Ever since Real Madrid began on a path that would later rob the football transfer market of it’s dignity, the shirt sale has over the years become more or less the only point of argument for fans of clubs that spend ridiculous sums of money on acquiring the world’s best players or in some cases the most overrated.
The case of Pogba has seen the subject of player shirt sales elevated to ridiculous heights by Manchester United fans. How else can they justify their club paying such an amount for a player not yet the the finished product?
Now trim off the speculations, dig for the facts and learn that the myth couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Tuesday, 23 August 2016
Saturday, 20 August 2016
Manchester United vs Southampton
The anticipation leading up to Manchester United's first home game of the 2016/17 season has been at fever pitch to say the least. It almost feels like the good old days.
Jose Mourinho continues to say all the right things in stark contrast to his two predecessors, United's ambition is back where it should be. United fans having high expectations is acceptable to Jose and of course, for a team of United's stature, it's only right.
Mourinho has this week suggested that Paul Pogba is the best midfielder in the world. He has though, gone at pains to say that winning the ballon d'or may be a step too far for Pogba given the necessity of a 20+ goal haul this year to secure the prize. Whilst talking up the talent of our (current) iconic Frenchman, Mourinho has tried to temper expectations at this early stage of the season. Prior to kick-off, it remained to be seen whether Pogba would live up to the hype in his first game. The fact remains, the anticipation feels at its highest point for many a year.
Southampton started the second half brightly and after only a few minutes, the ball ended up in the United net only to be ruled offside from Tadic's shot. United broke immediately from the resulting free kick Anthony Martial had a solid attempt, but his shot was comfortably saved by Forster.
5 minutes into the half and the very next attack from Luke Shaw down the left hand side, saw him break into the Southampton penalty area, only to be brought down by the number 4, Clasie. United penalty. Ibrahimovic took the spot kick and sent Forster the wrong way to put the Reds 2-0 up.
On 64 minutes Fellaini played the ball to the advancing Martial whose strong run gave him the opportunity for another shot on goal. Strong defending ensured the shot was blocked.
United were really turning up the heat now and a number of attacks ensued with Ibrahimović, Martial and Pogba all involved - the latter seemingly desperate to put his mark in the game and debut, with a goal. For now, he remained involved with some wonderful touches, if somewhat frustrated by the paucity of chances.
It is relevant to note at this point that Antonio Valencia was involved in much of the United build up play. It's good to see him trying to get past people and actually putting in quality crosses. It appears Jose Mourinho has had a positive impact on the Ecuadorian's confidence.
This was more like it. The speed of the United attacks were becoming more and more impressive and also more like the United of old. With this accelerated attaching style, the crowd responded and the atmosphere improved accordingly.
In the 75th minute, the industrious Juan Mata was replaced by Mkhitaryan to much vocal joy from the Old Trafford faithful. Mata had done well but there has been so much excitement surrounding the Albanian., it was a popular substitution. This was followed up 5 minutes later when Herrera replaced the excellent Anthony Martial. The final substitution was on 88 minutes when Smalling came on for Wayne Rooney.
To their credit, Southampton remained interested in the game and produced a couple of promising attacks. However, at no stage did United look in any real trouble and they were able to see out of the game for a relatively convincing 2-0 victory.
Overall, it was a very solid 7/10 performance from just about every player in a United shirt. Defensively we still look vulnerable on the break and any team with classy attacking players, will put United in a more difficult situation than Southampton did today. The midfield performance was encouraging with counter-attacks going through from defence to attack in quick time.
In terms of the new boys, Ibrahimović scored two goals which won United the game. Apart from that, his impact was limited (if it's possible after scoring two goals) to a supporting role. Mkhitaryan had limited opportunities to impact the game with only 15 minutes on the field, but showed some lovely touches. Baily continues to impress with solid performances but really, tonight was about Pogba.
The Frenchmen did well and worked hard throughout the whole game, he was involved in much of Uniited's build up play and it can only be said, it was an enthusiastic and impressive second debut.
So a good night for the Reds, Mourinho wins his first competitive game at Old Trafford and it's two games played, two wins from United. Long may it continue!
Chris Wilkinson
Jose Mourinho continues to say all the right things in stark contrast to his two predecessors, United's ambition is back where it should be. United fans having high expectations is acceptable to Jose and of course, for a team of United's stature, it's only right.
Mourinho has this week suggested that Paul Pogba is the best midfielder in the world. He has though, gone at pains to say that winning the ballon d'or may be a step too far for Pogba given the necessity of a 20+ goal haul this year to secure the prize. Whilst talking up the talent of our (current) iconic Frenchman, Mourinho has tried to temper expectations at this early stage of the season. Prior to kick-off, it remained to be seen whether Pogba would live up to the hype in his first game. The fact remains, the anticipation feels at its highest point for many a year.
There has been much talk of the poor atmosphere at Old Trafford in recent years. The football on offer these past three seasons has done little to generate much fervour in the stands. However, just before kick-off, Old Trafford was rocking!
And so it was that Pogba was picked in a five-man attacking midfield which also included Mata, Rooney & Martial as the second line behind Ibrahimovic with the only surprise being that the second central man was Fellaini rather than Mkhitaryan.
