Vertere Novam Paginam
by Robert Mizzi
O
ne could probably write a whole dissertation analysing what went wrong last season. Every United supporter will have his/her version on how Manchester United failed to live up to the expectations and the return of Ronaldo did not go exactly according to plan. The title of this contribution is a literal translation of ‘turn a new page’ into Latin. Those who know me well know that I have a certain fascination with Latin and pretend to be conversant (I am not) by signing off my blog contributions and my articles in the Echoes with Numquam Moribimur (We never die). A very quick review of last season before I literally turn the page and start looking forward to the forthcoming season. Ole started the
30 VOL 49 - ISSUE 4 - JULY 2022
season with 3 important acquisitions that had us all excited. Following the arrival of Sancho (one year later than planned) and Varane, the sensational return of CR7 into the fold had us buzzing with excitement. As the season settled in, however, the cracks started to show. The style of play was not at all convincing and both collectively and on an individual level, the team was not getting the desired results and Ole was clearly not in a position to continue leading United and by the end of November he was out. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the debacle against Watford, but the writing had been on the wall for some time. Personally, I think Ole could have been a good assistant to a proven manager, but he burnt himself out by taking the hot seat and managing the primadonnas with an amicable approach. I have already opined on the fact
that I do not believe that his assistants were up to scratch and did not help out when the going got tough. It was evident, in my opinion, that there was turmoil behind the scenes and that the virus (or viruses) that Mourinho had referred to were still wreaking havoc in the United dressing room and training grounds. Anyone who has played football at any level will know that a group of fairly good players with an excellent attitude and hunger can achieve more than a bunch of well-paid primadonnas who feel that they can throw their toys out of the pram whenever things do not go their way. In football terms, they threw Ole under the proverbial bus. I do not have any doubt at all that Ole was doing his utmost to succeed but apart from
