Echoes from Old Trafford - June 2017

NEWSPAPER POST

Volume 44- Issue 4, June 2017

“Maybe this victory will bring some happiness to Manchester, I don’t know. I would obviously, me and everyone else, we would change this trophy for the people that lost their lives, that’s obvious.

But if I focus on the football side, I am really proud.”

José Mourinho

Manchester United Supporters’ Club-Malta Founded 1959, is officially recognized by the Manchester United Football Club.

In this issue 3  EDITORIAL IN MALTESE......................................................................... 5  CLUB NEWS......................................................................................... 6  TEDDY’S CORNER.................................................................................. 9  EASTER CHILDREN PARTY................................................................... 11  MARCUS RASHFORD – HOMEGROWN GOLDEN BOY........................... 12  MOURINHO FIRST YEAR......................................................................15  THE ZLATAN EFFECT........................................................................... 16  GOAL MACHINES............................................................................... 19  5 THINGS I DID NOT LIKE THIS SEASON.............................................. 21  BACK ON TRACK.............................................................................. 23  MARCOS ROJO.................................................................................. 24  KITS ARTICLE.................................................................................... 27  EUROPEAN ROUND-UP.................................................................... 28  FATIGUE............................................................................................ 33  BEST 10 MEMORIES OF MANCHESTER UNITED................................... 35  CHAMPIONS LEAGUE NIGHTS............................................................ 37  WHERE ARE THEY NOW? – ERIC CANTONA........................................ 38  BEST TIMES AHEAD........................................................................... 41  VICTOR LINDELOF............................................................................. 43  CRISTIANO RONALDO VS LIONEL MESSI........................................... 45  THE WAR YEARS................................................................................ 47  MIXED MANCUNIAN PLATTER.............................................................51  MAJOR LEAGUE’S ROUND-UP............................................................. 54  END OF SEASON REVIEW................................................................... 57

Official publication of the Manchester United Supporters’ Club Malta

 EDITORIAL............................................................................................

editorial team Braden Galea · Michael Calleja · Daniel Cushcieri · Clint Camilleri advertising executives Joe Catania · Kenneth Portelli contributors Michael Calleja Tiziana Caruana Robert Muscat Joseph Tedesco Jude Cauchi Silvio Scicluna Roderick Psaila Robert Mizzi Julian Tabone Stefan Attard Paul Vassallo Antoine Dalli Fr. Karm Ferrante John Calleja Norbert Bugeja Braden Galea Kenneth Abela Iain McCartney Karm Galea Michael Gatt

printing Progress Press patron Sir Alex Ferguson club founder ­ John Calleja club committee Joseph Tedesco Joe Catania James Handyside

President, Match Tickets Coordinator Vice-President, Assistant Advertising Executive Secretary, Tours Coordinator

Kevin Tabone

Treasurer, PRO

Robert J. Muscat

Assistant Secretary, Logistics Manager

Antoine Portelli

Assistant Treasurer, Venue & Facilities Coordinator

Charles Cauchi

Membership Secretary, Fund Raising Coordinator

Clint Camillieri

Media & Publishing Coordinator

Egidio Sciberras Souvenir Shop Mgr., Asst. Venue & Facilities Coordinator Kenneth Portelli Braden Galea

Advertising Executive ICT Manager, Sports & Social Activities Coordinator Gozo representative ­ Joe Xerri translator Tiziana Caruana

MALTA MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

Quarries Square Street, Msida MSD 1101 Malta.

Telephone: +356 21223531 E-mail: info@manutd-malta.com Website: www.manutd-malta.com

club chaplain Fr. Anthony C. Ferrante (Carmelite)

business partners

Based in Msida, Malta, we are a non-profit organization designed to bring the Manchester United experience to United fans here in Malta. We are the only Official Manchester United Supporters’ Club on the Maltese Islands. We are also the oldest Manchester United Supporters’ Club in the World.

THE VIEWS IN THIS MAGAZINE ARE NOT NECESSARILY SHARED BY THE CLUB. VOL 44 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2017

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Editorial

THE JIGSAW IS FINALLY COMPLETED.

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anchester United have become the first ever British club to win ALL European and International trophies. Following a commanding performance against Ajax in the Europa League Final, the impressive array now includes: 3 UEFA Champions Leagues, 1 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, 1 Europa League/UEFA Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup and 1 FIFA Club World Cup.

and jaded during the weekend fixture and the amount of draws at Old Trafford is therefore no surprise. It is difficult to be motivated and fired-up when there is no energy left and when games are played within a short space of time.

It will certainly be an interesting summer period and all fans will be glued to social media awaiting any major transfer updates. After the Europa League final, Mourinho stated: ‘Ed Woodward has had my list, what I want, what I would like, for more than two months. So now it’s up to him and the owners. I wish Mr Woodward all the success in his work because now it’s time for me to disconnect, because I’m very tired. I am going to land in Manchester, I am going to get a car to London, then to Portugal.

I don’t care about football for now. Now I am on holiday.’ Fair points raised by an exhausted manager but the question on everybody’s lips will be whether the management will be able to secure all of Mourinho’s targets!

After the match in Stockholm, Mourinho perfectly summed up the season in a nutshell: “We are in the Champions League in the right way and for me the right way is winning the Premier League or winning the Europa League.

We were not strong enough to win the Premier League but we were strong enough to win the Europa League and we are back in the Champions League. The club now has every trophy in world football!’

What made the victory more impressive was the fact that the team was plagued and decimated by injuries. For the final, United were without the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo and Ashley Young. Therefore, all squad members had a vital part to play in this triumph and it’s certainly a win that will live long in the memories of both United fans and players!

Finally, it is apt that this magazine pays tribute to the victims of the bombing of the Manchester Arena. The world was truly stunned when the city was horribly attacked by extremists leaving many young people dead. It was also fitting that Manchester United brought a smile back to people’s faces with the winning of the Europa League title. May football continue to flourish and be used as a vehicle for peace and friendship throughout the world!

Despite a disappointing League campaign, fans will be pleased to note that United still managed to secure three trophies in Mourinho’s maiden season. The Europa League win was complemented by the Community Shield win back in August and the League Cup win against Southampton back in February.

Not bad for Mourinho’s first term at the helm!

The league campaign did not go as planned for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, a massive fixture congestion led to a major lack of fitness and freshness within the team. There were times when United looked exhausted

November period. This might have persuaded Mourinho to dedicate as much time as possible towards winning cup competitions. He was in a way vindicated as the Red Devils won both the League Cup and Europa League and were awfully unlucky to exit the FA Cup competition against league winners Chelsea.

Mourinho must have suspected that the title race was all but over when the team dropped a large number of points in the October-

As stated by Ander Herrera: “The team was devastated. We were really sad because when you think about life and football, you have no voice. It was difficult to train but the manager told us the only thing we could do was to win it for them, and that’s what we’ve done. It’s just a football game, just a trophy, but if we can support them [the people who were affected] with this just one per cent, it’s enough for us.”

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Editorjal FL-AĦĦAR IL-JIGSAW HIJA KOMPLUTA. M

anchester United sar l‑ewwel club Ingliż li qatt rebaħ it‑tazzi Ewropej u internazzjonali kollha. Wara prestazzjoni superjuri kontra Ajax fil‑finali tal‑Europa League, il‑kollezzjoni impressjonanti tinkludi: 3 UEFA Champions Leagues, 1 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, 1 Europa League/UEFA Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup u 1 FIFA Club World Cup.

konġestjoni kbira ta’ logħob f ’xulxin wasslet għal għeja fiżika kbira u nuqqas ta’ enerġija friska fit‑tim. Kien hemm mumenti meta l‑United dehru għajjenin ħafna u bla ħeġġa fil‑logħbiet ta’ tmiem il‑ġimgħa. Għalhekk, l‑ammont ta’ draws f ’Old Trafford ma kienx sorpriża. Huwa diffiċli tkun motivat u determinat meta ma jkunx fadallek enerġija u meta l‑logħob jintlagħab f ’xulxin.

Wara l‑logħba fi Stokkolma, Mourinho iddeskriva perfettament l‑istaġun fi ftit kliem: “Qegħdin fiċ‑Champions League bl‑aħjar mod u għalija l‑aħjar mod huwa li nirbħu l‑Premier League jew l‑Europa League. Ma konniex biżżejjed b’saħħitna biex nirbħu l‑Premier League iżda konna b’saħħitna biżżejjed biex erbaħna l‑Europa League u erġajna ksibna post fiċ‑Champions League. Il‑club issa għandu kull tazza eżistenti fid‑dinja tal‑football!”

Dak li għamel ir‑rebħa iktar impressjonanti kien il‑fatt li t‑tim kien imsallab u milqut b’ħafna injuries. Għall‑finali, il‑United lagħbu mingħajr players bħal Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo u Ashley Young pereżempju. Għalhekk, il‑membri kollha tat‑tim kellhom rwol vitali x’jilagħbu f ’dan is‑suċċess u din ir‑rebħa żgur li se tibqa’ ħajja fit‑tifkiriet tal‑partitarji u l‑players tal‑United!

Minkejja staġun tal‑kampjonat diżappuntanti, il‑partitarji huma kuntenti għall‑fatt li l‑United irnexxielhom jassiguraw tliet tazzi fl‑ewwel staġun taħt Mourinho. Ir‑rebħa tal‑Europa League kienet ikkumplimentata bir‑rebħa tal‑Community Shield f ’Awwissu u bir‑rebħa tal‑League Cup kontra Southampton fi Frar. Dan mhux ħazin meta wieħed iqis li kien l‑ewwel staġun b’Mourinho fit‑tmexxija!

L‑istaġun tal‑kampjonat ma marx kif pjanat minħabba raġ unijiet varji. L‑ew welnett,

Jista’ jkun li Mourinho intebaħ li t‑tiġrija għat‑titlu kienet impossibbli meta t‑tim tilef numru kbir ta’ punti fil‑perjodu ta’ Ottubru‑Novembru.

Dan seta’ kien li ikkonvinċa lil Mourinho biex jiddedika l‑iktar ħin possibbli għar‑rebħ tal‑kompetizzjonijiet tat‑tazzi. Tista’ tgħid Mourinho kien b’xi mod ikkumpensat billi r‑Red Devils rebħu kemm il‑League Cup u kemm l‑Europa League, u kienu sfortunati meta nqalgħu mill‑kompetizzjoni tal‑FA Cup kontra Chelsea, ir‑rebbieħa tal‑kampjonat.

Ċertament il‑perjodu tas‑sajf se jkun wieħed interessanti u l‑partitarji kollha se jkunu mkaħħla mal‑mezzi soċjali jistennew kwalunkwe żviluppi fuq trasferimenti ġodda. Wara l‑finali tal‑Europea League, Mourinho stqarr: “Il‑lista tiegħi ilha għand Ed Woodward fuq xahrejn, b’dak li rrid, b’dak li nixtieq. Għalhekk, issa kollox f ’idejh u f ’idejn is‑sidien. Nixtieqlu kull suċċess f ’xogħlu lis‑Sur Woodward għaliex issa wasal iż‑żmien li jien naqta’ mix‑xena għax għajjejt! Se nkun qed intir lejn Manchester, naqbad karozza għal Londra u mbagħad għall‑Portugall. Għalissa ma jinteressanix mill‑football. Issa qiegħed bil‑vaganzi.” Ħsibijiet validi espressi minn coach għajjien iżda l‑mistoqsija fuq fomm kulħadd se tkun jekk l‑amministrazzjoni hux se jirnexxielha tassigura l‑ambizzjonijet kollha ta’ Mourinho!

Fl‑aħħarnett, dan il‑magazine ma jistax ma jfakkarx il‑memorja ta’ dawk il‑vittmi li mietu fl‑attakk terroristiku f ’Manchester Arena. Id‑dinja kienet verament ixxukkjata meta l‑belt ta’ Manchester ġiet attakkata b’mod malinn minn estremisti li ħallew ħafna żgħażagħ mejta. Min‑naħa l‑oħra, inzerta tajjeb ukoll il‑fatt li Manchester irnex xielhom ilissnu tbissima fuq fomm in‑nies grazzi għar‑rebħa tat‑titlu tal‑Europa League. Wieħed jittama li l‑football ikompli jnissel din il‑pożittività u jintuża bħala mezz għall‑paċi u l‑ħbiberiji madwar id‑dinja!

Kif stqarr Ander Herrera, “It‑tim kien devastat.

Konna verament imnikktin għaliex meta taħseb dwar il‑ħajja u l‑football, ma jibqagħlekx kliem.

Kien diffiċli inkomplu bit‑taħriġ iżda l‑coach qalilna li l‑unika ħaġa li stajna nagħmlu kienet li nirbħu għalihom, u hekk għamilna. Hija biss logħba football, sempliċement tazza, iżda jekk nistgħu nkunu ta’ wens għalihom [għan‑nies li kienu milquta] b’din it‑tikka biss, għalina huwa biżżejjed.”

2,000,000 MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

Thank you VOL 44 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2017

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CLUBNEWS

by Robert Muscat

March 2017 number of committee and club members attended the annual fund-raising dinner organised by our esteemed member Charles Poulton. The event was held at Flavours Restaurant, at the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Golden Sands, and as always was a very pleasant evening. This time Charles chose to aid Caritas Malta and the event managed to raise over €7,000. Well done Charles once again!

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April 2017 owards the end of April our barman installed beer on draught and this was another welcome addition to the services offered in our club to our members. It is quite evident from the feedback received that beer on draught has been welcomed with open arms.

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May 2017 ay 2017 will be etched in our history as another glorious month in which Manchester United won another trophy, making the club the outright most successful club in the United Kingdom. But more about this later.

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The Gozo Annual General Meeting.

The AGM for our Gozo members was held on Friday 5th May at Grand Hotel. It is always a pleasure to be able to make our members from Gozo and make them feel a part of what the Gozitans call ‘il-Manch’ family.

Just before the Europa League final, the last tour for this season was organised by the club and again it was a success. Twenty members spent 3 days in Manchester during which they watched the last game of the season versus Crystal Palace. Tour leader, Antoine Portelli, made sure the members present, some of them for the first time, would remember this experience for a long time. It was a game in which the manager gave a good number of young players the chance to show their skills on the big stage. They did not disappoint. The Christmas lottery winner, Joe Bugeja, who won the right to attend a tour of the club, was also present.

The Europa League final saw another bumper crowd at the club. Hats off to all concerned for a well organised event.

The committee this time decided to liven up the atmosphere further and engaged the services of popular Vibe FM DJ Nate Darmanin. Nate entertained the members and those present with some good vibes especially after the final whistle. The club also saw an encouraging number of

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youngsters and children present at the club, which augurs well for the clubs’ future. It was also another proud moment for club member George Ciappara who had the step-ladder and gold lettering ready from well before the final whistle. It took only a few minutes for the letters Europe League Winners 2017 to take their place amongst the honours list around our club.

The committee will have a bit of a headache soon to see where we can start adding the honours list since the walls are practically full. No one will be complaining though!

June 2017 he committee, through its’ club manager Antoine Portelli, has commenced the preparatory works meant to change the audio and visual system at the club. The system will be installed and commissioned in time for the Super Cup final vs Real Madrid on 08 August 2017. The new system comes at a cost of over €18,000 but will totally change the audio and visual experience of our members at the club. The committee is looking forward to welcoming more members at our club and on a more regular basis.

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The CCF Easter 2017 Tournament.

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OLIVER REED’S LAST PUB.

MALTA’S MOST RENOWNED HOLE IN THE WALL. ARCHBISHOP STR • VALLETTA • MALTA

TEDDY’S corner Dear All, Trophy and honour number 66 done and dusted. This long Europa League campaign has finally brought the last missing piece of the jigsaw back home and at the end of a very frustrating Premier League, Manchester United have now joined Bayern Munich as the only two football clubs in Europe which have won all the major European and World sets of trophies including the European Cup or UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, the UEFA Cup or UEFA Europa League, the UEFA Super Cup, the Intercontinental Cup and the World Club Trophy.

There have always been different views and perceptions between Manchester United and Liverpool fans about which of the two teams has lifted the most number of trophies in their respective histories. United have actually lifted 66 trophies, excluding 2 second division titles.