Southampton started the game brightly and Pogba's first touch was a nervous one, losing the ball in the middle of the park to allow Southampton to attack.
United soon got into their stride and in the tenth minute some nice interplay between Valencia and Mata, resulted in a United corner. The corner was defended well but a few minutes of possession football and some nice passing ensued, with the ball breaking to Pogba on the edge of the United area for the first shot on goal of the night.
The first fifteen minutes had United holding the upper hand in terms of possession of both the ball and attacking areas and whilst little was created, the speed with which United were getting through the midfield was encouraging.
Southampton came back into the game with some good moves of their own and things settled down until after 28 minutes, another industrious Valencia break on the right, found Pogba in possession on the left corner of the box. A deft chip over the defender's head allowed a clever flick from Mata with Ibrahimovic acrobatically shooting just wide.
United weren't getting it all their own way though and just after the half hour, Shane Long found himself one on one with De Gea, however a weak shot resulted which didn't trouble the United keeper. United's defensive frailties were still a concern and were having something of an impact on the crowd which had calmed somewhat following an impressive pre-game build up.
Then came another Valencia break down the right hand side on 35 minutes, Rooney collected the ball by the corner flag and floated a perfect cross to the far side of the box. Zlatan's predatory instincts and athleticism got the better of Fonte and a bullet header darted past Forster's flailing left hand. 1-0 United.
That was pretty much it for the first half with United just about deserving the lead at half time.
And so it was that Pogba was picked in a five-man attacking midfield which also included Mata, Rooney & Martial as the second line behind Ibrahimovic with the only surprise being that the second central man was Fellaini rather than Mkhitaryan.
Southampton started the game brightly and Pogba's first touch was a nervous one, losing the ball in the middle of the park to allow Southampton to attack.
United soon got into their stride and in the tenth minute some nice interplay between Valencia and Mata, resulted in a United corner. The corner was defended well but a few minutes of possession football and some nice passing ensued, with the ball breaking to Pogba on the edge of the United area for the first shot on goal of the night.
The first fifteen minutes had United holding the upper hand in terms of possession of both the ball and attacking areas and whilst little was created, the speed with which United were getting through the midfield was encouraging.
Southampton came back into the game with some good moves of their own and things settled down until after 28 minutes, another industrious Valencia break on the right, found Pogba in possession on the left corner of the box. A deft chip over the defender's head allowed a clever flick from Mata with Ibrahimovic acrobatically shooting just wide.
United weren't getting it all their own way though and just after the half hour, Shane Long found himself one on one with De Gea, however a weak shot resulted which didn't trouble the United keeper. United's defensive frailties were still a concern and were having something of an impact on the crowd which had calmed somewhat following an impressive pre-game build up.
Then came another Valencia break down the right hand side on 35 minutes, Rooney collected the ball by the corner flag and floated a perfect cross to the far side of the box. Zlatan's predatory instincts and athleticism got the better of Fonte and a bullet header darted past Forster's flailing left hand. 1-0 United.
That was pretty much it for the first half with United just about deserving the lead at half time.
Southampton started the second half brightly and after only a few minutes, the ball ended up in the United net only to be ruled offside from Tadic's shot. United broke immediately from the resulting free kick Anthony Martial had a solid attempt, but his shot was comfortably saved by Forster.
5 minutes into the half and the very next attack from Luke Shaw down the left hand side, saw him break into the Southampton penalty area, only to be brought down by the number 4, Clasie. United penalty. Ibrahimovic took the spot kick and sent Forster the wrong way to put the Reds 2-0 up.
On 64 minutes Fellaini played the ball to the advancing Martial whose strong run gave him the opportunity for another shot on goal. Strong defending ensured the shot was blocked.
United were really turning up the heat now and a number of attacks ensued with Ibrahimović, Martial and Pogba all involved - the latter seemingly desperate to put his mark in the game and debut, with a goal. For now, he remained involved with some wonderful touches, if somewhat frustrated by the paucity of chances.
It is relevant to note at this point that Antonio Valencia was involved in much of the United build up play. It's good to see him trying to get past people and actually putting in quality crosses. It appears Jose Mourinho has had a positive impact on the Ecuadorian's confidence.
This was more like it. The speed of the United attacks were becoming more and more impressive and also more like the United of old. With this accelerated attaching style, the crowd responded and the atmosphere improved accordingly.
In the 75th minute, the industrious Juan Mata was replaced by Mkhitaryan to much vocal joy from the Old Trafford faithful. Mata had done well but there has been so much excitement surrounding the Albanian., it was a popular substitution. This was followed up 5 minutes later when Herrera replaced the excellent Anthony Martial. The final substitution was on 88 minutes when Smalling came on for Wayne Rooney.
To their credit, Southampton remained interested in the game and produced a couple of promising attacks. However, at no stage did United look in any real trouble and they were able to see out of the game for a relatively convincing 2-0 victory.
Overall, it was a very solid 7/10 performance from just about every player in a United shirt. Defensively we still look vulnerable on the break and any team with classy attacking players, will put United in a more difficult situation than Southampton did today. The midfield performance was encouraging with counter-attacks going through from defence to attack in quick time.
