Surprise, Surprise...

To be clear, I'm pretty exact on where I stand on the matter - I'm never going to be comfortable or fully accepting of Mourinho's football methodologies.

Yes, from time immemorial, competitive sports has been about winning. And yes, Mourinho usually finds a way to win. I get it.

Still, "Each according to his own taste" said the dog as it licked its balls. Style and aesthetics may be very secondary to many when it comes to trophies. For me, it ranks almost pari passu with. A bland soulless 'Fifteen Million Merits' appraisal system may indeed appeal to some where not very unlike the extremes of social media, the obscene desire for 'followers' or 'likes', at whatever cost, is satisfactory, celebrated and saluted. Well, not so with me. The emotional entertainment element of sport should also be satisfied. 

Then again, I'm not a business man who has invested millions in this context. I'm simply a sports fan.

So even as I dismount my moral high horse, one has to give credit where it is due - Jose has been able to navigate a tricky fixture list like a pro giving United a head start in the 2nd place arms race. Two weeks ago, the horizon was looking rather bleak. But after eking out an unlikely victory from what seemed an incontrovertible and depressing defeat sandwiched by strategically nullifying two of the most dangerous players in the world in fist-pumping victories over our closest and historical rivals, the man deserves certain praise.

"...This bad M.C. with stamina like Bruce Jenner/

The winner, tasting M.C.'s for dinner/

You're crazy like that glue/

To think that you could out-do my one-two/

That's sick like the flu..."                                                           Craig Mack (1971 -2018), 'Get Down'.

Someone likened him to a fabled sorcerer whose powers had seemingly whittled over the years. His abilities had become more myth (and mirth) than magic. Technological, financial and social advancements had explained away some of his past successes and there was perhaps really nothing 'special' about this warlock. But every now and again, he does something absolutely stupendous in full view of a large audience to remind that, maybe the old man is still to be feared and respected despite any previous misgivings.

Also worthy of uncommon praise are the much (deservedly) maligned players, Ashley Young and Chris Smalling for their performances particularly in the last two games. With Young, I have previously noted that he is often capable of executing a strategic defensive job (and he was awesome against Liverpool) but he's still pants offensively. I maintain that he's too limited to be Manchester United's starting left-back and there's nothing he does a Luke Shaw can not be coached to do doubly better. With Smalling, the come-back goal against Crystal Palace was the least he could have done given the previous defensive atrocities he exhibited even in that game. Against Liverpool, we could see the difference a fit-again Eric Bailly made as one half of our central defence. Welcome back, boss. I've read 'complete numbskulls' still suggest that Smalling is good enough for United in light of these fair to decent performances but my response to this is res ipsa loquitor - the thing speaks (loudly) for itself. If you put all crooked agenda aside, you will see it clearly for what it is. 

Is our midfield better without Pogba? Or rather is our midfield more functional without Pogba? Same difference? On the evidence before us, the fact that a potentially world class player can not adequately fit/sacrifice/hone his talents into any position in a midfield-3 is a shame to all involved. On one hand, Pogba seems unwilling to occasionally reign himself in and play according to the manager's set (if restrictive) instructions. On the other hand, this is a manager whose ethos is in the collective and he expects every player to be able to do a job when required (See aforementioned A. Young and Samuel Eto'o for reference). It is why an uncomplicated player like Scot McTominay (See also Mikel Obi) would probably flourish in a Mourinho midfield. A resolution needs to be found to this quagmire immediately. £90 million is not chicken feed.

Alexis Sanchez. Wow. Let's put it this way - the man is going to get a well deserved summer break and will start the pre-season with the team barring any injuries and then we'll see the very best of him. He's too much a world-class player to look this ugly in the team while simultaneously destroying the already fragile synergy in the front line. Thankfully, Lukaku is waking up to literally working the strength of his might to effectual use. If Rashford can also even occasionally do what he did against Liverpool and Martial can be kept in a good mood on match day while Lingard continues to net the important special goals (then he can do whatever stupid celebrations he pleases), then we should be able to manage the business end of things relatively smoothly.

There's still a lot of work to be done in achieving anything of note this season starting this week. There's the Champions League Quarter finals ticket waiting to be punched and the Brighton & Hove Albion pathway to be explored for the F.A. Cup semis. Sevilla showed that it was a dangerous opponent in the 1st leg and if not for De Gea's heroics, an uphill task would have been lying in wait. The tie is still finely poised at 0-0 and we play at Old Trafford. 😉 A positive result today should be adequate fuel for Saturday.

Make me happy, please!

Signing In,

B.L...   


Your Answers Are:

* Manchester City and Liverpool through. Spurs out. United and Chelsea, precarious. While Spurs and Chelsea (who have not yet been eliminated) admittedly faced top echelon opposition, are the English teams really not as good as they seemed during the group stages?

* Seeing that the EPL is coming to an expected end, how do we prevent a guard of honour and/or championship celebration at Old Trafford? 😠

* Congratulations Bayern Munich on your 6th straight! May we suggest you add Pulisic and Timo Werner to your summer shopping list?

* Week 26! If this was your answer to the Predict & Win question on when Juventus would take the lead for good, then you have won yourself a special prize. Contact me with proof of your prediction to claim your reward. Next question: Just how many league titles are Juventus going to win in a row?

* The Beard is the NBA MVP. 'Bron is in a bit of a pickle. The Raptors and Trailblazers are wearing their big boy pants. But are the San Antonio Spurs going to miss the play-offs?

* Always good to have the Tiger back and competitive. I, for one, had written him off. Is a Major still possible?

* Deontay Wilder is a brawler and can take a punch (No, he doesn't have a glass chin). But a methodical power-puncher with good stamina should make easy work of him. Sounds like anyone you know?

* I lost a friend, egbon and brother yesterday. More than an avid Manchester United supporter, he was a complete and decent gentleman. A family man to the core, Aremu Adekunle Adelodun was a man of impeccable character and integrity. We had this long-running hilarious thing where he referred to Paul Pogba as my 'mumu' i.e. a silly person I was sympathetic to (Why would anybody think that?, I would protest. Don't you often read my position on the player?😄) I would also in turn refer to Fellaini as his 'mumu' as he was particularly complimentary of the big man's gifts. Sir K, as he was fondly known, (@sirkbaba) was a natural comedian and he never failed to light up a room, cyber or real, with his presence. 

It is still very difficult to process. Rest in peace, Sir K. Death, where is thy sting?