Posts Tagged ‘Guillem Balague’

Is Pochettino Really Still In The Frame For The United Job?

Posted: January 30, 2019 in Arsenal, Chelsea, Football, Liverpool, Managers, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur
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One gets the distinct impression that some Tottenham Hotspur fans would not be too disappointed if Mauricio Pochettino left for Manchester United in the Summer. One also gets the distinct impression that, if Spurs could get Ole Gunnar Solskjær to make the reverse trip, these same fans would be very pleased indeed.

The Argentinean has very recently fallen foul of a few of the faithful by stating that trophies are not important, that they are just “ego-boosters” and don’t necessarily reflect a team’s long-term success. That may be true but his “ambition” to finish in the top four of the Premier League in preference to winning a trophy is hardly likely to endear him to those Tottenham supporters who shell out their hard-earned cash to go and watch the team every week and will shell out even more in the coming years if the club ever move to their new stadium. (more…)

Barcelona Have No Answer To The Combined Might Of Gary & Phil Neville

Posted: December 6, 2015 in European Football, Football, Managers, Opinion, Spain
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(Gary picks up his first “Manager of the Month” award in Valencia and wonders if this is an example of what is to follow)

I watched Gary Neville’s first game when not officially in charge of Valencia. He sat in the stands jumping at every header, moving sideways every time the ball did. He was doing what all passionate managers do, he was living the game, kicking every ball and feeling every tackle.

In fairness, he was right to wait until after this game to take charge. Anything could have happened against Barcelona. Messi was fit again and was alongside the other two musketeers in Suarez and Neymar. If Barcelona scored five, Gary could always say that it “wasn’t on his watch”. He had also had very little time to get to know the players, so it was right that he allowed little brother and Voro to remain in charge for this game.

As it happened, Barcelona had “one of those days”, where they just couldn’t finish off any of their moves, except one, created, perpetuated and finished by Suarez which made us ask, at the time, how many would Barcelona score? The answer was a very simple, “one!” Despite having the majority of possession, hardly an unusual trait for a Barcelona team, they failed to convert the chances they created, and they created a few. (more…)