The Weekly Take, Issue 288: Falling Behind with No Plan

Manchester United's troubled season has just hit a new low. The Red Devils' 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the last group-stage matchday of this season's Champions League ensured that United would not only be knocked out of the tournament before the last 16, but would also do so in last place in Group A and thus even missed entry into the Europa League.

Heading into the match, some might have expected Bayern to have fielded more backups than they ordinarily would have as they had already clinched first place in the group. However, this was not the case; Bayern made just one change from the starting 11 that were shockingly destroyed 5-1 by Eintracht Frankfurt in their Bundesliga match over the weekend. Thomas Tuchel's decision against making widespread changes paid off, with Kingsley Coman scoring the only goal of the match shortly after the half-time break.

For United, this was a match which as so often has been the case this season, yielded more questions than answers. While not quite in full-blown crisis mode at the moment, United's future is as murky as it has ever been - and one of the players who has been among the chief culprits served up yet another dud in a season full of them.

Rasmus Højlund was completely out of his depth up front. The Danish striker had by far the worst performance of everyone to step onto the field at Old Trafford. Having been signed for the astonishingly high transfer fee of €75 million - one which even at the time was widely regarded as an overpay by a large margin - Højlund has not even come close to living up to his price tag. To say that Højlund has been dismal this season would be unjust - unjustly generous to Højlund, that is. At this point, the only thing that would likely keep Højlund in the red half of Manchester next season is sunk-cost fallacy.

The controversy surrounding Jadon Sancho has also destabilized the team. Once heralded as one of the most promising young talents in world football, Sancho has since revealed himself to be a head case with more red flags than there are literal ones during his club's home matches. While his ensuing fallout with head coach Erik ten Hag has resulted in the London-born winger's exclusion from even being considered for selection, it's obvious that the many incidents that have led up to this point have thrown off the atmosphere within the team and served as an unwelcome distraction.

While it may be true that United have been dealing with injuries suffered by multiple key players, their lack of depth has clearly been exposed. At the moment, ten Hag is clearly unsure over who to play in the absence of certain regular starters - and understandably so. United have to be one of the clubs which have the largest skill gaps between starters and backups. This is something which could easily have been addressed in the off-season if not for the club's exceptionally strange decisions to shell out such huge amounts to land Højlund and Mason Mount.

The issue for United right now is that there doesn't seem to be a single change which would get them out of this rut. Sell Højlund? Fire ten Hag? Bring in backups in January? Sign a new starting winger? Maybe even a tactical overhaul? While any of those options would be understandable, all would serve as no more than a quick fix. Even if the Glazers do finally choose to sell the club, United's would-be new owner would have quite the puzzle to solve - there would be no guarantee that a solution would be on the horizon even then.

Over the last few seasons, again and again Manchester United have seemed so close to finally taking steps forward and at least becoming consistently competitive once again - only to slip backwards before too long. There just doesn't seem to be an actionable plan to give them that push which re-establishes them as top-four Premier League staples; they have finished there in consecutive seasons just once in the past decade. United clearly understand that there is a major problem; however, they can't even define it, much less plan to solve it - and that's what has been causing so many problems there in recent years.

The Weekly Take, Issue 265: The Burden of the Mount

Manchester United recently made their first major move of this off-season's transfer window by signing Mason Mount from Chelsea. United landed the English midfielder for a transfer fee of £55 million and is one of a great many Chelsea players to have already left Stamford Bridge over the past few weeks.

From United's perspective, however, this signing can only be described as questionable at best. Neither of Mount's possible positions - central and attacking midfielder - are positions of need for United as they head into the 2023-24 season. Mount is unlikely to supplant either Christian Eriksen or Bruno Fernandes from United's starting 11. Essentially, United have likely just paid a large amount of money for a player likely to spend most weeks on the bench.

Mount's transfer fee would have already been an overpay (albeit a slight one) had he been almost certain to start regularly for the Red Devils, highlighting how unnecessary this signing appears to be. Furthermore, United could have signed players at that same position who not only would have cost much less, but are also younger and have higher ceilings than Mount's. Players like Daniel Ugarte who just left Sporting CP for Paris Saint-Germain, Xavi Simons of PSV Eindhoven, Mohammed Kudus of Ajax, and Khéphren Thuram of OGC Nice would all have been more reasonable pickups.

However, as was earlier mentioned, central and attacking midfield are not major issues for United at the moment. United ought to have been primarily focusing on landing a top-tier centre-forward - something they have not had on their roster since Robin van Persie's first season there a decade ago. It is no coincidence that the season in question, the 2012-13 season, was United's most recent Premier League triumph; with van Persie spearheading the charge up front, no club even came close as United put together a dominant season to win the league by 11 points. More recently, United's tally of 58 league goals last season was only joint-seventh among the 20 Premier League teams and just seven goals more than the tally of the relegated Leicester City. That statistic along should make it clear where United's priorities ought to lie.

