All posts by h79snht.top

We all hate pre-season. The players hate it – it’s bloody tough. The managers hate it – getting in new signings and trying to get everything in place for the new season is much harder than simply getting the team to play well. The fans hate it – there’s only so much cricket you can watch!

So thankfully it’s over, this summery hell. This weekend sees the return of the Premier League in all its splendour, and we can talk about actual football again.

That must be a relief to Manuel Pellegrini and Manchester City fans, who have had to put up with a lot this summer. From worrying about whether Fair Play regulations would be relaxed or not, to worrying about having enough ‘homegrown’ players to represent the Citizens in the Champions League next season. Then the sagas involving Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph and all of the fan and media contention surrounding those moves.

Now it’s poor pre-season form that City have to deal with. Or at least, it is if you believe the commentators.

Shipping four goals to Stuttgart – these days strutting their stuff in much lower reaches of the Bundesliga than where we’re used to seeing them – was clearly a poor performance, especially from the defenders. And it’s prompted knee-jerk reaction from those who think a poor pre-season performance is a sound indicator of how this Manchester City team is going to fare next season.

The favourites for the title are Chelsea, indeed Chelsea have been favourites for the 2015-16 Premier League crown since about February-time it seems. The standard wisdom seems to suggest that Arsenal will challenge them closest, but that discounting Manchester United would be foolish, presumably because they’ve spent money like a drunken sailor in a warm port-town who has been told he only has a week to live.

That’s all on the back of how lacklustre City were in February and March and on their up and down pre-season. Particularly the Stuttgart game where Kompany and Mangala were terrible, leaving fans to question whether Kompany is still the player he was two years ago, whether Mangala will ever grow into a Premier League defender. Aside from those two, City have Martin Demichelis who is surely too old now to be considered a top centre-back and Jason Denayer, who has done well for Celtic and earned a Belgium call-up, but who is unproven at the very top level.

All of these things are, to a certain extent, true. City’s defence deserves to be questioned: Kompany has been poor by his high standards, Mangala has never looked like a £32m player and Demichelis is 34. But they also deserve the chance to put things right.

We have to remember that the whole of the City team – with the exception of Sergio Aguero – was sub-par last season, but they were sub-par three seasons ago too. When Sir Alex Ferguson wrestled the title back from City, the entire City team was sub-par. The next season they came back and won the league again, scoring over 100 goals. Just because they had a terrible season last time around doesn’t mean they will next season. It’s frustrating for City fans that Kompany and friends can’t keep it going, but there’s no reason to think that they can’t get it going again this season. Not yet anyway. It’s too soon to panic.

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Especially on the back of pre-season.

A pre-season friendly tells us absolutely nothing about a team’s form or quality. If Kompany was poor against Stuttgart then it might just tell us that he wasn’t feeling the Stuttgart game. So long as he’s fit for the new season and doesn’t have a shocker against West Brom on Monday night then there’s no need for Pellegrini to panic.

City are being written off this season, and that’s a dangerous thing. With Aguero, Silva, Sterling, Toure, Navas and Nasri to call on they are a very dangerous team, if not the most dangerous in the league. Just as one swallow doesn’t make a summer, one summer doesn’t make a poor team. City still have some world class players and we might just see them prove it over the next ten months.

Just before the festive period, Manchester United posted a piece on their own website about how they were the Premier League club with the least rest over the coming weeks.

If that sounds like an extreme case of a club moaning about their luck, that’s because it is. United, as an institution, took to the largest platform available to them simply to whine about too many games.

It’s not a great look, but it is true: United had the least rest of any club over this schedule of festive fixtures. You don’t have to feel any form of real sympathy for them, but you can’t change the facts either. Nor can Manchester United.

What they probably could have changed, however, was their overreliance on certain players. As Mourinho put it in his press conference ahead of the game with Southampton this weekend, he has to be ‘grateful’ to Romelu Lukaku for playing 20 Premier League matches this season. The Belgian striker is overworked, perhaps, though his contribution has certainly waned: he has scored just four goals in all competitions since September. Goalless in his last three games, it looks like he could be starting off on another drought.

He’s not the only player Mourinho ought to be grateful to. Although the Portuguese coach broached the topic of other players who may have played as much football as the Belgian, stating somewhat oddly that when you’re a midfielder or a defender you can often control your exertion a bit more, it’s also true that Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic have also played their fair share when they’ve both been fit and well. Lukaku has played every minute, the same as David de Gea, but there are nine United players who have played over 1000 minutes so far.

And so the dreaded combination has actually happened for United. They have overworked some of their players over the course of the autumn – partly because of injuries to players like Eric Bailly, Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick, which have limited their ability to rotate – and partly because of Mourinho’s old-fashioned approach to rotation, setting up his best team and sticking to it. And when the festive period came around, they’ve been left in trouble. Amplified, perhaps, by less rest than the rest of the league, but we’re talking hours here, not days or weeks.