Liverpool have won 59, excluding 4 second division titles, 1 Lancashire League (?), 1 Sheriff of London Charity Shield (?) and 1 Football League Super Cup (?). Here I am quoting Wikipedia. Even if one adds up everything, United will still lead 68 vs 66. Anyway, the blessed Liverpool fans I argue with about this topic always state with some sort of self proclaimed authority that the Charity/ Community Shields, the Intercontinental Cup and the World Club Trophy are not major competitions since these are played on a one game basis. Even though it is hard to agree about discarding the prestige of winning the Intercontinental Cup and the World Club Trophy (maybe because they never won any), let us give them the benefit and exclude these three but with the same argument also leave out the UEFA Super Cup. For your information, dear scousers, following our latest success in Europe, here is now the ‘major’ trophies table:

Major Competition

Eat your heart out now! If they add their 3 UEFA Super Cups, we add our 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup and 1 World Cup Trophy and the result will still be 45 vs 44. In any way they look at numbers, Liverpool fans can’t but admit that Manchester United are officially and mathematically the most successful football club in England and that is a fact.

Looking back at the season, one cannot but feel disappointed about finishing 6th in the Premier League, behind all the title contenders, one place lower than last season. From the day we drew at home to Swansea towards the end of April, the 10th draw of the season at Old Trafford, José knew the only route for Champions League football next season would be clinching the Europa League hence there was no real motivation in the three away games which followed. United had drawn tricky Celta Vigo in the semi-final and underestimating the Spanish club would have been suicide.

The amount of injuries to key players and the lack of personnel in the squad left Mourinho no other option but to ignore the pursuit for

Manchester United

Liverpool

1st Division/Premier League

20

18

FA Cup

12

7

League Cup

5

8

European Cup/Champions League

3

5

UEFA Cup Winners Cup

1

0

UEFA Cup/Europa League

1

3

42

41

Total

have your say on info@manutd-malta.com

4th place and get his players totally focused on those potential 3 games which were left to play in the Europa League which could possibly gain direct access to next season’s Champions League group stage. It was risky. The shock I felt when Celta Vigo’s Guidetti missed that glorious chance during the last seconds of the semi final return leg at Old Trafford which would have knocked United out of the competition still comes back to haunt me. Thankfully the sight on my computer desktop with our players lifting that large European trophy in Stockholm helps to slowly erase those anxious moments from my memory. The final was a Mourinho master piece. Not beautiful to watch but effective and successful. Ajax has young, vibrant players able to penetrate any defence on their day.

But United had experience on their side and a tactical football guru on the bench. And let’s face it, José very seldom loses a final.

He has now won 12 from 14 Cup finals since 2003 (excluding Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup).

Everyone knows what an ambitious person José is and even though he has become the first manager to win a major trophy in his first season as a United manager and brought European glory straight away, he knows United fans are used to winning the Premier League and need to bury Liverpool’s final straw to claim any sort of superiority by winning 2 more Champions Leagues. 3 trophies in the first season are not a bad return but he knows next season the stakes will be higher. No one can really criticise the players he brought to Old Trafford last summer. Ibra scored 28 goals in all competitions and missed the last month with injury. Bailly was a revelation. Mkhitaryan had

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his moments. Pogba had a poor season by his standards and his price tag but towards the end he started to show the potential he is capable of. I am sure that next season he will be one of our star players. The manager had to deal with players brought in by Van Gaal during his tenure and which were not up to the standard required. Needless to mention them – check the transfer market details from last January.

Looking at statistics from Squawka.com for Premier League games only, United created a total of 447 chances in the 38 games played and scored only 54 goals, 5 more than last year but 1 less than Bournemouth scored this season. United had the second best defence of the Premier League conceding only 29 goals, 3 more than Spurs which ended up with the best defensive record. It is evident that the main problem at the moment is the lack of goal scoring quality. Speculation of players joining and leaving is currently at its peak but no wonder United are being linked to all goal scorers in the all the main leagues. Don’t get

me wrong, the team needs to strengthen in all departments if they want to compete with the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

I strongly believe it will be a busy summer at Old Trafford. One prediction from my end - I would be very surprised if David de Gea will still be a Manchester United player come the end of this transfer market.

The final home game of the season against Crystal Palace gave hope to all those who like the undersigned are firm believers of the Manchester United academy. Pereira, Mitchell, McTominay, Harrop and Gomes had a golden opportunity to show their capabilities and in my opinion Mitchell and Harrop showed they have great potential. Angel Gomes only played for a few minutes but one can easily tell the player has class and at the age of 16 he has probably the best chance of them all to make it at the top level in terms of quality.

I was very impressed by Tuanzebe especially on his debut against Arsenal where he had to

face the daunting Alexis Sanchez and came out with flying colours. The future at United, as always, is bright.

My final thought goes to the Juventus fans who once again managed to lose a Champions League final. They lost 7 out of 9. United fans had to endure a full season hearing taunts about Pogba and the money United paid for him. The final verdict is the one that counts – Paul spent 5 years at Juventus and won the league every year where they have no competition. Paul spent 1 season at United as a first team player and won a European trophy. Enough said.

Wishing all of you a happy summer, rest well and have a good holiday because next year we will be back competing with the best, starting off with Real Madrid on 8th August.

Yours United, Teddy

Easter Children Party

E

very year the Club Committee organises a Christmas party for children. Before this party, members are invited to sponsor less privileged children and from the amount of sponsors we receive the Committee invites a number of children from various organisations to come and enjoy a couple of hours of entertainment and receive a nice gift from Father Christmas.

This year, for the first time, Rober t and Alex At tard the brothers who currently occupy the role of bar lessees at the Suppor ters’ Club have decided to organise a similar party for under privileged children two weeks before Easter.

This was a very noble initiative from Robert and Alex. They chased sponsors from their contacts and bought all the food and gifts

by Joseph Tedesco

including a bag of toys, an Easter egg and an Easter figolla for each and every child.

The entertainment provided was excellent.

Paul Busuttil managed to make everyone burst with laughter. I attended the event and can honestly say that apart from being very well organised, there were some touching moments when the children invited all those present to sing with them the famous ‘We are the World’ Song. Robert and Alex are adamant they want to organise a similar party again next December before Christmas and next year before Easter. This was a great show of solidarity from these two lads with whom the Commit tee has built a ver y good relationship over the past year since they took over as bar lessees.

Robert and Alex, Thank You! Keep it up!

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VOL 44 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2017

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Marcus Rashford Homegrown Golden Boy

by Jude Cauchi

Lions

are found in various habitats but the football pitch is not one of these. Although this is true, watching Marcus Rashford play should make us question this assumption especially when considering the strength that the young forward possesses amongst other abilities.

Marcus Rashford was born on the 31st October 1997 in Manchester. As a local lad, the English boy joined the Manchester United youth academy at the age of seven and has never looked back ever since. This is especially true when considering that the boy has rapidly burst into the first team. Manchester United supporters, because of the history of the club, tend to love local lads as former young players have been very successful at Old Trafford. Amongst these, one can mention the most popular which are Ryan Giggs, Gary and Philip Neville, Paul Scholes and David Beckham. Hopefully Marcus Rashford will also be remembered in the same light as these football legends.

25th February 2016 is a date which will always be remembered as the night when Marcus Rashford introduced himself to the world of football. During those times, Manchester United under the guidance of Louis Van Gaal were struggling with casualties and the results produced on the pitch. In fact, a warm up injury to Anthony Martial meant that Marcus Rashford was given the nod to start up front in a Last 32 Europa League second leg against Danish side FC Midtjylland (the Reds had lost 2-1 in the away leg). Not surprisingly, a lot of Manchester United supporters were worried about the impact that this might have on the team. Luckily, Rashford produced a breathtaking performance on the night as he scored two goals to help the Reds beat the Danish side 5-1 and reach the Last 16 of the Europa League. Three days later, Arsenal arrived at Old Trafford in bullish mode, with the attitude that Manchester United with all their injuries were never going to stand a chance of winning against them. However,

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Rashford had other ideas as he produced another fantastic performance to score twice past veteran Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech (the Reds beat Arsenal 3-2 on the day).

During the course of that season, Rashford became an integral part of the Manchester United team with the player being called on a regular basis in the first team. In fact, the forward helped Manchester United to win the 12th FA Cup in the club’s history after a 12 year absence with crucial goals on the road to the Final (the Reds beat Crystal Palace 2-1 in the Final). On the other side of the coin, the Reds disappointingly failed to make the top 4 and were knocked out against Liverpool in the Europa League. This meant that the Reds would take no part in the Champions League for the second time in three years.

What followed was the sacking of Louis Van Gaal and the appointment of José Mourinho on May 27 th 2016.

This news brought different reactions amongst the Manchester United supporters especially from those who believed that given Mourinho’s previous managerial history, players such as Marcus Rashford would either be omitted from the team or play a minor role.

To date, Rashford remains one of United’s most influential and consistent performers with 66 appearances plus 19 goals in all competitions. Most importantly, the recent injury which Zlatan Ibrahimovic suffered in the Europa League quarter final against Anderlecht seems to have opened the door for Rashford to be the main striker in the Reds’ line up. So far, the striker has responded positively with inspiring performances against Chelsea, Anderlecht and Celta Vigo. Not surprisingly, many supporters are feeling that more positive performances are likely to follow.

In terms of the traits that the boy brings to this Manchester United side are mostly his strength, pace, goals, dribbling, layoffs and his ability to be at the right place at the

right time. With regards to weaknesses, the forward needs to improve his heading ability amongst others. Having said that, considering that the boy is only 19 years old, the player is likely to keep improving as he grows more mature in his football career. An example of this is former Manchester United player Cristiano Ronaldo, where he consistently keeps improving year after year.

In majority, almost every football player dreams of representing his country in major tournaments and due to his ability, Marcus has already had the honour to play for the English national team after being named in the England EURO 2016 squad managed

by Roy Hodgson. Similar to his debut at United, Rashford also scored on his England debut against Australia at the Stadium of Light where the boy became the youngest Englishman to score on his international debut. On the other hand, his EURO 2016 tournament debut came as a substitute where he replaced Adam Lallana to become the youngest ever player to represent England in an international tournament, breaking Wayne Rooney’s record. Sadly for England, the team performed poorly during the tournament and made an early exit after losing to Iceland in the second round, but so early in his career, Rashford might recall such moments as being crucial for his personal development. In total, so far the England international has made 8 appearances, scoring 1 goal in the process which is impressive when considering his age.

To conclude, Rashford seems to have brought back the memories of the passion that home grown talent can bring to the club. In fact, so early in his career, maybe even because of his passion for the game, the boy has already become a fans’ favourite. As United enter a crucial stage in the season with games coming up which are to determine who finishes in the top 4 and with a great chance to win a European trophy, ‘The Lion’ is likely to be a determining figure in the business end of the season.

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MOURINHO’S FIRST YEAR

F

or much of season 2015/16, the rumblings of discontent could be felt amongst the United faithful. Then coach Louis van Gaal was holding on precariously to his job.

Granted, he did go on to lift the FA Cup but the seeds of doubt had already been sown.

Fans, pundits and media alike were in unison that the Dutchman’s style of football was not in sync with what is expected at Old Trafford and the much-coveted Champions League football for the following season would not be attained. The grapevine was awash with speculation that the hitherto available José Mourinho would soon take over in United’s hot seat. And sure enough, no sooner had 2015/16 ended that van Gaal was relieved of his duties and on the 27 th of May 2016, Mourinho signed a three year contract to become Manchester United manager.

In this article, I will endeavor to make a holistic analysis of Mourinho’s first season as manager of our beloved football club. And what a first season! It had a bit of everything. As one would expect, there was a lot of anticipation for José’s forays into his first transfer window as a United manager. And true to style, he surely did not disappoint. Suffice to say that two of the players he brought in were spectacular ones in their own right. The flamboyant Zlatan Ibrahimovic was snapped up on a free transfer whilst the world record transfer fee was smashed to the tune of £89 million for the return of prodigal son Paul Pogba from Juventus. Earlier on, he had made his first signing in young Ivory Coast

defender Eric Bailly from Villarreal and in between Zlatan and Pogba, Mourinho made another shrewd coup by signing the gifted Armenian Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Borussia Dortmund. Four excellent pieces of business by the boss since all four of them have been resounding successes. Bailly and Zlatan hit the ground running whilst Pogba and Mkhitaryan overcame inconsistency and a slow start respectively to flourish as the season progressed. No major outgoings were made in the summer transfer window save for a few low key sales and loans for several fringe players. The January transfer window, on the other hand saw José make two significant sales in letting Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin leave for Lyon and Everton respectively. And in both instances the boss made it clear that were it not for him being fair to players who had both shown their intention to leave the club due to limited playing time, he would have kept them both. As he had made it quite clear at the start of the January window, no players were bought since, more often than not, January transfers are usually panic buys and thankfully José ensured that we were not in such a situation.

Undoubtedly any season is judged on whether it was successful or not by the achievements obtained in the league as well as any silverware won. Let’s start domestically. As we all know the Premier League campaign was by and large a disappointing one. A 6th place finish was actually worse than both his predecessor’s finishes of 4th and 5th respectively. The highlight of the league campaign was definitely the 25game unbeaten run stretching from 23rd October to 7 th May. But that run included 12 draws, 9 of them at Old Trafford. The inability to kill off opponents when in supremacy and an obvious profligacy when it came to finishing off the many chances created was to blame for all those frustrating draws. That, together with a combination of a lengthy injury list in the spring, an unhelpful calendar leading to fixture congestion and subsequent player fatigue contributed largely to how the Premier League campaign panned out. Domestic success came in the shape of the EFL Cup when Southampton were beaten 3-2 in an exciting final at Wembley in February.

T his w a s t y pic al Mourinho. He loves to get the first trophy under his belt at a new club as early as possible and once again he managed to do so. We also reached the QF’s of the FA Cup only to be beaten 1-0 away to Chelsea after

by Silvio Scicluna

Herrera was controversially sent off with an hour still left to play. José later went on to comment that this elimination was a blessing in disguise as the fixture congestion towards the end of the season would have been even worse. Whilst all the domestic travails were going on, Mourinho was steadily guiding his team slowly but surely, step by step, through the Europa League. Admittedly it was not the European stage a club like United should be in and José readily admitted this but his managerial nous told him that we should progress in this competition and leave it as an insurance if you like for eventual entry into next season’s Champions League if, as eventually happened, top 4 was not possible.

Safely out of the group stage, José took each next round seriously, playing strong teams and little by little we made it all the way to the final.

The climax of the season was reached when on the 24th May United contested the final against Ajax. It was an extremely pressurized situation for the club for two varied reasons.

Firstly, the media had made much of the fact that the season’s assessment as success or failure hinged solely on this game, the

famous ‘eggs in one basket quote’. Secondly, the match was played just 48 hours after the atrocious Manchester suicide attacks and everyone felt that they had to win it for the city of Manchester. As it turned out our beloved club rose magnificently to the occasion and a grueling 64-match season came to a glorious end for José Mourinho as goals from two of his signings, Pogba and Mkhitaryan saw United make history by completing a clean sweep of all European trophies available.

Besides his achievements on the pitch, two somewhat tasty topics one would surely mention when making an unbiased review of José Mourinho’s first season at Old Trafford would be: a) the touchline bans endured in the first part of the season and; b) the regular public criticism of certain players during various parts of the season. Let’s take the touchline bans first. These were both instances when his unbridled passion for the (Continued on Page 39) VOL 44 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2017

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The Zlatan Effect

by Roderick Psaila

W

hen Zlatan Ibrahimovic joined United – for free - I had mixed feelings. Ibra was a player that I had always judged as a good player but hugely overrated, possibly because I had never followed him in depth but only in highlights. Add to that the fact that he joined on the verge of his 35th birthday and knowing the culture shock that any player who had never played in the Premier League would experience in his first season. On the other side of the coin there was his bullish attitude, his experience and the fact that wherever he played, Ibra had not only scored tons of goals but also rarely failed to win the national league.The way he presented himself, it was easy for a United enthusiast to see the resemblance with Cantona, only for Ibra to go one step further and proclaiming himself as a god and not just the king of Manchester.

I am writing this article with the benefit of being able to look back at the whole season and also after United revealed that Ibra had been released by the Club.

First friendly match against Galatasaray and Ibra scores a gem of a goal. Until he got injured against Anderlecht in the Europa League, Ibra had played 46 matches – 5 being used as substitute – and scored 28 goals, a fantastic return by any measure. The goal return could be represented as a goal every game and a half. During the season, he scored any type of goal in a United shirt, headers, tap-ins, from outside the box, chipping the keeper, freekicks, penalties, you name it and it’s there. So from a goals perspective, certainly an excellent return.

