Home Truths

"Come gather around people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
And if your breath to you is worth saving
Then you better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changing..."                                              

- 'The Times They Are A-Changing', Nobel Laureate Bob.

I really hate to say "I told you so" but I've told you over and over and over and over and over and over and over again that I could as well say it one more time just because I have already - I told you so.

Not that it ever meant anything in the larger context of things but there's a certain catharsis documenting this now widely recognised anomalies and absurdities has provided me. I'll spare you the banality this time around.

On thing is for sure though. Jose Mario dos Santos Mourinho Felix, great manager he has been, has lost a few steps. Maybe more than a few. This is no longer peak Jose. I do not believe this is still up for debate. He really doesn't seem to have progressed very well with the times, tactically, as a manager.  Gone (or going) is the clear thinking, decisive, ruthless, fearless, gutsy and strategic man. What is currently on show is an indecisive, foolishly stubborn, egoistical and mentally straight-jacketed coach who expects things to go his way almost on the singular basis that His Specialness has indeed picked the team. Even if the results have lied (No, they have not), the performances clearly haven't. This is not a wanton assessment but settled facts derived from verifiable data accumulated over the recent years.

                                                              Still worth the hype? as captured by dailystar.co.uk

Justifiably named last year as one of the top 10 greatest coaches since the creation of UEFA, Mr. Mourinho was also the first manager to exceed $1 billion in transfers. The others who have approached/crossed this threshold are Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola, also proven winners. This  actually makes sense as club owners would understandably be willing to invest heavily in players fancied by these men knowing they are guaranteed certain returns. Money usually equates success particularly in the hands of a knowledgeable manager. And that's why this re-incarnation of Mourinho is so baffling. He still commands his Board's hefty investments but his methodologies, nay, his product, are not at all correspondent. How about the Europa and League Cup in his first season, you may offer. Good. But I resolutely believe that for a team of Manchester United's stature, coupled with the investments, both managerial and personnel-wise, that were made, that was the absolute minimum.

The return to the Champions League could have occurred in two ways; Make the Top 4 or win the Europa Cup. We chose the latter and came 6th in the league. Great but anything else would have been nothing short of catastrophic. Even then, the performances in the competition were jagged and sometimes fortuitous (and I'll agree that the latter element is part of the game but it wasn't any swashbuckling dominant glorious ascent to the throne is all I'm saying.) The euphoria was primarily about making the Champions League via winning the only cup not in our trophy room and then there are several good reasons why before now we rarely participated in that competition. There should be no garlands for that one.

We may mud-sling back and forth on social media on how Guardiola is not 'special' and is in fact a cheque-book manager (like virtually all other managers who have had sustained success. True) but there is a discernible, almost exact preciseness and clarity to his purpose. Except one wants to be dishonest, the upward trajectory and improving quality personnel of the noisy neighbours is evident. Mourinho has spent nearly half a billion in one and a half seasons without still knowing what his best side is. Like his predecessors, he has made purchases who look ill-fitting, unprepared and confused as to their roles in the team and this without even referring to the on-going civil war with the rebellious Pogba.

For instance, celebrated signing, Alexis Sanchez does not seem to have a defined role in the team and this has further disrupted the entire already iffy rhythm of the forward line. As he seems to play everywhere (and not in a good way), Lukaku has ventured deeper into the lost forest, Martial has become handicapped on the right and Lingard, our most in form player before Alexis' arrival, doesn't seem to know what he's doing on the pitch. This should not be the resultant effect of acquiring a world-class player. Something is dreadfully wrong.

I promised not to again dwell on the Smalling/Young/Pogba/Lukaku dilemnas so I wouldn't.

My fear is that the coach is going to insist on proving his point and shall, if not immediately, within the next couple of games, retain or revert to this dastardly set-up. Make your own conclusions on the implication of that. Sometimes the simpler it is, the better. Just put the red square peg in the red square hole and avoid playing Rubik's Cube.

The sad truth is that we have been sucked into the race to avoid 5th place. Third placed Liverpool are 2 points behind United. Chelsea is 4th and 3 points behind. Resurgent Spurs are currently 5th place and 4 points behind. Spurs have a lighter fixture list (on paper) than we have. It is almost a foregone conclusion at this time that Kompany has one hand on the Premiership trophy so one of those teams, United inclusive, will not make the Top 4.

For a manager who was engaged for a premium on the reputation of guaranteed success in his 2nd year, Mourinho has bitterly disappointed. His engagement, as evidenced by the heavy investments made by the club, was not one seeking gradual progress or youth development. One season is permissible as trying to figure out your team. Dead weights and surplus-to-requirements could have been released or sold over the next summer transfer window with preferred reinforcements brought in. Certain players have been correctly deemed 'not good enough' by a large majority of supporters over the preceding years and the only logical reason they still remain in the team is because the manager wants them. The blame, at this point, should no longer lie with the players - This IS Mourinho's team and he should bear the full responsibility.

If you visit my home on a Sunday and find it in an untidy state and the explanation I give to you is that Mr. XYZ was responsible for the mess, then perhaps, Mr. XYZ is an untidy person. But if you make a return visit on Friday and still find the house in the same level of untidiness, then maybe, perhaps, I am the untidy person.

My grouse is not at being unable to win every match or available competition. It is at the muddled, obstinate and regressive thinking that has enveloped our football.

I am tired of hearing all the deflection. We should all by now recognise what the real issue is. Perhaps the boss will have a turn of conscience. Perhaps he'll heed to common sense and 'simplify' things like he so eloquently offered over the weekend. I'm not holding my breathe.

"When you reach my level you don't learn from others, you have to learn from yourself. So I learn every day."- Jose Mourinho

Next up: Huddersfield in the FA Cup on Saturday and then Sevilla in the Champions League. Here's hoping for much better performances and results...

Signing In (with a frown),

B.L...   


Your Answers Are:

* The UCL is back.

Juventus (2) or Spurs (2)?
Basel (0) or Man City (4)
Real Madrid or PSG?
Porto or Liverpool?
Chelsea or Barcelona?
Bayern Munich or Besiktas?
Sevilla or Man. United?

Shakhtar Donetsk or Roma?

* A heated argument in the office. Would you consider Samuel Umtiti a "world-class" defender? Do you think he's better than Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta as a centre-back?

* Can the re-tooled Cleveland Cavaliers defeat the scorching Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals? Was Isaiah Thomas done dirty or his slow recovery and adaptation did him in?

* All hail Bayern Munich, perpetual champions of Germany. Any doubts?

*  'Breaking Bad' or 'Mad Men'? 

Familiar Failings

Everyone has an opinion, however reserved, about something. Sometimes wrong, sometimes right.

It is often said that 21 analysts could come up with 21 different line-ups, formations and strategies to prosecute the same game.

But every once in a while, similar thought-sets are formed where a majority would agree on particular issues and both sentiment and fact become aligned. Familiar patterns are collated and there is an acceptance of the general idea being postulated. Mind, there would still be dissenting opinions on whatever this idea is. Sometimes borne out of a deep sincere belief of an unorthodox perspective or approach to the idea. Other times it's plain and simple cognitive dissonance. 

It's no secret at this point that, for whatever reason, Mourinho doesn't seem to get the big games right at Manchester United. It's been either too tepid, too conservative, too seemingly unprepared or as we saw on Wednesday, too imbalanced. But he's a proven winner, a fair number could argue. Also he wasn't the demon controlling Phil Jones' right leg and none can prove that he asked the defence to play the game of 'musical statue' from kick-off. 

