Erik ten Hag’s plan for such major surgery in only a short amount of time at Old Trafford is both ambitious and flawedWe probably need to talk about the money first. It’s the 13th most expensive transfer of all time, slotting in between Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid. It brings Manchester United’s spending this window to about £200m plus potential add‑ons, and together with the signings of Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martínez means United are responsible for about 48% of the Eredivisie’s entire summer transfer income.“God decides my future,” Antony said in an interview last week, when he was still an Ajax player. But, you know, an £86m bid from one of the world’s richest clubs doesn’t...
Another heavy loss at Old Trafford could have significant ramifications and the manager may have to sacrifice idealsErik ten Hag is confident in his ability to turn around Manchester United’s fortunes despite defeats in their two opening Premier League fixtures. Unfortunately for the new head coach, the 4-0 loss to Brentford showed his players are failing to implement his style effectively, sapping morale to its lowest point at Old Trafford.It is admirable that Ten Hag wants to replicate the formula that has worked for him elsewhere to make huge strides at United in the long term but with a fixture against Liverpool awaiting on Monday, another heavy loss could have significant ramifications. Trying to adjust to a new set of...
Huge victories do not always carry deep meaning but Norway melted when faced by the hosts’ startling aggressionBobby Charlton was performing his national service in Shrewsbury when Manchester United played their first home European tie. He got a lift up to Maine Road (Old Trafford’s first set of floodlights was still being installed) with a Sgt-Maj White and watched enthralled as Matt Busby’s young side beat Anderlecht 10-0 to complete a 12-0 aggregate victory. In the mess the next day, Charlton found it almost impossible to convince people that United had been brilliant: 10-0, they insisted, was a measure less of United’s excellence than of how weak the Belgian champions must be.That’s the problem with emphatic victories: they can almost...
FA Cup was decided by the width of a post but Chelsea were beaten by a side that ensure tiny margins make the differenceImagine, for a moment, you are the goalframe at the east end of Wembley. Last summer you watched as Marcus Rashford, at the climax of that sulphurous July night, took a straight run-up, stuttered, and then, as Gianluigi Donnarumma fell to your left, dragged his penalty to your right.You like the young man, his obvious decency, his stance on various social issues – and you are an English goalframe after all. You wanted him to score. You tried to just stretch a bit further, to widen your stance, but your feet were rooted and the ball cannoned...
As four pre-final defeats highlight, City’s mechanism is so complex that when it misfires it cannot easily be put rightAt what point does just one of those things become more than just one of those things? If Manchester City’s defeat to Real Madrid on Wednesday night were a one-off, it could be written off. What can you do about luck like that? If you have nine shots on target to the opposition’s none in the first 90 minutes and still lose 2-1 what, really, have you done wrong? Especially when you’ve dominated the first leg as City had done.But this keeps happening. Season after season, Pep Guardiola finds his teams dominating Champions League ties and losing. Bad luck follows him:...