Echoes from Old Trafford - June 2018

NEWSPAPER POST

Volume 45- Issue 4, June 2018

Thank You Michael Carrick

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

In this issue  EDITORIAL IN ENGLISH............................................................................

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 EDITORIAL IN MALTESE...........................................................................

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 CLUB NEWS.............................................................................................

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 TEDDY’S CORNER....................................................................................

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 FC UNITED OF MANCHESTER VISIT.......................................................

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 JESSE LINGARD.....................................................................................

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 SCOTT McTOMINAY................................................................................

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 MISSING BITS AND PIECES – PREPARING FOR 2018-19........................

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 UNITED REPRESENTATIVES IN THE FIFA WORLD CUP............................

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 FIFA WORLD CUP ANALYSIS OF GROUPS E-H........................................

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 IT WILL TAKE TIME................................................................................

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 CAREER THREATENING.........................................................................

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 ROLE, RESPONSIBILITIES AND THE CURRENT AFFAIRS.......................

Official publication of the Manchester United Supporters’ Club Malta editorial team Clint Camilleri · Braden Galea · Michael Calleja advertising executive Antoine Portelli contributors Michael Calleja James Handyside Joseph Tedesco Kevin Tabone Justyn Tabone Jude Cauchi Martin Calleja Urry Robert Mizzi Alan Abela-Wadge Roderick Psaila Silvio Scicluna Fr. C. Anthony Ferrante Daniel Cushcieri Braden Galea Kenneth Abela Julian Tabone Stefan Attard Karm Galea Ian McCartney Antoine Dalli Michael Gatt

printing Progress Press

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patron Sir Alex Ferguson

 DIRECTION.............................................................................................

33  ALEXIS SÁNCHEZ : HOW CAN UNITED EXPLOIT HIS SKILLS?................ 35  CHAMPIONS LEAGUE NIGHTS..............................................................

club founder John Calleja

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 THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF 2017-18.......................................................  STARS OF 2017-18 – FOR UNITED & OTHER CLUBS...............................  MIXED MANCUNIAN PLATTER..............................................................

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 THE WAR YEARS...................................................................................

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 EUROPEAN COMPETITIONS ROUND-UP...............................................

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 MAJOR LEAGUE’S ROUND-UP...............................................................

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 REFLECTIONS OF POST SEASON..........................................................

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club committee Joseph Tedesco Joe Catania James Handyside

President, Match Tickets Coordinator Vice President, Social Activities Coordinator Secretary, ICT Manager, Tours Coordinator

Kevin Tabone

Treasurer, PRO

Robert J. Muscat

Assistant Secretary

Braden Galea

Assistant Treasurer

Antoine Portelli

Advertising Executive, Venue & Facilities Coordinator

Charles Cauchi

Membership Secretary, Fund Raising Coordinator

Clint Camilleri

Media & Publishing Coordinator

Egidio Sciberras

Souvenir Shop Manager 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 45 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2018

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Editorial

‘IF YOU CAN’T SUPPORT US WHEN WE LOSE, DON’T SUPPORT US WHEN WE WIN’.

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he 2017-18 season will certainly go down in histor y as a hugely disappointing campaign and yet despite the apparent doom and gloom, Manchester United have still managed to secure second place in the League and came narrowly close to winning some silverware. It was just not meant to be but time will tell whether this season will serve as a ‘foundation’ for future success or the beginning of yet another disappointing era for the Red Devils.

The League campaign was unfortunately already over before it had begun. In fairness, United started pretty well and managed to wrap up a couple of crucial victories but Manchester City were rampant throughout the football calendar and fully deserved their end of season accolade. There is no use in beating around the bush. Manchester City was the best team in the country and their 100 point mark was well merited. Manchester United were not ‘awful’, for in previous seasons, our points tally garnered would have ensured we’d have won the league [the 1996-97 season was won with a total amount of 75 points!], but such are today’s high standards that a sudden slip or blemish can lead to disastrous long-term consequences.

The Management and squad are under no false pretences. This is a Manchester City team in its prime, playing some fast and attractive football so Manchester United will have no option but to dig deep into their arsenal if they are going to try and stop the Blue half of Manchester. However, hope is not lost. The rampant Barcelona which so convincingly managed to beat United in the 2011 Champions League final did not manage to win the league title during 2011-12 season.

That La Liga marathon was won by Real Madrid managed by…you guessed it, José Mourinho.

So assuming that José Mourinho is past it or ‘has lost the plot’ is nonsense. He will certainly build on this year’s experience, analyze what went wrong for United and strike back with impunity. I am actually quite excited for the 2018-19 Premier League campaign.

With a couple of tweaks and adjustments, I believe there is plenty of promise for this current group of players.

What was certainly hugely disappointing was United’s abhorrent display in the Cup competitions. Yes, it was that bad! The League Cup defeat against Bristol City was a tragedy in itself but a shocking exit in the Champions League Round of 16 by Sevilla was truly disastrous. All fans will acknowledge that there was no passion on the night, no sense of co-ordination and no heart.

United fell to a Sevilla side who Rio Ferdinand himself described as: ‘the type of side other teams would be licking their lips at the thought of playing.’ It’s not that Sevilla were out of this world. It was more a question of United being so demotivated and subdued on the night that Seville simply capitalized on that despondency. If there is a gap between the top two teams in Manchester, then there is certainly a gulf in class between United and the other European giants. This is a team which needs to find its rhythm in Europe and quickly, for the fans deserve to cheer on their team during a great and emotional European night.

The FA Cup Final in itself was also in a way a reflection of the entire 2017-18 season.

So close, yet so far. With Chelsea managing to score early on, it was left to United to try and find a way through a cagey-Italian-like defence. This was the type of game where whoever scored first would hold all the aces.

With such poor finishing and a glorious opportunity by Pogba missed, you just sensed that you wanted this season to be over as soon as possible. It was a disappointing end to a very frustrating season [compounded by Mourinho’s post-match comments after the defeat to Brighton in the League].

Whether United will be able to challenge or not remains to be seen. In as much as we are always hopeful for the future, tweaks and adjustments are needed. But rather than ‘spend, spend, spend’ as some of the fans seem to crave, United need to embark on ‘catharsis-like’ process whereby they would be able to rediscover their spirit, passion and vigour. This is not a team devoid of options or talent. This is a team which does not yet believe in itself. And belief is at the core of every winning squad.

So buckle up and get ready for what surely will be a roller coaster of a 2018-19 campaign.

With the 20 th Anniversar y of the Treble Season fast approaching, who knows what lady luck has in store. And if you truly believe in omens, know that United had ended the 1997-98 season in second place so perhaps we’re finally building towards some form of crescendo.

Thank you for your incessant suppor t throughout the campaign. We hope you enjoy this final edition and keep supporting the club…through thick and thin! GGMU!

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Editorjal ‘JEKK MA TISSAPPORTJAWNIEX META NITILFU, TISSAPPORTJAWNIEX META NIRBĦU.’

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‑istaġun 2017‑18 żgur se jibqa’ mniżżel bħala diżappunt enormi iżda minkejja din is‑sħaba sewda, Manchester United xorta rnexxielhom jassiguraw it‑tieni post fil‑Kampjonat u resqu viċin li jakkwistaw daqsxejn fidda. Donnu sempliċement ma kellux ikun, iżda ż‑żmien għad juri jekk dan l‑istaġun hux se jkun ‘il‑bażi’ għas‑suċċess fil‑futur jew il‑bidu ta’ era diżappuntanti għar‑Red Devils għal darb’oħra.

Sfortunatament l‑istaġun tal‑kampjonat kien diġà magħluq qabel beda. Bla dubju, il‑United bdew pjuttost tajjeb u rnexxielhom jiksbu ftit rebħiet iżda Manchester City kienu grintużi tul il‑kalendarju tal‑kampjonat u kien ħaqqhom ħafna li jtemmu l‑istaġun b’suċċess.

Ma noqogħdux induru mal‑lewża. Manchester City kien l‑aqwa tim fil‑pajjiż u l‑100 punt li kiseb kien meritat ħafna. Manchester City ma kinux ‘ħżiena’, meta fi staġuni preċedenti, il‑punti miġbura tagħna setgħu assiguraw li aħna konna se nirbħu l‑kampjonat [l‑istaġun 1996‑97 kien intrebaħ b’total ta’ 75 punt!], iżda llum il‑ġurnata tant għolew l‑istandards li żelqa jew dgħufija waħda taf twassal għal konsegwenzi diżastrużi fit‑tul.

L‑Amministrazzjoni u t‑tim mhux jeżistu verament. Dan huwa t‑tim ta’ Manchester City fl‑aqwa tiegħu, b’logħob mgħaġġel u sabiħ.

Għalhekk, Manchester United mhux se jkollhom għażla ħlief li jevalvaw sew l‑armi tagħhom jekk se jittantaw iwaqqfu n‑nofs Blue ta’ Manchester.

Madankollu, it‑tama mhix mitlufa. It‑tim grintuż ta’ Barċellona, li b’mod konvinċenti rnexxielu jegħleb lill‑United fil‑finali taċ‑Champions League tal‑2011, ma rnexxielux jirbaħ it‑titlu tal‑kampjonat tul l‑istaġun 2011‑12. Dik il‑maratona tal‑La Liga kienet intrebħet minn Real Madrid taħt it‑tmexxija... qtajtu sew, ta’ José Mourinho.

Għalhekk, li naħsbu li José Mourinho m’għadux jgħodd jew ‘tilef il‑kontroll’ mhuwiex minnu. Żgur se jkun qed ikompli jibni fuq l‑esperjenzi tas‑snin mgħoddija, janalizza x’mar ħażin għall‑United u jirreaġixxi b’impunità. Jien ninsab pjuttost eċitat għall‑Premier League 2018‑19.

B’daqsxejn tibdil u arranġamenti, nemmen li l‑grupp attwali huwa promettenti.

Dak li kien verament diżappuntanti kienet il‑wirja medjokri fil‑kompetizzjonijiet għat‑Tazza. Iva, kienet daqshekk ħażina! It‑telfa kontra Bristol City għal‑League cup kienet traġedja minnha nnifisha iżda li nqlajna bla mistenni minn Seville fir‑Round tal‑aħħar 16 taċ‑Champions League kienet diżastru totali. Il‑partitarji kollha jirrikonoxxu li ma kienx hemm passjoni dakinhar, ebda sens ta’ koordinazzjoni u ħeġġa ta’ xejn.

Il‑United fallew kontra avversarji bħal Seville li Rio Ferdinand stess iddeskriva bħala ‘dawk it‑tip ta’ avversarji li timijiet oħra jkollhom seba’ mitt sena biex jilagħbu kontrihom.’ Ma kinitx kwistjoni li Seville kienu ta’ barra minn hawn; kienet aktar kwistjoni li l‑United tant kienu demotivati u ċedew dakinhar, li Seville sempliċement ħadu vantaġġ minn dak in‑nuqqas.

Jekk hemm diskrepanza bejn l‑ogħla żewġ timijiet f ’Manchester, mela allura hemm żgur baħar jaqsam fejn tidħol klassi bejn il‑United u l‑ġganti tal‑Ewropa. Dan huwa tim li jeħtieġ isib ir‑ritmu tiegħu u malajr...għaliex il‑partitarji jistħoqqilhom jifirħu bit‑tim tagħhom f ’lejla Ewropea kbira u emozzjonanti.

Il‑finali tal FA Cup fiha nnifisha, b’xi mod, ukoll kienet rifless tal‑istaġun 2017‑18 kollu.

Daqshekk viċin, iżda ’l‑bogħod. B’Chelsea jirnexxielhom jiskurjaw daqshekk malajr, il‑United kellhom jippruvaw isibu mod kif jippenetraw difiża à la taljana magħluqa. Din kienet tip ta’ logħba fejn min jiskurja l‑ewwel kien se jżomm il‑mazz tal‑karti f ’idejh.

B’konklużjonijiet fqar u opportunità glorjuża falluta minn Pogba, kont tħoss mill‑ewwel ix‑xewqa li jintemm l‑istaġun malajr kemm jista’ jkun. Tmiem diżappuntanti ta’ staġun frustranti [komplut b’kummenti ta’ wara l‑logħba minn Mourinho wara t‑telfa kontra Brighton fil‑Kampjonat].

Wieħed għad irid jara jekk il‑United hux se jkunu kapaċi jagħtu sfida. Minkejja li aħna dejjem bit‑tama għall‑futur, tibdil u arranġamenti huma bżonnjużi. Iżda aktar milli ‘nfiq, nfiq, nfiq’ kif xi partitarji jidher li jixtiequ, il‑United jeħtieġ jimirħu fi proċess bħal ‘katarsi’ li bih ikunu jistgħu jiskopru mill‑ġdid l‑ispirtu, il‑passjoni u l‑grinta tagħhom. Dan mhuwiex tim nieqes mill‑għażliet jew mit‑talenti. Dan huwa tim li għadu mhux jemmen fih innifsu. U li temmen fik innifsek huwa l‑bażi ta’ kull tim rebbieħ.

Mela ħejju ruħkom u ppreparaw għal dak li żgur se jkun staġun imqanqal. Bl‑20 Anniversarju tat‑Treble Season wara l‑bieb, min jaf x’qed tħejji għalina x‑xorti! U jekk verament temmnu fil‑kumbinazzjonijiet, kunu afu li l‑United kienu temmu l‑istaġun 1997‑98 fit‑tieni post.

Forsi x’aktarx, fl‑aħħar qed nibnu xi tip ta’ crescendo.

Grazzi tal‑appoġġ konsistenti tagħkom matul l‑istaġun. Nittamaw li tieħdu gost taqraw din l‑edizzjoni finali u ibqgħu wara l‑club...fit‑tajjeb u l‑ħażin! GGMU!

2,000,000 MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

Thank you VOL 45 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2018

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CLUBNEWS March 2018 he Red Square Darts Team setup and managed by barman Robert Attard, were crowned 2 nd division darts champions.

Congratulations to Robert and his team on this great achievement!

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On Saturday 24th March, the club participated in the Corradino Correctional Facilities (CCF) Easter Tournament, together with the Liverpool Supporters Club (Malta) and two teams made up of CCF inmates.

The level of football was good, with some flashes of brilliance, and all matches were played in a competitive environment. Fair play was present throughout the tournament.

Unfortunately, the MUSC Malta team lost both its matches against the teams made up of inmates from the CCF. The team from the LSC Malta, ran out tournament winners.

This event proved to be a positive and enjoyable experience for all participants, as both supporters’ clubs recognize their role in assisting the local community. The winners’ trophy was presented by Mariella Camilleri, Assistant Director CCF, in the presence of a number of distinguished guests, whilst the two supporters clubs also exchanged mementos.

May 2018 The current bar lessees Robert and Alex Attard have signed a two-year extension to their bar lease contract. The extension was signed after the Committee issued an expression of interest earlier this year – their offer was deemed to be the most favourable from those received.

The extended contract runs until May 2020.

The Committee organized a tour to Manchester for the final Premier League game of the season at home to Watford. All-in-all the tour was a great success and included an exclusive event at Old Trafford on Monday 14th May. You can read all about the tour in a separate article in this magazine.

A number of Committee members attended a dinner held at the Lancashire County Cricket Club to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1968 European Cup success. The event was held on Saturday 12th May, the eve of the Premier League game against Watford. A number of the tour group also attended this event which featured a number of players who played in the 4-1 success at Wembley back in 1968.

Budweiser once again organized a promotion during the FA Cup Final against Chelsea.

April 2018 he Committee has in earnest started working on several events to commemorate the club’s 60th anniversary next year. More details on these events will be communicated to our members in due course. It is therefore imperative that you renew your membership as soon as possible, in order to continue receiving news and updates on events in the runup to this major milestone for our supporters’ club.

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Thanks to club member Andrea Bonello, Budweiser hosted a promotional event at the club for the FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham.

Presentation of the €4,000 donation during the Puttinu Football Marathon.

by James Handyside

Committee members presented a donation of €4,000 to the Puttinu Cares foundation during the football marathon held at the Marsa Sports Grounds between the 18th and 20th May. The donation was made up of the proceeds from sales of the Malta to Wembley book from the souvenir shop and thanks to our collaboration with the Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) the book also featured as part of the VIP package at the 1968 European Cup commemoration dinner mentioned above.