As if all of that weren't already enough, United have gone on to bestow the iconic number 7 jersey on Mount. One of the most legendary jersey numbers in the history of world football, there have been many all-time greats who suffocated under the pressure of playing in United's number 7. Not even the likes of Alexis Sánchez and Ángel Di María were able to live with the expectations that came with donning that illustrious number. Given his track record to date, it does not seem even remotely likely that Mount will go on to become United's next great number 7. More than likely, he will end up another name who has fallen by the wayside in that jersey.

This transfer not only makes hardly any sense for United; Mount may have stalled his own career progression by signing for the red half of Manchester. If he does indeed go on to struggle at United, it could very well end up sending his once-promising career into a downward spiral as his stock plummets. Additionally, the European Championships are just a year from now. If Mount does not have a good season at United, his spot in the England squad could be in jeopardy. Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham are almost certainly locks and likely starters for the Three Lions. Mount actually lost his place as an England starter over the course of last year's World Cup. If he cannot demonstrate why United paid so much money to sign him, he might not even be part of the group that goes to Germany next summer.

Of course, there is still every chance that Mason Mount could go on to prove me wrong and silence any doubters regarding his upcoming first season at Manchester United. However, both the club's track record and current situation in relation to Mount's current player profile indicate that this is not likely to be so.

If United go on to miss out on a top-four spot, they might end up ruing this transfer - one which would have sapped them of much-needed money which could have been put to far better use.

The Weekly Take, Issue 241: The Momentum Grinds to a Halt

After returning from the World Cup, Manchester United entered by far their best stretch of form this season. Many of their players turned in impressive showings when representing their respective countries in Qatar; they proceeded to take this form back with them to Old Trafford. The Red Devils would then register victory after victory, climbing the Premier League table at a rapid pace - so much so that they came from far behind to enter a tussle for second place with cross-town rivals Manchester City as well as this season's surprise package Newcastle United.

However, United's excellent run of form was derailed with a 3-2 loss against runaway league leaders Arsenal in the most recent league matchday. Marcus Rashford's opener for United was matched by Gunners striker Eddie Nketiah seven minutes later. Bukayo Saka put Arsenal ahead after the break, but United soon equalized through a Lisandro Martínez goal. In the last minute of regulation time, Nketiah scored his second of the match to clinch all three points for the North London club who have all but sealed their first league title in 19 years.

Although United have shown clear improvements as the season has progressed, this match clearly showed that any thoughts of winning the league for the first time since 2013 are clearly nothing but wishful thinking. United, who are now 11 points behind Arsenal despite having played an additional match, were outplayed for large portions of the match and were somewhat fortunate to have been hanging on until the closing stages.

A case could be made that United lost the match before it even began. In United's prior league match against Crystal Palace, defensive midfielder Casemiro received a yellow card. It was the Brazilian's fifth booking of the season; he was thus suspended for the match against Arsenal. Although his replacement Scott McTominay did not make any crucial errors or cost his team any major goalscoring opportunities, it was obvious that his level of play was not even close to what Casemiro would have likely provided.

Up front, United's new loan signing Wout Weghorst was extremely disappointing. The Dutch centre-forward who is spending the rest of the season on loan from Burnley struggled from opening kick-off to the final whistle. Many United fans were highly skeptical of the club's acquisition of Weghorst; unfortunately for them, their trepidation has so far been justified. While United have lacked a high-quality centre-forward for quite some time now, even just these two matches have clearly proven that Weghorst is not the solution. There is little to no chance that United will make Weghorst a full-time player at the end of the season.

For the second match in a row, United dropped points after conceding a late goal. In their match against Crystal Palace, United let a win turn into a draw after conceding a stoppage-time goal. If United are to overhaul Newcastle or potentially even City, they absolutely cannot afford any more of the like. United's recent poor play in the dying moments of matches shows a lack of focus and organization - something which will undoubtedly have to be addressed if United are to make a serious push back up the table.

There is still just over a week left in the January transfer window. Perhaps the time might now be right for United to make a key signing. Having likely already bungled their centre-forward spot, landing a new starting full-back should now be United's priority. Outside of Diogo Dalot, United do not have any full-backs who are up to the standard of a starter on a team challenging for a Premier League title. It's evident that none among Luke Shaw, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Tyrell Malacia are good enough to be the long-term solution at full-back.

For all the hype that Manchester United had deservedly generated in the weeks leading up to the match against Arsenal, the fact remains that this team is still a work in progress. However, if things do not change soon, United could be stuck in that limbo of "being one piece away" while never actually landing that piece for who knows how long. Though there were several positives to be taken away from this match, there were also as many, if not more, questions left unanswered.

The Weekly Take, Issue 230: There Are Levels to This

Heading into this season, Manchester United had been coming off their most productive off-season in years. Unlike in previous transfer windows, the Glazers openly brandished the big money to bring players to Old Trafford. These weren't no-namers either - Lisandro Martínez, Casemiro, and Antony all arrived at United, making this, at least on paper, one of United's strongest squads in a long time.

