Hopefully Just “Another Day At The Office” For José Mourinho And Manchester United (And Best Wishes To Claudio Ranieri)

Posted: February 25, 2017 in Chelsea, EFL Cup, European Football, Football, Jose Mourinho, Manchester United, Opinion, Tottenham Hotspur
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As far as cup finals go it isn’t the most prestigious. It isn’t up there with the Champion’s League final or Europa League final. It isn’t even up there with the FA Cup final.

Through all it’s various guises which have included the Milk Cup, the Worthington Cup and the Capital One Cup it has been used as a vehicle for giving fringe players a run of games, certainly by the bigger clubs, who have the squads deep enough to render the exercise unnecessary.

The effect this has on the competition is to take away the giant-killing days. No longer is it a major surprise, or even much of an achievement, when a Championship club at full strength beats a Premier League club fielding it’s reserve team. At least it could be argued that the playing field is level for once. Read the rest of this entry »

Of The Top Six Only Manchester United And Manchester City Have The Perceived Disadvantage Of Remaining In Europe

Posted: February 23, 2017 in Arsenal, Chelsea, European Football, Football, Liverpool, Managers, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur
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Barring a miracle at The Emirates, Arsenal are out of the Champion’s League. Surprise, surprise! Beaten again by Bayern Münich, although the opponent in the round of Arsenal is largely irrelevant, whoever they played would have won the tie. It’s surely time for Arsene Wenger to seek a different challenge.

Tottenham Hotspur, who weren’t good enough for the Champion’s League and so thought they would quite like a crack at the Europa League, proved that they couldn’t hack it at that level either, beaten by Gent, one of those Belgian teams with no good Belgian players because they are all playing in England for teams such as Tottenham Hotspur. Read the rest of this entry »

Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney Has A Decision To Make, With A Little Help From José Mourinho

Posted: February 22, 2017 in European Football, Football, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League, Wayne Rooney
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The fans will love him, if he goes. They will immediately be able to sing his name, it’s almost Chinese in pronunciation anyway – Wei Ru Ni. If he goes. The Chinese Super League will have attracted another big name to give more credibility to their project, if he goes.

Is there any reason he wouldn’t go? He doesn’t seem to be able to get into the first team at United at present and his chances would be likely to diminish as he gets even older. Read the rest of this entry »

Guardiola And Mourinho Are The Angel And The Demon At Manchester City And Manchester United. But Which Is Now Which?

Posted: February 21, 2017 in Chelsea, European Football, Football, Jose Mourinho, Managers, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Pep Guardiola, Premier League
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José Mourinho is not known as a nice guy. He has fallen out with owners and club presidents, he has fallen out with players and fellow managers. He has fallen out with physiotherapists and club doctors. There are probably not many positions within the world of professional football with whom the Special One has not fallen out at one time or another!

He is, however, finding out that he has a nice side now that he is manager of Manchester United. He hasn’t turned into a serial smiler just yet, but there are signs that his disposition is somewhat mellower than it used to be. Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »

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. Read the rest of this entry »

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