1. Finish in the top four at least
If, by the end of this season, Manchester United have finished in the top four then this would have to be perceived as more successful than last season.
Failure to even get in a position where pre-qualification was necessary for the Champion’s League was the final nail in the coffin of Louis Van Gaal. The previous couple of nails had been the boring football and the fact that his popularity with the fans had sunk lower than a snake’s belly. (more…)
The first, and probably most obvious, is that he is a tall target man with talent. This is not to say that United have not had this type of player in the past, it’s just something they have been short of for a while.
Robin van Persie, although 6’2″ in height was never a prolific goalscorer with his head and the same can be said for United’s other “tall” strikers in the recent past. (more…)
Why is it that a new manager coming into a club can often achieve excellent results with exactly the same players who were responsible for the previous manager being fired?
On the flip side of that, why is it that a new manager coming into a club can often achieve nothing with the same players or even after adding a few of his own?
The answers to these questions are not as complicated as you might think. (more…)
(Wayne Rooney looks over his shoulder only to find that the manager insists on him playing!)
Recently, one or two football players have remarked that they have “nothing to prove”. They say this as though they have reached a pinnacle and will never drop their standards below this optimum level.
Marouane Fellaini was one of the ones to speak out and that, frankly, was laughable. Now it’s the turn of Wayne Rooney again. Yes, again! It seems that Wayne likes to tell everybody how good he really is on a fairly regular basis. (more…)
After three games the top three in the Premier League had an air of predictability about it. José Mourinho had taken over at Manchester United, Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and Antonio Conte at Chelsea. All three, at this stage, had 100% records.
Arsene Wenger soldiered on at Arsenal starting with his annual first game of the season loss at home. JĂĽrgen Klopp continued in his manic way while, over the park, Ronald Koeman quietly got on with things leaving the other “bigger name” managers at the “bigger clubs” to hog the limelight. (more…)
Despite blaming bad luck and referees for United’s poor displays while losing the last three games, JosĂ© 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…)
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. (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…)
He has been ever-present this season, he has been consistent and is doing everything asked of him. Which one of Manchester United’s superstars are we talking about? Why, Marouane Fellaini of course.
It is probably a little unfair to use the word renaissance, as he never really became a bad player, he was just never a very good one. He is proving to be of some worth to United now though, a situation unseen by certain blinkered supporters who were never prepared to give him a chance. He has also managed to stay in the Belgian national team along with some world class players, so he’s not that bad. (more…)
(Marcus Rashford shows Cameron Borthwick-Jackson how many fans are at the game)
Since taking the manager’s job at Old Trafford Jose Mourinho has overseen the winning of the Community Shield and two wins out of two games in the Premier League.
Players who have been conspicuous by their absence include a few of the younger members who had some game time last season because Louis van Gaal had a lot of injuries and no experienced cover.
When, for example, Luke Shaw was injured in the Champion’s League, there was no ready made experienced replacement. Wayne Rooney’s continued decline meant that Anthony Martial was given many more games than he would have been had there been an older player waiting for his chance. (more…)
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 