In terms of his general play on the pitch, I have mixed feelings. One cannot criticize his hold up play and from that viewpoint, I could see why Mourinho wanted him so badly. Ibra fitted perfectly in the system that Mourinho likes to adopt for his teams. A big centre forward that can hold up the ball and bring wingers and midfielders into play. I remember Benny McCarthy when José was at Porto, Drogba with Chelsea, Benzema and Higuain with Real and Costa with Chelsea. Ibra won plenty of the long balls thrown at him by our defenders and keeper, no matter who was marking him. His height and strength were there for everyone to see and he used them perfectly to his and United’s advantage. Ibra’s contribution was not only in United’s attacking third though.

He was always available to defend our goal from dead ball situations and many a time he would manage to clear the lines himself.

16 VOL 44 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2017

With respect to his approach play in attack, I expected better. Facing goal, I think that he used to lose many one-on-one situations and even his decision making in important moments did not reflect the experience of a player with almost 20 years of professional football under his belt.

Another important point that I would like to underline is the fear factor that Ibra imposed on opponents and team mates alike. It was evident that defenders of the opposing team feared his physicality and his no-nonsense approach to the game, coupled with the fact that he could swallow up any indecision in the opponents’ box and turn it into a goal.

Defenders were always edgy when playing against him and this induced them to make mistakes, more often than not. Sadly, this fear factor would also impinge on his United team mates and I feel that some players were negatively affected by this fear factor.

A clear example I noticed was when we were awarded freekicks during a match. No matter the distance from goal, no matter if it was positioned on the right or on the left side of the pitch, Ibra was always there on the ball and it was very difficult for any player to take responsibility. If he had the qualities of Ronaldo or Beckham, I would not even raise this issue, but we all know that his end product was generally disappointing. I feel that both Pogba and Rashford, to name just two, are better freekick takers and suffered because of this attitude. They were kept back, in my opinion, although I’m sure that some of you reading this article would say that United were most successful when Roy Keane was around and he tore into the players around him whenever they allowed their standards to fall. The difference is that Keane stuck to what he knew best on the field of play and never presented himself as a prima donna.

Without any doubt though, the most significant contribution Ibra had on this season’s young United team was his positive mentality and never die attitude. His fighting spirit and not knowing when he is defeated has spilled over to the rest of the team, particularly the young players such as Rashford, Lingard and Pogba. This mentality is crucial on the field of play but even more important in the dressing room. All articles I’ve read on the topic reveal that Ibra has a massive personality in the dressing room and it comes as no surprise.

Ibra was needed in the United dressing room this season with the influence of Rooney and

Carrick waning and no clear leaders emerging from the current crop. I am certain that without his inspiration, United would never have achieved their successes. Ibra’s presence was even recognised by the supporters and at one point, it felt that United would falter without him. Thankfully it did not happen and even when he was injured in the latter part of the season, United went on to win the Europa League, although at the expense of a better placing in the Premiership.

Going forward, I can see a scenario similar to when Cantona shocked United and decided to call it a day. Cantona had been a shining light and an inspiration for the Class of ’92 and although he left in 1997, his effect spurred them on to continue to improve and achieve the incredible treble a couple of seasons later. Could the Zlatan effect have the same infectious impact on the United players next season and beyond? I am confident. Bring it on!!

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Wanted: Goal Machines for Next Season

by Robert Mizzi

A

s the current season draws to an end, few would argue that the success or failure of this season will depend entirely on whether United will manage to win the Europa League and grab a Champions League place by the backdoor. Let’s admit it, at the beginning of this season most of us United supporters would have agreed that a top four finish was the minimum target. With José Mourinho at the helm, we all felt confident that we should be able to reach this target. The signings we made raised our hopes even further so it is somewhat disappointing to be writing this on a plane to Manchester and with all my hopes pinned on us being able to see off Celta de Vigo this evening and win the final in Stockholm in a couple of weeks’ time. José Mourinho has clearly put all his eggs in one basket at this stage and the defeat to Arsenal ended any faint hopes we had of making it to the top four. So what went wrong?

While it would be a mistake to point at one specific reason, there is no doubt that we relied too heavily on Ibra for the supply of goals. Ibra did in fact deliver with 26 goals, but what about the rest? It is no secret that to be able to challenge at the top you need to have midfielders capable of scoring goals and add to the goals scored by the strikers: something which has not been really happening regularly enough in recent seasons. A look at the average goals per match over the last eight seasons will show that over the last 4 seasons, the average goals per match has gone down to around 1.6 over a whole season.

The average in the previous 4 seasons was 2.1 goals per match. This clearly makes a difference - and how!

There is no need to remind the readers who was in charge during those previous 4 years.

Sir Alex Ferguson won his last English Premier League by bringing in Robin Van Persie from Arsenal and although some would argue that the squad that year was not the strongest and one could already see some fading stars, United won the league for a record 20th time thanks to Robin Van Persie’s goals.

José Mourinho knows very well that he needs to bolster his attack for next season. With Ibra sadly out of the picture, reinforcements are surely needed. I would argue that even if Ibra had not suffered that horrific injury against Anderlecht, I would still be writing on the need to bolster our attack for next season.

Despite the obvious talent of Rashford and Martial, it seems evident to me that they still need to develop and reach their full potential.

And with Rooney slowly being phased out of the picture for very obvious reasons, the goals have dried up. This was clearly evident in United’s struggles at home this season.

The amount of drawn matches at home was frustrating to say the least, and can be seen as the main reason why we have failed to make the top 4 and get into the Champions League via the front door. Suffice to say that if one sees the English Premier League table based on home matches alone, we would be lying 9th at the moment of writing this article.

Not good enough.

The media has of course had a field day on various instances this season with United.

Apart from José Mourinho never shying away from controversy through his comments, it seemed that the transfer market was open all season for United, as speculation about possible new signings (and already done deals) never stopped. If you had to believe everything that has been published online and in the press, United will have a squad of around 100 players next season.

Having said that, it is clear that the manager will reinforce the squad this summer and some players will of course leave the club. A number of strikers have been linked to United in recent months, the most recent absurd speculation I saw online being that Sergio Aguero is being tempted to make the change to the only club with class and history in Manchester. Yeah right!

The most popular name being bandied about, and it seems one which could become a reality, is that of Antoine Griezmann. The Atletico Madrid striker has been prolific in the past seasons, banging in over 80 goals for Atletico during the past three seasons. All this in a side which does not make attacking football as their main prerogative as we all have become familiar with Simeone’s style in recent years. Given José’s style which is somewhat similar, Griezmann should not find it hard to adapt as admittedly we have not seen United playing with a lot of attacking flair under José Mourinho. He was always more of a defensive tactician according to most pundits although I’m sure he will disagree.

Potentially, Griezmann could be a good fit for United’s current style of play and at 26 years of age, he should be at his peak as a striker.

Another name being mentioned is that of Romelu Lukaku. At 23 years of age, he is still to reach his full potential and he has the added benefit of being already well accustomed to the gruelling demands of playing in the

Engligh Premier League. His physical presence will be a bonus and he can definitely be an asset, but will he be able to guarantee 20 plus goals every season? His recent seasons seem to suggest so, as he has improved his goal scoring feats over the past 3 seasons.

Will he fit the bill at United should he join? I think he has the right attributes but one can never really say as playing for Manchester United always carries added responsibilities and some players seem to feel the burden.

Another name being linked to United is the teenage Monaco striker Kylian Mbappe. His exploits in the Champions League this season have attracted the attention of a host of big clubs. This season, he has scored an amazing 25 goals till the time of writing and as the saying goes, the world is his oyster at the moment. At 18 years of age, it is evident for anyone who knows anything about football that the kid is pure talent and a natural finisher.

Add to these ingredients some explosive power and you can easily understand why he has the luxury of being able to choose his next club from the likes of Real Madrid, Barca, Juventus, etc. With so many big clubs keeping an eye on him, I cannot really see this transfer happening especially if United do not make it to the Champions League next season (I am hoping we do of course!). I would love to see him in a United shirt though!

The need for a proven goalscorer up front is a priority for next season and should potentially help us to see off clubs who come to Old Trafford and park the bus, defending with 9 out of the 10 outfield players. I am also hoping that Rashford can find his scoring boots again after a somewhat dismal season in terms of goals scored. If Martial stays and can develop further as well, that would be an ideal scenario.

On a closing note, I would like to point out that United’s best performance this season was without any doubt the match against Chelsea at Old Trafford. If memory serves me right, it was the only match that we started with two strikers up front - Rashford and Lingard (I know he is not striker but he was up there with Rashford giving the Chelsea back 4 no respite whatsoever).

A coincidence? Maybe, or maybe not! In my opinion, a lot of teams coming to Old Trafford find it easier to defend against a team playing with one rather than two strikers. I don’t really get this balderdash about 4-4-2 being out-offashion and not good anymore. Then again, there must be a reason why I am stuck in a 9 to 5 job and not managing my beloved Red Devils...

VOL 44 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2017

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5 things I did not like about this season

by Julian Tabone

I

t hasn’t been a great season but it hasn’t been bad.

Winning the Charity Shield, the League Cup and the Europe League would be considered as a fantastic achievement for any other club, but for Manchester United expectations are always high.

In the league – for a variety of reasons – the team has underperformed.

For the fourth consecutive season since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club, the team has finished outside the top-three. This year, however, at most times there was a feel-goodfactor about the play – something which could not be felt in the previous 2 seasons. Fans seem to be in agreement that this is all a work-in-progress.

Despite that, there are things which did not go down well - 5 things in particular which I did not like this season – and if we can improve on them next season, then who knows what can happen?

The fixture moaning It may all be very well justified but surely Manchester United should have a big enough squad to compete on all fronts.

The last couple of Premier League matches – despite Mourinho’s post match attempts were literally friendly matches and it should not be like that. Reaching the Europa League and the League Cup Finals do come with a price tag but it should not mean that we giveup so early in the league. Cup runs can be tiring but they can also result in silverware, as they proved to be in the end.

Mourinho tried his best to juggle his squad – he made 120 changes to his starting lineup - more than any other manager. Injuries to key players at key moments did not help either but the moaning at times was a little bit too much.

Too many draws It was too much. Never before since the

introduction of the Premier League had United drawn so many matches – 15 in total.

At times, it was becoming too predictable.

And there were too many 0-0s as well. At Old Trafford at times it was painful to watch especially against the likes of Burnley, Hull and West Brom. There were 3 more 0-0s away from home too - against Liverpool, Man City and Southampton, but the dropped points at Old Trafford – against West Ham, Stoke, Swansea and Bournemouth were simply unforgiveable. Those home draws meant 14 dropped points out of 21 possible points. That ultimately cost United an automatic place in the Champions League and it is quite simply not the Manchester United way.

Poor record against the top 5 sides

If there is one thing that Mourinho did not improve on his predecessor, it was results against the top 5 sides.

If there is any hope of climbing back up the table, our performances against the other ‘big five’ need drastic improvement. In the past, we used to say that if we could not beat our rivals, then we do not deserve anything.

Two home wins (against Tottenham and Chelsea), two home draws (against Liverpool and Arsenal) and a home defeat (to City) – 8 points out of 15 is not enough. Away from home, stats are plainly depressing – 2 draws (against Liverpool and City) and three (heavy) defeats (against Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham) – 2 points out of 15.

Quite simply, not good enough.

is transition – a team that will be built around his prowess, skill and evident leadership. But Pogba, as is the case with the whole team, needs his time.

At his previous club everything he tried – from everywhere - would go in. At United, in his first season back, everything he tried almost went wrong. At times he seemed to be trying too hard and his shots from outside the box were frustrating to say the least, just as his shots that hit the post or the bar.

If that can be rectified, he will grow. And United will benefit.

Old Trafford: Fortress no more

Teams do not fear United anymore. This season, our form at home, cost us. Too many points were dropped at Old Trafford. It is fair to say that some of the opponents were murdered but still they managed to go away with something. We could not kill teams – something that was such a trademark of some of the best of Ferguson’s sides. We could not add the crucial second goal, and that ultimately cost us badly.

Next season promises to be very exciting.

Lifting the Europa League has felt strangely comfortable, but good nonetheless.

Automatic qualification for the Champions League will help as well.

There will be changes – possibly Rooney, De Gea and Ibrahimovic playing their last game. But others will come in.

Pogba’s shots from outside the box

We need to fix the defence with a solid, reliable defender.

Pogba was the signing of the year and it made sense from every aspect you look at it.

We need to add goals.

But it is fair to say that Pogba-the-brand produced more dividends than Pogba-theplayer who only showed us glimpses of his undisputed ability. Just like the team in general, Pogba was not great, but he was not bad either. Let’s say he was overall quite good. Mind you, he has walked in a team that

We need to start beating our rivals again.

We need to deliver in the Champions League.

All in all, it feels like we’re getting there.

Rectifying the 5 points above will confirm just that.

VOL 44 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2017

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Back on track F

ollowing the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, the club has gone through a major change in affairs. Due to the change in management, the club has had to endure a rough period, whereby results haven’t gone as planned and also major transfers may have not finalised due to the manager that was in place during the time of interest. Louis Van Gaal’s time at the club was mixed in my opinion as the club got back on track having a top 4 finish and also winning the FA Cup. However these are not achievements that the club have been accustomed to under Sir Alex Ferguson, where also the ‘Gaffer’ himself had a rough time at the beginning of his reign at Old Trafford. With all due respect to David Moyes, he was not the ideal replacement for Sir Alex Ferguson, the weight of expectation was huge and this was a manager that was not accustomed to winning, but more accustomed to getting a top ten finish with modest spending. Louis Van Gaal came in and changed the way the club played and the players had to adjust to this change, which in his first season, the team was hard to break down however slow tempo strategies cost United points and goals weren’t following in.

Louis Van Gaal was dismissed shortly after the FA Cup, which after all of the abuse he received, he still left with a trophy to his name.

José Mourinho, joined the club. The manager with a CV that fits his ego. The self-acclaimed ‘Special One’. Major players joined such as Ibrahamovic and Pogba. Yes, their salaries are not the cheapest in the Premier League, however they commanded that wage and they may have opted to join other clubs.

Mourinho has won three trophies in his first season at Old Trafford which is not bad considering the squad endured quite a lot of injuries along the season. The trophies might not be the first on United’s list but winning the League Cup in 2007 got United on a roll and also winning it in 1992 got United on a winning run of Premier League Champions. Winning the Europa League is a trophy which United had never won and being honest, when United played in it a couple of seasons ago I wanted them to win because of that fact, however the club got knocked out with Sir Alex at the helm and also with Van Gaal. This trophy completed the list of trophies to be won by the club. Liverpool cannot achieve such feat as the Cup Winners Cup is no longer a tournament and also they have yet to win the Intercontinental Cup, which af ter all the boas ting about winning the Champions League f ive times, they haven’t won it once and United have

won it twice from the 3 Champions League triumphs they have to their name.

Sir Alex, once remarked that a club like MUFC should have more Champions League victories to its name, and he is right. To my waning memories, nights against Dortmund, where the club should have overturned the 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford, given the firepower the club had and also the defeat in 2002 to Leverkusen where the ball would simply not want to go into the net represent some of these lost opportunities. Would we have beaten Juventus and Real Madrid in both finals, remains something that will never be seen. Both defeats to Barcelona were also tough to swallow in my opinion. Had we won the 2009 Final, where if Fletcher was playing the result might have been different, as well as had the result been different in the defeat in 2011, where we were played off the park at Wembley, we would nowadays be at par with AC Milan.

Winning the Europa League shows the club has the bite back. Points were dropped throughout the season, however in Mourinho the club has a manager that wants to win at all costs. The football might not be most attractive in the world, but all he cares about is winning. And f ans should begin to relate to this type of football as the team is set out to the strengths o f hi s c u r r e n t players. The club is a few signings away from becoming fluid in its play. Winning the Premier League and the Champions

by Daniel Cuschieri

League will not be an easy feat, as teams have strengthened significantly over the years and also unfortunate results have allowed clubs like Liverpool to get a top four finish.

The club is back on track as signings are beginning to be concluded before pre-season.

Signings are identified throughout the season as problems arise or the need for improvement is noted. The squad is in my opinion still a bit lean, whereby a couple of strikers are needed, having at least 3 strikers which include Rashford. I am assuming that Rooney will be sold and Zlatan was released due to his injury.

