Edouard Mendy stole the show as Chelsea earned a narrow 1-0 win over Brentford, Ole's under huge pressure as United slip up at Leicester, Milan win again and more!
Ole in, Ole Out?
I think we have finally reached that tipping point. Solskjaer’s reign as Man United manager has been in a state of limbo ever since that insipid Europa League final defeat to Villarreal. Half the fans have been firmly Ole in, pointing towards incremental improvements from year to year.
The other half says he lacks the tactical nous and megawatt personality to command a club as huge as United. I think that the Leicester defeat has tipped the scale firmly towards Ole out. It wasn’t just the score. They were completely outplayed. Their two goals were not the product of careful, considered build-up play.
Greenwood scored a screamer while Victor Lindelof took a page out Sam Allardyce’s book of route one speculation. Harry Maguire clearly wasn’t 100% fit while Cristiano Ronaldo was anonymous. To make matters worse, all their chief ‘rivals’ won this weekend.
Liverpool were glorious against Watford, playing with the carefree abandon that United fans must secretly covet. City won with almost banal ease, strangling the life out of Burnley with Pep’s signature death-by-possession MO. Chelsea did it ugly, withstanding Brentford’s full-blown assault with masochistic relish.
Now the question remains: will Ole get the sack? I think the short answer is no. The Glazers- as an entity- are not really overly fussed with trophy cabinets. They just want to keep their cash-cow ticking over with guaranteed top-four football. With a brutal list of upcoming fixtures, it will be interesting to see when the American owners finally start to feel jittery.
I think they could learn from the massively successful Chelsea model. Frank Lampard (a bigger club legend than even Solskaer) was acrimoniously sacked when things were clearly not working. Look at them now.
Manchester United are still backing Ole Gunnar Solskjær. They expect the situation to improve in the next weeks of course, not happy with last results & team performances - but club still protecting the manager. 🔴 #MUFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 17, 2021
More here: https://t.co/9qF49eMcI7 pic.twitter.com/iiodnmRYVv
Put Bruce out of his Misery
Newcastle fans don’t want Steve Bruce to be their manager. Never have, never will. The current Saudi takeover has just amplified matters tenfold. He isn’t the ‘cerebral’ teddy-bear type ala Rafa Benitez. Nor does he project the smug self-assurance of an Alan Pardew. He is just simply Steve Bruce.
I just think that they should stop this protracted torture and let him go quietly. Hearing him being castigated by the Newcastle fans against Spurs was just depressing. Listen, Bruce has made many mistakes. Just look at Joelinton. In many ways, his acquisition and subsequent mishandling has been the perfect microcosm of Bruce’s managerial reign at Newcastle. But he still managed to guide this ragtag crew to 12th place last year.
It almost defies belief. He deserves better and this whole waiting period is excruciating. It’s like knowing you’re about to be dumped by your girlfriend but making it last just long enough so you can do Christmas lunch with the family one last time. Painful.
Steve Bruce 🗣️:
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) October 9, 2021
“Some of the things written & said about me, the abuse on social media, I’m just glad my parents were not still alive to see and hear it because it would’ve broken their hearts.” 😥 pic.twitter.com/D01xMOQQZg
The Rossoneri Recharged
With Man United languishing in the footballing doldrums, it may be AC Milan who are the most dangerous sleeping giant in European football. The Rossoneri had to show tremendous character to come back from behind against Hellas Verona.
Piloi showed astute tactical flexibility with his substitutions. Kessie looked remarkably composed and Olivier Giroud has looked reinvigorated in Italian football. This is the league to go to if you are a physically imposing, ageing striker. Just look at how the likes of Dzeko and Ibra have thrived here.
Milan surged five points clear of bitter rivals Inter after their shock defeat to Lazio. I probably should be waxing lyrical about Napoli. They sit atop Serie A after extending their perfect record to eight games. But I just think that it is AC Milan who are currently capturing the imagination of Italian football enthusiasts.
Sidenote: Juventus seem to have found their grit again after a dreary 1-0 victory against Roma. The honeymoon phase of Mourinho’s Roma tenure is well and truly over, as he struggles to implement an identity with this limited squad.
AC Milan 3-2 Verona FT:
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) October 16, 2021
⚽️ Caprari
⚽️ Barak (pen)
⚽️ Giroud
⚽️ Kessie (pen)
⚽️ Gunter (o.g.)
Milan come back from 2-0 down at HT to take all three points. pic.twitter.com/QNUUCJvVAe
Five-star Bayern slap Leverkusen
There comes that point in every Bundesliga season. The likes of Leipzig and Leverkusen flirt with the top spot for an extended period of time. But the giants of German football always find their way back to where they belong.
Nagelsmann’s side were simply devastating in that first half riot of would-be contenders Leverkusen. Lewandowski was typically clinical whilst Gnabry and Sane resembled Robben and Ribery in their pomp. Furthermore, the likes of Goretzka, Muller and Lewandowski were subbed early in anticipation of this week’s Champions League football.
It’s hard to see any side keeping up with this current Bayern behemoth. Outside of PSG, this is going to be the most one-sided domestic competition in Europe this season. Haaland continues to fire for a hungry Dortmund side. But I just can’t see how they can keep up with Bayern’s relentlessness.
All 5 Goals of Bayern Munich against #Bundesligapic.twitter.com/0MmAnt5v7J
— Viyatu Sports (@ViyatuSports) October 17, 2021
Some respite for Koeman
There was a huge amount of pressure on Roland Koeman’s shoulders this week. Neither Real nor Atletico Madrid were in action this week due to issues surrounding South American qualifying. This presented Barca with a great opportunity to claw back some ground (at least for now). But it also essentially set this up as a must-win week for the beleaguered Dutch manager.
He has bought himself just a little more time with a fairly satisfying 3-1 victory over Valencia. I was extremely impressed with some of the performances of some of their younger squad members. The likes of Ansu Fati and Dest were fantastic. It’s almost part of the problem with this Barca side.
They have become too reliant on some of the fantastic young talents at their disposal. For the record, I’m not a big believer in Ronald Koeman. This is set to be a huge week for Barca. They simply have to beat Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday while next Sunday is the latest edition of El Clasico. This is a make-or-break week for Koeman.
How good is it to see Ansu Fati back fit and scoring goals like this for Barcelona 👏 pic.twitter.com/9vEicMEw1Y
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) October 17, 2021
Player of the Week- Edouard Mendy
Very seldom do keepers get a look-in with these ‘player of the week’ collations. But I would argue that his heroic second half performance against Brentford was the single most impactful half of goalkeeping in recent memory.
His athleticism and outrageous bravery have been on show for some time now. But Thomas Tuchel’s well-oiled machine rarely gifts the opposition the chances to showcase Mendy’s brilliance.
But with a depleted back-three led by younger players, Brentford’s raw physicality caused Chelsea huge problems. If Chelsea are to win this league by one point, all the players owe an eternal debt of gratitude to Mendy. He was unbelievable.
Edouard Mendy is on another level right now 🧤pic.twitter.com/rP2OUpx55f
— Goal (@goal) October 18, 2021