But this is not the first time the team has started in this manner and I fear it would not be the last. When the 2nd half commences, I always wait for the dreaded 55 minute-mark to pass in the hope that a goal is not conceded. Inexplicably, the team always takes a while to boot when they step out on the pitch and it is at those moments they are most vulnerable. I don't know what the exact stats are but I'm almost certain that this is the peak period goal attempts are conceded by the team. 

Whatever Jose tells the players in the dressing room before the game starts is either too much or too little. Go figure.

Which brings me to the day's line-up. The buck stops at the manager's table so except he's over-achieving with this team like some other managers (cough), he gets to pick up the can when things go as bad as they did yesterday.

                                                                  Wednesday's line-up against Spurs courtesy tvtropes.org

I'll start with the most non-controversial controversial issue - Ashley Young is not a left-back (non-controversial) and should not start for Manchester United, not least in that position (controversial).

I have harped over and over on this point but there are a lot of dissenters who believe that his 'tenacity' and hit/miss crossing qualifies him ahead of Shaw, Rojo and Blind, the last who should have taken the bloody Roma deal be seeing out his last season at Old Trafford. Take me up on this if you must but Young remains very limited and has best served as an x-factor in a defensive strategy rather than a starting left full back (Heck, he's almost exclusively right-footed). His predictability and lack of initiative means defenders league-wide have a fair and accurate idea of what transpires after Young receives the ball in the opponents' half of the field. To that end, they leave acres of space behind their right full back to the corner flag knowing fully well that: 1. He's not going to make direct runs into that tantalising space 2. Whatever he does, he almost certainly will cut back to his favoured right foot and 3. the ball will land at the left side of the goalkeeper's post where a. Lukaku b. Fellaini c. Smalling may connect to varying effect. Or the ball may go out of play for a goal kick.

A naturally left footed defender, Luke Shaw for instance, WILL bomb down the flanks and can instantly whip in a cross. Fortune mostly favours the brave.

Ashley stifles the game and I find Mourinho's insistence on foisting him as the lead left-back almost treacherous. Feel free to disagree.

An then we have Christopher Lloyd Smalling and Phillip Anthony Jones.

Name-calling is childish.

Jones has in the past been compared to Duncan Edwards, Franco Baresi and Fernando Hierro. Sir Alex, who sometimes suffers bouts of PPS (Pele Predictive Syndrome), also prophesied that he may become United's greatest player ever. Yes, you read that correct. Greatest. Player. Ever. Phil Jones. For a more grotesque fulfilled prophesy look no further than Chris Smalling being one of the vice-captains of Manchester United. I recall the 'Keane & Viera - Best of Enemies' documentary where Keano was asked what the most important quality in a captain should be. Roy was of the opinion that the captain should be the best player on the pitch (But was he even ever the 'best'? Relative. Debate for another forum and day). Character and Leadership were also recurrent themes in the captaincy discussion of that programme. Well, this is where we are now...

Again, you may disagree but the aggregate performances of these centre-halves particularly in the post-Fergie years are self-evident. In spite of every last ditch tackle, body-on-the-line clearance, odd goal and general perspiration we may have applauded, there is a glaring lack of technique (Neither is comfortable on the ball and what's that thing Smalling does where he clenches his fists and robotically turns his body to the direction he wants to pass the ball? When a Gareth Southgate doesn't think you 'fit into the way he wants his team to play' and you are a playing Manchester United captain then there's a huge disconnect somewhere), inconsistency, poor concentration, indecisiveness and basic lack of requisite quality.

This is not solely about the Spurs game even though that serves as an appropriate example. This is about basic and consistent deficiencies from those two that a good number of supporters have noticed and voiced out over the last couple of years. But these are immediately papered over by the next 'W' or achieved 'target' (In the recent years, qualifying for the Champions League has in itself become a viable ambition). We can continue to pretend this is not the case when the next relegation-scrapper is pummelled 4-0 and the table shows the team has conceded the least goals in the league (Thank you, David). It's somewhat similar to the stubborn refusal of 'expert pundits' to accept that club legend Wayne Rooney was a spent force at least 3 years ago. The various excuses were that he was not a '9', then he wasn't a '10', then it was his team mates not contributing their quota, then it was the manager not playing to his strengths. They unanimously, but unfortunately without shame, eventually accepted this reality only last summer.

I would be welcome to serving cups of coffee when we wake up from this current reverie.

And if the fit $35M defender cannot comfortably start games more than half-way through a season in which he partook in full pre-season preparations, then it's over to you again, Jose.

Paul Pogba has improved from last season. Statistically at least. And I still think he'll get better. He has everything in his locker, skill, technique, presence, attitude (a bit too much?), pace and a good shot (Accuracy though is hovering around 30%). But what he severely lacks is emotional intelligence and the absence of this vital element can sink the whole boat of talent. It's okay to struggle at being played out of your favourite position but it's another to openly rebel against team tactics and strategy for personal flights of fancy. Mourinho affords Pogba a lot more latitude than a lot would like but he was left with no choice than to pull the mutineer out of the game after his continuous undisciplined effort. Shocking stuff. Sometime you make such sacrifices for the team as a leader. Mata has accepted being shunted to the wings even though he's no winger and even the previously discussed Ashley Young regularly grafts as a full back. Pogba couldn't hold position for 45 minutes! It was just ONE game, Paul!!

Then there was that moment when the ball was perfectly laid to him just outside the '18. There was only one thing left to do - smash the ball into/towards the net. But Pogba, under no pressure, shifted the ball to his weaker left foot and shot tamely at the first defender in front of him. There are some things I'll never understand. It was so much easier to shoot directly. Why complicate things unnecessarily? There are some things you can't teach. You either have it or you don't. I wished it was another 'Paul' in that same position...

Finally, too many cooks spoil the broth. There's no need to shoe-horn all the available talent into the starting line-up. Someone should suffer and sweat it out on the bench. This would hopefully sharpen the appetite of whoever it is. The reason Alexis ('Piano man' according to the haters. Hahahaha) was brought in was to provide some instant maturity and consistency in our forward play. Also to make the attacking spots more competitive. He operates best from the left. Well then, Anthony, your position (which you hadn't in fact permanently held down) is under threat. Sit. Or if Lukaku cannot help but play as he often does in the big games where he's anonymous and rendered redundant by better defenders than he trains with then he should sit instead. Sanchez will and can play as a 9. But trying to give everybody instant game time will only backfire spectacularly as it did against Spurs. The imbalance was obvious and it ended up being a hot (not to mention 'expensive') mess. (By the way, when did Mourinho become this...soft and indecisive? Failed to clear out deadwood over 3 windows and seems to primarily cater to feelings rather than facts these days. Except with his brand of football. Ahem. Switch?)

I still have medium to high hopes for this team. 15 points between us and the neighbours now. Perhaps the ship has sailed? Perhaps. Still knockout competition always gives a chance as it depends more on a one-off performance than points-chasing. We'll see.

Huddersfield to receive the backlash of the woeful mid-week performance at Old Trafford on Saturday. Amen.

Signing In,

B.L...   


Your Answers Are:

* By how much do you think Roger Federer is the Greatest Tennis Player Ever even forgetting about the Grand Slams?

* The wheels have started turning. Do you think Abramovich's 2-year tenured arrangement with his managers will remain successful?

* Skipped me last time around but football great/legend/superstar/magician/entertainer, Ronaldinho Gaucho has officially retired from the sport. Can you name any footballer who has had as magnificent peak years as 'dinho did in 2004-6? I'll wait...

* Predict & Win! In what week would Juventus overthrow Napoli at the top of the Serie A table and build an insurmountable lead?

