In the moments after Lionel Messi had finally got his hands on the one title he desired more than any other, a trophy that looked destined to elude him, he looked almost serene as he casually strolled around the pitch, hands clasped behind his back, watching on as delirious Argentine fans wept, cheered, and wept some more. There were no tears, just the quiet sense of satisfaction for a man who had finally realised his lifelong ambition.

Following Argentina’s wild and scarcely believable 3-2 victory over Egypt, Messi couldn’t contain himself; the tears flowed and kept on flowing. This just emphasised how close Argentina, the defending champions, were to exiting the competition, and Messi knew that. The jig was up, Messi would bow out, yes, having already achieved his ultimate ambition, but having missed a penalty in a shock defeat against a side which, before this tournament, had never won a knockout match in the World Cup.

Except, as we know, things panned out rather differently. Argentina, having contrived to make life as difficult for themselves as they possibly could, fought back from the brink to extend Messi’s World Cup career for at least one more match. In Qatar in 2022, it was a combination of Messi’s brilliance and Argentina’s dogged fighting spirit which got them over the line in the end.

This time round, they seem to be determined to replicate their last success in the same manner. The issue is, this is more or less the same squad as four years ago, with Lionel Scaloni naming a near-identical squad. Messi’s genius barely needs to be discussed anymore, but this feels like a step too far. Then again, I’ve thought this before.

Why can Argentina go all the way again?

Messi. I could really just end this section here, but let me take a stab at it. The guy has a footballing brain like no other. He doesn’t need to be told what to do, which Scaloni has even acknowledged. He just gets it. He’s built up an encyclopedia of football knowledge that can’t be matched.

Look at his hat-trick in the opening match against Algeria. Yes, undoubtedly, there was some questionable goalkeeping for one, if not two, of his goals. He just doesn’t do what you would expect any footballer to do. The second was essentially a tap-in after the goalkeeper had spilt a ball straight into his path, but he even gives the goalkeeper the eyes on that occasion and passes the ball into the corner nobody was expecting. You could pause a match at any given moment, and he could tell you exactly what position every single player is standing in at that moment. His awareness and understanding of how to manipulate the ball is something which will never leave him.

One trait of his which arguably goes under the radar. Messi’s ability to get to the ball first can go unnoticed. Even if it looks out of reach, even though he’s smaller than almost every opponent he comes up against, he still has enough strength to get his foot to the ball before his opponent, and almost always shows enough poise and composure once he’s gotten to the ball, before making the right decision.

Crucially, Argentina know that Messi doesn’t need to involve himself in the game throughout. He understands when to pick his moments, when to play a pass, when to hold on to the ball, when to shoot. He brings a calmness and confidence not just to the entire team, but to an entire nation. If, for some unfathomable reason, you’re not a fan of Messi, then you’ve probably stopped reading already. But if you truly do love this sport, you understand there won’t be many more chances to watch this guy at work, so just enjoy this last hurrah. Argentina have Messi, so they always have a chance.

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Argentina’s success in 2022 was possible in no small part due to the support from their fans throughout the tournament. There’s almost an entitlement to how they believe it’s their destiny to win it again. Logic suggests that 3-2 wins against Cape Verde and Egypt are hardly a barometer to suggest Argentina will be able to take France or Spain, but emotion is one of Argentina’s great intangibles. So far, for essentially a tournament and a half, it has worked for them. It could easily go the other way, but they’re riding the wave at the moment, and that support is only going to ramp up.

When you’re in the stands watching Messi, even at 39 years old, still do these superhuman things, it’s easy to understand why the Argentina fans still always believe. They always know that as long as they’re within striking distance of their opponent, it will only take one moment. More importantly, the opposition know that it only takes one moment, which immediately creates anxiety and a loss of clear thinking for any team.

Why they won’t go all the way

In a word? France. While Spain are excellent, and will be the biggest threat to France’s chances of reaching a third straight final, France’s firepower will be too much. France would go into any potential rematch with Argentina with a vengeance. With Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, and Michael Olise, all in top form, all firing on all cylinders, I don’t think Argentina have shown at any point they’d be able to deal with that attack, not to mention Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola in reserve. It’s strange to think that Dembélé was hauled off midway through the first half in the final in 2022 with France trailing 2-0.

In 2022, in the most basic terms, Argentina’s strategy was completely tailored towards getting the best out of Messi, which, let’s be fair, is a reasonable tactic. If you have the greatest player to ever play the game, or at least the greatest of the past 40 years, then the idea should be to get the ball to him in as much space as is possible.

The issue with this is that, considering Messi doesn’t run in the same way he did ten years ago, or in fact really run at all, you’re essentially playing with ten men when out of possession. Some would argue that he should be doing a little bit more running when the opposition have the ball, but it actually wouldn’t make sense, as he wouldn’t be able to take up the same positions as he does when he’s able to pick his moments.

You can obviously argue that Messi’s genius more than makes up for that lack of running, but even for Messi, there’s only so far he can take it. He is 39 years old after all, and the pressure on him cannot be compared to anything else in football. We saw what happened in the last World Cup final when, with Argentina having dominated for roughly 70 minutes, France came roaring back, and a lot of it just came down to running power.

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France found a second wind, momentum shifted, and Mbappé just went as direct as he possibly could by constantly running at the Argentine defence. While it wouldn’t really have been deserved, on another day Randal Kolo Muani finishes in the last minute of extra time, and France are celebrating back-to-back World Cup titles. Since that final, the game has moved even more towards athleticism and running power, which isn’t something I’ve loved, and this isn’t something that would suit this Argentina squad at all.

Lastly, on the flip side to what I suggested earlier, Argentina might actually be too emotional. I did suggest this might be the case on a few occasions during the last World Cup in Qatar, but it went their way last time. An implosion is never off the table with this team, and it would hardly be a surprise if Cristian Romero got himself sent off for trying to assault an opposition player. It carried them and got them over the line, just, in 2022, but it always feels like this team is one moment away from a collapse.

Personally, I think this will be one step too far. I’m not sure exactly when France will exit this competition. I wouldn’t be surprised if they lost their quarter-final to Switzerland, though I hope we get to see a semi-final against England, should Thomas Tuchel’s men get past Norway on Saturday. The drama of an Argentina-England semi-final would be phenomenal. What do you think? Will Argentina go back-to-back?

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Following England’s goalless draw with Ghana last night, there has been no sense of overreaction in the media, nor from any of Thomas Tuchel’s squad, and rightly so, but there were elements of this performance which will be giving England’s manager trepidation. England lacked any real guile, and in the moments where they found themselves in promising positions on the edge of the box, they were reluctant to shoot. As England pushed for a winning goal which would have guaranteed top spot in the group, Ghana did have opportunities to win the game, and can probably count themselves unfortunate with a couple of refereeing decisions.

After 10, even 20 minutes of this match, it already seemed quite obvious how this game was going to go. Ghana almost instantly retreated into their 5-4-1 shape, which should be no surprise with a manager like Carlos Queiroz, and the game never got into any flow whatsoever. There were nearly twice as many fouls in this match as has been the average this tournament, as the referee seemed keen to directly contradict every conception we had of this tournament. Despite the fact referees have been quite lenient with their decision-making so far, there was no flow at all to this match. Even the ludicrous hydration breaks seemed to be taken moments after long stoppages in the game, in the pouring rain, in 20°C heat. Figure that one out. Anyway, enough of that.

Does Tuchel need to alter his selection?

Yes, only two matches into the tournament, but it already feels like England might have some selection conundrums to figure out. There is an argument to suggest that Marcus Rashford may be more worthy of a start than Anthony Gordon. Maybe Saka could have been introduced earlier in the game, and would it have been worth giving Kobbie Mainoo 20 minutes? It’s almost certainly unfair to criticise Tuchel for his decision to rotate Nico O’Reilly for Djed Spence, or to start Declan Rice even though he looked fairly gassed after an hour.

The aim was to get the win today, and then manage the squad in the next fixture against Panama, which would have essentially given the majority of this squad a two-week break before their round of 32 tie. Ultimately, Tuchel didn’t want too long to make his move from the bench, and England could have won this game in the end. Then, we’re looking at a gritty, uninspiring 1-0 win, and the narrative of the game shifts to “average performance, but a wins a win”.

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Were England fortunate?

One thing that does wind me up after any match is the tedious debate around refereeing decisions, but it is worth noting that, while the referee didn’t make any obvious howlers, England probably fell on the right side of some decisions. The decision to award a free-kick for a foul on Jordan Pickford was just weird. You could argue it was more of a collision, and the right decision probably would have been a yellow card considering the covering defender would likely have gotten to the ball first, but it’s also unlikely that if a red card had been issued, the referee would have overturned the decision. There was also a challenge from Ezri Konsa in the second half that you could very reasonably argue was a foul considering no contact with the ball was made, though one could also argue that Prince Kwabena Adu was already on his way down when the challenge was made.

Still, no way am I advocating for VAR in any way, and this essentially sums up why VAR isn’t suited to football. The referee made two decisions. Neither was a howler, but both could have been given. Fair? But even now, people will, and are still, debating the decision. On so many occasions has someone told me this or that was a blatant foul, but I’ve just totally disagreed with the decision. Take any two people, and they can analyse, or overanalyse, any decision from the referee. We can look at it a hundred times and still disagree. Again, fine. Simply, people see things differently; it’s not black and white. Don’t try to apply blanket rules to a sport where the rules can be so vague, and where the individuals making the decisions aren’t going to view the game through one single, universal lens. Anyway, that’s enough of that. Just abolish VAR, it’s rubbish.

Are England missing that superstardom?

Hear me out, I’m aware England have the best striker in the world at their disposal, off the back of a frankly ludicrous season for Bayern Munich, but do they lack that real flair or guile? While this might be unfair considering England scored four in their first match, with Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford also on target, if Kane isn’t at his best level, can this England team win the games where they are below par? I guess the pushback here would be that England will look to utilise their set-piece threat to make up for these other shortcomings.

No team is going to play outstandingly well through a tournament, so England may need to prove they can cope without Kane on the pitch. Considering the likely plan would have been to give Kane something of a rest against Panama in their final group match, Tuchel may now be forced to start his talisman in that one. Equally, you’d like to think playing either Rashford or Ollie Watkins up front against Panama, or even in their last-32 tie, wouldn’t be too much of an issue, but then again, resting Kane in a knockout match would be a surprise.

Then there’s Bellingham. A player who, for one reason or another, seems to wind some people up due to his perceived arrogance. There’s no doubt Bellingham is a confident guy, but this seems to then lead to a discussion that he’s actually a problem in the dressing room if things don’t go his way. This is something we have absolutely no idea about, so it’s strange there can be this fixation from some media outlets. But as a player, after Kane, he’s England’s go-to guy. There’s a strong case that Declan Rice is more important to the team, which is something I would subscribe to, but in terms of those real ‘clutch’ moments, after Kane, Bellingham’s your go-to guy. This is a guy who scored a 95th-minute bicycle kick in a knockout match at the last Euros to take the game against Slovakia to extra time, so the evidence is there.

But apart from these two guys, it’s not as obvious. France have a silly amount of match winners in the front line, Spain have Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, Argentina have some little guy, and Brazil have the likes of Vinícius Júnior, Raphinha and even Neymar (potentially). Portugal also definitely have stardom in their frontline, just maybe not in the right way anymore.

Let’s see. As I said, no reason to panic. Beat Panama and everything will be on track, so everyone just needs to remain calm.

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For Spain, when the final whistle blew against the team ranked 67^th in the FIFA world rankings, there was a look of both confusion and fleeting dejection. This result was far from terminal. Wins against both Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in their other two group matches will almost certainly see Spain top the group, and secure what, in theory, is the most straightforward route to the final. This is a talented Saudi Arabia team, but with a fully fit Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams raring to go, it shouldn’t be a problem. Uruguay have quality, but gone are the days they could boast the likes of Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani and Diego Godin. There will be no panic in the Spain camp, not yet anyway. However, this performance and result did emphasise two things which we probably already knew.

Firstly, not having Yamal in your team is, shockingly, not ideal. Not only are they without his outrageous ability, but when he, and Nico Williams for that matter, are absent, Spain have to completely alter their game plan. They quickly lose that speed and dynamism in their play.

Secondly, having achieved complete domination from 2008-2012, winning back-to-back Euros, as well as a first-ever World Cup in between those successes, they completely lost that cutting edge and became incredibly boring to watch. It felt like they were determined to master the infamous horseshoe shape in attack; constant sideways passing but with no focal point and lacking that guile they had from those previous victories. They became predictable and easy to play against.

It really seemed to come to a head, and they almost became a caricature of themselves at the 2018 World Cup when they were beaten by hosts Russia on penalties. It honestly felt like each player played at least 200 passes each, but at no point did they ever truly look like they were going to score a goal. There were echoes of this in the goalless draw with Cape Verde. Yes, the ‘Blue Sharks’ never went hunting for the ball, and were forced to sit deep and soak up pressure, but that was always going to be the case. This match was a classic in the sense that the stats would suggest that Spain thoroughly dominated this match, but they never truly tested the veteran goalkeeper Vozinha in the Cape Verde goal. We’ve seen this game so many times before.

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It will be a worry for Spain. There are better teams than Cape Verde that will be willing to adopt the same tactics against Luis de la Fuente’s side. Maybe it’s as simple as Yamal and Williams are restored to the starting XI, and all these concerns dissipate, but that’s no guarantee either, or both can just pick up where they left off in the Euros in Germany in 2024. Obviously, Yamal is a one-in-a-million talent, but he’s only just returning to fitness, and Williams is coming off the back of a fairly underwhelming campaign for Athletic Club, albeit with injuries not helping.

Assuming both Yamal and Williams come back into the team and perform to similar levels they managed in the last Euros, then that gives this Spanish team a whole other dimension. Just the introduction of Yamal against Cape Verde created a sense of panic. Simply having the option to go wide on either side at all times and stretch the play changes the complexity of the game entirely. Without one or both of their wide men available, it tends to be that Spain look to add even more control into the game, often slotting an additional midfielder into the team, and emphasises this ‘horseshoe effect’. Simply put, no Yamal in this Spanish team means they have no chance of winning this World Cup.

An underrated issue for this Spanish side could be the absence of Álvaro Morata from the squad. Clearly, he’s not been the most prolific goalscorer in his career, and he has just come off the back of a pretty underwhelming campaign in Serie A with Como. Despite this, one of his biggest strengths over the years has been his ability to bring the best out of teammates.

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His work rate and off-the-ball running were hugely beneficial to Yamal and Williams at the Euros and helped create space for the wingers. Also, with Yamal and Williams both in the team, defenders are forced to get tighter when they’re in possession, creating even more space. Yes, Ferran Torres is happy to make off-the-ball runs too, but they’re not quite as subtle as Morata. As I said, it is only one game so there’s really no reason to be panicking just yet. Plenty of teams have started slowly and gone on to win the competition (Spain themselves in 2010, or Argentina in 2022).

The last point I’ll make on this is very much an intangible, but it matters. Morata was/is very much loved in the dressing room. We’ve seen Thomas Tuchel select and defend an ageing Jordan Henderson from the moment he took the reins with England, something which had left me scratching my head. I think it’s safe to say that, while I’m sure Henderson will manage to accumulate a few minutes at this tournament, he hasn’t really been selected for his footballing ability. The players like him, so he’s the vibes guy.

Has de la Fuente missed a trick by not selecting Morata for the very same reason? Fans will bicker about the 25^th or 26^th players selected in World Cup squads, whereas in reality it’s unlikely they’ll get any game time anyway, so getting in a vibes-man probably makes more sense.

Nothing to worry about for Spain just yet, and with fixtures against Uruguay and Saudi Arabia still to come, they’ll be absolutely fine.

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It’s easy to pick out the favourites for the World Cup. Spain, France, Portugal, Argentina and England are probably the most obvious candidates. But dark horses? No, Norway don’t count as dark horses; you can’t be a dark horse if you have Erling Haaland as your centre-forward. Turkey will always be dubbed as dark horses in every tournament for the rest of time (though this is actually the first time they’ve qualified for a World Cup since losing to Germany in the semi-finals in 2002, so maybe they really are). Which of the so-called smaller nations has a chance of causing an upset? Could Curacao pull off the greatest of all shocks by beating Germany in their opening match? I’ve picked out three of each.

Who will flatter to deceive?

Netherlands

The first one could go either way, and it’s the Netherlands, who find themselves in a group along with Japan and Sweden, as well as a Tunisia team that, while not the easiest on the eye in terms of attacking quality, should at least be quite resolute with their defensive work. While it’s quite difficult to envisage any of the bigger nations going out at the group stage, given the majority of third-place teams will progress to the round of 32, this group won’t be viewed quite as favourably as it would have done six months ago.

I’ll get onto Japan later on, but Sweden appear to be somewhat reinvigorated under Graham Potter. Having finished bottom of their World Cup qualifying group, Potter was ushered in to essentially save the team in the play-offs, which he managed with wins over Ukraine and Poland, which presumably brings the curtain down on Robert Lewandowski’s international career, or at least his last potential World Cup appearance. Their pathway into the play-offs was earned through the fairly ludicrous fact that they topped their Nations League Group C in 2025. While this is far from a vintage Swedish team, they do still have the likes of Aleksander Isak, Viktor Gyökeres and Lucas Bergvall in their ranks.

I was pretty underwhelmed by Gyökeres’s performances this season, but there was a notable improvement in the second half of the campaign. With Isak, I’ll stubbornly stand by what I said when he joined Liverpool last summer; that he’s the most complete centre-forward in world football. I’ll put last season’s struggles down to poor planning from Liverpool, fitness issues having had no pre-season, and the small matter of suffering a broken leg while scoring against Spurs. At his best, and with a team built to get the best out of him, I’m still backing him to come good under Andoni Iraola.

Despite Sweden’s dreadful form during the World Cup qualifiers, Potter seems to have brought some positivity to the group. International football is less about tactics, and more about harnessing a group of players and trying to cultivate a club-like atmosphere, given how little time there is to prepare. Whatever you say about Potter’s tactical insight, which took a hit mainly due to taking rather unstable jobs at Chelsea and West Ham, his man-management has always stood out. It’s well known that he has a degree in Emotional Intelligence, which, frankly, comes across when he speaks. Gareth Southgate mastered this side of the job to a point where it nearly brought silverware for England. While Sweden’s squad is not of the same calibre, it’ll be more than good enough to cause a scare or two to Ronald Koeman’s team.

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Argentina

Yes, I’m going to go for the champions to go out with a bit of a whimper. There are a few reasons I think this. Firstly, and quite simply, I don’t rate their squad as a particularly daunting prospect for many teams. Emiliano Martínez, a key player from Argentina’s win in 2022, hasn’t had the best of seasons with Aston Villa, albeit having improved as the season wore on. A centre-back pairing of Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez, while clearly not short of passion and tenacity, is not a pair that would fill me with confidence if things start to go awry. In midfield, Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister are just off the back of poor seasons individually, while Rodrigo De Paul is now plying his trade in the MLS, and with the greatest of respect, the level is simply not as high as the European leagues.

Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez have had good seasons with Atlético Madrid and Inter, so there shouldn’t be too many issues there. I know the consensus, particularly for fans of the Premier League, is that Martínez is not a quality striker, but he consistently scores goals in Serie A, and he was arguably the standout player as Argentina retained the Copa América two years ago. Then there’s that other fella, Lionel Messi. Most people who aren’t Argentinian probably think it was set for Messi to retire having achieved his lifelong dream in winning the World Cup in Qatar, but here we are, and a 39-year-old Messi is going for one last dance. To be honest, there’s a chance this tournament gets played at walking pace due to the weather conditions, and if that’s the case, then there’s really nobody better than Messi in that situation.

The other reason I think they’ll struggle is due to the fact that nobody has ever wanted something as much as Argentina, and obviously Messi in particular, wanted that last World Cup. It’s rare for an entire squad to show such tunnel vision to want to win a World Cup for someone else as much as the Argentina squad wanted to win that World Cup for Messi. They did all his running for him, and rightly so, and they’re going to have to do the same again this time round. Don’t get me wrong, selfishly they obviously wanted the win for themselves too, but they obviously recognised that for that to happen, giving Messi the platform to do his stuff would always be their best chance.