In terms of the new boys, Ibrahimović scored two goals which won United the game. Apart from that, his impact was limited (if it's possible after scoring two goals) to a supporting role. Mkhitaryan had limited opportunities to impact the game with only 15 minutes on the field, but showed some lovely touches. Baily continues to impress with solid performances but really, tonight was about Pogba.
The Frenchmen did well and worked hard throughout the whole game, he was involved in much of Uniited's build up play and it can only be said, it was an enthusiastic and impressive second debut.
So a good night for the Reds, Mourinho wins his first competitive game at Old Trafford and it's two games played, two wins from United. Long may it continue!
Chris Wilkinson
Tuesday, 16 August 2016
EPL TITLE CHASERS GIVE HINT OF WHAT'S TO COME
As beginnings go, the opening weekend of the new Premier League season was cinematic, having on display the very elements that make it the most followed club sport league in the world.
Although, it is never advisable to attempt predicting anything that will stretch over much of the season from the opening games, but there were still little lessons learnt that faintly suggested certain developments that might unfold from the "title challengers" over the course of the season.
Leicester City - a different PL this time
Leicester's 2-1 loss should have made more headlines than, say, Ibrahimoviç's debut goal, but in truth, no sane person would bet on them successfully defending their title - finishing the campaign in the top four even, seems like a lot of ask.
In sports, you get what you deserve. The Foxes won the League because they deserved it, along with every extolment but the "what ifs?" still remain and they will be answered this term.
No longer will they experience days when teams gave them the chance to sit back and hit on the counter; mid-table and bottom half teams will seek only to park the train against them and just like it was against Hull City, the "merry band of brothers" will have to take the game to the opposition, playing on the front foot, thereby leaving themselves vulnerable to counter-attacks - a development their uncouth style and the N'Golo sized hole in their Midfield suggest will be their sinking board.
Arsenal - the show continues
The game against Liverpool summarised Arsenal in the last ten or so years: start brightly then dig an annoying hole for themselves, attempt to climb out but ultimately fall short.
With Arsenal, it is A Series of Unfortunate Events for their fans and a Family Guy type sitcom for opposition. The characters never grow or regress, a different twist of the same stories season after season.
It is hilarious if you love twisted comedy. Peter Griffin seems crazier than Donald Trump but for some reason, Lois never puts herself out of her misery.
You find the same humour with Arsenal if you support anything but Arsenal - and of course Tottenham - and to be honest, the show doesn't seem to have an end in sight.
Tottenham Hotspur - the complimenting series
The story of Tottenham for some twist of 'fate' always seems to be intertwined with that of Arsenal especially in the business end of the season. The Lily Whites have over the years become a very competent source of comic relief for abject Arsenal fans to the point that even an Arsenal goalkeeper on a suicide mission would halt his plan for one final laugh from St. Totteringham's Day.
The game against Everton didn't tell much to suggest a change of approach from last season. Mauricio Pochettino seems to be sticking to the same playing style and tactics that got them those almighty 70pts for a TITLE CHALLENGE last season.
Here's to hoping this season ends differently for someone in North London.
Manchester City - from one PHILOSOPHER to another
With City, it is a case of the Premier League getting a new philosopher to replace the one that was sent away: out goes the Dutch, in comes the Catalan - or is it Spaniard?
The game against David Moyes' Sunderland suggested all that was to come from Pep Guardiola's City. We've already seen strange epiphany-inducing tactics of false nines and attacking goalkeepers, quarterback style center-backs and 2-2-6 formations but on Saturday we saw stranger - inverted fullbacks.
That game confirmed Pep pulled a Clinton (either of them will do - they both lie) in his unveiling. He is not here to adapt, the other way round actually - it is the team who must adapt and just like the Brexit campaigners, he has begun taking back that promise.
Joe Hart's City career is over, so is Yaya Toure and the center-back who arrived via one of the biggest transfer scams only an EPL club can fall for. Why? they don't suit his PHILOSOPHY.
City showed glimpses of the detailed possession football that cost Pep his hair, although more in tune with van Gaal - that should change with time. They will play like a Guardiola team this season but time will tell if it turns out successful.
Manchester United - shadow of LvG and the Wayne Rooney dilemma
The first half-hour or so against Bournemouth made it clear that van Gaal's philosophy is more cancer than malaria and cannot just be cured by ingesting pills - pills here being a couple of months under Jose Mourinho. The sideways and backward passing is the current default and it will take some time for Mourinho to change that.
From the second half, we saw a Mourinho style team, not obsessed with possession, efficient with the ball and defending basically like animals.
The game as a whole however did suggests a problem in Wayne Rooney. The partnership with Zlatan seems not to be working, plus he seems to be hindering the team moving forward.
He hasn't been the best striker at the club since 2011/12 and still isn't. He isn't the best attacking midfielder also, neither is he good enough for a central midfield role ahead of the others currently in Mourinho's plans.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan had to be played out wide upon coming on when the position where he is at his world class best is more than obvious - the main reason Shinji Kagawa never made it at United.
The Wayne Rooney conundrum needs to be addressed, and knowing Jose Mourinho, not even Wayne's truckload of wages will save him.
Liverpool - the consistent issue
It's no secret, Liverpool are a far better team than they were under Brendan Rodgers. They now focus on playing football instead of showing character and on their day, can blow any team away but their problem has always been an issue of consistency and defence.
