Despite blaming bad luck and referees for United’s poor displays while losing the last three games, José Mourinho needs to be given time to sort out the problems at Old Trafford.
He has brought in four players who will all prove to be value for money but, at the moment, they are trying to fit into an average team. (more…)
When I tuned in to watch this game I had missed all the build up so had to work out the team by identifying the players on the pitch.
Firstly, I was amazed to see Chris “Bambi” Smalling. What had Daley Blind done to deserve losing his place and what on earth had Smalling done to deserve being selected? (more…)
In the first two or three weeks of the Mourinho reign at Manchester United it became fairly obvious that the leopard was trying to change some, if not all, of his spots.
He and the players were seen arriving at games in the standard issue club blazer and tie. He even managed to fasten the top button on his shirt. (more…)
If José Mourinho is serious about winning the Premier League then he has to take a long look at the squad and, mainly, at some of the players he has inherited.
Quite simply there are some who are just not good enough to wear the shirt. Whether this is a case of having grown older and become, naturally, slower of mind and body, or a case of just not being good enough in the first place, it is time for a little cleansing. (more…)
(Even when younger Rooney could often be found snoring away during a game when overcome by tiredness!)
Somehow, I get the impression that Wayne Rooney doesn’t think he needs a rest. It wasn’t that many years ago that he was saying he would play football every day if he could.
That was the child within him speaking of course as anyone who can remember playing those games in the park will testify. (more…)
Manchester City have once again been told that they are in the “Group of Death”. This should come as no surprise to either the supporters or to anybody connected with the club. Manchester City always get drawn in the “Group of Death”.
The problem here is the inferiority complex which could develop through this attitude. Why is this the toughest group from which to qualify just because it contains Barcelona? Over two games I would expect City to take at least one point from Messi and co. This leaves Borussia Mönchengladbach and Celtic. From these four games I would expect at least eight points which would give them a total of nine, more than likely enough to see them through in second place. (more…)
It means, quite simply, that for the first time this season, Manchester United and Chelsea have failed to win a game whilst Manchester City march on unbeaten and undrawn, (is that a word?). This in turn, in the grand scheme of things, means absolutely nothing!
No doubt the press will be rattling on about how Manchester City are the best team in the league and how they will win it at a canter. Also about how José Mourinho needs to sort out the Manchester United problems and how Antonio Conte will have to tighten up the Chelsea defence. (more…)
The first thing we learnt was that José Mourinho, by his own admission, started with the wrong selection of at least two players.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan had been sent home from the Armenian squad due to an injury picked up in their first game. It was patently obvious that the derby game against Manchester City was too soon after the injury and that he hadn’t recovered sufficiently to be effective. This was shown in his sluggish first half performance which resulted in him being replaced for the second half. (more…)
So that’s it then. It’s all over until the next time and people are beginning to wonder what all the fuss was about.
At this stage it is probably worth mentioning that, in order to make sense, this article is better when read after the previous one which can be found here.
The draw was the widely predicted result and so it came as a surprise when City emerged victorious. This situation, though, is hardly critical for United at this early stage of the season. (more…)
Will there be a feast of goals? Will there be any goals? How many players will still be on the pitch by the end of the game? How many managers will still be pitch-side by the end of the game? Which team’s fans will be leaving early? Who will have a great game and who won’t?
As per usual the derby game, like a lot of less well publicised games, throws up a lot of questions. By the end of today’s game we will have the answers to all of the above. It is far more interesting, however, to speculate as to what those answers may be before the game than it is to pretend that we knew those answers after the game. (more…)