After a slow start to their Premier League campaign, United had managed to get back on track in recent weeks with impressive victories over Liverpool and Arsenal as part of a four-match winning streak. However, Erik ten Hag's team were given a stern reality check by cross-town rivals Manchester City. This latest iteration of the Manchester derby saw City claim a 6-3 victory at the Etihad stadium; Phil Foden and Erling Haaland's hat-tricks combined to give City an extremely one-sided win.

In spite of the enormous amount of money that the Red Devils spent in the off-season, their loss in the derby highlighted one key point: it's not going to happen without a megastar who is a legitimate Ballon d'Or candidate. Although Martínez and Casemiro are certainly above-average starters who would merit a place in just about any team's starting 11 while Antony appears to be an intriguing young prospect with a high ceiling, United were taken apart by such a player.

As has invariably been the case throughout this season, Haaland was close to a one-man wrecking crew for the Citizens. In addition to his three goals, Haaland provided the assists for two of Foden's own trio. The Norwegian is one of two City players who occupies that highest and rarest echelon; Kevin De Bruyne is the other. The effects of having two such players have been evident since the season began. While City currently lie second in the Premier League behind Arsenal, they will almost certainly overtake the Gunners at some point before opening up an enormous lead as they roll to yet another Premier League title by a huge margin. City are also the only English club who have a realistic chance of winning the Champions League.

This brings me back to United. Somehow, despite spending an eye-popping €240 million in the recent transfer window, it can absolutely be said that United "played it safe". This is especially true when considering the calibre of players who were up for grabs. Now, it's true that Haaland would never have signed for United owing to the history between the club and his father who was dealt a career-ending injury by a cheap shot from former United captain Roy Keane. Sadio Mané, who left Liverpool for Bayern Munich, was also off the table due to the rivalry between Liverpool and United. However, United did have many other opportunities to "swing for the fences" but passed on all of them.

This past off-season, Robert Lewandowski left Bayern for Barcelona. In-house friction between Neymar and Kylian Mbappé at Paris Saint-Germain almost led to Mbappé's departure from PSG. Speculation around Harry Kane's future at Tottenham Hotspur continues to circulate. And, if United had happened to have an unusually large appetite for risk, they might even have considered bringing Romelu Lukaku back to Old Trafford in hopes that he might recapture the form that saw him dominate during his first stint at Inter Milan. A large portion of the money United spent could easily have been used to finance the signing of one of these players.

None of this is a knock on any of United's key acquisitions. With their help as well as ten Hag's adept tactical mind, United will probably finish second or third in the league and either win the Europa League or make a deep run in it. However, this is Manchester United we're talking about - the world's most high-profile club with a level of glamour arguably only matched by Real Madrid and Barça. The prospect of being the face of United is something which the club should have leveraged to bring in that all-timer at the peak of his powers. United are thus likely to rue not doing so.

This season's United team do present a formidable challenge for opponents both domestically and abroad. However, in the words of Meek Mill, "there (are) levels to this"; United's timidity in the transfer window (masked by their extravagant financial outlay) has kept them from the topmost level.

The Weekly Take, Issue 173: Title Contenders Overnight

Just last week, if you had asked me about what I thought of Manchester United's chances of winning a title this season, I'd have said "slim to none". In a best-case scenario, I'd have expected the Red Devils to have reached the Champions League quarterfinals and finished third in the Premier League. Do note that this would've been my prediction for what I thought would've been the absolute best results that this season's United team could've achieved.

Of course, all of this changed with just one transfer. In a stunning move that will have surely changed the landscape of European football, Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Manchester United after having spent three years at Juventus. Ronaldo will begin his second stint at United after having played there from 2003 to 2009. During his first six years at United, Ronaldo won the Champions League and Ballon d'Or in 2008 as well as three Premier League titles.

Remarkably, the transfer was made for the astonishingly low price of €25 million. This figure would ordinarily be understandable, given the fact that Ronaldo will be 37 in February. However, even at his age, the Portuguese legend has shown no signs of slowing down and could easily have commanded triple the price.

Ronaldo's arrival has turned United into genuine contenders for both the Premier League and Champions League titles. With Ronaldo on their roster, United now possess arguably the most potent attacking force in world football. They add Ronaldo to an attacking line which already includes Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, and Anthony Martial. It's more than likely that this season, there will be an avalanche of goals at Old Trafford.

It almost seems as though this United team was set up for Ronaldo's return at any time. Prior to United's acquisition of Ronaldo, Fernandes had been their best player. However, as great a player as Fernandes is, he seems to have hit his peak at a level just below that of "centrepiece of a Champions League-winning team". That's not a knock on Fernandes by any means. There are fewer than 10, and sometimes five, such players in the world at any given time.

Ronaldo, on the other hand, is one of those players. In addition to the many goals he will undoubtedly score for United, he will bring intangibles to the team - more than any other player in the world could. He is perhaps the most clutch player in the history of football. Where do we even begin with this? His five Champions League titles, four of which came as the best player of 2013-18 Real Madrid - the greatest dynasty in the history of club football? Coming out on top in an epic duel with Zlatan Ibrahimović with a spot in the World Cup on the line? Or the countless times he almost single-handedly willed his United or Real teams to victory? This is the mentality with which he will infuse this United team - it might just be the X-factor that United need.

