THE PLAGUES: MANCHESTER UNITED VERSION

In a recent conversation with a random football lover on public transport, he asked me to name the greatest clubs of my lifetime and naturally I started off with Real Madrid, AC Milan, Barcelona, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Celtic. He had a look of bewilderment as he muttered 'Manchester United?' and ended the  conversation. His reaction got me  wondering. I initially thought he's crazy and started watching football in 2006. Maybe he was not one for history but to disregard Manchester United as one of the greatest clubs was just saddening. I remained in deep thought while wondering what made him respond that way and had a bit of an epiphany! He must've been scarred by the recent history of  United. A period characterised by various plagues that have devastated The Theatre of Dreams and made it a nightmare of mediocrity!

PLAGUE 1: THE BOARD

The sorry combination of Edward Woodward and The Glazer Family as the leaders of Manchester United has been a nightmare for all concerned. Some might argue they have raked in enough money but the club is in debt, and the team is a mess. They have absolutely no idea as to how to run the club and seem to make decisions impulsively. 

Openly refusing to back managers in the transfer market as well while throwing away huge sums in gut wrenching deals to sign and resign players who have absolutely no business wearing a United kit! 

PLAGUE 2: JOSE MOURINHO AND OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER

Where do i start with this pair ? Chronologically of  course! Jose Mourinho got his dream job of managing the Red Devils (quite late) and led them to some success but never won the hearts of fans. His abrasive and seige mentality to football did not help in an era where footballers are more diva than man! Some appalling transfers coupled with mind numbing and ineffective football set the club back on a number of levels. His approach made him few friends and his replacement has been no better despite appearing to be the antidote to the venom Mourinho left at Carrington. He started well and like a charismatic yet brainless general, had the players on his side. As soon as the players realised his tactical limitations, they bailed out on him. You can't blame him but yet still we blame him. He showed a future that did not exist and got the job. A husband who appeared as an angel in the courting phase and became a demon after the wedding. Basically, United replaced a Ruthless yet Effective General with a Norwegian Gideon Pillow. 

PLAGUE 3: PAUL POGBA & DAVID DE GEA.

If Manchester United has been plagued, then Paul Pogba is the cause! He's the flea that carried the strain that has infected some otherwise weak and over hyped players. Sounds quite harsh to single him out but for a player who has not been good as he's made to seem and causing so much havoc, I'm being nice. Fans would gladly point out that this has been a career season for Pogba as he's put out some solid numbers but for him to attack his critics and give a flimsy excuse on how Messi and Ronaldo have altered the landscape is just mediocre. His venomous and ineffective ways infected some members of the squad and produced some horrendous displays. Truth is he's never been good enough and is nothing more than a Dabbing Mulumbu (no disrespect to Youssouf Mulumbu). 

David De Gea. A hero. Previously the light at the end of the tunnel, but now a bit of curse. De Gea has been the top player at United for some time now but has been tripped and fallen into abject the mediocrity that has engulfed United. His issues seem to be more of the psychological nature as his apparent inability to make the move to his dream destination and the feeling of injustice towards he and his country men has made him a laughing stock. His poor form will do him no good as it will in no way attract his dream team. We all can't live the dream Dave so get your head in the game.

It is no secret, The Redd Devils have been afflicted but unlike the Biblical Character Job, they have to get themselves out of this one. 

They broke it, they must fix it. 

For The Love Of The Game. 

TRANSFER REPORT: PREMIER LEAGUE

The Winter Transfer Window has been cold! No major movements or changes to the big  clubs. The others are well improving or so it seems. This piece rates and grades the activities of the  top six in the EPL.

