José Mourinho’s current Manchester United team is good, of that there is little doubt. Points-wise, they are the second best team in the Premier League having risen from being the sixth best last season. A definite improvement!
They are also in the final of the FA Cup this year as opposed to the Carabao Cup last year. Although viewed as a higher status trophy, reaching this final is probably only marginally tougher than the old League Cup but still a slight, but definite, improvement again!
The two big let downs this season have been the Carabao Cup, in which they should have progressed to the semi-finals at least, but were knocked out by Bristol City, and the Champion’s League where they lost at home to Sevilla having drawn the away leg to put themselves in poll position!
Next season, however, Manchester City will look to improve. United’s closest challengers for second place this term, Liverpool, will also look to improve. Tottenham Hotspur will look to improve but probably won’t and the other two big-ish clubs in London are, at present, unknown quantities, as are their new managers.
For Manchester United to improve they have to win the Premier League. Anything else would represent a season of treading water or, as José Mourinho prefers to call it, “transition”. (Unless, of course, they win the Champion’s League which, although unlikely, is not impossible).
If the “transition” continues into a sixth year and countless more millions are spent the fickle Manchester United “fans”, partcularly those who only support the club because of who it is and not through any particular affiliation, will be calling for the manager to be sacked, (again!)
They will be wrong, (again!), as there is currently nobody available who is better than José Mourinho and, although his methods are regularly questioned by the “fans” he does tend to get results.
The proof of this particular pudding will be in the coming season or two because he is now beginning to walk an unknown path. He usually leaves a club either during or before his third season so this is starting to be new territory for him.
Whatever happens, it promises to be an interesting journey and one which the genuine fans would be well advised to take with him.
What next for Spurs…..?
Mauricio Pochettino – Cuts an exasperated figure on the touchline
Having lost two consecutive home games, both to clubs from Manchester and one of which was an FA Cup semi-final, Mauricio Pochettino should feel he has every right to ask his chairman for a big bundle of cash to spend this summer.
When watching Tottenham’s manager on the touchline his frustration is very evident. He has taken this team as far as he can and probably further than a lot of people thought he could but it is now up to the powers-that-be at White Hart Lane to show their support for the manager.
Some players may leave. Eric Dier has been close to the exit door in the past and even expressed his desire to join Manchester United at the time. Danny Rose will probably go. Toby Alderweireld is coveted by some big clubs and even Harry Kane may be tempted if Real Madrid come calling as being the big fish in this particular pond isn’t achieving very much and the water appears to be slowly evaporating!
So there are two messages here for Daniel Levy. Firstly, keep hold of what you have, if possible. If this means raising the pay ceiling at the club then so be it. Stop pretending to be a big club and start proving you are one!
Secondly, try and buy the players the manager wants to bring in. Pochettino appears to be very loyal to Daniel Levy and even supports him being the highest paid employee of the club. Levy needs to repay this support and stop taking advantage of it. As is often the case, Pochettino will only be missed when he is no longer there!
And finally…..
Congratulations are in order to the following:
Manchester City for being, by far, the best team in the Premier League and proving it by winning the trophy with five games to spare and the Carabao Cup with plenty of energy to spare.
Arséne Wenger, for services to football in general and Arsenal in particular. Despite staying five years longer than he should his contribution will be forever appreciated by Arsenal supporters, (and good luck in the Europa League, it would be nice to give the new manager a shot at the Champion’s League next season).
Mo Salah – Holds his hands up in agreement that the PFA award should have gone to Kevin De Bruyne
Mohamed Salah for being a striker. All his goals meant that he was given the award of PFA Player of the Year over Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City, even though De Bruyne played more consistently and had more effect on more games and helped his team to the title. Good choice yet again!
Antonio Conte and Chelsea for reaching the FA Cup final with neither party knowing what is going on with the other. Either that, or the Chelsea board are keeping Conte’s future a closely guarded secret for absolutely no apparent reason.
And lastly, Liverpool for reaching the semi-finals of the Champion’s League when it was thought that they were, probably, the fourth favourite of the English clubs to do so.
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 