All signs from the game versus Arsenal suggests the defence is still nowhere near what Klopp wants.
That aside, they must learn to be more consistent. They cannot be that team that defeats Chelsea 1 - 3 today and loses to Crystal Palace the next week.
Their preseason performances suggest they should improve but with Jürgen Klopp's football that carries the potential for quick exhaustion and player wear and tear, Liverpool fans might just have to turn to cloud storage to save that "EPL champions" tweet, especially with the future of twitter still uncertain.
Chelsea - Conte, hmm...
Antonio Conte is like a Jürgen Klopp on crack - or is Jürgen Klopp like an Antonio Conte in rehab?
He seems to have quickly brought back the hunger to the Chelsea players. Even the much maligned Nemanja Matiç was back to his old self yesterday.
There was something in this Chelsea team that has been absent for quite some years. They played in such a way that it didn't really matter who was playing. It was more the team than any single player - maybe except N'Golo.
The game suggests Chelsea will challenge for the title as one cannot begin to imagine what those players will be put through by the crackhead if anything otherwise happens.
Although, it is never advisable to attempt predicting anything that will stretch over much of the season from the opening games, but there were still little lessons learnt that faintly suggested certain developments that might unfold from the "title challengers" over the course of the season.
Leicester City - a different PL this time
Leicester's 2-1 loss should have made more headlines than, say, Ibrahimoviç's debut goal, but in truth, no sane person would bet on them successfully defending their title - finishing the campaign in the top four even, seems like a lot of ask.
In sports, you get what you deserve. The Foxes won the League because they deserved it, along with every extolment but the "what ifs?" still remain and they will be answered this term.
No longer will they experience days when teams gave them the chance to sit back and hit on the counter; mid-table and bottom half teams will seek only to park the train against them and just like it was against Hull City, the "merry band of brothers" will have to take the game to the opposition, playing on the front foot, thereby leaving themselves vulnerable to counter-attacks - a development their uncouth style and the N'Golo sized hole in their Midfield suggest will be their sinking board.
Arsenal - the show continues
The game against Liverpool summarised Arsenal in the last ten or so years: start brightly then dig an annoying hole for themselves, attempt to climb out but ultimately fall short.
With Arsenal, it is A Series of Unfortunate Events for their fans and a Family Guy type sitcom for opposition. The characters never grow or regress, a different twist of the same stories season after season.
It is hilarious if you love twisted comedy. Peter Griffin seems crazier than Donald Trump but for some reason, Lois never puts herself out of her misery.
You find the same humour with Arsenal if you support anything but Arsenal - and of course Tottenham - and to be honest, the show doesn't seem to have an end in sight.
Tottenham Hotspur - the complimenting series
The story of Tottenham for some twist of 'fate' always seems to be intertwined with that of Arsenal especially in the business end of the season. The Lily Whites have over the years become a very competent source of comic relief for abject Arsenal fans to the point that even an Arsenal goalkeeper on a suicide mission would halt his plan for one final laugh from St. Totteringham's Day.
The game against Everton didn't tell much to suggest a change of approach from last season. Mauricio Pochettino seems to be sticking to the same playing style and tactics that got them those almighty 70pts for a TITLE CHALLENGE last season.
Here's to hoping this season ends differently for someone in North London.
Manchester City - from one PHILOSOPHER to another
With City, it is a case of the Premier League getting a new philosopher to replace the one that was sent away: out goes the Dutch, in comes the Catalan - or is it Spaniard?
The game against David Moyes' Sunderland suggested all that was to come from Pep Guardiola's City. We've already seen strange epiphany-inducing tactics of false nines and attacking goalkeepers, quarterback style center-backs and 2-2-6 formations but on Saturday we saw stranger - inverted fullbacks.
That game confirmed Pep pulled a Clinton (either of them will do - they both lie) in his unveiling. He is not here to adapt, the other way round actually - it is the team who must adapt and just like the Brexit campaigners, he has begun taking back that promise.
Joe Hart's City career is over, so is Yaya Toure and the center-back who arrived via one of the biggest transfer scams only an EPL club can fall for. Why? they don't suit his PHILOSOPHY.
City showed glimpses of the detailed possession football that cost Pep his hair, although more in tune with van Gaal - that should change with time. They will play like a Guardiola team this season but time will tell if it turns out successful.
Manchester United - shadow of LvG and the Wayne Rooney dilemma
The first half-hour or so against Bournemouth made it clear that van Gaal's philosophy is more cancer than malaria and cannot just be cured by ingesting pills - pills here being a couple of months under Jose Mourinho. The sideways and backward passing is the current default and it will take some time for Mourinho to change that.
From the second half, we saw a Mourinho style team, not obsessed with possession, efficient with the ball and defending basically like animals.
The game as a whole however did suggests a problem in Wayne Rooney. The partnership with Zlatan seems not to be working, plus he seems to be hindering the team moving forward.
He hasn't been the best striker at the club since 2011/12 and still isn't. He isn't the best attacking midfielder also, neither is he good enough for a central midfield role ahead of the others currently in Mourinho's plans.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan had to be played out wide upon coming on when the position where he is at his world class best is more than obvious - the main reason Shinji Kagawa never made it at United.