It was the first time that Argentina’s squad looked truly united and aligned while Messi has been involved, and while the squad is almost identical to 2022, there will be a drop-off.

…England?

Yes, this is slightly tongue-in-cheek, but I just don’t know what to expect from England in this tournament. Part of me thinks it really could go either way, where they either crash out in the round of 32 quite meekly, or they go all the way to the final. The obvious answer is to say it will be smack bang in the middle, lose narrowly in the quarter finals. My concern is with the squad that Tuchel has picked. Yes, doubting Tuchel’s judgement may seem folly, but considering the sweltering conditions that are likely to be in play, this surely isn’t a squad built for these conditions.

A midfield trio of Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson and either Morgan Rogers or Jude Belllingham, while extremely talented, aren’t the type to look after the ball as well as Spain or Portugal. Can we really compare this trio to Vitinha, João Neves, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva? If those four have possession of the ball, will the opposition ever manage to get hold of the ball again? I guess Fernandes will always look to play that killer pass, so possession will be relinquished at some point.

England’s midfield, by design, will be extremely difficult to play through, and possesses the power and athleticism not many other teams in the competition can match, but I don’t think that’s conducive to what will be needed at this tournament. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to do Rice and Anderson a disservice, as both are extremely powerful and effective ball carriers, but lack that finesse. Will we see Mainoo more often than we may have initially anticipated? You would have to presume so, given Adam Wharton hasn’t been selected, which is presumably down to his lack of athleticism compared to Rice and Anderson. Honestly, I think a semi-final appearance would be a great achievement for this squad.

Part of me thinks Thomas Tuchel will be their biggest asset, but equally, and while I love Tuchel’s forthright nature, six weeks with the guy is a long time. That’s slightly unfair, as I have zero insight into what he’s actually like around the training ground, but if his press conferences are anything to go by, then it wouldn’t be a major surprise if he fell out with one or two of the players. In reality, Tuchel is clearly an incredibly astute and emotionally intelligent guy, so the likelihood is he’ll manage the situation just fine. Still, I worry about England’s squad in the heat of the U.S. or Mexico. I know every nation will have to deal with this, but it’s often been a problem for England in these tournaments. What definitely helps is having the best centre forward in the world, so they shouldn’t need to create a hatful of chances to score a few goals.

On a side note, give me credit for not mentioning a certain you know who when talking about Portugal. I have simply made my point enough times by now.

Dark Horses

Japan

From watching as many clips as possible, as well as reading copious amounts of analyses, I suspect that Japan will be one to watch out for in this tournament. Their head coach Hajime Moriyasu has been talking up their chances of winning the tournament in recent weeks. While that is most likely a stretch, I’m backing them to top their group over the Netherlands and Sweden, despite a number of injuries in the build-up to the tournament, most notably Kaoru Mitoma being ruled out of the whole tournament. Surprisingly, Japan have never progressed beyond the last 16 of a World Cup, so at the very least, assuming they top the group as I’m predicting, then that would already put them down as successful dark horses, right? The prospect of captain Wataru Endo potentially missing their opener against the Netherlands will also be a major concern. However, the strength of Japan lies with the collective, as opposed to any individual player, and the beauty of this team is that regardless of what players are missing, they will still play the same way.

Japan raced through qualification with their speed in play when on the ball, and their incessant pressing when out of possession. They are direct when they have the ball, as has proved evident when they have been given the opportunity to counter-attack on opposition teams, which is often the case given they’re happy to allow their opponents to dominate the ball. This is a team that beat both Spain and Germany in the group stages of the last World Cup in Qatar, so this shouldn’t come as a major surprise. A common sight will be this Japanese team working the ball quickly to their forward players in one-v-one positions, so they’re definitely going to entertain.

Ecuador

Ecuador come into this competition having conceded just five goals in their eighteen qualifiers. By scoring just 14 goals, they are not exactly a team who are likely to entertain during this tournament. For Premier League fans, no doubt you’ll be surprised to hear that Enner Valencia, at the age of 36, is very much still doing a job up front. It’s been close to ten years since Valencia left the Premier League, and while I don’t have much recollection of his exploits in England, I strangely vividly remember him scoring an absolute rocket against Hull City. How about that for some pointless football trivia?

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As outlined above, Ecuador’s progress through the tournament will be based on their ability to keep things tight and wear teams down. PSG’s Willian Pacho, Arsenal’s Piero Hincapie and Moises Caicedo of Chelsea will be key components in an Ecuador team looking to go beyond the round of 16 for the first time. Caicedo, whose suspension was mysteriously lifted prior to this tournament with no reason provided (which has nothing to do with Cristiano Ronaldo also having a ban surreptitiously lifted), is arguably the most important cog in this team. While coming off the back of a so-so season with Chelsea, you would still expect Caicedo’s form to be critical to his side’s success. Ecuador only qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 2002, but since then they’ve always managed to win at least one match in each year they’ve qualified.

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend staying up into the early hours to watch their games against Ivory Coast and Curaçao, but expect to see them in the knockout stages of this tournament.

Haiti

This is, admittedly, a wildcard. I don’t like to say this, as I really do want to see Scotland, and, in particular, Scott McTominay, do well, but it would just feel incredibly Scotland to lose their opening match against Haiti. Then, it just feels inevitable that Scotland would go on to beat Brazil in their final group match, only to find out that they miss out as one of the best-placed third-place teams by one goal, or a completely avoidable/egregious yellow card. Something silly.

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I won’t pretend I’ve been keeping up to date with Haitian football over the years. It’s their first World Cup since 1974, so I’d like to think they aren’t under major pressure to win matches. Their penultimate warm-up match was a 4-0 win against New Zealand. While not the most formidable of opponents, it still shows they have some pedigree. For Scotland, this is being viewed as their must-win match. Being in a group with Brazil and Morocco, while maybe not as daunting a prospect as would have been the case in other years, still means the likelihood is you’ll want to beat Haiti in your opening match if you want to qualify as one of the best-placed third-place teams, at least. Steve Clarke has clearly done an excellent job in qualifying for two European Championships during his tenure, as well as Scotland’s first World Cup since 1998. However, on both of those appearances at the two most recent Euros, Scotland have fallen flat when it came to delivering on the pitch.

Let’s see, these predictions often make me look very foolish. If I had to choose a winner overall, I would be going with Portugal, but that is under the pretence of one very specific condition. Let’s call it rotation. Top goalscorer? If Lamine Yamal is fit from the off, I can see him racking up the goals in the group stages, and Spain are also likely to be in the latter stages of the competition, though Portugal should also score plenty in the group stage. Really, Spain shouldn’t even be contemplating rushing Yamal back in any way for their first game, though getting him some minutes is obviously important, presuming he’s fit enough to feature. The silliness will get underway tonight, so brace yourself.

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It’s been a while since I’ve written one of these; I’ve had a few busy months moving into my first home, though plenty of football has still been watched over the past few months! With the World Cup bafflingly close already, there should be plenty of content written over the next few weeks. It was a strange second half of the season. I consistently backed Arsenal to get over the line in the league, mostly because I just don’t believe Manchester City’s squad is as strong as many others would believe. They did it, it was a grind, so let’s get into it.

From an Arsenal perspective, it started with a scrappy, uninspiring, if not comfortable 1-0 win at Old Trafford, with Altay Bayindir flapping at a cross under pressure from William Saliba, allowing Riccardo Calafiori to nod in the only goal. It set the tone for much of what was to come throughout the campaign. Arsenal had one objective this season: to win the league at whatever cost. Throughout the campaign, it seemed as if Arsenal were destined to give up the initiative, only for City to hand it straight back. Admittedly, I was pretty confident that Liverpool would go from strength to strength this season and go back-to-back in the Premier League for the first time. I obviously wasn’t the only one in being way off the mark in this regard.

After a month of football, where Liverpool had failed to play well, but won their first five matches of the season, I felt vindicated. However, performances continued to disappoint, then results began to dissipate, and it became clear that Arsenal were the favourites. The sheer quality of depth in the Arsenal squad made them stand out above the rest of the pack, with City, a team very much in a transitional period, likely to be their closest challenger. Around Christmas time, when Aston Villa had embarked on a sensational run of form to lift themselves into the top three, and effectively have one foot in the Champions League next season, it looked like we could have a three-way race for the title, but that never seemed likely. The path seemed clear for the Gunners to finally make this season count, but they found themselves in a battle of attrition with, well, themselves.

It felt like numerous opportunities were spurned by Arteta’s men to make this season something of a procession, but they just couldn’t quite give themselves that breathing space. Even so, I still never felt that City would have the quality in depth to put a run together, and so it turned out. Then, close to the finish line, came Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat at home against Bournemouth, where it felt as if the atmosphere was ready to turn toxic, if it hadn’t done already. That was the only moment this season where I felt that, actually, not only is there a mental block stopping these Arsenal players from truly expressing themselves, but Arteta, despite doing an incredible job since taking charge in December 2019, may in fact be the ‘one before The One’. Even from a rival fan who has quite enjoyed the drama of watching Arsenal seemingly trip up over themselves time and again, it made for pretty uncomfortable viewing.

It was the tightest of margins. On one hand, Arsenal could easily have been celebrating the greatest season in the club’s history, with the finest of margins denying them becoming only the fourth English side to win a league and Champions League double. In another world, this could have been one of the ultimate nearly campaigns for Mikel Arteta’s men, akin to Bayer Leverkusen in 2002, with his side seemingly dead set on ensuring their fans’ stress levels remained high from start to finish. If Arsenal had failed to land their first league title in 22 years, coupled with the agonising defeat on penalties against PSG, there would genuinely have been talk of whether Arteta was the right man to take the final step of securing that elusive league title, rightly or wrongly. Instead, the outcome was probably the fairest conclusion. To call Arsenal Premier League champions feels like a fitting finale, but for this squad to be dubbed the champions of Europe would have felt somewhat disingenuous, and probably not a fair reflection of how the season panned out. But then again, their only defeat in the Champions League this season was a penalty shootout defeat to the team almost everybody would agree have been the standout team in world football over the past 18 months.

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This just shows how fine the margins were this season. I don’t think there’s much doubt that Arsenal have been the best team in the Premier League this season, or at least the most effective. Having come up short last season, in a season where City fell apart during an awful run of form during the middle period, it felt like this season was always going to be the ideal opportunity to seize the initiative, particularly considering how Liverpool’s form tailed off after their initial run of wins. However, the way they’ve gone about it, while completely understandable, leaves a lot to be desired. That’s what makes next season so intriguing. Now that Arsenal have finally got that monkey off their back, and given the relative period of transition one can expect from all their rivals, it seems set up for Arsenal to create their own dynasty.

I’ve likened it to Rory McIlroy winning the Masters. Having finally overcome what seemed like an insurmountable mountain by winning the Masters in 2025, he then went back-to-back with a (relatively) comfortable win in this year’s edition. It just emphasised the pressure he felt during all those years trying to climb the peak. What was all the fuss about? With Arsenal now having shaken that tag of nearly men, will the shackles now come off? It might not seem likely, but having watched Arteta’s men register just shy of 25% possession against PSG, albeit with game state playing a major role in that, and bearing in mind you would hardly come out of that match thinking PSG thoroughly dominated the match, you still have to wonder: could Arsenal have shown a bit more in the game? They were never going to try to go toe to toe with this PSG side, and rightly so, but still, I feel they could have shown more. Next season might be an opportunity for Arsenal to put even greater emphasis on the Champions League (yes, unbeaten this season, I know), as I don’t think winning the Premier League will require an outstanding performance.

City will surely need some time to find their feet under Enzo Maresca. Man United were excellent under Michael Carrick in the second half of the campaign, but with the obvious caveat of having an unprecedentedly low number of games to contend with. Chelsea appear to be embarking on yet another period of transition, though appear to have made the best decision in years with the appointment of Xabi Alonso. Liverpool? I don’t know. Having heaped praise on them last summer following their busy transfer window, I now look at their squad and feel like they need to make a number of signings to fit some round pegs into those round holes. I hold my hands up when it comes to Liverpool. I was blinded by the acquisitions of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz. I’m delighted Andoni Iraola has been given the sort of opportunity his work at Bournemouth has merited, but it’s not clear how much he’ll be able to scale up at Liverpool. The fact Liverpool possessed some of the lowest running stats in the league doesn’t make for great reading for a manager like Iraola.

Arsenal, on the other hand, possess a squad already ready-made to challenge for honours on all fronts. My point earlier likening Arsenal’s title win to McIlroy winning the Masters is purely based on that feeling of liberation that will likely be felt all around the club right now. Arteta will surely harness that energy while that feel-good factor is emanating throughout the club. Two things weigh heavily in Arsenal’s favour going into next season. The first being that, quite simply, Pep Guardiola is no longer managing City. Even in this season of transition, City could very easily have won a domestic treble. Yes, any transition is helped by the obvious financial muscle that City can flex, but it was still an impressive campaign, nonetheless. My feeling is that if Guardiola had decided to give it one more season, this City squad would win the league next season. Now, I’d be surprised if they were to mount any sort of sustained title challenge, despite the squad being in a healthy place. It’s not a perfect squad, but it’s one built with the future in mind.

The second is that, with that weight now lifted, and, to a certain degree, that pressure being alleviated, Arsenal may now feel that the shackles are off, to whatever extent that is possible under someone as intense as Arteta. Whether that actually materialises is the biggest question. I’ve debated this with plenty of people over the past couple of weeks, and I’m probably downplaying how big a shift it would be from the strategy Arteta has implemented over the past few seasons. Can Arsenal evolve into a more rounded, balanced team? Arsenal fans should rightly enjoy the good times now, but it would be interesting to see if their patience is tested if the same tactics are applied over the next few years. It’s probably contingent on how successful they are, but even with success, I suspect some fatigue would set in eventually.

The easiest comparison to Arteta’s current iteration of Arsenal is Jose Mourinho’s first stint at Chelsea. The Chelsea players, not accustomed to winning at that point, were in awe of Mourinho, blinded by his charm. It’s again very difficult to argue with that given the success Chelsea had at the time, but the players grew weary of this level of intensity. Where Mourinho struggled was to then evolve that team into one which plays a more expansive game. What managers have been able to shift their gameplan so significantly from one plan to another? Arteta is a smart guy, so I’m sure he will have a plan to evolve the team, though equally, it’s difficult to know how long he’ll remain with Arsenal. There is potentially a window now for Arsenal to capitalise on, and Arteta may have no interest in entertaining the neutrals. Fair enough.

It was interesting listening to Luis Enrique talk after the game on Saturday. The emphasis was very much on the importance of PSG ‘enjoying’ themselves on the pitch. It’s pretty common by now for a manager to talk about giving their players freedom on the pitch to express themselves, but in a modern game which is producing more and more micro-managers, allowing that degree of liberty is rarely the case, certainly at the highest level. Enrique really did want to hammer home this point, though. There’s no doubt he’s an astute and detailed tactician, and brings a fierce intensity with him, but he clearly places a lot of emphasis on this level of autonomy too. So, if players are allowed to express themselves in this manner, are playing some of the best football we’ve seen in recent years, and are winning all the biggest trophies, you’re going to face little adversity. There is always the possibility that ego can override even the humblest of individuals, so that will be a test of Enrique’s man-management.

It’s also worth considering how much energy this season will have taken out of this Arsenal squad. Just watching on TV felt exhausting most of the time, so I can’t imagine how that felt for the fans in the stadium, let alone the players on the pitch. I do think Arteta is very clearly a smart guy, who knows how to manage and bring people together. Though again, we have seen a similar siege mentality-like steeliness with Mourinho at his previous clubs, and that can become mentally draining for the players. While Arsenal won’t be alone in having players go to this summer’s World Cup, there won’t be many clubs, if any, that will have played the same number of games as the Gunners have accumulated this season.

Arsenal played a total of 63 matches in all competitions last season. Throw in a number of international breaks scattered through the season, and there are players that would be playing close to 70 matches overall, which is clearly an issue. PSG really struggled in the first half of the season, and you can probably put it down to the standard of Ligue 1 that nobody was able to capitalise and take advantage, although Lens did give it a good go. Before a ball was kicked last season, I suggested Chelsea would suffer a dip around the midway point of the season, which very much came to be. It’s difficult to say whether we can definitively put that down to the accumulation of fixtures and fatigue, or simply down to Chelsea being a little bit of a basket case. Safe to say, it’s probably both. A more fitting comparison would be Liverpool in the 2021/22 season, when Jurgen Klopp’s side played the maximum number of matches in a campaign. Funnily enough, that season it was also 63, playing two more fixtures in the League Cup and two fewer in the Champions League, due to the previous format. The following season Liverpool finished in 5^th place, so there was definitely some element of a hangover from the previous campaign.

For now, the focus for Arsenal will be on retaining the league title next season, while going one further in the Champions League. Arsenal are entitled to bask in the glory of this title win, and while my tribalistic mindset wouldn’t allow me to root for them, it’s genuinely lovely to see how much it means to the fans. Time to focus on the World Cup for the next two months.

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On the face of it, the competitive nature in English football is generally perceived as a positive. Brentford are currently riding high, just five points off what is likely to be enough for Champions League football next season. Bournemouth continue to punch above their weight season after season under Andoni Iraola. Nottingham Forest finished 7^th last season, and qualified for European competition for the first time in 30 years. This sounds like the ideal football landscape, right? Well, when you consider the outlay on signings made by the so-called smaller clubs in the Premier League in recent seasons, it’s no surprise that they have been able to regularly compete at a high level, closing the gap on the elite clubs in the process.

The problem is that these smaller clubs in England are now able to outspend elite clubs across Europe, and it is a trend which only seems to be heading in one direction. According to Transfermarkt, since the start of the 2022/23 season, Nottingham Forest’s net spend exceeds €360 million. In the same period, Inter, winner of Serie A in the 2023/24 season, as well as Champions League finalists in 2023 and 2025, have had a net spend of roughly €85 million.

Bear in mind, Forest were only promoted to the Premier League in the summer of 2022. This concentration of wealth has seen the quality of player in the Premier League rise significantly. Even while we marvel at the achievements of Sunderland so far this season, this is off the back of a summer where their net spend exceeded €160 million.

It’s not just the playing side either, with the calibre of coach now operating in the Premier League at an all-time high. The likes of Iraola, Marco Silva and Oliver Glasner have been linked with clubs such as Manchester United and Bayern Munich over the last couple of years, and with good reason. Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte were all competing against one another in 2022. The quality of coaches, playing staff and resources in comparison to some of the biggest clubs in Spain, Germany and Italy is unprecedented. There are numerous examples, but the likes of Mattheus Cunha (Atletico Madrid to Wolves), Mohammed Kudus (Ajax to West Ham) and Sandro Tonali (AC Milan to Newcastle) are three obvious examples of players swapping traditional European heavyweights for middling Premier League clubs.

There’s a chance I’m already losing people here, so let’s look at how that level of quality acquisition has affected the playing field in English football, and look at some of the positives to come from this.

Quantity of quality closes the gap

With only 12 points separating Man Utd in 4^th to Sunderland in 12^th, this creates genuine excitement that some of the less-fancied teams could spring a surprise and challenge for the European places. Aston Villa have remained on the periphery of a title challenge since Christmas, Brentford don’t look like they’re going anywhere, while the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea find themselves looking over their shoulders. Those guaranteed three points against more modest opposition look less like a guarantee with every week that passes. Even Wolves managed to take a point off league leaders Arsenal, although that was arguably down to Arsenal losing a battle with themselves.

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Whether this season is a bit of a one-off or whether this is a trend only heading in one direction remains to be seen, though it’s possible the days of clubs accruing 90+, or even 95+ points, are now a thing of the past. For a league that often anoints itself as the best league in the world, or later reframing itself as the most entertaining league in the world, it is now living up to that billing, in the sense that there are very few guarantees for any side.

Arsenal playing while wearing the world’s tightest strait jacket certainly adds to the fun, and while it’s easy for everyone to assume Manchester City will now embark on one of their customary winning runs and stroll to the league title, I don’t trust this City team to necessarily get the job done. I have nothing against Arsenal as a club, but potentially watching them unravel would be a lot of fun; the only problem is the club that is waiting in the wings to take advantage. Still, it will be incredibly intriguing to see how this title race plays out.

