The Stockholm Syndrome

Now that I've been able to temporarily lift myself out of the 'sunken place' that this gift of a season that keeps giving has kept me, I guess the mood now is to celebrate and encourage my 'captors' into leading us into the promised land - Stockholm, here we come? 

The Swansea draw on Sunday may have been the final lobotomy in the curious experiment that this season has been and I felt there was really no need repeating what had been mentioned one too many times. There is no genius in 'copy and paste'. And yet more copying and pasting. Draws are guaranteed when wins are necessary. Wins come to act as an antibiotic to stop the wounds from festering. Not to heal but to prevent a recommendation of amputation. The phrase 'papering cracks' also comes to mind and the year-tide stagnation at one (or two) positions on the league table is further testament to that situation.

It seemed before the 1st leg Europa League Cup semi-final away tie to Celta Vigo yesterday that it would be the turn of Tuanzebe to captain the team which didn't seem at all bad considering that all the newly anointed 'sub-captains' won their inaugural games. Against the Swans, the cyborg that is Eric Bailly seemed to have finally broken down, Pogba was till out, Shaw copped another debilitating injury within 10 minutes from the start and everybody else was tired. Or inadequate.

Fortunately, Bailly came back (You, Cyborg, you! 😉) for the clash, Pogba too, Mata was again listed as a sub and even Smalling felt up for it. Was Zlatan also going to make a surprise cameo? I couldn't rule it out. We now had a decent complement of players to pursue the task of at least discomforting a fresh team who had earlier this season seen off football giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona in their domestic league. 

Surprise! Surprise! It turned out much more comfortable than expected. If Management, is about 'extracting more from individual(s) than anyone thought they had and forging a collective to accentuate their strengths and hides their weaknesses', then this game and pretty much the entire season has been relatively excellently managed. Competitive team sport is primarily about match-ups - our strategy i.e. personnel and tactics against yours and Mourinho, give it to him, is a master of this sort of warfare. It is however also undoubted too that he is a more 'reactive' than 'creative' guy. Challenges are more pronounced when he needs to be proactive and go for a win from an advantageous position than when the primary intention is to stifle the opposition and steal a game. 

Yet he continues to make mostly average resources (and if I hear that they are mostly 'internationals' one more time...) extremely hard to beat.

The expected and usual profligacy was well represented in the contest yesterday. Rashford set the ball rolling, Mkhitaryan matched him and then Lingard did same. And this was only the first half. Fellaini also received his standard appearance booking ("Only because he's Marouane Fellaini" apparently) and Mkhitaryan showed steel where he had been erstwhile weak and decided to stay on his feet in the 18' when he could and should have gone to ground after a mistimed tackle. Until football officiating fundamentally recognises that you don't have to hit the deck like you've been shot to earn a penalty, please be like Marcus Rashford and dive for like a swan.

Speaking of which, the 19 year old ("He works, he works, he works. He’s very mature and let’s forget the age because what matters is not age the quality") wonder boy once again came to our rescue with a well-worked free kick ("The free-kick is work. He works every day, he loves to work. Sometimes the training session finishes for the group and he keeps doing his individual work with my assistants."). We just need to get him doing extra sessions for his corner kicks too. (What's that about?). When a team the size (and cost) of Manchester United relies on a home-grown teenager who still needs his hand held as its get-out-of-jail card, then some things may need to be re-addressed in the nearest future. Hopefully, the knock he seemed to have received before his substitution is only minor. 

Once again, hopes are high. A comfortable away win in the 1st leg of a semi-final should bode good things. Perhaps, now is the time to focus all resources on this particular endeavour. The gaffer has already hinted as much. European giants, Ajax are almost definitely in the final and I fancy our chances in that potential match-up. Also recall that the Europa is the only trophy missing from our impressive cabinet. Which is of course secondary to the fact that this is a viable avenue to the Champions League next season. 😶 Amusingly, the ''blockbuster" against Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday can therefore be appropriately considered as a peripheral fixture. If indeed Monsieur Wenger is ready to make nice and Mourinho can put his ego in check and not risk it all by trying to one-up the Frenchman (once again)...then it probably wouldn't be Arsenal v Manchester United. Till then...

Signing Out (With All Humility and Gentility),

B.L...

In Other News:

* Anthony Joshua stopped Wladimir Klitschko in the 11th round in a heavyweight fight for the ages. Two giants brawling in search of a K.O. This wasn't sweet science - it was simply masterful lumber-jacking. Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury have raised their hands for further engagement. I wouldn't bet against Joshua.

* In another boxing contest, while Marie Le Pen and New Black Emmanuel Macron have been busy slugging it out for the soul of France (Liberte! Egalite! Fraternite!), Kylian Mbappe landed a vicious uppercut to all suitors not named 'Real Madrid'. Good one, son. There's a book titled 'Bernabeu - A Tourist's Delight' written by one Martin Odegaard I'll like you to read...

*Bayern Munich have won the Bundesliga for the uncountableth time and for about 495 straight seasons in succession - Big Ballers. Who would have guessed?

* The Truth finally retires after 19 seasons. Boston will remember you...