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? Read the rest of this entry »
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. Read the rest of this entry »
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. Read the rest of this entry »
Although José Mourinho was disappointed to lose to Feyenoord in Rotterdam, it was quite difficult to detect it in his post-match interview.
Stating that the team played better in the second half and that a few of the players were tasting their first minutes of football this season didn’t really tell us anything that we didn’t already know.
The conclusions drawn from the team selection and, consequently, the result is that, despite what he says to the press, JosĂ© Mourinho doesn’t really care about this competition. Read the rest of this entry »
(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. Read the rest of this entry »
In the not too distant past, José Mourinho would have poured scorn on this competition. He always saw it as a tournament for losers, as a punishment for not being good enough in your own league and, therefore, confined to the basement of European football to compete with teams whose names are difficult to pronounce from countries which are difficult to find.
This was a view shared, strangely enough, by his great friend and hero Sir Alex Ferguson whose own journey into the Europa League was a one-time experience and very short-lived. Read the rest of this entry »
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. Read the rest of this entry »
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 JosĂ© Mourinho needs to sort out the Manchester United problems and how Antonio Conte will have to tighten up the Chelsea defence. Read the rest of this entry »
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. Read the rest of this entry »
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. Read the rest of this entry »
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 