It may seem a climbdown but seven months after José Mourinho became Manchester United manager ahead of him it could be time for Ryan Giggs to realign his managerial sightsIt might feel slightly implausible now, at a time when Ryan Giggs seems to be drifting to the edges of the game, but if it had gone to a poll last season among Manchester United players about who they wanted to replace Louis van Gaal, a manager they found both bewildering and impenetrable, the majority of votes would not actually have been for José Mourinho.No slight intended. The idea was always appealing and Mourinho had a certain mystique that players find intriguing. Mourinho once reminisced about life at Porto with its...
Leicester City’s title win was every bit the fairy story, as was Wales’ run at Euro 2016, but England displayed their unerring ability to ruin the moodThe year 2016 was a terrific one for the Premier League and a terrible 12 months for English football. Leicester City’s title success was every bit the fairytale, the perfect antidote to long-held and justifiable fears that ordinary clubs could no longer dream of glory as the bigger institutions and the Champions League elite had effectively ringfenced all the prizes worth winning. Related: A 2016 football moment to remember: Dejan Lovren sets the Kop on fire | Paul Doyle Arsenal and Tottenham are particularly guilty of dithering instead of cashing in on managerial changes elsewhereI've...
Leicester hope to party like it’s 1963, Liverpool must find a way to stop Joe Allen scoring and it is eight years since Phil Brown’s infamous Hull City team talkEvery year for more than half a century folks have been hoping for a repeat of the Boxing Day fun of 1963, when the 10 top-flight fixtures produced a record tally of 66 goals. We can’t get an exact repeat of that this year because half of the teams who were in the First Division back then are now in the lower leagues (although, as it happens, Ipswich and Fulham are meeting in the Championship this Boxing Day so Mick McCarthy could point to progress if his team do better than...
Claude Puel’s rotation proves a winner, opportunity finally knocks for Michy Batshuayi, and Mesut Özil’s invisibility at City should worry Arsène Wenger Related: The Dozen: the weekend's best Premier League photos Related: Premier League 2015-16 fans’ verdicts part one: Arsenal to Manchester United Related: Premier League fans’ half-time verdict part 2: Manchester United to West Ham Continue reading...
The 35-year-old Manchester United striker downed West Bromwich Albion with a double and is proving he has what it takes to cope in the Premier LeagueAs the final whistle blew at The Hawthorns, Zlatan Ibrahimovic found himself standing in the centre circle with the ball in his hands. Ultimately, he was one goal shy of being allowed to keep it but given how central the player had been to the outcome of proceedings, it was an apt sight on a dark December evening. Related: Manchester United ease past West Brom thanks to Zlatan Ibrahimovic double Related: Premier League fans’ half-time verdict part 2: Manchester United to West Ham Continue reading...