LIVERPOOL

ARRIVALS 

Connor Randall (Rochdale, End of Loan), Ben Woodburn ( Sheffield United, End 

of Loan)

DEPARTURES 

Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth, €21million), Nathaniel Clyne (Bournemouth, Loan)

A 5 point lead and a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League is exactly where Liverpool dreamed of being some 12 months ago. On the back of some shrewd transfer activity over the last two windows, one might have to agree. An otherwise quiet window with the return of Randall and Woodburn from their respective loans adds some level of squad depth to an already deep squad. Allowing a squad player (and maybe flop) like Dominic Solanke to join Bournemouth for €21 million is some good business and should add to the team's finances. The potential returns of Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gomez should be the catalyst Liverpool need to charge towards the title.
A quiet and sensible window for the Reds.
GRADE: B+

MANCHESTER CITY

ARRIVALS

Ante Palaversa ( Hadjuk Split, €4.8million), Ko Itakura ( Kawasaki Frontale, €1.10million), Anthony Càceres ( Melbourne City, End of Loan), Marlos Moreno ( Flamengo, End of Loan)

DEPARTURES

Brahim Díaz ( Real Madrid, €17million), Ante Palaversa ( Hadjuk Split, loan), Ko Itakura ( FC Groningen, loan), Anthony Càceres ( Sydney FC, Loan), Marlos Moreno ( Santos Laguna, Loan)

Relative to last winter, the Blue Half of Manchester has been quiet. Business has been the usual: arrivals and departures of young players the world over. The only significant activity has been the departure of Brahim Díaz to Real Madrid at a tidy sum. The focus now seems to be on usurping Liverpool at the summit of the table while challenging on other fronts. Expect a splash of cash this summer.
GRADE: B-

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

ARRIVALS

Nil

DEPARTURES

Moussa Dembele (GZ R&F, €12.45million), Georges-Kevin N'Koudou (Monaco, Loan)

You can't but feel sorry for Mauricio Pochettino. 2019 has started off poorly for the man. Starting the season at a disadvantage with a fatigued core and no signings, this season promised to be tough one but he managed to remain  competitive.. Till January. Injuries to key men has handicapped Spurs. The exit of Dembele though deserved should have been delayed to the end of the season. Safe to say the tag of 'Bottlers' will not be put on them for the rest of the  season, they've fought for nothing and will get nothing.
An abysmal showing by Daniel Levy and his men.
GRADE: D

ARSENAL

ARRIVALS

Denis Suarez (Barcelona, Loan)

DEPARTURES

Emile Smith-Rowe (RB Leipzig, Loan)

Arsenal will always be Arsenal.  Play beautiful football, go on an  unbeaten run of some  sort, be downright depressing, stagnate, repeat. That has been the Arsenal way for some time now. Unai Emery has been dealt a bad hand with his board informing him of no signings due to a lack of funds and has been restricted to loan deals. This approach has and will not take Arsenal back to the upper echelons of English football.
The temporal addition of Suarez will add a bit of spark but nothing spectacular from Arsenal. A let down after a  vibrant summer.
GRADE: C-

CHELSEA

ARRIVALS

Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus, €9million Loan), Christian Pulisic (Borrusia Dortmund, €64million)

DEPARTURES

Christian Pulisic (Borrusia Dortmund, Loan), Alvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid, Loan), Cesc Fabregas ( AS Monaco, Free), Victor Moses (Fenerbahce, Loan), Michy Batshuayi (Crystal Palace, Loan)

Tragic. A word that best sums up Chelsea's season and transfer activity so far. Stuck with a one dimensional revolutionary who has won nothing in 28 years of coaching. The season started so well but turned to something else. This winter window has shown no signs of improvement in the short term. Signing Pulisic is fantastic, but signing him on an expiring contract for €64million is just bad business. Bringing in an out of sorts Higuain is another fail. Letting go of valuable squad players will be detrimental to the team.
Brace yourselves Chelsea fans, you're about to get blue.
GRADE: D

MANCHESTER UNITED

ARRIVALS

Joel Pereira (Vitoria Setubal, End of Loan)

DEPARTURES

Nil

United have obviously been silent but their biggest transfer has to be the hiring of club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after the Mourinho madhouse. He has brought in a new belief and stability to the club and this has had a knock on effect on the club as the core players have expressed interest in renewing their contracts. 