What has really been a leveller between the top sides and the smaller clubs is the tactical sophistication of some of these clubs, both on and off the pitch. The recruitment at clubs such as Brighton and Bournemouth, season after season, is hugely impressive.

If you include the goalkeeper position, Bournemouth sold four of their back five last summer, and despite a tricky middle period during the season, are now in contention for a European place. A lot of that is down to the exceptional coaching from Iraola, supported by the diligent work of Bournemouth’s recruitment team. Brighton have proved to be the masters of this in recent years. Despite regularly selling their best players, including Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella and Leandro Trossard, they still continue to recruit well and punch above their weight, though recent results suggest their trajectory might be heading in the opposite direction.

Southampton are a classic case in point for this. Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman had the Saints challenging for the European places, despite selling their best players, and eventually, this caught up with the club. This just emphasises the potential pitfalls for these clubs. Getting to a position of challenging for the European places is an achievement in itself, but sustaining that, whilst keeping fans happy in the interim, is a challenge for owners. The temptation is to make a big splash in the transfer market, or, as it’s officially known, to do a Leeds and spend money as if your club is now a regular fixture in these positions. Unfortunately, with how modern football is set up, breaking that ceiling is an almost insurmountable task for these middling clubs.

What does this increase in quality actually produce?

The most important question I’ll pose here is, are you enjoying this Premier League season so far? If yes, why? There are high-calibre footballers throughout the division. There are some of the most astute and tactical minds operating in the league at the moment, but are we witnessing an equal level of entertainment? It’s not to say I’m not enjoying this campaign so far, but the sharp swing towards an emphasis on control and set pieces is not actually enhancing the viewing experience. Fans have so little patience these days that coaches feel it necessary to win at whatever cost.

That’s perfectly fine, and fans displaying passion for their teams, as if they’re the ones going to war, is one of the reasons I love football. The irrational mentality of a football supporter will always be something that appeals to me. It doesn’t make sense that my mood can be so affected by one football result. If United play on a Saturday afternoon, and lose, that’s my weekend ruined (not really, but I need a couple of hours to decompress).

With that said, and with fans unwilling to accept anything other than instant success, coaches know success in the short-term is vital for them just to stay in a job. With more and more football and less time to train, it’s only normal that these coaches look to set pieces as a means of scoring ‘cheap’ goals. Arsenal, while not the most pleasing on the eye, have essentially mastered the art of blocking at corners, allowing their most potent headers of the ball – namely Gabriel – a free run to score. Brentford’s effectiveness from long throw-ins has been one of the key components of their season. It’s not necessarily a criticism of these teams or coaches, but it just doesn’t make for pleasant viewing.

You see how Arsenal will take as much time as possible before Declan Rice or Bukayo Saka swing in one of their pinpoint crosses. I’m pretty sure there’s an element of attempting to affect the opposition team’s concentration as much as trying to get all their guys lined up and in prime position to attack the ball once it arrives. This stop-start, controlled nature of the game reduces the element of risk, and VAR only plays into that (though that’s all I’ll say on VAR, otherwise I really will be that man yelling at clouds).

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As I said, it’s effective, but is that why we’re watching football? There’s probably a wider argument that goes far beyond football in all of this. We’ve become so accustomed to instant gratification in general that it’s only natural for football fans to demand instant success. I’m veering into a wider issue altogether, so it’s best I stick to football for now!

European success is the real proof of English clubs dominance

Ultimately, the real measure of success for English clubs can be seen in how the English clubs have fared in European competition this season. Five English clubs finished in the top 8 of the Champions League, with Newcastle being the exception, though their first leg result has basically guaranteed there will be six English teams in the last 16. Villa managed to secure a top two finish in the Europa League’s league phase, while Forest, having recently sacked their third coach this season, and currently sitting in 17^th place in the Premier League table, swept aside Fenerbahçe in their play-off first leg in Turkey. Crystal Palace, in what has been a difficult campaign to date, are still considered favourites to win the Conference League. It all points to English dominance in the wider sense of the game. If it continues on this trajectory, it will only become more lopsided.

It is worth noting that, in the Champions League, the strength of the English clubs has not really translated into title winners. Only three clubs, City, Chelsea and Liverpool, have won the competition in the past ten years. That could be put down to the high level of competition in the Premier League, ensuring the English clubs rarely have “free” games in comparison to their European counterparts, or the fact that most title races in the Premier League have often gone to the final day of the season, meaning fatigue plays a part.

Last year’s final, while not including any English clubs, saw PSG dominate an ailing Inter side. Inter had gone to the latter stages of all competitions, including missing out on the title on the final day of the season, while PSG had the Ligue 1 title wrapped up weeks in advance. So, at least this balances things out, to some extent.

So, what do you think? Do you share my sentiment, or am I that old guy yelling at clouds?

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A conclusion that seemed inevitable following the draw with Leeds on Sunday afternoon, or more specifically, following the post-match press conference after the 1-1 draw at Elland Road, Manchester United have sacked Ruben Amorim, and the pressure is now on INEOS to get the next appointment right. The decision to reward Erik Ten Hag with a new contract after the club’s FA Cup success in May 2024 was followed by his sacking later that year, but this was viewed as a reasonable decision for the club to take at the time. The appointment of Amorim was supposed to usher in a new era at the club. Instead, it feels like a combination of Deja vu, bewilderment and genuine angst among the fanbase. This news came as a shock to me when I read the news yesterday morning, as it still seemed Amorim and the board were aligned on the current trajectory the club is on. It turns out Amorim’s immunity to being sacked has now run out.

A failed experiment

When United appointed Amorim, they appeared to be providing a resounding riposte to anyone who had criticised the club in the past for not having a refined style or play, or even a modern-day structure. Following Alex Ferguson’s retirement, United seemed determined to operate purely off ‘vibes’, and hoped the next manager would be able to pick up where Ferguson left off. It became apparent pretty quickly that the club needed to modernise, and under the stewardship of INEOS, it finally seemed as if the club had recognised the changes needed. Hiring the likes of Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox and Dan Ashworth were seen as overdue appointments. Even with Ashworth departing within a year of his arrival at the club, you could at least spin that as the club acting swiftly to change something that’s not working, rather than persevering with a decision they don’t fully believe in. You could accept mistakes being made, the fact that the club were at least trying to streamline was being viewed as a positive.

However, the bottom line is, when you hire a manager such as Amorim, who has a very clear idea of how football should be played, then you need to go all in and back the coach. Whether you believe Amorim would have gone on to be a success at United, we’ll obviously never know, and deciphering what success looks like at United in 2026 is even harder to determine. I’ve always maintained that it’s incredibly difficult to say Amorim would have been a success, but he needed to be given at least one full season in charge before we can even begin to make a judgement on that. Yes, the results lately, and really over the past 12 months, have been underwhelming, but United still sit in 6^th place in the table, outside of what will likely be a Champions League place only on goal difference. This is something of a false position, no doubt, and you would expect the other challengers, Chelsea, Brighton, Bournemouth, maybe even Spurs, to find some consistency during the second half of the season. So, from that perspective, you could say that United have made the best decision possible, given there is still plenty of the season remaining. I find myself flip-flopping on whether this is the right call or not. Ultimately, if there has been some sort of fallout between Amorim and the board, then there’s really no debating the decision.

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So, who comes in next?

With Darren Fletcher set to assume first-team responsibilities on an interim basis, the board really do have to get the next appointment right. Amorim was supposed to be the project manager, so will the club continue with this line of thinking and go for another project guy? Oliver Glasner and Andoni Iraola are the two standout names, in my opinion. They’ve proven they can be successful in the Premier League, and given the additional resources they would enjoy at United, you would imagine the ceiling could be relatively high. My preference would be Iraola. His teams play high-octane, high-energy football that is hugely entertaining, but carries with it significant risk. We’ve seen Marcelo Bielsa deploy similar tactics with Leeds, with great success, but when it goes wrong, it really goes wrong. This season, Bournemouth have really struggled to consistently implement this style of play, though we’ve seen improvements on that front in recent weeks. It’s also worth noting that they lost four of their back five from last season, and as good a coach as Iraola clearly is, you can’t expect the guy to pull miracles out when he’s constantly losing his best players.

It’s not impossible, but I don’t see United going down the route of a Carlo Ancelotti or a Zinedine Zidane. There does appear to be a recognition that the game has moved on from these slightly more old-school managers and more towards the technocrat. Thomas Tuchel is another man who will be available in the summer, but given he is unlikely to be available until roughly mid-July, depending on England’s run in the World Cup, it’s unlikely he’ll be the man chosen. One thing is for sure, and this is nothing against Fletcher, who is seemingly a studious, detail-oriented coach, but let’s not consider the possibility of the interim being kept in charge beyond his summer remit. I’ve previously said that, if United are dead set on making a managerial change midway through this season, then they should bring Ole Gunnar Solskjaer back with a clear mandate; this job is yours until the summer. On the face of it, that appears to be what the club are doing with Fletcher, so I’m okay with this decision. Just for the record, I think Solskjaer did a good job in his stint as United boss, but let’s not go back down that road again. If Fletcher is happy to do it, let him take the team for the rest of the season, and spend the next six months ensuring you’ve done your due diligence on the next guy.

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Improve player recruitment

Personally, I think United’s recruitment during the summer was solid, but not spectacular. The signings of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, both Premier League proven quality footballers, was smart business, in my eyes. They are adaptable players who are not wedded to Amorim’s 3-4-3 system; they’re both proven at this level, and they both have a point to prove, having now taken that next step to a bigger club, with respect to both Brentford and Wolves. These players were signed to improve United in the short to medium term, and to get United consistently finishing in the top 4/5 positions in the league. I don’t think these are players that win you Premier League titles, but that’s not where United are right now. Benjamin Sesko is a project signing, and yes, there are no guarantees he will be a success just yet, but shopping for strikers is tough these days.

The one glaring omission from United’s perspective is the failure to land a central midfielder. One who had the presence to boss a midfield, bully opposition and break up the game effectively. Basically, everyone’s looking to sign the next N’Golo Kante, which is easier said than done. The word out of the club was they didn’t want to spend weeks and months pursuing a target in this position, only to end up with egg on their face after two months of negotiations (see Frenkie de Jong in the summer of 2022). So, the club decided to focus on players like Mbeumo and Cunha. Players they knew were attainable at a slightly inflated price. Considering how United have been stung in recent seasons, I actually backed this approach in the summer, and I’m not sure the board could have done much else. Maybe I’m being too kind on the scouting department, but either way, a central midfielder has to be, and I suspect will be, the top priority next summer. It’s been a position that United have basically spent the last ten years trying and failing to rectify, and the next manager will need the board to step up,

Overall, I have no doubt United will make a few questionable decisions over the next six months, some of which I’ll ultimately come to agree with out of pure loyalty to the cause, and then I’ll probably be writing something similar to this in 18 months. Let me know what you think of the situation at United. How would you go about Making Manchester United Great Again?

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At Manchester United, we have grown accustomed to the club only being one underwhelming result away from a crisis. However, following Tuesday evening’s dispiriting draw at home with Wolves, none of the talk around the club is about the future of United’s head coach, Ruben Amorim. Instead, there’s a sense of waiting, with patience being the byword. What exactly we’re waiting for is still unclear. While I have maintained that Amorim should remain in charge until at least the summer, I can understand fans questioning the direction of the club. Have the board put their eggs in the wrong basket? Are their intentions admirable, but equally a form of self-sabotage? Am I rooting for the wrong guy?

Amorim certainly talks a good game, and when his football has clicked, it really has clicked – the 4-2 win over Brighton earlier this season being the clearest example of this, when United could very easily have scored eight goals. Performances such as that are still an irregularity at the moment, but there have also been caveats, namely absentees due to AFCON, and injuries to both Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire, meaning United have lacked that physical presence in the backline recently.

Still, one of the biggest challenges for any United manager is overcoming adversity while managing the politics of being a United manager. When considering some of the names that have left the club over the past six months, some fans would argue that the negatives outweigh the positives with Amorim. When both Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford departed in the summer, albeit with Rashford only leaving on a loan deal, I felt the time was right in both cases. While Rashford had shown his qualities on numerous occasions, for whatever reason, he appeared to lose that fight in recent seasons. Garnacho, someone who would consistently show real glimpses of quality, never felt like someone the club were going to be able to rely on, and his departure to Chelsea felt like a very Chelsea signing to make. At Chelsea, he has performed in the same manner as he had throughout his time at United: flashes of real quality, sporadic finishing, constant endeavour, but regularly frustrating.

With Kobbie Mainoo, a departure would feel very different. His very first league start, a 3-0 win against Everton at Goodison Park in November 2023, where he was named man of the match, was one that all clubs are crying out for. A progressive, front-footed player, comfortable receiving the ball under pressure, showing levels of maturity not often seen at United over recent years, lifted the mood around the club. The fact that he is a homegrown talent who has supported United since a young age only adds to the sense of excitement. So, if Mainoo were to depart the club, fans would undoubtedly start to grow more disillusioned with what’s happening at the club. It feels like a ticking time bomb, and until he starts getting more minutes on the pitch, coupled with the fact that results and performances have hardly been inspirational recently, fan sentiment will soon start to turn, right?

Mainoo’s biggest problem is that, according to Amorim, he’s in direct competition for a starting berth with club captain Bruno Fernandes – United’s talisman, who has missed just eight games through injury/suspension since joining the club in January 2020. It’s also worth bearing in mind that Fernandes is playing in a deeper position compared to what he has excelled in throughout his career, so Amorim is clearly eager to fit him into his starting XI, so the logical move for Mainoo would be to seek a loan for the remainder of the season. It’s unlikely United would sanction such a deal, which is only going to lead to frustration growing further over the remaining months of the season.

Where should United finish this season?

United currently sit in 6^th place in the Premier League, a position which most United fans, including me, would have been happy with at the start of the season. At a quick glance, United are probably performing around par for the season so far. But, with there being only five points between Chelsea in 5^th and Brighton in 14^th, the table is slightly deceiving. There is a fair argument that United’s performances this season are not befitting of the sixth-best team in the league, and the expectation is that clubs such as Chelsea, Liverpool, and Newcastle will find greater consistency over the second half of the campaign. I would also expect both Brighton and Bournemouth to improve, even though Bournemouth are set to lose Antoine Semenyo during the winter transfer window, on top of losing four of their back five during the last summer window. Andoni Iraola is also a hugely talented coach who will likely move on to a ‘bigger’ club when his contract expires this summer, but I would still expect some improvement before the season finishes, and for Bournemouth to stabilise and finish in the top 10.

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It’s still worth noting that United still won’t have European football to contend with in the second half of the campaign, which should continue to be a major advantage in the run-in, particularly given clubs such as Aston Villa and Newcastle don’t exactly have the deepest squads. As far down as Newcastle in 13^th place, there are still 8 of those teams likely to be playing knockout matches in Europe during the second half of the season, so this advantage should still be in play until the end of February, at least. Fernandes, given his tendency to play every minute of every single match in a season, will likely be back playing within a fortnight, and the trio of Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui should gradually return, and ideally all be back by the time United face Arsenal on the 25^th of January.

The feeling among fans can fluctuate depending on what day you ask this question, but what is a satisfactory position for this team to finish? Qualifying for the Champions League would undeniably be a success, and an unexpected one with that, though some fans might look at the points I’ve made above with other clubs competing in Europe, and the general inconsistencies with rival clubs, and argue a top-five place is attainable. Of course, on paper, it is attainable, but with the quality of this squad? No. A top 6/7 place should be the realistic aim between now and the end of the season. Really, it’s performances which we still need to see consistently, which I’ll come on to shortly.

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What formation will Amorim settle on between now and the end of the season?

We’re fourteen months into Amorim’s tenure, and despite the insistence that the Pope could not even convince him to deviate from his 3-4-3 system, we have duly witnessed a formation change. After thirteen months, we had all become fairly accustomed to Amorim’s preferred formation, querying whether it would even make any sense at this point to alter his ideas, even in the face of a growing list of absentees, since it could be perceived as weak to make changes now. Although if you actually listen to what Amorim said at the time, when referencing the Vatican City’s most prominent resident, was that he would only make a change when he felt the time was right. So, he made it pretty clear at the time that he is willing to change, on his own terms, which is basically the same as what pretty much any other manager would tell you. Not too long ago, I’m pretty sure Pep Guardiola would have scoffed at the idea of having a 6-foot-5-inch goalkeeper launch long balls to his equally imperious, 6-foot-5-inch centre-forward, but here we are. Sometimes, managers will say things they don’t really mean, or change their minds, and it sometimes really is that simple.

If Amorim continues to persist with a back four for the remainder of the season, then that would invite some slightly more awkward questions, considering the signings of two dual number 10s in Matheus Cunha and Mbeumo, as well as Patrick Dorgu to play at wing back. At the same time, Cunha has regularly played as the sole number 10 for the majority of his career, while Mbuemo predominantly features as a right-sided attacker for Thomas Frank’s Brentford. Dorgu was also accustomed to playing on the right wing prior to his signing from Lecce 12 months ago, so you could make a reasonable argument the club has done its due diligence with the signings since Amorim took charge.

The club won’t be in a position where they’ve signed players who can only play in a five-at-the-back system and are actually more adaptable than we all might have thought. Admittedly, I considered Dorgu to be a player who was only capable of playing at left wing-back when he joined the club, despite the fact that he actually started his first match at right wing-back. Whether Dorgu, and indeed the other signings made under Amorim so far, are of the requisite quality is another question entirely, and a perfectly fair one. I thought the signings of both Cunha and Mbeumo made a great deal of sense when they were confirmed, as it struck me as important to sign ready-made, Premier League-proven players, who wouldn’t require the same adjustment period as someone else (see Florian Wirtz as an example).

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The aforementioned awkward questions could still be directed to Amorim if he consistently utilises a back four going forward, though that already looks unlikely, given he immediately, and rather puzzlingly, reverted to his back five for Tuesday’s draw with Wolves. It seemed obvious, given the absentees, given Dorgu’s rather unexpected positive performance in the 1-0 win against Newcastle on Boxing Day as a right-sided attacker, that it would be worth persevering with the same system against a team that had picked up just 2 points from a possible 54. Yes, the performance against Newcastle wasn’t great, and United were indebted to a combination of poor finishing from Newcastle’s attack, as well as some smart work by Senne Lammens, but, you know, if it ain’t broke and all that.

Are we seeing enough consistency in performances from this team?

In short, the answer to this question is no, we are not. The recent home performances against the likes of Everton, West Ham, Newcastle and Wolves, while acknowledging there were mitigating factors in some cases, such as the number of absentees against Newcastle and Wolves, have been hugely disappointing and have lacked any real imagination. The 4-4 at home against Bournemouth was a bit more of a freak result, given United should have been out of sight before Iraola’s side came back into it.

At times, United have really sparkled, mostly from an attacking sense. Cunha and Mbeumo, while not spectacular by any means, have come in and performed to a high level, but more importantly for now, have fit into the system quite seamlessly, and understand the different traits and timings required in this system; when to press, who to press, when to sit in and eventually spring pressing traps. Mason Mount and Benjamin Sesko, when fit, have performed well from this perspective. Whether Sesko is ultimately the striker United need, and whether he is going to score you 20+ goals a season, remains to be seen, but he appears to understand how the system works. Mount is a manager’s dream in terms of fitting into the system, but, like United’s other forward options, lacks that guile or finesse in front of goal to ever be considered reliable enough to consistently score the goals. I’m aware United’s problem this season hasn’t been down to scoring goals, but if they are to tighten up defensively, the likelihood is that it will take something away from the attack.