Victor Lindelof was signed as a centre back to eliminate the issue of Carrick or Blind having to play in that position. A midfielder must be bought to phase out Carrick as Felliani is not a great passer of the ball, however has his strengths and will be retained next season.

So it leaves United with two good passers which are Pogba and Herrera. The goalkeeping department, Romero has come into his own and I hope De Gea opts to stay at the club for the rest of his career as he knows he is not a number at the club but a key player respected by his colleagues and loved by the fans. Big money transfers are not always the answer as seen with Depay. Mourinho is a manager that rarely gets a wrong transfer.

Hopefully Woodward can get the player he wants/needs so the momentum can be maintained and we will be up where the club belongs and back on Europe’s best stage with a bang.

Winning builds confidence and the club is getting its aura back and certain clubs should take note, as this club does not enjoy being trophy-less for long.

VOL 44 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2017

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Season Review A

s the saying goes, strikers win games but defences win titles.

The majority of José Mourinho’s first season in charge at Manchester United has been dominated by one major issue: his side does not score enough goals. It is hard to argue with the criticism as United’s profligacy in front of goal has meant they have struggled to put games to bed, which has in turn seen them dropping precious points in the Premiership. However, while the issue needs addressing, as Mourinho himself has repeatedly stressed throughout the campaign, United’s sterility in front of goal has overshadowed their defensive improvements.

United have conceded just 29 goals in the Premier League, the second-meanest defense in the league after Tottenham’s, and is better than their defensive records from the last two seasons, when they conceded 35 and 37 league goals respectively. This statistic is also reflected in the Europa League where United conceded only eight goals in 15 matches. This might not seem particular impressive, given Mourinho has long been criticised for being a manager capable only of shutting shop as soon as his sides take the lead, but it is no mean feat considering how defensive United were under Louis Van Gaal. Furthermore, their solidity at the back has not been detrimental to their attacking intent, for in more than one occasion they have looked much more dangerous and entertaining in the final third of the pitch than at any point over the last three seasons.

Even more impressively, however, United boast the league’s second-best defensive record despite a squad that remains short of the world class defender they have lacked since Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand departed.

Eric Bailly’s arrival from Villarreal in the summer was met with more than a healthy dose of scepticism but the Ivorian has proved to be very astute signing and while he remains understandably raw, at times he has played with a maturity that belies his 23 years of age.

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Marcos Rojo

by Stefan Attard

Sadly for them and for Mourinho, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have both been beset by injuries and by the usual catalogue of errors, which makes one wonder whether playing for United might be a step too far for them. After an impressive season under Van Gaal, the former has reverted to type, struggling to impose himself on his opponents and failing to cut the authoritative figure Mourinho expected him to be, when he handed him the captain’s armband in Wayne Rooney’s absence. Phil Jones meanwhile, briefly looked to be finally ready to stake a claim for a starting spot after a solid string of performances during the winter, only for his confidence to evaporate yet again as soon as fitness problems resurfaced. Admittedly, Jones can count himself unlucky to have had his season curtailed by a Smalling tackle, but both of them should have probably run out of chances a few seasons ago.

Copa Libertadores in 2009 and the Torneo Apertura the following year. A transfer to Europe and Spartak Moscow followed, although the youngster struggled to settle in Russia with Nemanja Vidic’s former club.

Nonetheless, senior international recognition with Argentina was still forthcoming and he competed at the Copa America as he proved his value at the highest level.

Perhaps alongside Bailly, Marcos Rojo, staged the kind of comeback Lazarus would be proud of, as the Argentinian went from pantomime villain to be one of the first names on the team sheet. It speaks volume for Rojo’s improvement that the injury he sustained against Anderlecht was seen by many as the straw that could break the camel’s back. Horrendously out of his depth at left-back, Rojo has slowly grown in confidence since deployed in his natural position and, while the jury remains out, him and Bailly are United’s most solid centre-back pairing, with the ever-dependable Antonio Valencia on their right.

The South American has as much fondness for physical challenges as he does for tattoos, with ‘Pride’ and ‘Glory’ inked on his thighs to send out a warning to any strikers feeling particularly brave.

Rojo moved to Manchester United in a £16 million deal from Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon in the 2014 summer transfer window.

Rojo came to United’s attention when he starred at the 2014 World Cup, where he played in six of his country’s seven games and only missed the quarter-final win over Belgium due to suspension. The defender also scored his first-ever international goal during Argentina’s 3-2 group-stage win over Nigeria and respected analysts Castrol Index even selected him in their official Team of the Tournament with an average rating of 9.5 out of 10.

Argentina head coach Alessandro Sabella had previously worked with Rojo during their time together at Estudiantes, winning the

A switch to Sporting was sealed in the summer of 2012 for a fee of around £3.5million and, after adapting to life in the Portuguese league, he excelled throughout the 2013/14 campaign and impressed in a side that finished runners-up to Benfica. Although regularly playing at left-back for Argentina, Rojo was often deployed in the middle of Sporting’s defence and is suited to playing as part of a three-man backline - which benefitted Louis van Gaal’s 3-5-2 formation at United.

Unfor tunately, his debut season at Manchester United was littered with injuries - including a dislocated shoulder in the Manchester derby - and he could only register 26 appearances in all competitions, although he did score once in a 3-0 win over Cambridge United in the FA Cup. United’s versatile defender capped his 2015/16 season by proudly representing his nation at the Copa America tournament, held in the USA, where he suffered a disappointing penalty shootout defeat to reigning champions Chile in the final.

A similar shoulder injury, as well as a couple of other niggles, hampered Rojo’s second campaign with the Reds, although he managed to registered an improved tally of 28 appearances and claimed his first winners’ medal following the FA Cup final victory over Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium.

Few would have been too upset had the Argentine departed last summer, and he’d have left behind him little more than a few confused memories. Ill-timed tackles. Burnt

toast. An inexplicably “enchanted” Louis van Gaal. But United’s inability to arrive at a settled line-up afforded Rojo a chance to prove himself again this season. While the world has been arguing about Paul Pogba, goalscoring, and the nebulous notion of style, a number of squad members have made notable improvements this season under Mourinho, and Rojo is perhaps the most improved of all. He’s found positional focus and just a touch of sensible discipline (most of the time). But even more magically, he also appears to be able to make lunging two-footed tackles without being sent off.

The Busby Babes cannot, obviously, endorse such a technique, jeopardising as it does the structural integrity of any nearby shinbones.

But if a defender is going to do such a thing — and Rojo, it appears, absolutely is — then the knack of not being dismissed is a handy one to have to go along with his undoubted enthusiasm, and so has moved from potential liability to acceptable defensive presence.

The game vs. Chelsea In perhaps his best performance of the season, Marcos Rojo won the battle of the warriors in Manchester United’s 2-0 win against Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon. The Argentina international was pitted against one of the Premier League’s best strikers Diego Costa in the Premier League clash between the bitter rivals. Rojo, who has partnered Eric Bailly at centre-half over the previous couple of months, produced another solid performance in José Mourinho’s team.The South American managed to tame Costa despite the Chelsea striker’s combative approach to the top-five clash.

Writing in his BBC Sport column about Rojo’s performance in Manchester United’s 2-0 win against Chelsea, former Tottenham striker Crooks said: “I must say Rojo won the battle of the warriors and, actually, it was fantastic to watch him and Costa battle it out – under the watchful eye of referee Madley, who orchestrated the affair beautifully.”

Ultimately, it’s been a while since United have had a defender that strikers actively dislike playing against, and while Rojo probably isn’t ever going to be as intimidating as Nemanja Vidic, he’s definitely a handful to the opposition. Just ask Diego Costa!

VOL 44 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2017

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Manchester United 1998-99 Umbro Treble-Winning Football Kits

N

o football supporter can forget the treble-winning 1998-99 season of Manchester United. In that season, Manchester United won the Premier League with a one-point advantage over Arsenal, the FA Cup 2-0 against Newcastle in the Wembley Final, and the UEFA Champions League in a 2-1 dramatic win against Bayern Munich. The below are the kits used by the Red Devils during this memorable season in the history books of English and European football. The kits of Manchester United at the time were manufactured by Umbro and sponsored by Sharp.

Manchester United Premier League Home Shirt 1998-2000 The kit had a traditional plain red base colour with a white flapped zip-up collar.

The football shirt in the picture shows the embroidery around the club crest after the glorious 1998-99 season. The collar and white sleeve hems had a black edge and red stripe details. On the shoulders and sleeves, there was a dark blue stripe with several Umbro graphic logos in white on it.

There was black and white piping extending from the collar to the sleeve edges.

This kit was used as the home shirt as well as the playing kit used in the Wembley Final against Newcastle United. Teddy Sheringham and Paul Scholes had scored for United in the 2-0 victory in the 11th and 53rd minutes respectively.

Manchester United had started the AXA FA Cup adventure against Middlesbrough in the Third Round, which they won by the score of 3-1. This was followed by home victories by 2-1 against archrivals Liverpool and 1-0 against Fulham. The home match against Chelsea in the Sixth Round finished with the score tied at 0-0, and in the away replay, Manchester United won by the score of 2-0. In the semi-final, two matches were also required against Arsenal, with the first finishing goalless and United winning the return fixture by 2 goals to Arsenal’s 1.

In the 1998/99 FA Carling Premiership, Manchester United had won 14 matches out of the 19 played at home, drawing

by Paul Vassallo

and Brøndby. They finished second in the group with 10 points, one less than Bayern Munich, against whom they drew 1-1 at home and 2-2 away. In the quarter-final, they beat Inter from Italy 3-1, then coming up against another Italian side, Juventus, in the semi-final, winning 4-3. four, and losing just one match against Middlesbrough (2-3). In contrast, United had won just 8 matches away from Old Trafford, drawing 9 matches and losing two matches against Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday. This shows the supremacy of Manchester United while playing on home turf in the above home strip.

The away football kit worn by Manchester United in the 1998/99 season had a white base colour. The sponsor logo of Sharp Viewcam was red, while that of kit designer Umbro was black. It featured red and black stripes on the shoulders as well as horizontally on the body below the sponsor logo. The flapped Y-shaped collar is a mixture of red and black, with a white stripe on the flap.

The third kit that was used in the event of colour clashes had a plain black design with touches of white and green on the collar and on the sleeves.

The Final was played on the 26th May 1999 at the Camp Nou in Barcelona in front of 90,245 spectators. Famous Italian top referee Pierluigi Collina was the referee of the match. Bayern scored early in the first half in the 6th minute through Mario Basler. When it seemed Bayern would be crowned champions of Europe, the unbelievable happened: two goals in injury time. Teddy Sheringham struck first in the first minute of additional time, and Ole Gunnar Solskjær scored a second two minutes later to make Manchester United the Champions of Europe for the second time in their history.

The kit that was supplied by Umbro for Champions League matches between 1997 and 2000 had a red base colour with the logo ball of the Champions League being part of the design on the body. The shirt had a white flapped collar with a black edge and had a white V-shaped detail below the collar. The shirt can be observed closely above and the squad wearing the shirt can be seen in the photo below.

Manchester United UEFA Champions League Shirt 1997-2000 Manchester United started their UEFA Champions League 1998-99 adventure against Polish team ŁKS Łódź, against whom they won 2-0 on aggregate. In a group of death Group D, United were drawn against Bayern Munich, Barcelona

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Euro club competitions round-up…

Real Madrid become first club to retain the Champions League as Man United lift their first ever Europa League

by Antoine Dalli

R

eal Madrid defied the odds as they lifted the 2016/17 Champions League in style at the expense of a Juventus side that entered the June 3 final brimming with confidence at the back of their excellent march en route to Cardiff… nine wins and three draws in 12 outings.

Moreover, Juve were seeking to become the first team to lift the Champions League undefeated since Man United defeated Chelsea after a penalty shoot-out in the 2007/08 final.

For the Merengues, this was their third

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triumph in the last four years, after previously beating Atletico Madrid in two all-Spanish finals in the 2014 and 2016. Overall, Real Madrid have won all their last six Champions League finals. On the other hand, success in UEFA’s premier club competition has been eluding Juve ever since their success over Ajax, after a penalty shoot-out at Rome’s Olympic Stadium, in May 1996. Further still, seven years have passed since the last Italian club became kings of Europe – Inter in 2010 at the expense of Bayern Munich.

This year’s final was a repeat of the 1998 final in which Real Madrid overcame Marcello

Lippi’s Juventus by a solitary Predrag Mijatovic second half strike. Then, current Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane was a mainstay in Lippi’s star-studded formation and had played the full 90 minutes of that final. Overall, Juventus reached nine Champions League finals of which they only won two – in 1985 (vs. Liverpool 1-0) and 1996 (vs. Ajax 1-1 a.e.t 4-2 on penalties).

The ‘Old Lady’ lost seven finals – in 1973 (vs.

Ajax 0-1), in 1983 (vs. Hamburg 0-1), in 1997 (vs. Borussia Dortmund 1-3), in 1998 (vs. Real Madrid 0-1), in 2003 (vs. Milan 0-0 a.e.t. 2-3 on penalties), 2015 (vs. Barcelona 1-3) and in

2017 (vs. Real Madrid 1-4), more than any other club. Moreover, for the second time in three years Juventus lost the chance to emulate Inter’s treble success (Champions League, Scudetto and Coppa Italia) of season 2009/10.

By stark contrast, Real Madrid, having lifted the European Cup a record-extending 12 times, thus being the most successful club in the history of UEFA’s premier club competition: in 1956 (vs. Stade Reims 4-3), 1957 (vs. Fiorentina 2-0), 1958 (vs. Milan 3-2 a.e.t.), 1959 (vs. Stade Reims 2-0), 1960 (vs.

Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3), 1966 (vs. Partizan 2-1), 1998 (vs. Juventus 1-0), 2000 (vs.

Valencia 3-0), 2002 (vs. Bayer Leverkusen 2-1), 2014 (vs. Atletico Madrid 4-1 a.e.t.), 2016 (vs. Atletico Madrid 1-1 a.e.t. 5-3 on penalties) and 2017 (vs. Juventus 4-1). In the remaining three European Cup finals that they reached, Real Madrid lost to Benfica 3-5 in 1962, Inter 1-3 in 1964 and Liverpool 0-1 in 1981.

More significantly, Real Madrid not only became the fifth reigning Champions League holder to return to the final the following season (previously Man United in 2009 were the most recent club to achieve this feat) but also became the first side to retain the Champions League since it was rebranded in the early 1990s. Before, the last team to have won the European Cup in back-to-back seasons were Arrigo Sacchi’s Milan in 1989 (vs. Steaua Bucharest 4-0) and in 1990 (vs.

Benfica 1-0).

In the June 3 final, Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo also made history as he became the first ever player to score in three Champions League finals… previously he had netted for Man United (vs. Chelsea) in 2008 and for Real Madrid (vs. Atletico Madrid) in 2014.

Spanish giants Real Madrid will cross swords with Man United in the 2017 European

Super Cup on August 8 at the Philip II Arena, Skopje(Macedonia), just four days before the 2017/18 English Premier League season gets underway.

This will be the first time that Jose’ Mourinho will take on his former club after leaving Real Madrid in acrimonious circumstances four years ago. Man United will feature in this year’s European Super Cup thanks to their first ever Europa League triumph after beating fallen giants Ajax 2-0 (thanks to a goal in each half by Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan) in Stockholm. This success enabled Man United, who only finished sixth in the English Premier League, to book a place in the 2017/18 Champions League, thus permitting England to have five representatives in UEFA’s flagship competition – Chelsea, Tottenham, Man City and Liverpool, apart from the Red Devils.

Thanks to this triumph, Mourinho became the first ever manager to win both the Champions League (in 2004 with Porto and in 2010 with Inter) and the Europa League (in 2003 with Porto and in the outgoing season with Man United) more than once in his managerial career.

At club level, Man United became only the fifth side – apart from Juventus, Ajax, Bayern Munich and Chelsea – to win the European Cup/Champions League, UEFA Cup/Europa League and the now defunct Cup Winners’ Cup. At European level, Man United have won three European Cups in 1968, 1999 and 2008, the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1991 and the European Super Cup in 1991. At international level, Man United also lifted the 1999 Intercontinental Cup and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. In stark contrast, an Ajax success on the continent has been missing since beating Fabio Capello’s Milan 1-0 in the 1995 Champions League final in Vienna to become European champions for the fourth time in their glorious history.

