All Mourinho’s instincts will be to kill the game but going for broke represents his best chance of another famous winWhen people said they wanted José Mourinho to make Manchester United more like Alex Ferguson’s treble winners, this, presumably, isn’t…
Bitter Argentinian rivals are up against each other over two legs but no away fans will be allowed – it is simply too dangerousPepper spray in the tunnel, an inflatable pig floated in front of the away fans, Carlos Tévez being sent off for performing a…
Tottenham came unstuck when they pressed high at the Etihad last season but it was preferable to their timid performance against Manchester City at WembleyTottenham would press them, push high up the pitch, even from goal-kicks. They’d be aggressive an…
Jose Mourinho’s side were astonishingly passive against Juve but amid his post-match bluster there was the kernel of a pointThe problem with modern European football is how stratified it has become. With resources now divided so unequally, how, realist…
Manchester United seem incapable of doing the thing José Mourinho’s teams are renowned for so the manager must change his approachThere are times when you wonder whether the gods of football have almost too pronounced a sense of irony. Not content with…
Pep Guardiola went back to the basics of Cruyffism at Anfield and in doing so showed new-found flexibility and pragmatismEighteen games into Pep Guardiola’s second season as manager of Bayern Munich, his side lost 4-1 at Wolfsburg. It was their first d…
Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have both reined in their attacking instincts this season, aware of leaving gaps in defenceIt is all about the full-backs but these days it is always all about the full?backs. From a tactical point of view Sunday’s meetin…
United fans want ‘attack, attack’ and Moyes and Van Gaal tried, even if it was dull. There was no attacking against Valencia but somehow it is never Mourinho’s fault“Attack, attack, attack!” roared Old Trafford, but Manchester United did not attack. Pe…
He has been both a player and a president of the Russian club, and the 71-year-old is now in his fourth stint as manager which included last season’s remarkable title triumphNever go back, they say, but Yuri Semin has never been somebody to place too m…
Saturday’s league meeting offers another chance to see two sides with similar setups but Jorginho’s arrival has pushed N’Golo Kanté out of his comfort zonePress against press, 4-3-3 against 4-3-3, wide forwards who cut in against wide forwards who cut …
City’s shock defeat by Lyon raised concerns regarding the team’s leadership and capacity to think independently, as well as a susceptibility to pressingIt’s one game, at the beginning of the group stage. There is plenty of time to recover. For Manchest…
Leaving three forwards to float about and occasionally turn a trick may be enough in Ligue 1 – but not when it comes to elite level. How have PSG not learned?A net €750m spent in eight years and that’s all you get? Success without money is all but impo…
Spurs must kick their habit of letting in goals when seemingly in control, starting against Liverpool, at a time when every bad result threatens to undermine their projectTottenham’s 4-1 win at Wembley against Liverpool last season was one of those gam…
Goalkeeper is an outstanding shot-stopper but does not excel at passing and this is reflected in how Manchester United playDavid de Gea has been named in the PFA team of the year in five of the past six seasons. He has been Manchester United’s player o…
Manchester United, Liverpool and Spurs should squeeze through tricky groups while Manchester City’s task looks relatively straightforwardAtlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Monaco, Club Brugge Continue reading…
Manchester United, Liverpool and Spurs should squeeze through tricky groups while Manchester City’s task looks relatively straightforwardAtlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Monaco, Club Brugge Continue reading…
Manchester United’s manager seemed keener to make a point than beat Tottenham and may no longer be able to create a team that can attack without being catastrophically open“From a tactical point of view, we didn’t lose,” said José Mourinho, which must …
Argentinian’s strike rate is up there with the best but only now is Manchester City’s all-time top scorer convincing his manager he is the finished articleManchester City beat Huddersfield 5-1 in an FA Cup fifth-round replay in March last year. Sergio …