They do have a real problem, though. Phil Jones, Ashley Young, Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Romelu Lukaku all played 90 minutes against both Leicester City and Burnley, whilst Juan Mata started both and was given only seven minutes rest, being taken off against Leicester just before the end. Marcus Rashford, and Jesse Lingard, too, played in both games, though both should be able to play two games in a row at least and neither should be as tired as those mentioned above – neither should David de Gea, though he too has played the full 90 in both festive fixtures.

The pertinence of this is not to say that Mourinho should be absolved of poor performances because of fixture congestion – he’s brought the pain upon himself in many ways. And Saturday’s game against Southampton will not be the most important one, either. If United’s team at home to Saints is a strong one, just how tired will those important players be when it comes to playing just 48 hours later away to Everton?

Travelling to face the Toffees will bring its own challenges, too, and it’s the kind of game United will need to be on top form to win. Or at least good physical form. Unbeaten under new manager Sam Allardyce, Everton are now a robust and physical defensive unit in a way they simply haven’t been for most of this year, and their five clean sheets in seven, with only two goals conceded tells you everything you need to know. Indeed, it’s not like they’ve played terrible teams either – they kept a clean sheet against Chelsea, and drew 1-1 with Liverpool. They even beat Huddersfield, which United fans will know isn’t a particularly easy task.

Now is the time when Jose Mourinho needs his squad more than ever, but it’s also where we see the problems within it. He has overworked some of his key players, and whether that’s to do with poor squad management or a lack of trust in some of players who will need to be shipped out and replaced, we don’t know.

But we do know this isn’t a new problem for Mourinho.

Last season he all but threw the Premier League in order to compete in Europe, win some silverware and qualify for the Champions League. All the while he complained about tiredness and too many games. That might be a legitimate tactic given the context of last season, but it’s also something he looks to be doing again this season. It was a problem in his final full season as Chelsea boss, too, when one of the many reasons for that team’s decline was overwork – you could practically name the XI who were going to start every week, and there was little rotation there, too.

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You can’t do this every year. At some point, you surely have to announce that you’ve built the squad that you’ve been trying to assemble for well over a year and state that you’re going to try to win trophies.

There is no doubt that Manchester United have a fixture pile-up, and so does every other team. United, however, are in the most difficult position thanks to injuries and their overreliance on some key players. And they only have one man to blame.

Mourinho is simply doing what he’s always done.

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When John Terry signed for Aston Villa last season, most fans were thrilled with the acquisition.

The former England captain opted to leave Chelsea after losing his place at the back to a three-man defence of Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill and David Luiz.

With 15 major trophies under his belt, Villa fans were pleased to have Terry’s experience and winning mentality at the club.

The ex-Chelsea skipper spent two months on the sidelines after getting injured in Villa’s 2-1 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in November.

He has since returned to action, but manager Steve Bruce confirmed on Friday that Terry is a doubt for Saturday’s trip to face Nottingham Forest after rolling his ankle in training.

Tommy Elphick, who joined Villa from Bournemouth in 2016, has been impressing fans with his performances at the back having played against Brentford, Middlesbrough and Bristol City over the festive period.

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With news of Terry’s setback being posted on Twitter, fans have claimed that they would want to keep Elphick in the side anyway.

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David Beckham has admitted that he ‘still can’t believe’ that Manchester United managed to sign Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal during the January transfer window.

Sanchez was strongly linked with a move to Manchester City when it became apparent that the Chilean would not be extending his contract at Arsenal.

It was United that swooped to land the 29-year-old, however, in a deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan move in the opposite direction.

The Red Devils did not pay a transfer fee for Sanchez due to Mkhitaryan’s involvement in the deal, and the attacker impressed during his debut for the club against Yeovil Town last week.

Beckham, who represented United between 1991 and 2003, has claimed that he was astonished when Sanchez left Arsenal for the Theatre of Dreams.

Beckham told reporters at the launch of his Major League Soccer franchise:

“I still can’t believe it’s happened, to be honest. When he’s been part of a club as big as Arsenal and then he moves a few hours away up north to the biggest club, it’s astonishing to see.

“We all wish him luck. I’m a Manchester United fan so I am excited about having someone of his talent wearing a Manchester United shirt – so it’s exciting times for us.”

Sanchez is expected to make his Premier League debut for United in Wednesday’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley.

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Diafra Sakho’s time at West Ham United looks to be coming to an end following a three-and-a-half-year spell at the East London outfit.

According to Sky Sports, the Senegal international is closing in on an £8m switch to Rennes after passing a medical at the weekend.

The report claims that West Ham will receive £4.5m up front followed by the remaining £3.5m in add-ons.

Sakho was thought to be on the verge of leaving the club during the summer window, but a deal never transpired.

Now, though, it seems that the 28-year-old is ready to move on to pastures new following just two starts in all competitions this season.

In total, Sakho has had 17 outings in a West Ham shirt in the current campaign, and 14 of them were substitute appearances in the Premier League.

Aside from the arrival of Joao Mario, it has been a quiet January window for the Hammers.

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Fans have been giving their views on Sakho’s imminent exit on Twitter.

