José Mourinho has lamented his side’s poor fortune after the home draws against Arsenal, Burnley and Stoke but a look at the statistics tells a different storyThere was an amusing moment when José Mourinho spoke to the press after Manchester United’s draw against Arsenal as the manager attempted to suggest he was at a disadvantage compared with rivals because of the short period of time he has been at the club. “Look how long Mr Wenger has been with his team,” he began, predictably but reasonably enough. The next manager he mentioned was Mauricio Pochettino, however, who has not exactly been at Tottenham for a lifetime, and when the only other example he could think of was Jürgen Klopp, just...
Crystal Palace need to stand tall after another defeat, Arsenal’s steel bodes well for title challenge and West Ham’s problems up front have been laid bare Related: Pep Guardiola was always going to win but Yaya Touré may not have lost Related: David Luiz holds back to ensure Chelsea’s defence stays unbreached | Michael Cox Related: Victor Anichebe thrives after being given fresh lease of life at Sunderland Related: Harry Winks gives Tottenham hope for Champions League survival Continue reading...
A third successive home draw will not make the manager’s life any easier after Arsenal earned a point through Olivier Giroud’s late levellerIt is a moot point whether Arsenal fans have any right to make the claim that he is “not special any more” after what José Mourinho would describe as their specialising in failure years, but they know what needles Manchester United and their manager.The home side have not been special enough this season, Mourinho has even begun blaming his success in the past for the raised expectations that are currently going unfulfilled at Old Trafford, and if United are back in the realms of the ordinary there is no longer anything special about this fixture other than its...
The Arsenal manager looked to be paying the price for his cautious selection in the centre but his side snatched a point with a late equaliser at Old TraffordThere was a good moment at the final whistle here. Arsène Wenger and José Mourinho shook hands brusquely on the Old Trafford touchline, turned to walk off, then realised with a shared prickle of awkwardness they were heading the same way, the world’s most awkward shared hundred metre stroll ahead of them. Wenger did the decent thing, taking a couple of paces then stopping and pretending to fiddle with his coat. It was deftly done and no doubt a sensible move, the thick black cloud above Mourinho’s head almost visible as he...
José Mourinho should wise up, the pass master may be 35 but knows how to protect a jittery back four while his demeanour calms the entire team – attributes United may need at home against Arsenal on SaturdayHistory can turn on the seemingly least consequential of events. On 12 April 2015 Manchester United were leading Manchester City 4-1 at Old Trafford with three minutes remaining when Michael Carrick rolled an ankle on the touchline and limped off. Sergio Agüero pulled a goal back for City but of far more significance was that Carrick was ruled out for the rest of the season.It was United’s sixth Premier League win in a row, a run in which they had beaten not only City...