As promised in last year’s Annual General Meeting and during last December’s Christmas Party the toilets at the Club will be upgraded over the next few weeks. Due to these works the Club will be closed for a couple of weeks and will re-open its doors on Friday 8th June.

The Committee would like to express their sincere gratitude to Club Life Member David Spiteri Hili for his generous assistance with this project and Committee Member Antoine Portelli for his endeavours in ensuring that the works are carried out on-time ahead of this summer’s World Cup. Forthcoming Events On Friday 15th June, the Committee will be organizing the Annual General Meeting for our Gozitan members. This year’s event will be held at Xerri il-Bukkett in Qala.

This year’s Annual General Meeting will be held on Friday 20th July at 7.00pm at the Club premises. Should the meeting not be concluded by 9.30pm it will continue on Sunday 22nd July at 10.00am. All those who wish to propose an amendment to the Statute are requested to do so by not later than Friday, 29th June 2018. The AGM Agenda, together with any resolutions or alterations to the Club’s Statute will be sent to those Members eligible to attend two weeks prior to the date of the AGM.

Stretford Enders World Wide (SEWW) Annual Reunion

Together with Wilf and Son Paul McGuinness and Iain McCartney at the SEWW Reunion.

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VOL 45 - ISSUE 4 - JUNE 2018

Parading our flag at the Old Nag’s Head Pub, home of Stretford Enders World Wide.

606 Dinner for Charity

m end Tom Calire fro Presenting our fri th wi r se ni ga or er nn di Houston, the 606 . a MUSC Malta tie

ring the 606 With Paddy Crerand du Court Hotel sta Cre at ty ari Dinner for Ch Altrincham.

Distinguished guests.

50th Anniversary Dinner

private dinner for charity at the Cresta Court in Altrincham. Thomas Clare, an avid Manchester United author and historian from Houston USA, has been organising this dinner for 15 years. The voice of Old Trafford Alan Keegan compared the event and the special guests on the night were Lee Sharpe and Paddy Crerand.

We donated 2 Malta to Wembley books for the auction and we are happy to say that together the books raised 200 sterling. It was a very enjoyable evening.

D

uring the last weekend of the football season, in parallel with a tour organised

by MUSC Malta for the last home game against Watford, a group of Committee members and some friends flew to Manchester to attend some pre planned activities. This was going to be a jam packed weekend.

We landed in Manchester on Friday afternoon.

On Friday night we were invited to attend a

On Saturday morning our friend Steve Donoghue from Stretford Enders World Wide (SEWW) invited us to their annual reunion at their club house The Old Nag’s Head pub. For those who love Manchester United history and George Best in particular, if you have never been, make sure you look up this place during your next visit to Manchester. This is an annual event for the famous group known as the Stretford Enders. Ex United players Carlo Sartori and Alan Gowling together with Wilf and Paul McGuinness attended the event. Steve and pub owner Sean gave us permission to

hang our 5 metre flag outside the pub with great prominence. Needless to say we felt very proud. It was one of those long mornings.

On Saturday evening we attended a dinner organised by Manchester United Supporters Trust at the Lancashire County Cricket Club in Old Trafford to commemorate the 50th anniversary since Manchester United became the first English team to lift the European Cup in 1968. We had made arrangements with the organisers to use the Malta to Wembley book on the night. The final outcome was 2,700 sterling for the book’s sole beneficiary Puttinu Cares. There were about 500 guests for the dinner including 40 from Malta – nearly all the group who were on tour bought a ticket for the night. Each table was treated with a lovely group photo with the replica of the European Cup. Our flag was hanging with prominence on the main stage. The event was once again compared by Alan Keegan and the special guests on the night were ex Man United legends Paddy Crerand, Alex Stepney, John Aston and David Sadler. All 4 of them were in that remarkable squad which took United on top of European football 50 years ago. At the end there was a lengthy auction which raised a lot or money for charity. It was yet another entertaining evening.

Denis Law, Joseph Glanville, Kevin Tabone & Lars Morten Olsen at the Northenden Golf Club.

On Sunday we attended the game against Watford and on Monday some of us met Denis Law for lunch. It is always a pleasure to meet the King. Late Monday night we landed back home. It was a very busy weekend indeed but very fruitful for the promotion of our Supporters Club and for our quest to sell as many Malta to Wembley books for Puttinu Cares. The following weekend we presented a donation of € 4,000 to Puttinu Cares during the annual football marathon. The sum included funds raised from the dinner, funds from sale of the book locally and in Manchester and as always a number of donations we receive from Club members.

Joseph Tedesco

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Situated on the Sliema seafront, L’Aroma restaurant is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Malta’s shopping centre.

L’Aroma prides itself in the preparation of traditional Mediterranean cuisine using recipes passed down through the generations. The menu comprises a selection of

mouth-watering fresh fish, fine meat cuts and pasta dishes all at a great value for money. One of the house specialities, the traditional rabbit dish, is regarded by many locals as the best in town.

Whether for a relaxed dinner or a lazy lunch L’Aroma is a great spot to sit down, unwind and watch the world go by.

L’Aroma, 17 Għar il-Lembi Street Sliema t. 2131 7633 e. laroma.restaurant@maltanet.net

TEDDY’S corner Dear All,

Love it or hate it, football is all about results.

Some have the divine right to believe it is about the style of play and they could be right, especially if they are Liverpool supporters. At least they can somehow breathe in their world of football with endless disappointments, knowing they have won 1 League Cup in 12 barren years and have not won the league for the past 28 years. But what really matters is which names are jotted down at the top of the roll of honour and those whose names have been inscribed on the 1st prize silverware. 2nd best is simply not good enough.

This has been a below-par season for United.

Quite disappointing to say the least. People will argue about having improved from last season because we won more games, we scored more and concede less goals and ultimately we finished 2nd as opposed to the miserable 6th we got last year. I am not saying this is not encouraging but if the standard of football is all about results, finishing the season with no trophy must be considered as a failure at United, considering the expectations of this football club. Last year we won 2 major trophies, one of them an unprecedented European trophy, and for the record we brought the Community Shield back to Old Trafford.

This year we got eliminated from the Champions League in the Last 16 by wildcard Sevilla FC, got eliminated in the League Cup Quarter Final by lowly Bristol C i t y a n d lost the

FA Cup Final to an unimpressive Chelsea. The Mourinho football system does not seem to be compliant with the majority of the Manchester United fan base but last year the thirst for the exciting attacking football was quenched by trophies. This year the crave increased even more with expensive signings and the second season Mourinho syndrome in the back of our minds but the end result was a trophy less campaign. Not that the owners lost any sleep about it. Mr Woodward has recently claimed: ‘Playing performance doesn’t really have a meaningful impact on what we can do on the commercial side of the business.’! He seemed more impressed about the fact that the Man Utd YouTube channel overtook the Dallas Cowboys in the first week and the New York Yankees in the second. Go and try to explain this to the Stretford Enders! Unfortunately the record breaking revenues have become the most renowned characteristic of this huge football icon called Manchester United.

What about next season then? There will surely be changes in personnel on the pitch.

There also seem to be movement in the coaching staff. At this stage there are loads of speculation. My advice as always at this stage of the year is to treat speculation with an open mind…most of it is hype, nonsense and junk. Mourinho will not change. He will keep playing with his own tactics. Those expecting the style of play to change will better start interesting themselves in another sport. The owners will still be nurturing this chicken laying diamond eggs to please their business quims so they will keep making hay while the sun is shining. The fans (and by fans I do not include the glory hunters please) will keep hoping to challenge for the League and for a much more successful

Champions League campaign. FA Cup or League Cup success would be a bonus.

As a football fan with an opinion, I will be predicting which top players shall be leaving during the forthcoming transfer window: Fellaini, Darmian, Blind, Martial, Mata and yes Pogba.

I honestly think his qualities are not good enough for this football club (as always I hope to eat humble pie on such a statement). I sincerely hope that Lingard and Rashford stay. They and McTominay are the only ones left who really know what this club is all about.

Hopefully the new replacements

have your say on info@manutd-malta.com

are negotiated before the pre-season starts to ease the bonding and integration processes required to unify the squad. Manchester City have set some standard to the Premier League and overtaking them next year will be a huge challenge. I am still one of the few who think that Mourinho is the right person for the job at United. I know that deep inside of him he has this urge to prove his critics wrong and show that he can still succeed at the Theatre of Dreams. The signings and the achievements of next season are pivotal for his aura and status. We as fans will only be looking to add to our list of 66 major honours.

I cannot but spare a thought for Sir Alex Ferguson. When news of his brain haemorrhage hit the internet I felt it was like this happened to a close family member. I am pretty sure I was not on my own with such a feeling. He has been part of my life for 27 years. He has actually changed my life. What I managed to feel during his tenure can never be replaced.

Thank God he is out of intensive care and on the way to recovery. From a few birds here and there I am informed that he may have lost part of his strength but his fighting spirit is all but gone. Looking forward to see him at Old Trafford again next season.

The football season is now over and all eyes turn on the World Cup showcase in Russia.

Locally, it seems that the passion has been impacted negatively by the fact that the Italians have not qualified. England fans always hope (they do not have much to hope for this time in my opinion – no particular quality in the squad and Manager lacks experience for such big tournaments). I am not that much bothered nowadays so my aim is to watch as many football games as possible with no real passion for a country or another. I am just hoping like many others we will have some exciting football to watch.

If I had to bet on the winner I would go for any of the four usual suspects – Germany, Brazil, Spain and Argentina, in that order.

Well, for yet another season, Teddy is bidding you all goodbye. Hopefully you all manage to have a nice holiday during the summer months.

At least you will not be seeing Scousers going round with No 6 on their shirts. 26th May is not a great day for them: 1989 they lost the league to Arsenal in the last minute of the last game, 1999 United won the Treble and 2018 Loris Karius gave Real Madrid their 13th European title. At least they have a great song to cheer them up at the end of each of their disasters.

Long may it continue…

Yours United Teddy

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F.C. United of Manchester Visit

by Kevin & Justyn Tabone

MALTA MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

Part 1 – 17th November 2017 ack in the 2005, the hot topic on every Manchester United fan’s lips was on whether they were in favour or against an American, with no football background, owning our beloved club. There were radio and TV programmes, polls, discussion groups, you name it, all debating on this. Helping all this reach fever pitch were 2 specific episodes which are still vivid in my memory to this day.

Co-incidentally Club President Joseph Tedesco and myself had already made arrangements to travel to Manchester to attend the bi-annual Manchester United branch conference held last November. Our club holds the proud record of attending every branch conference organized by the club and there was no way we were going to tarnish this record. So when we were planning our trip we decided to also pay F.C. United of Manchester a visit.

Allow me to first start with the latter - who can forget the moment David Beckham returned home for the Champions League tie against AC Milan and, in an apparent show of solidarity with disgruntled Manchester United supporters, picking up the green and gold scarf as he applauded the home end? Back then these scarves were worn by disgruntled Manchester United fans to show their opposition against the Glazer Family taking over the club.

We made arrangements to meet Sheila in the city centre, pick us up and take us to Moston, located North of Manchester home of the club’s grounds and administration offices. As soon as one arrives at Broadhurst Park, the name of their ground, you immediately can see the links of the two clubs. The layout, colours, font are a few indicators which quickly make you realize that this club is like taking you back to the early days of Manchester United.

As soon as we entered the doors of the club we were welcomed by Peter Gleave. Peter is a club volunteer who acts as a tour leader for club guests as well as run a sporting group for older lonely members of the community. As soon as you meet the guy, you immediately feel the warmth of a lovely person. Formalities were completed and Peter started taking us round the club.

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The former episode resulted in another football club being born. As the takeover likelihood was becoming more a reality rather than a possibility, and also the fact that the club was going to be burdened with debt, meant that the number of unhappy Manchester United fans was growing by the day. Public meetings were held and it was during one of these meetings that it was decided that a group was to be responsible to create a new club. And on the 12th of May 2005 F.C. United of Manchester was founded.

Interestingly, Jonathan Mitten, great-nephew of Manchester United forward Charlie Mitten, was the club’s first player signing. Add to this the fact that most, if not all, supporters of F.C. United of Manchester are former and also current Manchester United supporters who hold Manchester United’s rich history in the highest of regard.

And it was exactly for this reason why the Manchester United Supporters’ Club Malta was linked with F.C. United of Manchester.

In June 2014 a fascinating book showcasing Manchester United’s thrilling 1968 journey to be crowned European Champions had been published. All sale proceeds from this book have been donated to a well-renowned local foundation Puttinu Cares and nearly 4 years on, the Club’s Committee still does its utmost to promote this book and to continue donating all amounts collected from the sale of these books to the foundation. With the help of the Club’s first female Club Honorary Member and dear friend Sheila Crompton, wife of the late Manchester United goalkeeper legend Jack Crompton, 1 box of these books was given to the F.C. United of Manchester to possibly assist with the sale of these books. After a few weeks Sheila informed us that the first box was sold and also that they would like club representatives to pay them a visit whenever we were going to make a trip to Manchester.

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Being a football club owned by the community, one of the pillars of the club is to be of benefit to the local community. And the first stop of our tour couldn’t have showcased this any better. Our entrance interrupted a meeting of a voluntary group to assist people with dementia. After being introduced, believe it or not, we found people who knew Joseph Glanville. But then again, who doesn’t know Joseph Glanville in Manchester!

Onto our next phase of our journey and next up was the tour of the grounds. Whilst walking through the corridors, terraces, dressing rooms

I started getting the feeling of the grassroots of football. With us following a club as immense as Manchester United, and with all the commercialism that is associated with our club, it is quite easy to forget what the football club is actually all about.

Apart from Peter giving us a brilliant walkthrough of the club, he also told us a few stories that helped (not that we needed any help mind you) us engage even more. Having your own pet buried under the penalty box of the club that you support and passionately work for is not a common occurrence. Building a stadium in the same fields that Peter used to spend hours playing and running in is another reason why Peter holds this club so near to his heart.

After finishing off the tour, it was time for a few presentations by both parties and we both assured one another that this was to be the first of many meetings with one another. Little did I know how soon this was to be…

Part 2 – 9th December 2017 t was last December when my family and I went on a holiday to Manchester. One of the main purposes of this vacation was to go and watch a game of our beloved club Manchester United. We were lucky enough to go and watch a game as high of a calibre as the derby of Manchester. Even though we lost the game 2-1 and it wasn’t our best performance ever it was still a day that I will never forget especially as the atmosphere which was a brilliant one.

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Manchester is one of the most predictable places when it comes to the weather especially in winter. It was freezing!! The sun barely ever showed up, the sky was always full of clouds.

But those clouds weren’t filled up with rain most of the time but snow. Everyday during our trip the temperature was about 3 degrees. For the first time in quite a while I really felt cold. I was shivering and I had never felt that in Malta.

Joseph Tedesco, F.C. United Club Secretary Viv Ware, Sheila Crompton, Peter Gleave and Kevin Tabone.

While in Manchester we decided to go to another game other than the Manchester derby. We went to a small club in Manchester known as F.C. United of Manchester. This club is in the National League North and have been for the last 3 seasons. Luckily for us Sheila Crompton, wife of former Manchester United goalkeeper Jack Crompton, came for us so we could go watch the game that was going to be held. As soon as we arrived there we were instantly welcomed by Peter Gleave who is a club volunteer. He was very welcoming, by the way he treated us it was as if he had known us for years.

Before the match Peter took us to take some tea or coffee to counter the ice cold weather.

After a while as the game was going to begin he invited us for a tour of the dressing rooms and their pitch. First he showed us the trophies they won, most recently the Manchester Premier Cup which they won for the first time in their history. After, we went to the dressing rooms where the players were preparing for the game.

We got to meet the players of both teams and they were both very welcoming even though they were preparing for a big game. We also went to meet the officials of the match and they were also very sympathetic. The dressing rooms were quite small when compared to the ones at Old Trafford but they still were quite nice. The last thing on the tour agenda was the ground. We went were the players go out

from and walked onto the pitch. Behind us were the supporters who were already singing their chants and seemed that they were very much enjoying as much as we were.

After the interesting tour we had we went back up to our seats. Just before the game was going to start they told us if my brother would like to be a mascot, an offer which he quickly accepted. On the day F.C. United were playing against Brackley Town, who were very high up the table. Even though I don’t support F.C. United I felt that I had to support them after the way that we were treated. Luckily the game started on time after great work by a plethora of volunteers to clear the snow off the sheets that were covering Broadhurst Park. The game was from beginning to the end an even game.

