Football

TEN HAG BAGS FIRST UNITED WIN

Dutchman Erik Ten Hag has won his first game as the Manchester United manager after he masterminded the impressive victory over Liverpool on Monday night. Ten Hag was the architect as Manchester United recorded a 2-1 win over their arch rivals to kick-start their ailing season. The former Ajax Amsterdam had masterminded a 4-0 win over Liverpool in a pre-season friendly clash this summer and he was able to reprise the outcome when the top two teams in English football met earlier this week.

Manchester United have been perennial underachievers since the exit of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson almost a decade ago and they turned to Dutchman Ten Hag this summer in the bid to reclaim their place at the top of English football. Things didn’t start well for Ten Hag and United after the first two league games of the season ended in defeats. (more…)

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Both Teams To Score & Win Bets

For those who don’t like merely backing outright results in football matches, the option to get behind the outcome where each side scores at least once and a specific team wins comes as a riskier alternative with stronger odds. This has grown in popularity over the past few years and it’s no surprise when considering how often this occurs in all of the most desirable football leagues to bet on.

All you need in order for your BTTS & Win bet to land is for each side to score one or more times each and your chosen side to win the game, all inside ninety minutes unless stated otherwise. (more…)

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Robbie Savage backs Manchester United for the Premier League title

BT Sport Pundit Robbie Savage feels Manchester United will go all the way to lift the Premier League title this season due to the strength in depth in the Red Devils squad.


Jose Mourinho brought in the likes of Victor Lindelof, Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic during this summer’s transfer window for a combined sum of over £140m.

While Lindelof has yet to take the playing field in the Premier League, Matic and Lukaku have already made a huge impression among the fans with convincing performances in the first three games of the campaign. The Red Devils clinched comfortable 4-0 wins over West Ham United and Swansea City until last weekend, and this has been followed with a domination 2-0 triumph over Leicester City on Saturday afternoon.

Pundits from across the United Kingdom have tipped Manchester City as strong favourites for the Premier League title, but Savage reckons Mourinho has options for any situation and can guide his side to league success in his second season in-charge, he said: “The options, especially looking at (Marouane) Fellaini. If they’re struggling in games they can put Fellaini up top for the long ball, diagonals. Zlatan Ibrahimovic now who has signed. The difference in options now, off the bench, on the field. That’s why I think they’re favourites to win the league.” (more…)

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Manchester United close in on Renato Sanches signing

Manchester United are reportedly on the brink of sealing a season-long loan for Bayern Munich midfielder Renato Sanches.


The Portugal international is widely expected to leave the Allianz Arena this summer with Bayern chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge admitting the player could leave on loan.

He said, via The Sun: “He is a player who needs to play regularly. So if we feel he is not going to get enough game time, then we will loan him out, or maybe even sell him. Last season, particularly after the winter break, he didn’t get enough appearances. That wasn’t because of the coach, it was because of (Sanches) himself. I can confirm that AC Milan have got in touch with us, but I have the impression that they are not able to meet our financial demands.”

Sanches had attracted interest from Manchester United prior to his move from Benfica, but he nevertheless opted to join Bayern Munich, where had the chance to feature in the Champions League. However, the teenager failed to oust the likes of Xabi Alonso and Arturo Vidal from the starting lineup, and he was restricted to just nine starts – including two in Europe. (more…)

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Locadia dreams of Manchester United move

PSV Eindhoven striker Jurgen Locadia has highlighted his ambition to play for Manchester United at some stage of his career.


The 23-year-old missed a vast part of last season through injury, but he nevertheless managed to bag three goals and three assists in 14 outings. Speaking to Dutch broadcaster NOS, the marksman revealed his dream of making the big time with United, but admits that he may have to take an intermediate route with a mid-table English club.

Georginio Wijnaldum has been one of the top Dutchmen, who has made a mark in the Premier League, and Locadia is willing to go through a similar route in order to realise his dream. The Holland international joined Newcastle United back in the summer of 2015, and his standout performances at Tyneside earned him a switch to Liverpool 12 months later. (more…)

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UNITED HAVE NO EXCUSE TO FAIL AT EUROPA

Injuries, bad luck, wrong calls, fixture glut, Manchester United’s manager, Jose Mourinho has had no shortage of excuses to give for his side’s short-on-standard achievements so far this season.