On top of that, no one can say that this United team is not a balanced one. In addition to their attacking prowess, United can boast of the likes of Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Paul Pogba, and Scott McTominay - a solid foundation which will provide their attackers with what they need behind them.

Additionally, it really is now or never for head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjær. After almost three years at the helm, Solskjær has not yet led United to any titles. While this would not have been expected prior to Ronaldo's arrival, everything will certainly have changed now. If United once again finish the season empty-handed, it will be extremely likely that the Norwegian will lose his job.

This is probably United's most talented team since the 2008-09 edition, the last time Ronaldo was on the team. That team also featured Nemanja Vidić, Wayne Rooney, Patrice Evra, and Carlos Tevez; it would only be denied back-to-back Champions League titles by a Barcelona team which, quite simply, went "god mode".

It's much too early in the season to conclusively say anything, but there seems to be no reason why United fans shouldn't consider their team in contention to clinch the fourth Champions League title in the club's history this season.

The Weekly Take, Issue 139: The Catalyst for Their Revival

Manchester United took a major step towards claiming their first Premier League title since 2013 by beating Aston Villa 2-1. This victory was of particular importance for the Red Devils because arch-rivals and league leaders Liverpool only managed to register a 0-0 draw against Newcastle. These results mean that United now only trail Liverpool on goal difference. Ole Gunnar Solskjær's team now have a legitimate chance to claim a title they have not even approached in recent years.

United's current form represents a remarkable turnaround from that of just one year ago. This time last year, United were in the midst of a horrendous slump which saw them pick up just 10 points over eight league matches. They fell as low as eighth in the league; as a result, Solskjær was almost fired. This begs the question: how have United bounced back so well and so rapidly?

The answer is very simple - it is only four words long: Bruno Miguel Borges Fernandes.

Fernandes further underscored his status as the driving force behind United's revival by scoring the winning goal from the penalty spot against Villa. This was just the latest instance of the Portuguese midfielder once again saving United when they needed him most. To put how important he has been for United, consider this fact: thus far this season, United have scored 33 league goals. Fernandes has either scored or assisted 18 of them. It isn't just his scoring and passing, though - his off-ball movement, pressing skills, and ability to dictate the rhythm and pace of play have set the tone for United throughout their current campaign.

Fernandes' intangibles have also been lauded by United fans. His leadership qualities and willingness to hold teammates accountable have caused many to believe that he should be named United's permanent captain - a belief that has seen its traction grow recently after Fernandes' impressive debut with the armband. This came against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

When United signed Fernandes last year, they were still in the slump which was previously mentioned. He was a major reason behind not only their return to form, but an eventual charge up the league table to finish third and seal a spot in this season's Champions League - something which had seemed unlikely before he arrived at Old Trafford.

Almost no one could have expected or predicted Fernandes' sudden ascension after he signed for United. Somewhat of a late bloomer, Fernandes did not emerge on most fans' radars until being named as the Primeira Liga's Player of Year for the second time in 2019. He was already 24 years old at the time and prior to playing for Sporting CP, he had been through uneventful stints at Serie A clubs Udinese and Sampdoria. As a result, when he joined United last January, the prevailing thought was that he would be a solid addition to a team still awaiting its centrepiece. Of course, as it turned out, he would be the centrepiece himself.

So impressive was Fernandes that despite playing less than half of United's 2019-20 season, he was named the club's Player of the Year. Never before in the history of Manchester United had this happened.

Fernandes' rise has been as meteoric as it has been unexpected. A year ago, if you'd been asked to rank Fernandes among all players in the world, he'd have barely made the top 50, if even that at all. Today, he is clearly among the top 20 players on the planet with a possible (though admittedly unlikely) argument for top 10. Clearly, if United do indeed go on to clinch the league title, Fernandes will  be the primary reason for their success.

I'll even say this: Edinson Cavani should not have been given United's iconic #7 jersey upon his arrival during the pre-season. Cavani should have been given Fernandes' current #18, leaving Fernandes to deservedly don perhaps the most iconic football jersey of all time.

It's extremely rare that just one signing can inspire an uptick in form quite like that of Fernandes, but that is exactly what has happened at United. What makes this even better for United fans is the fact that all signs point to Fernandes remaining at Old Trafford for many years to come. If he does and his supporting cast continues to deliver him the help he needs, expect regular silverware to start coming back to Manchester United.

The Weekly Take, Issue 98: An Absolute Disgrace at All Levels

Liverpool's dominant, historic, almost superhuman season continued on its unstoppable path with a 2-0 victory over arch-rivals Manchester United. Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah made their way onto the scoresheet for a team that is now surely one of the greatest football teams of all time.

