Mega Blog – Manchester United Win the FA Cup, Season Review, and England Euro Preview

I can’t believe it’s been close to two months since I last wrote a blog post! Work and my other obligations were in the way, but moreover it was difficult to motivate myself to write about a very lackluster and average Manchester United team. Not to worry though, I am back and ready to thoroughly break down all the happenings of the past seven weeks or so in this mega (aka longer than normal) post!

United Win the FA Cup

The highlight of the season was easily United’s 2-1 victory over the blue bastards Manchester City to win the FA Cup at Wembley at the end of May. Goals were from winger Alejandro Garnacho and midfielder Kobbie Mainoo. United were heavy underdogs coming into the match, given their own poor form this season and the fact that City are the reigning Premier League champions and widely regarded as the best club team in the world. But our lads finally showed up and played their best game of the season when it mattered most. The first goal from Garnacho was more of a defensive error from City than anything, but some credit is due to Garnacho for being in the right position to capitalize on it. The second goal was truly a work of art in terms of passing and tactical awareness. It was a counter-attack goal, and it involved at least five United players before Mainoo slid it home from about eight yards out. The final pass from midfielder Bruno Fernandes to Mainoo in particular was pure football poetry.

It was nervy at the end of the match for sure, as City pulled one back through striker Jeremy Doku with about 20 minutes left to play. United keeper Andre Onana probably should have kept it out since it was a low shot from distance at his near post, but it slipped past his fingertips and City had a lifeline. However, some good center-forward play from Rasmus Højlund and solid defending saw the Red Devils hold on and claim their 13th FA Cup in club history!

Spot-on tactics and substitutions from manager Erik Ten Hag (more on him below) and fantastic effort from everyone who was on the pitch. When this United team is clicking, they can play with any team in the world. The fact that two teenagers from our youth academy took down the oil state-backed football machine that is City is the stuff dreams are made of. As mentioned above though, the rest of the season was much different.

Manchester United Season Review

The success in the FA Cup is important, but the rest of the season was poor by United standards. They crashed out of the Champions League in the group stage, were knocked out of the League Cup in the quarterfinals, and finish a very mediocre 8th in the Premier League. The FA Cup win qualified them for the Europa League next season, but had they not won that match, there would be no European football at Old Trafford next year. And to be honest, we wouldn’t have deserved it.

Consistency was again an issue, and it has been at this club for several seasons now. For whatever reason, the lads simply can’t string together good results consistently enough over the span of the season. There were a ton of players missing matches due to injuries, indeed more than the average amount, but that really only seems to be part of the problem. Frequently, I found myself questioning the desire and motivations of too many of these players. There were too many times in which they simply didn’t look like they could be bothered to play well. Our starting eleven and several of our bench players are all extremely talented, but talent means very little if they don’t put the hard work in that’s required to win at this level of football. They’re all millionaires, for crying out loud! Give the average man 20% of their salary and he will run himself into the ground, and do it happily. It’s very clear that several United players need to go in the summer, but who goes and who stays remains to be seen.

As has been stated many times on this blog, the overall structure of the club needs to change as well. The lack of investment in this team from the Glazers has never been more apparent than this season. Old Trafford has more leaks in it than the Titanic, and the water cascades down the steps and floods the place every time it rains. It’s needed a facelift (or perhaps even a rebuild) for a long time now. The attitude of salutary neglect from the owners trickles down just like the rainwater down the steps. If the owners don’t care and are only there to make money, why would anyone else who works for the club care about winning? Obviously yes there are people there who do love the club and want to see us win as much as possible, but the ones at the very top clearly don’t, and that is why this club continues to wade in the waters of mediocrity season after season for the past 11-12 years.

Fortunately, change does seem to be coming. Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his firm INEOS have brought in two new executives to start next season, and they have begun the process of regenerating Old Trafford. There is even the possibility of United moving to a new version of Old Trafford in the coming years. But fixing the stadium is only one of many issues. Ratcliffe has to work at changing the culture of this club. Everyone from the stewards to the players to the coaches to the owners needs to be on the same page and focused on the same goals. We need a coherent transfer policy, and there needs to be continued and sustained investment in the youth academy. We need to make players want to play here again, and we do that by re-establishing a culture of inclusion and support for anyone who puts on the red shirt for us. That’s hard to do in the era of social media, but I believe it can be done if the right people make the right decisions.

Future of Erik Ten Hag

Speaking of the right people, it was announced today that ETH will be keeping his job as United manager next season, meaning he will likely be signing a contract extension as well. It’s difficult to succinctly describe his tenure so far. Last season was objectively pretty good, having won the League Cup and finished 3rd in the Prem, with an FA Cup Final appearance. This season was decidedly not as good, and ETH is partially at fault for that. Winger Antony dos Santos, a player brought on the insistence of ETH for a staggering £80 million, has failed to improve in his second season and actually gotten worse.

His tactics were often questionable as well. United faced more shots on target than any other team this season, and we relied heavily on the counter-attack to create opportunities to score. This worked against lesser opposition fairly well, but United struggled frequently against any team with a semi-competent attack. Their inability to keep possession left them tired at the end of matches, and they frequently conceded late to lose points. I understand ETH was severely hampered by injuries and issues above his rank this season, but at some point I would have hoped for more adjustments from him to somehow get us playing more competent football.

However, as stated above, it has been decided that he is staying for next season. It seems the FA Cup, the League Cup last season, and his general trust in youth academy players has earned him at least one more year at the helm. It was unclear if he was staying or not, and the lack of a decision over the past 2-3 weeks was frustrating to many, but of course it was a big decision that needed to be carefully made. Admittedly, the FA Cup Final did it for me as well. I saw how we played that day and it showed what this team can do when they aren’t injured and properly motivated. It was a fantastic display of tactics from ETH in the biggest game of the season. This transfer window will be interesting to see who the manager and Ratcliffe bring in for next year.

Glory Glory Man United! Glazers Out!

England Euro 2024 Preview

Before I dive down into the depths of this topic, a quick shout-out to Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham and Borussia Dortmund/Man United winger Jadon Sancho. Those two England teammates played against each other in the Champions League final on June 1, with Bellingham’s Madridistas victorious. Well done to them both, and a special well done to Bellingham for winning his first European Cup at the tender age of 20.

Bellingham and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane will be key to England’s success at Euro 2024, which starts on June 14. Bellingham was Player of the Season in Spain this past year, and Kane had 30+ goals in the Bundesliga. Man City winger/forward Phil Foden, Player of the Season in England, will also have a vital role to play for the Three Lions. We have some bloody amazing players, but can they finally put it together? Can they finally bring home a trophy for the first time in 58 years?

England are in Group B, along with Slovenia, Denmark, and Serbia. Denmark are a decent side thanks to players like Højlund and midfielder Christian Eriksen, but England are heavy favorites to top the group. England’s first match is against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on June 16 at noon PDT, and I am very excited to watch it. This team has disappointed me over and over again in the past, but like a fool I always get optimistic before the start of a major tournament. We’re spoiled for riches in attack and very solid in midfield, but the defense is a little bit of a question mark. England are especially thin at left back and also to a degree at center back, with manager Gareth Southgate relying on the very good but also very injury prone Luke Shaw and John Stones. I have concerns about them standing up to the likes of France and Portugal if need be. England can score for sure, but can they keep teams out?

