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Hello! A new year — a new Manchester United?
Coming up:
? Amorim discovers a formula
? North London EPL rage
?? Ranieri’s resurgence in Rome
?♂️ Keeper’s facepalm moment
Manchester United: such a lost cause after all, but a bit of a mystery. They slipped up until Christmas, only to fall to a classy Harry Maguire goal that beat an almost unbeatable team. Make sense of this.
It was there for Maguire at Anfield (pictured above), with United and Liverpool tied 2-2 and the goal at his mercy in stoppage time. He gave the impression that in the last position you would need a centre-back to appear and his forgiving helmet was the margin between Liverpool and a first Premier League defeat in four months.
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Bad miss or not (there is some debate afterwards about whether the ball bounced), everything tells me that Rubén Amorim can live with it. Certainly, an away win against the league leaders would have been next level, but after such poor form until the end of December (four consecutive defeats in all competitions), it was enough to land on a plan that worked.
Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte gave Amorim legs in the midfield, and the difference that marked in the form and risk of United was huge: greased wheels unlike the oxidized gears of Casemir A definitive merit of Amorim Defensive formula of three men, a formula in which it will be worth persevering.
It is certain that demanding situations persist. Rasmus Hojlund doesn’t look like a No. 9, and hitting him was like trying to land on a quick grain of sand in a long jump pit. Marcus Rashford’s long career is unresolved, whatever Laurie Whitwell has covered forensically. Matthijs de Ligt’s role in any of Liverpool’s goals was a mistake that a more important player would not make. But being able to compete at Anfield will have to be a mental push. Certainly.
The victim of Dalot’s electric afternoon was Trent Alexander-Arnold. This was very much a post-New Year’s Eve Trent: dazed, confused and not quite sure what day it was.
His positioning has gone crazy. His death put Liverpool in difficulties. His attack risk was exhausted and Arne Slot kept it (not to mention Virgil Van Dijk’s murderous look) 4 minutes from the end, replacing him with Conor Bradley.
Was it a coincidence that, a few days earlier, Real Madrid came in for him? Slot said Alexander-Arnold was not distracted by fluttering eyes in Spain but the right-back looked like a man with his mind elsewhere.
It’s funny: at no stage have contractual matters affected Mohamed Salah. He scored again yesterday and in working out whether he stays or goes at the end of the season, he seems to be loving the thrill of the chase. Alexander-Arnold is younger and, potentially, on course to leave the only club he has ever known. Was yesterday simply a misstep? Or have Madrid broken his flow?
?️ Most clicked in Friday’s TAFC: the most perfect thing in sport.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, two episodes of “Just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean they don’t need to have you. “
First up, Ange Postecoglou who was ready to blow after Tottenham’s 2-1 loss to Newcastle United — not at his squad but at the match officials. Newcastle’s equaliser was allowed to stand despite the ball hitting Joelinton’s hand in the build-up. “On a fair and even playing ground, we would have won that game,” Postecoglou said.
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Maybe, but now it’s 10 losses for the Spurs. They only played 20 games. Despite everything, they did it thanks to Alexander Isak, who does not fail in the small area. If I were Newcastle I’d tell him to pitch a tent there.
And then we had Mikel Arteta, equally aggrieved by the penalty that held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at Brighton. No denying it was an unusual call — given for William Saliba clashing heads with Joao Pedro — but Arsenal are shipping points too regularly and Ethan Nwaneri joining Bukayo Saka on the injury list isn’t going to improve matters.
At the other end of the divide, thought of the day: Are Southampton on course to become the worst Premier League team of all time? They are yet to move a leg under new boss Ivan Juric. They lost 5-0 to Brentford on Saturday and are deadlocked on six points. Derby County set the lowest record overall by achieving 11 in 2007-08. It is there to be broken.
?️ Juric compared the pasting by Brentford to “being kicked in the head”. The Totally Football Show had some fun with that quote. You can listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
If Vinicius Jr decides to continue his career outside of Spain, he will not leave with good memories of Valencia.
He has been the victim of racist insults there in the past and on Saturday received a red card at Mestalla for the second time in three visits. Unfortunately, the Brazilian was only sent off in the Valencia matches.
This one, it should be said, was deserved. He struck goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski in the throat during an altercation and the North Macedonian’s theatrics did not affect the letter of the law. Somehow, Madrid rode the dismissal to fight back from 1-0 down and win 2-1 through Jude Bellingham’s 96th-minute finish.
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The result just about appeased manager Carlo Ancelotti, who said Madrid’s first half was “so bad I couldn’t believe my eyes.” He plans to pull rank in designating a penalty taker after Bellingham missed one earlier in the game. All is not sweetness and light, but Madrid do top La Liga — and it doesn’t feel like they’ve really got started.
❤️ Possibly today there is nothing better read than James Horncastle about Claudio Ranieri, 73, who is reviving Roma. How he’s doing in one sentence: “Whoever would accept Roma’s fourth coach in 2024 would need courage, intelligence and a great cross: everything Ranieri had had in his hands as a butcher boy. ” Arc.
How did you come up with naming the players who scored 4 or more passes in the Premier League matches between Liverpool and Manchester United?
They were: Salah (12), Steven Gerrard (8), Robbie Fowler (6), Wayne Rooney (6), Rashford (5), Andy Cole (4), Luis Díaz (4), Ryan Giggs (4).
(Selected games)
Copa del Rey: Deportivo Minera vs. Real Madrid, 13. 00/18. 00. — ESPN (US only)USA).
SuperCoppa Italiana: Milan vs Inter, 2:00 p. m. /7:00 p. m. – CBS Sports Network, Fubo/Premier Sports 1
Premier League: Wolverhampton Wanderers – Nottingham Forest, p. m. /8 p. m. – US Network, Fubo/Sky Sports
Championship: Queens Park Rangers vs Luton Town, 3/8 p. m. -CBS Sports, Paramount/Sky Sports
Win as a team, lose as a team. Or so they say.
But if a goalkeeper makes a mistake like Illan Meslier’s at Hull City (above) on Saturday, patience will be tested. Leeds United led 3-1 with nine minutes remaining when he hit a ball that safely cleared the crossbar toward the shooting line. Hull missed this and a 3-3 draw ensued.
The reaction of his teammates is surprising: Joe Rodon (right) yelling at him, Joel Piroe (center) yelling “WTF?” » softer and Joe Rothwell (left) letting out the biggest sigh since I told my oldest son. Put down your phone and read a book. Clumsy.
(Photo: Zohaib Alam — MUFC/Manchester United via Getty Images)