Archive for the ‘Opinion’ Category

José Mourinho Has Adapted His Style To Suit Manchester United And Is Now The Perfect Fit

Posted: February 18, 2017 in Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Chelsea, European Football, Football, Jose Mourinho, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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Arséne Wenger and Louis van Gaal have a couple of things in common. Firstly, they are both past the 65 years of age mark. Secondly, they have been unable to adapt themselves to compete in the modern football world.

It is now seven years since van Gaal won La Liga, his last major championship title and a whopping thirteen years since Wenger last won the Premier League. Yes they have both won cups since those days but even a blind squirrel will eventually find a nut and they were both managing historically successful teams at the time. (more…)

Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City And Leicester Return To European Action

Posted: February 16, 2017 in Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Champions League, Chelsea, Europa League, European Football, Jose Mourinho, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Pep Guardiola, Tottenham Hotspur
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Well folks, it’s that time of the year again! European competition has returned with the start of the knockout stages of both the Champion’s League and the Europa League.

This article was supposed to be a preview of the two tournaments BEFORE any of the games had been played but, thanks to missed deadlines due to oversleeping, is now published after the first round of them has finished.

Fortunately only Arsenal, out of the English contingent, have played their first leg game and everybody knew what was going to happen before a ball was even kicked. (more…)

Do The Top Six Actually Employ Any Scouts?

Posted: February 15, 2017 in Arsenal, Chelsea, European Football, Football, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur
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It is a question which has been raised once or twice in the past. Of the current top six only Tottenham Hotspur have been buying anybody English from the lower divisions, that being Dele Alli, who arrived from MK Dons for £5 million a while ago.

Chelsea went down the tried and tested route by buying N’Golo Kanté from Leicester, shortly after he had become a Premier League winner, so no risk there.

Liverpool went for the unknown foreigners who have yet to prove themselves in the top flight, and Sadio Mané, who hasn’t. (more…)

Will The Top Six Keep Their Current Managers Next Season?

Posted: February 13, 2017 in Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Chelsea, European Football, Everton, Football, Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool, Managers, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Pep Guardiola, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur
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The current top six are unlikely to remain with their present managers for too long unless they find a way of sharing the trophies between them on an annual basis.

The Holy Grail, however, remains the Premier League title but with half an eye on winning the Champion’s League, (unless you are Arsenal, in which case just qualifying for the competition is sufficient).

If, this season for example, sees Chelsea win the title, City, United and Tottenham finish in the top four and Liverpool and Arsenal making up the remainder of the top six then little should change for next season. (more…)

Who Is Winning The Battle Of Manchester? Guardiola’s City Or Mourinho’s United?

Posted: February 12, 2017 in Chelsea, Football, Jose Mourinho, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Pep Guardiola, Premier League
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When these two managers were appointed by their current clubs it was widely expected, particularly in Manchester, that the top two positions in the Premier League would be contested between them.

Obviously, this view would not have been the case in parts of London or Liverpool but, generally, it was the concensus in the frozen, rainy wastelands of Manchester.

The facts have proven to be quite different. They have proven, for one thing, that even some of the best managers cannot just take over at a club and immediately turn them into champions. (more…)

Why A Place In The Top Four Is More Important Than Winning The Europa League For José Mourinho And Manchester United

Posted: February 11, 2017 in Chelsea, European Football, Football, Jose Mourinho, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur
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Although a top three finish would have virtually the same outcome as winning the Europa League in that they would both mean automatic qualification for next season’s Champion’s League, the more prestigious of the two is the higher finish in the Premier League.

Fourth place, of course, would mean a chance to compete for the Champion’s League through the qualifiers, which is by no means a guarantee of participation in the competition proper. (more…)

Manchester United’s Incredible Support Is Even More Evident Thanks To Technology

Posted: February 9, 2017 in Arsenal, Chelsea, European Football, Football, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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(Thanks to sportingintelligence for the graphic)

Whenever anything relating to Manchester United is published it is big news. Maybe not to everybody in the world but there are many who hang onto every word, written or spoken, about the reds.

There is talk of the stadium capacity being increased to around 80,000 in the near future and it will be full for almost every home game.

Do United do anything differently to the other top teams? They spend some of their close season touring far away places in order to give some of their fans the chance to see the players, (not to mention increasing the fanbase to make more money)! (more…)

Manchester United’s José Mourinho Experiences Déjà Vu, But On Behalf Of Claudio Ranieri!

Posted: February 6, 2017 in Chelsea, European Football, Football, Jose Mourinho, Managers, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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Rewind to a time not much more than twelve months ago. Stood on the touchline at the Kingpower Stadium was a manager whose team looked bereft of ideas, short of a leader and heading in one direction only, downwards.

José Mourinho, when interviewed after that 2-1 loss to Leicester City, unashamedly blamed his players for not following orders. This despite the fact that, as he well knows, the ultimate responsibility lies with the person who picks those players.

Roman Abramovich obviously concurred with the opinion that the manager was at fault and Mourinho was out of work. (more…)

Can The Top Six Be Breached? Not If Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United Or City Have Any Say In The Matter

Posted: February 5, 2017 in Arsenal, Chelsea, European Football, Everton, Football, Liverpool, Managers, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur
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Ronald Koeman must resign himself to the fact that a challenge to break into the top six will probably have to wait until next season. Some wise spending in the Summer transfer window and his astute management should see a more concerted effort from Everton next time out.

He will certainly be expected to improve upon the finishes of Roberto Martinez and David Moyes as he has a sizeable amount of cash available thanks to the new owner, Farhad Moshiri. (more…)

The Things We Have To Put Up With To Watch The Beautiful Game

Posted: February 4, 2017 in Arsenal, Chelsea, European Football, Football, Managers, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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As regular readers of these chronicles will be aware, there are several amongst the football fraternity who are, to put it mildly, an irritation. We are not just referring to current players in the previous statement, as there are far more irritating people who have never played the game, who have retired from the game or who have dabbled at it and been no better than average.

There are reporters, presenters and referees. There are “celebrity” fans, another horrible expression suggesting that some people are “celebrated” whilst others are completely ignored throughout their life despite the good they may do. (more…)

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