A stabilizing window for a resurgent club.
GRADE: B

GOALS, EXCITEMENT, SURPRISES AND MORE! WHAT WE LEARNT FROM DAY 1 OF THE PREMIER LEAGUE

The 2017/18 Premier League season is underway and fans were treated to an entertaining weekend all over the world.

If we were to judge based on preseason results and transfer dealings, then the overriding feeling before kick-off would have been that top sides would get off to a flying start. But this is the top flight of English football and things are never so simple.

On a weekend where the reigning champions Chelsea were humbled at home by Burnley, while the favorites showed us their title credentials and Liverpool was Liverpool, 

here's few things we learnt from the Premier League on Match Day 1

1. Arsenal may not win the trophy but will have a big say in who wins it 

The Gunners started the Premier League at home with a nail biting but exciting seven goal thriller with Leicester.

The game showed us that should Arsenal be able to steer clear of injuries and all the unnecessary off the pitch issues that usually plague them, they will be a deciding factor in finding this season's winner. With a potent front line and a back line that looks ready to collapse at any point in the season, we can expect the Gunners to be themselves by having a shot at the trophy in the first half of the season and capitulate midway and try to salvage it at the end. Unless they delve into the transfer market and strengthen some defensive positions, expect Wenger and his men to be kingmakers this season.

 2. New Season, Same Old Liverpool

Usually the Premier League is unpredictable but it has one constant: Liverpool! There's the usual hype and furor about their transfer dealings and performances in the off season , the inability to transfer the performances to the season consistently and then the tag "Robin Hood".

 Though the season is young, The Reds showed signs of these in another goal-fest on Matchday 1 against Watford. Yes, there was the enforced and "semi-enforced" absences of Coutinho and Lallana but with the kind of squad Klopp has at his disposal, this should not be an excuse. A failure to improve in defence and goalkeeping will counteract all the work in attack. There is still time this season for Klopp to improve his and Liverpool's fortunes from "Next Year Will Be Our Year" to "This is Our Year".

3. Signs of Second Season Syndrome for Conte

After a title winning season in his maiden season in England, Antonio Conte has been anything but happy in the lead up to his second season.

With a somewhat unsatisfactory transfer campaign and the apparent lack of squad depth, it looks like the second season demons that plagued Ancelotti and Mourinho (in his second spell) are back and part of the blame lies squarely at his doorstep. His shocking treatment of Diego Costa, an apparent lack of communication between the board and himself (Matic sale) and his tactical rigidness (so far) all make up a recipe for disaster and this is imminent! With the improvements made by title rivals, a lack of depth and a grueling season ahead, it is safe to say Chelsea won’t be winning anything neither will they be defending anything. It might be the end of Conte’s stint at the Bridge. Failure to invest in the squad and a tweak in tactics will mean the ''Second Season Syndrome'' strikes and the London Bridge falls down.

4. Mourinho building Chelsea 2.0 at Old Trafford

Jose Mourinho is building another solid side with Manchester United and Chelsea may have given him the final piece. United’s signings seem to have gelled well but the addition of Nemanja Matic has all but solidified the side and given the team freedom to be fluid while occasionally joining the attack. With a burly target man with the form of Lukaku , pacy wingers at his side, creative midfielders behind him and pivot of Matic and Pogba not forgetting a solid backline and a world class goalkeeper, Mou has all the ingredients to create title winning juggernaut at the Theater of Dreams. Watch Out England, Jose is Coming.

UNITED CORNER: What Manchester United Must Do To Be Great Again.

When Jose Mourinho signed for Manchester United last summer, it was seen as a chance at restoring his battered pride and reputation. His dealings in the transfer market involved he making some shrewd and astute signings not forgetting expensive. United's early season form implied the transformation from Van Gaal's brand of hypnotic football to a more direct and clinical team. Or so we thought.

With a stop start season with their best run so far coming in August where they picked all points available in the league. A topsy-turvy season with twelve games in the league has yielded 19 points, their worst return since the 2004/05 season after the draw with Arsenal. His form in Europe has not been as encouraging as he has lost all his games away from home. His only 100% record has come in the English Football League Cup.

