrity and footballing tradition, has become a global corporation, with a transfer policy dictated by businessmen with little background in the sport.

[blockquote who=”” cite=””]United, once an astutely run club that maintained a level of tradition, has become a global corporation, with a transfer policy dictated by businessmen with little background in the sport.[/blockquote]

The result has been a disjointed approach to player acquisitions, where many of the stars arriving at the club over the last five years have failed to offer a return on investment. Fans have purred and social media has blown up with the arrival of names such as Radamel Falcao, Angel Di Maria, Bastien Schweinsteiger, Pogba, and Alexis Sanchez. In many cases the level of due diligence carried out in relation to these marquis acquisitions has been low. While, there has not always been a clear strategy for moulding undeniable talented into a cohesive team structure. It is also a strategy that appears to deprioritise the future in favour of short-term gratification and trending hashtags.

“I watched Gabriel Jesus play three years ago. I watched Kylian Mbappe for a year,” noted Ryan Giggs recently. “I was watching them with the scout and it was a no-brainer. It was just like ‘Get them’. It would have been £5 million or something — get them, loan them back — and that’s where the recruitment could have been better.”

There were seemingly no efforts made at Old Trafford to sign either player, both of whom would have arrived with little fanfare but offered massive potential.

This is not the players’ fault. Offer professionals crazy sums of money and they will gladly represent the highest bidder. The result, though, is the accumulation of talent, some of whom have questionable desire to play for the club.

Managerial changes over the past few years have also meant that the continuity of approach under Gill and Ferguson is now long gone. There have been material differences in philosophy between David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal and now José Mourinho. The board got these managerial appointments badly wrong. Over the last five seasons there has been an increasingly obvious lack of leadership and a high turnover in the playing squad, with a further overhaul widely reported to be taking place this summer.

This can be little surprise given the approach to recruitment is a phone call to a small group of self-interested agents. In the short-term, Woodward has created an adequate buzz to maintain the club’s status among the financial élite. The question becomes whether it is sustainable.

While Mourinho has improved United to the point where the club is a distinct second in the league table – despite Saturday’s victory at the Etihad – the team is a long way from winning one of the two trophies that really count. The longer the on-field malaise continues, the more it could eventually cut into the global intrigue that the United brand enjoys, while City, PSG, Real Madrid and Barcelona hoover up the world’s talent and trophies.

Analysing the various incarnations of team that Ferguson produced offers a guide. While the quality varied, they were always developed according to his vision and ethos. He took a personal interest in the character of the players he was signing, and ensured they actively wanted to play for the club. This included players from home and abroad, but each was acquired for what they could deliver on the pitch. Gill did not greet new arrivals with news of the shirt sales they would generate, nor the media coverage it offered the club. United paid fees and wages in accordance with the time, but not often in excess of the other leading European sides.

Consider the first title-winning side that Ferguson constructed. Relatively unheralded players were sourced from Europe at bargain prices, including Peter Schmeichel and Andrei Kanchelskis. Steve Bruce captained the side and he was probably as unfashionable as imaginable, but a critical component. Gary Pallister was the most expensive defender in Britain when he signed, but formed the base of the Ferguson’s early successes. Roy Keane was signed for a British transfer record fee, but repaid it many times over. Ryan Giggs and Lee Sharpe were exceptional young players introduced into the side to balance the experience of Bryan Robson and Brian McClair. Mark Hughes was a warrior if not quite prolific, while Eric Cantona was seen as a gamble but became one of the most influential of all Ferguson signings.

How times change. Football has evolved greatly in recent years and it is not possible to recreate the past. What has become abundantly clear, however, is that the club should rebalance its decision-making to favour football, not finance.

That opens up a separate discussion around who is best placed to make these decisions, and how this should be structured. There is no doubt that Woodward has achieved remarkable corporate success, but it is not clear who has the final say over players transfers, in and out of the club. There is also room for debate as to whether Mourinho is the right man to make those decisions given his track record of short-termism and inflated ego. Other clubs have successfully employed a director of football to offer an over-arching consistency in player recruitment. It might be that the days of the dictator-manager, in the mould of Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, are now gone.

While the shape of the future is debatable, the need to return to some of of the past is not. There remain some examples of United developing its own talent, with Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Scott McTominay featuring in the first team squad, but there is little satisfaction in seeing the regular arrivals of expensive, jaded internationals with little emotional connection to the club.

It was once thought that leaving United was a backward step. That reputation is being eroded. In football terms, the club is poorly run, if likely to finish second this season. Today’s scouting network offers little dividend, and players are brought in with little long-term thought and are often poorly treated, with some declining in quality after signing. The proud traditions and standards of the past needs to mean something or United could face becoming little more than a soulless corporate entity associated with past glories.

The post Stepping back to move forward first appeared on No Question About That.

Midfield Conundrums

Thariq Amir — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 21:15:11 GMT

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he transfer of Alexis Sánchez from Arsenal to Manchester United put a spring in the step of United supporters when it was announced last month. In one swoop, José Mourinho and Ed Woodward recruited a top class player, while also dispensing, in the shape of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, an underperforming one.

So far so good, but United’s manager admitted that the signing would impact on the club’s post-season transfer plans, perhaps even when it comes to Mourinho’s plan to strengthen in central midfield. It is probably a reasonable line of thinking, but what followed from the United manager was eye-opening.

“If we have in our mind in the summer to improve the team in two or three positions, basically to improve the team in all the departments, if you have the chance to do something now it means that you don’t do in the summer,” explained Mourinho in January.

“Another thing is we get one or two players just to improve a little bit the squad and then in the summer you are going to do it again,” he added. “No. In the summer, we would probably have three transfers to do. If we do one now, in the summer it is three minus one.”