United enjoy playing against sides that play on the front foot. Against both Brighton and Bournemouth, where both sides showed a willingness to take the game to United, United were able to create numerous opportunities and should really have scored more than four goals in each match. A similar tactic has been evident in many of United’s teams over the past few seasons, with both Erik Ten Hag and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s teams at their best when playing a counter-attacking game. When United have faced the likes of Everton and West Ham, teams we all knew were going to sit back and look to soak up pressure before launching counter-attacks, United have fallen short. Also, when Amorim has looked to change games in United’s favour, his substitutions have often made the team worse. The decision to substitute Joshua Zirkzee for Jack Fletcher at half-time during the 1-1 draw with Wolves was a curious decision, to put it mildly. Yes, Zirkzee had been particularly poor only a few days earlier when he was brought on against Newcastle, but having scored the opener against Wolves, albeit a heavily deflected opener, you would still expect his confidence to be high after such a moment.

Amorim’s in-game management needs to drastically improve. Something that crosses my mind when he makes in-game tweaks is that if there’s one thing that particularly irks supporters, it’s a manager who gives the impression that he is the smartest guy in the room, that he can see something nobody else can, and will make the unconventional change just to prove he really is the smartest guy in the room. Sometimes, the obvious change is the right one. Dorgu played well on the right wing against Newcastle, which was, in fact, a surprise to me, so why remove him from this position, particularly given his confidence would have been high after such a well-executed goal? The smart, tactical decision was already made when you started Dorgu on the right, and he repaid your faith with an impressive performance, so why not just do the same thing again?

With an in-form Leeds at Elland Road the next assignment for this team, Amorim needs to start getting more of his tactical decisions right. Leeds will obviously be fired up in what will be an incredibly hostile atmosphere. This is often the sort of game where United surprise us all and find a win from somewhere, so let’s hope for another surprise on Sunday.

Thanks for reading!

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Seven matches, consisting of zero wins, two draws and five defeats, is hardly an embellishing record for any manager, but that’s not the reason I believe now is the time for Nottingham Forest to pull the trigger on reigning European champion Ange Postecoglou. This was an appointment which was doomed from the start. When Forest had made the unsurprising decision to dispense with Nuno Espírito Santo, the decision to appoint Postecoglou as his replacement didn’t exactly speak to a club with a contingency plan in place, which is all the more surprising when you consider the high regard Edu was held in during his time as technical director at Arsenal, before moving into a sporting director role. Edu, the current Global Head of Football at Forest, was well known for his diligence in football operations at Arsenal, and enjoyed a successful six years at the club, working closely with Mikel Arteta. At Forest, it was clear that Edu and Nuno didn’t see eye to eye, and Nuno’s sacking came as no surprise. However, what is surprising, and slightly concerning for Forest supporters, is how the decision to appoint Postecoglou was reached.

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Evangelos Marinakis, hardly one to maintain a low profile, seemed more than happy to dismiss Nuno after his public fallout with Edu, but when it came to a replacement, the reasoning given about Postecoglou’s impending appointment was quite confusing, if not straight out baffling. Marinakis spoke of Postecoglou’s ability to consistently win silverware at whatever clubs he has managed, which is undeniably true. He also spoke of the pride that he felt as Postecoglou, while winning the Europa League with Spurs last season, was simultaneously promoting Greece in front of the ‘whole world’. Again, no issue with Marinakis feeling a sense of national pride as he watched Postecoglou continue his run of always winning trophies at whatever clubs he has managed, but surely this shouldn’t be a major factor when making such a decision?

Do we really believe that Edu would have recommended Postecoglou to take over a squad which has built its success on defending in a deep low block, before springing forward quickly on the transition? Postecoglou is a manager who now almost famously prides himself on coaching teams to play front-footed, attacking football, at any cost. So, did Marinakis go out on a limb and make this decision on his own? We can never know for sure, but it does seem that way. If that’s the case, what must Edu be thinking? You’ve been recruited as the man to help take Forest to that next level, with the importance of having ‘world-class’ executives at boardroom level almost equally as important as having the right manager in place, and you pay little attention to his recommendations, and make your own appointment. I have no idea if this is a fact, but that’s the feeling I get. We’ve seen plenty of owners behave in this manner numerous times over the years. Let the people you’ve hired to make football decisions actually make these footballing decisions.

None of this is to say that Postecoglou is a poor coach, but the fit doesn’t seem right on any level, be that from a playing style perspective or around the idea that a certain chemistry will have been built up between the coach and football operations within the club. I have a certain amount of sympathy for Forest and Marinakis, given that Nuno seemed to be dead set on making his position at the club untenable. Although when you consider Marinakis actually confronted Nuno on the pitch at the City Ground last season to vent his frustrations following a 2-2 draw with Leicester City, maybe it wasn’t entirely unfair that Nuno had a bit of a chip on his shoulder. At that moment, we probably should have known the writing was on the wall.

The fact that we’ve reached this point two months into a season where Forest are playing European football for the first time in 29 years is astonishing. Let’s also not forget Nuno has an excellent record in the Europa League, having taken Wolves to the quarter-finals in the 2019/20 season, narrowly losing to Sevilla, which is seemingly what happens to any side that faces Sevilla in the Europa League, so there’s no shame in such a result. Now, Forest are reportedly considering hiring Sean Dyche if they do decide to relieve Postecoglou of his duties, which is an incredible situation to be in, but it might just be necessary to fend off the threat of relegation this season. I suspect the plan would be to get through the season, maintain their Premier League status, then regroup next summer and get in a bigger name.

So, is there any chance of an improvement under Postecoglou? Yes, it’s not impossible by any means. Forest have a talented squad, with players such as Morgan Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson, Chris Wood and Dan Ndoye, Forest have some fine footballers. Forest have also been unlucky during their seven-game winless run under Postecoglou, with their performance against Real Betis, particularly the first half, hugely encouraging. Add in the likes of Omari Hutchinson, James McAtee and Callum Hudson-Odoi, and this might even start to resemble a squad quite suited to Postecoglou’s preferred playing style. However, it’s the defence which is surely a concern. It’s been well-documented that Nikola Milenković, one of the standout performers from last season’s watertight defence alongside Brazilian centre-back Murillo, will surely struggle to adapt to the high defensive line that Postecoglou appears to be insistent on deploying.

Unless, of course, Postecoglou decides to switch up his tactics and revert to a style of play we saw quite frequently during Spurs’ Europa League-winning run last season. It seemed like anti-Angeball, but it worked. Do we really see Postecoglou going against his principles again? For a man who was insistent that playing attacking football is simply ‘who he is’, it’s difficult to imagine a man who is that dogmatic, that idealistic, switching his style of play so dramatically. If that was the case, what even is Angeball? Would counter-attacking football be the new Angeball? Yes, it would be surprising to see Postecoglou revert to more defensive-minded tactics in the Premier League, particularly this early into his tenure, but it is arguably necessary right now. Against Newcastle last time out, there were elements of the type of football we saw Spurs play during that run to the Europa League final last season, so it’s not an impossibility. Still, this is surely the point where Postecoglou will be keen to drill his ideologies into his players.

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While we’re only seven games into Postecoglou’s tenure at Forest, we are already seeing a level of tetchiness, which became a regular theme during his interviews and press conferences last season. At times last season, while some of the criticism which was being aimed at Postecoglou felt over the top and unfair, his behaviour towards the media was bordering on disgraceful. It created a level of hostility that rarely ends well. While José Mourinho expertly played the ‘us against the world’ type of mindset during the first half of his career, it eventually drained players, with the negativity all-consuming. That’s not the level we’re at with Postecoglou right now, and it was obvious last season that the Spurs players liked the man, but eventually the negativity can become too much. During Postecoglou’s first 6 months in charge of Spurs, he was genuinely a breath of fresh air. He spoke with clarity, and he felt relatable. You didn’t get the impression this was a man who was obviously very media-trained, who would simply play the same tunes managers often play. He spoke with conviction. He was something of a beacon, some would even say. However, that quite literally turned from the moment he uttered his now famous “it’s just who we are, mate” line following Spurs’ 4-1 defeat to Chelsea in November 2023. From that moment on, it felt like Postecoglou’s back was up, and whatever trust there was between him and the media, it appeared to dissipate.

Fans have already turned on Postecoglou, and while the chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” during Forest’s 3-2 defeat to Midtjylland were clearly incredibly harsh, it just speaks to the discontent among the fanbase at this moment in time. That felt more like fans not knowing quite who to vent their frustration towards, given Marinakis is a favourite in that part of the world. I hope I’m proven wrong, and time will tell whether Postecoglou can turn the tide, but Forest won’t want to wait too long if a change is on the agenda.

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It was only a matter of time, wasn’t it? While I didn’t think we would reach this point as early as August, I, like most others, was braced for the inevitable wave of sack talk at some point this season. Not because I felt this would be warranted this early in the campaign, but because I know how these things work. A charming young pretender joining the ‘best’ league in the world, who refuses to budge on his ideologies, telling us everything that seems to be wrong with the club he has joined, without actually fixing the problem. It’s that level of perceived arrogance which was always bound to wind up the tabloids and pundits' circles alike.

When a football club which has been operating in the manner of a Champions League club, spending money in the same way as a semi-final regular would do, decides to rip up whatever plan has been in place over the past decade, and divert to a manager known for his stubbornness, who will persist with a system which has essentially been alien to the club since a short period under Louis van Gaal in 2014, doesn’t achieve immediate success when signing just three attacking players, the response should not be to rip it up and start again. We are less than a year into Amorim’s tenure, and the pitchforks are already out. Welcome to Manchester United, Ruben.

Is Amorim blameless in this situation? Absolutely not. Playing captain Bruno Fernandes, consistently United’s best player since his arrival in January 2020, in a position he is clearly uncomfortable in, seems counterproductive. However, what do you expect when the club has failed to recruit the midfielders needed to succeed in an Amorim system? The fact that United were linked with Carlos Baleba, a young, dynamic midfielder who, on the face of it, appears to possess all the attributes needed in this midfield system, so late in the transfer window, highlights the flaws with the club's transfer strategy. This is why Amorim feels it necessary to persevere with Fernandes in this unfamiliar position, as this system requires someone capable of receiving the ball from his centre-backs, turning, and progressing the ball forward in an efficient manner.

The message coming out of the club when United were splashing the cash on the likes of Bryan Mbuemo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Šeško was that the priority was for the club to strengthen in forward areas, which was difficult to argue with considering the club had only managed a paltry 44 league goals in 2024-25. So, with forward players being the priority, Amorim’s plan was that Fernandes would be the cog capable of linking everything together in the build-up play. Whether this was out of necessity, considering the transfer strategy, or if it was the plan all along is difficult to ascertain. There are some people, myself included, who believe both the club and Amorim himself were open to Fernandes leaving the club in the summer when a £100 million offer was supposedly tabled for the playmaker by the Saudi Pro League’s Al Hilal. If my suspicions are in fact accurate, it would have been a convenient solution to a selection headache for Amorim. It’s no slight against Fernandes, but sometimes you have to make bold, unpopular decisions for the long-term benefit. The way Amorim speaks about Fernandes suggests he was anything but open to losing his star player, so this will remain just a hunch.

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So, with this said, with the club currently in the midst of building a squad suited to the manager’s specific methodologies, how would pulling the plug a few months into the season be justifiable? We’ve seen the club do this countless times over the years. Begin a rebuild, acquire the players specifically selected by a manager, lose patience when results don’t turn around as quickly as had been hoped and, finally, dismiss the manager prematurely. I understand the results have been bad. Really bad. I understand if we reach next summer, with United having finished in the bottom half of the league, with no real signs of progress, that the club might think maybe there are better alternatives out there to pursue. But now? What would be the point? There is nothing which can actually be achieved. People will argue the club needs to make a change, as they just need to string together a few wins. But would changing the manager, winning a few games on the spin, playing an unsustainable style of football, before eventually reverting to a preferred style of play, actually serve any benefit long term? The same can be said of the people begging for Amorim to change his tactics. We all know that if this manager is going to be successful at the club, he’s going to be successful playing football his way. Yes, he may be able to salvage some results in the short term, but he’s eventually going to want to revert to the style of play he feels will produce positive results long term. Even in a world where Amorim does decide to alter his tactics to achieve some positive results in the short term, the same problems are almost certain to resurface when he inevitably does revert to his preferred style.

At the same time, I’m very aware that results have been historically poor in the last 12 months. United have managed to hit new lows seemingly on a weekly basis, which really is saying something, considering how the preceding ten years had gone. Obviously, the hope is that results improve, but if not, I still would be in favour of keeping Amorim in charge until the summer. The reason being that sacking Amorim now and hiring an interim manager to see the club through to the summer will mean nothing. Even if the club managed to salvage a European position in the league, next season this group of players would still find themselves in a position of trying to learn a new manager’s methods, while balancing European football at the same time. The club has the opportunity to give this manager a real go, with no European distractions. If there’s no progress made by the summer, the club would be absolutely justified in dismissing the manager. Remember when Mauricio Pochettino replaced Tim Sherwood at Tottenham in 2014? It took 12-18 months of seemingly quite directionless football until we really saw results start to improve. From that moment on, nobody was questioning Pochettino.

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I won’t deny there is an element of manager fatigue when the club seems all too happy to dispense of a manager midway through a project. When Erik Ten Hag was handed a contract extension in the summer of 2024, which seemed nothing more than a hollow vote of confidence, it was already obvious that, for various reasons, he was not capable of achieving the necessary results to turn things around. He had already been in charge for two years at that point, and had so quickly deviated from his so-called philosophy that the players had lost faith in him. The ludicrous factor of Ten Hag’s dismissal was the fact that the club had already spent roughly €150 million on players sanctioned by the Dutchman. Are the club really going to repeat the same things that happened this time 12 months ago?

Whether you believe a manager should show flexibility in their principles or hold an unwavering belief in their own ideologies beyond reproach - that’s for you to decide. While Unai Emery was in charge of Arsenal back in 2019, I recall Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher debating on one Monday Night Football whether Emery should be looking to tweak his system to get the best out of his players. The argument in favour of sticking to your tactics no matter what resonated with me more than showing that level of adaptability. It ensures that the players know where they stand, that this manager is steadfast in his beliefs, and that players would simply have to get on board if they wanted to play a part. I understand the need to be adaptable at times, but you risk empowering the players beyond what is reasonable, and when you consider the difficulties managers have had managing the dressing room at United over the years, it likely makes sense that you need a manager unwilling to compromise.

While the temptation to make a change to get some results and good feeling back into the club is understandable, it’s only a potential temporary fix to a far bigger issue. Having spent the money on his preferred signings, give him the time to see through his plan. Do you agree? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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It felt different at the start of this season. While the improvement at Arsenal since Arteta’s appointment has been clear for all to see, there now seems to be a sense of ‘win now’ at the Emirates. They have assembled a squad good enough to rival any other in world football, with over €1 billion spent on signings since his appointment in December 2019, according to Transfermarkt. We’re only three games into the new Premier League season, but following Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over Arsenal last weekend, the discussion about whether this Arsenal team under Arteta will ever have enough to claim a first league title since 2004 resurfaced.

Before levelling any criticism at Arteta, it's important to first recognise the significant progress made since he took charge. While Arsène Wenger is widely recognised as one of, if not the greatest, Arsenal managers of all time, there’s no doubt his final few years at the helm were a sad reflection of how the club had regressed since those heady days of 2004, becoming the first and only side to go unbeaten through an entire Premier League campaign, and first since Preston North End in 1889. The mood at Arsenal became utterly depressing and toxic in Wenger’s final 18 months in charge. Much of the discussion around Wenger, notably on Arsenal Fan TV, was unsavoury to say the least, but it was easy content. Little did we know this was just the beginning of a new wave of football content, with which YouTube has become mainstream for such content. I digress.

The subsequent appointment of Unai Emery was seen as the dawn of a new era. A man who was not only a serial Europa League winner, but someone seen as the man who could instil some real tactical discipline at the club, with the ability to get the best out of players who would be regarded as a level down from the elite talent at clubs like Manchester City and Liverpool. Emery’s first season in charge was deemed a success, despite a late collapse in the league, which saw them miss out on Champions League football, before a humbling Europa League final defeat against Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea. Still, it was seen as a season of progress for the Gunners, but it was short-lived, as Emery was dismissed in November 2019, before Arteta’s appointment the following month.

The appointment of Arteta was seen as a gamble, despite the glowing reviews he had received from contemporaries for his work as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at City. Arteta promised to rebuild the club following years in the wilderness. Back-to-back 8th place finishes in the league didn’t speak to a manager vastly improving performances on the pitch. However, in the 2021-22 season, Arsenal looked on course for a return to the Champions League, only to be usurped by Antonio Conte’s Tottenham. Successive defeats against both Tottenham and Newcastle in two of the final three matches of the season ensured it was Europa League football for Arsenal the following season, something which could have broken the manager’s resistance. This wasn’t the case for this Arsenal squad, as Arteta quickly got to work, and Arsenal haven’t looked back since. Now a regular feature of the Premier League’s top three, can Arsenal make the final step?

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At the start of the season, most regarded champions Liverpool or Arsenal as the two top contenders, with City a little bit behind in most people’s predictions. The early clash between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield last week, while disappointing in its timing so early in the season, was an opportunity for Arsenal to flex their muscles against a Liverpool team that, while lethal going forward, have looked incredibly vulnerable at the back so far. Arsenal almost immediately took control of the match, enjoying most of the possession in Liverpool’s half and creating openings regularly. The starting line-up looked cautious, and Arteta did receive criticism for this, but playing away at Liverpool is rarely a time for any manager to go gung-ho with their tactics. They just seemed to lack that spark. Viktor Gyökeres again struggled to make any real impact, but did look busy. It was obvious there would be a lack of creativity with the way Arsenal had set up, particularly with Bukayo Saka out injured, and maybe that is the real difference between these two teams. Liverpool, more than any other team in the Premier League right now, have players who can conjure up a moment out of nothing. Honestly, my immediate reaction to this match was that Arsenal had wasted an opportunity, but already I feel that was harsh, and a 0-0 at Anfield is a perfectly acceptable result. So, when Dominik Szoboszlai scores a worldy of a free-kick, sometimes you just have to hold your hands up.

Could Arteta benefit from taking a leaf out of his counterpart on the touchline at Anfield? Arne Slot rarely looks overly fazed by anything that happens during any Liverpool match, so referencing this game specifically as an example of the difference between the two managers would be unfair, as Arteta seemed calmer than usual. However, the difference in both managers' general demeanour on the sidelines is striking, and there is an argument that Arteta’s occasional manic, expressive tendencies have had a detrimental effect on his players. Maybe it’s an unfair criticism, but is Arteta too emotionally invested, too expressive on the sidelines, to a point where it’s having a negative impact on his players' performances on the pitch? In a recent interview, Szoboszlai spoke openly about how Slot, in comparison to his predecessor Jürgen Klopp, looked like a man with a ‘plan’. Slot would show virtually no emotions during matches, standing motionless on the touchline simply surveying what’s happening in front of him. On the flip side, Arteta is often the opposite. He’s antsy and constantly gesticulating in reaction to refereeing decisions he doesn’t agree with. Players feed off that, and it may only be adding to the tension within his playing squad. The counterargument to that is Guardiola and Klopp are hardly shrinking violets in that regard, so some people might argue that I’m blowing this out of proportion, to some extent.

From what I listen to and read from multiple journalists and commentators who would be far closer to the situation than I am, there is a sense of tension generated in the Emirates that could be impacting the players. Arsenal have now gone over 20 years since their last top-flight title. Liverpool went 30 years without a title before Klopp finally broke City’s resistance, but it felt like with each passing year, the pressure was growing, season after season. In Liverpool’s case, this came to a head in the 2013-14 season, as Brendan Rodgers' side looked to be surging towards a first Premier League title, but it also felt like they were teetering, and that pressure was all too consuming by the end. While it doesn’t feel like we’re yet at a point where that same discussion around Arsenal’s title drought has truly come to the fore, it won’t be long before that level of scrutiny is firmly placed on Arteta and his players.

Put simply, with the financial outlay on players since Arteta’s arrival at Arsenal, there is a feeling that Arteta has been given all the tools needed to finally get Arsenal over the line. I can obviously point to the money spent by City over the past decade, and Liverpool’s transfer activity this summer is up there with the most extravagant we’ve ever seen in one window, so it’s not as if Arsenal have a major financial advantage over their rivals, but Arteta has been backed to the hilt. Similar to when Wenger was the manager of Arsenal, Arteta appears to wield a lot of power at the club. I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing, but it’s a slightly archaic setup, and it ramps up the pressure. Then again, if Arsenal do finish the season as league and/or European champions, nobody can question the club's strategy.