There are a number of younger players in the squad as well, including Mainoo and Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton. I like that approach, given the experience of players like Kane, Stones, and right back Kyle Walker. There is a good balance of youth and experience here, and that is often key to winning tournaments. I think the superstars will need to be at their best though. I’m talking about Kane, Bellingham, and Foden. They are the best players at their positions in the world, and they need to play like it. I do think England will likely win the group given the level of opposition, but the likes of France, Portugal, Italy, and possibly Germany will not be easy to beat. We have the talent to win this tournament, but as has been the case recently, it will likely come down to the decisions of Southgate.

I have a feeling that unless England win the whole thing, Southgate will either call it quits or be sacked. He has done phenomenally well compared to every other England manager not named Sir Alf Ramsey. He has taken us to the semifinals of the World Cup in 2018, the final of Euro 2020(1), and the quarterfinals of World Cup 2022. His conservative but consistent style of play has brought us more success and happiness in recent years than almost any of his predecessors. But that same style has come back to haunt him when it comes time to take a gamble in a big match. There will come a moment in a knockout game when he has to make a big decision, and his job will likely ride on whether he makes the right one. He has been a very good England manager, but this will likely be his last chance to become a great England manager.

Three Lions On the Shirts! It’s Coming Home!

International Break – England Qualify for Euro 2024!

The recent international break saw England play two matches, both of which were at Wembley Stadium in London. The first match was a friendly played against Australia that was largely not entertaining. The Three Lions won 1-0 thanks to a fairly routine finish from Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, who slid the ball home from close range after a low cross from Tottenham midfielder James Maddison. Always good to win of course, but no one really cared about this match. It was only a friendly, and England never play Australia outside of major tournaments. Everyone’s eyes were on the second match, a qualifier against Italy.

Italy and England have developed a little bit of a rivalry in recent years, largely thanks to the tense and bitter Euro 2020(1) final between the two nations a few years ago. England’s traditional rivals have always been Germany, France, and Argentina; yet Italy might be working their way into that conversation as well. Of course, Italy has historically dominated this matchup. It wasn’t even until earlier this year that England beat the Azzuri in Rome for the first time in 50+ years. This match carried extra importance as well. If England won (or earned a draw pending other results in the group), they would qualify for Euro 2024 next summer in Germany. It would be extra sweet to qualify by doing the double over Italy for England and manager Gareth Southgate. For the Italians and manager Luciano Spalletti, the alarm bells were beginning to sound. Despite winning Euro 2020(1), they have been fairly shambolic since. They failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, and are in real danger of not automatically qualifying for the Euros next summer unless they won this match.

And to their credit, for the opening 20 minutes or so, Italy were the better side. They took the lead on 15 minutes thanks to a high and powerful finish from West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca from about 10 yards out. Italy has needed a strong no. 9 for a few years now, and they seem to have found one in Scamacca. England needed a response, and they got one with a bit of luck from VAR. Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham was brought down in the box, and England were awarded a penalty on the half hour mark. After a lengthy VAR review, the call for a penalty stood despite it appearing that the defender got the ball before clipping Bellingham. But given how terrible VAR has been this year so far though, I will happily take VAR review going England’s way. Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane stepped up to the spot and sent Paris St. Germain and Italy keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma the wrong way with a finish into the right hand side of the net. It was Kane’s 60th goal in an England shirt, which of course continues to be the most for any England player ever. The sides went into the locker room at 1-1 after 45 minutes, with the home side in the ascendancy.

England continued their dominance into the early parts of the second half, and they were rewarded with a second goal on 57 minutes from Manchester United winger/forward Marcus Rashford. Bellingham was at the center of things again, playing the ball out wide to Rashford under pressure before running forward to join the attack. Rashford cut inside onto his right foot and skipped passed a challenge before finishing low into the right corner of the goal, with Donnarumma rooted to the spot. Rashford hasn’t gotten off to the best start at United this season, but he showed no signs of poor form with this goal. The Italian defense gave him space, and he punished them for it. Well done to Bellingham to beat the pressure he faced to provide the assist, as well. 2-1 to England, with Italy reeling.

England got a third to seal three points and Euro qualification on 77 minutes via the right boot of Kane. This was one of his more impressive England goals, as he showed how he has developed his game and evolved into a more complete striker as he has gotten older. He won a 50/50 ball on the halfway line against one of the Italian center backs, with the ball breaking kindly for him. As the Italians were playing with a high line while searching for their equalizer, Kane found himself through on goal after a nifty touch about 40 yards out. He is not known for his speed, but he used his strength and positioning skills to shield off challenges from behind him while he brought the ball forward. Donnarumma rushed out to try and narrow the angle, but Kane coolly finished over his left shoulder and made it look easy doing so. 61 goals for Kane, but more importantly, he sealed the win for England and sent the crowd inside Wembley into ecstasy.

The match ended 3-1, and there are many plaudits to be handed out. Well done to all the lads for showing composure after going down early and providing the response needed to book our tickets to Germany next summer. Italy now need serious help to qualify, as they find themselves in 3rd place in the group. It feels extremely satisfying to do the double over Italy this year and potentially send them into a tricky playoff in the process.

I could justifiably give Man of the Match to Kane for his two goals, but in this case it belongs to Bellingham. He had a hand in two of the three goals scored today and was a presence in midfield for most of the match. Jude Bellingham, Jude Bellingham, Jude Bellingham. I can’t say this young man’s name enough. He is only 20, but he is arguably the most naturally talented English player I have ever seen. This is a player who can truly do it all – dribble, pass, press, tackle, position play, and finishing. He’s been Real Madrid’s best player so far this season, and he continued his sensational form in an England shirt against Italy. Never seen a lad his size with such balance and composure. He also seems to be a bit more mature than his age would suggest, as most of his teammates for club and country describe how they love to play alongside him. The sky is the limit for Bellingham, and it’s arguable that he is (on form) the best player in the world even right now. I am so, so happy he plays for England. We have another 12 to13 years to look forward to of Jude Bellingham playing for us.

England have qualified with two matches to spare, which means that Southgate can treat the next two matches as friendlies if he wants to. This is a chance for him to experiment with line-ups and tactics, so as to be as prepared as possible for next summer’s Euros. He has hinted this will be his last tournament with England, and if it is, I hope he goes out on top. Of course, historically, qualifying for major tournaments has not been England’s problem. The disaster of 2008 notwithstanding, England usually qualify. The question remains though – can we win one? Can we win a trophy? This team looks insanely good on paper, and we have even more depth on the bench than we did last November at the World Cup. Bellingham and Kane are on fire, Rashford is coming on, and superstar Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka didn’t even play in this match. We are loaded at every position, and we need to win a trophy with this generation of players. Southgate has all the tools he needs to win, but can they finally get over the line for a nation dying of thirst for a trophy? We will see next summer!

Three Lions On the Shirts!

International Break: England Play a Qualifier and a Friendly

The first international break of the 2023/24 season saw England travel to Poland for a Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine, followed by a friendly in Glasgow against the Scottish.

England travelled to Wroclaw, Poland for the fifth match in their qualifying campaign for Euro 2024 next summer in Germany. This match would normally be held within the borders of Ukraine as it was a designated “home” match for them, but sporting events of all kinds are not happening in Ukraine currently due to the ongoing war with Russia. As such, there is no set of players more bonded and motivated to play well right now than Ukraine. England found that out the hard way. The match was slow and tepid for the most part; certainly not one that will be remembered down the road. The Ukrainians struck first through Arsenal wingback Oleksandr Zinchenko, and England were slow to respond. They got an equalizer in the second half however, when an excellent aerial pass from Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane found the run of Manchester City right back Kyle Walker, who poked home from close range for his first ever England goal. The match finished 1-1, which was probably the deserved result given England’s slow and conservative play. Despite dropping points for the first time in the qualifying campaign, they still are top of Group C. They have a six point lead over 2nd place Italy, having played one more game. The result must improve in the next match, but the Three Lions are still in the drivers’ seat to win the group and qualify for next summer’s Euros.

