Anger is in the air at Old Trafford as José Mourinho and his players reflect on another frustrating season and hope the goals return to power a title challengeMichael Carrick pronounced himself “completely disappointed” with Manchester United’s 1-1 draw against Anderlecht, neatly summing up what many supporters have been feeling for several seasons. The midfielder’s point was that the game and perhaps even the result over two legs were there for the taking, yet United could not rouse themselves to do what big teams do and make a statement of intent against accommodating opponents. “It was almost too easy at times,” Carrick said. “We weren’t ruthless enough and now we are left with one of those scorelines where it is...
Bournemouth may struggle to hold on to Joshua King, Leicester got no help from the broadcasters but Daniel Levy deserves his due for Spurs’ fine season • The Dozen: the weekend’s best Premier League photosOnce the fight for Premier League survival is over, Bournemouth might have another battle on their hands: retaining the services of Joshua King. The striker, signed by Eddie Howe for a snip at £1m from Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2015, scored his 13th goal of the season against Chelsea on Saturday evening. Despite winning several admirers since gaining passage to the top flight, Bournemouth are yet to be scavenged for players by bigger clubs. Matt Ritchie was sold to Newcastle United last year but...
Zlatan Ibrahimovic makes chances out of nothing which covers up his team’s lack of creativity, but Mourinho could help his striker with braver team selectionThroughout Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s long, varied career across eight different clubs in six separate countries, his teams have consistently benefited from his genius while also suffering from so-called Ibra-dependence. The Swede is so consistently brilliant, and conjures up moments of magic from seemingly unthreatening situations, that his teams become reliant on him to a staggering extent.Manchester United’s dependence is hardly an overnight development considering his sensational first Premier League campaign – he has now scored 17 and assisted five of Manchester United’s 46 goals – but his opener against Sunderland was a perfect demonstration of how he...
The manager’s withering assessment of a player who cost the club £27m three years ago will probably result in a summer move for the left-backFootball managers do not generally make a habit of offering withering criticisms of their own players, and José Mourinho’s frank admissions about Luke Shaw over the weekend are more likely to signal a parting of the ways than a wake-up call.Phil Neville is among a minority who believe an exasperated manager was merely trying to bring a response through a verbal and highly public kick up the backside, though based on Shaw’s infrequent appearances for Manchester United this season it can be assumed Mourinho ran out of patience with his left-back some time ago. Related: José...
The teams in the top four appear favoured by form and the fixture list while Arsenal and Manchester United have too much to do despite games in handWhen the Premier League returns after the international break it does so as if making up for lost momentum; a full midweek programme follows this coming weekend’s fixtures and by the time everyone has played twice in four or five days the remaining games will be down to single figures and the run-in will be under way.Chelsea’s 10-point lead means they are universally regarded as a shoo-in for the title, though by that reckoning Arsenal have no chance of overhauling Tottenham, who are nine points ahead of their London rivals. While Arsenal have...