In terms of whether this Arsenal squad is good enough to usurp Liverpool is obviously the big question. On another day, Arsenal could have left Anfield with three points, having dealt a major psychological blow to the champions at this early stage. Instead, with Arsenal essentially settling for a point with about 20 minutes to play, the criticism was always going to be harsh on Arteta. Last season, Arsenal were often accused of not stepping on the gas and finishing opponents off while they were on top, and reverting to a more cautious, defensive approach in order to preserve their lead. The accusations were wide-ranging, with comparisons to José Mourinho’s conservative style a common theme, and Arsenal made a poor habit of dropping points from winning positions last season. This season, with the additions of Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera, Eberechi Eze, and, in particular, Gyökeres, Arsenal have added so much depth, and crucially, goals to a team that lacked that killer instinct on occasion last season. That should be enough to turn some of those draws into wins.

Without question, Arsenal have the best defence in the league, but it’s whether they finally have adequate firepower up front which will truly determine whether this is their season. We know Liverpool won’t lack goals this season, so the heat is on Arteta to get the job done.

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After what feels like the shortest summer break for many clubs, and despite the calls of too much football from everyone, me included, let’s be honest, we’re all ready to dive headfirst into another season of Pure Barclays. While many are arguing it’s a foregone conclusion that Liverpool will romp to another league title after last season’s relative procession, and that the three promoted clubs will again suffer immediate relegation back to the Championship, it rarely works out that straightforwardly. So, how can Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea mount a serious title challenge this season, and will one of the three promoted teams buck the trend of the past two seasons?

The Title Race

Having sauntered to the title last season, finishing 10 points clear of nearest challenger Arsenal, it feels ominous for the chasing pack. Having strengthened with the acquisitions of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, Liverpool, as champions, find themselves in the unique position of overhauling their squad to better fit manager Arne Slot’s methods. Throw in Alexander Isak, and this would be right up there with the strongest squads ever assembled in Premier League history. While Liverpool will rightly start the season as favourites, there has been some cause for concern during their pre-season. Defensively, there is still work to be done. During the Community Shield, Crystal Palace targeted the space vacated by Kerkez. Also, Frimpong, though sensational for Bayer Leverkusen over the past two seasons, predominantly played as a wing-back in Xabi Alonso’s back five. I have no doubt both players will excel in a Liverpool shirt this season, but there will be a period of acclimatisation required. Might it be that Liverpool perhaps struggle to start the season as strongly as they did last season? That’ll be the hope of their rivals anyway.

With Mohamed Salah enjoying his most productive Premier League season, scoring 29 goals and notching 18 assists, it’s difficult to envisage him replicating those same numbers this season. It’s arguably folly for me to suggest there will be a major drop off from Salah, but you would expect a regression of sorts. Virgil van Dijk surely can’t continue to hit the levels he has been at over recent years. Then again, I feel like I said something similar last summer, and he excelled, as he always does. The loss of Trent Alexander-Arnold has somewhat gone under the radar despite all the furore upon his decision to join Real Madrid. Alexander-Arnold’s ability to control and dictate the play, even from right-back, will require a reshuffle from Slot in how he sets up his team. The departures of both Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez, as well as the tragic loss of Diogo Jota, means Liverpool are shorter in the forward positions than they have been at any point in the past few years. As things stand, Liverpool ‘only’ have Salah, Ekitike and Cody Gakpo as forward options in their squad, so they do look a little lighter than recent seasons. Also, with Jarell Quansah departing for Leverkusen, and Ibrahima Konaté and Joe Gomez struggling to maintain fitness levels at times last season, Liverpool could do with another centre-back, something which may be addressed in the near future, given their pursuit of Marc Guéhi.

Liverpool’s players also must do something which very few teams have had to do in the past, which is to play a season in the aftermath of the devastating loss of their team-mate, and more importantly, their friend, Diogo Jota. I don’t think it’s correct for me to discuss this in any detail, but this is something which will unquestionably have an effect on players. How they cope with this loss throughout the season is difficult to predict, but if Liverpool were to have a below-par season, we can all forgive them, given the circumstances.

I’m aware I’ve only spoken about the reasons Liverpool might not win the title, but I feel the arguments for them winning another league title are obvious. They have a stacked squad full of experience, plenty of goals and depth. With the signings they’ve made so far, they clearly have one eye on the future. With the likes of Alisson, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones, not to mention the new signings, they have a lovely blend of youth and experience to choose from.

So, what about their rivals? It seems to me that Arsenal are best placed to challenge. They’ve recruited extremely well this summer, with the signings of Viktor Gyökeres, Martín Zubimendi, Cristhian Mosquera and Noni Madueke, as well as the experience of Christian Nørgaard . With three successive second-place finishes for Mikel Arteta’s men, and with the club finally landing a much-coveted number 9, there’s a feeling this is the season for Arsenal to finally deliver a first league title since 2004. Arsenal need to convert more draws into wins this season, and the signing of Gyökeres is the clearest indication since Arteta’s appointment that they’re looking to remedy their only true weakness from last season. In the big games last season, Arsenal showed the levels they can hit, but those matches against deeper lying opposition proved to be their Achilles Heel. While signing a player who has excelled in the Portuguese league can come with its risks, given the standard of opposition in Portugal, Gyökeres shows Arsenal are ready to make that final leap. Adding Madueke adds some much-needed depth to a position that Bukayo Saka has had to single-handedly manage for the last three years. It’s not exactly clear where the likes of Zubimendi or Kai Havertz will fit into this team, but, again, adding depth was always going to be crucial for Arsenal to make that final push.

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One of the more intriguing storylines this season is how Manchester City are going to fare. Despite the number of incomings in both the winter and summer windows, it’s difficult to know what Pep Guardiola’s side will look like this season. While it might sound ludicrous to question Guardiola, particularly with his back against the wall, I just can’t help but feel that contract extension he signed at the end of 2024 was a mistake. This will be his tenth season at the club, and to overhaul the squad again in this manner is a huge job to undertake. The signings made this summer, particularly Tijjani Reijnders, who has always been one of the most consistent performers in a flagging Milan side, look like astute business, but I’m unsure if the likes of Rayan Aït-Nouri and Rayan Cherki will fit in with Guardiola’s system. While both are fine players, they aren’t known for being the most disciplined of performers, but then again, who am I to question Guardiola’s ability to coax the best out of both players in a manner befitting his strict regime. I still think the goalkeeper position is an issue for City. While Ederson has been excellent since his arrival from Benfica in the summer of 2017, his levels have dropped over the past couple of seasons, and James Trafford, despite his potential, isn’t yet ready to make the step up. Compare this to Alisson at Liverpool, and, to a lesser extent, David Raya at Arsenal, and City are undoubtedly weaker in this position. Time will tell if Guardiola can once again work his magic. Although they do still have a fella called Erling Haaland, who could just go and score 50 goals this season.

The supposed underdog in all of this is Chelsea. I mean, Enzo Maresca is a reigning European and World champion, and it’s funny to think he was under pressure from his own supporters as recently as March this year, following some erratic performances. Maresca’s stubbornness looked like it might be his downfall, with his insistence on persevering with Robert Sánchez in goal looking like it was only going to end up going one way for the Italian coach. However, performances did improve in the final stretch of last season, and Chelsea’s performance against PSG in the Club World Cup final during the summer showed Maresca has the tactical IQ to mix it with the world’s very best coaches. PSG weren’t at their best in the final, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Luis Enrique’s men were up for it, and that counts for something.

As with any transfer window at Chelsea, it’s difficult to ascertain how they will fare in the season ahead, with the signings of João Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap, Estêvão and Jorrel Hato, among others, ensuring Chelsea have continued with their focus on youth and long-term squad building. The sales of João Félix, Madueke, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Djordje Petrovic, as well as a host of other fringe players, means Chelsea are likely looking at a net profit for the summer. I don’t think the Chelsea squad has drastically improved this window, but players like Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernández are still getting better. How Chelsea will fare this season is honestly anyone’s guess. You would imagine it will go one of two ways: they start slowly before finding their groove around Christmas time, or, like last season, they start strongly, hit a blip around the midpoint of the season, before finding some form (and energy) and finishing fourth again. I think if you offered Chelsea supporters a fourth-place finish, as well as a decent run in the Champions League, they would take that. This is still an inexperienced squad, and even I, someone who is by no means a Chelsea supporter, find it bordering on infuriating that they still haven’t signed one or two real experienced players to help carry some of these potential young stars. It just seems obvious to me. The club has banked a lot of money from winning the Club World Cup and player sales, and throwing in some experienced heads could make a real difference, particularly during the inevitable dip they’ll face this season. Would a sneaky bid for Gianluigi Donnarumma not appeal to Maresca? It completely goes against his philosophy, so there’s roughly a zero per cent chance of it happening, but surely one of the big clubs will look to strike a deal.

Still, the signing of Estêvão does look extremely exciting for Chelsea fans. Watching him link up with Palmer this season should be a lot of fun.

Battle for European places

In terms of European qualification, let’s make the assumption that there will again be five English clubs that qualify for the Champions League, given the financial advantages of the Premier League clubs. Normally, you would argue Newcastle are best placed to finish fifth (or higher) given the excellent season they enjoyed last time out. However, it’s been very well publicised how this summer window has turned into a bit of a nightmare. Having targeted the likes of Ekitike, Benjamin Šeško, João Pedro and James Trafford, all of whom have signed for other Premier League rivals, Newcastle find themselves pursuing players who in all likelihood would have been second and third choices in their respective positions. You may also have heard of a player called Alexander Isak, who is really, really good at football, arguably, and probably, in my eyes, the best centre-forward in world football. The situation is complicated, to put it mildly. Seemingly, Isak was given assurances by Amanda Staveley that if he maintained and improved his performance, he would be rewarded with a pay rise. Isak has kept up his end of the bargain, but the departure of Staveley last summer, as well as Newcastle having to comply with PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules), ensured funds were tight, and the club were not in a position to commit such funds. Newcastle didn’t make any signings of note last summer, so finishing the season with a first trophy for 70 years and Champions League football was a brilliant achievement by Eddie Howe and the players.

Isak flat-out refusing to play seems excessive, and does initially send shockwaves through the football world, if that’s not too dramatic to say. But, come on, let’s be honest, if Isak stays beyond the transfer deadline, we all know an agreement will be reached that sees him return to the squad quite quickly. His team-mates will understand his desire to want to move for the betterment of his career, and he’ll quickly be forgiven, particularly when he starts scoring goals again, which he will do. Also, the signing of Anthony Elanga, as well as the imminent arrivals of Malick Thiaw and Jacob Ramsey, shows there is reason for optimism for Newcastle supporters. The likelihood is that a centre-forward will be signed, with Yoane Wissa and Ollie Watkins seen as the most likely candidates. This could still prove to be a successful transfer window for Newcastle, particularly if Isak does remain at the club, which is looking increasingly likely. If you had asked me two weeks ago how I thought that transfer saga would play out, and it is very much a saga now, I would have said he would leave. But, with only two weeks left in the transfer window, and with Newcastle realistically needing to sign two centre-forwards if he were to depart, I think he stays.

The other contenders for the European places will likely be between Aston Villa, Tottenham and Brighton, with Man United and Bournemouth the outsiders. Villa have a fairly settled squad, with Ramsey the only player set to depart, unless you’re counting Philippe Coutinho’s departure to Vasco da Gama. Crucially, Villa have one advantage over all of their other rivals: Unai Emery. Despite the frustration of missing out on Champions League football last season, inexplicably losing to a United side that had just lost to Tottenham in the Europa League final a few days earlier, Villa enjoyed a pretty good run at the end of the season. I would still fancy Newcastle to pip them to fifth place, but you can never discount Emery. There’s also the very real possibility of getting into the Champions League through winning the Europa League, a competition Emery has already won four times.

One of the unknowns of the season could be Tottenham. I flip-flop between thinking this is actually a pretty poor squad by their recent standards, and thinking it actually has the potential to surprise a few people. With Thomas Frank in charge, it only adds to the intrigue and confusion in my head. He deserves a shot at one of the so-called bigger clubs, but moving from Brentford, one of the most astutely run clubs in England, to Tottenham does carry risk. Throw in the fact Frank’s teams generally tend to start his tenure quite slowly, and patience could grow thin, particularly with supporters who weren’t exactly enamoured with his appointment in the first place. The injuries to Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison have robbed Tottenham of much of their creative spark, and they will need to sign someone in the remaining weeks of the window. Daniel Levy loves a last-minute deal, so I’m sure they’ll get something over the line. The problem is that every other club can see Tottenham coming from a mile away and will be in a position to demand an excessive transfer fee.

Away from the obvious contenders, can Brighton or Bournemouth push on from last season? Brighton only finished the season 8 points behind Chelsea in fourth last season, but having lost João Pedro, Pervis Estupiñán, and Simon Adingra this summer, and not adequately replacing these players, it could be a struggle for the club to replicate last season’s form. Well, I say they haven’t signed replacements, but season after season, Brighton sign players none of us have heard of, before selling them to Chelsea a year later for a massive profit. The sale of Adingra seems particularly peculiar to me, but seemingly, there were some disciplinary issues with the player, and he was keen to get regular playing time ahead of the World Cup next summer. On the other hand, Bournemouth were arguably my favourite team to watch last season. Andoni Iraola’s men played with incredible intensity last season, and it was that level of intensity which ultimately saw them drop off towards the end of the season. Also, they have lost a lot of key players this summer, with Dean Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi, and Kerkez all departing, which is a lot of churn for a defence to handle in one summer. Still, their trump card is Iraola, a manager who seems destined for one of the major clubs in the next few years. They may struggle to hit the heights of last season, but, like Brighton, don’t be surprised if they unearth some real gems this season.

Alas, that brings us to Manchester United. I promise not to go off on too much of a tangent this time. I’ve spoken about the flaws of this United team for a long time now, and while you could make an argument that the likes of Mattheus Cunha and Bryan Mbuemo, good players as they both are, are more Europa League-level signings as opposed to Champions League level. But let’s be realistic, a top-six finish for United this season would be more than acceptable, given how low they sank last season. The signing of Šeško certainly doesn’t come without risk, but the eye-watering fee just emphasises the scarcity of centre-forwards available in Europe these days. Gone are the days €80 million buys you a guaranteed goal scorer; now it buys you young players who are yet to hit their peak, albeit with huge potential. Šeško is a player whom United, along with many other clubs, have been monitoring for years. If he manages to fulfil his potential, then €80 million will feel like a bargain. If not, he joins a long list of players to have joined the club only to see their careers stagnate before eventually leaving for pastures new, or who end up in the ‘bomb’ squad, burning a hole in the club's finances.

Honestly, I get the sense United could actually be quite fun this season. There are still issues defensively, particularly as it’s still not clear who will sit next to Bruno Fernandes in a midfield two. The signing of Carlos Baleba could be a game-changer, but it is surely out of United’s reach this summer, unless the likes of Antony, Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho are sold in the next week. However, with Fernandes and Amad, along with the new signings, United should create plenty of chances, and who knows, maybe they will end up with a positive goal difference this season! A man can hope. No European football is a huge plus for Ruben Amorim, particularly given the fact that all of their rivals will have European football to contend with. If André Onana can maintain his focus, play the shorter pass faster than he has done over the last two seasons, and, you know, make some saves, then that would be one less headache for Amorim to wrestle with.

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The Relegation Battle

The last two seasons, we’ve seen the three promoted teams suffer immediate relegation back to the Championship (Luton, Burnley and Sheffield Utd in 2023/24 and Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton in 2024/25). We could really do with one of the clubs bucking that trend. Honestly, I don’t hold out much hope for Burnley or Leeds. Burnley will make it difficult for teams, but the gulf between the Premier League and Championship is sizeable, and it only seems to be growing. Scott Parker has had spells at Fulham and Bournemouth, having achieved promotion from the Championship with both clubs, and you would hope that experience will stand him in good stead going into this season. You could argue that the style of football he will deploy, so effective last season, is the best strategy to stave off relegation. The issue will be at the other end, and whether Burnley can score enough goals will be the burning question this season. Parker will hope the signings of Jaidon Anthony and Jacob Bruun Larsen could be a source of goals this season, though the numbers don’t look great. Leeds, on the other hand, might suffer in the opposite sense. Again, Daniel Farke has had a couple of cracks at the Premier League with Norwich, but on both occasions, they endured miserable campaigns in the top flight. Leeds have spent money, with north of €75 million spent on the likes of Lucas Perri, Sean Longstaff, Gabriel Gudmundsson and Anton Starch. Leeds will need to show greater defensive solidity this season if they’re to have any chance of staying up. Sadly, I don’t see it happening for either club.

Sunderland, having earned promotion in dramatic fashion in the play-off final at the end of last season against Sheffield Utd, under the tutelage of Régis Le Bris, seem to have a real gem of a manager on their hands. They’ve spent big, too. Habib Diarra, Enzo Le Fée, Adingra and Granit Xhaka have all joined for north of €90 million. You can’t say they’re not giving it a go. How Diarra fares will be particularly interesting. Having enjoyed a stellar campaign with Liam Rosenior last season at Strasbourg, Diarra has linked up well with fellow new signing Xhaka during pre-season, and looks to have that drive and tenacity to break up play and drive forward on the counter. Sunderland will no doubt take some heavy beatings during the season, but it’s the results against the other bottom-half teams, particularly at home, which will be crucial to their chances.

Other than the three promoted teams, there are always one or two you look at and think they could be in trouble. Brentford have lost manager Thomas Frank, Mbuemo and Nørgaard this summer, and could soon lose Wissa too. That’s a lot for any club to manage, particularly one who have hired a rookie manager who previously worked as their set piece coach. You trust Brentford to know what they’re doing, but it’s a lot of pressure for new manager Keith Andrews to handle in his first senior job. It’s not to say he won’t succeed, but it’s a bit of an unknown. West Ham and Wolves are the other two teams most likely to find themselves up against it this season. For West Ham, you do worry. I think Graham Potter is a good manager, but I’m not sure he’s been well advised, with his last two jobs being to succeed Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea under their new ownership and replacing Julen Lopetegui at West Ham last season. Part of me thinks he might surprise a few people this season, but there’s not a lot of evidence from last season to back up such a claim.

While at Wolves, with Vitor Pereira in charge, there’s not a lot to hang your hat on. He got a tune out of them last season, but with both Cunha and Aït-Nouri leaving this summer, and little in the way of backing this summer, it will be a long old season for Wolves fans. I think Sunderland will ultimately buck the trend this season, with Wolves finally dropping down to the Championship, having circled the drain for a few years now. I don’t see Everton getting sucked into the battle this season. David Moyes has enough know-how to ensure the club's first season in their new Hill Dickinson Stadium should be a steady, if not spectacular one.

Whatever happens, surely I can’t get it as wrong as last season, with my 18th-place prediction for Nottingham Forest looking incredibly foolish. Apologies for the teams I’ve failed to acknowledge, but for Forest, Palace and Fulham fans, I suspect it’ll be comfortable mid-table finishes for each club, and that’s not to be sniffed at. Hopefully, Palace can use the frustration of their demotion to the Conference League as fuel for European success.

Check out my final league standings below, do you agree with any of my predictions?

1. Liverpool

2. Arsenal

3. Manchester City

4. Chelsea

5. Newcastle United

6. Manchester Utd (!)

7. Aston Villa

8. Brighton

9. Tottenham

10. Bournemouth

11. Crystal Palace

12. Fuham

13. Everton

14. West Ham

15. Nottingham Forest

16. Sunderland

17. Brentford

18. Wolves

19. Leeds

20. Burnley

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When the dust settled on last season’s 15th-place finish, there was recognition that it would be unfair to judge Ruben Amorim’s team on their performances in such a short space of time. Now, though, with Amorim having got his feet under the table, and with key signings made in priority positions, he will know there will be an expectation that, at the very least, a clear idea and philosophy will be evident in his team’s style of play. When Amorim was appointed as Erik Ten Hag’s successor in November 2024, there was a mutual understanding between the club, manager and supporters that the squad assembled at the club was ill-suited to Amorim’s now famed 3-4-3 / 3-4-2-1 formation.