The match against Scotland was a lot more entertaining and fun to watch, despite it being a friendly. The match took place in the cauldron of atmosphere known as Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland. The match was held in commemoration of 150 years of football rivalry between England and Scotland. Indeed, the first ever international football match was played between these neighboring British Isles nations in 1873. It’s a fierce rivalry rooted in politics and nationalism, and you can always bet on both teams to play with intensity.

England were the better of the two sides for the opening 30 minutes by a considerable margin. They were all over Scotland, running at them and creating chances at a frenetic pace. They got the opening goal on 32 minutes from Man City midfielder Phil Foden, who redirected a fierce low cross/shot from Walker into the back of the net. Scotland keeper Angus Gunn couldn’t have done anything about it. A deserved goal and good technique from Foden, and he did especially well to be in the right place at the right time.

England doubled their advantage just three minutes later. A cross from the left hand side of the box was collected by Scotland and Liverpool left back Andrew Robertson, but in his attempt to clear the ball he mishit it and it fell to the feet of England and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham. Bellingham, in sensational form for club and country right now, was largely unmarked and he hit a low shot just to the right of Gunn, who was too slow to get a block in. It was a little bit of a tap-in, but Bellingham had also been involved in the first goal and many of England’s chances. I don’t think this country has seen a central midfielder like him for quite some time, maybe ever. He’s only 20 and starting regularly for both England and Real freaking Madrid, and he has proven himself to be a star player on both teams. He has immaculate technique on the ball for a guy his size, and he has the footballing intelligence and talent to play absolutely killer passes to the forwards. I am beyond happy that he is going to be playing for England for another 10-12 years at least.

At halftime it was 2-0, and with the match in hand for England, manager Gareth Southgate elected to rotate the team a little. One of the players he brought on was center back Harry Maguire, a much maligned figure both for England and Manchester United. Most fans have made it clear they don’t want him to play for England anymore, but he was brought on by Southgate nevertheless. Unfortunately, he was the reason Scotland earned themselves a goal on 67 minutes when he accidentally turned a cross from Robertson into his own net. England keeper Aaron Ramsdale likely had the cross covered had Maguire left the ball alone, but he stuck his leg out and turned it into an empty net. Now it’s true that Scotland were playing better after the break and likely deserved a goal, but it was a poor decision from Maguire to stick his leg out at a cross that was probably going to be collected by the keeper. Did Ramsdale owe him a shout? Did Ramsdale shout for it and did Maguire ignore him? Unclear, but the ball still went in and it was 2-1.

Fortunately, England were not done. Kane decided he wanted to make his mark on the match, and he did so on 81 minutes. Bellingham was still full of pace and vigor, and after he wriggled around some challenges near the Scotland penalty area, he found Kane with an excellent through ball. Kane took the ball with a light touch and finished with his left foot into the opposite corner. A really beautiful goal to watch. As long as we let Kane, Bellingham, Foden, and winger/forward Marcus Rashford play in attack, the Three Lions are going to score goals. It’s absolutely brilliant to watch when they are in rhythm. It was also the 59th England goal for Kane, who breaks his own record every time he scores. England’s greatest ever center forward? Probably!

England won 3-1, and while it doesn’t mean anything in terms of competition, it’s always nice to beat Scotland at Hampden Park. I was happy to see the England away fans sing about Maguire after the final whistle. His place in the team is definitely in danger due to his own form and the good form of Brighton & Hove Albion center back Lewis Dunk, but he doesn’t deserve the hatred he gets. He takes a lot of criticism on social media and in the traditional media, so some positive support was probably good for him. He did not play well today to be sure and he likely needs some time away from the spotlight, but it seems that United will still need to rely on him for a while due to the injuries to all the other center backs.

England are off until the next international break in October. They will play Australia at Wembley Stadium on October 13th in another friendly, then they have a massive Euro qualifier against Italy again at Wembley on October 17th. If we can beat Italy again, we are virtually guaranteed to win the group and qualify for Euro 2024!

Three Lions On the Shirts!

Euro Qualifier: England Earn a Massive Result in Italy

The Three Lions of England kicked off their qualifying campaign for Euro 2024 earlier today when they travelled to Naples, Italy for a match with the reigning European Champions at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. These two nations are easily the two best ones in Group C, so this match was a massive one as the winner would firmly be in the driver’s seat to win the group. England manager Gareth Southgate selected a similar team from England’s last match at World Cup 2022, which raised some eyebrows from the pundits. It could be argued that Italy and manager Roberto Mancini were under more pressure to get a good result today, given that they were at home and (rather hilariously) failed to qualify for last fall’s World Cup.

While Italy created the first two half-chances from set pieces in the opening minutes, it was England who were in the ascendancy for the majority of the first half. Midfielder Jude Bellingham tested Italy keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma from distance after an excellent run, but the big keeper was able to palm the shot over his crossbar. England won a corner a few minutes later though, and they found themselves ahead thanks to a scrambled finish from midfielder Declan Rice on 13 minutes. Winger/forward Bukayo Saka played a high and looping cross towards the back post, which was controlled well by striker Harry Kane. Kane got a shot away, but it was blocked by the Italian defense only for it to rebound straight to Rice. Rice took a touch to steady the ball, but then showed good instincts to knock it into the goal from about 6-7 yards out. Well done to England for converting a set piece, but Italy were at sixes and sevens. They had three men covering England center back Harry Maguire, and as a result their defenders were out of position when the rebound fell to Rice. Maguire is a big threat in the air, but it’s farcical to use three men to mark him when Kane is also in the box. Poor marking, but England were nevertheless up 1-0 and good value for their lead.

As noted, England had a ton of possession in the first half, and they could have had a second goal if not for a poor decision made by England midfielder Kalvin Phillips. Italy gave the ball away in a bad position straight to Phillips, but Phillips elected to shoot from distance. The shot was powerful but it went wide, and he probably should have opted to play in Kane on a run just ahead of him. If he played the ball in to Kane, Kane likely scores.

Kane did get the opportunity to write his name in the history books when England were awarded a penalty on 44 minutes. Another corner from Saka hit an Italian defender’s arm as it was played towards the back post. Initially the referee only gave a corner, but VAR was consulted and Serbian referee Srđan Jovanović pointed to the spot. After a slight delay, Kane stepped up and calmly put the ball into the right side of the goal. This goal was historic because it meant that Kane is now England’s all-time leading scorer, having surpassed former England forward Wayne Rooney. More on Kane below, but England were 2-0 up and looked to be in cruise control. They really should have had 3 just before halftime though, when Kane found winger Jack Grealish with a low cross. Grealish was only about 5 yards out and in acres of space to shoot with Donnarumma out of position, but he shanked the ball wide of the far post. He really should have scored! But if you told me England would be 2-0 up against the Italians in Italy at half time, I would have happily taken it.