The way Liverpool are run at all levels, from front office and upper management to scouting to coaching and everything else, stands in stark contrast to what has been happening at United. Manchester United right now are being run in an absolutely disgraceful manner. They have become a textbook example of how not to run a football club.

The first point to note is that of signings. During the past off-season, Manchester United massively overpaid to sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace for £50 million, then made perhaps the absolute worst value-for-money signing of the off-season by picking up Harry Maguire from Leicester City for the exorbitant fee of £80 million. These ill-advised signings were then compounded by the sale of Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan; the Belgian has lit up Serie A with 14 league goals in 20 matches to fuel the Nerazzurri's title push. The Red Devils also let central midfielder Ander Herrera leave for nothing; the Spaniard joined Paris Saint-Germain soon after.

Recently, Maguire was also made United captain following the departure of Ashley Young to Inter. Once again, there was absolutely no thought placed into this decision. The England centre-back has little experience captaining a team, just joined United months ago, and only has 124 Premier League matches over four-and-a-half seasons under his belt. In contrast, David de Gea has been at United since 2011, has captained Spain's under-21 team and has even stepped in as United captain from time to time in past matches, and has played 298 league matches for United. While I normally oppose the idea of a goalkeeper as captain, this is an exception because de Gea should so obviously have been the next United captain; there is no rational reason at all as to why Maguire received the armband instead of de Gea.

In hindsight, the selection of Ole Gunnar Solskjær to coach the team in the wake of the firing of José Mourinho has also proven to be a poor one. It is now evident that the Norwegian's hot start in the Old Trafford dugout has proven to be an outlier; he clearly does not have what it takes to coach at the level required of one in charge of Manchester United. However, it should have been obvious that Solskjær was never going to work out as United head coach; during his only half-season in charge of a club in a major football league, he presided over the relegation of Cardiff City in 2014 and only lasted eight months in total before being fired. Despite this fact, the club owners chose to value sentimentality and "good feelings" over facts and track record, and United are now paying the price because of this poorly-considered decision.

The largest share of the blame clearly has to be placed on the shoulders of owners Joel and Avram Glazer. The brothers have no coherent plan, no vision, and no understanding of what it takes to restore United to its former glory. They are obviously making things up as they go along. For that matter, Mourinho's struggles while he had been in charge at United can largely be blamed on ownership as well. Before choosing to hire the Portuguese coach, the Glazer brothers ought to have considered the fact that all of Mourinho's most successful teams followed a particular archetype with which Mourinho would have been most comfortable. Of course, they did not grant Mourinho the freedom to pursue signing such players and instead saddled him with players who were ill-suited to his team concept and tactics.

When considering how Manchester United are being run as well as the fact that there seems to be no end in sight to the club's woes, I feel fairly confident in saying this: if United continue to be run as they are right now, I believe that in 10 to 20 years, Manchester United will be regarded as an irrelevant club and will have permanently fallen away from European football's top table.

The Weekly Take, Issue 82: An Unexpected Breakout Performance

Before I begin, I would just like to state that the fact that Issue 82 happens to be about a match between Manchester United and Arsenal is a complete coincidence. I did not plan for this to happen; the schedule just worked out that way.

In a Premier League match which will likely go on to have major implications towards the chase for a top-four league spot this season and thus a place in next season's Champions League, Manchester United and Arsenal played to a 1-1 draw. It was something of a war of attrition - a back-and-forth, scrappy encounter. Scott McTominay scored a spectacular goal to put United in the lead heading into halftime, but a VAR-assisted goal scored by Arsenal's Gabonese superstar Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang earned the Gunners a share of the points.

Before the match, if you had asked most people who would be man of the match, names such as Aubameyang, Paul Pogba, David de Gea, or Granit Xhaka might have been mentioned. Not many, however, would have seen the dominant performance of McTominay coming.

Playing in just the 38th league match of his young career, the Scotsman who is in his first season as a starter for the Red Devils put on a clinic in central midfield. Not only did McTominay score a highlight-reel goal, but he also refused to back off from any tackles, had his passing on point throughout the match, and completely outplayed Arsenal captain Xhaka, who was his opposing matchup. Although he had only been a benchwarmer throughout his career prior to this season, he certainly didn't play like one against the North Londoners.

Ever since Pogba returned to Old Trafford in 2016, he has clearly established himself as arguably the best player on the team (some may claim that United's best player is de Gea, but Pogba does have a case himself). However, United's preferred 4-2-3-1 formation requires that they field two in the middle; usually one defensive midfielder and one central midfielder. Although Pogba is able to play at either the #6 or #8 position, the Frenchman is clearly more suited to the deeper role, as is implied by his jersey number. Thus, United have been searching for a suitable midfield partner whose game is a suitable complement to Pogba's, but to no avail until perhaps now.

Although Nemanja Matić and Ander Herrera are certainly capable players, one issue faced by United lay in the fact that both were more natural defensive midfielders than central ones. Thus, their skillsets often overlapped with Pogba's in certain ways, leading to redundancy in certain areas and weaknesses in others. Marouane Fellaini, meanwhile, was never really able to adapt to United's style of play and ended his troubled five-and-a-half years in Manchester in January 2019 when he left for Shandong Luneng.