Therefore, with the arrivals of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbuemo this summer, two players deemed crucial to Amorim’s system who will slot into the two dual 10 positions in the team, United’s creativity and goalscoring numbers should improve considerably from last season. There are still a number of positions United will need to strengthen during the next couple of transfer windows, namely a centre-back, a dynamic, combative midfielder and a centre-forward, but they will likely be a much more pleasing watch for supporters this coming season. For now, rather than focusing on what United could do in order to improve the dynamics of the squad in terms of transfers, let’s have a look at what this current squad could offer going forward.

Sharper Pressing & Quick, Incisive Passing

Having watched United’s 2-2 draw with Everton during the Premier League Summer Series pre-season match on Sunday evening, one thing is for sure: this United team has certainly shown their understanding of how this system is supposed to work. While the execution was lacking at numerous points throughout the contest, you could see the synchronised movement at times, with the off-ball movement particularly evident. Amad has always been excellent at pressing opponents, but adding this to the counter-pressing abilities of both Mbuemo and particularly Cunha, United showed on numerous occasions how they now seem more able to disrupt the opposition's ability to play out from the back and win the ball back high up the pitch. It all seemed quite natural to Cunha, whose harrying really was proving to be a key weapon for United all evening. While he wasn’t able to get on the ball as much as he’d like, he was effective off the ball. For any opposition defender, Cunha must be a nightmare to play against, as he's constantly snapping at the heels of defenders, kicking players' shins and being an all round nuisance. He’s the perfect system disruptor, and is perfect in this Amorim system. Whether he can replicate the numbers from last season remains a question, but his contribution doesn’t depend only on hitting such numbers.

This is a key part of Amorim’s philosophy, and creating these turnover opportunities in such dangerous positions on the pitch is a crucial element to ensure continuity with the system. It was also clear that this initial press from the front three was being backed up by the players behind them, with Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo quickly pouncing on any passes which eluded and broke the press of the front three. While Mainoo isn’t renowned for his sheer athleticism, he showed his willingness to adapt for the good of the team, and while Fernandes is very clearly still the creative hub of this team, his understanding of when to press can still be an issue, and ultimately lead to gaps being left in the middle of the pitch. If he’s going to be playing a deeper role this season, which appears to be the plan, then he will need to show more discipline in this position. Still, I’m not here to criticise Fernandes, frequently United’s saviour over the years.

The speed of attack was something which really stood out to me during the match against Everton. It’s undoubtedly high-risk, high-reward football on show, as United continuously looked to play their way out from the back, with sharp one-touch passing moves a regular theme. With the centre-backs looking to play the ball through midfield quickly, the space that was opening up for the wing-backs, particularly Amad on the right, showed the benefits of the formation. While the wing-backs will be tasked with putting in an almighty shift, the potential rewards are there, and you could see the effectiveness of this in real time as Amad consistently picked up the ball in space before driving towards goal, with one instance resulting in a penalty, which was coolly dispatched by Fernandes. How the referee deemed it to be a penalty was beyond me, but Amad was a constant threat throughout the match.

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Both Cunha and Mbuemo are unselfish players who will work hard at all times, so they fit this Amorim system nicely. Cunha, unbeknownst to me, has remarkably quick acceleration and top speed, and his ability to carry the ball quickly over long distances in a short space of time will be important for United this season. I vividly remember Cunha doing this to great effect in a Premier League match against United at Old Trafford at the beginning of the 2023/24 season while playing for Wolves, so this aspect came as no surprise to me. There were a fair number of overhit passes from United players last night, but they are still coming to terms with Amorim’s system, so expect there to be creaks along the way. The important part was that you could see the intent was there.

The Number 9 Dilemma

It is still unclear how United will tackle the quandary that is the centre-forward role. As things stand, United have both Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee as options at number 9. Both are very different types of strikers. In theory, Højlund is seen as the typical modern-day striker. One who will play off the shoulder of the last defender, run into space, work the channels, and basically not give the defence a moment's peace with his high energy. Whereas Zirkzee is the opposite, regularly coming short to receive possession, with his fine technique and delicate touch giving United another dimension in attack. Zirkzee will look to aid the attack by linking the play with the midfielders and wing-backs, while Højlund is regarded as the finisher of attacks. In reality, neither of these players have come close to fulfilling their potential at United, with both players seemingly an awkward fit in Amorim’s system.

Højlund showed plenty of promise in his first season, with 16 goals across 43 appearances representing a decent return for a young striker in his first season in English football. Considering he was the only true centre-forward in the squad, scoring 10 Premier League goals in a struggling team that finished the season in 8^th place is respectable. However, his form regressed during his second season, with a complete loss of confidence, meaning he finished the campaign with just 10 goals across 52 appearances, and only 4 in the league, as he often found himself being rotated in and out of the team with Zirkzee. Not all of the blame can be laid at the feet of Højlund. It’s not Højlund’s fault United overpaid for a player full of potential, but with no real back catalogue to back up such a transfer fee. United have reportedly made Højlund available for roughly €40 million in this transfer market, though Højlund has made it clear he intends to stay and fight for his place in the team.

Zirkzee, on the other hand, started off spectacularly, nonchalantly scoring on his debut against Fulham. However, Zirkzee, despite the fine work he had done at Bologna under Thiago Motta, was not the goalscoring striker that United fans had craved, and his sometimes casual demeanour failed to endear him to supporters. While I was happy United had signed a player of such a profile, I was sceptical he would be utilised in the right manner at United. Zirkzee also suffered a major loss of confidence around the midway point of the season, though did show some encouraging signs towards the end of the season. Honestly, how a player with the profile of Zirkzee fits into a team with dual number 10s is a bit of a mystery to me. Although I guess there is the potential to rotate with either Cunha or Mbuemo, creating a fluid front three. We’ve even seen Amorim try Mainoo as a false 9 against Crystal Palace last season, but, despite a promising start, it became clear he doesn’t possess the physical attributes or nous to play such a position.

This all leads to the fact United are seemingly ready to test RB Leipzig’s resolve regarding Benjamin Šeško. The 22-year-old has been closely monitored by United for the past few years, and seemingly United even had the opportunity to sign him for as low as €2 million from Slovenian outfit Domžale, where he spent a season before signing his first professional contract with Red Bull Salzburg in 2019. It’s difficult to ascertain how accurate that is, but there’s no doubt United have expressed firm interest this summer. Newcastle have already had an €80 million bid rejected in the past week, and have reportedly made an improved offer to RB Leipzig, so United may have to come closer to €100 million for a player who, despite his young age, boasts a good, but not great, goalscoring record up to this point. While I understand the temptation to land one of Europe’s best talents, who, all things going well, could spend the next ten years at the club, my own preference would be for United to look to strike a deal for Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa. I understand Watkins is set to turn 30 in December of this year, but United need to look at signing ready-made talent who can offer a reliable threat in front of goal. I’m aware United have been stung with signing veteran players over the past few years, but it would be unlikely United would need to pay Watkins a disproportionately large salary upon joining the club, and United desperately need a striker they can rely on to score 15 league goals next season.

I suspect the likeliest outcome will be that United persevere with Højlund and Zirkzee for the coming season, with PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules) likely meaning United would need to sell before they can buy this summer, having already spent roughly €130 million on Cunha and Mbuemo.

The Benefit of having no European Football

While having no European football is undoubtedly a dent to a club of United’s stature, some real positives come with this. While all of United’s rivals will be competing in European competition this season, playing a minimum of 8 matches, and likely at least another two more knockout matches at the beginning of 2026, United will have free weeks to rest up and prepare for the weekend's league fixtures. There have been plenty of teams that have benefitted from this over the years. Look at Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool in 2013/14, or Antonio Conte’s Chelsea in 2016/17. While the prestige of European football is important, and the preference of many supporters, myself included, would be to be competing in European competition, you cannot understate how much of an advantage it could be for Amorim as he continues to implement his style of play.

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On the other hand, the issue here is that fewer fixtures means the potential for more players becoming disgruntled at a lack of game time. United still have players that they need to offload, such as Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho and Antony, and the idea of a bloated squad will not appeal to Amorim as he looks to sharpen focus and bring everyone onside this season. There’s every chance United will offload the ‘bomb squad’ before the transfer window closes, but United still have plenty of work to do beyond these higher-profile players if they want to ensure a positive, competitive culture is cultivated and maintained at the club. Also, the idea of no European football will ideally lead to even greater motivation to ensure they are back playing at this level as soon as possible, particularly when you’re watching all of your rivals compete on all fronts. While the disappointment after last season’s Europa League final defeat was undeniable, there was always the feeling that, deep down, this was a squad that could really do without the extra workload of European football this season.

So, with all that said, where do United still need to strengthen?

I’ve touched on the need for a centre forward, but where else should United be looking to reinforce? Since the appointment of Amorim, I, like many other United supporters, have stressed the importance of signing an all-action, athletic, dynamic midfielder. While Mainoo has shown he has the ability to evolve into something closer to that type of midfield player, we can’t expect him to tick all the boxes in that regard. Depending on what combination Amorim decides to use in the midfield position, there’s no doubt United would benefit from having more options in that position. Realistically, Amorim is likely to deploy Manuel Ugarte as one of the two midfielders, particularly when United come up against higher-level opposition, where they will be expected to have less possession. Ugarte is a good player but lacks the energy to get around the pitch. In fact, the likelihood is you would play Ugarte alongside said midfielder, in order to provide additional protection for the defence. Liverpool have Dominik Szoboszlai, Manchester City signed Tijjani Reijnders, Arsenal have Declan Rice, and Chelsea have Moisés Caicedo. These are all high-calibre players, but these are the type of players United should be identifying and looking to recruit. While there are not a lot of obvious options in this regard, one name I’ve thought could be an option would be Éderson of Atalanta. He’s not the star name many United fans might crave, but Amorim is not looking for egos, he’s chasing selfless players who will put the team above all else. Éderson would fit this criterion. At 26 years old, he should be entering the prime of his career, and should be available at decent value.

Other than midfield, United will be looking to bolster their options with a new goalkeeper and centre-half. While United are not exactly short in those positions right now, these are positions the club will need to address over the next 12 months. While I championed André Onana upon his arrival from Inter, he has unfortunately flattered to deceive during his time at the club. At centre-back, United have plenty of options, but neither Harry Maguire nor Matthijs de Ligt look capable of showing the sort of consistency required. At left centre-back, it’s a risk relying on Lisandro Martínez and Luke Shaw given their injury records. Ayden Heaven, who looks like a real talent for this position in the long run, shouldn’t be expected to be able to play this position right now with regularity. Ultimately, both positions are unlikely to be top of the agenda at this moment in time. Fernandes spoke about the need for the club to make more signings to add competition to the squad, but there has to be a degree of reality with the situation, given the players United are looking to offload between now and the end of August.

While I find myself being quietly confident of better times ahead for United, this cautious optimism has been there in the past. Will this be another false dawn? Now is the time for this team to stand up, puff their chests out, and show people they aren’t the flaky individuals many people perceive them to be.

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For the elite-level players and coaches, there must have been a sense of dread when it was announced the Champions League would be expanding to 36 teams, with a minimum of two additional fixtures being added to the football calendar, and potentially four, as was the case for PSG this season (last season?). Perhaps that moment of dread came when it was announced that the Nations League, which has proven to be a welcome shift from the tedious nature of international friendlies, had been expanded to include promotion/relegation play-offs, as well as quarter-finals. Maybe it’s as far back as the 2016 European Championships, when UEFA expanded the competition to 24 teams from the original 16, or even when FIFA reacted to this expansion by, you guessed it, expanding the World Cup to 48 teams.

Now, though, it feels like we’re approaching breaking point, or at least the players are. The newly expanded Club World Cup, or as it's better known, Gianni Infantino’s master plan to save football, has shed greater light on an issue in the game in which fans, managers, and most importantly, players have been raising for years now. Despite the grievances of most players, with FIFA and UEFA consistently ignoring any pleas to consider the impact this is having on players' careers, football continues to expand beyond any reasonable workload. In fact, the answer to almost any question in football is almost always to add more fixtures to an already heavily congested calendar.

Down the years, the cynic would always have argued that players should not complain about such issues, considering the astronomical wages they’re often earning. Of course, players are well paid, and like it or not, that’s not going to change. In fact, with the addition of more fixtures it seems entirely logical that there will be even more money swirling around the game for these damn prima donnas to get their greedy hands on. With that said, I think the dial has shifted on that now, with even the old school stalwarts recognising that players will eventually succumb to fatigue if they play too much football, or enter the ‘red zone’. People occasionally talk about the need for players to go on strike, but that’s not really the point. Do we really want to push players to a point where they have to push back to such extreme lengths just to get a break from football?

As much as I loathe to use the term, football has become more and more of a product over the years. With that being said, running players into the ground is only going to damage the product on show. My obsession with football goes beyond simply watching the games being played. I tend to keep up to date with all news through different media outlets and podcasts, but even I’m feeling a sense of fatigue with the sheer volume of football being played, so I can’t imagine how the players must be feeling!

The pure saturation of football only serves to dampen the excitement around it. When football is available every single evening, even during the summer break, it starts to become a little bit mundane. Even if players are exhausted, they will still run and run until their muscles literally give up. Both FIFA and UEFA know that even though players will air their frustrations about the fixture pile-up, they will still be forced to play. Yes, they can come to agreements with their clubs to sit out certain fixtures, but ideally, we want to see the best players playing at every opportunity. We should be looking to protect these players from these inevitable injuries. I’d like to see players negotiating a maximum number of matches into their contracts when signing for clubs, although this is still potentially weakening their hand when it comes to negotiating terms. It wouldn’t be an ideal situation, but something needs to give.

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The crux of the issue is that you have two separate governing bodies in football in FIFA and UEFA. Instead of working together to improve the game, they’re essentially competing against one another to gain a stronger foothold in the sport. I’m aware there are other entities in the world of football, but the issue has been accelerated with FIFA watching on as the UEFA Champions League has been a massive success, with revenues soaring as each season passes. FIFA specifically identified a gap in the market (as small as that gap is), and an expanded, global tournament in the club game was always going to be the next evolution, particularly when you have such influential figures as Florentino Pérez endorsing the competition. The Champions League expansion felt like a meeting in the middle with club owners keen to guarantee revenue streams every year, a de facto European Super League. Ultimately, the clubs view this competition as another huge revenue source, which is ultimately just creating greater financial disparities in an already disproportionate landscape.

Auckland City, a team of semi-professionals, will earn upwards of €10 million in prize money for their three group-stage matches, which is likely to completely distort their domestic competition in New Zealand. FIFA can hardly argue that this is improving these individual footballing ecosystems. The qualification criteria for the competition are flawed, with the champions of England, Italy and Spain all not meeting the threshold. Chelsea, however, despite only having a Conference League title to show for their efforts in the past four years, have managed to qualify due to winning the Champions League back in 2021. This leads to another issue with this tournament, particularly if the plan is for it to take place in the summer time every four years, which might soon become every two years. How could you have the league winners guaranteed entry into the competition if their domestic season often only concludes roughly three weeks before the Club World Cup is due to kick off? FIFA seemingly made the decision to announce the participants as early as possible to ensure they have the necessary time to prepare, but you’re leaving yourself open to criticism around what teams qualify. Realistically, if you’re going to push through a tournament of this nature, then it really leaves no option but to prematurely announce the participants. This isn’t solely a criticism of the Club World Cup, but it is part of the discussion.

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It’s not to say the Club World Cup shouldn’t exist; it should, and the fervent atmospheres generated by South American fans prove that this tournament does mean something to fans. Fatigue seems to be playing some part in this for the European teams, but it has most likely ensured more tightly contested matches taking place, which has enhanced the spectacle. But surely FIFA and UEFA need to come together at some point and reach some sort of compromise.

According to Transfermarkt, Lamine Yamal, who is still just 17 years of age, has already racked up 126 appearances in his short playing career (106 for Barcelona and 20 for the Spanish national team). It’s pretty absurd when you consider the levels he’s already reached, but this won’t be sustainable if he plans on playing for another 15+ years, which we would all assume he does. It’s unquestionably a benefit Barcelona are not involved in this edition, but they likely will be in the coming years. We’ve seen the likes of Ronaldo (the Brazilian one), Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen, to name just a few, rack up a huge number of appearances during their early careers, only to suffer drop-offs in their physical levels once they reach their so-called peak age. While it seems pretty crazy to assume the same could happen with Yamal, there has to come a time when these players are given the necessary time to recuperate. It shouldn’t necessarily be left to the players and managers to pick and choose when they can play in order to avoid risking injury. We want to see the best players at their optimum level as much as possible, so take the decision out of their hands.

It's difficult to see football ever truly rowing back, with increased demand and finances involved, so it might be ultimately left to the players to make a stand. One thing is for sure: football seems reluctant to truly help them, so they need to help themselves.

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Manchester United head into the Europa League final off the back of an eight-match winless run in the Premier League, so momentum is clearly not with them. Spurs have actually conspired to sink even lower than United, with 21 league defeats this season ensuring neither side will approach the final with any great sense of confidence. United’s European form has been in complete contrast with their domestic campaign, having not lost a match all season in the Europa League. However, the final will see United’s two contrasting worlds meet, with this Europa League final against a side that has beaten them three times this season domestically, so something must give.

Ruben Amorim went with a strong lineup against Chelsea on Friday evening, with the hope that United could find some rhythm going into the final. Defeat meant United moved onto 18 league defeats for the campaign, which is truly abysmal, and cannot repeat itself next season. At the same time, there were some green shoots to be found in and amongst the lacklustre display at Stamford Bridge, with Mason Mount and Amad Diallo showing some nice interplay at times, causing Marc Cucurella problems on occasion, although it was ultimately Cucurella’s goal that settled the contest.

My starting XI for the final would be more or less the same as what Amorim went with at Chelsea. If Leny Yoro can prove his fitness in time, I would start him in place of Victor Lindelof at right-centre back. Yoro’s recovery pace would be a huge benefit in that regard. While I would be tempted to dislodge Luke Shaw for Yoro, as Yoro has excelled in that left centre-back role in recent weeks, Shaw’s ability to play the ball out of defence makes a huge difference to how Amorim wants his United team to play, particularly in the absence of Lisandro Martinez. Shaw is unlikely to be able to play the full 90 minutes, plus potentially extra time, so you can always introduce Lindelof and move Yoro over to his preferred left centre-back position. Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui would start as wing-backs. There was even a temptation for me to suggest that Mazraoui would start at right-centre back, with Lindelof dropping to the bench, paving the way for Amad to start at right wing back, but I have other ideas as to how the attacking end of the pitch would look, and Amad is unquestionably part of that.

While Mazraoui is not the most dynamic, and clearly isn’t the archetypal wing-back that Amorim covets, he’s an excellent defender, and someone who Amorim can rely on to maintain his composure in the cauldron of what will be a real battle of attrition. I suspect Mazraoui will have Wilson Odobert to contend with on the left wing. Odobert has looked hugely promising since recovering from an injury during the first half of the season, but Mazraoui should have the experience to cope with the young attacker. Dorgu, on the other hand, offers plenty of width and energy on the left side, albeit his decision-making and composure can go missing in the big moments. Considering Dorgu will be directly up against Brennan Johnson on the left side of the pitch, it could actually be the sort of opponent he thrives against. Dorgu should be able to hold his own physically against Johnson, but he’ll need help, considering Pedro Porro is arguably the most attacking full-back in the Premier League.

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A midfield two of Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte is necessary for this contest. Spurs are missing a lot of their creative spark in midfield, with Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison both having been ruled out of the final in recent weeks, so I suspect Ange Postecoglou will go for legs and power over finesse in midfield, with Rodrigo Bentancur likely to be joined by Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr, which is likely to lead to a very workmanlike performance in midfield. Bruno Fernandes is likely to drop deeper to provide support for that midfield duo, with neither Casemiro nor Ugarte the most agile. Fernandes will also be crucial in connecting the midfield with the attack, with United heavily reliant on him for his chance creation. If United are going to have any success, they’ll need Fernandes on top of his game, as he has been throughout the majority of his United career. United’s saviour on so many occasions since joining the club in January 2020, Amorim will be praying he has one more big performance in him this season.

