Jonathan Wilson's Blog, page 106
October 21, 2019
Liverpool's run ends, Lampardball and El Clásico chaos – Football Weekly
Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Wilson and Mark Langdon discuss Manchester United’s unexpected point against Liverpool, Sean Dyche vs referees, El Clásico suspended and favourite formations
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We take a look back at the weekend’s football, starting with Manchester United breaking Liverpool’s 17-game winning streak by holding them to a 1-1 draw.
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A result for Manchester United to build on or a reminder of how far they must climb? | Jonathan Wilson
So close. So, so close. Manchester United came within five minutes of pulling off their best result since Paris in March. Had they done so, Ole Gunnar Solskjær would have been hailed for his tactical genius, for the boldness of the changes that forced Liverpool into their worst performance of the season, for the vision that found a plan from the most unpromising pieces. But results are the great validifiers, and the draw leaves United two points above the relegation zone. As Solskjær observed last week in what must have been for him a moment of devastating self-realisation, it’s not the 1990s any more.
Perhaps this will prove a springboard. Perhaps this was the performance that will remind United what they can be. Perhaps (and this may be more important to United fans in the short term) this will sow doubts at Liverpool and interrupt their title challenge. But the sense was that Adam Lalllana’s late equaliser changed everything. That it will persuade Liverpool that they can still pull out results when everything is going against them, and that it will confirm to United – board, fans and players – that stagnation is now their state.
Related: Glazers have no plans to sell Manchester United, says Ed Woodward
Related: Andreas Pereira embodies Solskjær’s brave tactics for muscular United | Jamie Jackson
Continue reading...October 19, 2019
Manchester United must be tempted to look at Jürgen Klopp and wonder: what if? | Jonathan Wilson
Ole Gunnar Solskjær, having leapt several steps of the managerial ladder, does not have a preferred style and it shows
O n this weekend four years ago, Jürgen Klopp got off the bus at White Hart Lane before his first game as Liverpool manager to an extraordinary clamour. Fans packed the street outside the car park just to see him, and journalists packed the opposite pavement just to see them. The sense of excitement and expectation was palpable – and it has been justified. Liverpool have undergone a remarkable transformation since.
Liverpool went into that fixture 10th in the Premier League table; they go into Sunday’s game at Old Trafford as league leaders and European champions. Of Klopp’s 18-man match-day squad four years ago, three – James Milner, Adam Lallana and Divock Origi –are still at the club. There has been a radical overhaul of personnel and playing style.
Related: Manchester United job is not too big for me, says Ole Gunnar Solskjær
Related: Manchester United should have been careful what they wished for | Eni Aluko
Related: Manchester United’s recruitment has been dysfunctional, admits Ed Woodward
Continue reading...October 12, 2019
Feuding goalkeepers hint at a deeper malaise in Germany’s squad | Jonathan Wilson
Joachim Löw’s attempt to rebuild squad has hit trouble as shown by spat between rivals for the No 1 shirt
M arc-André ter Stegen played for Germany in the 2-2 friendly against Argentina on Wednesday but when it comes to a competitive fixture, against Estonia on Sunday, it will be Manuel Neuer back in goal. And so for the moment an uneasy peace has broken out but one that feels indicative of far wider tensions as Joachim Löw attempts to remodel his squad.
Ter Stegen’s frustration is understandable. With Neuer injured, he had been a regular before the World Cup only to be left out for the tournament. Neuer, having not even played for Bayern Munich since damaging his metatarsal the previous September, struggled in Russia. His form has recovered to some extent, although he is still not the commanding figure he once was, and has remained Löw’s first choice. As a result, between the World Cup and the Argentina game, Ter Stegen, despite being in probably the form of his career for Barcelona, played for a total of 135 minutes in the friendlies against Peru and Serbia.
Related: Germany face long road back to top after Joachim Löw’s drastic overhaul | Marcus Christenson
Continue reading...October 7, 2019
Manchester City flirt with defensive dark side as Death Star’s flaws emerge | Jonathan Wilson
There are many issues with Return of the Jedi, not the least significant of which is the fact that it ends in essentially the same way that A New Hope did. Perhaps there are technical differences between the deficiencies that render the Death Star vulnerable in the two films, but fundamentally, it can be taken out by Rebel fighters landing a single accurate shot. As the X-wings were to Darth Vader, so Teemu Pukki, Todd Cantwell, Raúl Jiménez and Adama Traoré are to Pep Guardiola. For both Darth and Pep, when it goes wrong, it tends to be for the same reasons.
