So that’s it! We’re back! After a short break to try and rejuvenate, (a word that literally does not describe the actual result of a “rest”), we return with congratulations in order to Gareth Southgate and the England team who, by winning their division in the Nation’s League, narrowly avoided relegation.
Now that’s excitement, although there were still one or two stifled yawns during the game against Croatia which, being the masochistic type, we actually watched in Croatia.
A Premier League reserve eleven, with guest appearances by Harry Kane and Jordan Pickford, just about fell over the finishing line with that 2-1 win and will now travel all the way to Portugal next summer to contest the closing stages of the tournament-nobody-really-understands-but-it’s-better-than-meaningless-friendlies.
In other news, José Mourinho has finally shifted the blame for his team’s poor performances from everyone but himself to the players he selects, coaches and trains. Actually, still everybody but himself and the blame is now becoming slightly more specific and ludicrous.
The latest debacle, the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace, had him saying that the team showed no heart to try and win the game after the first twenty minutes.
At the risk of repeating ourselves for the umpteenth time; when a clown like Ashley Young can retain a place in the first team at the age of 33 and playing in a position at which he is hopeless, when the only replacement for a suspended left back is the aforementioned old winger who is himself replaced by a player Mourinho wants out of the club and half of his “star” signings can’t get in the team, then it is no wonder there are problems.
Mourinho says he wanted/wants an experienced centre back. Now it is debatable whether even the fans trust him to spend any transfer money wisely, especially having expressed an interest in Marko Arnautovic on who he is, reportedly, prepared to spend £50 million to add to his bench. (Good luck on getting that one past the board).
Fred has obviously been bought to fill an empty space on the bench
Alexis Sánchez and Fred have been on the bench recently. Why? Our theory is pretty simple. They are too small for Mourinho’s liking. Remember, this is a manager who, on many occasions, will select Fellaini before Mata. He will persist with Matić and Pogba in midfield and rotate the players around them, despite results and evidence from Anfield and The Etihad suggesting that the team needs to play faster football to achieve anything these days.
To be honest, it would now seem that the answer to the problems at Old Trafford lies in a new manager. Mourinho is now a middle-aged man whose best years are in the past. He cannot move with the times and insists on his team trying to play the way Chelsea did ten years ago.
Well here’s some news for you José. If that Chelsea side were to play against today’s Manchester City or Liverpool they would lose every time, home and away.
As the previously mentioned teams ride off into the distance, (United, despite being seventh in the league, are actually nearer the bottom than the top points-wise), only Tottenham Hotspur seem capable of challenging for the title and they will have to be very, very good to get anywhere near.
Their defeat of Chelsea was impressive when considering the players they had missing and also emphasised the words of Maurizio Sarri when he said that Chelsea aren’t good enough to challenge for the number one slot. They certainly proved him correct in that game!
So the trophy can already be engraved with the name of Manchester City. Liverpool, implosions and really bad runs of form aside, can expect to finish some distance behind City but will still be good enough to secure second.
The manager of the team which will finish third this season…..probably,….. maybe
Third should be Tottenham unless they suddenly have the misfortune to start playing their home games actually at home. That may take some getting used to!
Fourth is anybody’s guess at this stage but it would appear to be between Chelsea and Arsenal.
United will be lucky to finish sixth and, unfortunately for them, they do not have the Europa League this season as a means of qualifying for next year’s Champion’s League.
All of this means that José Mourinho’s final season at Old Trafford will be this one. Who will replace him? That’s one for another day.
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 