Both teams were playing nice football and as expected the game was a bit more physical than the normal football we’re used to. At the break it was all even with both sides creating good chances. During half time we were taken inside to grab some snacks and they offered us some more coffee. After we were done from the refreshments we went back out in the cold weather to continue to watch the 2nd half of the game. It only took Brackley Town about 10 minutes to take the lead but the home team wouldn’t give up and fought till the end. Just a few minutes before the final whistle, F.C. United were awarded a penalty which they converted and managed to grab a vital point.

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Wayne Tabone - FC United Mascot.

All in all I really enjoyed watching the game as it was a very different atmosphere and different game styles were put on display. Also the club officials really took good care of us and were very welcoming. I would really recommend to someone to go watch a F.C United game if he is going to be in Manchester and wants to watch a football game with a bit of a twist.

NEW

Trade Enquiries: F. Glanville Enterprises Limited 87-89-91A Ganu Street, B’Kara BKR1104, Malta Tel: +356 21 472681 Fax: +356 21 472682

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Jesse Lingard

by Jude Cauchi

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esse Lingard: the player that got so much criticism in recent years when results went wrong. From a personal point of view, I believe that Lingard has been a breath of fresh air given his massive improvement this season and is showing signs that he can become a great Manchester United player especially if he keeps his feet on the ground and listens to advice from the coaching staff around him.

under Louis Van Gaal in the opening match of the season 2014/15 where United lost 2-1.

In the following season, Lingard was given more opportunities in the first team and he managed to register five goals in total against West Brom, Newcastle, Stoke City, Chelsea and the winning goal against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final which proved to be the last match under the guidance of Louis Van Gaal.

Football has changed in a lot of aspects today especially as the commercial interests of the clubs and the urgency to produce results on the football pitch on a consistent basis leaves most managers with no time or option to develop young players. Luckily when it comes to our beloved club, in recent years, Manchester United have continued to develop young team players which include Jesse Lingard amongst others and hopefully such players will follow the footsteps of legends at the club such as Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Gary Neville.

Jesse Lingard has a habit of scoring important goals in vital moments and this trend seems to have continued especially as in his first season under Mourinho, he scored the opening goal against Leicester City in the Community shield and another two against Southampton which enabled United to lift the Capital One Cup trophy at Wembley.

Furthermore, the player continued to improve this season and was instrumental in key matches. In fact, he registered a total of 8 goals from 30 appearances against Arsenal, Chelsea, Burnley and Watford amongst others. Hopefully Manchester United supporters will see him score another one or two in the FA Cup Final against Chelsea in May but in reality as long as Manchester United win the trophy, it does not make much of a difference who scores the goals.

Jesse Lingard was born on the 15th December 1992 in Warrington and joined the Manchester United academy at the age of seven. Most fans can remember him being part of the United youth academy who visited Malta in 2009 which went on to win the FA Youth Cup in 2010-11. Having claimed such a prestigious trophy in a young player’s career, the attacking midfielder was offered his first professional contract in the summer of 2011.

When you sign for a club like Manchester United, a young player needs to understand that opportunities to play with the first eleven are not going to come every week and therefore he must be ready when the manager asks him to play. To Jesse’s credit, although opportunities in his debut season were limited, the player never gave up hope and continued to fight for his place in the starting eleven. In view of his potential and the lack of opportunities in the first team, the English midfielder was loaned out to Leicester City in the 2012-13 season with the aim to have more chances to play first team football. In total, he only made 5 appearances for the Foxes before joining other clubs on loan in the following seasons which included Birmingham City, Brighton & Hove Albion and Derby County.

With regards to Manchester United, the boy made his Premier league debut for the club

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In terms of style of play, the English attacking midfielder is often associated with counterattacking pace, dribbling, layoffs and his ability to cut inside. With regards to strengths, the player’s ability to hold the ball together with his long shots plus his finishing ability makes him one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. Having said that, there are other areas where the player can improve especially when it comes to his heading ability.

In addition to being a key player in the current Manchester United squad, Lingard also has great potential to deliver on the international stage with England. So far, the attacking midfielder has been mostly involved with the under 21s where probably he will mostly be remembered for the winning goal that he scored against Sweden during the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Every player dreams of representing his country at senior level and Lingard has so far had the opportunity to play for England in World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia and Malta.

On the other hand, he scored his first goal for England in a friendly against Holland in

March 2018. So far, the player has registered a total of 10 appearances and 1 goal for England and if things go to plan, the player will live the experience of participating in the World Cup 2018 in Russia which should help his personal and professional development.

On another subject, modern players are often criticised by fans and pundits for their activity in the social media and Lingard tends to be on the receiving end. While every fan is entitled to his/her opinion and therefore may be against the idea of having players share photos or dancing videos on the social media, one needs to appreciate that while these players may be earning millions in cash, they still have their own personal life and as long as a player’s hobby does not impact negatively his performance on the pitch, one needs to take a step back and accept that the new generation of footballers is different than the one belonging to Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira. Let’s face it, as long as players show passion on the pitch, other issues become secondary and if one analyses things objectively, Jesse Lingard is one of few players who shows a huge passion for the Reds shirt and all United fans should appreciate this especially in times where so many footballers seem to be more interested in their image rather than playing for the shirt they represent.

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Scott McTominay

by Martin Calleja Urry

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Scottish powerhouse towering over opposition in central midfield, the babyfaced academy graduate is perhaps United’s brightest young prospect to emerge recently.

His impressive rise to the first team arrived after he endured one of modern football’s greatest body transformations, blossoming into a 6-foot 4-inch monster of a man. At 18 years of age he stood at just 5’6, but in under 18 months McTominay grew a staggering 10 inches, catapulting himself into the reserve side for the 2016/2017 season. Now 21, the Lancaster native has solidified his spot in the first team, and his qualities on and off the pitch extend far beyond height and power.

He’s got technique and tenacity in abundance, with admirable ball retention skills necessary for today’s modern midfielder. He is never afraid to ‘get stuck in’ but also effective going forward as we’ve seen in his academy days under Warren Joyce.

The former United coach put McTominay’s varied skillset to good use, deploying him as an auxiliary centre-forward in a season where United clinched the Under-21 Premier League title. Involved with the Red Devils since the tender age of 5, it’s safe to say that he’s loyal and holistically understands the Manchester United mentality.

McTominay snatched the headlines this season when he was given the nod over Paul Pogba versus Huddersfield and Sevilla, much to the bemusement of United fans. Mourinho’s faith in the youngster paid dividends and any lingering doubts over his selection disappeared. Despite his inexperience at the top level, he fits in perfectly with Mourinho’s mould – tall, powerful and perhaps most important of all – willing to carry out instructions. In fact, the Scot was tasked with shutting down Sevilla’s Éver Banega in the Champions League and Eden Hazard in United’s clash with Chelsea in February. These two highintensity performances effectively thrust him into the global spotlight. During the Chelsea

game, Hazard was hounded by the imposing figure of McTominay for most of the match.

Despite registering an assist, the Belgian was eventually substituted, and United went on to win 2-1. Fans went into a frenzy on social media, praising the young lad and lightheartedly suggesting that Hazard has been inside McTominay’s pocket ever since that game. Performances like that are the reason his teammates speak so highly of him, so evidently, he’s earned their respect.

Ander Herrera, for instance, commented on his versatility and dedication during an interview with United Review in April.

“He’s a team player and he can help in any position you put him. Against Chelsea he was a little more defensive doing the job I did against Hazard last season. He can be more offensive as well and he presses a lot. As we say in Spanish, he has his ears open to listen and to learn because he wants a long career at this club and has the qualities to do it.”

His understated role in the middle of the park is reminiscent of Michael Carrick, and it would be no surprise if he succeeds the Englishman in United’s engine room. Behind every great team, there’s one or two selfless players who keep the side ticking over. Ever since Claudio Makélélé essentially reinvented the ‘defensive midfielder’ role we all know so well today, managers have found these specialist players hard to come by. They rarely make the headlines, but players like Fernandinho, Kante and Casemiro are indispensable to their respective sides. They allow creative players either side of them to execute their duties with footballing freedom, while also dictating the rhythm of the game and breaking up the opposing team’s momentum. McTominay fits perfectly into this ‘destroyer’ role, one which Mourinho currently trusts faithful steed Nemanja Matic with. Like Herrera, the Serbian did not hesitate to wax lyrical about his fellow midfield enforcer in a post-match interview in February.

“He is amazing – he is 21 and to play like that and control the game is impressive. He will be a big player for Manchester United. When

I joined I saw within a few days he would become a top player. He is working very hard, he deserves all the good things” While he is a mainstay in the first team nowadays, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Scot didn’t exactly burst onto the scene with a bang. His Premier League debut arrived at a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in the 2016/2017 season, in which he made only 1 other appearance.

He signed an official contract in 2013 but was never expected to reach United’s highest echelon before other players around him, particularly due to his small size. By the time the 2014/2015 season rolled around, things were looking bleak for McTominay, as he was sidelined for most of the season due to his body growing at a rapid pace.

United could have jumped ship during this time, but they stuck with the youngster. His perseverance paid off, and his commitment to extra training sessions and gym time was rewarded. He became one of the tallest and strongest players in the squad, transforming himself from a promising academy player into one of Mourinho’s tactical instruments in only a few years. Making his international debut in March vs Costa Rica was another milestone for McTominay, after both English and Scottish national teams had the young man on their radar. Ultimately, McTominay decided to play for Scotland after being persuaded by manager Alex McLeish and Sir Alex Ferguson.

Undoubtedly, it’s a success story that serves to bolster the confidence of any young player.

With over 20 club appearances to his name this season, he’s certainly got a bright future ahead, and is currently under contract until 2021. His place in the squad serves to remind the footballing world that local players can succeed in an era of overpriced superstars and disloyal mercenaries. It’s no secret that we splash the cash whenever necessary, but United have always maintained a balance by nurturing homegrown players. From the Busby Babes and the Class of ’92 to the likes of Rashford and Lingard, and now McTominay – all of whom have reaped the benefits of United’s forward-thinking mindset.

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Missing bits and pieces Preparing for 2018/19

by Robert Mizzi

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s we get closer to the end of the season, we can safely state that we will be in the Champions League next season – second place is not good enough for United but will be a marked improvement compared to recent seasons if we manage it. We will of course all be looking forward and hoping we can win the FA Cup final on the 19th May vs Chelsea. That would be a fitting end to our 2017/18 campaign.

The ongoing argument between all of us United fans, which will of course escalate to dizzying heights from the 20th May onwards when we have no United matches to focus on, is what other additions are needed to our squad so that next season we will be able to mount a serious title challenge for the first time since SAF decided to call it a day.

There is little doubt that in terms of results, we have seen a marked improvement in recent seasons. With 3 matches to go till the end of the season, United have totalled 77 points and could go up to 86 points if the remaining matches are won. That amount of points could actually win you the league, some may argue.

A look of total points that won the league over the past 5 seasons will show that Manchester City won it with 86 points in 2013/14 and Leicester won it with 81 points in 2015/16.

Unfortunately, we’ve had the inconvenience of our noisy neighbours embarking on what could turn out to be a record-breaking season in terms of points accumulated over 38 matches and we have to concede that they dominated this season pretty much from start to finish. That, in itself, is harsh to digest by any United fan, especially the ones with a red Mancunian mentality like yours truly. There

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is however, another topic that has possibly caused even more distress and arguments amongst United fans this season – the quality of football that our beloved Red Devils have produced this season.

I think it is not really a secret that José Mourinho has divided the United fans practically into two different segments.

The pro JM lobby have been focusing on the noticeable improvement in terms of results and also highlighting areas in which we have seen improvement such as the number of clean sheets and that JM will eventually get it right with a few more tweaks. The other half seem to be averse to the type of football we have come up for most of this season. They claim that we play defensive boring football, do not create enough chances and players seem unable to express themselves and give 100%, and for this they blame JM. As usual, the reality will sit somewhere in between. If you ask me personally, I still believe in JM despite some very frustrating moments along the season (at times he looked as frustrated as the rest of us!). I must admit that I did have a moment where I was about to lose faith in JM though – that was during the HT of the derby and with the score 0-2.

I got so frustrated at the performance that I posted that JM should leave in summer to allow our beloved team to regain its ethos. My post had the most devastating of backfires of course – much to my delight. That humble pie was delicious, I tell you!

So, back to the big question that will be on every United supporter’s mind after the FA Cup final. What are the missing pieces of JM’s

puzzle? Which areas do we need to reinforce to become title contenders?

The way I see it, and I know that some readers will disagree, is that the biggest change must be in the mentality. Despite the marked improvements, this United side has struggled to create scoring opportunities and our current goal tally of 67 goals from 35 matches confirms this. An average of 1.9 goals per match is simply not good enough to challenge for the title especially if you consider that this United side includes the likes of Pogba, Lukaku, Martial, Rashford, Mata and Lingard. Plus Alexis Sánchez as well since January! Surely there is enough fire power there to average more than 1.9 goals per match!

Some will blame JM for this and I see their point.

He must urge his players to be more attackminded and up the tempo throughout the entire match and not only when we concede or time is running out. I just hate it when we take the lead and immediately stop the attacking threat.

And when that happens at 0-0 for entire match, I can be very close to smashing my TV! Having said that, football is a much more complicated game than most people think and there could be various reasons why this is happening. Here are some thoughts on how we could actually improve our performances next season, and save myself from having to buy a brand new TV! A quality centre-half that could partner Bailly in the heart of our defence with the ability to bring the ball forward and start our attacks from the back is crucial in my opinion. This would allow the team to advance 10 metres on the pitch and put more pressure on the opponents. As much as I admire Matic for

his composure and ability to read the match, he seems to unable to change the tempo of the match when needed. He is one of those players who always seem to be playing at cruising speed, no matter what the match dictates. Other midfielders such as Mata, Pogba, Fellaini and McTominay all seem to have this type of play and that has made up predictable and allows opponents to organise themselves.

We need a box to box midfielder with lots of pace, who can win you tackles and up the tempo when needed. We would need to sell, of course, one or possibly two of the players I mentioned above - but that is where the manager comes in.

Our current full backs are both 32 years old so we need to start planning ahead. Luke Shaw has been trying to establish himself but he seems to be injury-prone and not strong enough to play regularly at left back so I would say that a left back who can defend and offer attacking options is worth a thought.

I would like to see Fosu-Mensah back and being Valencia’s understudy next season. I think the lad has potential and the required metal approach to play for Manchester United.

Up front, if we manage to keep Martial and Rashford at United, it will be the equivalent of a major signing. Lukaku has done well and Sánchez will get better but JM needs to give these two youngsters more match time and make them excel for United.

So my top 3 wishes for next season will be: 1. More attacking football and less horizontal passes at pre-season friendly pace 2. A quality centre-half who can come out and play 3. A box to box midfield player who can up the tempo and throw in a few tackles And if I am allowed a bonus – a quality left back who can defend and also help in attack when needed.

I would like to finish this contribution with my two pennies’ worth on tactics. It seems that playing 4-4-2 has become somewhat passé. Most managers seem to think that this system exposes their team so they are opting for a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 (which becomes a 4-5-1) under pressure. The end result is that we are seeing less of the traditional wing play which used to be a solution to open up defensive set-ups. I may be old fashioned but I would not mind seeing some good old wing play and crosses being whipped in at pace for our forwards when we need to go for the jugular. Perhaps, I am being a tad too romantic now and as we all know, football is all about commerce nowadays – no room for good old wingers with chalk on their boots!!

Numquam Moribimur...

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United’s 11 representatives at the World Cup

by Alan Abela-Wadge

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anchester United have always produced World Cup stars. To date, United are the only English team to have had players selected for England in every World Cup and European Championship. This year the tradition is set to continue with four Man Utd players chosen to represent England. These are Phil Jones, Ashley Young, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford. It could have easily been five had Chris Smalling made it, however Gareth Southgate doesn’t seem to have a liking for the lad.

Man Utd however aren’t only represented in the England squad. Far from it! In fact, this year United are going to have 11 superstars at the World Cup. Ashley Young, Marcos Rojo, Marcus Rashford, Nemanja Matić , Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Jesse Lingard, Victor Lindelof, Phil Jones, Marouane Fellaini and David De Gea will all participate in the Russian masterpiece in June.