* Being a Golden State Warriors fan, the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder have really started to frighten me. Should I be scared?

* Who else believes Riyahd Mahrez doesn't have a very smart agent?

* Nigeria to win the African Nations Championship. Yes?

* 90 minutes...Sports Express...Rest In Peace, Deji Tinubu.

Happy (Indeed!) New Year!

Feliz Ano Nuevo. Or Happy New Year in Chilean-Spanish. 😉

Been a bit.

One month has again proven to be a long time in football. Last time I was here, Sparky was still a Premier League manager, Alexis Sanchez was most definitely going to City, same team had the most expensive defender in the world who was valued at a then ridiculous £54m, same team was unbeaten in the league, United was unbeaten at home in a run stretching back to 39 games, Mourinho could still tolerate Conte (and vice versa) and Wenger was still beloved. Okay, that last one is arguable.

Since then, City beat us at home (again) ending our unbeaten run (again) , there was a string of alarmingly awful performances including a loss to Championship side, Bristol City in the Quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup, Rashford lost his head along the way, Mkhitaryan, his heart, me, my voice (albeit temporarily) and Mourinho, seemingly all sense of objectivity. Again, that last one is debatable.   

Based on the events from the immediate aftermath of the loss to City, what I immediately penned down was "Are We Now Becoming The Noisy Neighbours?" and for good reason too. While the scoreline and the United near misses/City incredible saves would suggest a close contest, the technical ease with which the United team was constantly dissected suggested a far more pronounced and bulging gap between both teams. But that was just one game. Additionally damning facts are that United has not finished above City since the great Sir Alex left. About 5 years ago. Nobody becomes depraved in a day...recurring actions form to become habits which further crystallise to become culture. Drops of water make a mighty ocean. United have mostly over the years been playing laboured one-dimensional predictable football while some of City's football over that period was so beautiful, you'd wanted to settle down with it and start a family. This was what I further wrote: 

"There's sometimes a dangerous comfort an illustrious history brings. There's a tendency to believe that the status quo would remain the same for an infinite number of years particularly when the relevant indices portend as much. It would be inconceivable, for instance, for those who have enjoyed the patronage of royalty for several centuries to think that they may one day be regarded as plebeians. Nopes. Not likely to happen, they would understandably believe.

But if history is indeed a product of the actions and choices of humans and the resultant cause and effect then perhaps one shouldn't sit so comfortably on the perfumed purple satin pillows no matter how rosy . Kings have become slaves. The rich have become poor. The powerful have pleaded for mercy from the hitherto weak.

This may be happening to my boyhood club right before my very eyes..."

But pause.

With City's first league loss to Liverpool at Anfield last week (in what must now surely be the game of the season),  United's last three comfortable and straightforward wins against Everton, Derby County (in the FA Cup) and most recently Stoke City, the imminent arrival of Alexis (Do the needful, Mikki, your rent's due, m@£%&?!!), Yeovil Town in the next round of the FA Cup and just 12 points behind the league leaders, things are suddenly looking somewhat brighter that they were on 31st December, aren't they?

It really is amazing the difference a month or so can make.

As the Yoruba proverb says and I loosely interpret, "Opinions are subject to the fickleness of people and are at best fleeting. People are wont to change their minds about anything at the drop of the hat". Have I suddenly changed mine about the fundamental issues that still persist with the team (e.g Darmian, Blind, Young as a contemporary left full-back, the predictable 'go-tall' when everything else the often predictable Plan A fails' Plan B strategy, profligacy etc)?

No.

But I know I definitely feel better than I did 3 or so weeks ago. Even as I gradually learn to treat alike the twin impostors of triumph and disaster, wouldn't it be...inhuman not to celebrate small victories and baby-step advancements? 😊

Pursuant to Raiola, Ed Wood, the psychiatrists, the accountants and the suits finalising possibly the hottest winter transfer deal (regardless of which hemisphere you belong), an attacking trident of Martial - Lukaku - Sanchez is nothing to be sniffed at. Not exactly a Benzema-Bale-Cristiano or Neymar-Cavani-Mbappe but it has the potential of being just as destructive. Extrapolating from that popular Abraham Lincoln quote, two of the three can lose form some of the time but all three cannot (afford to) lose form all at the same time *crosses fingers*. And if all three (with a hopefully hungry and not depressed Rashford waiting in the wings) are in sync and firing on all cylinders...

                                      (re: this picture as captured by vavel.com was used in the last blog but has been re-captioned)
                                                                                          An up-coming Carrington training session...

The last time we made a purchase this costly (in all ramifications) from North London, that one-man trident, a certain RVP, spectacularly led us to No. 20.

12 points.

Impossible is nothing.

One game at a time.

There shall be bumps along the way. Not every performance is going to spectacular. Not every match is going to be won. I may have to give a scathing review before long. May. But there must be heart. It's one thing I know that the new signing (?) (Mikki, better don't make a fool of me! Sign already!) has in spades. And I'm fine with that.

Let's start with the 'pound of flesh' Burnley has to return on Saturday...

Signing In,

B.L...   


Your Answers Are:

* Is longest-serving Premier League manager and renowned oculist Arsene Wenger going to see out his tenure at the Emirates?

* Tower of Babel to show our fallibility, penalties to prove Messi is human?

* Chelsea v Liverpool. The Scousers lead 1-2. 92nd minute. Corner kick to Chelsea. Alvaro Morata has missed 3 sitters and has been replaced by Andy Carroll. The sub squares up with Virgil van Dijk. Who wins the header?

* How much do you speculate Neymar's transfer fees (including Agency Fees which seem to suddenly be a 'thing' in contemporary transactions) would be to Real Madrid after the World Cup?

* Cleveland Cavaliers are that student who performs averagely in continuous assessment tests but is still guaranteed to come out top of the class after the final exams. Is the Eastern Conference woke to this?

* Another Federer v Nadal final Down Under?

* At what point would the Hague be able to pursue football mercenaries ?

David De Gea...

"De Gea could have saved Tupac";

"Those saves were unnatural. He may be a witch. Make him play for West Ham. If they go down, burn him. If they stay up, he's definitely a witch - burn him.";

"Old Trafford's Greatest Davids: 1. De Gea 2. Beckham 3. May 4. Bellion";

"David De Gea IS the bus".

It was in the 56th minute. The score was 1-2 in favour of Manchester United. Arsenal, true to its name, had since the initial calamitous 11 minutes of the 1st half, bombarded the United defence with various artillery of choice. Swarming wave after wave of attack. Airborne, terrestrial and everything in between. The sustained effort had already produced a quizzical but actually simple Lacazette goal in the 49th minute and there was no relenting (I made a silent bet with myself that, as was becoming the norm in these kind of games, United would start the 2nd half sluggishly and concede. Needless to say, Pessimistic me won the bet). Still prying and probing, a through pass snuck past the United backline and Lacazette, again, was onside virtually one on one with David De Gea...

There had previously been only one instance before where my life literally flashed before me. 

Many years back, I was on my way with some jolly good fellows to Takwa Bay for the then-famous 'Sunday At The Bay', an always exciting end of the month hang-out via a motorised canoe. And when I say 'canoe', I mean a wooden contraption riddled with holes that would agreeably move along as long as the 'engine' (another one requiring a unique definition) cooperated. Oh, and the life-jackets we were provided could as well have taken our lives. Ah, the recklessness of youth. About 8 of us on it. A quarter way through the journey to, our canoe did a full tilt. Did I mention that I couldn't swim and almost drowned in a bath tub when I was younger?  No, I didn't. Now I have. Every high and low I had experienced in my existence did a highlight reel. I actually did have the time to ask myself, "Is this how it ends?"...

