Manchester United

Fernandes laments lack of control as City expose United gaps Bruno Fernandes has criticised Manchester United for a lack of control in Sundays 3-0 defeat at City. The captain says every goal could have been avoided. Foden headed in after Doku breezed past Luke Shaw on United’s left. The moment exposed a flaw in the…

Flew and Flopped: Ten Record Signings That Shaped the Premier League I write with a bitter cadence about record signings. This ledger measures flights and falls across the Premier League, therefore revealing truth. Structure, shape, and shadow guide my notes on tactics. Jose Mourinho is sacred in these notes: I am the Special One. The…

Hatton Death Casts Shadow Over Manchester Derby as City Tribute Stirs Memory I step into the derby with mourning hanging over the city. Manchester City paid tribute to one of their most loved supporters before kickoff. The minute of appreciation honored Ricky Hatton after his death. Hatton died at his Manchester home aged forty six.…

Haaland fires City revival as the 197th derby seals the moment Erling Haaland urged Manchester City to get our asses going and then scored the second and third goals. That brace sealed a 197th derby win for Pep Guardiola’s men. This was not a vintage City, at least not yet. Haaland showed the mark of…

The Lost Tempo and Shadow Play: Haalands Brace as Manchester Uniteds Mirror Erling Haaland struck twice as Manchester City hammered their woebegone rivals. From the first whistle the visitors were trapped in a chessboard of pressure and shape. The Citys press snapped into a coherent four line high block, while United drifted and failed to…

City silence and the lost tempo as United bear the weight of a defensive creed Ruben Amorim stood in a defensive mood after United fell 3-0 to City. He insisted the system stays, so you have to change the man if you drop the 3-4-3. Behind closed doors, turmoil has hampered the squad. City struck…

Old Trafford’s Slow Burn: Amorim’s United and the Lost Tempo Ruben Amorim is not the biggest problem at Old Trafford, but he is one of the issues. Perhaps the best that can be said of Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United is that you know exactly where you stand. It’s 10 months since he was appointed but…

Pepism fades as football shifts a bitter reckoning for United and the tactical map Pepism is no longer the prevailing tactical template, and football itself sits in a state of flux. The world feels blasted and unfamiliar. But smoke swirls around a gloom thick as ash. Meanwhile foul odours belch from the earth and the…

Kobbie Mainoo and the Fight to Start: Amorim Sees a World Beater in Waiting I am a bitter archivist of pain who still refreshes the feed. Today the page is about Kobbie Mainoo. The England international has yet to start a league game this season. Ruben Amorim said Mainoo was uncomfortable having to fight for…

Derby shadow play Bayindir stays Lammens the present and future Ruben Amorim will keep Altay Bayindir as United’s number one for the derby at Manchester City. He sees Senne Lammens as a player for today as well as tomorrow. Bayindir has started all three Premier League games this season. Lammens joined from Royal Antwerp for…