Paul Pogba will be looking forward to shine on the global stage. The stage is set for him and his French team to take the World Cup by storm. Pogba at 25 is at the right age to have the World Cup of his life. He’s not a young boy any more and this World Cup and the one after it will be his two main chances at World Cup glory. Pogba had an indifferent season at Man Utd this year. He started off really well, however an early season injury dampened United’s form. His true form showed off in some games at a later stage in the season and there were games where he dictated play all throughout the 90 minutes. It wasn’t often, however when it did happen, everyone could see what a great player he is. Who can forget that game in early April against City when from two goals down, Pogba changed the match and scored two goals in a few minutes? Can he replicate that type of form in the summer? I guess that’s the golden question everyone is asking!

Marouane Fellaini and Romelu Lukaku are

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part of Belgium’s star-studded squad. They form part of 14 other English Premier League players (and one from the Championship too!).

Lukaku had a great season with United were he was United’s talisman upfront and led the charts with 27 goals in his first season as a red. Fellaini played as a bit-part player in Mourinho’s squad this season, mainly due to injury. Fellaini is currently having his own contractual drama where he’s out of contract this summer and rumour has it that he’s not going to sign. The Belgians have a very strong team this World Cup and following Euro 2016’s failure, they will have their eye on a better turnout this year. Their immensely talented squad led by Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and City’s Kevin De Bruyne will surely look to reach the latter stages of the World Cup. Victor Lindelof will be playing in his first World Cup this year. He didn’t get a lot of action this year so all Man Utd faithful will be hoping that Lindelof will be part of Sweden’s defence this summer. That can be a good morale booster

for the kid and can be part of an extended preseason to get him prepared for next year. Who knows what lies ahead for Victor Lindelof? Let’s all hope that he will have a top season next year!

Marcos Rojo will be looking to go one step further than 2014. The lad has already played a World Cup final and considering that he’s 28 years old, this might be his best chance to earn a winners’ medal. Being Argentinian will always give him an added advantage on most other nations, especially considering that you call a certain Lionel Messi your team-mate! This might be Messi’s last World Cup so he would be aching to add the only trophy that alludes him in his much decorated trophy cabinet. Rojo started his 2017/18 season very late due to an injury that he suffered in the Europa League Quarter Final against Anderlecht in April 2017.

He had a very tough season spending most of it out of action with injury and when he did return he found his opportunities scarce.

A good World Cup can be very important for Rojo and it can spur him on to have a very good season come next autumn.

Nemanja Matić had a very good season with Man Utd in his first season. The Serbian would surely be looking forward to the summer. This will be his first major tournament with the national team and I’m confident that Nemanja Matić will continue his good form he had with Man Utd all through summer. Serbia will be playing against Brazil, Switzerland and Costa Rica and they will believe that they can go through to the 2nd round. Considering the strength of their squad, I don’t think they’re too wrong!

United’s English quarter will also be looking to have a good World Cup. Ashley Young had a rejuvenated season as full back and he will be aching to show the world what he can do at the biggest stage of them all. Considering that everyone felt that Ashley Young was past his prime, this season he tried really hard to

Jesse Lingard knows that it will be difficult for him to be in England’s first eleven. He’s competing with the likes of Dele Alli for the attacking midfielder position and everyone knows that Dele Alli is one of the best in the world in the position. Nonetheless, no one gave Jesse Lingard a chance in the beginning of the 2017/18 season and he ended up being one of United’s successful players.

This year Lingard played 48 games and scored 13 goals, many of them very important goals too. No matter how many minutes he’ll play in this World Cup, Jesse Lingard is going to make those minutes count and he can easily end up as being England’s star in this World Cup. Having said all that, he did play 7 games for England since the beginning of 2017 so he might be a regular after all! impress and thanks to his perseverance he’s going to be on that plane on the way to Russia.

Phil Jones had a very solid season this year at United. Mainly helped by inconsistency from United’s other centre halves and Eric Bailly’s injuries. Phil Jones will be looking at cementing his place as England’s first choice centre half.

Teenage sensation Marcus Rashford had an indifferent season this year. He played in 53 games and scored 13 goals, although many of the games he came on as a substitute.

Rashford has been criticised by many people and he will be eager to show the world that he is in fact the real deal. Marcus Rashford has already played in Euro 2016 and considering

that he’s still only 20 years old, his best years are surely still ahead of him. This will definitely be an important learning curve tournament for Marcus Rashford and even if he fails to live up to the expectations this year, I’m sure that there will be plenty of other international opportunities for him in the future.

Last but not least, it’s the great Spaniard.

David De Gea is now the undisputed number 1 for Spain. De Gea had to wait till Euro 2016 to cement his place as Spain’s undisputed number 1. This is because of Casillas’ excellent international career. De Gea will be looking at earning an international medal with Spain, especially considering that most of his team-mates have won a World Cup and two European Championships. David De Gea had a stupendous few seasons lately and no matter what, he’s going to be one of Spain’s most important players this World Cup. Here you have it, United’s 11 men at this summer’s World Cup. It surely bodes well to all football supporters.

Let’s all hope that all United’s players have a good World Cup and at the same time they remain injury-free. In the meantime, it’s good to also keep an eye on some other players! Who knows? We might go to Russia with 11 players and come back with 12 or 13!

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FIFA World Cup 2018 - Analysis of Groups E- H

by Roderick Psaila Group E – Brazil, Costa Rica, Serbia, Switzerland With the talent Brazil have in their squad, I cannot see any other outcome than them finishing top of the Group at the end of the group matches. In fact, I think that they will not only win all three matches in their group, but Brazil have a very good chance of going on to lift the trophy and avenge their defeat to Germany four years ago at home.

With players like Thiago Silva, Gabriel Jesus, Fernandinho, Fred, Firmino with Douglas Costa possibly sitting on the substitutes’ bench, that’s when you know that the squad has strength in depth, which is needed in a onemonth long tournament. Also, having a steady keeper in Alisson and a superstar like Neymar spearheading their attack, winning the World Cup could be on the cards. Pure talent.

Costa Rica may be the underdogs of this group and although I expect Serbia to take that second spot behind Brazil, Costa Rica may create an upset if they can produce the same level they did four years ago. Serbia should be too good for them though and with Matić, Milinkovic Savic, Mandzukic and Kolarov, they should be the only team to test Brazil in this group. Switzerland might have good players and I expect them to be hard to score against, but they will disappoint again.

Group F – Germany, Mexico, South Korea, Sweden Well, based on what we have learnt from major tournaments in the past, Germany will top this group, without a shadow of a doubt.

Not only, the line-up of the group is below standard but Germany has always featured well in all these big tournaments and on top of that, they have quality all over the pitch. The Germany players are experienced, starting from Hummels and Boateng at the back, Kroos and Khedira in midfield and Ozil and Mueller up front, although I am still not convinced of Timo

Werner, who should lead their forward line. I can in fact see them reaching the semi-finals or the final, where should they meet Brazil, it would be a classic. And I think that Brazil will beat Germany, especially if Neuer cannot make it in time to participate in the World Cup, due to the injury which saw him lose most of the season.

South Korea have a young and exciting team and they will be fun to watch but I cannot see them winning a match this time around.

Sweden on their part will have a high morale after managing to beat Italy to qualify for the World Cup. I followed the second match of that confrontation and was disappointed with the level of both teams. I don’t rate Sweden highly and by default, Mexico will manage to clinch the second spot behind Germany, in my opinion, particularly if Chicharito has a good tournament.

Group G – Belgium, England, Panama, Tunisia There is a big difference in quality between Belgium and England and the other two teams in this group, which should see them qualify for the next round easily. That said, England has frequently disappointed in World Cups, particularly in the last two tournaments, if I include the European Nations Cup of two years ago. Belgium start as favourites to win Group G, simply because they have the best players by far from the rest. In Kevin de Bruyne and Edin Hazard, they possess two attacking midfielders which can win matches singlehandedly and they are both in fine form as they starred in their teams who have won the Premier League and the FA Cup this season. If Lukaku can make the most of the opportunities that will surely be presented to him, then with an excellent goalkeeper like Courtois and a defence comprising the Tottenham couple of Alderweireld and Vertonghen, they could go places and they should beat England to win

the group. England have a decent team, make no mistake about it and on their day, if they can keep it tight at the back and leave the rest to Lingard, Rashford, Sterling and Kane, then they can be the surprise of the tournament.

However, it is a big ask. At the back, England are suspect. Their central defenders all have a mistake or two in them, particularly Stones and Jones, and yet they should be the ones to start. When you add to this matter, the fact that they have a rookie goalkeeper in Pickford, who can make excellent saves but at the same time does not have the experience needed from a goalkeeper at a World Cup, I can see England suffer against the big teams. Tunisia are good team but I cannot see them trouble the top two teams in the group and they would do good to finish third. Panama, pass.

Group H – Colombia, Japan, Poland, Senegal This is the most balanced group from all in my opinion and it is difficult to predict who will be the two teams that will progress to the round of the last sixteen. The least equipped have to be Japan though. Their start player and former United midfielder Shinji Kagawa seems to have passed his best years and if he doesn’t prove me wrong, I cannot see their usual athleticism being enough for them to fair well. Poland are a good team and in Lewandovski, they have one of the best finishers in world football. If he stays fit and delivers like he usually does, they might even go and win this group. Columbia also have a few good players, including Rodriguez, Cuadrado, Sánchez and Falcao to mention a few. I have a strange feeling that they will however fail to turn up and won’t manage to repeat the success of four years ago. I can see Senegal doing well in Group H. In Mane, they have a striker in form and he can cause problems to any defence. They were lucky to be drawn against this opposition and I can see them taking one of the two places that are up for grabs in this group.

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IT WILL TAKE TIME

by Silvio Scicluna

I

t is common knowledge that after almost four barren seasons at the helm of Manchester United, the greatest manager of all time Sir Alex Ferguson was on the verge of being sacked. Some say he was one match away from being shown the door. If Mark Robins did not score that now famous winner in the third round of the FA Cup at Nottingham Forest in January 1990, the legend that was to become would never have taken off. As it turned out, not only did he keep his job but it was the start of an unprecedented era of dominance both domestically as well as in Europe.

Opinionists, when scribing about the need for patience and perseverance, frequently refer to this piece of history, the moral being that more often than not, a project needs time to mature and reap fruit. Now, although José Mourinho’s start of his United career can hardly be described as barren when one considers the fact that in his first season he immediately won the League Cup and the Europa League (not to mention the Community Shield which in other countries is referred to as the Super Cup and is legitimately regarded as a major honour) and in his second

season has led United to the FA Cup final (at the time of writing), for some strange reason which I struggle to fathom you do get people hashtagging #MourinhoOut! Simply and purely because United have not won the Premier League yet in his first two years.

Granted, not many expected our title challenge to be over in the first four months of the season.

But then again, few would have anticipated City’s freak season where they hardly put a foot wrong all season. Nevertheless, progress is being made. Second position is secured, this from sixth position last season. More goals scored, less goals conceded and a points haul that would have won us the title in the vast majority of seasons since three points for a win started being awarded.

Having said that, the room for improvement is there for all to see. For instance, the dropping of silly points against the lesser sides this season was criminal. United lost at all three promoted sides and drawn or lost matches to relegated sides, something that incensed Mourinho and quite rightly so. It was all well and good beating the top six clubs regularly this season (another improvement from last year) and raising our game for the big matches, but the inability to remain professional and fend off complacency against the smaller teams hints at one of Mourinho’s biggest challenges going forward. The makeup of the squad we currently have at United is mostly what he inherited from previous managers and clearly, the vast majority of players at his disposal do not mirror his principles. At his previous clubs, José always built his teams around trusted lieutenants: experienced players he could trust, troopers with a strong mental character who would be consistent and become serial winners like their manager.

Players like Terry, Lampard and Drogba at Chelsea and Zanetti at Inter. In these men he found kindred spirits who together made their clubs almost invincible. And slowly but surely he is and will continue to mould United into his next success story by recruiting sergeants like Lukaku and Matić who, not by coincidence, were the most consistent players this season together with the ever-dependable and indispensable De Gea. Just like his own Chelsea side raised the bar from 2004 to 2006 by hitting the ground running and hardly dropping any points, this year Guardiola’s City have raised the ante even higher. At the time, Sir Alex took on the challenge posed by Chelsea by recognising

that something had to be done or else risk being cut adrift. Cue three titles in a row and another Champions League victory to boot. And rest assured that José will be doing likewise as we speak in accepting the fact that, whilst City are currently top dogs, he will be planning and scheming to put United top of the pile once again.

But it will take time. For not only will City continue to invest heavily but other teams like the vastly improved Liverpool, ably guided by another new(ish) kid on the block in Klopp, will surely be aiming to end their title drought next year. Therefore, the challenge is big.

Herculean almost. Throughout this past year, José has sent out thinly veiled hints to the board that he needs to be backed in overhauling the squad. Huge sums need to be spent. Unfortunately, post-Neymar/Dembele/ Mbappe/Coutinho the transfer market has become inflated beyond all proportion but that is the world we live in nowadays so Ed Woodward needs to face the situation and cough up. Not so subtly put across were also digs at those players within United’s squad who were not up to his legitimate high standards. You do get the feeling that heads will roll and players will be sold and be replaced with the type of aforementioned players. The type of players who would buy immediately into his philosophy. Those who heed his warnings and read the danger signs. Players who do not feel as though they reached the top of the world with that comeback win at the Etihad only to get complacent and lose at home to the bottom club the following week. Players who, when their manager emphasises that second place is important to the club and points were still needed to secure it do not go to Brighton and put in a pathetic display to the disrespect of those fans who travelled down there and back up north on a Friday night. Mourinho foresaw these problems. He knows what he’s working with. He knows what needs to be done.

In this day and age it is even more difficult to be successful. The competition is fierce. The pressure from social media, not to mention the traditional tabloids and the annoying press conferences is incessant. One wonders whether it would have taken its toll back in 1990. Would the board’s patience have run out back then if the current phenomena were also present in that era? One can only wonder.

Some might say that it is not actually true that United were planning to sack Sir Alex because contrary to speculation they trusted the work he was doing behind the scenes. And parallels can be drawn to the present. It is a huge task.

It will take time. But #injosewetrust.

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Career Threatening

by Fr. Anthony C. Ferrante

N

othing so original in stating that sports activities bring to the fore various and different emotions in spectators or others directly involved. While watching a football match, people on the terraces are first and foremost concerned about the outcome of the game. In between the start and the final referee’s whistle, emotions range from the expectant to the bizarre. Of course, this does not exclude managers and administrators as well as the players themselves. Good moves, near misses, scores and clashes kindle the flames varying from disdain to fear. People may disapprove fictitious injuries supposedly caused by a physical clash between players by booing . In contrast, real and possibly serious injuries throw a blanket of silence all over. Fearing serious injuries is something that even rivals do not wish for. This does not exclude individuals who might be more concerned with a team being weakened or the loss of a good player!

The fear, the pain and the anguish suffered by the athlete or athletes concerned may sometimes be overwhelmed by other interests.

Sports injuries in general are those incurred in athletic activities and/or exercising. Two types of injury can be defined in general.

The least fearsome are minor or non-serious injuries. These kinds of injuries are judged as largely treatable on the spot. These include sprains and bruises. Serious injury is completely opposite. It is an injury which can easily lead to an athlete being admitted to a hospital. Fractures, concussions and internal

injuries are some of the most apprehensive.

After some head on head clashes, the referee calls immediately for assistance.

Rightfully so. The possible cause of death... yes death...which involves injuries related to sports, is brain injury. Boxing (if it is to be acknowledged as a sport) is a witness to such loss of life. Prevention is always better than cure. It helps reduce potential sport injuries. That is why some warming up is so important before actually going on

the pitch to play. Participation in warming up, stretching and light exercises help the athlete in focusing his movements on main muscle groups commonly used in the sport to be involved in. Some common injuries occur due to overuse. This means that they occur over time due to stress on the muscles, joints and soft tissues without proper time for healing. Some common injuries related to football players include ankle sprain, groin pull, concussion and hamstring pull.

Ligament injuries to the knee are ver y common in sports that require stopping and

starting or quickly changing directions. Knee injuries in football are the most common, These knee injuries can adversely affect a player’s long term involvement in the sport. Whilst the majority of injuries can be successfully treated even over long periods of abstention from the game, careers have ended prematurely, even before they began, due to horrific injuries incurred.

