An upturn appeared inevitable when the interim manager came in but little has changed for a fragile and cautious teamWhen Manchester United lost 4-1 at Watford in November, a defeat that cost Ole Gunnar Solskjær his job, things were that bad I thought it could only get better for the club. Since then not much has changed at Old Trafford.The squad available to Ralf Rangnick should be finishing in the top four of the Premier League. They are fourth but could relinquish that position to teams who have games in hand. If they fail to qualify for the Champions League there will be a lot of blame to go round, not just for those in the dugout or on the...
A mouthwatering match-up on Tyneside, early pressure on Frank Lampard and the issue of crowd conductThere could be no quibbling with Ralf Rangnick’s decision to drop Cristiano Ronaldo for Tuesday’s game at Burnley. The 37-year-old provided evidence in the manager’s defence by adding to Manchester United’s catalogue of bungled opportunities after being introduced from the bench. Earlier in the season Ronaldo’s sharpness regularly saved United. Now he has gone five matches without a goal and Rangnick cannot ignore the fact that, when Ronaldo is not scoring, he does not offer much else, unlike Edinson Cavani. With a resurgent Southampton visiting Old Trafford this weekend and United still chronically fragile at the back, Rangnick will need to field forwards who can...
A new documentary on the former England striker highlights a guilt complex which has dogged Rooney throughout his careerWayne Rooney was, by his own admission, never all that interested in school. But one subject intrigued him more than others: religious studies. The young Rooney was raised as a Catholic, attended a local primary called Our Lady and St Swithin’s in Croxteth, said his prayers most evenings and still considers himself a man of devout faith. “Wayne’s recall of stories about the life of Jesus is quite detailed,” read an early school report.In late 2010 Rooney was in turmoil. His frustration at Manchester United had bubbled over into a sensational transfer request. Immediately, however, he was overcome by guilt and self-reproach....
Arsenal, Spurs and West Ham can keep the plot line crackling until the end of the season, but all lack the strength in depth that will favour United’s hopesAnthony Martial played the pass, Edinson Cavani timed his run to deliver the cross and there was Marcus Rashford to sweep home, the stoppage-time goal giving Manchester United a 1-0 win over West Ham last Saturday and sparking wild scenes at Old Trafford.“Manchester United are targeting West Ham’s top-four place,” roared the TV commentator. “Going Fourth,” declared the front page of the following day’s Observer Sport. And the first thing to say is this was not how United had imagined it at the start of the season. Continue reading...
The melancholia around the Manchester United forward’s dip in form always seemed overblown – footballers are people tooWhat’s eating Marcus Rashford? Here’s a thought: maybe nothing. Rashford was once again on the bench against West Ham. He stayed there for 62 minutes as United produced a performance that was energetically blank, frantically vague, noisily blunt.Football loves its bold strokes howsoever, and Rashford did the most important thing in this game, scoring with almost the final kick, four yards out in front of an open goal, after a kind of three-man cavalry sprint from close to halfway ended with Edinson Cavani squaring the ball across the box for Rashford to tap it home and spark a kind of rolling delirium around...