Don’t get me wrong, a reasonable number of those claims are valid; like how Marcos Rojo got knocked the moment he formed a promising partnership with Eric Bailly. And then we have the scenario where it seems the universe has sworn to frustrate the living daylight out of United. How else do you explain the fact that Paul Pogba has hit the wood work more times he’s found the back of the net?

Let’s not even get into the task of analyzing just how many times the Red Devils have had to settle for a draw despite outplaying their opponents. They’ve had 14 so far this season, making a mockery of their 25-game unbeaten run set in yet another draw against Swansea.

These and many other self induced misfortunes are the reasons why the Red Devils are gunning for a 4th place finish – something Wenger might be proud of but certainly not the Glazers family – despite spending a €150 million summer war chest in addition to landing the Harvey Specter of club football – Mourinho – to oversee everything. (more…)

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Chris Smalling Taking the Criticisms from Jose Mourinho Positively

Chris Smalling has denied suggestions that he has fallen out of favour with Jose Mourinho.


There have been rumours that the duo are going through a rift, and it has been one of the primary reasons behind Jose Mourinho’s frequent criticism in public. The Manchester United manager has frequently criticised the commitment of players like Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw. Yet, the defender has taken those criticisms in a positive way. Smalling is currently on the sidelines with a new injury. His 2016-17 campaign has been blighted by injuries, and he has been able to make only 12 Premier league starts.

In the absence of a regular back four, Manchester United have struggled in most of the games. They have done 14 out of the 36 league matches. As a result, they are set to finish outside the top four in terms of league positions. (more…)

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Jose Mourinho Once Again Demands Players to Play through Pain Barrier

Jose Mourinho is likely to be without Chris Smalling and Phil Jones for a crucial Manchester derby on Thursday night.


It is understood that Smalling has a knee issue while Jones is likely to miss out due to a foot injury. However, the manager says that both these issues are rather minor and that the players should learn to play through the pain barrier in order to succeed. This is not the first time Mourinho has criticised one of his players at United. Earlier in the campaign, he lambasted Smalling and Luke Shaw for showing a lack of commitment. Back then, Smalling had suffered a similar injury and was out for more than a month.

The pressure on Mourinho is intense at the moment even after an unbeaten league run since October. Since the 4-0 loss against Chelsea, Manchester United have not suffered a defeat in the league. Yet, they have not been able to occupy the top four for long periods of the campaign. (more…)

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MAN UNITED SIGN GOALKEEPER

Manchester United have signed a goalkeeper Theo Richardson.


The keeper made the revelation on his personal Twitter after the deal was completed. The 18-year old was a former Leeds Under-18 star. He was the main man for the youth team but he was not offered a pro deal by the club.

“Good luck to #lufc second year scholar goalkeeper Theo Robinson who has been told he won’t be getting a pro contract and is free to leave,” Lufcyouth academy posted early last month.

Man United decided to seize the opportunity to offer the youngster a deal. He was undergoing trial at Old Trafford whilst on his second year of a two-year Elland Road scholarship.

Richardson has since changed his allegiance from Leeds to United on his public profiles. He was named in the 2-2 draw against Manchester City in the Premier League Under-18. He also featured in another match for the famous United youth team: he played the full game against Chelsea at Cobham though United lost 4-3. (more…)

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United Felt Déjà Vu after the Draw with Bournemouth, says Juan Mata

Juan Mata has admitted that Manchester United had a sense of déjà vu after being held to a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth during the weekend.


It was yet another disappointing result for a team, which has had several 1-1 draws already this season. Instead, stalemates have been the biggest problem for United in their attempts to get into the top four of the Premier League. Despite being unbeaten in the league since 4-0 loss against Chelsea back in October, United have been on a poor run of form of late. They have been unable to capitalise on rivals like Liverpool and Manchester City dropping points.

United have managed only two wins in the last five league matches. Two of those games have finished as 1-1 draws. Against Bournemouth, United had almost 70% possession while they also had 20 shots on target. In contrast, Bournemouth managed only three shots on goal and were unable to break down United after being reduced to 10 men. (more…)

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