Alongside Fernandes I have to go with Amad. While I’m not certain he’ll be able to complete 90 minutes, having only recently returned from what was assumed to be a season-ending injury, his ability to link play and beat his man means he is a shoo-in to start, for me. The fact Amad did manage to complete 90 minutes against Chelsea was hugely encouraging for Amorim, so there shouldn’t be any issues with fatigue, given there’s a five-day gap between fixtures. The striker is one of the biggest dilemmas Amorim faces ahead of the final. Amorim has been very public in his defence of Rasmus Hojlund of late, pointing out that his struggles are part of a wider team issue, and that he is making the right runs without getting picked out by his team-mates. I’ve been patient with Hojlund since his arrival, and I’m still willing to be patient going forward, but I think Amorim needs to change it up for the final. It might ruin Hojlund’s confidence, but on this occasion, I would go with Mason Mount as a false nine. I’m aware this is a risk to change things up so drastically for the final, but Hojlund’s struggles have been well documented all season. At the moment, he’s not contributing in any sense. While he hasn’t been helped by the lack of service from his team-mates, he has failed to be a presence and focal point up top for this United team, and on Friday it felt as if every attack was breaking down once it reached Hojlund’s feet. He shouldn’t be made out to be the scapegoat of this United team, but United will have a decision to make in the summer.

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Amorim is clearly a huge fan of Mount, with his diligence and intelligent pressing ensuring he fits into the system Amorim is attempting to implement. The link-up between Mount and Amad against Chelsea offered a glimpse into what this team could look like next season, and the signs were promising. Yes, United would lack a true presence up front, but Hojlund is not providing that anyway, so I think going for more dynamism and awareness of movement should ensure Micky van de Ven and Christian Romero are kept constantly guessing. The two centre backs would likely prefer to face a big, strong centre forward in Hojlund, but the nimbleness of Amad and Mount might leave them ensure of where exactly they should be when one drops short. As I said, it’s a gamble, but I think Amorim has to try to change it up, with Spurs seemingly having United’s number this season. The news Joshua Zirkzee is fit to play some part tonight is a bonus, but it’s unlikely he’ll be fit enough to start.

David’s ideal starting XI

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Manchester United find themselves in the unique position of chasing European glory while their league campaign has fallen by the wayside. Sitting two places above the relegation zone, albeit never with any jeopardy of actually being relegated, has left supporters bemused by the contrast between their European and domestic form. How can a club go from beating Spain’s fourth-best team 7-1 on aggregate to losing at home against a West Ham side that hadn’t won since February? Since the end of January, United have only beaten Leicester and Ipswich in the league, two clubs that have looked destined for relegation since the backend of 2024. At the same time, United are the only unbeaten team across any of the European competitions this season. The kings of Europe, some might say.

So, is this just a quirk, or is there some actual logic behind this? Simply put, there are better and wealthier teams in the Premier League than in the other European leagues. Whether that’s a good thing or not (it’s not) is up to you to decide. The fact that both United and Spurs find themselves in identical positions going into next week's final arguably proves that this is more than just a quirk and is down to the setup of the Europa League. I’ve spoken before about how the financial might of the Premier League is unhealthy for European football. While it creates high-level matches between the likes of Bournemouth and Brighton, it’s not normal for clubs of this stature to be able to spend north of €100 million in a transfer window.

Take the teams who are currently occupying 12^th place in England, Spain, Germany and Italy: Crystal Palace, Real Sociedad, Wolfsburg and Udinese. According to Transfermarkt, Crystal Palace spent €91.9 million last summer, while Real Sociedad (€45.2 million), Wolfsburg (€44.5 million), and Udinese (€23.95 million) spent €113.65 million combined. I’m aware Crystal Palace sold their best player, Michael Olise, to Bayern Munich last summer, but generally speaking, this has been a trend over the past ten years, and it only seems to be growing. The financial rewards on offer in the Premier League dwarf those of their rivals across Europe, with TV revenue a major factor in this. Premier League clubs can spend considerably more on wages than their rivals, with revenues throughout the league ensuring these clubs often pick up the best talent across Europe. You look at the quality of teams such as Aston Villa, Brighton and Bournemouth, and it’s no surprise given their financial advantage.

On a similar theme, Premier League clubs have been able to acquire top-level managers, unlike many of their European counterparts. Unai Emery taking over at Villa is probably the best case in point. Villa were flirting with relegation when they dispensed of Steven Gerrard. Yes, this was a false position given the quality of their team, but Emery, a top-level manager who had enjoyed a hugely successful career up to that point, appeared not to hesitate once he was given assurances he would be able to tweak the squad to shape his preferred style. This was quite the coup for Villa, but in time, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise given the financial appeal and potential of the club. The financial might of the Premier League has distorted European football, and the fact that we’ll see six English teams in next season’s Champions League is evidence of that.

In terms of the style of play in European football, the Europa League is often not played at the same high intensity as the Premier League. Players like Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte are not the most athletic, and that extra 1-2 seconds on the ball can make a huge difference. Ruben Amorim has often spoken about the need for physicality in his squad, as he’s acutely aware that’s the minimum required to compete in the Premier League. While I can’t claim to have watched much of his Sporting team, I’ve read enough about Amorim to know they are an incredibly athletic team, and this showed during their 4-1 victory against Manchester City in this season's Champions League. We’ve seen United’s midfield get overrun throughout this Premier League campaign, but those same struggles don’t translate to the Europa League. If you look at most teams in the Premier League, it’s the energy in midfield that is the common denominator between these teams. That’s another reason why the final against Spurs is so intriguing, as they’ll be facing a team with greater physicality in the middle of the park, though this is something Spurs have also struggled with this season. As I mentioned before, the quality of Premier League clubs is higher than most Europa League clubs, and this season has been evident of that, with the 16^th and 17^th best Premier League clubs set to compete in the final.

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The quality of opposition in this season’s Europa League is drastically different to what it has been in years gone by. Since UEFA altered the rules ahead of this season so that no Champions League sides can drop down to the Europa League, the calibre of opposition has declined. Last season, the likes of Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen and Liverpool were all competing in the Europa League, but really, we knew all three were Champions League-level clubs. This season, United have seen off Real Sociedad, Lyon and Athletic Club to reach the final. This was actually one of the tougher runs United could possibly have faced, but it still doesn’t quite compare to seasons gone by. If United had faced opposition at the calibre of Atalanta, Leverkusen or Liverpool, based on the evidence of what we’ve seen so far this season, it’s unlikely they’d have progressed, particularly over a two-legged tie.

So… who’s going to win?

As I mentioned previously in this piece, Spurs are not the ideal opponent for this United side, despite the fact that they’ve endured one of their own historically bad campaigns in modern history. Spurs have triumphed over United three times already this season, so that doesn’t bode well. Although it’s this same reason that, despite these losses, I feel United will get the better of Spurs in the final. That’s mostly just a feeling. A lot is based on the feeling that it would feel very Spurs, having beaten United three times already this season, to then lose this match, the one that truly matters. That’s a bit unfair, and I’m not exactly looking forward to the final, but that’s the way these matches often are.

Spurs having both Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero available for the final is a huge boost, as it should allow them to play the type of game Ange Postecoglou would like. Spurs will likely aim to press United high, knowing they can leave space in behind as Van de Ven’s roadrunner pace will allow him to eat up the ground quicker than arguably any other defender. The news that emerged last night that Dejan Kulusevski had undergone surgery on a knee issue is a huge blow and will require a rethink from Postecoglou. From United’s perspective, they have injury concerns throughout the squad. Leny Yoro, whose performances have been one of the few positives for the team in recent weeks, is a doubt, and that would create a selection headache for Amorim. If Yoro were to miss out, it would likely mean Luke Shaw would start at left centre-back, and you would have to be concerned about his durability, and whether he would have 90 minutes, plus potentially extra time and penalties in him.

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Both United and Spurs play on Friday evening, against Chelsea and Villa respectively, and it will be interesting to see how both sides line up five days before the biggest game of their seasons. You don’t want to risk any further injuries, but it’s important for United to try and gain some sort of momentum in their last fixture before the final. I’d like to see Amad Diallo get some minutes, which could potentially lead to him starting the final. The difference Amad made when he came on against Athletic Club in the second leg at Old Trafford highlighted how he could be a difference-maker. United don’t have many dribblers in their squad, but Amad is the exception to this.

Whatever way it plays out on Wednesday evening, it’s not going to be an enjoyable experience for either set of fans. It’s going to be tense, nervy and potentially low on quality. I would genuinely love to be a neutral supporter watching this match, as it would be thrilling in its own way to see how it will pan out. Alas, I’ll have to suffer just like the rest of the United fanbase. Don’t expect fireworks, but brace yourself for a battle of attrition, and try to enjoy it, if possible.

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With Manchester City, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa all vying for Champions League football via their league positions, and Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur set to square off in the Europa League final, which clubs actually need it the most? There’s obviously no definitive answer to this question, but it’s worth noting that some clubs could do with elite-level European football more than others.

Manchester City

They currently look the most likely to secure a top five finish this season, and for that same reason, I’ll keep it relatively brief. Probably the least interesting (sorry City fans) of the teams looking to secure Champions League football next season, it’s difficult now to envisage a situation where City don’t qualify. They have an FA Cup final to look forward to, but not before they face Southampton in the league, while they finish with fixtures against Bournemouth and Fulham.

However, what we expect from City next season is not as clear as some might think. Many are expecting City to kick on again next season and resume normal service: compete for the Premier League title. Even though City have already begun their rebuild with a huge outlay in January, with the signings of Omar Marmoush, Nico González, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis, they haven’t necessarily signed all these players for the here and now, particularly with Khusanov and Reis. While it’s always difficult to make any sort of case against City and Pep Guardiola, particularly given their resources, I’m still unconvinced that the club will be able to reproduce their imperious standards of the past. You would expect the return of Rodri to substantially improve their form, although you can never be certain how a player will perform given such a lengthy injury layoff, and with a fully fit Erling Haaland raring to go next season, City could obviously hit the ground running.

It will be interesting to see just how Haaland fits back into this City team for the remainder of the season, given Guardiola appears to have found a solution during his absence. This solution has been all about reverting to the controlled game that typified his team over the years. From a pure footballing sense, I have no doubt City are a better team when Haaland isn’t there, but his goals more than make up for that loss of fluency. I don’t think we’ll see City struggle anything like they have at times this season, but I also think gone are the days of City hitting the high 90s in terms of points. I’m sure City will improve next season, but I see both Arsenal and Liverpool as stronger outfits next season. At the same time, Guardiola is a genius, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s come up with a completely different formula next season that bamboozles everyone else. Champions League football was always a necessity for Guardiola and his players, with the club recovering from a disastrous period between November and February to put themselves within touching distance of confirming a top five place. City could face game-changing sanctions in the next few months with the verdict from their financial charges expected in the near future. Champions League football will at least secure their aura as a real player in European football, whatever the future holds for the club.

Newcastle United

Following Newcastle’s victory in the League Cup final against Liverpool, many people, including me, suspected there would be a drop-off to some degree during the remainder of the league campaign. Instead, the 2-1 win at Wembley has been used as a springboard for the club, knowing the season could be near perfect if they go on to secure Champions League football next season. The quality of Eddie Howe’s side is undeniable. While it may lack the depth required to truly excel on all fronts, the starting lineup, particularly the midfield trio of Bruno Guimarães, Joelinton and Sandro Tonali, is a midfield as good as any in the Premier League. The injury to Joelinton has certainly removed some of the steel from that midfield, but Newcastle have found form over the last couple of months, the 4-1 defeat to Aston Villa aside.

With Harvey Barnes hitting something of a purple patch, keeping Anthony Gordon out of the team in the process, Jacob Murphy scoring goals and providing assists in a way we’ve not seen throughout his career, and Alexander Isak being the elite performer we know he is, Newcastle have the necessary firepower to see them through to the end of the season. A win against Chelsea in their next league fixture would likely be enough, though Chelsea will be thinking something similar. Qualification for the Champions League could be transformative for Newcastle. Yes, they qualified two years ago, but they failed to kick on. However, with silverware already secured, and less strict financial restrictions on the club as was the case in previous transfer windows, Newcastle have the financial might to blow teams out of the water, in theory at least. Players will start to look at Newcastle as an attractive destination to play football. It’s a one-club city with a passionate fanbase and huge potential. Holding onto players such as Guimarães and Isak will be key to Newcastle’s progress going forward, and qualification for the Champions League will mean the club can point to this as evidence of this progress. It wouldn’t be a disaster by any means if Newcastle missed out, but I think they will have enough to get the job done, which will ensure an extremely satisfying season for all involved on Tyneside.

Chelsea

Just two weeks ago, I had all but ruled Chelsea out of contention for Champions League qualification. After a 2-2 draw with Ipswich at Stamford Bridge, the atmosphere could best be described as unsympathetic towards Chelsea’s players and, in particular, towards Enzo Maresca. However, Chelsea managed to turn defeat into victory at Craven Cottage, before two more victories have put them in a much healthier position than they were following the Ipswich match. While their final three fixtures, away to Newcastle, home to Manchester United, and away at Nottingham Forest, might look daunting on paper, I don’t think they will approach these games with the same trepidation as would have been the case two weeks ago. I suspect that Forest have run out of gas at just the wrong time, and a home game against United is as big a gimme as you could possibly hope for, particularly considering United will likely be preparing for a Europa League final the following week. The next game at Newcastle could be huge. Though if Villa fail to win at Bournemouth the day before, which I suspect they will, then the Newcastle game might not be quite as significant. Both teams will likely be happy with a draw, though Newcastle will know a win should put them beyond Chelsea’s reach.

How crucial is it for Chelsea to qualify for the Champions League? Well, I’m no accountant, and I’m aware Chelsea have handed out these long-term contracts to mitigate the risk of short-term failure, but I know if you’ve spent north of €2 billion over the past three years and repeatedly failed to qualify, you will be in a spot of bother. Still, Chelsea will take part in the Club World Cup this summer, with the Athletic reporting that simply qualifying from the group stage could earn the club up to €70 million. I have my issues with this tournament, so I won’t go into the nuances of it. One could argue that Chelsea are incredibly lucky to have this windfall coming their way, but at the same time, it’s likely the owners bore this in mind when making their calculations in the transfer market.

For Chelsea to make that next step, they need to qualify for the Champions League. There are players in that squad who could start to kick up a fuss if they fail to qualify again. Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo are players that spring to mind that may feel they’re too good to be playing in the Europa or Conference League. For that reason, I do think it’s hugely important they secure qualification. As we know, this is a hugely inexperienced squad. With a few experienced additions, they could certainly kick on next season, but it’s more important they show progress. Qualification for the Champions League would prove to the players that Chelsea is the place to be.

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Nottingham Forest

In the Premier League this season, Forest have been the surprise package. Considering a lot of people had tipped them for relegation this season, me included, for them to be challenging for European football in May is an outstanding achievement. Up until about a month ago, with Forest comfortably in third place, it looked a foregone conclusion. However, they now look to be on their last legs. Their form has dropped, they’ve suffered injuries to key players at a crucial time of the season, and their formidable backline looks less and less solid with every match. When Forest fail to score the first goal, they struggle. Having watched their most recent game away at Crystal Palace, even after netting a morale-boosting equaliser shortly after falling behind, they looked content with a draw. Perhaps Nuno Espírito Santo considered the fact that their next two matches are against Leicester and West Ham, and thought a point at Selhurst Park could end up being valuable. They finish with a home fixture against Chelsea, in what could essentially be a direct shootout for qualification for the Champions League. If Forest find themselves in a position where a draw would be enough in that fixture, they certainly have a chance. However, I suspect they may well drop points before then, which would put them in the uncomfortable position of needing to take the game to Chelsea.

How big a blow it would be to Forest if they fail to qualify depends on your perspective. Obviously, if you had told Forest fans they would finish in the top half this season, they’d have been delighted. But, having occupied third place for so much of the campaign, anything other than a top-five finish will now feel like an anticlimax. In reality, as a club Forest will not be in financial peril if they fail to qualify, but it’s far from guaranteed that an opportunity like this will come again anytime soon. Yes, the financial might of the Premier League does mean there is always room for so-called outsiders to gatecrash the top four/five places in the division, but it’s difficult to see City struggling to this extent next season, financial charges pending. While I don’t expect either Man United or Spurs to qualify for the Champions League next season, I’d be shocked if they were anywhere close to how poor they have been this season.

My suspicion is that Forest are done. I hope I’m wrong, as it would be fantastic to see them competing in the Champions League next season, but qualifying for the Europa League might actually be a blessing for the club. It’s a competition they can be expected to progress reasonably far in, as they’ll face teams closer to their level.

Aston Villa

Villa are one of the more interesting cases in this regard. Their form was average at best during the first half of the season, as Unai Emery’s squad struggled to juggle their domestic and European exertions. As they progressed through the league phase of the Champions League, their Premier League form took a hit. I think Villa’s fans would have accepted this at the start of the season, but Villa’s mid-season dealings in January suggested the ownership were desperate to ensure Champions League qualification was secured. Villa sold Jhon Durán for big money, but signed the likes of Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio, Donyell Malen and Axel Disasi, some of whom were loan deals, to bolster their squad for the remainder of the season. It was obvious these signings were sanctioned with an element of risk, with the hope that qualifying for the Champions League would offset the money spent. Since the end of February, Villa have hit their stride, with their only slip-up in the league being the 2-1 defeat against City, which only came via a last-minute goal from Matheus Nunes.

It's a calculated risk that has been taken by the Villa hierarchy, and if they qualify it will be a gamble which has undoubtedly paid off. However, considering Villa are not exactly a regular fixture of the Champions League, would failure to qualify really be that disastrous? Well, perhaps not, but something which has arguably been overlooked is the danger of losing Emery. Unai Emery, despite difficult spells at both PSG and Arsenal, has proven he is an elite-level manager. He has proven this during his career at Valencia, Sevilla, Villarreal, and now at Villa. There are clearly some very talented players at Villa, but I don’t think they would be quite as well coveted as Emery is, were he to decide he’s done all he can at Villa. There is no talk of him leaving should that eventuality come to fruition, but it would be interesting if one of the elite clubs tested Villa’s resolve with an approach, should they fail to qualify.

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Man United

In some ways, the fact that we can even mention Man United and Spurs as viable destinations for Champions League football next season makes a mockery of the Europa League, to some extent. First and foremost, the Europa League should not be treated as some backdoor entrance to the Champions League, but here we are. It almost takes away from the competition itself. Most of the talk has revolved around how Champions League qualification would transform either club's season, should they win it. But let’s remember there is an actual trophy at stake for winning this competition!

For United, the discussion has mostly centred around how crucial the influx of cash would be from securing Champions League football next season. It would likely transform United’s transfer window in the summer, allowing the club to spend more money during the close season. United’s financial issues have been very well publicised this season, with job cuts and ticket price increases hardly improving morale within the club. As it stands, assuming there is no European football at Old Trafford next season, United will have to be smart with their summer business. They will have to sell before they can buy. The hope is they can offload players such as Rashford and Antony, which is becoming an increasingly realistic scenario given their form since departing on loan deals. If a decent offer for Casemiro were to arise, I think United should sanction a sale, even despite his improved form over the past month. United need to start being more ruthless in this regard. City’s decision to let Kevin De Bruyne leave in the summer raised a few eyebrows amongst some onlookers, but it’s the right decision, even if it does seem questionable right now.

It's true that should United win the Europa League, they would see the wages of certain players return to 100%. Right now, like most other clubs, the wages of players are cut by a certain percentage if they fail to qualify for the Champions League. However, this would be a fraction of what they would stand to earn from qualifying. Crucially, and particularly for a club like United that has lost much of its allure over the years, being able to offer Champions League football would sway some players towards the club when deciding on whether to make the move. It will also give Ruben Amorim both some leeway and, crucially, some kudos in that he’ll be able to point to the fact that, even in the midst of a dismal season for the club, he still managed to deliver silverware.