The second half was much different though. I am not sure what Mancini said to his men in the locker room, but clearly it had great effect as the Italians were suddenly filled with energy. While England had been bossing the midfield and winning all the second balls in the first half, that very much switched to the Azzuri in the second. While England defended fairly well for the first 10 minutes or so of the second half, the Italians pulled them apart on 56 minutes to tally a response. Italy had the ball in the final third and it was at the feet of midfielder Nicolò Barella. Maguire stepped up to challenge Barella, but his tackle was poorly timed and Barella was able to get a pass to attacking midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini just outside the box. Striker (and debutante) Mateo Retegui had slipped himself in behind Maguire in space, and Pellegrini found him with a sublime reverse pass through the legs of Rice. Retegui took a touch to steady the ball and fired home with a splendid shot high into the opposite corner from 12 yards out. The whole goal was the result of Maguire being out of position and England losing the ball in midfield as well. Rice could have done better to intercept the pass as well, but credit to the Italians for taking advantage of England’s sloppy passage of play.

The final 30 minutes and stoppage time of this match were nervy ones for both sets of supporters in the stadium. The Italians continued their dominance, with England struggling to get out of their own half. Every time England cleared the ball up the pitch, it came right back at them. Southgate needed to change things, but he seemed content to leave his original 11 on while Mancini was rolling the dice with subs like he was at a craps table. Italian substitute winger Wilfried Gnoto was a particularly troublesome threat for England. His bouncing cross into the area on 77 minutes was inches away from meeting the head of a fellow attacker, and he was constantly making runs at England right back Kyle Walker.

Things really kicked off just moments after that though, when it appeared that an Italian defender handled the ball in his own box while under pressure from Kane. This time there wasn’t even a stoppage or a VAR review though, so Italy got the ball back up the pitch quickly. They were in a very promising position in their attacking third when England left back Luke Shaw delivered a challenge on Retegui. Jovanović stopped play to award a foul, and was immediately surrounded by both sets of players. Jovanović had been having trouble maintaining control of the match in the second half, with several questionable calls against England (and probably against Italy too). England were furious that VAR hadn’t stopped play to check the handball, while the Italians were screaming for Shaw to be booked and thus sent off. Shaw had been booked just minutes earlier for time wasting, but that was one of the aforementioned questionable decisions by Jovanović. After a what was almost 30 seconds of indecision, Jovanović did indeed show Shaw a second yellow and sent him off. England would have to play the final 10 minutes and stoppage time with ten men. Southgate sent on left back Kieran Trippier to replace show, replacing winger Phil Foden who had just come on about five minutes before that.

England defended the ensuing free kick well, and Southgate quickly sent on further defensive reinforcements with the introductions of right back Reece James and midfielder Conor Gallagher. It must be said that even though they were down to ten men, England somehow improved in the final moments of the match. They were getting blocks and tackles in, and Kane had started winning the ball high up the pitch again. They didn’t create any scoring chances, but they didn’t need to. They just needed to win throw-ins and fouls as often as possible, because each one would take precious time off the clock. After a less-than-expected five minutes of stoppage time, the final whistle went and England were victorious on Italian soil for the first time since 1961!

So while it was a game of two halves in which England nearly choked it away, the most important thing is that they held on to win. England under Southgate have a history of scoring first in big games, only to choke away a victory later on. They did that against these very same Italians in the summer of 2021 at Wembley when they lost in the Euros final. But that was vitally not what happened today. Despite going down to ten men after some chaotic and one-sided refereeing, they held their effing nerve and didn’t concede again! This team can score goals and they play some beautiful football at times, but they need to learn to be ruthless at the end of big matches. The players showed real grit and determination today, and that is refreshing in a big match such as this one. Interestingly, it could be argued that England should have had this match put away at halftime. If Grealish scores his big chance, it’s 3-0 to England the second half is very different. Credit to the players, and credit to Southgate for making the right subs.

Special commendations to one Mr. Harry Kane. As mentioned above, the 29 year-old Tottenham Hotspur striker became England’s all-time leading goal scorer with his spot-kick goal today! He now has 54 England goals to his name, and he is far from being done. While it’s true that his trophy cabinet is a little on the empty side, there is no questioning his dominance as a center forward. The statistics speak for themselves – Kane is the best pure goal-scorer to ever put on an England shirt. Not only does he have the record for most goals scored, he also has the record for most goals scored in competitive matches. He scores important goals. He came close to breaking the record last fall against France in that now-infamous quarterfinal, but he missed his penalty over the bar. Finessing it past Donnarumma today was a bit of redemption, though. A big penalty scored with relative ease in a very important match. He will look to extend his record over this qualifying campaign and help England qualify for Germany in 2024.

England will fly home after this match and prepare for their next qualifier against Ukraine at Wembley Stadium on Sunday. This was a fantastic start to the 2024 qualifying campaign, and Ukraine will provide another tough test. They are probably the 3rd-best team in Group C talent-wise, and the players will want to give their war-torn home nation something to be happy about. Shaw will be unavailable for selection due to a red card suspension, but that’s actually fine by me. Shaw has played for Manchester United a lot this season, and he needs some mandated rest.

Three Lions on the Shirts!

FA Cup: United Through to the Semifinals After Fulham Implode

Manchester United played host to west London side Fulham FC today in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup. If United had all players available they would have been heavy favorites, but the absence of regular starters Casemiro (suspension), Christian Eriksen (injury), and Raphael Varane (injury) would have been encouraging to Fulham and manager Marco Silva. Fulham have historically struggled at Old Trafford, but Silva knew that today would likely present an opportunity for an upset. Fulham have been in good form generally this season, which is a testament to the job Silva has done with them given that they were only promoted from the Championship last season. Meanwhile, United manager Erik ten Hag and the players have made it clear that they are pushing for another trophy this season, so he named as strong a team as he could possibly select.

The first half was almost all Fulham. They were more dominant in possession almost the entire opening 45 minutes. United were simply being over-run in midfield. The absences of Casemiro and Eriksen were very noticeable. Fulham’s best player by a mile was midfielder João Palhinha. He won tackles, played some excellent passes, and was able to carry the ball through United’s midfield routinely. There was a lack of energy by the Red Devils today, too. They looked tired. Perhaps the grueling fixture list this season was finally taking it’s toll a bit. Still, despite their dominance, Fulham were having trouble creating clear chances. United’s back line, marshalled by center back Lisandro Martinez, was the only unit of the team playing with any degree of ferocity.

United really struggled going forward as well. Forward Marcus Rashford was isolated on the left hand side, midfielder Bruno Fernandes’s passing was more wayward than accurate, and winger/midfielder Jadon Sancho didn’t look like he knew where he was supposed to play. No matter how much ETH shuffled the forward line, they really struggled to make Fulham keeper Bernd Leno earn his paycheck in the first half. Midfielder Marcel Sabitzer forced him into a fairly routine save on 40 minutes, but that was about as dangerous as things got for the Black and Whites from London. So while Fulham were the better of the two teams, it was 0-0 after 45 minutes.

All of Old Trafford and most of the people watching would have expected a second half response from United. This is because ETH has proven himself to be an effective reader of the game, and also an effective motivator. United needed to up their intensity a bit, but instead what we got was Fulham taking things up a notch instead. They won a succession of corners that really put United under a lot of pressure, and they finally got their break-through from talismanic striker Aleksandar Mitrović on 50 minutes. Fulham forced a corner after a series fine saves from keeper David De Gea, at first to deny left back Antonee Robinson and then again from winger Willian. For the goal, it was former United midfielder Andreas Pereira playing the ball in over the top, and it was flicked on into the path of Mitrović by Fulham center back Issa Diop. Mitrović stuck his left leg out and fired home from about 5 yards out, despite what appeared to be a foul on Rashford in the build-up to the goal. Fulham were good value for their lead, and a VAR check confirmed there was no foul on Rashford. An argument could be made that he was indeed fouled, but again the bigger issue was United letting Fulham outplay them for 50 minutes. 0-1 to the Londoners.