Two summer signings? It’s hard to square that circle, especially taking into account Mourinho’s interview with the club’s website last December.

“If, next summer, we are going to sign a midfield player, it’s to replace Michael Carrick,” said Mourinho. “Michael is a phenomenal player that, this season, he couldn’t give us anything at all. So if, next summer, we buy a midfield player, it’s not to improve our squad – it’s to replace Michael Carrick. So, to improve our squad in the midfield, we would need to buy two.”

But it’s not just Carrick that United could potentially lose in the summer. Marouane Fellaini looks set to leave come the end of the campaign, while the multi-functional Daley Blind doesn’t seem to have much of a future at United, and there are questions about whether Ander Herrera will be at Old Trafford next season too.

Even if only Carrick and Fellaini depart, United will be left with a quartet of Nemanja Matić, Paul Pogba, Scott McTominay and Herrera. Following Mourinho’s logic, the squad’s balance will be retained if he replaces both Carrick and Fellaini, but it will not lead to an improvement in the group as a whole. That’s to mention nothing of United’s need to strengthen in defence. It is safe to assume that the Reds will be on the lookout for more than the two players suggested.

Midfield is the critical area though, and much of United’s recruitment strategy will depend on whether Mourinho persists with a 4-2-3-1 system or switches to a 4-3-3. The United boss has more often than not opted for the former, as he clearly doesn’t feel that he has the personnel to operate with a three man midfield on a consistent basis. On the flip side, one of United’s better performances, away at Everton, came with the team operating with a three a and Pogba taking up a position on the left of midfield. It was one of his most effective games this season.

The Pogba Dilemma

In recent weeks much has been made of Mourinho’s relationship with United’s star player. Mourinho has offered Pogba a touchline lecture, launched an “explosive” press conference prior to FA Cup tie against Huddersfield, and then the Frenchman missed said match because of illness.

Aside from the drama, the discussion surrounding Pogba’s best position is the elephant in the room: should Mourinho build the team around the Frenchman’s strengths in a 4-3-3, or should the player be more adaptable and embrace Mourinho’s preferences more fully?

If Mourinho opts to build a team around Pogba then the manager will want to strengthened to the point where he is more confident deploying a three-man midfield on a regular basis. The trio of Matić, McTominay and Herrera doesn’t appear to be the answer. There has been the usual paper talk, with United supposedly signing Jorginho, Jean Michaël Seri, Fabinho, Sergej Milinković-Savić or Toni Kroos. Each would represent an upgrade on the current options, but none would be cheap either.

There might also be a need to reshape the squad’s attacking options, as Mourinho has Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sánchez, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata vying for the four attacking spots in a 4-2-3-1. The switch to a three would leave six players competing for three attacking places. That’s not even taking into consideration Andreas Pereira when he returns from his loan spell at Valencia. Lingard and Mata could arguably be moved into midfield, but then again Mourinho is not one for half-measures.

If the Portuguese coach sticks to the current system then he can leave his attacking options untouched and he can afford to reduce the number of midfield targets he needs to purchase in the window.

But then there is the question of what to do with Pogba. Should Mourinho play him in a midfield two with Matić and risk limiting the Frenchman’s impact, or does he move Pogba further forward and drop Martial, Alexis or another to accommodate?

There’s no question that Pogba needs to be in the side, but how to consistently get the best out of a world-class player seems to be eluding the manager. Yet, the Frenchman has scored three times and set-up nine goals this season. Imagine how effective he could be if he finds his groove.

Matić Matters

Matić’s was not a stardust signing, but during the early months of the season he looked to be an astute capture and has been one of José’s “untouchables” having played 33 times this campaign. Only Romelu Lukaku has featured in more games.

Naturally, the sheer number of matches is taking its toll on the Serbian, but Mourinho doesn’t feel confident enough with his options to rest his holding midfielder. It all leads to a potentially problematic cocktail of United going into season-defining matches with a leggy Matić. It is not an ideal scenario.

McTominay’s progress is interesting, although it remains to be seen whether he can become more authoritative. The next step in the youngster’s development is to become an able deputy to Matić so that Mourinho has the option to rotate when the situation demands.

Of course, Mourinho is just as likely to bring in a more experienced player during the summer in order to relieve the Serb’s burden, but the point remains that United shouldn’t risk the burnout of a key player as the season draws to a close.

To dominate or to react?

A key tenet of Mourinho’s footballing vision is how his teams respond to transitions in play, whether losing or gaining possession. He demands a high level of discipline, plus the need to be clinical when going forward.

In that respect, Mourinho is different to his Premier League contemporaries, many of whom look to press high, force mistakes and work on attacking patterns. Mourinho relies on his team to convert any chance that comes its way, while maintaining defensive discipline and structure.

[supsystic-tables id=50]

*Stats from WhoScored.com. Accurate as of 20/2/2018

It leaves the question as to whether Mourinho will ever look for his midfield to play in a more expansive manner, or place his faith in a more cynical approach? The gameplan will influence the type of midfielders that United will try to recruit in the summer window.

There may well be a larger turnover in the summer than suggested. It’s hard to see otherwise, with Matteo Darmian, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Chris Smalling, Blind, and Fellaini almost certainly leaving the club. Carrick will hang up his boots and may take on a coaching role.

Perhaps Mourinho has plans to reincorporate Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Andreas Pereira, offer McTominay more games next season, or bring some fresher faces from the Academy. More realistically he will look to the market to compensate for any departures.

Whatever the strategy, Mourinho must first work out how to shape his midfield if he is to turn United back into a victory hungry juggernaut. At this moment, it’s looking to be quite the conundrum.

The post Midfield Conundrums first appeared on No Question About That.

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