Newcastle United’s victory over Manchester United on Sunday was highly praised by Match of the Day host Gary Lineker on Twitter.Rafael Benitez’s side were in need of a win as they try to navigate themselves further away from the relegation zone in the Premier League.Many football fans would have predicted a routine win for Jose Mourinho and his men, but they were unable to hit the back of the net.In the end, Matt Ritchie’s 65th-minute goal was the only thing to separate the two sides at St James’ Park.https://video.footballfancast.com/video-2015/twitter-report-1.mp4As a result of the game, the Magpies moved out of the bottom three, but they sit just two points above the drop.Former Tottenham Hotspur forward Lineker took to Twitter when the final whistle blew and suggested that the win could be vital in Newcastle’s bid for survival.

Rafael Benitez’s side will be on their travels for their next two league fixtures as they prepare to take on Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium in 12 days’ time, and then Liverpool at Anfield on March 3.

RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner, rated at €60m (£53.3m) according to Transfermarkt, scored a brace in his side’s impressive 3-1 win away against Napoli in the first leg of their last 32 Europa League knockout tie on Thursday night, and Manchester United fans have urged their club to sign the 21-year-old.

The highly-rated attacker has been in fine form for the Bundesliga outfit across the last 18 months after joining them from Stuttgart, and his double against Napoli means that he has now scored 37 goals in 61 appearances in all competitions for the club.

The centre-forward would certainly provide some competition for Romelu Lukaku in the centre-forward spot at Old Trafford, especially with Zlatan Ibrahimovic looking likely to leave when his contract expires in the summer.

Man United supporters were quick to have their say on Werner’s latest performance via social media, and while one said “we should bin Lukaku and get him”, another said “Werner needs to come to United but we all know he’ll end up at Bayern”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Ahmed Elmohamady played the full 90 minutes as Aston Villa recorded a 3-0 win away to struggling Sunderland in the Championship on Tuesday night.The match proved to be the 30-year-old’s 33rd Championship appearance of the season, and it was another solid performance from the experienced full-back.Elmohamady, who is valued at £2.7m by transfermarkt.co.uk, joined Villa from Hull City last summer, with the Egypt international reuniting with his former manager Steve Bruce.[ad_pod ]The versatile right-sided player does not get the headlines on many occasions, but it is clear that the Villa supporters are delighted with his form during the 2017-18 campaign.Elmohamady posted a picture following the Sunderland game on Tuesday night, and the Villa fans, who have also been reacting to James Chester’s performance at the Stadium of Light, were on hand to pay tribute to the Egyptian.A selection of the Twitter reaction in relation to the defender’s form can be found below:

Arsenal do tend to recover well from stormy weeks, which goes some way to explaining why Arsene Wenger is still in a job.Of course the underlying issues that have dogged the Gunners in recent years – predictable football, a soft centre, going missing in the big games – are still lurking under the surface, waiting to be exposed by the right opponent.However, Milan and now Watford have proved themselves not to be able to do so as Arsenal have recovered from a tumultuous week which saw them suffer three defeats in a row.[ad_pod ]They have seen off both sides, scoring five goals in the process and conceding none. Sunday’s home stroll against the Hornets also saw Petr Cech end his long wait to rack up his 200th Premier League clean sheet.Mesut Ozil – viewed by some as the archetypal fair weather Arsenal player – was impressive against Javi Gracia’s men and took to Twitter to celebrate the win.

The German – valued at £45m by Transfermarkt – was not short on responses from Arsenal’s fans and we’ve taken a closer look at some of the best…

Manchester United are keeping a close eye on the contract situation of Arsenal right-back Hector Bellerin, with designs on a summer swoop for the Spanish right-back, according to the Manchester Evening News. 

What’s the story?

Bellerin has a long contract with the Gunners but has been linked with a move away this summer, after another season of under achievement at the Emirates.

Sources close to the player have revealed that United have been in touch and have asked to be kept updated on his situation in the event that the player – valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt – does want to leave North London this summer.

The improved form of Luke Shaw earlier in the season saw Jose Mourinho shelf plans to invest in a new left-back and switch his attention to the opposing flank.

Why he’d be a good fit for United

The first obvious riposte to Bellerin’s suitability for United is that Antonio Valencia has captained the side for much of the season and has been among the most impressive performers at Old Trafford, yet again, this campaign.

However, the former Wigan man turns 33 days before the 2018/19 season starts. That means United have to start their search for a successor sooner rather than later as Valencia can only get up and down the right flank for so long.

Bellerin has lots of ability going forward and while he is unlikely to improve much as a defender under Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho would surely make him more solid defensively.

He has experience of playing in the Premier League for four seasons now, but simultaneously, he is one of the most promising right-backs in world football.

Furthermore, the opportunity to learn alongside Valencia for at least a season, and also share the burden with the Ecuadorian in the event that he needs a bit more time to find his feet at Old Trafford, which would be helpful.

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Juventus and Chelsea may also be in the hunt for the Spaniard but United have to be right at the front of that transfer wrangle of Mourinho is serious about overhauling his side this summer.

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