Things kept going Fulham’s way for another 20 minutes or so after that as well. United’s response to going down was rather tepid, and Fulham kept pushing. De Gea did well to athletically save a headed effort from Mitrović on 66 minutes, and Mitrović saw another header go wide just seconds after that. United were truly under the cosh and lucky not to be down by 2.

The entire nature and complexion of this match changed on 72 minutes. United broke forward and got into a promising position for the first time in a while, with the ball finding Sancho in a forward position after a good run and pass from substitute winger Antony dos Santos. Sancho took the ball around Leno, but his shot from 12 yards was cleared off the line by Willian at the near post. A corner was given by referee Chris Kavanagh, but there were calls from United supporters and players alike for a VAR check on the clearance. Upon review, it was clear that Willian stuck his arm out and used his hand to clear the ball! As Kavanagh made his way to the pitch-side monitor to check for a penalty, Silva said something to either him or the 4th official on the touchline. Kavanagh took issue with it, and he showed Fulham’s manager a red card! He then checked the replay and awarded the penalty, while simultaneously sending off Willian for a deliberate handball in the box. As if the situation wasn’t bad enough for Fulham, Mitrović then decided to get in the referee’s face as well, and the confrontation escalated to Mitrović actually shoving Kavanagh! There is no professional sport where can you deliberately contact the referee and get away unpunished, and this sport is no different. Kavanagh instantly went back to his pocket and showed Mitrović a red card too! Absolutely wild.

In the span of about 40 seconds, Fulham saw their manager, striker, and winger all sent off. They were down to 9 men for the final 20 minutes or so, with United also having a penalty awarded to them for the handball. Bruno stepped up to the spot and casually sent Leno the wrong way, making it 1-1 to United! The Red Devils smelled blood, and it was apparent that Fulham were shell-shocked by the mad decisions of Silva, Willian, and Mitrović. United were ahead just 2 minutes later, with left back Luke Shaw operating in acres of space before he crossed back into the middle. Sabitzer was on hand to flash down and back-heel the cross into the goal, with Leno unable to keep it out. Talk about a wild swing! United went from 11 vs 11 and down a goal to up 2-1 versus 9 men in the span of about five minutes. Well done to Sabitzer for opening his goal scoring account today as well!

Fulham’s heads were gone after that, and they didn’t have the numbers to cause United problems going forward. Once it was 2-1, United never looked like conceding another goal. They kept possession and created more chances going forward as well. They got their third deep into stoppage time, with Bruno firing home decisively from about 12 yards out after being found by substitute midfielder Fred. A good goal from Bruno to seal the deal, but United were definitely aided by their numerical advantage. The final whistle blew and United won 3-1, having earned themselves a second Wembley trip this season.

Make no mistake, Fulham gave this game away. Up until 72 minutes, they were the better side and looked like they would be the ones moving on to the semis. United looked fatigued, the tactics from ETH weren’t great until the subs started coming on, and Fulham were more or less bossing the game. I have been watching this sport for 20+ years, and I don’t think I’ve seen a bigger implosion and mental collapse from a team than what I saw from Fulham today. I don’t know what was said by Silva to warrant his sending off, and I am even more in the dark as to what he was complaining about. Kavanagh hadn’t even awarded the penalty before Silva started mouthing off to him. Willian’s decision to use his hand was also mystifying, but he probably thought it was necessary to prevent a goal. The biggest mystery here though is why Mitrović felt the need to start remonstrating with the official. Mitrović has a reputation for being a hot-headed and aggressive player, but his decision to get into the ref’s face and then shove him was pure recklessness. Fulham had the game in hand, and even with a penalty to United it was still 1-0 with 10 men at that point. Had Bruno missed the penalty, Mitrović still could have helped his team get a result. He has to be smarter there. He has to realize the big picture of the situation and stay out of the referee’s face, no matter how upset he was. But it was 3 red cards shown to Fulham in the span of about 40 seconds, and all 3 were probably deserved. A total and complete mental implosion from Fulham FC today.

ETH knew his side got away with one today, and he rightfully praised De Gea’s timely saves in the second half to keep United in the match. Sometimes you have to be lucky in this game, and that is precisely what happened today. For 72 minutes, United were second-best. I am still frankly in a degree of disbelief that the colossal mental collapse of Fulham. United were better once they were down to 9 men and it was 1-1, but that is to be expected at this level with the quality United have. Credit to Kavanagh for holding his nerve today, although I would like to know what Silva said to him that earned him a red. A manager being red-carded for dissent is not unprecedented, but it is exceptionally rare. Fulham will be absolutely kicking themselves today. Well done to United for immediately taking advantage of the situation and getting their second goal just moments after the first one went in.

United do not have another match until April 2nd, as we have hit the March international break. Players that have been called up to play for their countries will go and do so, with some others getting a little bit of a break. England face Italy in a Euro 2024 qualifier on March 23rd, with another qualifier against Ukraine on March 26th. United’s next match is in the Premier League away to Newcastle, and they will be returning to Wembley for the FA Cup Semifinals against Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of April. I do think some of our players need a break, so some of them having the next two weeks off to recover will do them wonders.

Glory Glory Man United! Glazers Out!

Final Matches for England Before World Cup 2022

England took on Italy last Friday and Germany today in the UEFA Nations League, a tournament of pseudo-friendlies that serve no real purpose other than making money for UEFA and perhaps being tune-up games before major tournaments. England manager Gareth Southgate was primarily concerned with the latter, as the Three Lions have no more matches between now and the kickoff of their match against Iran at the World Cup in Qatar on November 21.

The match against Italy was terrible. There’s no point in going over it in detail because it was incredibly tepid from an England point of view and they frankly looked disinterested in the result. It was a 1-0 loss at Wembley that had the whole punditry industry and every person with access to a keyboard calling for Southgate’s sacking and replacing before the tournament begins. I was by no means impressed either, but I have to question how much that match actually mattered to the players in the grand scheme of things. Italy won’t be at the World Cup (haha) and none of the teams in our group play a style similar to them. Yes, England should have played better, but the motivation for the players will be much higher at a match that actually matters.

The match against Germany today at Wembley was much improved, and it will give the players something to build on going into the World Cup. The aforementioned uproar from television and pundits and social media was heard by the players, and they played with a lot more purpose and pride than they did in the Italy match. Indeed, Ze Germans were lucky not to be down one or two goals at halftime. Raheem Sterling in particular was guilty of a bad miss despite otherwise playing well. 0-0 at halftime, but it was much better from an attacking perspective.

The second half of today’s match was insanity. England went down 1-0 via a penalty conceded by the ever-controversial Harry Maguire, and then he gave the ball away again which ultimately led to a second German goal. I almost turned the match off, down 2-0 to the Germans with 2/3 of the match gone. But all credit to the lads for fighting back today, and when I say “the lads” I primarily mean Jude Bellingham. The Borussia Dortmund midfielder was England’s best player on the pitch today, and if he is not starting in every match come November then Southgate deserves the sack for negligence. He has confidence, power, speed, dribbling, passing – everything you want out of a central midfielder. He simply refuses to stop trying, and contributed heavily to the first England goal from Luke Shaw. The goal lifted the lads, and Mason Mount got the equalizer just four minutes later with a very impressive strike that left German keeper Ter Stegen dumbfounded. Bellingham was also involved in the third England goal, winning the penalty that striker Harry Kane superbly converted to give England a 3-2 lead.