...Really, is it how this ends? How would I face the uncountable ABUs (Anybody But United), the mocking rivals, the jesters, the social media footsie group antagonists, colleagues, the convenient after-bad-result phone callers and in some cases all of the above rolled into one? How do I, in my lifetime, explain away or rationalise Arsenal coming back from 2 goals down to equalise United from what was a vantage position without breaking into word salad? There was only going to be one winner if that shot went in and this even before the Pogba/Bellerin circus act. 

Don't forget, here I was just recovering and coming to terms with what would be our game play for the most discernible future so I was still trying to keep my cool despite the fact we-were-defending-from-the-11th-minute-when-arsenal-were-ripe-for-the-taking-and-it-was-quite-clear-that-we-could-score-every-time-we-broke-forward-and-we-were-unnecessarily-inviting-pressure-on-an-already-shaky-defence-and-it-was-very-reminiscent-of-a-small-team's-tactics-and-there-was-a-situation-were-we-were-3v3-and-Martial-passed-back-to-a-midfielder-and-I-wanted-to-blow-my-top-and-I-said-to-myself-this-isn't-my-United-but-I-eventually-decided-to-have-a-soda-and-a-smile-as-recommended-by-Mr. Pryor-and-chill. But still this?

Thankfully, just like God in my waterways travail, our beloved David had other plans. He somehow kept out the Lacazette shot and followed it up with one of the most stupendous saves you will ever see. Alexis Sanchez, him with the shots that explode like fireworks, followed up the rebound with a just as vicious strike. David, again instinctively, more than kept out, repelled the missile with the sole of his cleat boot. Un-be-liev-able. The look on Lacazette's face after that sequence of events was equivalent to De Gea's current market value - priceless. The best keeper in the world. No contest.

                                                               vavel.com captured this beauty...

That was when I knew we were going to win the game.

A smooth breakaway involving Lukaku, Pogba and Lingard shortly after confirmed what I already suspected. 1- 3. Game over. Two possible penalties against us regardless, we held on for a famous victory in one of the weirdest games I've seen in a long while.

Special kudos must also be given to the three central defenders who ordinarily inspire as much confidence as an England football team penalty shoot-out. Smalling lay every thing on the line and then some. Lindelof is slowly, and hopefully surely, coming good. He's been decent to good in the last couple of games he has played and he put in yet another assured performance against elite opposition. Rojo fortunately didn't go all cro-magnon man on the day and held up.

Ashley Young seems to relish these kind of games where graft is in higher demand than gift. If sweat was parallel to worth, young Ash would be worth $100M+. Valencia is another one. And he did that thing were he puts his foot through the ball to great effect. While I vainly try and look past Lingard's  post-goal celebrations, I must commend him for the goals he has scored over the past week - important and exquisite. About time he starts to earn his salary...

Was Pogba's unintentional but unbridled stride cum plunge into Bellerin's unnaturally positioned calf a red card? Yes, according to the rules of the game. One of the offences for which a player can be sent off is if he his guilty of serious foul play. 'Serious Foul Play' is described as using "...excessive force or brutality against an opponent when challenging for the ball when it is in play." It further states that "Any player who lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force and endangering the safety of an opponent is guilty of serious foul play". Yup, fits the description. See also the famous case of Mane v Ederson (2017). The club has smartly also decided not to appeal the card.Shame like Monie as he was in good form and had been talismanic to the side since his return. Oh well...

A very good result in spite of what I shall still consider a worrying performance. I know, I know...this is how the gaffer prefers to set-up his team and he usually gets results as he did on that day. I know. I'm just saying. Inflicting the gunners' first defeat on their patch since January 2017 is no mean feat. But I've never considered luck a strategy. De Gea is getting all the plaudits now as he should but it would be asinine to expect him to pull of these sort of quite frankly miraculous saves every week if he's exposed to this level of 4G attack (14 saves on the day. 33 shots at goal). Rather alarmingly, that's what a number of fans already expect.

The next league game is the almighty derby against Manchester City. Old Trafford. Sunday. The game has assumed a much bigger dimension that it already is. City are still 8 points ahead of United after patenting 'Fergie Time' in their last 3 matches. They have equalled the league record of 13 straight wins in one season. A win against United will make them sole holders of the record. United has won all its home league games this season and are unbeaten at home since...the last time City visited. Curiously too, Jose Mourinho has never lost a Sunday home league game. Whew. I know it would be a tough game. I believe it would be very ugly. I suspect there'll be a number of surprises in tactics adopted on the day particularly sans Pogba. I pray we win. But I sure do hope we don't play "door-mat defensive football" as may be instinctive. De Gea may not be enough to offer goalkeeping salvation on that day...

But first is the little matter of making qualification certain in the Champions League. CSKA Moscow come visiting on Tuesday evening in the last game of the group phase. We'll qualify.

Signing Out,

B.L...   


Your Answers Are:

* The World Cup Draws have been made. Is there really a group of death? Will Nigeria qualify from her group? Argentina and Nigeria in the same group for the 5th time in Nigeria's 6 appearances. Surely, an exchange program should be now be acceptable?

* What is happening to Borrusia Dortmund?

* Can Spaletti, Icardi, Perisic and Co. go all the way? Don't tease me, please...

* How can LeBron James be MVP in his 15th season???? Even while the biggies are coasting till March, he's still operating at optimum level. Insane. 

* The Tiger is back. But is it enough for him to just act or he need to show his tigritude?

* What's the job description of a Commissioner for 'Happiness And Couples' Fulfilment'? 

Confessions Of A Recovering Addict...

I haven't been feeling very good of late.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

You know that old friend you see after a very long time and you are in the moment very excited to re-connect with? You both suddenly recall that you reside in the same locale, still share some common friends and even engage in similar hobbies. "So why haven't we been hanging out all this while?", you wonder. You fix a date to hang out and do as intended. And then at day's end, you remember with a wry smile and droplets of regret why you haven't seen this fellow all this while. I wasn't unintentional. 

I have over the past couple of weeks several times imagined a sit-down with Jose Mourinho. None of these conversations ended well. He called me an ingrate. I called him soulless. He called me a poet. I retorted that he was vile. He taunted me with evidence of his exemplary track record of success. I reminded him of how much he had spent to buy that success over his career. 'Judas is still number 1', he said. Judas ended up hanging himself at the Field of Blood, I advised. He preached pragmatism. I sermonised on joy. He referred me to the upward trend of results and captured silverware since he took over. I reminded him of his often cantankerous and poisonous 3-year expiry date (Not 'Best Before'. Expiry. Rotten. Gone Bad. Irreconcilable differences). He boasted that his clout attracts big players and gave Zlatan Ibrahimovic as an example. I agreed but also painted the nightmarish picture of Romelu Lukaku trying to dribble past Victor Lindelof during training sessions.

All in all, I believe we both made fairly good points and settled on agreeing to disagree. No love lost. He maintains his position that football and competitive sport is all about winning. I have come to the conclusion that  my spirit aggressively doesn't agree with that assertion however logically valid.  Maybe I've been spoilt by Sir Alex. Maybe the Brazilian squads of the 90s, and early noughties did same. Federer, Sampras, Guardiola's Barcelona, pre and prime Galactico Real Madrid, Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls, Muhammad Ali, 90s Milan, teams and individuals who have shown that sport can be about glory and entertainment. So I know this is possible and achievable. There's, for me, a mandatory feel-good factor required from the greatest/best sporting performances and teams. The rabid safety-first sterilised approach just doesn't cut it for me.