From what McTominay showed during the match against the Gunners, it may be the case that he does indeed have what it takes to establish himself as a regular starter for both now and in years to come. He has already taken over Matić's role as a starter. This is a positive sign for United because McTominay is still just 22, while Matić is 31 and is now heading towards the back end of his career.

Manchester United have always had a history of solid British central midfielders from Bryan Robson to Paul Ince to Paul Scholes to Michael Carrick; McTominay may yet go on to be the next of this lineage. While none were truly great enough for a team to be built around them, all proved to be solid second or third options at their best. That is a level which I can foresee McTominay reaching if the rest of his career pans out ideally.

Of course, it's far too early to make any wild predictions about a player who, as I mentioned earlier, has only played 38 league matches in his career. His performance against Arsenal may not necessarily have been a genuine breakout match; it might just have been a one-off and nothing more.

However, that same performance clearly displayed the potential that McTominay has. It is certainly possible that United have found their starting central midfielder for the next five years or more.

The Weekly Take, Issue 69: Paying Through the Nose

There have been many cases in which a footballer is signed for a gaudy transfer fee but subsequently never makes the desired impact at his new club.

Some of the most notorious examples of this include the transfers of James Rodríguez to Real Madrid, Zlatan Ibrahimović to Barcelona, Fernando Torres to Chelsea, and Ángel Di María to Manchester United.

Now, five years after the ill-advised signing of Di María, United again appear to have severely overpaid to sign a player.

Manchester United have just paid ₤50 million to sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace.

It’s not that I believe the Londoner will be a complete failure at Old Trafford. There is definitely some degree of potential there, and he should be able to crack the rotation and perhaps establish himself as a starter.

However, the Red Devils have just paid an amount for which one expects a high-quality, starting 11 player. Wan-Bissaka is still just 21 and has not yet shown any signs that he might ascend to that level someday. He has only played 42 league games for Palace and has never been capped by England. This is a player who made his professional debut less than 18 months ago.

This signing appears to be a “panic purchase” by United. After a disappointing season in which United finished sixth in the Premier League, were knocked out earlier than expected in both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, and were soundly defeated by Barcelona in the Champions League quarterfinals, United knew that major upgrades were needed to set the club back on the path toward its former glories.

This makes their signing of Wan-Bissaka all the more puzzling. What United need right now is a player who will be ready to contribute at a high level straight from his first day at United. Wan-Bissaka does not fit that bill.

Just looking at other full-backs, United could very well have signed one of Lukas Klostermann, Alex Telles, José Gaya, Alex Sandro, or Nélson Semedo. Even if United felt that they ought to sign a promising young prospect, they could easily have gone with Achraf Hakimi. Although the 20-year-old Moroccan has only played 57 career league games, he has already spent time at two major clubs: Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. Thus, he already has some of the big-game experience which Wan-Bissaka lacks.

If the reason that United signed Wan-Bissaka was to build for the future, once again, they could have made better signings for a similar or less expensive fee. One of players 23 years old or younger such as Rúben Neves, Nicolò Zaniolo, Hirving Lozano, Jonathan Tah, or Youri Tielemans could have been signed. All of them have established themselves to a greater degree, and most seem to have higher ceilings, than Wan-Bissaka has.

Many of Europe’s leading clubs have already made notable signings. Barcelona have signed Frenkie de Jong and Neto. Real Madrid have brought in Eden Hazard, Luka Jović, and Ferland Mendy. Bayern Munich have added French full-backs Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez to their roster. Juventus have signed Adrien Rabiot; Borussia Dortmund, Mats Hummels.

This is the level of player required to be signed by a club that is to return to or remain among world football’s best. The fact that United committed so much money to sign someone who has not shown anything of note thus far proves how far the club has fallen and clearly displays their general lack of ambition.

There is still plenty of time in this transfer window to turn things around, but given United’s recent track record in this department, the signs do not appear to be promising. Over the last three years, the only two truly impactful signings made by United were those of Ibrahimović and Paul Pogba. Furthermore, Ibrahimović left United after two seasons which included an ACL tear, while Pogba was signed for what was then an all-time record fee.

If United go on to strike out in this off-season’s transfer window or again overpay for most or all of their signings, their fans can expect to endure another difficult season in what has now proven to be their worst multi-year stretch in almost 30 years.

Certainly, Manchester is no longer red.

The Weekly Take, Issue 53: Still Clutch as Ever

Throughout his career as a footballer, Ole Gunnar Solskjær was known for his clutch play in high-pressure situations.

Of course, the most famous such example took place in Manchester United’s 1999 Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich. Having come on as a substitute in the 81st minute, Solskjær went on to score the title-winning goal in stoppage time. The victory meant that the Red Devils clinched the Treble that season, becoming only the fourth team to do so and the first from a major league.