Although backup keeper Nick Pope fumbled a cross that Germany’s Kai Havertz was able to bundle in for a German equalizer late on, the three goals in 11 minutes of play showed what England are capable of when given the liberty to do so. Southgate made some good substitutions today and he needs credit for that, but he deserves more than his fair share of scrutiny for the his routinely conservative approach in previous matches and his focus on defending. Put simply, England are much better in attack than they are in defense, at least right now. We can score goals against any opposition in the world, and I am confident of that. So why isn’t Southgate playing to his strengths? Why does he insist on shackling players like Kane, Sterling, Bukayo Saka, and Phil Foden with defensive duties when not on the ball? We need to get those lads on the ball and get them running at the opposition. As I have said many times before, I’m sick of losing 1-0 or 2-1 to teams with effective tactical plans. I do think we have enough juice to win the group, but beyond that I worry about how far England will go playing Southgate-ball.

If the Three Lions can cut down on individual mistakes (Maguire, Pope) and lean into their attacking talent, they have a chance to do well at this tournament. If we insist on playing conservatively though, I fear we won’t go very far. The question of who all goes to Qatar is also up for debate, and I’m sure the next two months of club play will have an influence on Southgate’s final squad. I’d say there’s probably 8-10 players that are guaranteed to go, but the competition remains open for the other 10-15 spots. I think Jordan Pickford will be the No. 1 keeper after Pope’s error today, and I’d like to see center back Fikayo Tomori play in at least one group game as an alternative to Maguire.

Three Lions on the Shirts!

Red Devils Victorious in Moldova

The Europa League resumed today, with Manchester United taking a long plane flight to southeastern Europe to play Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol at Sheriff Sports Complex. Sheriff are best known for making some waves in the Champions League last season, where they beat the likes of Real Madrid in the group stage. They would be hoping for a similar result today. On paper, United were the more talented side. They were looking to shift their Europa League into high gear, having got off to a sputtering start against Real Sociedad and the referee they brought with them.

The match was rather slow to start, with both teams being content to feel each other out and not take too many risks with the ball going forward. On the balance of play though, Sheriff were probably doing just a little more in terms of attacking intent. United grew into the game though in the next ten minutes, and it was United who found the opening goal via winger Jadon Sancho. It was a fantastic passing move from the Red Devils, with the midfielders knocking the ball around in the opposition attacking third to open up the back four. Sancho made a diagonal run into the box, and midfielder Christian Eriksen found him with an aerial pass. Sancho did very well to control it, switching the ball from his right foot to the left, while making a Sheriff defender miss with his challenge. He was under pressure again immediately though, but he managed to place a low shot into the opposite corner past Sheriff keeper Maksym Koval. The keeper had no chance due to the placement of the shot, and it was a very composed finish from Sancho. United were up 1-0 and good value for their lead.

Sancho then had another shot cleared off the line about 15 minutes later by Sheriff captain Stjepan Radeljic. United put together another slick passing move, and it was only that last-ditch tackle that kept them out. About 5 minutes later though, United were awarded a penalty after a clear foul on right back Diogo Dalot in the Sheriff penalty area. No doubt about this one, as the Sheriff player very clearly clipped Dalot’s heels when Dalot was about to win the ball. Striker Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to the spot and powered the ball straight down the middle, with Koval diving off to his right. Ronaldo needed a goal so it was good to see him open his scoring account for the season. His main contribution to this team now is goal-scoring, so when he’s not doing that it becomes difficult to justify his selection. Hopefully this goal gets the proverbial monkey off his back and he can kick on from here. I still feel that Anthony Martial will be manager Erik ten Hag’s first choice striker when he is healthy.

The half ended without further incident, and United felt very in-control at 2-0. The second half was more of the same, but there was no end product this time. Our passing and creativity in attack was very good today, we just needed to be a bit more clinical in front of goal. We created chance after chance, only for the final pass to be slightly off or for a defender to make a vital intervention. United probably should have had at least 3 today, but two was plenty against today’s opposition. Sheriff’s best chance of the match came right at the very end via a free kick, but keeper David De Gea was on hand to make an important save.

I was very pleased with the “routine” feeling of this game. We got our goals early on, then played possession the second half and controlled the flow for the rest of the time. Too often this season and in the past United would get a lead and then try to sit on it. That was not the case today. Despite Sheriff fouling United as often as possible in the second half, they never really looked like scoring aside from that final free-kick. The result was never in doubt once Ronaldo notched the second goal.

United are now off until October 2, and it’s only the small matter of the Manchester Derby at the Etihad. That will be a difficult match indeed. Hopefully United’s international players don’t pick up new injuries over the international break. England have their last two matches before the World Cup starts in November, and they are against formidable foes Italy and Germany.

Glory Glory Man United!

I Hate That I Have to Care About the Nations League

First things first, it feels weird that football is being played in a non-tournament summer. These players need time off. It’s not long that the club season is off each year, so for there to be international matches with some degree of value being played is odd to me. There’s 3 months of club season and then a World Cup coming. Let them have June and early July off, as is tradition. Their bodies need it to keep performing at the highest level. It won’t happen though. Not as long as UEFA and the respective football federations want to keep making money. It’s all about the money!

I’m also pissed off because England suffered their worst defeat on English soil in almost a century today, losing to Hungary 4-0 at Molineux in Wolverhampton. I watched the most tepid draw I’ve seen in years versus Italy at the weekend, and I expected more of the same today. That did not happen though. England looked toothless in attack for most of the match, and the defense went to shit when center back John Stones was (controversially) sent off after a second yellow card late on. Just a very bad outing overall.

What’s going to be even worse than the loss though is the reaction from the press and social media. It’s a long summer with few fixtures, and one of England’s worse losses under manager Gareth Southgate will give them plenty to chew on. In all four of England’s Nations League games this month, he has been criticized for a conservative style of play that has so far only netted two points and 0 (zero) goals from open play.

I dare say that the seat under Southgate may be starting to heat up. Had England just gone out and played to another dull draw, this match probably would have been forgotten about as soon as the final whistle blew. But a 4-0 loss at home to a frankly inferior team attracts attention. A 4-0 loss at home makes people ask questions. What’s wrong with England? Are they crap again? Is Southgate the right man for the job? The questions mount easily.

Now it’s going to be an endless debate over the summer about whether Southgate should manage England at the World Cup in November. It’s true these results are not encouraging, primarily because Southgate does not want to seem to adapt his game plans to whoever England is playing. He hasn’t learned his lesson, as he plays the same way each time. Sometimes it works, but it frequently does not work against talented opposition.

The other side of the debate is that Southgate is (perhaps sadly) the most successful England manager in 50+ years. He took us to the semifinals of the World Cup in 2018, the semifinals of the Nations League in early 2020, and the final of the European Championships in 2021. Despite his style of play, he wins matches at tournaments. No other England manager, aside from the legend Sir Alf Ramsey himself, can really say that. Factor in as well that he has been experimenting with the team selection in the last few matches and they simply haven’t worked. There’s also the fatigue factor for the players, as mentioned above.