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MANCHESTER UNITED SUPPORTERS’ CLUB MEMBERSHIP CARD IS NOW ALSO A DISCOUNT CARD When presenting your Membership Card to these outlets:

incognito* unknown since 1974

10% Discount on A LA CARTE MENU

Alencia Jewellers Triq il-Htajriet, Mosta:

20% discount on Silver Jewellery, silverware, pearls, crystal 30% discount on yellow gold and white gold No discounts given on brand watches.

10% Discount on any Gold Card purchased

K-Optics

10% Discount (does not apply to contact lenses and solutions and also to discounted /sale items)

20% Discount Tel: 7984 3204 5% Discount for purchases over € 50 10% Discount for purchases over € 100

.

Tal-Familja Restaurant

10% Discount on presentation of membership card

10% Discount (excluding Saturday dinner and Sunday lunch)

451 & 453, Fleur de Lys Road, Birkirkara 156A, The Strand Gzira 30% discount on engagement rings 10% discount on silver jewellery 10-20% discount on silver ornaments Also various discounts on gold jewellery

10% Discount (terms and conditions apply)

Old Trafford Stationery

JJ SCERRI CO. LTD.

12% Discount on over €50 spent (Terms and conditions apply)

Importers & Distributors of Electrical Appliances and Household Goods

Centro Casalinga

15% Discount on all small electric home appliances 10% Discount on all white goods

Montaldo Insurance Agency Ltd

10% Discount except public holidays

10% Discount on all Insurances to club members

Tal-Barklor Restaurant 5% Discount on total bill (Excluding Public Holidays)

10% Discount on total bill (Does not apply for on Sale items)

10% Discount (terms and conditions apply)

10% Discount (terms and conditions apply)

10% Discount on direct bookings only.

5% Discount on total bill

These offers are not to be benefited from in conjunction with any other that the shop may have from time to time.

Therefore if a particular establishment has an offer on already on a particular product or service, the Discount Scheme shall not apply to that product or service.

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FATIGUE

by Fr. Anthony C. Ferrante

C

riticism is a disapproval by taking a detailed look at the pros, cons and merits of a person or something. Arsene Wenger once criticised José Mourinho saying that he would avoid to publicly criticise his players. José had lambasted a number of his players during his maiden campaign at United: “You can do that in extreme situations but it has to be handled carefully because it just makes that stress level worse for them.” That is rather wise, but so many armchair critics abound especially when things are not as bright as desired! This could be the outcome of supporting a football club and expecting the team to do well time after time. It is first and foremost the players that receive the brunt of the criticism, although one admits that even managers have been targeted and have sometimes paid the penalty.

Players know very well that their body and mind are the key to success in their chosen career. To abuse either will limit their career span and earning potential. With all of life’s temptations available, it is tough at a young age to make such a choice, which in many cases results in being the key to success or failure. A football player needs to be mentally focused for at least ninety straight minutes during a match. A few seconds of distraction could mean letting one’s team

These are some of the common judgements that go round: a) Convenient excuses for players’ poor performances while forgetting how lucky and pampered they are. They have got a privileged and easy life. b) People seem to dismiss players as lazy by pleading weariness. c) At the start of the season, the excuse for poor performances is the need for more matches, while at the end of the season the excuse transforms into too many matches. d) Squad size being bountiful, there are not many ever-presents in a team with squad rotation.

It seems that sometimes people are unaware that a football player is human and a worker.

down. By any measure, the 90 minutes is a challenge to the physiology of a player. That is definitely physically and mentally tiring.

Many pressures on and off the pitch will almost certainly make the job more difficult.

When situations pile on more pressure than you think you can handle, the body reacts to physical, mental or emotional stimulus causing stress that interferes with health or normal functioning. Too much physical activity and thinking may result in stress.

One symptom of long term stress is fatigue or mental exhaustion.

Fatigue, which is sometimes referred to as tiredness, exhaustion, lethargy, and listlessness, describes a physical and/or mental state of being tired and weak. Although physical and mental fatigue are different, the two often exist together - if a person is physically exhausted for long enough, they will also be mentally tired. Fatigue can cause a vast range of other physical, mental and emotional symptoms, amongst which can be sore or aching muscles, muscle weakness, slower reflexes and impaired decision making. When the body is rushed by adrenaline because of anxiety, muscles are in a constant state of tension, and eventually they can get very weak or tired. One may better understand the whys of certain recurring injuries. Moreover, when you hear commentators saying that the “game has opened up” in the second half, part of the reason that happens is due to fatigue.

Over the course of a season, or when they’ve had a run of three or four games in just a few days, the footballers’ energy level/ ability is actually diminished. This season is no exception for Manchester United. Too many problems, accumulation of matches, too many injuries and some suspensions forced longer minutes for players: more stress and fatigue (the manager included)! One may sympathize when José Mourinho ends up with: “At the moment, we can walk from the bed to the toilet and break a leg. In the month of April, we played nine matches, seven of them in the Premier League.”

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6th Generation Intel® Core™ Processor

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 My Best 10 Moments of Manchester United

by John Calleja

T

7) On to 1986, Fergie becomes manager following the dismissal of Ron Atkinson, bringing with him Archie Knox as his Assistant. It was the start of another Golden Period, although it took him 4 years to win an honour: the FA Cup, beating Crystal Palace, after a replay. Some say that this win saved Fergie’s skin and the following season, he won the European Cup Winners’ Cup.

hese are my Top 10 moments of Manchester United, which I am sure that many of you will question my choices and wonder why I left out some of their own opinions. I have listed my Top 10 in chronological order and not necessarily in order of importance, so here goes:

1) The club was founded in 1878 under the name of Newton Heath LYR Football Club.

It changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.

5) In 1957, United defied the FA and became the first English club to participate in the European Cup, where they lost in the semifinal to Real Madrid. They also recorded their best ever score, beating Anderlecht 10-0. Tragedy however was to strike on the 6th February 1958 with the fatal crash in Munich, which destroyed the Flowers of Manchester.

2) The first recorded match was played on 20th November 1880 and ended in a 6-0 defeat to Bolton Wanderers. The club colours were Green and Gold, which were the official colours of the Railway Company.

In 1892-93, the club played in the First Division and became independent of the Railway Company.

8) In 1998-99, Fergie achieved the “impossible” Treble, also adding the Intercontinental Cup. In 2012-13, United, under his management, won their 20th championship. He had promised to knock Liverpool off their perch and true to his promise, he did. In 2013, Fergie’s glorious era came to an end.

3) United won their first ever championship in 1908, under the managership of Ernest Mangall, and the following season, they won their first ever FA Cup and Charity Shield.

Mangall won a second championship with United, before moving to rivals City

9) David Moyes replaced Sir Alex. It was an impossible task and he only lasted 10 months, with Giggs taking over as Interim player-manager on 22nd April 2014.

6) In 1968, Busby had the most glorious moment in his career, when United beat Eusebio’s Benfica in the European Cup Final with the score of 4-1 at Wembley. Busby’s dream had at last come true. In 1969, Busby resigned, but in 1970-71, he returned for a brief period as Temporary Manager.

4) October 1945 - Matt Busby becomes manager with Jimmy Murphy as his Assistant and a glorious time begins. United finished as runners up in three consecutive seasons, 1947, 1948 and 1949, but won the FA Cup in 1948, beating Stan Matthews’ Blackpool 4-2. In 1952 Busby won his first Championship.

10)Van Gaal takes over, but in spite of his impressive CV, he did not match up to United standards, and was also relieved of his duties to be replaced by our present manager Mourinho on the 27th May. What will the Mourinho era bring? We can only wait and hope it will take us back to the Busby and Fergie successful times.

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Champions League Nights Manchester United 7 AS Roma 1 ‘Seventh Heaven for the Red Devils’.

by Michael Calleja

T

he stakes couldn’t have been any higher. A place in the last four of the Champions League was up for grabs. And yet United produced their most dominant display in the toughest club competition in the world – blitzing Roma off the face of the earth and ensuring the Red Devils progressed to the semi-finals. It is certainly worth re-living this magical night 10 years down the line since performances like these should be treasured to remind United fans what this club is capable of achieving.

Going into this second-leg Quarter-final fixture, United had no choice but to win at least 1-0 having lost the reverse fixture in Rome 1-2. United had played well on that night at the Olimpico and had also scored a very good goal thanks to Wayne Rooney.

Unfortunately, goals by Taddei and Vucinic had ensured Roma had the upper-hand before proceedings commenced at Old Trafford and Sir Alex Ferguson had also highlighted Roma’s use of the ‘multi-ball system’ [in football, this permits a match to immediately resume with another ball when the original match ball goes out of play] as a cause for this loss.

The fixture in Rome had unfortunately been marred by violent scuffles between United fans and the Roman Police and this certainly contributed to heightened tensions before the 2nd leg fixture had even commenced. Both

the Manchester United fans and players were hell-bent on exacting revenge on a Roma team that was there for the taking. The atmosphere was like a cauldron of boiling water about to explode as the United faithful sensed they were in for something special and unique.

Michael Carrick helped settle United’s nerves on 11 minutes with a perfectly timed chip over the hapless Doni. Alan Smith, returning from injury made it 2-0 six minutes later with a well-executed goal sending the crowd into raptures! Rooney added a third two minutes later before Cristiano Ronaldo made it 4-0 a minute before half-time. It was certainly ‘magical Manchester United’. For a team which had even failed to qualify from the group stages the previous season, this was a mammoth turnaround; a vintage performance replete with fine executions and blitz-like counter-attacking skills.

In the second half, United carried on where they had left off with Ronaldo once again scoring on the 49th minute. Michael Carrick then scored a ‘majestic’ goal on the hour mark before Daniele DeRossi pulled back a consolation goal for Roma nine minutes later. Patrice Evra then added the icing on the cake nine minutes from time with a slow shot which however caught the keeper Doni completely unaware. It ended 7-1 to the Red Devils and nobody could quite believe what had just happened.

Sir Alex Ferguson was certainly raving after the match noting that: ‘It was our best ever – a fantastic performance by every one of our players. You never expect a score-line like 7-1. The speed of our play and our penetration was absolutely superb. The quality of our game was so high that once we scored two or three, we thought there was going to be something big here. The atmosphere was fantastic and I’m sure the crowd will maintain that now they can see they have a team worth getting behind.’

What a win! And what a season that would prove to be for United with the club winning the Premier League trophy after a four year drought and reaching the FA Cup Final [losing 0-1 to Chelsea]. Despite the heroics against AS Roma, the club could not repeat the feat against a Kaka-inspired AC Milan as the Rossoneri would prevail over the two legs [losing 2-3 at Old Trafford and winning 3-0 at the San Siro]. In fairness, United were not at their best in Milan with several injuries affecting the squad.

Nevertheless, this 7-1 win will live long in the memory of United fans and will be forever remembered as the day the Red Devils demolished one of the best teams in Italy at the time. We can only hope that such similar magical Champions League nights will soon occur in the nearby future!

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW

Eric Cantona

by Norbert Bugeja

1966

was a great year for England: Cantona was born - that is what has been seen on shirts, posters, banners, mugs and other merchandise. And on the day of Cantona’s birthday we added the latest piece of silverware so now we joined the elite group of clubs who have won every competition available: something no club in England can say they did.

But let’s get back to Eric the King. How Eric joined Manchester United is already a lucky story for United or else shrewd business by Alex Ferguson? The only unlucky person is Dion Dublin who was a striker with Manchester United and broke a leg. Goals dried up and a hunt for a striker started. Alan Shearer was one on the radar but he decided to move elsewhere. This move proved to be a crucial one for his career because he finished with less medals than the massive superstar of football David May. The second option was David Hirst, a striker at Sheffield Wednesday for whom Ferguson offered £3 Million with the offer being refused: he was a prolific striker

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but this was a godsend because from 1993, injuries started to be a problem for Hirst and he was soon after sold to Southampton. The final part was a phone call made by Howard Wilkinson to Ferguson to enquire if Denis Irwin was available. Instead, Ferguson asked for Cantona, Wilkinson asked for £1million and the rest is history: ”Thanks a million Leeds.”

one of his philosophical thoughts: “Football is an art and we are the artists”. If “The King” scored a goal, did an assist or else a goal celebration you can make sure it was something spectacular, or using his own words, it was an art. Those were days when philosophy meant something unlike when LVG used to mention it.

The signing of Eric Cantona proved to be more than just a striker who can score goals but in his 5 years at the club, Eric did not only win everything that English football had to offer and entered every right to be called a club legend, but he was also a great influence on the squad and young players who started entering the ranks of the first team. If we mentioned the Class of ’92, doesn’t that ring a bell?

Cantona’s time at United was made up of goals, assists, and trophies and like every great movie there was also an element of drama. In the 1993/94 season, Eric got sent off in two consecutive games and got a 5 match ban but the moment when disaster struck was the 1994/95 season. Receiving his marching orders against Crystal Palace, as he was walking out of the pitch while being insulted, he launched a kung fu kick on what Eric later called a hooligan. The King will after his retirement from football recall that moment as the best moment of his football career. But what followed to that was a disaster: Cantona was given a 2 week prison sentence and bail was paid, 120 hours of

He entered Old Trafford with that confident style of his. He rolled up his collar as if he owned the whole place. But later after retiring he admitted that he did that because of the cold. His football style as he described it in

MOURINHO’S FIRST YEAR (Continued on Page 15)

community service had to be done, a £10,000 fine imposed and he was suspended from football for 8 months. After all this, The King called a press conference and he just said: “When the seagulls follow the trawler, it’s because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea. Thank you very much.”

Such an experience would have destroyed any normal human being but as he said in the movie “Searching for Eric”: “I am not a man, I am Cantona”. The stage for his return from suspension was set for Old Trafford, the date was 1st October 1995, opponents were Liverpool and Eric scored in a 2-2 draw.

So after 5 years at Old Trafford, Eric the King decided to retire. He had won the Premiership 4 times, the FA Cup 2 times and the Charity Shield 3 times. He won the Footballer of the Year once and the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year 2 times.

What did the King of Manchester do after his playing days were over? He kept himself busy for sure. He entered the movie scene, did the part of an actor, he became producer and also director. He had a cameo part in Elizabeth, he did the part of a King, and Searching for Eric was one of the films which got great reviews.

He did loads of Nike adverts, always promoting the beautiful game of football: “The Cage” and “Joga Bonito” were among the adverts Eric did. He was also captain of the French beach soccer team and later manager of the team.

He was always close to the supporters not only football wise but also through human element: “It is unacceptable that people often have to make huge sacrifices just to find a place to live, a roof over their heads.”

“The real fans of football come from the working class. Now they cannot afford to come and watch the game.”

Eric Cantona said that is a beautiful thing that his name is still sung by United supporters even though he retired. That is a thanks and appreciation from all the Manchester United supporters for all you did: Merci beacoup, Le Roi. So let’s finish the article with what The King loves: We’ll drink, a drink, a drink, to Eric the King, the King, the King, He’s the Leader of our football team, He’s the greatest Centre Footballer, That the world has ever seen.

What a friend we have in Jesus, He’s our saviour from afar, What a friend we have in Jesus, And His name is Cantona.

Ooh-aah Cantona, Ooh-aah Cantona, Ooh-aah, ooh-aah, ooh-aah Cantona, On the twelth day of Christmas my true-love gave to me, Twelve Cantonas, Eleven Cantonas, Ten Cantonas, Nine Cantonas, Eight Cantonas, Seven Cantonas, Six Cantonas, Fiiiiiiive Caaaaantoooooonaaaaaaas, Four Cantonas, Three Cantonas, Two Cantonas, And an Eric Cantona.

game and fierce protection of his team came to the fore in protesting passionately when he felt wronged by match officials’ decisions.

Unsurprisingly, following these two incidents and as the season progressed, José wisely chose to bite his lip on further occasions when he could easily have reacted similarly. Now let’s move on to the public criticism of certain players. If one were to gauge the opinion of fans, pundits and media in general on this topic I would say that these would vary, probably split in two. Some might say that someone like Sir Alex Ferguson would not normally rebuke his own players in front of the cameras but would keep everything inside the dressing room. Others would say that there is nothing wrong in giving players a public kick up the backside now and again. Personally I fall in to the latter category and with good reason. Throughout the season the likes of Luke Shaw, Mkhitaryan, Anthony Martial, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have all been the butt of measured critical comments from Mourinho either when specifically asked by reporters of certain players or else by providing thinly veiled digs at players whom everyone knew whom he was referring to at the time. And more often than not he got the desired results as the criticized players took his comments on board and strove to up their game and prove him wrong, so to speak. Because they all knew where he was coming from. His comments are all from the heart and well meaning. His honesty is surely to be admired. Take Bastian Schweinsteiger’s case for instance. José was man enough to publicly admit that he was wrong to criticize the player at the start of the season and banish him from the squad.