Isn't it funny that Tottenham Hotspurs, a team United recently beat, behind us on the league table (by goal difference), who has won approximately zilch in the last decade, is celebrated as a team on the up and a 'stronger' team than we are? In contrast, former landlords of London, Arsenal, who have won 3 F.A. Cups in the last 4 years, are currently regarded as a failed project and somewhat inferior to Spurs. Why is this? Which set of fans do you think are happier? Or is it because Spurs are regarded as having a lower expectation ceiling and so their contemporary 'achievements' (Read 'final league placing') are worth celebrating? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

Chelsea lost 2-3 to Burnley on the opening day of the season but it was a (eventual) performance that scared the bejeezus of me. With 9 men against Burnley's 11 in the last 15 minutes or so, only one side attacked with verve and had assumed full control. It was not the 11 men. If there were 5 extra minutes at the end of 90, Chelsea would have won that match. Not drawn. Won. The Watford and Spurs comeback performances were impressive but this was a display that foretold or rather re-enforced (They are defending champions after-all) the notion that they remained a team to be reckoned with.  A good number of their fans were optimistic about their chances for the season after that match. Remember again, that it ended in a loss.

Another one is Liverpool. Their attacking play has fans on the edge of their seats with their pulses racing even faster than Mane and Salah's feet (so does their abject defending but that's another story...). Still, Merseyside Red does not look any closer to winning any trophy. Klopp's job has been rumoured to be on the line after some damaging defeats but for every such performance comes a devastatingly lethal attacking display which quietens such rumours. The trick is that he has infused the fans, and by extension the team, with a feverish passion for the game. It may be romantic but there is a given expectation every time his team steps on the field. You never know whether it would be Mr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde showing up for lunch but at least you have something to look forward to.

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”

C.S. Lewis 

So am I simply advocating for playing pretty or gung-ho without results? Facade over structure? Mind over matter? Particularly in football? Certainly not. But there is something about a positive  performance, W, L or D that offers the promise of hope, excitement, continuity and belief  for the supporters. A stifling 1-0 or clinical counter-attacking 4-0 win has its uses but should not be the main course. The undulation of emotions constitutes a major part of the game. '99 is forever cherished for this reason. It's okay to concede as long as you score more. How many times did Sir Alex's United come back from a seemingly insurmountable deficit to win a game? Even West Ham's Moyes (SMH) did so with United in the Champions League against Fenerbache. In comparison, Mourinho has never won a game in his coaching career when losing by 2 goals or more. That is not a freak statistic. There's a very clear reason why.

I would have taken solace in the fact that this is a relatively new team and there is an ongoing rebuilding process but I know for certain this isn't some sort of transition - this is the reality. This is how Mourinho prefers to play the game and he is content with his tried and tested method. A key factor of what his mandate has been at all the clubs he has managed has been the need to break some sort of settled hegemony and win at all cost. Porto. Chelsea. Inter Milan. Real Madrid. In all cases, the destination superseded the journey and he delivered. United too engaged his services for something similar.

I'll be the first to admit that I favourably considered Mourinho as the leading option in our managerial search after Van Gaal's confusing (Jones was taking corner kicks at a time) and miserable tenure. See, I was desperate...I knew he would deliver a title or two and rankle a couple of now emboldened managers along the way. I, like millions of others, needed something to be able to again brag about. So did the United Board apparently. And so I think we sold our soul for some pottage. Heroin may get you uplifted for a short period but it is always eventually destructive. Drugs don't work...

My high has worn off. I've been cold turkey for the last couple of weeks and intend to stay sober (and woke) till whenever this contract ends. I have accepted that Ashley Young is our starting left back and that RedRom cost upwards $90 million. I have accepted that this United team is much better (or should I say 'functional'?) with a Marouane Fellaini in it. Yes, Chris Smalling remains our vice-captain. I know Shaw would be sold January as "his fitness is no where near the level it should be". It's safety first and entertainment a distant second. I know and understand. I did sign up for this after-all...Refer to ♫ Snoop Dogg's 'Murder Was The Case' and DMX's 'Damien' for a better understanding.

I just pine for the days when winning a title was more a cause for celebration than for relief.

Next Up: Manchester United will attempt to wriggle its way past Newcastle's two barricades of 4 at Old Trafford on Saturday, 15th November, 2017. GMT 5.30pm.

Signing Out,

B.L.


Your Answers Are...

* The Internationally retired Gianluigi Buffon. 175 caps. Most capped Italian player. 1 World Cup. A UEFA European Championship Runners-Up Medal. Is Gigi the greatest European goalkeeper ever?

* Is there currently a better midfielder in the world than Kevin De Bruyne? 

* Is Zlatan Ibrahimovic going to unretire and grace the World Cup for one last time...to the possible detriment of his team?

* Not a question but a fact - Ben Simmons is already the NBA Rookie of the Year.

* Who can stop Lewis Hamilton apart from Lewis Hamilton next season?

* Would anyone who saw the Germany v France friendly believe that International Friendly football is dead?

* Who actually believes Life-President Robert Mugabe is just "under house arrest"?   

The Nobility Of Caution

First of, special shout-outs to Agents Tom Cleverly and Wilf Zaha. Well done.

A special mention also to Agent Mame Diouf for exhibiting courage in the face of intense hostile Bruynic enemy fire...well done.

Act. I - Patents of Nobility:

"So with patches on my britches,

Holes in both my shoes,
In my coat of many colours,
I hurried off to school,
Just to find the others laughing,
And making fun of me,
In my coat of many colours,
My mama made for me..."         -        Dolly Parton, "Coat Of Many Colours"

With CSKA Moscow and Crystal Palace promptly dispatched in the last two matches and the seeming rehabilitation of the careers of Fellaini and Young complete, Saturday the 14th's lunch time dish of the always mega-clash against Liverpool looked appetising. But then there was the pesky international break (actually, World Cup Qualifiers) coming up again to disrupt things. Rashford suffered a knock even as England qualified for the the tournament in its usual largely comfortable but unconvincing manner, Romelu had an injury scare, Valencia travelled half way round the world to conclude was what already a doomed campaign, Mkhi travelled not as far for a similarly doomed  effort, Bailly did his groin in and Carrick some how got injured despite not playing any competitive game in a bit. Good news was Matic scoring, qualifying for the World Cup with Serbia and also escaping unscathed during the fixtures.

The real tragedy of the the break though was Marouane Fellaini's (Marouane Fellaini!!) knee ligament damage while playing for an already qualified Belgium. The unavailability of this modern United cornerstone wasn't going to totally derail our best laid plans against Liverpool, was it? September Player Of The Month, Anthony Martial was well rested. So were Ander and Juan. Others including some of those mentioned above came back from short international trips as healthy as any of our fellow competitors so we could still expect to take advantage of a notoriously generous Liverpool defence, yes? Err...Not quite... 

The thing is, like is very common in basketball, Klopp's Liverpool creates puzzling match-up problems for Man United. The same way United has historically struggled against possession-retaining, sharp and crisp passing, twinkly-toed Spanish sides. Even when we win, rarely would you see United dominate such games. It's a different story when it comes to even the top clubs of other countries but Spanish teams just are a constant pain in the behind. Interestingly, other English clubs manage and acquaint themselves better against Hispanic opposition. The mystery of match-ups...