Yes, a 4-0 loss at home is bad. Very bad. But I think once the reactive takes and opinions calm down a bit, cooler heads will prevail. Southgate needs to deliver a win to make everyone feel better and get some confidence back in the team. There are at least two more matches to do that in September, and they are against quality opposition in Germany and Italy. I think the FA will also schedule a friendly fixture or two against smaller nations so that England can use them as tune-up games. I would not feel confident about England’s chances if the World Cup were starting this week like it usually would, but given that we are still 5 months away, there is time to fix things. I think Southgate should be given the opportunity to do so.

But I ask – no, I implore – him to try being a bit more adventurous with his tactics. We have glorified friendlies coming up along with some actual friendlies most likely – so push the edge of the envelope a little! The matches mean next to nothing, so take a few risks and let the lads play a little bit. The Three Lions have an array of depth in attack, and we need to use it!

England Victorious over Switzerland – International Friendly

The national teams are all in action for the next week or so, with many countries still attempting to book their place for World Cup 2022. England has already qualified, so the next few matches will be centered on manager Gareth Southgate deciding who he wants to take on the plane with him. Switzerland have already qualified as well, so they were in a similar mindset. When your team qualifies from their group outright and you don’t have to worry about a tricky playoff fixture, you have the luxury of focusing on different tactical formations and player lineups. Today’s match at Wembley was an example of both sides trying to figure out what works best for them.

England had some injury issues at the back coming into the match, which forced Southgate to play a back three of Connor Coady, Ben White, and Marc Guéhi (on his England debut). After this match, I don’t think Southgate will be eager to go back to that formation with those specific players. The Swiss aren’t known as a dominant attacking side, but they were very strong in the first half and found a lot of space on the wings behind the wingbacks. Indeed, it was Swiss legend Xerdan Shaqiri who found a bit of room on the right-hand edge of the box for a cross that led to the opening goal for the Swiss. Shaqiri wasn’t closed down properly, and he was able to get in a left-footed aerial cross that found the head of striker Breel Embolo. Embolo redirected the ball back across goal, and England keeper Jordan Pickford had no chance to get to it. Shaqiri should have been closed down on the edge of the box, and White was too far away from Embolo to get to the cross first. 1-0 to the Swiss and England couldn’t really complain about it.

England were lucky to not be down 2-0 shortly after that, after a shot from Shaqiri struck the hand of Pickford and rebounded off the underside of the cross bar. The Three Lions woke up a bit after that though, and finally started making some runs forward consistently and causing problems for the Swiss at the back. England and Crystal Palace right back Kyle Walker-Peters (not to be confused with Kyle Walker, it’s two different guys!) was causing problems down the right hand side. He was combining well with Chelsea loaned-Crystal Palace winger Connor Gallagher, and the Swiss weren’t sure how to mark them properly. Their pressing led to a giveaway from Swiss defender Fabian Frei, as Walker-Peters was able to block his poor clearance straight into the path of Gallagher. Gallagher played the ball along the ground, with midfielder Mason Mount letting the ball roll across his path. England and Manchester United left back Luke Shaw was on hand to strike the ball directly at the goal, and it was a sumptuous strike into the left side of the goal that gave deputy Swiss keeper Jonas Omlin no chance. Shaw doesn’t score many, but he did well to be in the right place at the right time. The Swiss hadn’t made many mistakes up to that point, but England punished them nonetheless.

The second half was nowhere near as fluid as the first, likely due to the litany of changes brought by both managers right around the hour mark. Both sides were defending well, but neither side was creating many dangerous chances. England had shifted to a back-4 with White moving out to right back, a change which seemed to suit him well. The Swiss could maintain possession, but they couldn’t find that final dangerous pass.

England got their second goal and eventual winner from talisman striker Harry Kane on 78 minutes from the penalty spot. A cross came in from the right wing that England headed towards goal, only to see it blocked by the raised arm by Swiss midfielder Steven Zuber. The ref did not award a penalty at first, but after a lengthy VAR check it was decided that a penalty was to be given. By the letter of the law it probably was a handball, although in the past under different iterations of the rule, it may not have been. Zuber had his back to the ball and knew nothing about where it was, but he had his right arm extended out from his body when the ball made contact. Any time an arm is in an “unnatural position” that helps the defender cover more space, there is always a chance a penalty will be awarded.

Kane stepped up to the spot and buried the ball in the left side of the net. Omlin actually guessed correctly and went to his right to save it, but the power and placement of the shot made the ball very difficult to save. Kane now has an astonishing 49 goals for England on just 48 caps, and he is now level second with the legendary Sir Bobby Charlton on England’s all-time scoring list. Kane is simply world-class. Ok yes this was a friendly and yes he would be expected to score from the penalty spot, but to be only 28 and a scant 4 goals behind Wayne Rooney’s all-time record is absolutely staggering. No doubts about his place in the squad when it is time to travel to the World Cup. If he carries on like he is doing and wins a trophy with England, it is very likely he goes down as the best English player of all time.

The rest of the match was mostly drama-free, with England’s talented subs creating a few half chances before the final whistle went. England won the match 2-1, and it’s always good to win in any situation. Southgate will have plenty of food for thought going into Tuesday’s match against Ivory Coast. Rotational players like Gallagher, Walker-Peters, Guéhi, and late sub Tyrick Mitchell all did well; but as alluded to it would be surprising if England played a back-3 again any time soon. If they do, it will be with different players in the line-up. The Swiss took advantage of the space on the wings far too often today, so the experiment there today probably won’t be attempted again. This wasn’t a classic or clinical performance by any standard, bur England got over the line in the end. Room for improvement for sure, but you’re never going to see the best football in a friendly.

Ivory Coast presents a different set of challenges, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Southgate switched things up again for that match. At tournament time, you need to be able to win as many different ways as possible, and you have to be ready to defend against many different styles of play. I would like to see Gallagher and Walker-Peters given more opportunities to shine.

***

Quick note: spare a moment to laugh at Italy. The reigning European champions were eliminated from World Cup 2022 qualification by minnows North Macedonia earlier in the week. A huge upset, and it means a second consecutive World Cup without Italy in it. Couldn’t have happened to a better set of fans and players 😉

Ronaldo Rescues United – Again

Mancheser United travelled to Bergamo, Italy to play Atalanta BC this afternoon/evening at Gewiss Stadium. Champions League Group F is still hotly contested, with United coming in top of the group on 6 points while Atalanta were level-second with 4. Both sides would have been eyeing a victory beforehand here. United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was desperate for a convincing win to build off the victory over Tottenham at the weekend, while the Italian side probably smelled a little blood in the water. Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini and their collective players knew we’ve been in poor form recently, and if they could manage to beat United in the Champions League it would go down as one of the most famous nights in the club’s history.

The energy and intensity of the local crowd was matched by the Atalanta players from the get-go though, and it was clear that this was going to be a very tough match for the Red Devils. United did a get the first real chance of the match though, via a deflected shot from Scott McTominay that hit the post. Atalanta grew into the game though, and their Colombian striker Duvan Zapata was causing a lot of problems for the back line with his physical style of play. He was able to consistently hold off United’s defenders and keep the ball while his teammates ran forward, and on several occasions he even created chances for himself.