A case in point is that of ex-Manchester United player Ben Collett, just three days before he signed a professional contract. It seemed then that he was well on his way to forging a successful career at Manchester United. But fate had other ideas for him. Ben broke both bones in his right leg after an ill-timed challenge by Middlesbrough’s Gary Smith in May 2003, which saw his dream career at Old Trafford ending at the age of just 18.

Remember the feud between Manchester United’s Roy Keane and Manchester City’s Alf Håland, a personal feud which led to a career-ending injury? Roy deliberately kicked Alf hard on his right knee and the Norwegian hung up his boots a few games later. Roy Keane’s admission in his autobiography that he deliberately hurt Alf Håland created even more drama. Håland later commented: The worst thing about what he did and what he wrote in his book is the example that it set to young kids who follow big-name players like him. They see these things and they think it’s okay.

Regretfully, some incidents literally add insult to injury!

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Role, Responsibilities and Current Affairs

by Daniel Cuschieri

At

the time of writing this, the news of Sir Alex being admitted to hospital has just been released by the club. Our thoughts are with him and his family at this time.

As in every organisation, every employee or personnel having duties pertained to his/her job must execute them to best of their abilities. Due to the fact that we are human, factors may affect performance in our daily routine.

The title of my article relates to the role of playing and coaching staff within the club.

As we are not privy to certain information, fans and others interested in what is going on within the club can only comment on they read, hear or pass a comment during a match on what should or shouldn’t be done.

Having a playing role at a club like Manchester United comes with responsibilities, that are both ethically and morally questioned every day. For example, if a player is more focused on his marketing, hair style may affect his game play.

Some comments are passed by ‘fans’ saying that it may be the case that a player is not playing right because of him being focused on other matters. It may be the case, however everyone has his good and bad days like everyone at work. Ronaldo (CR7) is involved in heavy amounts of marketing, image style and having newborn kids, but that has not affected him, or so it appears. No one is the same, and the pressure of performing week in, week out is a task. It is the player’s responsibility to ensure that his lifestyle allows him to perform at that level.

On the playing field, there isn’t much the manager can do to control the decision making, examples being over-dribbling, over-hitting a pass and missing an open goal.

Players like any other employee must take responsibility for their actions and not all flak being taken by the manager. The manager has his faults, however a manager like Mourinho who has won trophies at all clubs he has managed is still is questioned over his playing style.

‘Fans’ cannot expect the ‘gung-ho’ approach every match due to the shortcomings within the squad. Having said that, this does not mean that such matches aren’t boring compared to other teams’ style of play. The manager is responsible for winning matches.

In two seasons he has won 2 trophies, on course for 2nd place in the League and in the FA Cup final.

I expected the team to do better in the Champions League, however such circumstances happened under Fergie, which even then ‘fans’ looked for a scapegoat. The manager I believe when taking on the job knew the role he had and the responsibilities that come with it. He has toned himself down and also tried to maintain the ethics of the club, such as bringing in youth and also try to play attacking football at times. The manager has been attacked at not being responsible in the transfer market, as he is deemed to be a manager that purchases only and does not give youth a chance. During Fergie’s years, I remember a stellar player joining the squad every summer for record fees and no one complained. The complaints were that the club was making money and not investing in more stellar players like Real Madrid was doing. One must remember the EPL was not that competitive at the time with Arsenal being United’s main rival and the other teams were never consistent.

The market right now is at crazy. Such fees being paid are ethically and morally wrong and clubs around the world have a responsibility when paying such fees due to the fact that no one is worth such amounts.

The footballing world ha s tur ned upside down due to TV rights and marketing, hence such an explosion in players’ marketing and fees rocketing due to their image rights and appeal.

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The club is constantly in the limelight and no one describes the club better that Mr Gary Neville, who breathes the club. However as he is aware in his punditry, he has a responsibility on the comments he passes, either good or bad. Neville knows first-hand how hard it is managing a top-flight team, as he found out in Spain, and passing comments on the manager, in my opinion isn’t the best thing to do given the track record that Mourinho has and also knowing that the playing staff need a major overhaul.

He knows first-hand that the club has changed from when he played to how it is run today.

The club is corporate and results are a must, therefore a greater restraint is needed before passing or stating comments which may or may not be true.

The club is still coming out of SAF era. Under Mourinho, the club will win things and I believe he will last at the club, while hoping he buys a house in Manchester, as the club has grown on him. ‘Fans’ have a crucial role in the bankrolling of the club, as in reality if fans do not purchase anything, the club will incur problems financially. It is the fans’ responsibility to get behind the team, rather than criticise a player, who in reality is living that person’s dream or shouting about a misplaced pass, bad tackle and so forth.

I doubt that anyone at MUFC wants to do mistakes. They are watched by billions around the world and falling short is not something one would like.

The easy route is to find a scapegoat, which is what the English national team does after every tournament or qualifying rounds. The club in my opinion is still evolving post-Fergie and the noisy neighbours have built a strong team costing close to a billion.

The only way to catch up is to purchase and ensure the players bought fits in the team.

One must agree that the club cannot stand around hoping to produce another crop of youngsters while other teams buy readymade players.

We are bringing through youth because they make the grade at the club, where standards are being comprised.

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is now wrapped up and despite the very good point tally, surpassed by a record-breaking 100-point freak season by our rivals in sky blue, we have finished the season trophy-less. From the FA Cup Final, agonizingly decided by an unnecessarily-conceded penalty in a poor first half followed by a much-improved second-half lacking firepower upfront, it is evident that in spite of all the spending, United are still not there in terms of effectively challenging for the league and in Europe.

In a tricky transfer window where the World Cup dominates the news for a large chunk of summer, buying new talent may turn out to be problematic. On the one hand, clubs would be reluctant to let go of their players early with the hope of a good showing in the World Cup boosting their transfer price. On the other, buying players too late gives them less time to get accustomed to their new teammates (and potentially a new country environment), with many prominent current first team players being away on international duty anyway.

Some people might start having doubts in José Mourinho. Hopes that his second-season syndrome would hand United a much-coveted Premier League trophy, the first one since Sir Alex left as manager, quickly faded as City ran away with the league in a nearly-faultless domestic season. Yet faith is crucial now that the decision has been made by the board two years ago. Juggling managers may not bear fruit, or maybe it can. If one looks at clubs like Real Madrid and Chelsea, they enjoyed success while the managerial turnstiles kept rotating.

The difference at United is that this is not the way we have become accustomed to. After a long period with Matt Busby, we juggled and juggled until Sir Alex came along, stabilized the ship and steered us to unforgettable success. Sir Alex is the founding father of the modern successful United, and most supporters have learnt that based on the track record of Ferguson and Busby, having a long-

term manager is the way things should be at our glorious club. After all, we have won 13 Premier League titles and two UEFA Champions Leagues amongst other lesser honours under the Scot’s shrewd guidance, so there must be something right in the formula. Why would you change the winning formula?

Well, times have changed in this media-driven world we are living in. Having admitted it himself, Mourinho is not a one-club manager in the mould of Sir Alex. He never was and never will be. Time will come in the not-toodistant future when Mourinho waves goodbye to Old Trafford the same way he left the projects at Dragão, Stamford Bridge, San Siro and Santiago Bernabeu. Maybe he will try his luck in Paris or Germany. Mourinho was brought in for immediate success and not for a longterm ten-year project. That idea went out of the window when Moyes was fired. Van Gaal and Mourinho were appointed due to past successes with their previous clubs, based on which the board gambled that they can replicate this in Manchester.

If the United board wanted a manager that could emulate Sir Alex and stay for 20 years at United, they would have opted for someone like Ryan Giggs or Ole Gunnar Solskjær, giving them a blank cheque and unconditional guarantee of tenure. Whatever would have happened if that direction was chosen, we will never know.

Based on this immediate success premise that brought Mourinho to the club, supporters’ expectations are very high and rightly so.

I believe that with another trophy-barren season in 2018-19, the little murmur against the manager echoing among few supporters this season will grow to a deafening roar by the majority by June 2019. This would push the board towards an inevitable decision.

This is not doubt in the capabilities of José Mourinho as a manager. It is pure fact given the impatience in the football world and having a short-term manager in the hot seat. On the

by Braden Galea

contrary, I believe Mourinho can achieve major domestic and European success with United.

One might not like the style of play or the formations but after two total-misses by the names of Moyes and Van Gaal, Mourinho has improved United significantly in the two years he has been managing. Lifting the Carling Cup and UEFA Europa League are testimony to this opinion.

Now is the time for Mourinho to literally go allin, in the poker sense, on winning the 2018-19 Premier League or UEFA Champions League. To do this, some deadwood needs to be thrown overboard, defence needs to be strengthened with a worthy partner for Bailly and two fullbacks to challenge and eventually replace the aging Young and Valencia, a creative winger/ midfielder with a knack for set-pieces needs to be found and another goal-machine like Zlatan needs to be captured to partner and challenge Lukaku up front. And at all costs, David De Gea needs to remain Number 1 next season, but the fear of Real Madrid snatching him seems to have subsided. Mourinho needs to ensure that the players that stay for next season will pull up their socks and play for the badge. It is unbearable watching some players strolling and showing lack of commitment on the pitch.

In a time when the era of Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi is drawing to a close, it may be time for United to step up to the plate and like they did in the past, unearth and nurture the next world’s best player. Whether this can ever be part of the agenda of a short-term manager, I am not sure, but it forms part of the continuity of Manchester United. Managers and players come and go, but Manchester United remains, and it is the Board’s role to safeguard this on behalf of the owners and the supporters.

Now it’s all or nothing for Mourinho at United.

The pressure will be ever-greater next season and the direction he will plan and charter this summer for the season ahead will decide whether United will be manager-less or celebrating this time next season.

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Champions League Nights

by Michael Calleja

O

n the 25th February, 2003, Ryan Giggs proved to be the catalyst for Manchester United as the Red Devils comprehensively outplayed Juventus at the Stadio Delle Alpi in Torino.

It had by no means been an easy passage into the Champions League. Manchester United had first and foremost the obligation to safely navigate past the Third Qualifying Round before entering into the Group Stages.

Zalaegerszegi TE beat United 1-0 in Hungary before the Reds comprehensively beat them 5-0 at Old Trafford.

In Group F, United faced up to their previous season’s bane Bayer Leverkusen, Israelites Maccabi Haifa and Greek aces Olympiakos. United had safely managed a resounding 15 points throughout the 6 matches n o t ch i n g u p s o m e impressive victories along the way [including 2-1 v Leverkusen Away, 4-0 v Olympiakos at Home and 5-2 v Maccabi Haifa at Home].

The Second Round of the Group Stages had proved to be a much tougher task for the Red Devils. They were drawn in a group containing Deportivo La Coruna, Basel and Juventus. It was pinpointed by many observers that this would be United’s death-knell.

Deportivo La Coruna had managed to beat United on two occasions during 2001-02 and many feared that the Italian Champions would simply prove to be too strong for United.

The football world had seemed to have nailed their analysis when United had laboured to a 2-1 win over the Italians at Old Trafford. A majority of players from the Juventus squad had succumbed to an outbreak of flu and injury problems. This had led to the sensational removal of Captain Antonio Conte [now Chelsea’s Manager] from the line-up right before kick-off. The 2-1 win had seemed to convince the Italians that come the return fixture in Turin, a comfortable Juventus victory would simply ensue.

For the second-leg, Juventus boasted a side with an array of talent and skills: Buffon,

Thuram, Ferrara, Montero, Conte, Davids, Nedved, Camoranesi, Zambrotta, Di Vaio, Trezeguet – made for a fearsome Italian eleven.

Ironically, the game in Turin, even though it would eventually read: 3-0 to United, was not as smooth as people imagined. With one eye on the League Cup Final, Sir Alex Ferguson had decided to rest Ryan Giggs and Ruud Van Nistelrooy and had opted for Roy Keane and Rio Ferdinand at the back. With no Paul Scholes, Phil Neville deputized in the centre of the park and Diego Forlan led the pack. The line-up certainly raised a few eyebrows amongst neutral observers yet United had a plan and were hell-bent on getting something out of the game.

distributed the ball to Juan Sebastian Veron on the right, who capitalizing on a mistake

by Gianluca Zambrotta, who rather comically tripped over his own feet in the penalty box area, picked out Ryan Giggs and the Welshman clinically slotted the ball past Gianluigi Buffon.

The second goal was sheer class. Latching onto a loose ball by Antonio Conte, in an analogously similar move to the goal which buried Arsenal in the FA Cup Semi-Final in 1999, Giggs sped past a couple of defenders before scoring past Buffon with his weaker right foot! Giggs ran towards the United fans before gesturing and pointing to his name at the back of his shirt in a sheer moment of delight and satisfaction.

The two goals had come at a pivotal time for him having horribly missed a sitter against the Gunners in the FA Cup during the weekend in a game United lost 0-2.

After 63 minutes, Van Nistelrooy added the finishing touch. With Igor Tudor trying to chest the ball to Buffon, the defender clumsily ensured the ball hit the post allowing the prolific Dutchman to capitalise on a grave error.

With Juan Sebastian Veron in midfield, Ferguson had opted to start the enigmatic Argentinian despite criticism that the midfielder was not living up to his billing. Yet Veron, acclimatized to the Italian game and with plenty of experience in European Football thrived on the night.

Ryan Giggs was forced to come quite early on after the unlucky Diego Forlan appeared to have suffered from a very bad ankle injury. Giggs’ impact was certainly immediate! Beckham had managed to gain possession of the ball and lofted a magnificent 60-yard pass to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The popular Norwegian striker then quickly

What a win! And what a night! And for us Maltese fans, a victory against Italian opposition is always pleasing. This was certainly United’s biggest win against Juventus and inflicted a damaging defeat on the Italians – one which would ensure they would have to win their remaining games to qualify for the Quarter-finals.

Ironically, football is a funny-old game and by hook or by crook, Juventus would manage to reach the final of this competition with United bowing out in the Quarter-final stages. With Juventus beating Barcelona and Real Madrid, they would eventually succumb to a penalty shoot-out loss vs AC Milan in the final… ironically at Old Trafford.

For United, a Quarter-final loss vs Real Madrid was a devastating blow as the Reds could not overturn a 1-3 deficit suffered at the Bernabeu.

Nevertheless, it was a positive campaign made more memorable by the sweetest of victories against the Old Lady of Italian football.

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Alexis Sánchez : How can United exploit his skills?

by Kenneth Abela

Alexis Sánchez

arrived at Old Trafford in January earlier this year as part of a swap deal which saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan move in the opposite direction.

Most observers found it somewhat surprising to see Manchester United beat their acrosstown rivals in the January transfer window.

Pep Guardiola’s team had been following the Chilean for over a year, constantly getting reports of his situation at Arsenal and went in to purchase him near the end of the summer transfer window.

The Chilean is now understood to be earning around £300,000-a-week.

So how is United’s multimillion Euro player doing?

first goal. The 119-cap attacker then directly assisted the second, another cross into the box this time finding the Frenchman to head home.

And finally, it was Sánchez who whipped in a dipping free kick for Chris Smalling to volley the winner after losing his marker.

So how can United exploit his skills further?

Statistics show that Alexis Sánchez averages 2.9 shots per match, makes 2.5 key passes and 2.6 dribbles. He is also fouled an average 2.6 times per game and has been given an average rating of 7.46, which is not bad at all.

In reality, the Chilean international has never been a player to consistently be the centre stage throughout the 90 minutes. He has however been a player who promises flashes of utter excellence. No one is pretending that Sánchez is playing the best football of his career, as he’s quite clearly not. But the signs of improvement since arriving have been there. He might not be as involved in the game as some might want him to be, but he can provide something from nothing and

There appears to be some doubt on how Sánchez can be best utilized at Old Trafford – he’s already started games on both flanks and even as a number 10 in close support to Romelu Lukaku. Finding the best position for Sánchez will be key to optimizing his skills.

Sky Sports pundit and former United full-back Gary Neville has claimed that the new signing’s role in Mourinho’s side was “not quite working”.

For the Gunners, his netting prowess became so devastating and so important to results, bagging 30 goals during his last full campaign in North London, that he was moved from out wide to centre-forward, often keeping Olivier Giroud, Danny Welbeck and Alexandre Lacazette out of the starting eleven.

On the other hand Michael Carrick says that new signing Alexis Sanchez already looks like a “proper Manchester United player”.

“He is not bad, is he? Not bad for a little man,” he said. “He is going to be a terrific player. He is a proper Manchester United player and it’s great to have him here. He is so exciting and so dynamic.’’