Perhaps its Liverpool's (i) blinding pace (ii) energy combined with (iii) their quick passing and interchanges that pose reoccurring challenges to our not-too-fast back-line (especially with Bailly missing and Valencia somewhat fatigued). Still, one would ordinarily expect a variation of tactics to adequately compete against the traditionally biggest head of the hydra-headed monster to our ambitions. All our forwards are pacey. We should be capable of properly executing games even without apparently long-term absentee Pogba and MvP Fellaini. Surely, it was still possible to hit on the counter attack and ruin Mr. Dalglish's special day...

Alas...it was not to be.

Putting it bluntly, what transpired on Saturday was horrible to watch particularly from the United perspective. There was only one team attempting to play. The other was simply prepared to stifle. This wasn't Chess; This was mess. There was no initiative, no drive, no energy. Mkhitaryan put in arguably his worst performance in a United shirt. Martial again did that infuriating thing of being absolutely  inept at the very period you expect something great from him. He was up isolated against Joe Gomez, for goodness' sake. Frustratingly inconsistent. Young suspected he would suffer hypothermia if he ventured further up the field. (These days) He may have a good cross on him but he remains severely lacking in the gumption department. Herrera kept literally jumping into the wrong conclusions at almost every opportunity. No link-up play, no midfield and...yeah, Romelu 'I'm-not-a-flat-track-bully' Lukaku touched the ball less times than Mignolet and fluffed his one golden chance. Imagine this without any actual effort from United's part. 

It simply wasn't a Manchester United performance and there's a recent trend in this regard with respect to the big games. As a fan, it irks. An awful lot. But wait a minute... 

"And oh I couldn't understand it
For I felt I was rich
And I told them of the love
My mama sewed in every stitch
And I told them all the story
Mama told me while she sewed
And how my coat of many colors
Was worth more than all their clothes..."

...What exactly where you expecting?? This is after all a Mourinho team. Truth be told, I've referred to our manager as anti-football more times than I can count even before he joined United and we all know that leopards do not change their spots. You can argue that Mourinho has before United operated with more street-wise(?)...dynamic(?)...technical(?)...'professionally mature' personnel and coupled with the injuries to his main facilitators, what did you think he was going to do? Entertain you? Go gung-ho? Attack at the risk of being susceptible to Liverpool's counter-attack? Poetry v Pragmatism? Mayweather v Pacquaio. I often called Floyd a 'sterilised fighter' because of the meticulous detail he puts into picking all the aspects of his fights to ensure he gains an advantage no matter how little. From the weight of the gloves to the standard of blood testing to the venue to morality v the rule book, he fine-combs every aspect in order to secure an edge. That mega-fight should have come at least 3 years before it did. Pacman is a brawler and power-puncher. Floyd is a counter-puncher. As you age, I understand that in boxing, after speed, strength/power is the next to go. The technique almost always remains. By the time they fought, I believe that at least two-thirds of the Pacman's core competences were severely eroded and Floyd simply had to do what he had always been excellent at and still retained - defend and jab - to win. It wasn't pretty and was at times abominable but he's remained (and retired) undefeated for a very good reason. Jose thinks that way too. 

Mourinho was never going to put his team/record/reputation on the line to placate the purists or the poets knowing he did not have, in his thinking, his full arsenal to confront Liverpool. Rather a bore draw than an exciting loss. Cliched and all, but points win titles. That was +1 at a difficult venue against a challenger for the league. Say and write what you may, but the numbers are always greater than the prose. The Gerrard-slip match is forever etched in the anti-football hall of infamy for me but the records will state that his team still won that game 0-2. 

So...that's one extra point. Chelsea and Arsenal didn't get any over the weekend. I don't like at all how it was obtained but there's no point being faux-outraged about what I knew all along (Hi, Hollywood!"). The bottom-halfers and mid-tablers will (and should) receive the backlash. Be prepared to appreciate your ugly coat against the heavy hitters as long as Jose is in charge. Which brings me to...

Act II. - Silence is Golden

Our motor-mouth manager. There's now a bit of background to the fact that he's in the prelude of negotiating a contract extension but comments such as he made over the weekend are unhelpful and tone-deaf to the zeitgeist around the club.  I get it. This is a business. You use your leverage to get the best possible deal. Everybody involved in the game does it. Rooney did it to great effect. Clubs do it when re-negotiating contracts with injured or auxiliary players. That's the name of the game. Jose has admittedly dragged the club half-way out of the dungeon it had been in for the last 3 years preceding his employment. His work is evident. He has leverage.

But what I find unacceptable is the need to so publicly attempt to tear up the script knowing fully well that your end game is to read from that very text. Alienating the fans and low-key disrespecting the club is not going to endear you towards any base. Why ultimately mess up the specific thing you so desperately want to achieve? You don't burn down a room to kill a fly.

Nobody really expects Mourinho to end his career at Manchester United. But at least he can (try to) conduct himself with dignity during his length of stay at the club. Resist the urge to say something outlandish whenever a microphone is put in your face. But I hear leopards don't change their spots...

Next Up: Benfica (A) in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday the 18th.

Signing Out,

B.L...


In Other News:

* Ser Kevin De Bruyne. What a player. Nuff said.

* Jupp Heynckes is back to work his magic, Dybala has missed 2 penalties in a row and Napoli has won 8 straight games. Monaco has started losing ground in France and the Prince of Milan, Mauro Icardi got a poacher's hat-trick in a very enjoyable Milan derby. 

* The NBA season begins today. While Golden State are still the favourites, Cleveland has put together a formidable team. Remember when you were younger and you made sure your cereal of choice was drowned with full-fat milk and unhealthy amounts of sugar? Yeah, me too. That's kind of what the Cavaliers have constructed - disgusting but sweet. Let the games begin!

* Nobody should dictate how to protest to you. As long as you are within the confines of the law and decency, you have a right to register your complaint in any way you deem fit. Threatening to bench or punish players because they have chosen to protest in a certain way is in itself discriminatory, intimidation and oppressive. All elements of racism. It even worse when there's a blatantly false spin on the why and when these protests are taking place. As they say, "Stay woke"...    

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

*WARNING - Beware of possible head-scratching contradictions*

Shortly after the Burton Albion Carabao Cup victory on Tuesday, a recap of the game unfolded in a Manchester United chat forum. While, of course, there was a consensus of contentment in the fairly accurate result, others like myself still grumbled about the team's wastefulness and alarmingly re-occurring lengthy patches of disjointedness dating back to the previous league game against Everton which ended in a teeny-bit-too-flattering 4-0 scoreline. And then the following statement was made:   

"So in all competitions we conceded just *2 goals (*3 actually, including Burton's last minute Pereira gift)? Scored what? 22?
You guys have all been restored to default ManUtd mode...Spoilt fans...😆"

Fair point.

Does it really really matter if 10 gilt-edged chances are squandered but the team still wins 5-0? Even if Lukaku seemingly prefers to score his rebounds (which is a skill in itself, I guess), isn't the most important thing the fact that he scores? Like the hilarious viral clip of the kid with the awkward ("Lord have mercy...") dab, isn't the key thing the fact that he did (some sort of variation of) it? What would Crystal Palace and Alaves fans make of all this nit-picking? Does it matter if three-quarters of the goals are scored in the final 10 minutes or the first 10? So Ashley Young is not a natural full-back yet he has provided 2 quality assists in as many games in that position; why complain? The (formerly) much reviled Fellaini is apparently not a Manchester United player but he has been an effectual "rim protector" and game-saver a good number of times for this United team. Asides the free-scoring neighbours, no other side in the league has put in as many goals past opponents than United has. So what's the fuss?