Bastian kept his head down and fought his way back into reckoning prompting Mourinho to backtrack on his earlier opinions of the player and eventually rewarded Schweinsteiger, first by reinstating him to the squad and then by not standing in his way when Chicago Fire came calling in that no transfer fee was demanded.

To conclude, if one were to analyse José Mourinho’s track record of the first seasons at his previous clubs it is clearly evident that more often than not he has enjoyed instant success wherever he’s managed. From becoming instant champion at Porto, Inter Milan and Chelsea to doing so at Real Madrid in his second season. The man is obsessed with winning trophies. He has become renowned for being almost the only manager in England to avoid snubbing the League Cup (Sir Alex followed suit), endeavoring to win it at every available opportunity. Certainly at both Chelsea and United he used it as a recipe for winning instant silverware in his first seasons and enabling it to serve as a springboard for future honours. In an interview with Sky Sports towards the end of the season, José was asked to describe how he felt his first season had gone. In his words, his first season, irrespective of any achievements and silverware won, was all about just building a solid foundation towards taking Manchester United back to top. And he will.

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Best Times Ahead: The Second Season

by Braden Galea

T

he final piece of the puzzle was stuck firmly in its place on the 24th May with a superior performance by Manchester United against Ajax ensuring that the Red Devils have now won all competitions that exist. It topped up the Charity Shield and EFL Cup success enjoyed by the team in José Mourinho’s first season at Old Trafford. If this first season is a reflection of what is to come in the future, supporters will start getting used to the taste of success again after the disappointing Moyes and Van Gaal spells. What is promising is that José Mourinho’s teams tend to fare better in the second season.

The team is now back among Europe’s elite in the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League, after a backdoor entry was secured through that win over Ajax in the Stockholm Final. Moreover, they will go straight into the group stage, giving the team sufficient time to prepare for the upcoming season. As Mourinho went on holiday, the person in the driving seat for the ensuring transfer saga is Ed Woodward, the executive vice-chairman entrusted with transfer dealings. Similar to last season, Mourinho handed Woodward a list of targets with various options for the positions he needs to strengthen. His job is now to secure these targets as early as possible to ensure that they join Manchester United on their United States tour. The first game of this tour is played on the 15th July against LA Galaxy.

The time when it was accepted that Manchester

United sacrifice a decent Premier League position to bag the UEFA Europa League is done and dusted. Now that supporters got a taste of the success, they will demand and expect more from the squad on both the domestic and European fronts. Finishing 6th in the Premier League will not be accepted as satisfactory, and it shouldn’t be. A team of Manchester United’s stature should constantly be among the top three challengers for the title.

The transfer dealings will shape the future that our beloved team will have. When it seems that the team can no longer rely on Zlatan’s goal scoring prowess in the first few months of 2017/18, getting a goal scoring beast is a necessity. We need a striker that can bag over 25 goals every season as a minimum. While Chelsea and Tottenham scored 85 and 86 goals respectively last season, United managed only 54 and Zlatan scored 17 (31%) of those as Manchester United were frustrated with 15 draws out of the 38 matches played(39%).

Whether the lion will roar back stronger after his knee injury remains to be seen, but it is an unavoidable occurrence that he will turn 36 years old in October. He scores goals, and plenty of them, but he also slows the game down a notch.

A young, fast striker would make Manchester United’s game more edge-of-the-seat exciting.

Manchester United also need a holding midfielder who can give Paul Pogba more freedom to operate in an attacking role. A strong defensive partner to Eric Bailly is also

needed to reinforce the team’s defence. The goalkeeping department is therefore the only place where no changes are required in David De Gea remains a Red Devil.

Back in 2003/04 in his second full season at Porto, José Mourinho led his team to the Primeira Liga with a perfect home record and he famously won the UEFA Champions League, eliminating Manchester United amongst others, by beating Monaco with the score of 3-0. This win earned him a call from Roman Abramovich to take over the reins for the first time in the Barclays Premier League.

He came to England with his renowned ego, calling himself the Special One. After winning the Premier League title immediately in his first season, giving Chelsea their first league win in 50 years, he won the Premier League title again in his second season at Chelsea.

Mourinho took over at Inter in 2008, replacing Roberto Mancini, and yet again, in his second season at Inter, he won the treble: Coppa Italia (beating Roma), Serie A title (with a 1-0 win over Siena) and the UEFA Champions League (with a 2-0 win beating Van Gaal’s Bayern Munich). Mourinho left Inter in 2010 to take over a new challenge in Spain with Real Madrid. Again in his second season at the team, Mourinho won the La Liga title with a nine-point margin over bitter rivals Barcelona, setting the Spanish record for winning 32 matches, winning the most away games at 16 games, and scoring the largest number VOL 44 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2017

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of points in a European League at 100 points.

This he achieved with 121 goals scored and an astonishing goal difference of +89 goals.

On his return to London with Chelsea in 2013, he finished 3rd in his first season back in the English capital, but again won the league title in his second season in charge, after losing just 3 matches in the whole season and securing the title three match-days before the end of the season. We all know how the experience ended midway through his third season in charge of Chelsea as he was given his marching orders

by Abramovich in December 2015.

Hence, if history is anything to go by, Manchester United will be crowned Champions of England come next May. Not to get our hopes up too much, but it seems that wherever he has managed in his past five experiences, Mourinho has always won the league title in his second season in charge. It is already surprising that he has already won as many trophies in England in his first season (Community Shield, EFL Cup, UEFA Europa League) as he won with Real Madrid over a two-year stint (La Liga, Supercopa and Copa del Rey).

The future looks good. Obviously, the past is no guarantee of the future, but it can provide an indication of what’s to come. The past of our current manager has proven that he can deliver the success in the same mould as the great Sir Alex Ferguson: the only difference comes in terms of longevity of tenure. We strengthen our hope that with the signings and team that JosÊ Mourinho is building, we will be celebrating again next season: an even bigger Treble?

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The name’s Victor Lindelof!

by Michael Calleja

Finally!

The first transfer of the 2017-18 season has already been completed and it appears to be a masterstroke by the talismanic Portuguese manager as Manchester United confirmed the capture of Swedish sensation Victor Lindelof from Benfica.

I must admit that I do not follow the Portuguese league and save for the exploits of Maltese striker Andre’ Schembri, hardly ever checked results or statistics. However, we can safely assume that for a club which prides itself as being the best in Portugal, breaking into the Benfica first team is no easy feat and Lindelof did that with the ambition and determination that you would expect from any Scandinavian.

Seb Larsson, Lindelof’s Swedish international team mate immediately opined that: ‘And as long as people give him a bit of time to adjust, he will ultimately succeed at United. You cannot deny his qualities.

He has burst on to the scene and done superbly at club and international level.’

The 22 year-old Swede started his career at club: Vasteras SK in the lower tiers of Swedish football but was snapped up by Portuguese giants Benfica at the tender age of 17 during the 2011/12 season. Whilst playing in the

reserves, Lindelof began to impress seniors coaches and duly made his debut in October 2013 but it was not until the 2015/16 season that he finally began to establish himself as an important player in the Portuguese side.

Analysing Lindelof from online videos and games, one might immediately notice his calmness on the ball when playing at centreback. He looks equally composed when defending and the big scene does not seem to faze him at all. In fact, his teammates had aptly given him the nickname of ‘The Iceman’ and no wonder given his performances at the back for both club and country. Preliminary judgments seem to liken the centre-back to Fernando Hierro or even Rio Ferdinand – aggressive centre backs who could nevertheless build up from the back and hit long balls too when needed. Surely an excellent complement to the already stable Eric Bailly.

From an international perspective, Lindelof also featured for the Swedish Youth teams – playing a significant role for the Swedish U-21 team during their very successful Under 21 European Championship tournament.

Victor Lindelof was named in the Team of the Tournament and this new aura of confidence seemed to spur him to compete admirably well

in the Champions League – facing off to some of the best marksmen in Europe. Lindelof’s exploits also earned the praise of Manchester United star Zlatan Ibrahimovic who duly noted in November that: ‘’I think [Lindelof] is good enough for the big clubs out there. It’s up to him what he wants. Whatever he chooses will be good for him. I know he is hot on the market so let him make the right choice, what fits him good.”

For a manager who has so often been criticised for buying ‘established’ players, Mourinho has opted for youth to start forming part of the missing jigsaw puzzle. Purchasing young players is always risky but one gets a sense that this gamble may yet prove to render dividends as United’s squad is slowly starting to gel and launch itself on the path to greatness.

Finally, it is worth noting comments stated by Lindelof himself who recently remarked that: “When I go out on the field, I am not afraid.

It’s about playing your game and daring to get stuck in. I know which qualities I possess and I dare to exert myself. I have great confidence and know what I am capable of on a football field.”

Sounds like the perfect type of player for Manchester United! Good luck Victor Lindelof!

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Ronaldo vs Messi

by Kenneth Abela

L

ionel Messi was born on the 24th June 1987 in Rosario, Santa Fe Province. Messi has spent his entire professional career at Spanish club Barcelona. He was discovered by a Barcelona scout at the age of 13. Cristiano Ronaldo was born on the 5th February 1985 in Funchal, Madeira. Ronaldo began his professional career with Sporting CP, making his senior debut on the 7 th October 2002.

In 2003, he joined Manchester United for €15 million. He moved to Real Madrid in 2009 in a record transfer worth €94 million.

who wants us to be at loggerheads but I’ve never fought with Cristiano”. The latter, while admitting, “We don’t have a relationship outside the world of football, just as we don’t with a lot of other players”, he did admit in a 2012 interview, “I think we push each other sometimes in the competition, this is why the competition is so high.” Even Sir Alex Ferguson has opined: “I don’t think the rivalry against each other bothers them. I think they have their own personal pride in terms of wanting to be the best.”

Statistics Who, statistically, is the greater?

Compare and contrast They are the two highest paid players in football, in combined income from salaries, bonuses and off-field earnings in 2016, Ronaldo was first earning $88 million and Messi was second with $81.4 million. They have the two biggest social media followings in the world among sportspeople with a combined 200 million Facebook fans by July 2016.

Considering first the football season that has just ended, at the time of writing, and considering all competitions, from 46 appearances, Messi scored 46 goals (including 7 penalties and 2 hat tricks), with a 1.02 goal ratio. Ronaldo has a goal ratio of just 0.79, scoring 31 goals (including 7 penalties and 4 hat tricks) in 39 games. He has also made 12 assists.

However, how do they compare when comparing the all-time goal and game statistics.

Notwithstanding being two years younger than Cristiano, Messi has again by far the most impressive figures. He has won more Champions League titles to date than Ronaldo, and more FIFA player of the year awards.

He has won the most Ballon d’Or Awards (4 times) and he is also the only player in history to have won the Ballon d’Or, FIFA World Player, the Pichichi Trophy and the Golden Boot in the same season. He holds the world record of most goals in a calendar year: 91 goals (2012).

Messi scored in 21 consecutive league matches (33 goals) and is the only player to have scored against all teams in the same league. He is the leading goal scorer in Spanish League history (253 goals) and the leading scorer in UEFA Champions League history (74 goals).

On the other hand Cristiano Ronaldo is now the all-time top scorer in Europe’s top six leagues with 367 goals at time of writing. His hat trick in the Champions League Semi Final first leg was his 101st Champions League goal.

Rivalry The Press has claimed many a time that this has led to a keen rivalry between the two players. Messi has denied any rivalry, saying that it was “only the media, the press,

There is of course no doubt that both Cristiano and Lionel are both great players and opinions on their abilities vary. Observers judge Messi as being better at building up attacks, bringing his team mates into play and finding that killer pass which can split even the watertight defences of the opposition. On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo is judged as being more athletic, makes solo runs on the wings and can score all types of goals. Ronaldo is seen as a better professional, who became even better with his dedication to improve. Messi on the other hand is seen as having a natural gift of balance and control over the football: he can turn and twist accelerate with the ball at his feet better than anyone.

Some commentators choose to analyse the differing physiques and playing styles of the two, while part of the debate revolves around the contrasting personalities of the two players: Ronaldo is sometimes depicted as an arrogant and theatrical show-off, while

Messi is portrayed as a shy, humble character.

When asked which he preferred, then FIFA president Sepp Blatter commented that Messi will “always get a lot of votes because he plays well and scores goals” before saying that Ronaldo “is like a commander on the field of play. This is the other side of football and it’s good to have commanders on the field. They don’t have the same attitude and that gives life to football. One has more expenses for the hairdresser than the other but that doesn’t matter. I can’t say who is the best. I like both of them, but I prefer Messi.”

Who is thus the better?

Is it fair to decide which of the two players is the greater by comparing their ‘vital’ statistics?

It is in a sense easy to judge them because they are playing in the same era. This is unlike previous big football rivalry such as that of Maradona vs Pele. Both Lionel and Cristiano play in the Spanish league and thus the two players face each other at least twice every season in the world’s most popular regular-season club game, El Clásico, which had a global audience of 400 million viewers in March 2014. Thus it is possible to compare their abilities even within the same game. In recent games many judge Lionel Messi as having been more influential than Ronaldo because not only is his goal record incredible but he has a bigger impact on the team he is playing in.

Ronaldo, on the other hand, is an incredible player and he is in the elite class of all-time great footballers with still a couple of years left at the very peak of his career. Things might change and we might look at them differently when they hang up their boots.

United fans inevitably have a soft spot for Cristiano. This is not surprising considering that as a United player, he helped United win three consecutive Premier League titles between 2006 and 2009, an FA Cup in 2004, and two UEFA Champions League finals in 2008 and 2009, scoring United’s goal in the former.

United legend the late George Best had noted Ronaldo’s talents early on in Ronaldo’s career, observing: “There have been a few players described as ‘the new George Best’ over the years, but this is the first time it’s been a compliment to me.”

But so far many outside Manchester tend to believe that Messi is superior when compared against Ronaldo.

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REMEMBERING THAT FIRST TIME MANCHESTER UNITED’S FIRST FA CUP SUCCESS IN 1909

by Iain McCartney Part 1

T

he Bank Street office cleaner was certainly not over-worked in the Manchester United boardroom when it came to polishing trophies, with any silver cleaning material not something that appeared regularly on the shopping list up until 1908.

Minor local success had come under the guise of Newton Heath in the Lancashire Senior Cup in 1898 and they also had their name engraved on the Lancashire Senior Cup in 1886, 1888, 1889, 1890, 1893 and 1908.

The first trophy won by the club under their new name of Manchester United. That latter success had in fact increased the cleaners work-load, as something of a ‘double’ was achieved, as 1908 also saw United lift the First Division Championship for the first time.

Up until then, life had been something of a struggle. Financial problems never too far away, coupled with prolonged activity in the Second Division. But it was through financial irregularities at their cross city neighbours Manchester City that the fortunes of Newton Heath changed for the better.

An illegal payment scandal had rocked City, as well as a hint of bribery, with some seventeen players banned by the Football Association, all of whom soon became available for transfer.

United manager Ernest Mangnall wasted little time in securing the signatures of Jimmy Bannister, Sandy Turnbull, Herbert Burgess and the first ‘super-star’ of British football, Billy Meredith. Another, George Livingstone, arrived at a later date.

It was Sandy Turnbull who proved to be the final piece of Mangnall’s jig-saw, notching twenty-five goals in thirty games as United stormed to that first Championship in 1908.

Meredith, however, was the ace provider, the Welshman also managing to find the net ten times and if it wasn’t the burly Sandy Turnbull who was getting on the end of his crosses, then it was his namesake Jimmy, who scored nineteen in thirty-six outings.

Would that initial League success prove to be the springboard to even more silverware, or was it simply a flash in the pan? Strangely, the club slumped to thirteenth in the First Division twelve months later, before showing something of an improvement and rising to a more respectable fifth, before claiming the Championship once again at the end of the

1910-11 season. The first at their new Old Trafford home.

The suppor ters, however, did not have to endure t wo barren seasons before celebrating fur ther success, as twelve months after that first League crown, the FA Cup made its initial appearance in the Manchester United boardroom.