Another classic Solskjær clutch play took place against Newcastle in 1998. Newcastle’s Rob Lee was closing in on the Manchester United goal and was about to score the Magpies’ game-winning goal. A Newcastle win would have dealt a significant blow to United’s title challenge. Then, just when it was least expected, Solskjær tore across the field, somehow made up an enormous distance deficit, and barrelled into Lee to prevent the goal. Although the Norwegian did receive a red card for the tackle, he made a big play in a high-pressure situation – something which, as I mentioned, would become a feature of his career.

It now appears that Solskjær’s “clutch gene” has carried over to the other side of the touchline. Ever since taking over as United’s head coach in December 2018, he has done an outstanding job.

This week, he had his best moment in the position thus far, as United scored a sensational Champions League upset victory over Paris Saint-Germain. United’s 3-1 victory made up for a 2-0 first-leg loss, with Marcus Rashford scoring the penalty that put them into the quarterfinals for the first time since 2014.

It’s impossible to understate how great Solskjær has been thus far.

Since Solskjær took over, United have won 14 out of 17 matches, and of the three they did not win, one was the first leg of the Champions League match against PSG, while another was a 0-0 draw against Liverpool. Over those 17 matches, United have scored 39 goals while conceding just 13.

Solskjær has also managed to revive the seasons of players who had been slumping badly prior to his appointment. The likes of Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, and Anthony Martial all seem to have received something of a second wind. Pogba has also rediscovered the superstar levels which he is capable of but not reached for some time now.

United truly had the deck stacked against them heading into the second leg against PSG. Key players such as Martial, Nemanja Matić, and Ander Herrera were all absent due to injuries. On top of that, Pogba was suspended after receiving a red card in the first leg. Add the facts that United were already trailing by two goals and that the second leg was to be played at PSG’s Parc des Princes, and one could easily see why most assumed that PSG would make short work of United.

Yet somehow, against all the odds, Solskjær led United to an improbable victory. Despite having much less possession and far fewer goalscoring chances, United came in with just the right strategy to neutralize the threats posed by the likes of Marco Verratti, Kylian Mbappé, and, sweetest of all, former United player Ángel Di María. The Argentine had recently trash-talked his former club, so it was especially pleasing for United to get their revenge in this way.

Solskjær has been able to do something that even legendary coaches such as Louis van Gaal and José Mourinho could not. He has once again turned United into a powerhouse of world football. They actually look like genuine contenders to win the Champions League – something they have not been since the 2011-12 season.

It doesn’t always work out when a retired player returns to coach his former team. The likes of Filippo Inzaghi, Clarence Seedorf, and more recently, Santiago Solari are all evidence of this.

However, this is clearly not the case with Solskjær. Although he has only been at the helm of Manchester United for a short time, he has already done great things.

United’s numerous fans have good reason to be optimistic, because with Ole Gunnar Solskjær in the dugout, this team’s future is brighter than it has been for a very long time.

The Weekly Take, Issue 42: An Expected Departure

The seemingly inevitable has now happened.

After Manchester United’s 3-1 loss to arch-rivals Liverpool, José Mourinho was fired as the Red Devils’ coach after just over two years in the position.

To say that Mourinho’s time as United coach was turbulent is an understatement.

Mourinho was known to have had personal issues with a number of United players, including Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Alexis Sánchez, and Andreas Pereira. He also clashed with vice-chairman Ed Woodward over the money he was allocated for the purpose of signing players.

It cannot be said that Mourinho’s stint as United coach was a complete failure, especially given the fact that the squad he had at his disposal was not flooded with the sheer amount of talent that the likes of Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, or Barcelona had. Second place in the Premier League last season can be considered a success, considering that they finished ahead of arguably more fancied teams such as Chelsea and Tottenham. However, it must also be noted that in his first season at United, Mourinho’s team only finished sixth in the league, only qualifying for the Champions League by winning the much less prestigious and competitive Europa League.

Although Mourinho’s time at the helm of United didn’t go the way many a United fan had hoped, the reality is that this Manchester United team was never the right fit for the Portuguese coach.

Consider all the other teams which experienced much success under Mourinho. What did all of them have in common?

Every one of them was built around an elite playmaking central midfielder – a player who was equally adept at playing the number 8 or 10 roles.

Mourinho had Deco on his roster at Porto, Frank Lampard at Chelsea, Wesley Sneijder at Inter Milan, and Mesut Özil and Luka Modrić at Real Madrid.

United do not have a player of such calibre in that position. Juan Mata currently occupies that role, but, while a solid player, is nowhere near the levels of the five players just mentioned.

Mourinho has also always favoured a defense-first approach. Once again, his personnel at other clubs allowed him to do that with ease, but not so at United.

He had Paulo Ferreira, Jorge Costa, and Ricardo Carvalho at Porto. At Chelsea, he had John Terry, as well as Ferreira and Carvalho again. His Inter Milan team had Javier Zanetti, Maicon, and Iván Cordoba. Then, when he coached Real Madrid, he had Sergio Ramos and Marcelo on his roster.

