Posts Tagged ‘Zlatan Ibrahimovic’

Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United Team To Face Leicester Is Quite Predictable

Posted: August 6, 2016 in European Football, Football, Jose Mourinho, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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The easiest choice for Jose is the goalkeeper. My guess is that David De Gea will not only start the game, but he will finish it as well and be present during the middle bit.

Now begins the fun. At left back should be Luke Shaw, a young kid who shows all the promise in the world and should, barring injury, be around for a long time. The other full back will probably be Antonio Valencia, who has spent the last two years getting older and proving that he cannot defend so, to me, he has always been a strange choice for this position and is lucky to still be at the club.

Despite Mourinho’s dislike for playing people out of position, it is likely that Daley Blind will occupy one of the two central defensive roles, particularly if Smalling is still injured. The other will be taken by another Eric Bailly, another kid with little experience. (more…)

For That Amount Of Money Paul Pogba Has To Be The Main Man Under Jose Mourinho At Manchester United

Posted: August 5, 2016 in European Football, Football, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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He doesn’t look the shy, retiring type. Gold lamĂ© backpacks and matching trainers certainly make Paul Pogba stand out in the crowd, even in America. He is also nearly as well known for his hairstyles as his football so what can Manchester United fans expect on the pitch?

Well there will be a few who already know what to expect as he only left the club four years ago having been a youth and reserve team player there. In fact it was his perceived lack of opportunity which resulted in him leaving for Juventus when only nineteen years of age.

Now, unless he suffers a dramatic loss of form, he will be a regular and one of the first, if not the first, names on the teamsheet. He will be able to thumb his nose at Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager responsible for his leaving the club in the first place. This, however would be unlikely as Pogba appears to be bigger than that sort of behaviour. (more…)

Manchester United And Chelsea Prove That Not All Players Crave The Champion’s League, (Not Immediately Anyway)

Posted: July 30, 2016 in Arsenal, Champions League, Chelsea, European Football, Football, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Opinion, Tottenham Hotspur
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So, failing to qualify for the Champion’s League is not the disaster that all the “experts” predicted it would be. In fact it appears to have had little or no impact on the two main “failures” in England. These are the two teams who contested the final only eight years ago in Moscow! The ability of Manchester United and Chelsea to sign top players and managers does not appear to have been diminished at all.

It is probably true to say that a prolonged absence from the competition would begin to have a negative effect at some stage as a considerable amount of money can be made by appearing in Europe’s top competition. The loss of this money over a sustained period would prove harmful to the clubs trying to attract the best players and, by doing so, make qualifying again the following year a more difficult proposition. In this respect it is a vicious circle. (more…)

The Difference Between Manchester United And AFC Bournemouth Is A Little Less Than It Used To Be

Posted: July 27, 2016 in European Football, Football, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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(Bournemouth through the ages)

Having been promoted to the Premier League for the start of last season Bournemouth, who are sponsored by the Mansion Group, the company also responsible for the sponsorship of Crystal Palace football team and many other brands and boasting, as part of it’s large group, Mansion Casino, began as though they yearned for a return to the shallower water that is the Championship.

However, their manager Eddie Howe, was having none of it. He managed to turn things around and they finished their first ever season in the top flight with a very creditable 16th place, (any finish above 18th in your first season is creditable).

Buoyed by this relative success they set their sights on a pre-season tour to the USA in another diversion from the norm. (more…)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic May Not Have Anything To Prove To Jose Mourinho, But He Has Plenty To Prove To Manchester United And The Fans

Posted: July 18, 2016 in Football, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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Eric Cantona recently stated that Zlatan Ibrahimovic could become the “Prince of Manchester”. This title was the highest earthly one available according to Eric as HE was the “King of Manchester”.

The first task here is to correct Eric’s misunderstanding that he is the “King”. This title has always belonged, and will always belong, to Denis Law, regardless of whoever follows him.