Newton Heath had first competed in the competition way back in 1886-87, but it was far from ideal baptism. Drawn away at Fleetwood Rangers in Round One, the game was tied at 2-2 at the end of ninety minutes, but, expecting the game to go into a replay back in Manchester, the Heathens were dismayed to be informed that an additional thirty minutes had to be played and decided to catch the first train home. Pleading their case to the Football Association proved fruitless and the seaside club were awarded the tie.

Further sojourns into the competition proved equally fruitless, with progress rarely achieved beyond Round Two, with defeat in either the Qualifying, Supplementary or Intermediate Rounds often the case.

Seasons 1905-06 and 1907-08 had witnessed

better than normal cup runs, with the Fourth Round being reached on both occasions.

Losing to Woolwich Arsenal by the odd goal in five in the former and to Fulham by the odd goal in three in the latter. Round Five, if nothing else, was clearly the club’s aim.

Season 1908-09 was to see that aim achieved, with much more besides.

ROUND ONE – JANUARY 16TH - BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION – H – 1-0 SCORER – HALSE. UNITED - MOGER , STACE Y, HAY ES, DUCKWORTH, ROBERTS, BELL, MEREDITH, HALSE, A. TURNBULL, J. TURNBULL, WALL. BRIGHTON and HOVE ALBION – WHITEING, LEEMING, STEWART, BOOTH, MORRIS, ATKINSON, HALL, LONGSTAFF, MARTIN, ROBERTSON, JEE. ATTENDANCE – 8,074.

Season 1908-09 saw Manchester United precede Brighton and Hove Albion out of the hat when the draw for the First Round of the competition was made and on the day of the VOL 44 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2017

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game, the Clayton pitch was to be found in its usual mid-season, winter condition. This was basically a field heavy of mud, allowing for little in the way of actual quality of football to be produced. Snow and sleet had fallen prior to kick-off adding to the miserable, noninspiring surroundings.

The relatively poor attendance was not helped by the fact that Manchester City were also at home, against Tottenham Hotspur, with the Manchester Evening News correspondent writing; “That the Manchester public will not go to Clayton if they can get their football elsewhere was illustrated today when the English Cup tie with Brighton was played”.

Words that would certainly not inspire the casual obser ver to venture towards that particular area of the Cottonopolis on a match day.

If the playing conditions were far from satisfactory, United’s pre-cup-tie form had certainly been likewise, with the prospects of the Southern League club pulling off a shock victory more than a possibility. Seven days prior to the south coast club’s visit to Manchester, United had travelled to the north-east and lost 5-0 at Middlesbrough.

The previous Saturday, they had lost 2-0 at home to Preston North End. Manager Ernest Mangnall had problems.

The cup-tie at Clayton was certainly not a game for the faint hearted, with the north-south divide adding some additional spice to the play and at times, it looked as though some of the players would actually come to blows. Play often overstepped the actual laws of the game and at different times dur ing the ninety minutes, Jimmy Turnbull, Alec Bell and Vince Hayes of United and Martin of Brighton were off the field having various injuries attended to by their respective trainers.

As it turned out, Brighton, although putting up a spirited performance, were no match on the day for United, who attacked with much regularity, making the game, particularly in the closing stages into becoming something of a rather one sided affair. However, the rigid visiting defence coupled with the poor state of the ground, which made accurate football almost impossible, and in itself forced numerous errors from both sides, kept the actual goals scored to a minimum. Although to be fair to the twenty-two players, despite the ankle deep mud and play having to be stopped on a regular basis so that the players could have the mud wiped from their faces after heading the dirt and mud caked ball which became heavier as the game progressed, play at times was considered by the Manchester

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Evening News reporter to be of “a fairly high standard”.

The crowd of 8,074, who paid some £235 8s 3d, were rewarded for their endurance in watching what was described as the poorest game at Clayton this season with only one goal, scored on the half hour mark, the result of three passes which took the ball from United’s half and into the back of the Brighton net. Jimmy Turnbull pushed the ball wide to Meredith, who quickly crossed it into the Brighton goalmouth. Atkinson had the opportunity to clear his lines, but whether due to the conditions or otherwise, miss-kicked and Halse pounced, beating goalkeeper Whiting with a hard low drive between the two Brighton full backs and into the corner of the net.

In reflection, United did well to go in at the interval a goal in front, mainly due to having played for the majority of the first half with only ten men, Hayes and Jimmy Turnbull both off the field at dif ferent times for leng thy per iods.

The latter had also been involved in an exchange of words with Stewart, an encounter which rumbled on all af ter noon and which eventually led to the actual footballing side of the game disintegrating.

Minor knocks had to be attended to before Bell left the field with a head injury, again leaving United with ten men, but soon after his reappearance the home side were forced to play with a man short on a more permanent basis.

Stewart, the Brighton left back and captain had tussled with Billy Meredith throughout the opening forty-five minutes and after the United winger had ghosted past Atkinson and sped down the wing, Stewart stepped in and robbed the Welshman of the ball.

The Brighton defender then dribbled the ball down the touchline, but in the direction of his own goal, before for some unknown reason kicking it out of play. Meredith then out of frustration more than anything else, proceeded to kick the Brighton player with the side of his foot.

with the incident which led to the sending off certainly not as severe as much of what had gone before.

Stewart himself was soon to follow Meredith off the pitch, carried off with a leg injury, following an encounter with Jimmy Turnbull.

An accident?

The referee himself came in for much criticism due to his handling of the game and was in fact booed off at the end, despite the home team’s victory. The Manchester Evening News correspondent wrote: “The game was spoiled by the referee, who allowed the players to get out of hand. A number of unpleasant incidents that went un-noticed and in no previous match this season have the United had so many men hurt. Twice Meredith was thrown head long into the hoarding, whilst one kick split open his shin guard and caused a wound several inches in length”.

Brighton, to their credit came close on a few occasions and did have opportunities to equalise. A header from Martin hitting the top of the United cross bar. But their half backs failed to offer their fellow forwards much in the way of support. Had they done so, then a replay would certainly not have been out of the question.

But it was United, inspired by Charlie Roberts, for whom the conditions caused little problems, who went into the draw for Round Two. Such was United manager Ernest Mangnall’s disgust with the referee, he wrote a letter of complaint to the Football Association, saying: “We have never yet reported a referee, for wee recognise that their duties are onerous and often unpleasant, but I must say that Mr Lewis proved very weak and did not appear to have the slightest control of the players.

“Mr Lewis’s weakness was the same in the Notts County match on New Years Day and we have asked the Football League not to appoint him to any of our matches.

“We should be prepared to produce evidence to prove his inefficiency and in our opinion his conduct was such as to encourage players in the act of wrong doing.”

ROUND TWO – FEBRUARY 6TH - EVERTON – H – 1-0 SCORER – HALSE

There was certainly no malice in the rather unnecessary attack, but it left the referee with little choice than to send the United man off. Referee Lewis of Rotherham was immediately surrounded by United players, including Meredith who claimed that he had been provoked, but despite a prolonged and heated exchange the official refused to back down and the outside right made his way towards the dressing rooms. It was considered by many to be a harsh decision,

UNITED - MOGER , STACE Y, HAY ES, DUCKWORTH, ROBERTS, BELL, HALSE, LIVINGSTONE, J. TURNBULL, A. TURNBULL, WALL. EVERTON – SCOTT, BALMER, McCONNACHIE, HARRIS, TAYLOR, MAKEPEACE, SHARP, COLMAN, YOUNG, WHITE, DAWSON. ATTENDANCE – 35,217

Meredith’s actions in that First Round tie saw him suspended for a month, therefore forcing him out of the Second Round tie against Everton, leaving the United manager in something of a quandary, as he had no immediate replacement for the errant Welshman and forcing him into re-juggling his forward line, moving Halse to the wing and bringing in George Livingstone as his inside partner.

United had lost 3-1 on Merseyside, against Liverpool, the previous Saturday, not the best of preparations for the cup-tie, while Everton themselves had been trounced 4-0 at Manchester City, so both sides had much to prove.

The gates had opened at 1.00, for the 3.30 kick-off, with large queues already outside and the Manchester Tramway Company enjoyed a highly profitable afternoon ferrying supporters towards the Clayton ground, although many, who could not afford both the fare and the cost of admission, preferring to walk from the city centre.

There was not a blade of grass to be seen on the pitch, but the Clayton ground staff had to their credit managed to get the surface in excellent condition due to more than a sprinkling of sand, which at least gave the players something of a foothold.

Both g oal s saw considerable activity, as the f irst half bubbled into action.

Wall broke clear from the half way line, but with only Scott in the Everton goal to beat a huge groan was to emerge from the majority of the packed enclosure, as the ‘keeper dived and pushed the ball against the post before it was scrambled to safety. A couple of overhead kicks from the United outside left were also cleared, much the relief of the visiting support. At the opposite end Moger was also kept on his toes and it was a surprise to many that the home goal actually remained intact.

An Everton free-kick was cleared by the United defence, with Sandy Turnbull swinging the ball out to Wall just over the halfway line. The winger proceeded to dribble his way down the wing and from just inside the penalty area, hit a tremendous shot which Scott in the Everton goal managed to palm onto the upright before McConnachie scrambled the ball clear.

A centre from Sharp saw Moger pull off a fine save, but he could only palm the ball out and

amid a goalmouth scramble, the ball was eventually cleared.

With play evenly matched it looked as though the stalemate would continue into the second half, but with half time approaching, the two Turnbull’s moved down-field, with Sandy picking out Wall on the left. The winger sent a high centre into the Everton goalmouth and McConnachie attempted to clear, but the ball was blocked by Livingstone, another former Manchester City player and from a position down by the goal line, he flicked the ball over his head and into the path of Halse, who met it firmly on his left foot, blasting it over the heads of the defenders in front and past a helpless Scott, to give United the lead.

United resumed the second half where they left off and any Everton attacks were confidently dealt with, but the presence of Meredith was sorely missed, as United lacked any real penetration, especially down the right. The visitors on the other hand played well in defence, but were poor upfront, with their forwards preferring to see the white’s of Moger’s eyes before shooting, although in the dying minutes they did almost snatch a draw, but after getting the better of Hayes, Sharp shot into the side netting.

However, United held on to their lead and that solitary goal was enough to see them into the Third Round.

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MixedMANCUNIANPlatter

by Karm Galea

A

s this is the final issue of the Echoes for this footballing season, I am writing a snippet on every first team player. The list of first team players is taken off the Manchester United Official Website.

1-David De Gea is rated as being the best goalkeeper in the world at present. But did he arrive at United ready-made? Eric Steele, his former goalkeeping coach said that initially, De Gea struggled to adapt to life in England and frustrated his coaching staff. He was ‘lazy’ when it came to learning English and had the habit of training poorly as well as eating too many tacos. His first six months at United were horrendous. He was just 71 kilos in weight, he would sleep two or three times a day and have his main meal at night. All this had to change. Eric Steele worked with him on and off the field to make him more powerful and to change his lifestyle. Eventually, the Spaniard was transformed into the goalkeeper that was voted on to the Professional Footballers’ Association Team of the Year. He is what he is now thanks to the professionalism and dedication of the United staff.

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3-Eric Bailly was born in the south of Abidjan, the capital of the Ivory Coast, in April 1994. As a child he would play football after school on the streets of KoumassiSicogi, the industrial heartland of the region.

He ended his studies at age 14 and is said to have become the manager of a telephone box. He earned a pittance, emptying out the change each day before travelling to trials as he pursued his dream of becoming a footballer. Now he is on a £75,000 per week wage at United.

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4-Phil Jones was the victim of a robbery.

Greater Manchester Police have launched an investigation into the theft of diamonds earrings from United’s training ground. It is said that Jones spent thousands on the gems as a gift for his fiancée, Kaya Hall.

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5-Marcos Rojo who earns £200,000-a-week at Old Trafford has growing concerns over the safety of his family in Argentina after some of his family have been targeted by criminal gangs as a result of his rising fame and fortune. Growing up around El Triunfo in La Plata, 40 miles from Buenos Aires, Rojo’s current lifestyle is a million miles from his modest upbringing in South America and

now, some of the family that have stayed in his homeland are living in fear of being murdered. Noella, Rojo’s sister said that they have taken every precaution to protect themselves. They don’t answer the door to anyone and have put bars on all windows and doors.

6-Paul Pogba is not exactly setting Old Trafford on fire at the moment, but never theless he is on an estimated £290,000-a-week, which makes him the highest-paid player in the Premier League, ahead of Rooney and Ibrahimovic. If that is not enough, a clause in his contract repor tedly states that Juventus are committed towards helping Pogba buy a house. According to Yahoo, Juventus will pay in the region of £4.2 million towards the purchase of this house. It is believed that around £1.5 million of his transfer fee went to Pogba’s previous clubs Le Havre, Torcy and Roissy-en-Brie.

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8-Juan Mata was sold to Manchester United in 2014 while Mourinho was in charge at Stamford Bridge. Mourinho claims it was not his decision to offload Mata. It was expected that Mata would be moved on when Mourinho arrived at Old Trafford, however, Mata has been a regular and important player in the side. Mourinho has said that it was not him that sold Mata at Chelsea. His job was not to buy and sell but to coach and to work on the pitch and advise the board about the transfer policy. It was Mata who had asked to leave and when a player asks to leave, one has to think twice about the situation. His idea for football with the squad and the objectives that were at Chelsea at that time were one thing, and the squad there is at Manchester United and the profile and what he is trying to do with this club is a completely different situation. So Juan Mata in the Chelsea project was one player with a role in that setup and Juan Mata in the Manchester United project is in another scenario and in a completely different situation.

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9-Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s two children, Max, ten, and Vincent, eight joined Rooney’s son Kai in Manchester United’s Academy for sessions with United’s youth coaches.

United have conducted a major revamp of their youth structure, scouting and facilities in the last months, including the employment of 50 new scouts across the

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world to find them potential superstars of the future. The youth groups take place at the club’s old Cliff training base in Salford.

10-According to the Guardian, the first question new United manager Moyes asked Wayne Rooney was if he (Rooney) still thought he was a top player. The question, according to the Guardian reporter, was designed to get under the skin of Rooney.

When Rooney insisted he did, Moyes pressed on and asked why then Chelsea were offering only £25million for him. It seemed to be a fair question as United were to spend £2.5million more on Fellaini. In fairness to Rooney, he went on to score 19 goals that season.

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11-In the match against Burnley at Turf Moor, Anthony Martial stroked the ball past the Burnley keeper to trigger a clause in the deal that brought Martial to Manchester United. It is the 25th goal Martial has scored for United since joining the side from Monaco in the summer of 2015. This goal tally means United owe Monaco an extra £10 million. Other extras in the Martial deal are a payment of £10 million if he makes 25 appearances for France and £10 million if he is nominated for the Ballon d’Or.

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12-Chris Smalling was in very good spirits (and so were all of us) after United’s 3-2 win over Southampton in the EFL Cup Final and the defender took to Instagram to celebrate the achievement. What pleased us most about his post is the fact that Smalling trolled the Liverpool supporters by bringing attention to the fact that United had now officially knocked them off their perch as the most decorated club in English football.

“Watch the Throne”, he had written. Chris Smalling, we love you.

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14-Jesse Lingard made history early in his footballing career. With his goal against Southampton in the League Cup Final, he became only the third player in history to score in a League Cup Final, an FA Cup final and a Charity Shield. Mark Hughes was the other United player to achieve this.

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16-Michael Carrick is set for a testimonial match at the end of this season, after 11 years of service at United. While no opponent has yet been confirmed, Carrick’s boyhood club Newcastle United are thought to be a

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contender. In his eleven years at United, Carrick won five Premier League titles (ouch!

Stevie Gerrard), an FA Cup, a League Cup and the Champions League.

17-Daley Blind was forced to take some dressing room banter after scoring against Derby in the FA Cup. Despite starting the game at centre-back, Blind scored from open play from Lingard’s cross. Van Gaal admitted that after the game, some of his team-mates wanted to know, jokingly, what Blind the centre-back was doing so far forward.

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18-Ashley Young has a net worth of £6 million as of 2012, according to the Sunday Times UK Rich List. Young hails from Hertfordshire, went to school with Lewis Hamilton and played football with him. Young was born in 1985 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire to a Jamaican-born father and English mother.

