Driven by his league title failure as a player, Aston Villa’s head coach has become a compelling prospect as a managerThere is an interesting, and no doubt very common phenomenon called parasocial interaction. This is where people feel they have an intimate, reciprocal relationship with a famous person, a belief that by consuming images of that person, by thinking about them, the mirror becomes a two-way glass; that they can see you too.We all get this to some extent, right down to the entry-level version where you glimpse a famous person in the street and, as you walk past, automatically say hello-all-right-how’s-it-going-bro-safe-see-you-later-ha-ha-ha-be-lucky-how’s-Tanya, because obviously you must know them, and then five paces down the road realise it was Howard from...
Next few weeks could shape season’s destiny and right now Liverpool look bang in form while Chelsea cannot find fluidityIt is clear there is a three-horse race for the Premier League title as we enter a crucial phase that could have a huge influence on where the trophy ends up. The games are coming thick and fast and the side that navigate the next month most smoothly could make themselves frontrunners.The three teams have very different styles, which makes it a more exciting battle. Manchester City are the side I would pay to watch because of their buildup and team play. Opponents know what City are going to do but are usually unable to stop them thanks to the bewildering...
The challenge to the top three has enlivened the season – but their positive goal difference suggests the gap remains glaringOn the face of it, a little over a third of the way through, this feels like a pretty good Premier League season – at least from a football point of view. There is the possibility of a three-way title fight. The only side that look as though they could be cut adrift have just been taken over by owners who can be expected to spend heavily in January. There are intriguing stories everywhere, from Manchester United’s struggles to the returns of Antonio Conte, Steven Gerrard and Patrick Vieira.The arrival of Ralf Rangnick at Old Trafford adds to the richness...
Ralf Rangnick has plenty to consider, Eberechi Eze needs time and Watford may have a goalscorer to give hopeThe good news for Ralf Rangnick is that no manager, whoever it might be, could possibly extract less from Manchester United’s squad than has been the case over the last few months. Ole Gunnar Solskjær was rightly held responsible for this – though it is worth noting that had Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw given him performances that were as good as poor, he would still have a job. In any event, a difficult run for United ends with Arsenal on Thursday, after which they face an easier programme that should, in theory, leave them well-placed to secure a top-four finish. The...
Liverpool stepping up their title charge, Manchester United old boys scuppering Solskjær and Brighton letting it slipIt is a footnote to the weekend’s biggest story, but the final nail in Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s coffin was partly hammered in by four players who were at various points deemed not good enough for Manchester United. Ben Foster, Craig Cathcart, Tom Cleverley and Joshua King all made vital contributions to a Watford performance that brimmed with energy, intent and endeavour. United’s class of 2021 lacked all those qualities, and plenty more. They were simply overrun and, while Solskjær’s departure was both inevitable and correct, they might wonder whether a better engagement with the basics might have helped their old manager’s cause. After the...