Related: Manchester City still in title race despite ‘nervous’ defeat, says Guardiola
Related: Manchester misery, Figo in Guildford and lads, it's Tottenham – Football Weekly
Continue reading...Manchester misery, Figo in Guildford and lads, it's Tottenham – Football Weekly
Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Wilson and Barney Ronay discuss crises abound at Spurs, Everton and both Manchester clubs, while Sid Lowe and Nicky Bandini are on the line to talk La Liga and Serie A
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We take a look back at the weekend’s football, starting with Wolves’ 2-0 win at the home of the champions, Manchester City, which allowed Liverpool to go eight points clear at the top with a late win over Leicester.
Continue reading...Marcus Rashford the biggest victim of Manchester United fall from grace | Jonathan Wilson
United’s lack of an overarching plan is now clear for all to see, with Ole Gunnar Solskjær not entirely free from blame
Where does this rank in the litany of dreadful Manchester United performances? Not quite as bad, perhaps, as the equivalent game of the 1989-90 season, the last to start as badly as this, when in their eighth match they went down 5-1 at Manchester City. And not as bad, probably, as the 5-0 humbling at Crystal Palace in December 1972 that brought an end to Frank O’Farrell’s term as manager. But this was bad – bad enough that it is challenging for the post-war podium.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s mood after the game was reasonable and sad, but also vaguely numb as though he were in shock. There was no obvious anger, no great emotion, just a struggling man clinging desperately to the pat phrases of his profession: belief in the tactics, the need to work harder, perhaps a tweak before the game against Liverpool after the international break. But this needs more than a tweak; this needs a revolution, not only of tactics but of morale and self-belief – and probably personnel.
Related: Newcastle’s Matty Longstaff stuns Manchester United with goal on debut
Continue reading...October 1, 2019
Manchester United v Arsenal felt and looked like a mid-table game | Jonathan Wilson
Everywhere you turned, there were the memories. In the tunnel, there was Roy Keane telling Patrick Vieira he’d see him out there. By the touchline there was Gary Neville kicking José Antonio Reyes. Just outside the penalty area, there was Martin Keown jostling Ruud van Nistelrooy. Remember? Remember how every man knew when we reached out to claim the throne? Remember when we were kings?
Those pre-Abramovich days when this was the biggest game in English football seem a long time ago now, two decades gone with atrocious haste. Manchester United and Arsenal aren’t even the best sides in their respective cities any more and on nights like Monday it was impossible not to wonder how long it will take them to get back to where they were, whether they ever will get back.
Related: Aubameyang and VAR earn Arsenal draw to leave Manchester United in mire
Manchester United have made their worst start to a Premier League season after Monday night's 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Old Trafford.
Continue reading...September 28, 2019
Ditching Ole Gunnar Solskjær will not stop the rot at Manchester United | Jonathan Wilson
By now the malaise at Old Trafford has deep roots – only equally deep systemic change can put it right
All in all, it’s been an excellent week for Manchester United. There was progress in the Carabao Cup and the announcement of record revenues of £627.1m. What more could anybody want?
Excellent, that is, as long as you don’t worry about details such as the limp 2-0 defeat at West Ham last Sunday. Or that the weekend kicked off with United eighth in the Premier League table. Or that a club with a proud cavalier tradition have scored just 18 goals in their last 20 games. Or that the one outfielder of undoubted outstanding quality spent the summer trying to leave. Or that Old Trafford, essentially undeveloped in more than two decades, has an entirely appropriate air of shabbiness. Or that this is, relative to the rest of the league, the worst Manchester United squad in at least 30 years. Or that the share price has fallen 36% since its peak at the end of August last year.
Related: ‘I never said it was going be easy’: Ole Gunnar Solskjær is staying positive
Continue reading...September 23, 2019
N’Golo Kanté is Chelsea’s dynamic all-rounder in a team lacking structure | Jonathan Wilson
Jorginho’s arrival means the midfielder plays further upfield, displaying new tricks while still excelling in defence
How much can be expected of a single player? That N’Golo Kanté is an exceptional footballer is no revelation but there is still something remarkable about the fact that the best holding midfielder in the world has become a totemic Roy of the Rovers figure at Chelsea. There he is darting across his own box to stifle a Liverpool attack. There he is slipping a pass in to the edge of the box and looking for a return. And there he is, drifting in from the right and finding the top corner with an ungainly but nonetheless precise finish. He is their alpha and their omega, their beginning and their end. He is all things to all men and by that means he might save some games – but not this one.
Kanté was exceptional against Liverpool, in the second half a blur, the force driving Chelsea forward. Only one Chelsea player made more tackles than him, only one more interceptions than him, only one had more shots than him and nobody completed more dribbles than him. He has, against expectations, transformed himself into a complete midfielder.
Related: Roberto Firmino rises above Chelsea to keep up Liverpool’s perfect start
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