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19-Marcus Rashford wrote this note when 11 years old. “Future and Aims - I hope that my future is very bright in and out of school especially in my career as a footballer. I want to have a different lifestyle and make my family and others proud of me. I only have one aim in life and that is to be a professional footballer, and hopefully at Manchester United.” Now Marcus is living the dream.

with its ‘Knight of Attack’ award in 1984. In 1989, when Henrikh was a baby, the family moved to France because of some conflict that was brewing in Armenia. Hamlet played for 5 years for Valence in France’s second division. Every morning Henrikh would cry when his father left home for training, begging him to take him with him. Henrikh’s time with his father was very short. When he was six years old, his parents moved back to Armenia. Henrikh did not understand what was happening, as his father had stopped playing football and was home all the time. He had developed a brain tumour and things started to happen fast. Within a year, Hamlet had died. Being so young he did not understand the concept of death but still remembered his mother and older sister always crying. When asking for his father, no one would explain what was going on.

Eventually he was told that his father would never be coming home again.

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20-Sergio Romero is 192 cm (6ft 3.5ins) tall but hilariously has the nickname of ‘chiquito’ (tiny, small) because he is dwarfed by his basketball-playing brother Diego, who stands at 206 cm (6ft 9ins). When he was in Holland with Alkmaar under van Gaal, the club was eliminated from the Dutch Cup because of his error. Romero was so angry with himself that he vented his frustrations by punching the door and walls of the changing room, breaking bones in his hand which ruled him out for many games.

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21-Ander Herrera has established himself in Mourinho’s midfield, providing cover in front of the back four. His pre-match ritual is to text his mum. He has recently become a father for the first time and is entirely devoted to his family. He was in Madrid with his girlfriend and baby because the manager had given him a couple of days off. A late but immediate call-up to join the Spanish squad came up via a call from De Gea. At first Herrera thought it was a joke as the squad had already been picked, but he took a taxi and got to the training ground as soon as possible. He had left his boots in Manchester (he was on holiday, no?), so one of his friends was dispatched to buy him a new pair.

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22-One of Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s earliest memories was begging his father, Hamlet, to take him to training with his football club in France. He was maybe 5 years old. In the 1980s before he was born, his father played in the old Soviet Top League in Armenia. He was a small but very quick striker. Soviet Soldier magazine actually honoured him

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23-Luke Shaw and Mourinho reportedly did not get on well when they met to discuss the defender joining Chelsea in 2014. Mourinho nearly signed Shaw when he was at Chelsea but the left-back joined Manchester United for a fee of around £30million instead. It was reported at the time that Mourinho was unhappy with the wages a then-19-year-old Shaw was demanding. Luke, a boyhood Chelsea fan had put his allegiances aside to make the move from Southampton to Manchester. According to The Sun, Mourinho walked away from the deal, telling officials at Chelsea that the teenager and his family were obsessed with money. And it is said that Shaw’s parents responded by claiming they did not like Mourinho’s approach to the talks. Shaw reportedly earns £70,000 a week at Old Trafford, which is not a ridiculous figure for a first-team player and a full international. But Mourinho apparently thought that putting such a young player on that kind of money would cause problems in his Chelsea dressing room.

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24-Timothy Fosu-Mensah has revealed he asked fellow Dutchman Daley Blind for his boots as a gift when he was a 14-year-old, but his feet were already too big for them.

He had not realised that the 26-year-old Blind had such small feet. Fosu-Mensah, born of Ghanian parents, and Blind are both products of the famous academy at Ajax.

The youngster idolised Blind, who is eight years his senior, during their time at Ajax.

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the wild celebration after United won at Hull City via an injury time goal by Marcus Rashford, a stricken female fan was seen to be in a distressing situation due to the heaving mass of bodies. As Rashford charged towards the joyous United fans, the supporters tucked into the corner of the KCOM stadium surged towards their star man. In this melee, the fan found herself pushed from her front seat onto the advertising hoardings around the perimeter of the pitch, struggling to release herself from her predicament. The giant Belgian broke away from the mob of celebrating players to point out the precarious situation the United fan was in. He signalled to the stewards to make them aware of what was happening before helping to pull the woman clear of the pressing crowd.

32-Sam Johnstone is an academy graduate goalkeeper. Goalkeeping runs in the family for Johnston as his father, Glenn, played for Preston North End in the early 1990s. Sam had success at international level, having been part of the victorious England squad that won the European Under-17 Football Championship in 2010. He has presented England at Under-16, 17, 19 and 20s, but yet to play for the Under-21s.

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36-As was reported in a UK tabloid, there is a Manchester United player who can’t boil an egg. This player thought that on returning home he might get hungry, so he asked the club’s chef to cook him two hardboiled eggs to take home as he did not know how to boil them himself. Because of this, poor Matteo Darmian took a bashing on Twitter.

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38-Axel Tuanzebe. Axel who? Tuanzebe is a 19-year-old centre-back who has been with United’s academy since 2013, though his association with the club stretches back to when he was just eight years old. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the young defender is now an England youth international, having played for England at Under-19 and Under-20 level. He is clearly earmarked as a potential candidate for the United first-team as he is a strong, fast and solid defender. Tuanzebe has also been praised for his ability on the ball. Described as being in the mould of Eric Bailly, it is clear to see why the teenager is rated so highly by all who have seen him play.

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40-Joel Castro Pereira, a Portuguese, was born in 1996 in Le Locie, in the Swiss Canton of Neuchatel. He began his footballing career in the youth ranks of Neuchatel Xamax before transferring to Manchester United in 2012. In February 2016, he had his first call-up to a senior United game, sitting on the bench for their 5-1 win over FC Midtjylland in the UEFA Europa League. He made his United debut in January 2017 in an FA Cup fourth round tie against Wigan Athletic, coming on as an 80th-minute substitute for Romero.

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25-Antonio Valencia has told the Daily Mail that when Mourinho arrived at Old Trafford, he told him (Valencia) that when he was in charge of Real Madrid he wanted him as a right-back but Ferguson did not want to sell. Valencia had been established as a winger when he joined United in 2009 after the departure of Ronaldo but Ferguson also utilised him at full-back.

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27-Marouane Fellaini is not a bad guy at all, but a little too hasty, perhaps. During

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Major Five European Leagues Round-up…

Juventus and Bayern Munich retain domestic title crowns as Chelsea, Real Madrid and Monaco return to where they belong

by Antoine Dalli

and in so doing became once again the most successful club in this competition. Thanks to this triumph, coach Arsene Wenger, who has just extended his contract with Arsenal by two more years, won more FA Cups than anybody with seven successes (1997/98, 2001/02, 2002/03, 2004/05, 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2016/17).

C

helsea bounced back from an opaque season as they lifted their sixth English Premier League title. After an indifferent start to the season, Chelsea made a remarkable comeback in Antonio Conte’s first season in charge and eventually cruised to their fifth English Premier League title since season 2004/05. Tottenham proved to be Chelsea’s biggest challengers and contrary to the previous season, they did not surrender their runners-up spot at the end of the season.

Man City, Liverpool and Man United (after winning the Europa League) will be England’s three other Champions League representatives next season. Arsenal and Everton will represent England in the 2017/18 Europa League.

Man United won three cups in José Mourinho’s first season in charge as they lifted the FA Community Shield (vs. Leicester 2-1), the League Cup (vs. Southampton 3-2) and the Europa League (vs. Ajax 2-0). For Mourinho, this was his fourth personal triumph in the League Cup (after triumphs with Chelsea in 2005, 2007 and 2015) and his second in the Europa League after previously leading Porto to success over Celtic in the 2002/03 final.

Arsenal will be without Champions League football for the first time since season 1996/97 after missing out on fourth place by a solitary point. However, the Gunners made up for this huge disappointment by lifting their 13th FA Cup

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The Italian Serie A continued to become a oneclub league as Juventus once again dominated the domestic season practically from the beginning till the end. The Bianconeri, who by the end of the season amassed 91 points (as a results of 29 wins, four draws and five defeats in 38 games), lifted their sixth straight Scudetto (overall their 33rd), thus becoming the first club to attain such feat in the Big Four European Leagues (the English Premier League, the Italian Serie A, the Spanish La Liga and the German Bundesliga). Not only that, but Juventus went on to complete their third successive domestic double as in May, they lifted their 12th Coppa Italia at the expense of Lazio in a one-legged final played at Rome’s Olympic Stadium.

Like in the previous campaign, Roma and Napoli booked the other two Champions League berths. The only difference was that in season 2015/16, Napoli finished runnersup and Roma third. Thus, this summer Napoli have to play in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, a stage of the competition which proved to be a banana skin to too many Italian clubs in recent years including Lazio

and Napoli, not to mention Napoli themselves who were eliminated in 2014 at the hands of Athletic Bilbao.

Atalanta, who finished in a staggering fourth place, were the surprise package of the Serie A. The Bergamaschi, together with Coppa Italia runners-up Lazio, who finished fifth, and sixth-placed Milan will be the three Italian representatives in the 2017/18 Europa League.

At the wrong side of the table, Pescara and Palermo found their way out of the Serie A. Crotone had already a foot in the Second Division but a great comeback by Davide Nicola’s side meant that instead Empoli were relegated on the final day and Crotone extended their stay with the Italian elite by another season.

In similar vein to Juve’s defiant dominance in Italy, Bayern Munich were by far the best team in the German Bundesliga. Under new coach Carlo Ancelotti, Bayern Munich took quite some time to settle. In the initial stages of the season, RB Leipzig seemed to be a tough nut to crack for Bayern Munich. But as the competition intensified, Ancelotti’s side proved to be far more consistent than RB Leipzig and eventually held on to lift their record-extending 27th Bundesliga title (their fifth in a row). By the end of the season, Bayern Munich enjoyed a comfortable 15 points lead over nearest pursuers RB Leipzig.

Borussia Dortmund and Hoffenheim will be Germany’s two other representatives in the 2017/18 Champions League. Wolfsburg,

eighth domestic league title – their first title success since season 1999/2000. Initially, the Ligue I title race took the shape of a three-horse title race with Paris SG and Nice joining in the party. However, as the competition entered its crucial stages, Monaco stepped up several gears and by the end of the campaign built an unassailable lead over Paris SG.

Ingolstadt and Darmstadt were relegated to the Second Division. Tomas Tuchel’s Borussia Dortmund lifted their fourth Dfb Pokal (German Cup) as they overcame Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.

Thanks to this success, the 2013 Champions League runners-up have broken their silverware drought, winning the German Cup final at the fourth consecutive attempt. For Borussia Dortmund, this was their first major trophy since 2012. Tuchel has since left the Borussia Dortmund after falling out with club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke.

After failing to retain the title crown for the fifth consecutive season, Paris SG, who were coached by none other than former Sevilla coach Unai Emery, found consolation in the two domestic cup competitions. The 1995/96 Cup Winners’ Cup winners lifted their fourth successive Coupe de la Ligue title thanks to a resounding 4-1 victory over Monaco in Lyon. Paris SG ended a frustrating season by also lifting the French cup thanks to an injury-time 1-0 win over minnows Angers at the Stade de France. This was the 11th French Cup (the third in a row) for Paris SG, who thus surpassed Marseille as the club with the most cups. For the record, Paris SG have won 32 consecutive League Cup and French Cup games. Their last defeat in a cup match came in the 2013/14 season when they were knocked out by Montpellier in the last 32 of the French Cup.

division. On the other hand, Nice will be France’s third representative in the 2017/18 Champions League whereas Lyon, Marseille and Bordeaux enter the 2017/18 Europa League fray.

In Spain, Real Madrid ended a five-year title drought as they outsmarted Barcelona by only three points to lift their record-extending 33rd La Liga title. Atletico Madrid and Sevilla will be Spain’s two other representatives in the 2017/18 Champions League whereas Villareal, Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao will represent Spain in next season’s Europa League. Sporting Gijon, Osasuna and Granada were relegated to the Segunda Division.

In Luis Enrique’s final game in charge of Barcelona, the five-times European champions defeated Alaves 3-1 at the Vicente Calderon to lift their record-extending 29th Copa del Rey (their third in a row). This was the ninth trophy (out of 13) for Barcelona in three years under the charge of Luis Enrique.

In the French Ligue I, Monaco broke cash-rich Paris SG’s defiant dominance by lifting their

At the foot of the Ligue I, Lorient, Nancy and Bastia found their way out of the French top

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End of Season Review

by Michael Gatt

Acceptable first season for Mourinho

J

osé Mourinho says his debut season at Manchester United has been his toughest year as a coach. Whether it was a successful season or not boiled down to the very last game of the season in the Europa League final against Ajax, where a win capped an ‘acceptable’ season. Following their good win over Ajax, in what could be described as a typical final ‘Mourinho performance’, United managed to complete the haul of all European and domestic trophies. No need to say that a loss would have been, at the very least, ‘catastrophic’, with no Champions League football the following year, and the fact that United would not be able to attract the top players to Old Trafford.

So after the Final, the United manager was

asked if success this year now depended on winning the Europa League.

He replied: “You (the media) have the right to say – and it makes sense to say. But I don’t feel like that and do not want the players to feel like that. And I don’t think board feel like that.

Because we worked hard. This season I worked harder than ever so I don’t think that way.

“If I was in your chair, it is fair. We won the League Cup and Community Shield and until injuries arrived we fought for the Premier League top four. We had fantastic record for 25 games and did things not everyone has done at Manchester United in a first season – winning a trophy and reaching a European final. But if I was on your side and looking for this kind of headlines I accept if you say that.”

Mourinho was always insistent that Champions League Football was the club’s priority and that the Europa League represented the best chance of this happening, especially after the loss against Arsenal at the Emirates, where United were coming from an unbeaten streak of 25 games in the league, but obviously many of those games ended up in draws.

“But for us, it’s the trophy and the Champions League for the next season and they finish the league this weekend.”

So I will summaries United’s season in the following: So, how did it go?

Not brilliant but not bad at all. José Mourinho targeted the title and finished sixth. There were

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fewer wins and more draws for United than any other season in the Premier League era.

Mourinho will argue that he prioritized Europe over the Premier League, but ultimately he had no choice. United won 3 trophies and had some good moments in the season. The fact that United finished a disappointing sixth in the league, and with so many draws, something will be needed to be addressed for the following season, which could mean four new signings for United.

Player of the Season?

For me it was a choice between Antonio

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Valencia, Ander Herrera and Zlatan. An obvious choice would be Zlatan Ibrahimovic with his 28 goals, but Herrera has emerged as arguably United’s most effective player under Mourinho, filling a number of different roles for the team and giving them leadership in the middle of the park with his positive attitude, above all.

Best moment?

It has to be Ibrahimovic’s emphatic 87thminute winner in the EFL Cup final at Wembley after United had surrendered a two-goal lead against Southampton. Luckily enough, I was there to witness it. It was also a brilliant cross from Herrera. It was a must win trophy for

United, as the season would have been totally different.

Lowest moment?

The 3-1 defeat at Watford in September that saw United lose for the third time in a week (Manchester City and Feyenoord were the others) after a 100 per cent start, although Mourinho may well say it was a 4-0 humiliation on his return to Chelsea in October. Also for 2 games in a row, we conceded 2 goals in the first minute against Fenerbahce in the Europa League and the game where we lost 4-0 to Chelsea, both matches played away. This is completely unacceptable.

How did the manager get on?

Considering the expectation surrounding Mourinho’s appointment and the signings of Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, it’s been just about satisfactory but no more than that.

Winning the Europa League means that it was a good season.

What can they improve in the summer?

I think it will be a good advantage that there is no World Cup or European Cup this summer and Mourinho can have all his players report for training very early. This could be a very big

advantage. Hopefully the signings will be made early on, so that they will be able to integrate more with the team.

Wayne Rooney, in my opinion, is likely to stay, as no club can match his current £250,000 salary, and his playing time will be severely restricted, especially after as expected, Mourinho will sign another striker to replace Ibrahimovic. Rooney missed a great opportunity when Mourinho gave him all the chances in the world to prove he still has a future, but it is sad to see such a great striker lose so much and is now regarded as an average player.

New Signings As mentioned before Mourinho will make four signings. They also need to replace Zlatan’s goals desperately as I feel that it is not yet fair to rely on Rashford. Also, the centre of the defense seems to be a big issue, as there is no stability in that there has never been a solid partnership over the past year. The left back position has become problematic, as United cannot rely on Luke Shaw, as he is very injury prone. So I see Mourinho buying a left back and also a fast winger, and I am sure that Douglas Costa of Bayern Munich will fit the bill. He has been left out at Bayern this year with the return of Robben, Ribery and the emergence of Koman, whom Ancelotti tends to favour.

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First ever British club to win ALL major European and International Honours

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