Proof, if any were needed, can not only be found in the number of goals Law scored for United, but also in the lyrics of a famous old song which rang round Old Trafford for many years. Sang to the tune of “Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner”, the title was changed to “Maybe it’s because I’m from Manchester” and the final line was “and the King is Denis Law”. Older followers of these chronicles will remember it well. (more…)

Zlatan Given Extra Time Off By Manchester United Boss Jose Mourinho

Posted: July 14, 2016 in Football, Manchester United, Opinion
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(Zlatan has to force his eyes open to try and overcome extreme tiredness brought on by playing a game of football)

So Zlatan needs an extended rest because of his exertions in the Euros! UEFA rules state that players appearing in the competition must be given three weeks break at the end of it. This means that Ibrahimovic would be able to go to China with the rest of the team but, as the poor soul doesn’t have the strength to pull his suitcase, he is being given extra hols by his new boss.

As well as displaying a laudable level of compassion and sympathy it also gives us an insight into how well Jose Mourinho looks after the elder citizens of the team.

The United manager, having watched all the games in France, will have noticed that Ibrahimovic was picked to play in all three of Sweden’s games, meaning that he spent a total of 270 minutes actually on a football pitch during a competitive game. (more…)

Does The Signing Of Zlatan Ibrahimovic Show That Jose Mourinho Has No Long Term Plans At Manchester United?

Posted: July 10, 2016 in Football, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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That doesn’t mean to say that he doesn’t intend to be there for a while, just that it doesn’t appear that way at present.

The signing of Ibrahimovic seems to be a very short term engagement and one which is more likely to gain United nothing more than extra shirt sales.

Ibrahimovic played for a poor Sweden side during the Euros and, although they exited at the end of the group stage, he didn’t manage to score one goal. He had a decent time at PSG where he came across second rate defenders for most of his stay thus enabling him to score quite a few goals. It very much remains to be seen whether or not he can achieve the same in the English Premier league. (more…)

Which Positions Does Jose Mourinho Really Need To Strengthen At Manchester United?

Posted: July 9, 2016 in Football, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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Let’s start at the beginning, number one. It would seem that David De Gea is among the top three or four goalkeepers in the world and, as second choice, Mourinho has the Argentina number one in Sergio Romero, so that position seems pretty safe at present.

Action required: None

Next is the right full/wing back position. It is hard to say who is the current number one for this role. Van Gaal brought in Matteo Darmian who was the first choice for Italy. He suffered a loss of form after a bright start and was replaced by Guillermo Varela, then Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and, eventually, Antonio Valencia. Varela’s defending was a little naive at times, BJ is still very young but looks a great prospect and Valencia cannot defend as he frequently proved last season, getting caught out of position on many occasions and failing to play the offside with the rest of the defence. (more…)

Would Paul Pogba Bring Anything Extra To Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United?

Posted: July 7, 2016 in Football, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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It seems that Manchester United’s overworked scouts have again been collecting some overtime.

Having already unearthed a gem by scouting the little known French league and coming up with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Jose Mourinho sent them back across the channel to see if there were any more hidden away.

Before long a report was winging it’s way to Old Trafford bearing news of a young player at a little club in Paris. His name: Paul Labile Pogba. According to the scouts he would be a snip at around ÂŁ90 million and would cost a mere ÂŁ300k per week. They had watched a couple of games and, although he had been pretty ineffective, the scouts had seen enough to convince them that a move should be made to sign him. (more…)

Now That Manchester United Have The Right Man In Charge In Jose Mourinho, What About The Players?

Posted: July 6, 2016 in Football, Manchester United, Opinion, Premier League
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A step in the right direction was certainly taken when Manchester United sacked Louis van Gaal and appointed Jose Mourinho.

Employing a world class manager, however, is not the end of the matter. Players need to be brought in and other players need to be shipped out.

At the time of writing, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Eric Bailly have been confirmed and Henrikh Mhkitaryan, whilst not yet confirmed, has also joined. Rumours are rife about other potential arrivals.

As I have stated in a previous post, Ibrahimovic appears to have been signed to generate income more than anything else. His age, failure to score any goals in the Euros and being given a one year contract all point to this as the reason for his being there. Hopefully, as he has probably been promised a starting berth next season, he will chip in with a few goals. (more…)

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