But they will be found out against better opposition  

Without the benefit of divine clairvoyance, you can only attend to/strategize for such games as they are presented.  

What of goal difference?

If you beat the league-leading scorers and closest rivals by a lone goal whether through a dodgy penalty, shades of offside or an own goal, would goal difference matter?

But...but...it's not entertaining football! 

As the meme states, if you want to please everybody, go sell ice-cream. This is pragmatic-points-on-the-board-high-stakes football. Winning supersedes entertainment...

So perhaps, the summary of the above is basically this: Utopian ideas of perfect football week in and out should immediately be abandoned. A vast majority of fans and supporters primarily seek some form of glory from their sides (not to be confused with "glory-hunting") and this is perfectly acceptable. It is a sport after all. How this is obtained may vary but except you are Brazilian circa 1990-1994, the end simply justifies the means. Results over aesthetics. Results over performance. Nokia 3310 with airtime over iPhone whatever without airtime and data (Aha!). There's a reason FIFA regularly and controversially (and often incorrectly, in my opinion) rewards the player of the winning team as the Best Player of the Tournament/Year in spite of another player having a more rounded/better performance all tournament or season long (watch this space) - winning is the bigger business. 

Original picture of the sainted Lukaku courtesy Independent.co.uk

Like the game against Southampton yesterday, sometimes all you need is something edible to quench the hunger. Taste and flavour are unimportant. Your full belly is. It was a game the team could have lost any other day but they showed great resolve and character to protect the early lead. Considering that a draw would have been a fair result, the victory and 3 points earned were priceless. W > D > L.

That said, I still do not agree with the absolute infallibility of the evidence of 'winning'.

Football is neither chess nor checkers. That's why it is not played on a game board. There is, I dare say, an unwritten obligation to entertain the audience. Football is performing arts. Being a spectator sport, the 'how' is nearly (not as, no...not as) important as the 'what'. Each dive from the platform may not always be a 10 but you damn well need to aspire to that figure every time you jump into the pool. Nobody buys a Ferrari to carry out stately burial processions. There is still a right of complaint to demand certain things a certain way when an outfit costs €784m thereabouts. Jose may call proponents of this ideology 'poets' but I believe the essential truth is not lost on him.

Robert Fulghum's Storyteller's creed begins, "I believe imagination is stronger than knowledge...." It was that inventiveness and fantasy element to the sport and to Sir Alex's team that first made me a fan of the game and the club and not the rudimentary application of the rules to the sport. Simple lay-ups do not maketh the NBA. (Pre-fight) Mayweather maketh Boxing. DJ Kool Herc introduced us to it but Rakim made us fall in love with it. The artists are the ones who live with you forever.

The fact remains that winning a match doesn't mean a perfect game was played and that there aren't areas for improvement. Post-match football analysis and debate are required eternal exercises. That's a major part of what makes it interesting. No two games are the same (even in football video games) so the euphoria experienced today may morph into invoking ancestral curses and expletives on your favourite player next game. 

The secret to finding a balance with these contrasting emotions is to realise and accept that football is just a sport and that Mkhitaryan constantly over-running the ball is not meant to be a personal affront to your person but is just part of the game. You can't be overtly critical and also shouldn't be a 'win' robot. It also helps when at the end of the game, your team is the one with maximum points.

So the next time Herrera from a decent position skies a shot to row z (he's the current club Player of the Year), Rashford aimlessly and needlessly runs the ball into a barricade of opposition defenders (He's a prodigy), Martial misses a relatively easy chance (He's special, isn't he?) Romelu does his leg-sorting thingy (He'll eventually end up top goal scorer) and Jones loses his marker from a set-piece (Committed solid lad), just smile. Like a boss. Or you could also wild-out and criticise what you don't like.

Whatever the case, just look at the scoreboard and make sure your team is winning. 

And then it's okay whichever way...  

Next Stop: 3 points v CSKA Moscow (A) in the Champions League. Wednesday, 27th September, 2017. 

Signing Out,

B.L

In Other News:

* The much anticipated boxing match between Gennady 'GGG' Golovkin and Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez ended in an unfathomable draw according to the not-so honourable judges (Take a bow, Adalaide Byrd).  Churning out these sort of results does the current reputation of boxing no favours and to arrive at this conclusion in a bout meant to redeem the sport's image after the battering it had taken after the high-profile farce which took place weeks earlier, means this was a missed opportunity. I do not care too much about a rematch. Joshua v Wilder anyone?

* Morata, Lukaku and Aguero are all on 6 goals after 6 games. Cavani 7 (7) . Lewandowski 7 (6). Immobile 8 (6). Aubameyang has 9 in 6. Messi 9 (6). Dybala 10 (6). Falcao 11 (7). Cristiano Ronaldo is yet to get going but he can very easily get those numbers in 2/3 games. All familiar names on the goalscorers' chart except one. The Juventus star is having a breakout season and is about to shoot into the superstar stratosphere. Would it be Real Madrid or Barcelona?

* Carmelo Anthony is taking his talents (and baggage) to Oklahoma to form another Big 3 with Westbrook and Paul George with the Thunder. CP3 had previously hooked up with Harden and his beard while Isaiah Thomas had joined LeBron (which automatically makes the Cavaliers a Big 5 - Any star in addition to LeBron is) with Neymar Kyrie  Irving going the other way to be THE man in Boston alongside Gordon Hayward and...ahem...Al Horford. Methinks Golden State should still be comfortable. Congratulations, Porzingis! It's yours!

* There is only one way the PSG penalty fiasco will ultimately end - Cavani can still give at least 2 good years to a top European club come next summer.

* And how could I forget? The Gentle Giant of Country Music, Don Williams passed away on the 8th of September at the age of  78. He was an essential part of the soundtrack to my childhood. A master of the simple yet deep lyric.

"I Don't Want To Be The Fiery Sun/

I Just Want To Be Your Candle Honey/I Just Want To Be Your Candle Baby/Let The Sun Shine On...

I Don't Want To Be The Deep Blue Sea/I Just Want To Be Your Cup 'o Tea/I Just Want To Be Your Cup 'o Tea/Let The Sea Rage On..."

Rest In Peace, Giant...🌹

Back From Cloud 9...

...So we can all calm down now.

The  Puff the Magic Dragon start to the season has been given a reality check. Not that anyone was expecting a 38 game win season but the circumstances in which the deserved draw was obtained will certainly put a lot of things in proper perspective.

First of, it is important we draw (I'm beginning to hate the word) derive a balance into the meaning of the result - a 2-2 score against a for-some-reason recently dogged bogey Stoke team at the bet365 is not a disaster. Contenders often drop points there and one has even recorded a loss there this early season. In recent years, the Potters always seem up for it whenever United is in town and Sparky also seems to have a potent antidote (including on the sidelines too) for our Special One in these fixtures. In summary, our final output was totally commensurate to our total input. Even Stephens. Fair enough.

Secondly, I think we need to once and for all dispel the myth of P.I.B.F.S. i.e. Post International Break Fatigue Syndrome. Having 16-18(?) first-teamers away for the now standardised 2-week International fixture period is to be expected and appropriately managed by big clubs. It should not serve as an excuse for sub-par performances. City*, Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs all have established internationals who participated in the qualifiers but they all returned to put in cohesive performances and administer spankings to their opponents. (Would we rather have faced Liverpool?) None of ours came back with any significant injury, some didn't even get to play and the farthest traveller was Ecuadorian Antonio Valencia who followed up his country's torrid qualification results with a poor performance yesterday. Perhaps he is to be exempted...until you look at the neighbour's South Americans and those in Catalonia and environs and then...nah...no excuses. The management simply has to find a way to eke out adequate performances under the circumstances.