The Wayne Rooney conundrum needs to be addressed, and knowing Jose Mourinho, not even Wayne's truckload of wages will save him.
Liverpool - the consistent issue
It's no secret, Liverpool are a far better team than they were under Brendan Rodgers. They now focus on playing football instead of showing character and on their day, can blow any team away but their problem has always been an issue of consistency and defence.
All signs from the game versus Arsenal suggests the defence is still nowhere near what Klopp wants.
That aside, they must learn to be more consistent. They cannot be that team that defeats Chelsea 1 - 3 today and loses to Crystal Palace the next week.
Their preseason performances suggest they should improve but with Jürgen Klopp's football that carries the potential for quick exhaustion and player wear and tear, Liverpool fans might just have to turn to cloud storage to save that "EPL champions" tweet, especially with the future of twitter still uncertain.
Chelsea - Conte, hmm...
Antonio Conte is like a Jürgen Klopp on crack - or is Jürgen Klopp like an Antonio Conte in rehab?
He seems to have quickly brought back the hunger to the Chelsea players. Even the much maligned Nemanja Matiç was back to his old self yesterday.
There was something in this Chelsea team that has been absent for quite some years. They played in such a way that it didn't really matter who was playing. It was more the team than any single player - maybe except N'Golo.
The game suggests Chelsea will challenge for the title as one cannot begin to imagine what those players will be put through by the crackhead if anything otherwise happens.
Sunday, 14 August 2016
Bournemouth vs Manchester United
The first half wasn't the greatest of starts for United and seemed very cagey as players from both teams tussled for the ball and it seemed like United couldn't keep the ball for more than 2 minutes without losing it and couldn't string 3 together passes. Bournemouth played with the one striker upfront with Bournemouth's record signing Jordan Ibe giving him regular service. A notable highlight was Blind's desire to keep his place in the team, with Chris Smalling available for the next match, with a very solid performance alongside Eric Bailly who was making his Premier League Debut. Even though Bournemouth seemed the more dominant side in the first half, it was Juan Mata who broke deadlock after a woeful mistake from the oppositions captain. Mata was sharp and ready to latch on to the ball and then tap it in.
The second half however was a completely different story. United now seemed to be fully awake and saw a lot more of the ball. However unlike last season where there was no penetration, Martial and Rooney looked for the ball into the target man Ibrahimovic, who was also making his premier league debut. Rooney added to his vast tally of premier league goals by a simple header after Martial's wayward and weak shot found him. But the delight of the second half was truly Ibrahimovic's debutant goal, from outside the box he hit it sweetly and it just went past the keeper into the bottom right hand corner of the net. A lack of concentration saw us concede from a lightning shot from a Bournemouth defender, obviously going to annoy the perfectionist Mourinho who aimed to win while keeping a clean sheet.
In this match we saw Memphis Depay come on in the last 4 minutes, definitely not enough time for him to have any impact on the course of the game. And I worry that he might not get much game time this season as he has fallen behind Lingard in the pecking order. Mourinho has stated his views on Memphis and has said that he does have a future at Manchester United. Mkhitaryan also appeared on as a sub for Juan Mata but he didn't see enough of the ball for him to be given a fair judgement neither did he have the time to do anything. It will be interesting to see if the former Dortmund man starts in the starting eleven rather than starting on the bench.
Man of the match definitely goes to Eric Bailly with yet another immense performance for the Red Devils. His physical presence and his pace ensure that he is a perfect fit for the premier leagues physical demand. Would definitely love to see him and Smalling play together and help United to have the best defensive record this season.
By Rameez Rashid
Friday, 12 August 2016
Manchester United 2016/17 Season Preview : Title Contenders?
Manchester United have never gone four years without being crowned champions of the Premier League and after three miserable years, finishing 7th, 4th and 5th, they would be looking to keep things that way which does seem possible under three time Premier League champion, Jose Mourinho.
New Management
Jose has already had a major impact on the team by making a few world class signings and winning the FA Community shield with the club. He, in his own words, wishes to make the team, "his team" and United fans all over the world would simply love that.
After a devastating last season with Louis Van Gaal, it is taking quite some time for Jose to establish his style of play with the team because the ideas that were set by the Dutchman were applied for two years and have become habitual for the players, however, we have seen some sort of a change in the basic tempo of the game at times in pre-season, as well as the fact that the wingers and wing backs have started taking more risks, which should bear fruit when the season begins.
New Signings
Jose Mourinho and the Manchester United board have pulled off an exquisite performance in the transfer window. The manager wanted to sign four players before the curtain raiser on 14th August, and he's achieved that on the 10th.
Ever since his departure from Chelsea in the middle of the 15/16 season, Jose seems to have been studying the club and understanding where they have been lacking, so he seemed to have a clear idea of who he wanted to sign when he was appointed as the manager.
Starting the transfers was a proper central defender, something that United had not even thought of investing in last season, or so it seemed. Villareal's Eric Bailly signed without much hassle and despite a few wobbles here and there, has been impressive overall, so much so that he won the man of the match in United's Community Shield win over champions Leicester City
Next came in the big man, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. After Van Persie's departure, United lacked the attacking flair that they were once famous for, this led to less goals and a boring play overall. However, that seems to have been solved with the signing of a world class, out and out striker (also something that United were missing last season, other than Rashford, but by the time he arrived, it was already too late). With a goal on his Manchester United debut and a winner in the Community Shield match, Zlatan has already won the hearts of several United fans, it would indeed be exciting to see what he could do in the Premier League.