United Manager José Mourinho conceded that he was yet to extract the best out of a player who ended last season as the Premier League’s third-highest scorer. Mourinho is confident however that Sánchez’s struggles can be attributed to the timing of his transfer from Arsenal and believes that his new signing will grow into life at Old Trafford. “For sure next season will be better for him. But of course he is learning how to play with us and we are learning how to get the best out of him.”

Sánchez may indeed still need to show the form he had shown at Arsenal; however it is impressive to see that when losing possession, the Chilean has not shied away from receiving the ball and often drops into deeper positions in order to receive it. But what swayed the naysayers from pouring negativity over his performances was his 82nd minute display against City in the Manchester derby when Sanchez’s role in the victory delayed, albeit ultimately for just one week, City’s Premier League Champions celebrations. Sanchez’s perfect ball into the box allowed Ander Herrera to chest into the path of Paul Pogba for United’s

But one aspect of that conundrum is becoming more obvious; for this United team, Sánchez is a creator first and goal scorer second. Sánchez has always been a creative player capable of providing the killer pass.

the unpredictability of his game is what can cause a match to be turned on its head, just as it did with the Manchester derby.

Sánchez is also seen to be gelling well with his teammates.

Playing under a completely new manager, with a foreign philosophy, was always going to take time for the Chilean, but he is showing signs that he hasn’t lost his panache.

What has been hugely impressive so far with Sanchez’s arrival has been his determination and willingness to go the extra mile. It is common knowledge that the wide forward has an immense work ethic, but United fans were perhaps surprised to have already seen that on and off the pitch. It was reported that Sánchez was staying behind after training at Carrington to get up to speed and improve his conditioning, which hugely impressed not only United’s supporters, but also their coaches.

As stated, José Mourinho is of the view that United will start reaping the full benefit of Sanchez’s abilities next season. He will be certainly be fresh as he will get the summer off, with Chile not qualifying for the FIFA World Cup in Russia. He will then join his teammates on the USA pre-season tour, where the Reds will face Club America and San Jose Earthquakes, with their participation in the International Champions Cup yet to be announced.

Signs are that United will indeed reap the benefits next season. Alexis’s great header in the FA Cup semi-final as well as his overall performance in that match was there for all to see. Sky Sports reporter Jack Wilkinson maintained that Alexis Sánchez was the standout player for Manchester United in that match. He reports: “It’s never easy for January signings to bed in at their new clubs but even the most-ardent Manchester United supporter would admit Alexis Sanchez’s start to life at Old Trafford has been underwhelming. During his Arsenal career, the Chilean often reserved his best for games against Spurs or at Wembley. Having hauled his struggling side level, Sánchez set the tone from there on in what was arguably his most influential performance in a United shirt yet.”

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The Highs and Lows of 2017-18

by Julian Tabone

Another season is thankfully done and dusted.

It hasn’t been as bad as some picture it, but somehow we seem to still be far away.

Rightly so, Mourinho argues that we ended up with more points than last season, with less defeats, with more victories, with less goals conceded and with more goals scored. We also ended up 2nd – our best position since Sir Alex left. Those stats do not lie but we also ended up trophyless.

A look at some of the highs and lows of the past months should help us understand what went wrong and what went right, what needs strengthening and what needs to be eradicated.

The best game... Manchester City 2 Manchester United 3 It would have been more appropriate if we were referring to the ‘best second half’ (rather than the best game) but because of the performance in that second half, it has to go down as the best game of the season. United seemed dead and buried at half-time. City were on the brink of mathematically winning the title against us – a once-in-a-liftime opportunity for them; a nightmare for us. Pogba (twice) and then Smalling turned the match on its head and the feeling amongst all United fans was just brilliant. We had beaten our neighbours at their home. We had denied them the chance to be crowned champions at our expense. And more importantly, it was one of those trademark comeback wins. Bring on next season was the feeling amongst all of us. Sadly, that feeling lasted only a week. Another false dawn, but at least it was a memorable 45 minutes. #ComebackKings?

Worst game... Manchester United 0 West Brom 1 Quite a few contenders here but precisely because it came on the back of arguably the best game of the season, the defeat at home against West Brom hurt. It hurt because we were all singing ‘bring on next season’ the week before and this brought us crashing back down to earth. It was just the second time in Premier League history that United had lost at home to a side starting that day as the bottom club. At the end of the match, Mourinho said his players had been ‘masters in complication’. He was right.

To cap it all, the defeat confirmed Manchester City as Premier League Champions. #painful The best goal... Nemaja Matić vs Crystal Palace Quite a few contenders here - Lingard’s solo run against Watford, Rashford’s goal against Liverpool, Valencia’s opener against Everton and Ashley Young’s free-kick against Watford come to mind.

But because of the timing and the manner, best goal has to go to Nemaja Matić for his winner against Cystal Palace. United were trailing 2-0 with little less than 20 mins left. Smalling and Lukaku brought United level and you could sense that if there was to be a winner it would

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only be United. Time was running out but in stoppage time, up stepped Nemanja Matić with a superb volley from outside the box – a strike worthy to win every match. It was a crucial win in our stake for a Champions League place but more importantly it brought back the belief and it rekindled in most of us that magical feeling of stoppage-time winning goals. #believe The worst moment... going out to Sevilla It says a lot about our confidence when we were drawn with Sevilla – arguably the weakest team left in the Champions League – and felt ecstatic.

There were times when we used to fear nobody.

It says a lot when you then end up losing at home and out of the competition. Contemplating about what went wrong that night is superfluous. #depressing Best player... David De Gea Dave Saves. It has to be him ....again. 18 clean sheets have landed him the Golden Glove award but really and truly it is not just the clean sheets but it is his sheer brilliance in goal and leadership in the box. He is now up there with very best – with the Van Der Sars and the Schmeicels of this world. Once again, he won the Players’ Player of the Year prize and, for a record-breaking fourth time, De Gea was named the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year at the club’s annual awards ceremony. His performance away to Arsenal, in particular, stands out. He is arguably one of the main reasons for finishing second. He has now played 315 matches for United over a span of 7 seasons. Those stats were unthinkable when he made his debut in that Charity Shield match against City back in August 2011. Today, it is plainly impossible or unthinkable to find an equally able keeper. #irreplaceable Most disappointing player... Phil Jones He has been around for the past seven seasons but in that time he has only played 195 times. He came with much promise and has sporadically shown glimpses of stability. But sadly, he is not the long-term solution that United crave at the back. Every time Jones is back, he either presses the self-destruct button or else he is injured (mostly self-inflicted injuries, as well).

As already argued time and time again, one the most important partnerships in any winning team is the centre back partnership. All this applies to his partner, of course, Chris Smalling. But because of his own goal against Tottenham and because of that mis-timed challenge on Hazard in the FA Cup Final, and because of Smalling’s epic winner in the Manchester derby, the balance tipped towards Jones. He may still be around next year and prove all doubters wrong but he has been given too many chances and I’m sure if there is one area the gaffer will be looking to improve it will precisely be there. #frustrating Biggest surprise... Scott McTominay He was an unknown quantity to most of us until a few months ago but he has been thrusted into the fray and he has not been left wanting.

He is another homegrown talent and he has added steel to our midfield. Mourinho seems to like him and really the sky is the limit for the Lancaster born midfielder. #revelation The above are merely subtle reflections.

Leadership and consistency of course remain the two major gaps in our team. And those are not qualities which you can just go and splash the cash for. These days, there are no guarantees.

Next up is the World Cup in Russia and I am still not too sure I would really want to watch that any more. At least, if I watch, it will not be with the same verve and passion. Football, we have to admit, is not what used to be in the past.

Winning a league or lifting a cup – in 2018, modern day football - is just the cherry on the cake. The most important thing is that teams reach the final stages of a competition and the longer there is interest, the more enthusiasm and money this will manage to generate.

To a certain extent, that has been United’s biggest under-acheivement this past year.

We may have ended up runners-up and FA Cup finalists but the fact that the league had already been decided way-back in December came with a painful price tag. United do not know how to be the best of the rest and this I believe impacted big time on the team and is one of the main reasons for the inconsistency we had to endure.

Thankfully, the transfer window this time round is shorter than in previous years.

That should spur the manager to finish his business as early as possible and should enable us to kickstart the new season in the best possible shape. A good start next season is a must and hopefully, next year United can last the pace and bring back some consistency in our play.

Looking ahead, the stats mentioned above should also spur us on.

We were sixth last year - we are now second.

City cannot possibly dominate again the way they did.

There will be re-inforcements and dead wood will be removed.

We remain hopeful that what has been a worksin-progress suddenly, finally, clicks into gear. It may still seem a little bit too far away to achieve but stranger things have happened before.

The past season has been likened to 1994-95.

At the time, the situation was pretty much very similar. The reply, the following season, was typical Manchester United. Who knows? #EnoughToMakeMeFeelBuoyantAgain

Stars of 2017/18 - For United & for others clubs in Premier League

by Stefan Attard

D

espite ending the season as the runnersup in the Premier League Table, every United fan is entitled to feel disappointed with the 2017/18 season. In a season starting so promisingly, United simply faded away in a season which was almost over before Christmas. Looking from a positive perspective, United improved their league position compared to last year; however, many wonder if this can be called an improvement, particularly with the form of our neighbours who are playing exciting, promising football which is also leading to good results. In this article, I will be reviewing some of the better performing players in the Premier League during the 2017/18 season in which United are only represented by De Gea.  David de Gea (GK) (Manchester United): Fixture after fixture, tie after tie, our Spanish keeper always seemed to make save after save to keep the opposition at bay. In particular fixtures, the string of saves were nothing short of exceptional which only he would be capable of doing. In some fixtures I was left wondering whether our number one was the only one determined to play. Our keeper also has the highest save percentage, stopping an impressive 80% of shots he faced. It is painful to think in what position United would have ended without the world’s best goalkeeper protecting their goal.  Kyle Walker (RB) Manchester City: Kyle Walker has enjoyed a fine first season with Manchester City, proving his decision to leave Tottenham in the summer was the correct one. The England left back has managed an impressive six assists which makes it his best ever return in the top flight.  James Tarkowski (CB) (Burnley): Burnley will be playing Europa League football next season. Sean Dyche’s side finished seventh, qualifying them for next year’s competition, while James Tarkowski has been shortlisted in the Premier League Player of the Season contenders.  Jan Vertonghen (CB) (Tottenham): Ever-present in Spurs’ defence this season, Belgium international Jan Vertonghen has formed a strong partnership with Davinson Sanchez to help the London side edge towards a top-four finish. Vertonghen has played in 13 of the 14 Premier League games where Tottenham have kept a clean sheet this season.  Marcos Alonso (LB) Chelsea: Alonso is the highest scoring defender with an impressive six goals this Premier League campaign.  Andrew Robertson (LB) (Liverpool): Andrew Robertson’s emergence as Liverpool’s first-choice left-back is a romantic one. From

the verge of quitting the game to playing in a Champions League final against Real Madrid on May 26, his rise is truly exceptional. The 24-year-old marked his 20th Premier League appearance of the season in the Reds’ 3-0 victory over Bournemouth before playing the entirety of both Champions League semi-final ties against Roma, a signal of Jürgen Klopp’s trust in the Scotland international.  Kevin De Bruyne (CM) (Manchester City): Had Kevin De Bruyne been named PFA Player of the Season ahead of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, few would have had a genuine complaint.

The significance of the Manchester City star’s performances under Pep Guardiola this term have been immeasurable, and without him, a Premier League title race may have existed between the blue and red side of Manchester. “Average players complicate the game. Great players simplify it,” Thierry Henry recently told Sky Sports, referring to De Bruyne’s talent. De Bruyne has provided more assists than any other player in the Premier League this season. He’s the first player to ever deliver 15+ in consecutive campaigns in the competition. He has created more chances (102) than any other player in the Premier League this season and has also scored 11 goals.  Christian Eriksen (CM) Tottenham: Erik sen has created 35 goalscoring opportunities for Harry Kane in the Premier League this season - the most from one player to another in 2017-18.  David Silva (CM) (Manchester City): David Silva’s excellence may now be expected, but it takes nothing away from the Manchester City midfielder’s performances this season in what has been a difficult one for him away from football. Behind only City team-mates De Bruyne and Leroy Sane in the Premier League assist table, Silva’s creativity from midfield has drawn the best from the exquisite selection of attacking team-mates around him this term. The Spanish international has an incredible passing rate of 89% making him the best passer in the Premier League.  Mohamed Salah (RW) (Liverpool): PFA Player of the Year. The Football Writers’ Association’s Footballer of the Year. Premier League record-breaker, with the most goals in a single season. The highest-scoring African player in bother the English top-flight and in Europe. Most Premier League Player of the Month awards in a single season. Potential Champions League winner. It is safe to say that the Egyptian enjoyed one of the best if not the best individual performances of any player in Premier League history. Salah is the first Premier League player to have scored 40+ goals in all competitions since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2007-08. The 25-year-old’s goals and assists have earned the Reds 15 points - more than

any other Premier League player. He has been involved in 51% of his side’s 75 league goals, again more than any other player.  Roberto Firmino (CAM) (Liverpool): Firmino, who had scored 27 goals in 50 appearances for the Reds at the time of penning his new deal, has bought into his manager’s ethos as well as anyone else at the club, and his relentless pursuit of possession and, indeed, his fine record in front of goal this term has endeared him to the Liverpool support and earned him the recognition they feel he deserves.  Raheem Sterling (LW) (Manchester City): Raheem Sterling was left out of the PFA Premier League Team of the Season, despite the Manchester City forward enjoying the most prolific season of his career to date.

Usually operating from the right of attack, with Leroy Sane on the other flank, Sterling has, at the time of writing, 18 goals and 11 assists to his name in the Premier League.

Another four goals came in the Champions League, and another assist to boot, though, rather remarkably, Sterling could have easily inflated those numbers. “The moment he can improve his average chances to score a goal, he will become one of the best players in the world,” Guardiola said earlier in the season.  Harry Kane (ST) (Tottenham): Having scored 30 goals in this Premier League season, Kane again proved that he is one of the finest strikers in European competitions, though without any silverware to show for it once the season comes to a close. Is it time for the 24-year-old to leave Tottenham in search of trophies, or should he lead Spurs into their sparkling new stadium next season? Kane is one of three players to score 25+ Premier League goals in three or more successive seasons (also, Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry).

There are many other players who deserve a mention like Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard, Nacho Monreal, Idrissa Gueye, Riyad Mahrez, Jamaal Lascelles, Wilfred Zaha, Simon Francis, Marko Arnautovic, Abdoulaye Doucouré, Christopher Schindler, Oriol Romeu, Jordan Ayew, Kurt Zouma and Craig Dawson.

Looking back at the top performers of the Premier League this season, it is sad to note that there are only a couple of Manchester United players mentioned in this article. Whilst we cannot be too disheartened after finishing the second best team in the Premier League, it is ominous to feel that the United team will go from strength to strength while those behind us are looking dangerous and hungrier than ever. On the other hand, Manchester United seem to be doing just enough and limp over the finish line. The exciting attacking football is a far cry away with United happy to pass the ball from side to side over and over again.

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MixedMANCUNIANPlatter

by Karm Galea

who nagged him constantly to seek medical attention to discover if something was wrong, he would not be here telling us about it. Cole continued to explain that after he returned from a trip to Vietnam, he noticed his body started to change. He started having water retention and put on weight, which was not on as he was always very strict on his weight when he retired.

Sanchez and his dogs Alexis’ dogs, two golden retrievers, are called Atom and Humber. Humber is the lighter coloured of the two. Speaking as to why he called one of the dogs Atom, Sanchez revealed that Atom is the name of a character in the Hugh Jackman movie called Real Steel. In the movie, Atom is a robot which is very old and apparently useless but when it starts fighting it beats the best robots in the world. Sanchez liked the movie so much he called his first dog by that name.

Every day he just kept on growing and growing and in the end he decided to go to hospital where he was put on kidney dialysis for two years and later diagnosed as having a condition called segmental glomerulosclerosis. Cole’s nephew Alexander, 29, was very concerned with the condition of his uncle and he thought he had to do something to help so offered to donate a kidney to his uncle. His mother (Andy’s sister) was very supportive of the offer but warned him (her son) that he must feel forced to do it. He went for tests to see if he was a compatible match to his uncle and was happy to help when this was confirmed.

The other dog was named Humber because it reminded Alexis of his brother Humberto.