* City did not administer a 'spanking' to their opponents - that was a mauling. Kinda like what Sadio Mane managed to do, deliberately or not, to Eduardo's profile.

Another to be forever banished, is the so-called "fixture pile up" excuse. Starting with Stoke yesterday, there's a Sat-Tue-Sun-Wed-Sat-Wed-Sat run of matches all through September which consist of Champions League, League and League Cup games. Isn't this what we've always wanted? Sooooo I expect the team to relish and own these competitive fixtures rather than treat them like Vice President Selina Meyer basically treats anything - with disdain and complaint. And that's specifically to you, Jose. I'm sure a certain Rafa Benitez would be willing to swap places given the opportunity...anyways, like Smokie said, don't play your rock n' roll to me. Get in!

FC Basel is coming up 2 days away in the Champions League (Hurray!) and there are a 3 things which are becoming more evident by the day concerning the squad which I would want to enumerate here. One I've mentioned severally, one I'm only fully coming to terms with and and the last I've only just discovered. My thoughts, folks...just my thoughts...

Original photo of rugged RedRom courtesy Metro.co.uk

1. Romelu Lukaku will score goals but...

4 goals in 4 games. You can't, on those basic stats, ask for more. And I know he's still going to score many more barring injuries. Very likely in line to be the 1st Manchester United striker since RvP to score 20 league goals in a season. 89 league goals in 190 games. 24 in 59 for his country. 150 in 322 career numbers averaging 1 in 2. He's still only 24 years young. This man will score goals. The problem however is that...how does one put this?..Romelu has some very very essential shortcomings. Have you watched a learner trying to reverse/turn a car on a narrow road? Can you try and imagine Shaq as a footballer? 🎵"You got me tripping...stumbling...flipping...fumbling...______ cos I'm falling in love...". Ever heard the term 'flat-track bully'? Do you get my drift?😅.

On the biggest stages, that lack of coordination, composure, awkwardness and ungainliness will be exposed and eventually, bitterly regretted. I hope not. There is still time to improve. Then again, some of the best strikers in the world had many limitations but the secret to their success (which isn't much a secret) was to play to their assets. Ronaldo de Lima had how many headed goals for instance? Pippo Inzaghi was never going to leave the entire back line on its backside before calmly placing the ball in the net and Ruuuuud! was not expected to give you a 35 yard howitzer. Not when you had Giggsy to your left, Becks to your right and Keano and Scholesy behind you...Ah, nostalgia...

Romelu is all power and pace. The team then has to quickly and consistently learn to play to his strengths. Play the ball into spaces behind the defence. Play the ball over the top of the defence. Try and get him isolated with a defender. Provide accurate dangerous crosses into the '18 which brings me to...

2. Our sterile wing-play 

This one drives me absolutely nuts. Right from last season, and in some cases 5 years back, we knew that 1. Valencia could not cross accurately. 2. Fosu could not cross accurately. 3. Rojo (when played as a full back) could not cross accurately 4. Blind (who should) could not cross accurately 5. Lingard could not cross accurately 6. Martial could not cross accurately 7. Rashford could not cross accurately 8. Mata is not a winger. 9. Shaw's appearances are like the total eclipse and 10. Darmian is generally as useful as a one-legged person in an ass-kicking contest. And I'm not talking the rare/occasional cross which surprisingly finds its target in a spectacular manner. I'm talking 'consistently'.

The one-who-got-away-who-also-recently-renewed-his-clubvows-for-another-5years' legend (and value) continues to grow with each passing day. But weren't there any other decent full backs/wingers in the market? I know the transfer market has gone totally gaga for obvious prospects and established players isn't that why we possess a renowned scouting network? To unearth hidden gems? Nobody? Nothing? Pending when those available make drastic improvements in their final pass, prepare to be often irritated. Speaking of irritations...

3. Pogba

And I'm not even referring to the haircut(s). I'm not part of the club's (well run, I must commend) PR machine so I'm going to say it as it is -This dude need to get his finger out. We can't continue to pretend that these performances are acceptable from our marquee player. You can't have all of this obvious talent and attend to football games with all the seriousness of Sesame Street. The much-derided Fellaini, with a 1/4 of this man's talent has made himself indispensable (to his coach at least) in the big games and hate it or hate it, he often comes through. To the best of his ability, he performs at a 9/10. Paul phones in a 5. You can't continuously casually keep giving the ball away in dangerous areas while holding on the ball when there are several options around you. I'm done with the whole 'still young' thing and like I stated here previously, the time to perform is now. He still needs his hand held and with the (now, let's admit, honorary) captain and old head essentially a bench warmer, who then provides the leadership in ability and example on the field? Valencia is obviously just filling in and Christopher Smalling is the vice-captain. I repeat, it's make or break season. The goals have thankfully started coming, which is nice, but the consistency is what is most required. Pogba, please...

Bailly and Jones had individual and collective 'mares yesterday making Eric Choupo-Moting look like a cross between Roy of the Rovers and Cristiano Ronaldo but I want to consider that an aberration rather than the norm. Same with Ander (recent lack of playing time?). We know the trio is capable of much better.  

There are understandably going to be a lot of rotations these coming days and I sincerely hope all called upon stand up and be counted. The slate is still largely blank. And more ominously, January, which brings another transfer window, is just round the corner. 😠

Still, the team is looking more cohesive, more in sync, more united, than last time around. I still hold on to my early season prediction of a domestic trophy (or two) with a Quarter-final UCL appearance an achievement. Of course, I would prefer to be proved wrong on the latter by the team going even further and possibly winning it but then again...It's still early days. Come On You Reds!   

Signing Out,

B.L...


In Other News:

* Neighbourhood Watch : I'm not a superstitious person. But if for any reason Oxlade-Chamberlain is again in the transfer market, Messrs Glazer, please ignore. Even if offered for free. Particularly if he's ready to take a salary cut. Thanks. Mane madness and Salah slovenliness aside, could things have been drastically different? Does or should playing short one man give your opponents such a huge advantage (We do it every time Darmian is on to varying results so...)? Is there any credit to be given to the City's attack in that rampaging performance? We could do with a Mendy, couldn't we?

*Enemy/King-Slayer Watch: Alvaro Morata's new found heading ability and Chelsea's resilience have become as inconceivable as Bronn rescuing Jaime by pushing him into the sea, dodging dragon fire (and a waiting army), swimming what must have been a very lengthy distance, and then coming out to shore unscathed. Scary. Stockpile dragon-glass and and lay in wait behind the wall. Or bus...  

* Real Madrid are so good, they've given their major rivals a head start in the league this season. Expect them to start reeling their opponents in as soon as wonder-boy returns...or does this turn out like that didactic hare v tortoise race where the hare left itself with too much to do to win the race? Messi (another hattrick) & Co. have been said, including by yours truly, to be in dire straits but they are the only team with a perfect record in Spain after admittedly only 3 games. Shockingly too, they are yet to concede a goal (Sound familiar?). But come to think about it, their capitulation, like another English team usually begins in the new calendar year. Stay tuned...

*  By the time you're reading this Raphael Nadal would probably be the US Open Champion. Remarkable  tennis year for the oldies but goldies. Congratulations Jide Ajao! 😁

* (Rich)Twat of the Month: Connor McGregor. Do I even need to explain this?

* A proper boxing fight is going to take place on Saturday between Gennady "GGG" Golovkin and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. 1 loss and 67 knockouts between both fighters in 88 bouts. Who's your money on?