A third signing was that of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, another crucial signing after the lack of pace of Mata on the right wing, and the not so good form of Jesse Lingard last season. Mkhitaryan is slightly more versatile and can play the role of an attacking central midfielder or a winger, he is highly decorated in both cases in the Bundesliga and scored against his old club, Borussia Dortmund in pre season, it would therefore be interesting to see what he could do in the Premier League.
The final and most recent signing for Manchester United was Paul Pogba, which wasn't as much of a signing as a homecoming for the Frenchman. After leaving United for Juventus four years ago, Paul Pogba has become one of, if not the best midfielder in Europe. In fact, at the young age of 23, his form should only go up, so he does tend to be a prospect for the future as well.
I have a full report of how United's signings should do in the league, which you can read here
Overall, with some top signings and arguably the best transfer window so far, Manchester United could very well challenge for the title, as they should after spending that amount of money.
Overall Squad
With a lethal attack and strong midfield after the recent signings, Manchester United should be able to tackle their biggest problem of the 15/16 campaign, that is, score more goals and attack a lot more. In fact the defence should be quite good as well, which it was last season (they had the joint best defensive record) added to which, is the in form goal keeper, David de Gea, who pretty much saved the team along with a handful of goals from Marcus Rashford last season.
European Competition
A fifth place finish allowed Manchester United to qualify for the UEFA Europa League group stages, the draw takes place on the 26th of August, which would make things a lot clearer, however, I do expect them to reach the semis or quarter finals at least, if they don't face an extraordinarily tough opponent (something along the lines of Barcelona, if they aren't able to qualify for the champions league round of 16, oh the stuff dreams are made of)
Conclusion
Currently, things look like they're going Manchester Untied's way, they do seem to want to challenge for the title, and given most factors, they should be able to. However, worst case scenario, if they don't win, they should at least be able to secure Champions League qualification and have a decent enough position (semi final or final) in the FA Cup, but a lot could change as the season progresses, and all we can do is wait and watch.
Images : abc.net.au, Twitter (@Pa_Ward1) Source : premierleague.com
Tuesday, 9 August 2016
Summer Signings So Far
After just missing out on Champions League football for the coming season, it would not have been surprising if we found it hard to sign some top quality players in this summer transfer window. After all, who would want to move to a club that is not playing football at the highest level.
However, Manchester United are still considered as one of the best and biggest clubs in the World and it is clear that under the leadership of Jose Mourinho, we will be at the top again very soon.
Our first, and maybe most important signing of all, was Jose Mourinho who replaced Louis van Gaal as manager of Manchester United. After last season’s disastrous Premier League campaign, it was clear that a major change was required. Our manager had lost faith in the club. Our fans want us to be back at the top as soon as possible, and Louis van Gaal’s “process” was clearly taking too long to come into effect. After Sir Alex Ferguson left the club, we haven’t had a winning manager at our club. Jose Mourinho has made a name for himself in the footballing world and is currently considered as one of the best by winning the league in the four leagues which he has managed in (including the Premier League), and also winning 2 Champions League titles. It is partly for this reason that players from all across the globe want to play for Manchester United under this born winner.
The first player signed by our new manager was the Ivorian youngster, Eric Bailly. The talented 22-year-old signed from Villarreal for £30 million. Eric has joined on a four-year contract with the option to extend for a further two years. After watching his performances closely against Wigan and Borussia Dortmund, I think it’s fair to say that he is one to watch for the future with lots of potential. However, after Sunday’s Community Shield performance, my opinion of him changed completely. Not only did he win man of the match, but he put in a performance of a player with tonnes of experience. For such a young lad, his composure is exquisite and he is what they call a “no nonsense defender”. There is a good chance that we will see this name in the starting line-up for most games this season in centre back alongside Chris Smalling. It wouldn’t be irrational to say that Eric Bailly can become the next Vidic at Old Trafford.
The second player we signed, like Mourinho, is a born winner. On the 1st of July Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced that his next club is Manchester United. We’ve signed one of the most prolific strikers in the world. As they say, United don’t announce Zlatan, Zlatan announces United. Making his debut in his home country against Galatasaray could only lead to one thing – a spectacular debut goal, and that is what we got. After scoring on his non-competitive debut, the question was whether he could also score on his competitive debut against Leicester City in the Community Shield. As expected Zlatan Ibrahimovic didn’t just score a goal, he scored the winning goal in the dying minutes of the game. That is what you call an immediate impact at his new club. Signing on a free transfer, Zlatan will surely make an impact at Old Trafford and give us fans some extra faith for the coming season. Similar to Mourinho, Zlatan has won championships in four different leagues since beginning his professional career with Malmo in 1999. The Swedish international scored a staggering 50 goal in 56 appearances in the 2015/16 season. Not at all bad for a 34-year-old…
After already singing the best player in the French league, it only makes sense to take the best player from the German league too. Henrikh Mkhitaryan signed from Borussia Dortmund for £26.3 million on a four-year contract with the option to extend for a further year. Henrikh was voted Bundesliga player of the season for 2015/16 after registering an impressive 23 goals and 32 assists across all competitions. The 27-year-old Armenian is a great team player with great skill and vision and also has a good eye for goal. After watching him against Wigan and Borussia Dortmund, it is clear that he will be a bright spark this season and a fan favourite. Although he barely featured in the Community Shield match against Leicester, it would be surprising if he didn’t feature as a key player in Jose Mourinho’s squad.