Apparently, Humberto is a very sweet guy, just like Humber is. Both of them enjoy staying home or watching football on TV.

Andy Cole and his kidney transplant Andy Cole underwent a kidney transplant in April of 2017 after suffering from a condition which caused his kidneys to get scarred. Cole’s decline was dramatic. From daily being in the gym to not wanting to do anything as he felt so lethargic. Andy Cole first felt ill in June of 2015 after picking up an airborne virus and said that if it were not for his wife Shirley,

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Manchester United and the naming rights for Old Trafford In a new study of naming rights values in the Premier League, corporate finance advisors Duff & Phelps say that Manchester United are missing out on more than £26million a season in potential revenue for Old Trafford naming rights. This figure is £7million more than City earn from the Etihad’s sponsorship of their ground. United, however, have repeatedly said that have no intention of selling the naming rights of Old Trafford. For the record, Anfield’s naming rights will only measure up to £11million.

Steve McClaren and his support for Leeds United Ferguson and McClaren worked together between 1999-2001, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and the Champions League, but despite their incredible successes, McClaren revealed they didn’t always get on well. One particular memory stood long in his memory.

The two dogs are famous in Chile, having appeared on TV adverts or advertising billboards. Both dogs became famous after starring in Master Dog’s advert. Sanchez cannot bear being away from his dogs for too long, so much so that that he has their names written inside his football boots. Atom’s name is in the right and Humber’s name is in the left boot. It is known that both dogs travel with him during his flights between England and Chile.

It seems that rules have been bent regarding a pet ban at the Lowry Hotel as Atom and Humber had moved in with Alexis into his plush suite as he looked for new property in the north of England. The Lowry, a five-star retreat based in the heart of Salford Quays, has a zero tolerance policy on animals in the building. The ‘bending of the rules’ was to be of short term duration as it was reported that the dogs’ stay at the £816-a-night Riverside Suites, in which Sanchez was staying, had not gone down well with other guests.

Praise has been bestowed on Mata for using his own free time to help out some of the unseen workers at Manchester United who have to do less glamorous jobs for considerably less money than most footballers now earn at top level. This sums up what kind of a person he is.

While his team mates go to their cars and drive off after being dropped off back home after away games, Juan has taken it upon himself to stay behind and give a helping hand with the unloading of all of the used stuff and gear off the coach and it takes a good while.

The transplant was successfully carried out and Cole feels indebted to his generous nephew who fell ill after the operation.

Juan Mata and his washing machine Juan Mata is regarded as the nicest guy in football as demonstrated by this classy gesture. According to the Sun, Juan is now regularly helping out the kit man and his staff with the dirty shirts at away games. He has been doing this for the past two months. This has left his team mates stunned by his downto-earth attitude. Mata has already earned huge praise for setting up the charity project Common Goal, encouraging fellow athletes around the world to give one percent of their wages to charity.

McClaren recounts how he remembers well going to his first Leeds game with Ferguson.

The team bus was going down Elland Road and everyone outside the bus was giving the United team abuse. Men and kids were making gestures at the bus. Ferguson remarked to Steve that it was a disgrace with all those gestures. McClaren replied that he knows all about it as he used to be one of them. He was a closet Leeds United fan. Ferguson was aghast as he nearly threw McClaren off the bus to walk the last mile to the stadium.

Two United players and their fake hairdresser An England supporter was able to gain access to Rashford’s and Lingard’s hotel room, pretending to be their barber, while they were with the England squad for a friendly against Italy. Apparently, the confusion arose because the intruder was carrying a plastic bag (with swimming gear in it) and was chatting away with some of the England players. A coach ushered him away to Lingard’s room, believing him to be Lingard’s and Rashford’s hairdresser.

The fan walked in on the England pair claiming to be room service. He then spent about 10 minutes with the two United men before the

real barber turned up. The police were called up but no charges were made.

Wayne Rooney and his revelation Rooney has explained why Ruud van Nistelrooy did not like playing with Cristiano Ronaldo while he was at United. Both players infamously fell out in training after Ruud mocked Ronaldo about his close relationship with ex-United coach Carlos Queiroz.

When asked if the issue was because Ruud and Ronaldo were both battling it out to be United’s main man, Rooney replied that it was not so because at that time Ronaldo wasn’t near the level he is now. It was because van Nistelrooy was used to Beckham and Giggs getting the ball down and putting in crosses into the box and him getting on the end of them. When Cristiano came in he refused to cross the ball. Van Nistelrooy starting dropping back and back and he got frustrated with it.

Van Nistelrooy was brilliant and probably one of the best finishers the club ever had.

Matić and his joke It has been revealed that Matić joked about playing for Manchester United as an 18-year-old youngster while playing in Serbia. He used to play in the third division which is equivalent to League One in England and earned £70 per month before moving on to play in Slovakia.

His agent wanted to take him to a Serbian club but Matić was not happy to do so. The agent sat him down and asked him where were his aspirations of playing. Matić told him that he wanted to go to Manchester United. The agent was aghast as he knew that Matić did not know what he was talking about. Matić was joking at that time but the present shows that everything is possible.

Ferguson and his envelope trick Owen Hargreaves (remember him? He won both the Premier League and the Champions League in his first season at United and then blotted his copybook by joining City) opened up on how Ferguson got the best of his United players. He recalls that when the United players were in need of a boost, Ferguson used to motivate his players with the use of an envelope.

He used to tell his players that he had an envelope with some names of players in it whom he thought would let him down and urged the players not to have their names in the envelope. So everybody used to run out of the room and basically tackled themselves through the door not wanting to let the gaffer down.

Ferguson and the young Paul Scholes Ferguson took a look at a certain Paul Scholes in training after the 17-year-old youngster joined the club and he wasn’t impressed with what he saw. It wasn’t that Scholes was not as good as his team-mates nor that he lacked the potential to one day becoming a world-class player. It was, in Ferguson’s eyes, just that he lacked the required height needed to be a professional footballer. Ferguson had said that Scholes had got no chance as he was a midget, It was pointed out to Ferguson that George Best was no giant and made a success of their football career, but still Ferguson needed to be convinced. Fortunately for the club, Scholes graduated in 1992 alongside some other United future stars and history was made.

The ex-Liverpool player and our number 7 When Michael Owen signed for Manchester United it took many by surprise, but what really shocked many United fans was that he got the iconic number 7 shirt. As all true United fans know, the number 7 shirt was worn by greats like Beckham, Cantona, Best, so for Owen to get it was truly remarkable.

Owen explained in a recent interview that Ferguson called him (Owen) and Carrick to his office. He said to Carrick that he wanted him to wear the number 7 because he (Ferguson) thought he could handle the pressure of wearing that shirt and all that comes with it but Carrick refused it. Then Ferguson nodded to Owen and asked him if he wanted it. Owen’s answer was “absolutely”.

Wayne Rooney and that Ronaldo wink Rooney has finally revealed exactly what he had said to Ronaldo after their World Cup 2006 spat during the England and Portugal’s quarter-final clash which England eventually lost on penalties.

Rooney had allegedly stamped on Carvalho.

Ronaldo rushed over to the referee to appeal for the foul and for the sending off of Rooney.

Rooney was eventually sent off and Ronaldo gave a wink to the Portugal bench. It appeared as though Ronaldo was not only successful in helping Rooney get sent off but was rather happy about it too.

Many thought this would be the end of Ronaldo’s time at United but he stayed on for three more years and winning the Champions League. Rooney spoke to Ronaldo in the tunnel after the game and said to him that the press were going to make a big thing out of them falling out and not getting along together.

Rooney continued that he had told Ronaldo not to worry about it as he would have done the same thing had he been given the chance.

He (Rooney) had tried to get him (Ronaldo) booked for diving. He was his club teammate but a rival in that game and would have helped getting him sent off if the opportunity had arisen.

Marcus Rashford and the Sanchez’s locker According to reports, Mourinho had ordered that Sanchez’s locker be placed next to Rashford’s and Lingard’s in the changing room.

This was an intentional move by Mourinho in an attempt to encourage the Chilean to mentor the young attackers and because he (Mourinho) likes players of all ages to mix.

And that’s how an ex-Liverpool player who had ploughed so many lone furrows at Anfield striving to get a Premier League medal had to go to Old Trafford to get that much sought after gong at the first time of asking.

It has been alleged that Gerrard had later phoned Owen asking him if he (Owen), as an old buddy, could let him have the shiny disc for a day or two so that photographs could be taken of him wearing it (for the grandchildren?).

I don’t know if there was any truth in this as it was a thing circulating on the jokes page of a website, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it were true.

Ronaldo and his new boots Ronaldo has paid tribute to the role Manchester United played in making him one of the best footballers ever. Now a four time Ballon d’Or winner, Ronaldo has never forgotten the role that United and Ferguson played in helping him to the upper echelons of the footballing game. He has revealed that the Old Trafford club are the inspiration behind his new Nike football boots as witnessed by his twitter post, saying that his new Mercurial were inspired by the 6 years in Manchester that made him CR7.

Expanding on the matter in an interview at the launch of his boots, Ronaldo said that being at Manchester United was the beginning of his success in football and was probably one of the most beautiful moments in his career so far. Ferguson was a father to him in football and he had learned many things, not just from the coaches but also from the players. He not only improved his skills but his body too. During his five years at United, he learned the art of football and it was a dream for him, he continued.

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

by Iain McCartney Part 5 (Last Part)

The United party spent the Sunday in London, basking in their glory and taking in the sights of the capital, before returning to a heroes welcome in Manchester.

officials travelled in two horse brakes, with the band in another two, the procession lead by mounted police. Charlie Roberts sitting proudly at the front, clutching the F. A. Cup.

attempted some kind of decoration and the person who moved amongst the throng without flaunting some red and white ribbon would probably have been thought guilty of heresy”.

Thousands gathered around the approach to Central Station (now the G-Mex), with thousands more in Albert Square. Others avoiding the crush by lining the streets between the two and the three mile route to Clayton, with an estimated “100,000, mainly men, but including many women, were out on the streets”. Upon arrival at the Station, the triumphant team were greeted by the band of St Joseph’s Industrial School who, as the players appeared, struck up with ‘See the Conquering Hero Comes”.

Every window space along the route was filled and it was commented upon that due to the number of workmen present, many must have left their places of employment an hour or two early in order to be there.

Following the ninety minutes against the Londonders, which saw United loose 4-1, it was back to the carriages for the return journey to the city centre and the Midland Hotel for the official club celebrations.

Preceded by supporters carrying torches and a band, the procession slowly meandered through the streets, which were once again packed by people, with the journey taking over two hours and upon arrival at the hotel, there were again large numbers, with the police, mounted and on foot, struggling to keep order.

Although the Town Hall was only a short distance from the station, the team and

Having been greeted by the Lord Mayor, it was off to Clayton, not for another knees-up, but for the small matter of an evening, fixture against Woolwich Arsenal.

In Oldham Street, shop assistants threw red roses to the players, while in the “meaner streets of Clayton”, the ‘Manchester Guardian’ reported; “the poorest of the residents had

Due to the time it took to make the three mile journey, the seventy people present at the

Although the Town Hall was only a short distance from the station, the team and officials travelled in two horse brakes, with the band in another two, the procession lead by mounted police. Charlie Roberts sitting proudly at the front, clutching the F. A. Cup.

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official dinner had their evening cut short due to the lateness of the hour. The party could continue elsewhere, behind closed doors.

So Manchester United lifted the F. A. Cup for the first time, season after being crowned First Division Champions, but could this be the springboard for a prolonged assault on the games domestic honours? The title was won again in season 1910-11, but it would be 1951-52 before that trophy would again reside in the Manchester United boardroom. The Second Division would be won in 1935-36, but there would be countless years of poor performances, with even a threat of relegation to the Third Division thrown into the mix, financial problems. The lot.

As for the F. A. Cup, it would be 1948 before the Final was reached again and the famous old trophy won, but that’s another story.

THE PLAYERS HARRY MOGER – The 6’ 3” goalkeeper began his senior career with Southampton in 1900, moving north to Manchester in May 1903.

An excellent handler of the ball, whose play installed confidence in the rest of the defence. Unfortunate never to win an England international cap.

GEORGE STACEY – Signed for a fee of £200 from Barnsley in August 1905 as understudy to Herbert Burgess. He made his debut in a 6-1 win over Newcastle United in October 1907 – United’s first victory over the Geordie’s and

the highest defeat the Magpie’s had suffered on their own ground. A left footed, right sided player, who due to his slight lack of pace never made it past an England trial.

VINCE HAYES – A local lad from Miles Platting, who overcame two broken legs while playing for Newton Heath in the early 1900’s. Moved to Brentford in May 1907, but returned to Manchester and United in June 1908. Played as a centre-half and an inside forward before settling at full back. Formed an excellent defensive partnership with George Stacey.

DICK DUCKORTH – Collyhurst born Duckworth joined United from Newton Heath Athletic in October 1903 after scoring twice against United’s reserves. Took over from Alex Downie in season 1906-07 and went on the form that formidable half back line of Duckworth, Roberts and Bell.

CHARLIE ROBERTS – One in the long line of great United captains, who cost United £600 from Grimsby Town in 1904. Quite a sum for a player with less than a year’s experience at senior level, but the Darlington born defender turned into an exceptional footballer displaying strength, skill and pace in his outstanding play.

ALEC BELL – Born in Cape Town, South Africa, but played his initial football in Ayrshire, joining United in January 1903 from Ayr Parkhouse for a fee of £700. Originally a centre forward, but dropped back into the half back line, where there was not an

abundance of players. His overall play showed great consistency and he was one of the major factors for United early success.

BILLY MEREDITH – The Welsh Wizard’.

Arguably football’s first superstar. Joined United from neighbours City in October 1906 following the mass suspension of players amid the financial irregularities and bribing scandal that surrounded the club. A player of immense ability and equally adept at scoring goals as he was at creating them.

His legendary toothpick as much a part of his play as his bandy legs and dribbling skills.

HAROLD HALSE – Londoner who made his senior bow with Clapton orient in August 1905, later moving to Southend United, before joining United in March 1908. A noted goal scorer, having netted over 200 for Southend in two seasons, he got his United career off to an ideal start with a goal in the opening minute of his debut. Small in stature, which gave him a somewhat deceptive appearance, he was, however, one of the most dangerous goal scorers of the time.

JIMMY TURNBULL – A Scot from Banockburn, near Stirling, he had made an early name for himself north of the border with East Stirlingshire, Dundee, Falkirk and Rangers, before moving south to join Preston North End in January 1905. In May 1906 he joined Leyton FC, moving to United a year later. A noted highly competitive goal scorer, who formed a lethal partnership with his namesake, but no relation, Sandy.

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ALEXANDER ‘SANDY’ TURNBULL – Ayrshire born, his early football was played in the junior ranks with Hurlford Thistle before being signed by Manchester City in July 1902. With City, he won a Second Division Championship medal in 1902 and an FA Cup winner’s medal in 1904, but was one of the players caught up in the illegal payment scandal which hit the club. Joined United in December 1906, becoming an integral part of a free scoring forward line. He was a player who was not afraid to put himself about a bit and took his fair share of knocks along the way.

GEORGE WALL – A north-easterner from Boldon Colliery, nr Sunderland who played his first senior football with Barnsley whom he joined in November 1903, going on to score over one hundred goals in around three hundred appearances. An excellent crosser of the ball, he cost United £175 in April 1906.

As well as a cup winner’s medal in 1909, he won three England caps.

GEORGE LIVINGSTONE – The odd man out of the cup winning squad, as he played in only two of the games – against Everton and Blackburn Rovers. Another Scot, who saw action with both Celtic and Rangers, from whom United signed him in November 1906, he also saw action with Hearts, Sunderland,

Liverpool and Manchester City. A member of the latter’s 1906 FA Cup winning side, he also had two Scottish caps to his name. He returned north to Ibrox in the wake of the

City scandal, but returned to Manchester in January 1909 to join United..Found difficulty in maintaining a first team place due to the quality at the club during this time.

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

Montaldo Insurance Agency Ltd 10% Discount (terms and conditions apply)

10% Discount on all Insurances to club members

10% Discount on direct bookings only.

