When Manchester United’s elite highly paid players look at themselves in the mirror they should reflect on the poor support they gave to sacked coach Erik Ten Hag. He operated as a “dead man walking” since the beginning of the season and many of the players defended themselves in private by claiming they never understood what the coach wanted them to do on the pitch!
Marcus Rashford is a shadow of his former self, Antony has been a waste of money despite all the confidence shown in him by Ten Hag, an ageing Casemiro blows hot and cold and it is time for him to leave and Chelsea import Mason Mount has performed well below his previous standards. At the moment United’s summer investment of £200m has simply brought together a number of players who are rather like a jigsaw puzzle where half the pieces do not fit properly together.
Manchester United originally made contact with Ruben Amorim several months ago but INEOS director Sir Dave Brailsford dithered and waited far too long to replace Ten Hag despite regular opponent supporters chanting at Ten Hag “You’re getting sacked in the morning.” The feeling around Manchester is that if he was going it should have been at the start of the season in order to give a new coach a clear run for this season.
Amorim was also a favourite to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool but that came to nothing. Taking the job at Old Trafford is a big risk and he has also been considered as a replacement for City’s Pep Guardiola should he leave next summer. He led the Portugese club Sporting to two successive league titles after the club had suffered a barren period for nearly 20 years.
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This year they have achieved nine wins in nine matches. However, the step up to the Premier League is considerable and will be a big test for the much admired coach.
At his previous clubs Braga and Sporting, Amorim displayed a preference for 3-4-3 with two mobile deep-lying midfielders in front of a back three. He also likes the currently popular style which instantly turns that formation into a defensive one and places considerable emphasis on fast running wing backs who counter attack. That would give Marcus Rashford, Amad Diallo or Alejandro Garnacho an opportunity to do well but where would Bruno Fernandes fit in?
I can reveal that United’s board of directors had decided that Ten Hag would be sacked before the 2-1 defeat to West Ham and an announcement was always planned to be made this week.
Poor judgement by Real to pull out of the Ballon D’Or
Vinicious Junior was disappointed when Real Madrid were informed that Manchester City midfielder Rodri had won the 68th Ballon D’or. Consequently the club cancelled the plane which was to bring 50 club representatives, including players, to the presentation dinner. Real are used to being centre stage at the awards with Luka Modric, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo having won during six of the past ten years. Vinicious scored 24 goals with 11 assists in Real’s La Liga and Champions League double. However, Rodri won the Premier League title again with City and was outstanding in Spain’s victories in Euro 2024.
Word from inside the presentation ceremony and from 100 worldwide journalists (one from each of the FIFA ranked top 100 countries in the world) is that it was a very poor decision and unsportsmanlike behaviour by Real and has hurt the Ballon D’or. It is possible it might affect the judges voting in the future because everyone at the ceremony thought Real’s actions were wrong and acting like a spoilt child who does not get his/her own way. Real have also been attacked in the Spanish press with Marca, Spain’s biggest selling newspaper, writing, “A tantrum unbecoming….to leave 50 empty seats and a plane grounded because someone on the other end of the phone said you weren’t going to win is simply wrong.”
Arteta positive about Arsenal’s progress
Mikel Arteta is convinced that Arsenal are still very much in the title race after falling five points behind leaders Manchester City. He said this week, “You don’t want to be in that position. You want to be five points ahead but this is where we are. The team is alive, the team wants it. I feel it every single day. The players that cannot play, are upset that they are not playing. The ones getting injured, the ones that are there, they are in a good moment. Things will turn up and we are going to be in a better place. But we are certainly there.”
Flicker of hope for Hammers
The atmosphere at the London Stadium, home to West Ham, is rather depressing these days. David Moye’s replacement as coach, Julen Lopetegui has not delivered the expected quality of football or the results for which he is known, especially with his record as the ex-coach of Real Madrid. He is not, I am told from insiders at the club, in danger of the sack as West Ham are in 13th place but results have to improve. There is however a flicker of hope in the club stats …Over the last four games, including those where Lopetegui’s team were well beaten by Chelsea and Tottenham, the team has improved on Moye’s record last season considering the number of accurate passes made, shots on goal and chances of scoring. Perhaps there is a chance the Spanish manager can turn things around.
Palmer is the new Zola
One of the best players I have ever been privileged to watch was Chelsea’s Franco Zola…a magician wearing boots who could do almost anything. It is a great credit to Cole Palmer that Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca compared him with the great Italian. I never really understood why Pep Guardiola let Palmer leave Manchester City because although he had not reached his current excellent form he certainly showed all the potential. Zola was in the stands to witness Palmer’s match winning performance in the 2-1 win over Newcastle and he said afterwards how impressed he was with the midfielder.
Kluivert says Bournemouth will shock City
Bournemouth’s live wire Justin Kluivert, son of Dutch legend Patrick Kluivert, has vowed that the Cherries will inflict pain on Manchester City when they visit the Vitality stadium on Saturday.
Confidence is sky high in Andoni Iraola’s team and Kluivert said, “Evanilson’s late goal in the final 10 seconds of the game against Aston Villa was unbelievable and levelled the score at 1-1! To come from a win over Arsenal and get a point at Villa shows we never stop believing. Let’s see wha
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