United were undone just 12 minutes in after Atalanta was allowed far too much time on the ball around the edge of the box. Striker Josip Iličić was found by a neat pass along the ground from Zapata, and he struck the ball along the ground towards keeper David De Gea’s goal. De Gea’s vision appeared to be blocked by another Atalanta player in front of him, and the ball squirted underneath him and into the back of the net. It was a very soft goal to concede due to the lack of power on the shot. It must be pointed out that the Atalanta player blocking De Gea’s vision was probably in an offside position, but VAR reviewed it and the goal stood. It’s true the offside player didn’t touch the shot as it went through, but given his role in blocking the keeper’s vision I think he was contributing to the play. In that situation, the flag should have gone up. Still, the Red Devils were in a familiar position this season, down 1-0 early to inferior opposition.

Atalanta could have easily had a second goal on half an hour when Paul Pogba played a dangerous backwards pass in the air towards De Gea, which was seized upon Zapata. The ball fell to him in acres of space inside the United box, but he took a shot just as Ivorian center-back Eric Bailly was arriving on scene. Bailly threw his body into the path of the shot, where it the top of his shoulder and flew over the bar. An heroic block from Bailly that was as valuable as a goal. VAR checked for handball, but no penalty was awarded.

United found an equalizer in first-half stoppage time though, and of course it came from none other than Mr. Champions League himself, Cristiano Ronaldo. United won a throw-in in the attacking third, and it was moved around quickly in midfield before Bruno Fernandes ran into the box in front of his man. He was found by Mason Greenwood via a crisp pass along the ground into his feet. Bruno then played a backheel onto the onrushing Ronaldo, who struck it sweetly into the left side of the net. It was a brilliant bit of team play, and it was a good finish to cap off our best move of the match. Ronaldo simply cannot be stopped in the Champions League. Bruno probably could have a had a shot himself given that he had beaten his marker, but he definitely made the right decision by leaving it behind for his fellow countryman.

At halftime it was 1-1 and although it had been a rough start, I felt that United would capitalize on their sudden momentum into the second half. I was wrong. Despite Bruno having a shot early on blocked, it was the Italian side that took the lead again, and this time Zapata could not be stopped. A ball was played over the top to him, and he found space between Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Bailly to run into. Harry Maguire (also on a shocker) couldn’t get over in time to close him down, and Zapata tapped it past De Gea from close range for 2-1. Initially, the goal was ruled out for offside, but after a very lengthy VAR check the offside call was overturned and Gewiss Stadium erupted into celebration again. This was quite an unprofessional goal to concede. Several United players were just stood there with the arms raised calling for offside, all while Zapata was in on goal. Ok yes the call was questionable, but questionable calls happen all the time! The players have to be switched on enough to go and clear the ball anyway, even if they think it’s offside. Really poor to see from an effort point of view. Play until you hear a whistle – it’s as simple as that.

Edinson Cavani replaced a largely-ineffective Marcus Rashford soon after the 2nd goal, which didn’t really change much. Nemanja Matic came on for Pogba shortly after that, which was probably 20 minutes too late. Pogba needed to be off much sooner, given how poor he played. Atalanta continued having the better of the chances, and I thought United were heading towards defeat in northern Italy. More substitutions were made on 85 minutes, with Jadon Sancho and Donny van de Beek (VDB) coming on as well. And finally, a positive effect was felt. Those two contributed more in 10 minutes of play than Pogba did in 70+. Why they both weren’t on earlier is a mystery to me as both contributed to the late equalizer.

Sancho and VDB combined well down the left side, with VDB eventually getting a cross in along the ground. It was only partly cleared by Atalanta, and the ball fell to Ronaldo on the left side of the edge of the penalty box. He dribbled parallel to the goal for a bit before finding Greenwood, who juggled it a bit in the air haphazardly before getting it back to Ronaldo. Ronaldo hit it on the volley first time low and with power diagonally across the box, and the ball went under Atalanta keeper Juan Musso at the far corner for 2-2 in the 91st minute. Unbelievable. Ronaldo is simply other-worldly. You can keep him quiet for 88 minutes but if you slip up in just two of those minutes, he can hurt you. Both of his goals were well-taken but the finish from outside the box on the 2nd goal was truly stunning. United would be bottom of this Champions League group if not for him.

VDB then almost won it from United from close range at a tight angle just minutes later, but Musso produced a fine save to deny him. The final whistle went and the points were shared. United still lead Group F, but they are level on points with Villarreal at 7 apiece. Atalanta sit 3rd with 5 points. United are still in the driver’s seat to win the group, but the match against Villarreal in a few weeks’ time in Spain is now the pivotal match in the group. Win, and we’re essentially through to the knockouts. Lose, and we stand a very good chance of missing out on the next round and being forced to play in the semi-dreadful Europa League.

Needless to say, no one was convinced by this performance. Yes we got a point away from home in the Champions League, but it was an awful bloody struggle to get it. OGS got his tactics wrong – again – and we had to be rescued by two moments of brilliance at the end of each half. The back three didn’t work today, and who knows how long OGS would have stuck with it if he wasn’t forced into a change by an injury? It’s clear that Gasperini and his staff watched our performance against Tottenham and figured out a way to stop us from hitting them on the counter attack. It was a simple move on paper, really. He just told his back line to play further back towards their goal than Tottenham’s back line did, and we couldn’t get any runners in behind them like we did at the weekend. They also knew – again – when to press us and who to press, and that was usually Maguire. His poor positioning was directly responsible for their second goal. I think he needs a benching for a match or two to get his head right because he is not playing up to his full abilities.

Gasperini needs to be credited for making a tactical switch at halftime as well. He assigned a normally more attack-minded midfielder to instead man-mark Bruno, meaning he was to follow Bruno around whenever Atalanta were off the ball and make it impossible for him to be the playmaker he normally likes to be. For most of the half, it worked. Pogba was having an absolute shocker of a match and with Bruno man-marked, we had no one to create for us in midfield. We couldn’t keep consistent possession, and even when we did manage to gain a foothold, the ball was promptly surrendered again. Again, I cannot a recall a match in which I have seen Pogba play so poorly.

All in all, Atalanta won this match from a tactical perspective. It was domination by them for the majority of the time. They had better chances. However, United were more clinical. We only had maybe 3-4 shots on target the whole match, but we made 2 of them count thanks to the magic of Ronaldo. However, this style of play is unsustainable. You cannot give your opponent the lead twice in a game and expect to get something out of it every time, because you won’t. I am gravely concerned about our defending, in particular the lack of communication along a back line that was so consistent last season. Seeing Raphael Varane go off injured again was a large black mark on the match as well, because he is now probably unavailable for the Manchester Derby on Saturday.

I do think it’s time for OGS and Manchester United to move on from each other. He keeps making the same mistakes over and over again, and there is still no clear style of play. He refuses to bench out-of-form players, and he routinely makes either the wrong substitution or waits too long to make the substitution altogether. I understand we need a defensive midfielder, but rollercoaster form like this is not acceptable given the talent we have. We need a manager with a solid vision for the system he wants to implement and a clear path for how to do it. I appreciate everything OGS has done for this club both as a player and manager, but I do feel that his unwillingness to make changes and inability to make effective changes means that he has taken us as far as he can take us. If the City result is negative, I can see his time being over.

Man of the Match = Eric Bailly. Several key blocks and tackles won in crucial areas, coupled with a magnificent work-rate. Best player on the pitch by a mile wearing red.

United return to Old Trafford on Saturday for the Manchester Derby. I’m not optimistic. Maybe we get a few moments of magic like we did today, but keeping Manchester City from scoring will be a very tall order indeed.