United’s current backline is led by Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelöf. That’s simply not going to cut it at the highest level.

To put it simply: this Manchester United team was not set up to favour a coach like Mourinho.

Furthermore, as Mourinho has pointed out, the team has clearly been hampered by the lack of signings made. Over the previous off-season, United made three signings, all of whom have mostly been limited to the bench. Diogo Dalot, Fred, and Lee Grant have combined for just 14 starts and five substitute appearances this season. United stood still while their rivals moved ahead and strengthened their teams by making key signings.

Of course, José Mourinho himself must shoulder a good deal of the blame. Publicly airing his personal problems with his players was a horrible look, and it clearly destabilized the team. To make matters worse, three of the players he fell out with – Pogba, Sánchez, and Martial – are arguably three of United’s four best players. A coach of Mourinho’s calibre and experience ought to know that a team’s best players often have to be dealt with differently. However, Mourinho clearly failed to get the memo, as far as his interactions with his players are concerned. This played a major role in the club’s making the decision to fire him.

No one should cast any doubt on Mourinho’s coaching skill. With two Champions Leagues, eight league titles, four domestic cups, two doubles, and a treble, he is, in my opinion, the greatest coach in football history.

Despite his track record, though, his United stint never came close to the heights he once hit, proving that no matter how great the coach, if the coach doesn’t fit the club well, success will be difficult to come by.

The Weekly Take, Issue 4: ‘The Special One’? More like ‘The Greatest One’

In the lead-up to the recent match between Manchester United and Chelsea, many of the sports world’s headlines were dominated by the rivalry between Manchester United head coach José Mourinho and his counterpart at Chelsea, Antonio Conte.

However, once the match was completed, it was clear that the question of who is the superior coach should really never have been a question at all.

Despite falling behind to a first-half goal by Willian, Manchester United were clearly the better of the two teams in terms of strategy and coaching, as shown by how United’s backline restricted Eden Hazard and Álvaro Morata, as well as by the fact that Jesse Lingard, who came on as a substitute, scored the winning goal for United.

Conte is certainly a fine coach. He has achieved much at both Juventus and Chelsea. There is no shame in being outcoached and out-strategised by the greatest head coach in the history of football.

Yes, I went there.

You can throw any other name at me. Helenio Herrera. Arrigo Sacchi. Alex Ferguson. Pep Guardiola. Jupp Heynckes. Carlo Ancelotti. Bob Paisley. Rinus Michels.

I would still take José Mourinho over every single one of those names.

You may say “he only has two Champions League titles”.

Of those names, only Paisley and Ancelotti have more, and Paisley’s came before the 1999-2000 season, which marks the beginning of what I consider the modern Champions League era.

This is because it was the first time after expansion of the tournament to include non-champions from superior leagues that the Champions League had its current 32-team format.

With regard to Ancelotti, José Mourinho led Porto and Inter Milan, two underdog teams, to win the Champions League.

Ancelotti, as well as every other name I mentioned, won with stacked teams expected to win it all.

Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010 were not among the favourites to win the title at the beginning of the season.

I consider his triumph with Porto as the greatest coaching performance in football history because of the strategic genius shown throughout their campaign in their victories against, on paper, superior teams.

Mourinho has also revolutionised football strategy in a way that only Guardiola, Herrera, and Michels can claim to have done.

His counter-attacking strategies, timely substitutions, and ability to adapt his own team’s tactics to counter those of his next opponent are unmatched in modern football.

He is often criticized for using “ugly” strategies, playing too defensively, and not being conventionally “entertaining” (though defensive-minded tactics can be just as entertaining to watch as offensive-minded ones).

And yet, in spite of the criticism he receives, he holds firm to his tactics, so much so that you can tell that a team is a Mourinho team by their playstyle and setup, and this persistence in the face of his detractors has given Mourinho tremendous success.

Eight league titles, two Champions Leagues, two Europa Leagues, five national super cups, four national cups, and four side cups over an 18-year coaching career.

Out of 871 games he has coached, he has won a staggering 570 and drawn 178.

Mourinho's teams thus average 2.17 points per game.

That’s a number that would have placed him in a Champions League spot in all four major leagues.

This is a career average, not a selection of peak seasons.

Some criticise him for never staying for long at a club – his longest time spent at one club is five years and nine months, which was at Chelsea. Even then, it was over two stints.

But do we hold it against Diego Maradona for playing for six clubs over his career? Or Ronaldo for playing for seven, including direct rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as Inter Milan and AC Milan?

Furthermore, there have other great coaches who never spent too long at the same club.

Sacchi’s longest tenure was at AC Milan: five years over two stints.

Guardiola’s longest was his four-year stint in charge of Barcelona.

Hence, it makes no sense to hold Mourinho to a different standard.

Now, it may not necessarily be the case that Mourinho remains the greatest of all time for that much longer.

If Guardiola or Heynckes lead their teams to a Champions League title soon, that would put them in the conversation.

But for now, they still rank behind the touchline wizard from Setúbal, Portugal.