With only days left until the start of the Barclays Premier League, things were looking positive. For the last month we’d been waiting for the announcement of Paul Pogba but things took slightly longer than expected. After several hints being dropped by Juventus, Adidas and Pogba himself, it was obvious that Manchester United were going to sign this star midfielder for a world record fee. Finally, the day came on the 8th of August where Stromzy announced that Pogba had joined Manchester United. Pogba passed his medical and signed for Manchester United on a five-year deal with the option to extend for a further year. The fee was £89 million to be paid in two financial years. It is clear that Paul Pogba is the best young footballer in the world and has a bright future ahead of him. He has already expressed his hopes to win the Champions League and Ballon d’Or at Manchester United but first, his sights are on the Premier League. From looking on social media, it is clear that Pogba has settled in at the club very well and quickly. On Sunday we face Bournemouth and let’s hope that we will see the debut of our talented star.
Overall, this transfer window so far has been arguably the best ever for a single club. This is significant considering the fact that all the players we have signed have come from playing Champions League football to Europa League. It is fair to say, Jose Mourinho has bought back the fear factor back into Manchester United. We are still the biggest club in the world!
Sunday, 7 August 2016
Leicester v Manchester United: The Verdict
Finally it's here, Jose Mourinho's first competitive game as Manchester United manager and the chance for him to get his first trophy under the belt. Standing in the way, last seasons Premier League champions Leicester City who themselves were looking to continue the winning momentum from last season.
The first half was a rather cagey affair with both teams still very much in pre season mode. United dominated the ball in a similar way to last season. While Leicester were taking a direct approach with long balls for Jamie Vardy to chase, an ugly but effective tactic as we all learnt last season. One notable highlight was how effective Eric Bailly was in dealing with what Leicester threw at him, he showed he has the pace and most importantly the defensive awareness to deal with the challenges of the Premier League. The breakthrough came after a nice passage of play resulting in Jesse Lingard running through the Leicester lines through on goal to put the FA Cup winners ahead. Lingard seems to like it at Wembley.
The second half began with Leicester introducing record signing Ahmed Musa to the game to liven things up for the foxes. The change certainly improved Leicester and they were soon rewarded after a catastrophic mistake from Marouane Fellaini played Jamie Vardy through on goal who rounded David De Gea to make it 1-1. A mistake that may have put Fellaini out of the starting line up for the foreseeable future. After the Leicester equaliser the game rather petered out following a host of changes from both sides. It was looking like it was going to penalties but it wasn't time for penalties it was Zlatan time. A fantastic cross from Antonio Valencia found the head of Ibrahimovic who out jumped Wes Morgan leaving the Leicester man flat on the floor to head into the bottom corner to win the Community Shield for Manchester United. A majestic header from Ibrahimovic and lets be honest all Manchester United fans wanted him to score the winner.
Overall Jose Mourinho will be happy to have won his first competitive game in charge and to win his first trophy at the club. Mourinho will also be glad that his players were able to get more minutes under their belts ready for the Premier League kick off next weekend. It's clear as Mourinho has said himself that it will take time for the players to play his way rather than the way of Louis van Gaal. In certain elements of play it is clear to see that the van Gaal philosophy remain but the best way to remove those elements is playing games the Jose Mourinho way and making his philosophy instinctive.
The performance of Eric Bailly was a delight. Yes, he is raw in elements of his play but his anticipation is brilliant and his pace is second to none at the back at Old Trafford. In dealing with the challenge that Jamie Vardy poses the Ivorian showed us he is up to the challenge of the Premier League and that he can be the partner for Chris Smalling at the back. A concern for Mourinho will be the performance of Wayne Rooney. Slow on the ball and sloppy in possession Rooney did nothing except break up good attacking moves for his side. This has been happening for 3 years and if ity continues Rooney should be dropped. If he isn't going to score goals then he has to perform well and he hasn't done either of those things to a good enough standard for a few years now.
Man of the Match: Eric Bailly
The first half was a rather cagey affair with both teams still very much in pre season mode. United dominated the ball in a similar way to last season. While Leicester were taking a direct approach with long balls for Jamie Vardy to chase, an ugly but effective tactic as we all learnt last season. One notable highlight was how effective Eric Bailly was in dealing with what Leicester threw at him, he showed he has the pace and most importantly the defensive awareness to deal with the challenges of the Premier League. The breakthrough came after a nice passage of play resulting in Jesse Lingard running through the Leicester lines through on goal to put the FA Cup winners ahead. Lingard seems to like it at Wembley.
