Manchester United fans must feel like they are trapped in a recurring nightmare. A goalless draw against Aston Villa was underpinned by an improved defensive performance on Sunday, but three consecutive Premier League games without scoring, just eight points from their opening seven matches, and a goal difference of minus three makes for their club’s […]
Something happened in Luxembourg on Friday that will either bring an end to football’s transfer system as we know it, make the stars even richer, jeopardise player development and ruin hundreds of clubs across Europe, or it will make FIFA rewrite a couple of sentences in its rulebook. As Sliding Doors moments go, that’s a
How many layers of refereeing and re-refereeing does English football need before it can reach a correct decision? When Bruno Fernandes stretched to tackle James Maddison at Old Trafford on Sunday, slipped, then caught him with his studs, referee Chris Kavanagh was quick to produce a red card for serious foul play. Video assistant referee
Bruno Fernandes farce proves why the VAR system must be abolished Read More »
If Manchester United want to know what a well-structured performance looks like, they should rewatch Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-0 victory at Old Trafford. Against a lifeless press and non-existent cover on the transition, Spurs ripped Erik ten Hag’s side to shreds. The rotations in Ange Postecoglou’s midfield proved too much for United’s organisation without the ball,
How Spurs tore Manchester United apart in 45 minutes Read More »
There was a bleak feel to the spectacle at Old Trafford as Erik ten Hag and his players walked around the pitch amid pouring rain to applaud fans who had remained in the stands to the final whistle. Those few hundred in the Stretford End kept singing, even though there was not much to sing
How Manchester United’s world fell apart – again Read More »
Football’s dark arts. You may have read, heard or watched a bit about that subject this week. Wind-up merchants, rule benders, injury fakers, divers, pinchers, medical staff who love running on the pitch, time-wasters… every club has them, but how dark arts-y is your team? We can — and will — use metrics and data
Ranking each Premier League club for ‘dark arts’ Read More »
Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada has told staff that the aim is to win the Premier League title in 2028, for the 150th anniversary of the club being formed. Berrada, who officially joined from rivals Manchester City in June, addressed employees during a meeting at Old Trafford last Wednesday and mapped out the ambitions
Manchester United aiming to win Premier League title by 2028, CEO tells staff Read More »
Football shirts were once an item of clothing for a) players to wear at work, and b) fans to sport on the terraces in solidarity with the lads out on the pitch. Now, what must seem abruptly to the uninitiated, they have become the uniform for British music festivals and a source of inspiration for
From Drake in pink to ‘Blokecore’: How football shirts became fashionable Read More »
Follow live coverage of Atalanta vs Arsenal in the Champions League today When Oliver Glasner was growing up in the small Austrian town of Riedau, the Bavarian border was just 32km (20 miles) to the north. It meant three of the five of the channels available to him on television were German ones. “I could
The rise and rise of the Premier League’s frontier coaches Read More »
Nothing heralds the beginning of autumn more than people stating that it is “too early to look at the league table”. Listen to some and you might be convinced there was once a glorious era when those interested in football didn’t even glance at the standings until eight, 10, maybe even 12 games in. The
Three games in is too early to trust the Premier League table… or is it? Read More »