A closer look at performances indicate Mourinho is having tactical difficulties merging his old and new players into a characteristic Mourinho unit. Reports from Carrington indicate a 'cold and distant' approach to training which have yielded some embarrassing results this season. The form of some key men at the Theater Of Dreams have been extremely poor and appalling causing the team to depend on the individuals to get results.

All these and more are not the usual Mourinho approach to the game. He has the job of his dreams but he appears to be in some nightmare of some sort. The usual swagger and arrogance associated with Jose and his teams has disappeared with apparent glimpses every once in a while. The United top dogs must see Mourinho as the protagonist of the dark arts and give him the support he needs to jump start United's season. There has been financial support but that has been it. A little more of executive support in the Mourinho ways will set him free off his shackles of being the gentleman-ly character United want at the helm of affairs.

The players must become display some tactical flexibility as the new manager seeks to find a system that will make United great again. With a squad such as his, there should be no shortage of quality and this should allow Mourinho to experiment and try out varied systems. The onus lies on the manager to create a winning team but the team has to have the drive to be winners, something that retired along with Sir Alex Ferguson. It is up to the players to give the manager a selection headache; something Mourinho has not had since he took the helm at Old Trafford. Rooney and co. must get out their prolonged slumps and give Old Trafford the fear factor, Mourinho special again and United great once more.

From a manegerial perspective, some quarters of the footballing world have labelled Mourinho a tactical dinosaur and his refusal to move away from his favored 4-2-3-1 and 4-5-1 formations give credence to this opinion. Times have changed and these systems may have been effective for him in the past but a bit of innovation and tweaking every once in a while is one of the ingredients to make him a tough nut to crack again. Antonio Conte's tweaks this season have created one of the league's top teams in the early parts of the season. Switching from 4-1-4-1 to 4-2-4 then to 4-3-3 and 3-5-2 and finally 3-4-3 have given Chelsea a more varied approach to play and keep opponents guessing. Klopp's Liverpool have started 12 games with 4 different systems and so has Pep Guardiola at City. The importance of tactical variation and tweaks cannot be stressed enough and Mou must adopt these to get himself and United back to the top of English football.

With about 12 games in the league and 16 overall Mourinho has time to become The 'Special One' again and United have time to be great again but they have to be quick for time and tide, wait for no man.

REINVENTING MOURINHO: WHAT JOSE MUST WORK ON BEFORE HIS NEXT JOB.

It is almost a week into the new year and Jose Mourinho is still jobless. Jose Mourinho as proud as ever made an assertion after he was relieved off his duties before Christmas last year, that he was angling towards a return to the managerial hot seat more preferably that of Louis Van Gaal at Old Trafford. This was the plan but the seeming reluctance from the camp of United and the reported refusal to take the Real Madrid job midway through the season has left The self proclaimed Special One in a bit of limbo and jobless for the foreseeable future.

The apparent lack of big jobs is a sign from above to Jose to sit back and reinvent himself as a coach and a person overall. The old adage goes, 'you cannot teach an old dog new tricks' but Mourinho is not so much of an old dog at the age of 52. During his enforced break, it would be beneficial for him to work on a few aspects of himself.

1. ATTITUDE
The former Porto, Chelsea, Inter and Madrid manager has had some issues in relation to his attitude. This has set him back with some of the biggest clubs in the world as seen with his eye gouging poke of former Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova during his stint in Spain. Also, his constant attacks albeit verbally on rivals does him a lot of harm than good. This not only makes him look bad but also does his clubs no good in the media. His mentality is more often than not transferred to his players which makes his teams appear violent with reference being made to Pepe at Madrid and Diego Costa at Chelsea. His media antics though entertaining, sometimes crosses the line. He is often seen to be criticizing the footballing associations where he has coached. It is for such reason he has often been overlooked for jobs such as that of Bayern Munich and most recently, Manchester United.
He is an entertaining character no doubt but should refine his attitude to make him endearing to fans, players and bosses alike. Maintaining a healthy rivalry with managers as well as letting his players know when they cross the line on the pitch. A bad attitude is like a flat tire. Failure to change it will get you nowhere. But just as flat tires can be changed, an attitude can be changed for the better.

