Fingers will be pointed at individuals after United’s latest failure but they reflect a club without a functioning strategy or setupThere are certain clubs that seem to be built on chagrin: where the urge to fulminate and pontificate and point the finger after a big defeat almost soothes the pain of the defeat itself. At the moment, Manchester United feel like one of those clubs. Elimination from the Champions League on Tuesday night was many things: a shame for the club’s fans, a big blow to the balance sheet, an enormous missed opportunity after the opening-day win in Paris. But it was also an unmissable chance to dish out some well-deserved blame.As ever, Harry Maguire was first to partake in...
The irresistible bloom of this wonderful, maddening footballer fired PSG towards an emphatic victory at Old TraffordOh, Ole. As the second half kicked off at Old Trafford there were three possible outcomes confronting Ole Gunnar Solskjær as he surveyed his midfield.First, Fred would be sent off almost immediately for a second yellow card. Second, Fred would be sent off almost immediately for a straight red card. And third, Fred would be sent off a bit later for any combination of the above. Related: PSG cut Manchester United down to size with Neymar double and Fred's red card Related: I thought about replacing Fred at half-time, admits Ole Gunnar Solskjær Continue reading...
Mikel Arteta does not seem to have a plan of attack, Everton’s defence must improve and Jürgen Klopp should pick his battlesMikel Arteta has been the Arsenal manager for just under a year, and though some things have improved under him – attitude, intensity, FA Cup tally – it’s still not clear what the plan is, especially going forward. And while it’s important to emphasise how much Thomas Partey is being missed, the feeling persists that it really doesn’t have to be like this. When Arteta was appointed, he was gifted half a season of minimal expectations, meaning he could experiment in order to find the personnel and formation best able to execute his ideals. But though he did brilliantly...
Eyebrows were raised when the 33-year-old striker joined Manchester United but he turned the game at SouthamptonManchester United continue to divide opinion, not least between the two managers prowling the technical areas at St Mary’s. Ole Gunnar Solskjær had rather optimistically posited before the game that his side were becoming more consistent. Ralph Hasenhüttl, speaking from a position higher in the table than his opponents, offered the view that with United at the moment you simply don’t know what you are going to get. Related: Edinson Cavani inspires Manchester United to comeback at Southampton Related: Southampton 2-3 Manchester United: Premier League - as it happened Continue reading...
Tottenham can challenge for the title, Arsenal’s search for goals goes on and Timo Werner hits his stride for ChelseaPerhaps we ought to ask the question differently. How are Tottenham going to mess this up? A tear in Harry Kane’s ankle? A dodgy lasagne? A global pandemic halting the league? Because in the heat of this moment, in which the world is upside down and anything can happen, the biggest reason why Spurs cannot win the title is that they are Spurs. Apart from the loss to Everton on the opening weekend, they have been better than everybody they have faced – and that has included both Manchester clubs, most recently City on Saturday. After an excellent transfer window, they...