Tottenham Hotspur

If Spurs were to win the Europa League, it would be massive for the club. Not only in the sense that they would benefit from the finances and playing Champions League football, but it would be the first trophy the club has won since the League Cup in 2008. Considering how poor Spurs’ season has been, it wouldn’t guarantee Ange Postecoglou would still be in the job next season, but it would be vindication for the Spurs hierarchy, amidst a time when the club’s fanbase has increasingly become disillusioned with the direction of the club. Neither Mauricio Pochettino nor José Mourinho were able to win silverware during their spells in charge, so Postecoglou will always be able to point to that as evidence that his time at the club was in fact a success. If they do win the Europa League, Postecoglou’s time in charge has to be deemed a success, given how rare it has been for Spurs to pick up trophies over the years.

In terms of finances, Spurs are one of the most well-run clubs in Europe. Yes, that does really depend on your outlook and what a well-run club means to you. Clearly, Spurs haven’t been as successful as fans would have hoped, as is evidenced by their lack of any silverware over the past 15+ years. For all the criticism which has been aimed at Daniel Levy, the club is now playing in one of the finest stadiums in the world, and the finances are looking considerably healthier than many of their counterparts. You see the financial chaos at other clubs around Europe, Barcelona, I’m looking at you, and it does allow you to appreciate the job Levy has done. I’m not a Spurs supporter, so it’s not really my place to comment, but the situation could be a lot worse. Is there a chance that Spurs win the Europa League, get their squad fit next season, add a few high-level performers to that squad, and consolidate their place amongst the elite again? I don’t think so, but I’ve been wrong before!

Any of these clubs can make a case that Champions League qualification would mean more to them than the other clubs. We won’t have to wait long to find out. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

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With domestic seasons across Europe drawing to their respective conclusions, attention has already turned to the summer. For Real Madrid, the focus is on what changes are needed for the club to bounce back next season. It might seem impulsive considering Madrid are only four points adrift of Barcelona at the top of La Liga, and with a Clásico to come before the season finishes, the title race is still alive. Adding to this, there’s another Clásico in the Copa del Rey final this coming weekend, meaning this season could still end in triumph for Carlo Ancelotti’s side. However, let’s be honest: winning major honours has never stopped Los Blancos from dispensing with managers before, so we won’t take anything for granted.

One of the major questions from all of this is whether Xabi Alonso would be given the time he needs to succeed at Madrid. The lure of Real Madrid is probably greater than at any other club in the world. You have the history of the club, having won a record 15 European Cups, while the Galácticos of the past, including greats such as Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo, tug on the heartstrings of players to the extent where they find it impossible to say no. To be able to call yourself one of these Galácticos means a lot to players. Whether that applies to managers is hard to discern. Alonso has experienced this as a player, and he’ll be well aware of the pitfalls that the Madrid manager faces. Trophies do not necessarily guarantee success. Ancelotti was dismissed 12 months after winning La Decima, despite finishing second in the league with 92 points. Failure is not tolerated at Madrid. Alonso will be expected to hit the ground running, especially if this season ultimately ends in disappointment for Madrid, which seems quite plausible right now.

It's worth contemplating whether Alonso truly would be the right fit for this club. Madrid’s success in the modern era has come under Ancelotti and Zidane. Two men who understand the ethos of a big club, who know how to manage big personalities, and whose greatest traits are to coax that talent through big moments. That’s not to say Ancelotti or Zidane were not tactically astute, but coaching, in the purest sense, was never among their biggest strengths. At Madrid you have a dressing room full of stars who have won everything there is to win in the game at club level, and often these same egos don’t appreciate being told there is a better way of working.

Having said that, I do believe there are players in that Madrid squad in need of coaching, and more importantly, would indeed relish the opportunity to be coached by one of the game’s brightest talents. Now may also be the best time to join the club. In the summer of 2024, with Madrid having just won their record-extending 15^th European Cup, they then sign Kylian Mbappé on a free transfer. In many ways, the only way was down for this Madrid squad this season. I think it was clear this Madrid squad is not as strong as many people had thought. With the departure of Toni Kroos catching many people by surprise, and with Luka Modrić finally starting to resemble a 39-year-old playing at the top level for the past seventeen years, more work was needed in the summer. Still, and this is purely just a hunch, I suspect there are players in that Madrid squad who would like to have a plan B up their sleeve. Over the past decade, Madrid would regularly be bailed out by the likes of Ronaldo, Gareth Bale or Karim Benzema producing a piece of magic. They were very much the ‘vibes’ team, to the point where their powers of recovery would defy all logic. The pressure is never off at Madrid, but with Barcelona’s resurgence this season, the expectation won’t be that Madrid can saunter to domestic success next season. Alonso would enter the Madrid dressing room and immediately command respect, given his history with the club, coupled with both his early career success as a manager and his tactical acumen. I’ve been trying to think of the best comparison in this regard, and one name that came to mind was Unai Emery. Emery proved himself to be a superb tactician from his early coaching days with Valencia and Sevilla, but struggled to impose his ideas at both PSG and Arsenal, where the expectations were greater. Florentino Pérez is not renowned for his patience, so Alonso won’t be afforded the same grace as he has had at Bayer Leverkusen.

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Is there a case for Alonso remaining in Germany for one more season?

In short, yes, unquestionably. What Alonso has achieved in only two and a half years in Leverkusen is unprecedented in German football. Yes, they’ve fallen short in the league this season, but that’s off the back of his side winning a first-ever Bundesliga title, as well as the DFB Pokal, while remaining unbeaten throughout the entire domestic campaign. You might have thought such a coaching performance might be mildly possible at a club like Bayern Munich, given their financial might in comparison to their domestic rivals, but to achieve this at Leverkusen is otherworldly. Leverkusen were regarded as perennial losers in some people’s eyes, the ultimate nearly team. They became known as the guys who couldn’t quite get over the line. This truly manifested itself in the 2001-02 season, when Leverkusen’s 2^nd place finish in the Bundesliga, coupled with their defeats in both the DFB Pokal and Champions League finals, ensured the club would go down in folklore, but for the wrong reasons. Leverkusen’s achievements in 2023-24 put that talk to bed, not only for the magnitude of the achievements but also due to the wild nature of the season itself. There were countless occasions when Leverkusen finally looked set to give up their unbeaten record, only to conjure up moments of magic to turn defeats into victories. The spirit of this team to rise from the dead was all part of their story, and I think we have overlooked just how colossal they were last season. Thomas Muller has previously spoken about how difficult this Leverkusen team was to come up against, how they would never score the same goal, and how that dynamism in their overall play made them such a difficult proposition.

At a glance, the assumption is that Leverkusen have underachieved this season, but in any regular season this would be regarded as an almighty success. When Alonso took charge in October 2022, this was a team languishing in the relegation zone, but he quickly turned their season around to finish 6^th and qualify for the Europa League. Leverkusen were not regularly finishing in the Champions League places, let alone competing for league titles. So, to consider this season as a disappointment does require some perspective. Alonso’s stock is not going to fall if he spends another season at Leverkusen. Some of the criticism aimed at Alonso when he reportedly turned down the Madrid job last summer was put down to him losing his nerve and not having the courage to take on a higher-profile job. I really think you could make a case for the opposite, with Alonso showing immense bravery to turn down the highest profile job of all, essentially backing himself to land another offer in the future. He has carefully mapped out his coaching career so far. He turned down Borussia Mönchengladbach while in charge of Real Sociedad B. He wanted to bide his time and build himself up before moving into a top-level coaching role. He resisted the overtures from Liverpool to replace Jürgen Klopp last summer, potentially aware of a no-win situation, given Klopp's success at Anfield.

On the flip side, is there an argument that Alonso has reached his ceiling with Leverkusen? If Leverkusen lose players such as Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong, that would leave huge holes in the squad that would need filling. As a man with no knowledge of the situation, I get the impression Wirtz might be happy to remain at Leverkusen for one more season. He’s still only 21 years old. He was born in Pulheim, on the other side of the Rhine to the BayArena, so he’s likely more than comfortable in his surroundings. He has a bond with Leverkusen, having joined the club from FC Köln in 2020, and he probably never thought this level of success was possible. There’s no reason to seek a transfer right now, unless Madrid come knocking, which I’m not ruling out.

Could one more season be one season too many at Leverkusen for Alonso? Some might argue that was the case last summer. But is there a shelf life to this level of intensity? We’ve seen examples of this in the past with Pep Guardiola and Klopp, although they were very different cases. Has this Leverkusen team become predictable? We lauded this team for their bouncebackability, but teams now know when the inevitable onslaught is going to come in matches, and they’re more prepared for it. Manchester United built their reputation on Fergie Time. That mental exhaustion took its toll on opposition players, and they would wilt under pressure. But it’s rare. For most teams, that level of intensity, week after week, season after season, is not possible. There may be a lot more sense in Alonso leaving the club because you can make a reasonable argument about what else there is to achieve in Germany. What they have achieved will never be topped, unless we see something freakish from St Pauli next season. I’m putting that one down as unlikely.

If Alonso does decide to leave, he’ll do so with Leverkusen’s blessing, but maybe one more season would be the best preparation for the most scrutinised job in world football.

At a buoyant City Ground stadium in Nottingham, as Anthony Elanga surged forward, making up 85 yards in roughly 9 seconds before slotting the ball past André Onana, Manchester United fans might have been wondering what could have been. Elanga departed Old Trafford in the summer of 2023 in a deal worth roughly £15 million, which, with the benefit of hindsight, seems like a relatively modest fee for a player who appears to be reaching his potential under Nuno Espírito Santo at Nottingham Forest.

So, is it too simplistic to suggest that, given Elanga’s improved form this season, United made a mistake sanctioning his departure? Well, yes and no. At the time when this transfer was confirmed, it felt like the time had come for Elanga to leave to truly blossom into the player he could be. Elanga had his moments under former United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but was rarely afforded opportunities under his successor, Erik Ten Hag. It felt like the best outcome for all involved, although I did feel the low transfer fee could make United look foolish in the coming seasons. United have struggled in the transfer market in recent years, both with incomings and outgoings, with the club often appearing to get a raw deal when negotiating transfers. My initial thought when the transfer was agreed was that if this were Chelsea, Liverpool, or Manchester City, the fee would likely have been about £30 million. Maybe it’s just optics, but it often feels that other clubs have been able to generate better transfer fees for their squad players.

Although it’s important to note if a club wishes to put itself in a position where it can command larger transfer fees, then, quite simply, the club needs to build up a track record of developing players that offer close to a guarantee of success, to entice other clubs. Also, to put it more bluntly, you need to operate successfully as a football club. City have enjoyed huge success in recent years, which has allowed them to build up credit. Other clubs glance over at how City operate, for varying reasons, and trust that these young players have been nurtured in the right way and have every chance of being successful. Of course, there’s never a guarantee that any player will be successful; it can depend on a variety of factors. However, with City consistently performing at a high level, this season aside, it’s clear they’re doing something right. Clubs are more and more inclined to buy young, with the hope of developing talent to an extent where they dramatically improve the team, or can be sold off again at a profit, particularly if that club has a track record for developing talent. To a certain extent, gone are the days when clubs seek to buy ready-made talent as opposed to inexperienced players.

There are times when you must acknowledge that players who leave a club may well go on to have successful careers elsewhere, but this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a mistake. We’ve seen United struggle to part ways with players, with the club reluctant to sanction a sale through fear of wondering what might be in the future. Take Phil Jones as an example. Although I’m loath to criticise a player who so badly struggled with injuries in the latter part of his career, this was a player who had naturally reached the endpoint in his United career. With less than 12 months remaining on his deal, United gave him a new four-year contract, and he barely featured during that period, mainly due to his ongoing injury issues. It seemed United were conscious of losing the player on a free transfer come the end of the season and essentially renewed his contract to protect his transfer value. This can be effective. Alexis Mac Allister signed a new contract with Brighton prior to the season he joined Liverpool, which ensured Brighton earned a transfer fee for the player. However, with Elanga, while clearly a very talented footballer, he was not an obvious fit in this United system. Whether you’re a fan of the system or not is another matter, but United were trying to mould a squad around Ten Hag’s ideologies, and Elanga was not the ideal fit.

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I had watched United matches where Elanga would struggle to make any real impact against deep-lying defences. He wasn’t the only one, but for a player who so clearly flourishes on the transition, with space to run into, he was an awkward fit in this United team. Ironically, with Amorim a firm favourite of a system which depends so much on speed and athleticism, particularly in the wing-back positions, Elanga might have been an ideal fit for this system. At the time of Elanga’s departure, I don’t recall any tears being shed among United supporters. There was disappointment that a player who had been part of the club’s academy since the age of 12 would depart, but in the main, the feeling was that fans were happy to see him go elsewhere and shine. Having netted the goal against his former club, Elanga broke out a semi-muted celebration, so it seems unlikely he left on bad terms.

It is worth discussing Elanga’s record since he left Old Trafford nearly two years ago. He has scored 11 goals and registered 18 assists across 73 appearances in all competitions, according to Transfermarkt. That works out as roughly a goal contribution slightly less than every three matches. It’s not a bad record by any means, but realistically shouldn’t have United fans yearning for what could have been. If we were talking 40/50 goal contributions, then I think United fans could understandably feel he’s one that shouldn’t have gotten away. He’s still very young, and doesn’t turn 23 until later this month, so he certainly hasn’t hit his peak just yet.

Maybe over the next five years, he goes on to an elite level, and United regret this decision so much that they spend £100 million to bring him back. I feel like we’ve seen this one before. Ultimately, it was a decision made with both the club’s and player's best interests at heart, so we should just enjoy watching Elanga thrive as he has been doing recently.

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When discussing his greatest achievements, Jose Mourinho spoke about his treble-winning season with Inter as the ultimate triumph, reminiscent of a Michael Jordan, Last Dance type victory. While we speak of the obvious talent in this current Inter squad, it’s the battle-hardened veterans that could still prove to be of the most importance with crucial games remaining in all competitions.

As we enter the final stretch of the season, Inter find themselves three points clear of Napoli in second place, without ever truly hitting their highest level this season. Their recent performance in Bergamo, a 2-0 victory, was the best example of Inter at their purest. They took their opportunities, gave very few chances away and looked relatively comfortable throughout the contest. With Atalanta and Napoli, both having consistently performed at a high level this season, faltering of late, it feels like there has been a shift, and it’s possible Inter cruise from here. Napoli, only three points behind Inter, are undoubtedly still in the title race, and this will keep Inter honest during their final league fixtures this season. There have been instances in the past, most notably with Bayern Munich and PSG, where the fact that they’ve had their domestic leagues all but sewn up when going into these big knockout games, an element of rustiness can creep into their play. Inter won’t have the same issue, with the importance of every fixture between now and the end of the season ensuring they’ll be laser-focused every time they take to the field.

Inter have players capable of winning games at any moment, and they have the nous to hold their own against even the most formidable forward lines left in European football. With Simone Inzaghi at the helm, Inter can play in a variety of different styles. They have the firepower up front with the likes of Lautaro Martínez and Marcus Thuram, the game-intelligence in midfield, such as players like Nicolò Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu, and the blend of youth and experience in defence, including Alessandro Bastoni, Stefan de Vrij and Francesco Acerbi, not to mention the pace and tenacity of a player like Federico Dimarco, who is always liable to produce something from the left. This is a squad that can adapt with relative ease to different challenges. Unlike most other squads in European football, Inter don’t have a single refined style of play. If they need to sit in and scrap it out, they can do that, as was evident not only in their recent win against Atalanta but also their 1-0 victory over Arsenal back in November. That was the perfect embodiment of what this Inter team is all about. Inter took the lead in the first half against Mikel Arteta’s side and never looked like giving up that lead. Arteta could have used that match as an example of the different challenges his team will face in European football. It was a real footballing lesson. Arsenal never troubled Yann Sommer in the Inter goal, with the defensive solidity of Inzaghi’s 3-5-2 system nullifying any threat against Arteta’s relatively inexperienced side at this level. Even though they were missing the likes of Bastoni and Acerbi at centre-back, the experience of a player such as Matteo Darmian, though unspectacular, was crucial to ensuring Inter got over the line.

Unspectacular but effective. That’s arguably the ideal portrayal of this Inter squad. A squad which is more than happy to concede most of the possession and knows how to control a match even without the ball. Over the years, how often have we seen the teams that play the most eye-catching, aesthetically pleasing football come up short against an opponent that simply knows how to get the job done? It’s not defensive football, it’s knowing when they need to sit in and soak up some pressure. Inzaghi understands more than anyone that his squad doesn’t necessarily need to create numerous opportunities to score. Inzaghi has become known as being something of a cup specialist over the years, having won the Coppa Italia three times, as well as guiding this Inter team to a Champions League final in 2023, where they were the better team against Manchester City, before succumbing to a 1-0 defeat in Istanbul. This time, I’m backing them to go one better.

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In terms of their league position, Inter are three points clear of second-placed Napoli, despite the fact that Napoli have had no European football to contend with all season, while also having exited the Coppa Italia before Christmas. The significance of this advantage should not be downplayed. At the same time, Inter have eased through to the Coppa Italia semi-finals, with the first leg against city rivals Milan taking place this evening, and have already played ten matches in the Champions League. We’ve seen over the years how draining those added European fixtures can be for clubs. The league is not done and dusted yet, with Inter still having tricky away trips to Bologna, Torino and Como on the final day of the season, while they will still host Roma and Lazio before the season comes to an end. You would certainly back Inter to win the majority of those matches, but bear in mind Inzaghi’s men could potentially be playing these matches off the back of having played in midweek in the cup competitions, so fatigue will play a part, and Inzaghi will need to utilise his full squad over the coming weeks. This is something Inzaghi has masterfully navigated in the past, with players such as Mehdi Taremi and Marko Arnautović regularly contributing when called upon. It certainly won’t be smooth sailing for Inter from here on in in the league, but they will have enough to keep Napoli at arm's length.

It's the cup competitions which will make or break Inzaghi’s side between now and the end of the season. With the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final against Milan first to come, Inter will be expected to progress to the final, where they would most likely face Bologna. Bologna, currently occupying fourth position in the league, having lost Thiago Motta to Juventus last summer, are having an excellent season, and the work being done by Vincenzo Italiano is exceptional. The fact that they’re even challenging for a Champions League berth for a second successive season is testament to the good work being done. It’s quite remarkable that Bologna find themselves above Juventus in the league, considering Motta, as well as crucial players such as Riccardo Calafiori and Joshua Zirkzee, departed during the summer window. Inter will be expected to triumph in the final, should these two teams meet, but it will be far from easy.

The Champions League is unquestionably the big one for Inzaghi’s side. Having come so close to European glory in 2023 against City, many expected Inter would come again strongly last season. In the first leg against Atlético Madrid, Inter dominated. Despite Thuram having to be withdrawn at half-time for Arnautović due to injury, Inter created enough chances to put the game to bed in the first leg, but ultimately only earned a narrow 1-0 win, thanks to Arnautović’s goal. In truth, and while this may be quite harsh, I think it’s fair to suggest that had Thuram remained on the pitch throughout the match, Inter would have scored more than the single goal they did manage. Arnautović missed several presentable chances and Inter were made to pay in the second leg, eventually losing on penalties at the Wanda Metropolitano.

This season, there’s a renewed optimism that this could be Inter’s year. With no obvious favourite remaining in this season’s competition, Inter can be quietly confident of a run to this year’s final. They face Bayern in the quarter-finals, and given the fine margins in these knockout ties, I think the Inzaghi factor will be crucial as he faces the inexperienced Vincent Kompany. Despite the reservations many people have as to Kompany’s credentials, I believe he is likely to go on to have a good career as a coach, but up against Inzaghi, I would have to back the Italian. Bayern have injury issues going into the first leg next week, and with the second leg being at the San Siro a week later, Inter have the upper hand. The biggest test could potentially come in the semi-finals against Barcelona, where Inter really will have to be at their best, but Hansi Flick’s side have been fallible all season, despite their generally excellent form.

If Martínez can continue his upward trajectory following a (relatively) slow start to the season, with Thuram as the perfect foil, this Inter team is always likely to have its moments. As with any team, they’ll need to ride their luck at times, but with the season entering its twilight, this is when the real Inter tend to stand up.