10% Discount except public holidays

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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Spanish clubs’ defiant dominance in European club competitions continues

by Antoine Dalli

F

or the fifth consecutive time, a Spanish club has lifted the coveted Champions League as for the third season running, mighty Real Madrid were crowned kings of Europe, thus claiming their 13th Champions League (plus three times runners-up in 1962, 1964 and 1981, incidentally the latter against Liverpool 0-1 in Paris).

initial 20 minutes of the game. However, the Reds’ quest to claim their first European cup success since beating Italian giants Milan in dramatic fashion after a penalty shoot-out in season 2004/05 were dented a big blow when their Egyptian stalwart Mohamed Salah limped off injured after barely 30 minutes had elapsed.

and in his aftermath comments hinted that this might have been his last game with the Spanish giants. In light of Zinedine Zidane’s decision to leave Bale from the starting X1, in his post-match comments, Bale remarked that he wanted more first team football in what many interpreted as a ‘come and get me’ plea for Europe’s big guns.

In UEFA’s second tier club competition, Real Madrid’s own city neighbours Atletico – who incidentally had locked horns against Real in the 2013/14 and 2015/16 Champions League finals – lifted their third Europa League (previous successes coming in season 2009/10 vs. Fulham 2-1 a.e.t. in Hamburg and in season 2011/12 vs. Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in Bucharest) thanks to a resounding 3-0 victory against Marseille in Lyon.

Beyond doubt, Real Madrid’s hero on the night was Welsh star Gareth Bale, who came on as a 61st minute substitute for Spanish attacking midfielder Isco, and scored a double – the first a stunning overhead kick in the 64th minute and the second seven minutes from normal time, thanks to Liverpool’s goalkeeper Loris Karius’s second blunder of the night.

Zinedine Zidane equalled Bob Paisley (with Liverpool in 1977, 1978 and 1981) and Carlo Ancelotti (with Milan in 2003 and 2007, and with Real Madrid in 2014) by winning his third Champions League. Zidane is only the seventh man (the other six are: Miguel Munoz, Giovanni Trapattoni, Johan Cruyff, Carlo Ancelotti, Frank Rijkaard and Pep Guardiola) to win UEFA’s premier club competition both as a player and a coach. For the record, the 1998 Golden Ball winner had won the Champions League also as a Real Madrid player (after finishing twice on the losing end with Juventus in 1997 and

In the Champions League Final showdown in Kiev, Liverpool was the better side in the

Cristiano Ronaldo, who claimed his fifth Champions League success (one with Manchester United and four with Real Madrid) in his glittering career, had a quiet night in Kiev

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1998) and scored a spectacular winning goal for the Los Blancos in the 2001/02 Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen in a 2-1 in Glasgow.

On their way to the final, Real Madrid finished runners-up in Group H (a group which comprised eventual group winners Tottenham, Borussia Dortmund and APOEL). In the first knock-out stages of the competition, Real Madrid ousted Paris SG (5-2 on aggregate), then Juventus (4-3) and Bayern Munich (43). Ironically, Paris SG, Juventus and Bayern Munich eventually went on to be crowned champions in their respective countries whereas Real Madrid finished only third in the La Liga, no fewer than 17 points behind champions Barcelona.

Liverpool’s march to their eighth European Cup final (they finished runners-up in 1985, 2007 and 2018) was equally spectacular as they topped Group E (ahead of Sevilla, Spartak Moscow and Maribor). In the knockout stages, Liverpool knocked out Porto (5-0 on aggregate), Man City (5-1) and Roma (7-6) in succession.

Liverpool’s defeat to Real Madrid in Kiev coincided with Jurgen Klopp’s sixth straight defeat in a cup final out of overall seven reached. The German tactician had led Borussia Dortmund to an impressive 5-2 win

over Bayern Munich in the 2012 German cup final. But since then, Klopp lost the 2013 (vs.

Bayern Munich 1-2) and the 2018 Champions League finals, the 2016 Europa League final (Liverpool vs. Sevilla 1-3), the 2014 German Cup (Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich 0-2 a.e.t.), the 2015 German Cup (Borussia Dortmund vs. Wolfsburg 1-3) and the 2016 League Cup (Liverpool lost on penalties against Manchester City).

In the Spanish La Liga, Atletico Madrid finished three points above Real Madrid.

Diego Simeone’s men had an awful Champions League campaign as they finished only third in Group C, behind Roma and Chelsea.

Consequently, Atletico Madrid were relegated to UEFA’s second tier competition and on their way to the final, they eliminated Copenhagen (5-1), Lokomotiv Moscow (8-1), Sporting (2-1) and Arsenal (2-1).

Marseille were involved in the Europa League since the start of the competition. After finishing runners-up in Group I behind Red Bull Salzburg, Rudi Garcia’s side knocked out Braga (3-1), Athletic Bilbao (5-2), RB Leipzig (5-3) before crossing swords again with Red Bull Salzburg (2-0 and 1-2 a.e.t.).

The May 16 final showdown in Lyon was a one-sided affair ever since Barcelona-bound Antoine Griezmann put Simeone’s side in

Athletico Madrid Europa Madrid Winners.

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front after 21 minutes and after Marseille captain Dimitri Payet, formerly of West Ham, limped off injured after 32 minutes. Eventually, Griezmann’s second goal of the day just after the break and a Gabi goal a minute from normal time condemned Marseille to their third defeat in as many Europa League final appearances (in 1999 vs. Parma 0-3 in Moscow and in 2004 vs. Valencia 0-2 in Gothenburg).

Spanish clubs’ dominance in European club competitions is highlighted by the fact that the only non-Spanish club to lift a European club competition since season 2013/14 was Manchester United, when in last year’s Europa League final the Red Devils overcame Ajax 2-0 on Swedish soil. Other than that, Sevilla, managed by new Arsenal boss Unai Emery, won three consecutive Europa Leagues in 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16.

On 15 August in Tallinn, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will lock horns against each other. The winner on the night will take home the European Super Cup. For the record, Real Madrid have prevailed in each of their last four participations in this competition – in 2002 vs. Feyenoord 3-1, in 2014 vs. Sevilla 2-0, in 2016 vs. Sevilla 3-2 a.e.t. and in 2017 vs.

Man United 2-1. Atletico have twice featured in this competition – in 2010 vs. Inter 2-0 and in 2012 vs. Chelsea 4-1 – and were twice declared winners.

Major Five European Leagues Round-up…

The writing was on the wall: Manchester City, Juventus, PSG, Bayern Munich and Barcelona triumph

by Antoine Dalli

M

ay brought the curtains down on the five major European Leagues, namely the English Premier League, the Italian Serie A, the Spanish La Liga, the French Ligue 1 and the German Bundesliga.

However, it is no secret that Manchester City, Paris SG, Bayern Munich and Barcelona had made sure of being crowned champions in their respective countries well before the end of the season and the margin of victory over their respective runners-up amply testify their defiant dominance.

The only title race of the five that went all the way almost until the end of the season was in Italy as Juventus made sure of their seventh straight Scudetto after coming from behind and bravely defended their lead over Napoli despite their narrow home defeat against the southerners in the headline grabbing clash of the titans towards the end of the campaign.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City dominated the English Premier League practically from the word go. By the end of the season, the Citizens amassed 100 points, 19 points ahead of bitter rivals Manchester United. Tottenham finished

third with 77 points and Champions League finalists Liverpool finished fourth with 75 points. For Manchester City, this was their fifth title success after the ones in seasons 1936/37, 1967/68, 2011/12 and 2013/14. Earlier in the season, the Sky Blues had annihilated fallen giants Arsenal 3-0 at Wembley to lift their fifth League Cup (with the previous four triumphs coming in seasons 1969/70, 1975/76, 2013/14 and 2015/16).

Outgoing champions Chelsea had a turbulent season and finished fifth with 70 points, seven ahead of sixth placed Arsenal. Antonio Conte’s side took some consolation by winning their eighth FA Cup, their first since season 2011/12 incidentally when they were under the charge of another Italian tactician – Roberto Di Matteo.

Chelsea, Arsenal and Burnley – the surprise package of the season – will be England’s three representatives in next season’s Europa League. At the wrong side of the table, West Bromwich Albion, Stoke and Swansea found their way out of the lucrative Premier League.

In Italy, only four points separated Napoli from Juventus, who went on to lift their 34th Scudetto.

Napoli led the standings for most of the

campaign but as the competition intensified, Maurizio Sarri’s men faltered mainly because of a restricted squad. A remarkable last gasp 1-0 win in Turin against Juventus on the 34th day enabled Napoli to close the gap with Juve to just one point. However, in the following two weekends, against all odds, Napoli were soundly beaten by Fiorentina and then held by mid-table Torino at home to blow their chances of winning their third Scudetto – their first since season 1989/90, at a time when Napoli were captained by a certain Diego Armando Maradona. For the fourth successive season, Juventus completed a domestic double after trashing Milan to the tune of 4-0 in the Coppa Italia final – their 13th success in this competition.

Apart from Juventus and Napoli, Roma and Inter (who overcame Lazio 3-2 in the capital in the do-or-die encounter on the last day) will be Italy’s two other representatives in the 2018/19 Champions League. Lazio, Milan and Atalanta will represent Italy in UEFA’s second tier club competition, the Europa League. At the wrong side of the Serie A table, Benevento, Verona and Crotone were relegated to the Serie B.

In Germany, Bayern Munich had a stuttering start to the season. In October, Bayern’s colourless start led the club to sack veteran

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coach Carlo Ancelotti and re-appoint the coach who had led them to an unprecedented treble in season 2012/13 – Jupp Heynckes.

European champions in 1983 under Ernst Happel, this was their first ever relegation from the Bundesliga.

bankrolled by the club’s shareholders Qatar Sports Investments.

Paris SG won both the French League cup for the fifth successive time (3-0 vs. Monaco) and the French Cup for the fourth successive season (2-0 vs. Les Herbiers). Lyon will be France’s third representatives in the Champions League whereas Marseille, Rennes and Bordeaux will compete in the 2018/19 Europa League. Toulouse and Troyes were relegated to the Ligue 2.

It was later revealed that the former Milan, Chelsea and Paris SG mentor had fallen out with some of the senior players. It turned out to be a wise move as Bayern Munich started firing on all cylinders ever since the 73-year-old Heynckes took over the reins of the team. By the end of the season, Bayern Munich finished a remarkable 21 points above runners-up Schalke 04.

Hoffenheim and Borussia Dortmund finished third and fourth respectively (level on points with 55 points each) in the Bundesliga and will be the other two German representatives in UEFA’s premier club competition.

Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig and eighth placed Eintracht Frankfurt, following their unexpected triumph in the DFB-Pokal Cup at the expense of Bayern Munich, will represent Germany in the 2018/19 Europa League.

Incidentally, Niko Kovac led Eintracht Frankfurt to their fifth success in the DFB-Pokal Cup (their first success since 1988) against his next employers as in mid-April, the former Croatian international midfielder and national team coach was unveiled as Bayern Munich’s new coach on a three-year contract starting from next July.

On the other hand, Wolfsburg, Hamburger SV and FC Cologne were relegated to the Second Bundesliga. For Hamburger SV,

MALTA MALTA

FOUNDED 1959

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In France, Paris SG dethroned Monaco to claim their seventh French Ligue 1 title. By the season’s end, Paris SG, who for the second season were led by Spaniard tactician Unai Emery, collected no fewer than 13 points more than runners-up Monaco.

Emery, who had led unknowns Sevilla to three straight Europa League triumphs between 2013 and 2016, was hired by Paris SG to turn them into a force to be reckoned with in the Champions League. However, in his only two seasons at the helm of the Paris-based club, Paris SG never reached the quarter-final stages of the coveted Champions League (knocked out by Barcelona last year and Real Madrid this year in the first knock-out stages of the competition) despite the huge investments

In Spain, Barcelona lifted their 25th La Liga title – their ninth since season 2004/05. The Catalans also lifted their fourth straight Copa del Rey (at the expense of Sevilla 5-0), overall the 30th cup success in their glorious club history. Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Valencia made a top four finish whereas Villarreal, Real Betis and Sevilla claimed Spain’s three Europa League slots. Deportivo La Coruna, Las Palmas and Malaga finished 18th, 19th and 20th to find their way out of the La Liga.

Reflections of post season

by Michael Gatt on the day. Mourinho’s tactics, where I did not agree with some inclusions such as Sanchez did nothing to help United’s attacking play and penetration in the last third.

Most fans have been accepting of Mourinho’s need to do things his way despite the obvious drawbacks. The football is far from easy on the eye, and the cup final defeat was just another example of a game in which supremely talented players were either stymied due to tactics, given almost no time to impress because of selection, or, worse still, not called upon at all.

P

erformances like the FA Cup Final won’t be forgiven much longer and United fans will soon turn on their manager if next season follows the same pattern. Especially since the first four games of the season, (the Spurs semi-final of the FA cup being an exception), one could say that they were rather super dull games, lacking creativity, played at a very slow pace and most importantly, did not give any hope to the United fans watching.

Facts prove that 2017-18 campaign in which Manchester United have undoubtedly progressed under José Mourinho.

Their second-place finish in the Premier League says much about their increased durability, and as they look to make that next step and truly

compete for a league title again they head into the new season in far better shape than they were 12 months ago, as a starting point. They will be going into Mourinho’s third season with the club already.

Yet the FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea was just the latest reminder that all is not well at Old Trafford, and if Mourinho doesn’t hit the ground running in 2018-19 then sympathy among the United fan base will be in very short supply.

Especially the fact that one can say that they faced a very poor Chelsea team, coming off the back of a three-nil defeat against a struggling Newcastle side. I was present at the FA Cup final, and obviously one could see that United where playing against a lackluster and average team and should have really done much better

Mentioning the Chilean, I really do think he was extremely poor in the past 6 months. When United needed him to come up trumps (in the Champions league games vs Sevilla) and the FA Cup final, he really fell short. The FA Cup final, I believe he couldn’t have been any worse. Next six months will be important for Sanchez. Usually players coming from a foreign league usually take some time to adapt (Vidic and Evra being the stand-outs here), but as he was coming from Arsenal, everyone was expecting much better things. Chile will not be going to the World cup, and he will have a prolonged break, and we all hope that he will turn out a different player next season. It could also be the fact that Mourinho could decide to sell Martial, as it is highly unlikely that the French national will get any playing time with Sanchez around. Martial was not called up to the national squad for the World cup, and this may affect him in a bitter way, in that he may decide to leave the club.

Without Romelu Lukaku in the starting line up

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at Wembley, United had no direction in attack.

But rather than change his plan tactically to play to Marcus Rashford’s attributes, Mourinho simply threw his hands in the air afterwards and cursed Lukaku’s refusal to put his body on the line for longer than the final 20 minutes.

It is far from the first time he has decried the lack of commitment of a player who would not commit to playing through an injury, and from the look of Lukaku’s movement when he did enter in the 73rd minute the Belgian was barely mobile enough to have made an appearance at all.

The vast majority of those who had made the trip to Wembley on Saturday headed for the exits within seconds of the final whistle, so distressed were they with their team’s inability to put together anything resembling a fight in the first half. By the time the United players went up for their medals you could practically count the number of Reds watching on.

While it’s normal for supporters to be downbeat about a cup final loss, the biggest frustration for United fans right now is that their team are not playing to their potential and that is due in large part to the decisions made by their manager.

But if he chooses to adapt the same approach next season then the United fans will not stick with him unless he delivers in a big way. They need to push all the way in the title race, and arguably win it, for him to keep justifying his tactics and his attitude. There can be no more days like Saturday, no more nights like Sevilla.

Mourinho’s insistence on doing everything his own way with complete disregard for the

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consequences and firing broadsides left, right and center when it all goes wrong is not in keeping with the United way.

He may have been given the backing of the board to keep doing what he’s doing, with executive vice-chair Ed Woodward admitting last week that results matter little to the club’s commercial entity, but as soon as he loses the fans he will need to go a long way to win them back and make his continued position at the club tenable.

mer, but with the World Cup starting, this can complicate things for the United manager. Bale will be the number one target and in England only Man City and us could really afford him.

United should seek to strengthen the left back, central midfield (a player to compliment Pogba and Matić), and a right wing should be their priorities. The right-wing position has changed in every game with Mata, Lingard, Martial, Rashford all having a go…After falling out with Luke Shaw, and with Ashley Young being an average player, he will go all out for a left back.

While it should be appreciated that he has moved the club in the right direction, now is the time for him deliver on the greatest stages.

He will buy another 3 or 4 players in the sum-

United need actions now, and with the right signings, and players settling in, they could become less predictable as a minimum, in compared to the previous year.

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