Watching Manchester United currently is like a breath of fresh air compared with the dark days of Ole Gunnar Solskjær and the one-hand-tied-behind-his-back management of Ralf Ragnick.
Whilst Eric ten Hag has brought in a couple of experienced midfielders, a young left back and a centre back in the same mould as Roy Keane the major changes he has made have been those of discipline and mentality.
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So another big day in the footballing calendar came and went as Manchester took on London yet again. Yes folks, two teams from England’s premier city lined up to play, in the first game which was a Premier League fixture, Chelsea, and in the second game which was the Carabao Cup final, Arsenal.
Prior to this starter and main course, however, there was an aperitif, which was a second-city derby between Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park.
This was a game which could have gone either way or straight down the middle and the only safe bet before kick-off was to sit on the metaphorical fence, a position which this esteemed publication has no difficulty in assuming. (more…)
The Premier League doesn’t really get underway for the top six until Sunday this weekend and even then Manchester City and Arsenal will be missing from the fixture list.
Saturday’s sole representatives of England’s elite were Liverpool who played West Ham United at Anfield.
It turned out to be a fairly routine outing for Jürgen Klopp’s men. West Ham United didn’t even bother to flatter, they just deceived.
A first half goal from Emre Can was followed, in the second half, by further goals from Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané and that, essentially, was that.
West Ham did manage to grab a consolation goal when 3-1 down through Mikail Antonio but the damage, by this time, had already been done. (more…)
The first trophy of the season is officially up for grabs on Sunday. Well, it is if you are Arsenal or Manchester City.
In City’s case, it could be the first one of three and, in the case of Stubborn Old Man, it is a measure of how the mighty have fallen.
He is now not only competing in, but trying to win, the Europa League and so has gone, in the last two seasons, from serial Champion’s League participant and FA Cup winner, to a ‘B’ grade struggler needing to win Big Vase to regain entry to Big Cup. As we said, how the mighty have fallen. (more…)
On another ground-breaking day of football transfers Sky Sports News, having finally tired of leading with the perpetually “Breaking News” that Philippe Coutinho has signed for Barcelona, led with the equally earth-shattering headline, (to some people anyway), that once great Yorkshire giants “Dirty” Leeds had signed Yosuke Ideguchi from Gamba Osaka which, apparently, IS a football club and not a savoury dish involving prawns.
Now we are well aware that Leeds United is still a big club and is probably destined to return to the Premier League at some stage in it’s future but the signing of a 21 year-old Japanese player for an undisclosed fee, (£500,000 is the best press guess), who has immediately been loaned out to Spanish giants Cultural Leonesa until the end of the season, is hardly the stuff of which world headlines should be made. (more…)
What are we talking about, you may well ask? Why, the Carabao Cup, of course.
Fresh from progressing into the next round, José Mourinho has decided, once again, that this is a competition to be taken seriously.
His shoulders are occasionally adorned by a white angel or a red devil, depending upon his mood. This time the angel, (responsible for the “serial winner” side of his personality), got there before the devil, (responsible for the “serial moaner” side of his personality). (more…)
Tonight saw the return of the Coca-Cola/Rumbelows/Littlewoods/Carling/Milk/Capital One/Worthington/EFL/Carabao Cup and Manchester’s United and City both managed to get through potentially tricky ties. This now means that, into their already overcrowded and much-complained-about calendar, they need to fit at least one more game.
The question which is obviously on everyboy’s lips is; why don’t they just throw the game if it isn’t that important?
It’s a competition used to play fringe players anyway, so they would just go back to where they came from, on the fringe. (more…)
José Mourinho will take his Manchester United team down to Swansea in an attempt to qualify for the next round of the Carabao Cup.
It isn’t a competition which is among his two top priorities but, suddenly, this game has become quite important, to Mourinho, the players and the fans.
This is because had United attacked Liverpool, at Anfield, just over a week ago, it is entirely possible they would have left with all three points. (more…)
Manchester United began their defence of the Carabao Cup in some style. Whilst they have never actually won the cup under it’s current sponsorship, they did win it last time when it was the plain old EFL Cup.
An easy 4-1 win at Old Trafford over a poor Burton Albion side meant that José Mourinho and his team progress and will now meet Swansea City in Wales in the next round. (more…)
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