Manchester United have made an inconsistent start to their Premier League campaign. The Red Devils suffered a 2-0 defeat at West Ham on Sunday afternoon and in all honesty, it was not a major shock. It was not a major shock because United are no longer the football force they were for two decades under Sir Alex Ferguson. Their team does not match up to the reputation of the club.
United have a mediocre team
The head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will take a lot of criticism for United’s current plight of inconsistent. However, sooner or later the attention needs to turn to the players and their quality.
Despite the arrival of many big-money signings over the past few summers, the Red Devils still have a mediocre team. Too many of the players in the United squad are simp…
At least I did not put them off the job! said Arsene Wenger last week, as two of his old Arsenal stalwarts, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira, prepare to go head to head on Friday.
Vieira s Nice will visit Henry s Monaco in a Ligue 1 derby match that could go some way towards defining just how successful their first seasons at their respective clubs will prove to be.
Things have not gone too well for Henry, who only managed his second win since taking charge in mid-October on Tuesday against Amiens. They remain level on points with two sides still in the bottom three.
Vieira, who returned to his homeland after honing his skills with New York City, has put Nice in the European reckoning but has seen their form stumble with back-to-back goalless draws.
As…
Alvaro Morata has become the first Spanish player to score a LaLiga hat-trick for Real Madrid since Raul achieved the feat in April 2009.
The homegrown striker ending that eight-year streak will come as a welcome relief to Madrid, who have been criticised in previous seasons for not giving development opportunities to their own young talent in favour of star buys from overseas.
Morata made the most of just his 10th league start of the season, scoring three times in Madrid s dramatic 4-2 victory away to Leganes on Wednesday.
The former Juventus striker netted Madrid s second and third goals of the night with a looping header and a confident first-time finish, two goals that ensured he reached 10 top-flight strikes for the first time in his career.
And he g…
Robert Lewandowski thinks the era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo might not be seen again in 100 years – but also suggests he could be better than both.
The Barcelona and Real Madrid stars are the only players to have won the Ballon d Or since 2008 and are the two favourites to capture France Football s illustrious individual prize in 2017.
Record goalscorers for their respective clubs and in the Champions League, Messi and Ronaldo continue to set the benchmark in world football after a decade of exceptional consistency.
Lewandowski feels he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as the duo but did admit it is a privilege to have played during their careers.
Asked to compare himself with the best forwards in the world, the Bayern Munich star…
According to a recent report from Kicker, Bayern Munich are the latest side to make it known that they are interested in completing the signing of Erling Haaland. The belief is that they are looking for the next natural successor to popular forward Robert Lewandowski, and after scoring more goals than games he’s played in so far this season, the young Norwegian seems to be doing all the right things in order to convince the masses that he is capable of putting in a starring role for a top European club.
Bayern will have to take a ticket and join the back of the line, though, as we’ve already established just how many clubs are in the running to sign the youngster. Haaland has an insane amount of potential, but none of that matters if the team that buy him are unable to …
According to a recent report from Mundo Deportivo, Manchester City and Arsenal have both made it clear that they want to enter the race to try and sign Brazilian youngster Reinier. The 17 year old has been featuring for Flamengo over in his homeland so far this season, with his price tag rising to around £40 million as a result of that. Plenty of clubs will be more than willing to pay that kind of money for him, with City and Arsenal being included.
The strength in depth that Manchester City have within their ranks would lead one to believe that Reinier would not find his way immediately into the first team. With that being said it could also be true of Arsenal, although Unai Emery needs to take every risk that he possibly can right now in order to try and turn things ar…
Manchester United interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has won the Premier League s Manager of the Month award for January, while his striker Marcus Rashford clinched the players prize.
Solskjaer has had a remarkable impact on United since replacing Jose Mourinho on a temporary basis, presiding over seven wins in eight league matches.
Although United were rarely spectacular in January, they won three of their four matches and came from 2-0 down at home to Burnley to rescue an unlikely point at the end of the month.
That form has helped United climb above Arsenal in the Premier League table, and they can overtake Chelsea – even if only until Sunday – when they travel to struggling Fulham on Saturday.
Congratulations, !
The Player of the Month f…
According to a recent report from Marca, Barcelona defender Jordi Alba’s contract talks with the club have intensified. In the last few days there have been reports suggesting that the 29 year old is very interested in the possibility of re-signing with the Spanish champions, and now, it appears as if Barca are moving forward with their plan to tie him down to a long term deal. Alba has been at the Nou Camp since back in 2012 when he made the jump over from Valencia, which is where he had spent the previous three years of his professional career. Jordi is also an established member of the Spanish national team, having made his debut way back in 2011.
There have been a lot of rumours going around regarding the future of several top Barca players, but if this report is to be be…
Celtic have confirmed Neil Lennon s appointment as manager until the end of the 2018-19 season, after Brendan Rodgers left the club to take over at Leicester City.
Rodgers move to the King Power Stadium, after two and a half years in Glasgow, was rubber-stamped on Tuesday.
Confirmation of the former Liverpool boss s arrival at Leicester was immediately followed by Celtic announcing the re-appointment of former club captain Lennon, who won three league titles during his previous spell as manager between 2010 and 2014.
Lennon, who left his role as Hibernian boss last month, said: I am absolutely delighted to be named manager of Celtic again. This is a club which has been such a huge part of my life already and it is an honour to be asked to return.
I have …
Mexico made a winning start to their CONCACAF Gold Cup title defence after overpowering El Salvador 3-1 in their Group C opener.
The defending champions claimed their seventh Gold Cup crown in 2015 and they took a step towards another trophy thanks to first international goals from Hedgardo Marin and Orbelin Pineda, and Elias Hernandez s effort, in San Diego on Sunday.
With Mexico s regular stars afforded a break following the Confederations Cup in Russia, domestic-based players – aside from Erick Torres who plays in the United States – have been given a chance to shine in the country s bid for back-to-back Gold Cups.
And they stepped up, overcoming a spirited challenge from minnows El Salvador, who cancelled out Marin s eighth-minute opener within two minut…