The second half began with Leicester introducing record signing Ahmed Musa to the game to liven things up for the foxes. The change certainly improved Leicester and they were soon rewarded after a catastrophic mistake from Marouane Fellaini played Jamie Vardy through on goal who rounded David De Gea to make it 1-1. A mistake that may have put Fellaini out of the starting line up for the foreseeable future. After the Leicester equaliser the game rather petered out following a host of changes from both sides. It was looking like it was going to penalties but it wasn't time for penalties it was Zlatan time. A fantastic cross from Antonio Valencia found the head of Ibrahimovic who out jumped Wes Morgan leaving the Leicester man flat on the floor to head into the bottom corner to win the Community Shield for Manchester United. A majestic header from Ibrahimovic and lets be honest all Manchester United fans wanted him to score the winner.
Overall Jose Mourinho will be happy to have won his first competitive game in charge and to win his first trophy at the club. Mourinho will also be glad that his players were able to get more minutes under their belts ready for the Premier League kick off next weekend. It's clear as Mourinho has said himself that it will take time for the players to play his way rather than the way of Louis van Gaal. In certain elements of play it is clear to see that the van Gaal philosophy remain but the best way to remove those elements is playing games the Jose Mourinho way and making his philosophy instinctive.
The performance of Eric Bailly was a delight. Yes, he is raw in elements of his play but his anticipation is brilliant and his pace is second to none at the back at Old Trafford. In dealing with the challenge that Jamie Vardy poses the Ivorian showed us he is up to the challenge of the Premier League and that he can be the partner for Chris Smalling at the back. A concern for Mourinho will be the performance of Wayne Rooney. Slow on the ball and sloppy in possession Rooney did nothing except break up good attacking moves for his side. This has been happening for 3 years and if ity continues Rooney should be dropped. If he isn't going to score goals then he has to perform well and he hasn't done either of those things to a good enough standard for a few years now.
Man of the Match: Eric Bailly
Thursday, 4 August 2016
Wayne Rooney Testimonial : Manchester United vs Everton Match Analysis
Wayne Rooney's testimonial match put two of his clubs, Manchester United and Everton, up against each other at Old Trafford. The proceeds of this match are to go to 4 charities that the Wayne Rooney foundation is involved in. While the cause of the match was indeed quite noble and honoured an extravagant player for both clubs, the match itself was boring and lacklustre.
The game started off with United on the front foot, a few attacks led to a seemingly defensive Everton side under some pressure, however, it lacked the spark that we saw in the Galatasaray game. By the 10th minute, both sides had been introduced to the ball and it was a game of tennis, with the ball happily bobbing about in both halves one by one, it was by the 15th minute when United decided to put their foot on the gas, however lightly. We could see a development in the game from that point, where Manchester United started dominating the game, constantly launching attacks and passing the ball around quite well. However, Everton did not budge, they showed why they're being associated as a team on the defensive this season, some good performances by the likes of Funes Mori and Seamus Coleman kept United and a dangerous looking Zlatan at bay.
One defender did stand out though, and not for all the right reasons, the much talked of teenage sensation, John Stones. While just a kid and is still learning, there were about 3-4 instances where an error by him could have led to a goal, for keen watchers, these mistakes could very well go upto 8, and that comes as much of a surprise after some good performances in the last season.
From the United perspective, they had to keep going at it, the side passing was less, the back passing was less, but there seemed to be no way into that Everton net, Lingard looked very good moving forward, even Valencia put a few decent crosses in, not top of the line stuff, but not too bad as well. Wayne Rooney himself looked pretty good, so there weren't a lot of concerns as far as the team were concerned but it just wasn't working out for them and the half ended sluggishly at 0-0. A point to note was that Anthony Martial did not get much of the ball, the entire left hand side was quite "alienated" at times, which I'm not sure was intended.
Even after that though, Luke Shaw did happen to make an impact on the game with some brilliant runs, for a person who's come back from injury, you've got to give it up for him.
The second half saw a couple of changes and more bored fans, to be frank, the second half was quite disastrous. We saw Marouanne Fellaini and Mkhitaryan come on, and Rashford about 7 minutes into the half for Rooney himself, and later on came a new back 4 and Sergio Romero along with Memphis Depay. For Everton, an entire new squad came on when United changed the back 4.
While the first half did create some moments of magic (which were deflected or caught by the keepers on both ends), the second half was completely dull. We saw no advancements from Everton, not even the will to attack at times which gave United the upper hand in most situations, but that's where it all went wrong for them. While they did keep a lot of the ball, it simply wasn't being knocked forward. The problem with Van Gaal's style of play was that he loved possession and was against (or so it seemed) taking risks and actually going for it, and the second half by United simply replicated that to the dislike of the fans.
Overall, it was boring, however, players like Mata, Young and Rashford occasionally did quite well, and were unlucky to be facing a complete wall of Everton players, even Mkhitaryan showed his technical ability and looked strong on the right, but simply not strong enough. On the Everton perspective, Kevin Mirallas did try to move into an attacking position from time to time and forced Sergio Romero to move around a little bit, but that was only because of Marcos Rojo was again, pretty unimpressive in defence, I wouldn't be surprised to see him at another club by the end of the transfer window.
Final thoughts
It was indeed only a friendly but these are clubs that have a huge number of good and great players who need to prove themselves in these kind of games, the second half performance by United would put a thought in Jose's mind about the 11, and the same goes for about 15 players for Ronald Koeman. The start of the season is just upon the clubs but a lot of work needs to be done, neither club can afford to repeat what they did last season.
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