2. TACTICS
A football manager is as good as his tactics. Also, an adaptable coach is one who can switch tactics to suit the opposition at hand. This is something Mourinho seems to be lacking. A fixation on 4-2-3-1 formation has led to his downfall. When he lacks the kind of players suited to this style, his teams are outplayed and out thought on the pitch. Before his return to the dugout, Mourinho must not only reinvent himself from an attitudinal perspective but also, a tactical point of view. Also his defensive mentality should be switched to a more balanced style to his teams to satisfy the attacking and defensive needs of his teams. All in all a general adaptability should be infused into his tactical approach just as Guardiola to make his teams multidimensional


A few other things to work on is his long term abilities as a manager. He should formulate long term goals for himself as a coach for his teams. He should use maintain an eye on the youth teams and be a fatherly figure rather than an authority figure with the younger ones.
Also learning to hold his tongue should prove to be a good weapon for him.


The Special One may be down but it would be a mistake to count him out. During his time out work on rebranding himself should be paramount to ensure success in the short term as well as long term.
Watch Out World! A New and Improved Jose is coming.

TRANSFER DEALINGS! WHAT DO THEY MAKE YOU?

 A SCALAR OR A VECTOR?

MANCHESTER UNITED 

At the end of last season, most Louis Van Gaal and most United fans all over the world breathed a sigh of relief. That sound represented the end of a grueling, and challenging season. A sound that gave them the chance to regroup and improve their side. To assess the results £153 million gave them. To add quality and weed out those in the side to make up the numbers.

Van Gaal was ahead of us in this aspect as he made an astute signing before the season's end in the Dutch Eredivisie top scorer Memphis Depay. Just when we thought the spending would subside, Ed Woodward sanctioned the deals for German and Bayern Munich legend Bastian Schweinsteiger and French midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin for a combined £39.4 million. The double signing looks to solve the glaring central midfield problem even the great Sir Alex Ferguson sufficiently failed to fix since the departure of Roy Keane. The signing of Italian utility man Matteo Darmian allows Van Gaal to go about his frequent tinkering with more belief now as Darmian is a proven quantity. Also the signing of Depay gives Van Gaal an added dimension to his often blunt attack last season. The added bonus of keeping Spanish shot stopper David De Gea for another season in spite of the fact they could lose him for nothing next season to Real Madrid. 

During every transfer season, there are arrivals and departures and United's departures this summer include Robin Van Persie and Luis Nani. Though often surplus to requirements last season, their presence might have been beneficial to the team as the season promises to be long starting from August. The potential exit of Argentine winger will be a big loss to the team as with these signings he would be free to display the form that compelled Ed Woodward to shell out £ 59.7 million. Also the potential exits of Javier Hernandez and Johnny Evans could leave the team short staffed at the business end of a long season.

The team is far from finished as  Van Gaal said earlier, the team should make a few more deals before the end of the summer. A striker or two as well as defenders are needed to make United competitive again and the pursuit of Sergio Ramos, Nicolas Otamendi, Edinson Cavani and other players shows that United are serious about regaining their status as England's top club. 

Some quarters within the United fanbase are worried about some of the summer dealings so far with respect to their experience on the big stage with the exception of Bastian Schweinsteiger. Also, the issue of adapting to pace and quality of the Premier League as seen with Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao.

The summer business so far seems good and the potential deals are also looking good but suitable replacements are needed for the exits and potential departures are needed to make United the juggernaut they once were in the Ferguson Era.

Just as the old saying goes, "You are what you eat" but this summer I say, "You are who you buy" and I'd like to know if you think Manchester United's business dealings will make them a "vector team" with direction and quality or another  "scalar team" with a bloated squad of summer disappointments in the comments section.