Articles by "Man Utd"
Showing posts with label Man Utd. Show all posts

at April 26, 2019 0

MANCHESTER UNITED stars confronted Paul Pogba in the dressing room after their 4-0 Premier League defeat to Everton last weekend, reports say.

Manchester United star Pogba was dreadful as the Red Devils slipped to a 4-0 defeat to Everton last weekend.
Since then, the World Cup winner has followed up his anonymous Goodison Park display with another poor game against Manchester City on Wednesday.
Pogba is understood to be a popular figure in the Manchester United dressing room, with the France international a charismatic presence behind closed doors.
But, according to The Sun, players turned on the player after his performance against Everton.
It is said they confronted him, shooting him down following the terrible result.
And The Sun say Pogba also had an issue with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tactics against City on Wednesday.
He supposedly thought the 46-year-old was too reliant on long balls - a criticism that was regularly aimed at Jose Mourinho during his time in charge.
Pogba has been tipped to leave United at the end of the season.
And many fans would not be against his departure, despite how well he can perform at times.
Meanwhile, the United midfielder has been named in the PFA team of the season, despite often struggling for consistency.
And BBC Sport pundit Gary Lineker believes he is an unworthy member of the side.
“Pogba is a beautiful footballer, there is no question about that and has lots of qualities,” he said.
In certain performances this season for Manchester United he has been exceptional.

Should Man Utd sell Paul Pogba? Our man has his say: 

There's no denying that, on his day, Paul Pogba is world class.
After all, his stunning form for Juventus was exactly why Manchester United forked out £89million to sign him in 2016.
But there has to be a time where the club say enough is enough.
He was shocking under Jose Mourinho as the ax edged closer to his head. He downed tools and, under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, history looks to be repeating itself.
United should take whatever money Real throw at them and run. Get players with the right attitude in instead. 
I don't think he deserves to be in the team of the year because his form has been erratic, certainly in the Mourinho part of the season.
“He has not been consistent enough.”
Pogba could feature when United face off against Chelsea in their crunch Premier League clash on Sunday (4.30pm).
But the World Cup winner will need to up the ante in order to win round increasingly angry supporters.

Read more »

at April 17, 2019 0

LIONEL MESSI was caught on camera delivering a savage snub to Chris Smalling after the game as Barcelona ended Manchester United’s Champions League dream with a 3-0 win at the Nou Camp.

Messi was left shocked after ending up with a bloodied face from a Smalling challenge in the first leg of their  quarter-final clash.
And when the pair met after the final whistle i was not up for a handshake.
As the two met on the field Smalling was seen to turn as if to shake Messi’s hand, but the Argentine pretty much ignored his approach.
Instead of a friendly handshake, the 31-year-old quickly tapped the United defender on the back, before walking off and extending his hand to embrace another player.
The action might have surprised Smalling as he claimed he had spoken with Messi about the challenge in the first leg and had explained it was an accident.
Though it appeared from Messi’s actions that he clearly hasn’t forgotten the incident from the previous week.
Barca boss Ernesto Valverde even admitted after the game in Manchester it took the striker a couple of days to recover from the challenge.
For all the criticism Barca had come under for their style of play in the opening leg, few would find fault with their performance at home.

United came into the game having to overturn an away goal deficit and Marcus Rashford nearly gave the visitors a perfect start, but his shot cannoned off the bar after just 40 seconds.
Messi then didn’t waste any time opening Barca’s account as he scored after just 16 minutes.
He then grabbed himself a second four minutes later, off a mistake from keeper David de Gea, who let a weak speculative shot roll underneath his body and into the net.
"I have to say Lionel Messi is top quality and he was the difference of course. At 2-0 it was game over,” he said.
"He's different class, he and Cristiano Ronaldo are the best players of the last decade, everyone agrees on that one.
“Messi showed his quality.
"We have to aspire to get to that level of Barcelona, we can get there but we have loads of work to do.”

And the Norwegian’s compliments were echoed by Valverde after the game.
“Leo always appears in the important games," Valverde said.
"Not just to finish off the moves, but all over the pitch.
"He's involved in all our play. He gets the goals, but he also takes on responsibility in the attack.
“When he's playing like that, he's unstoppable."


Read more »

at April 16, 2019 0

Leo Messi goes for the Champions League. The Argentine was the great protagonist, with permission from David De Gea, of the meeting, which did not have much history. The Barça, four years later, returns to stand in the semifinals.
The Argentine appeared in the 16th minute to put the tie back on track. In the 20th, the culé captain, with the inestimable collaboration of the Spanish goalkeeper Manchester United, put the second with which he came to rest. Already in the second half, with everything resolved, Coutinho scored a goal of beautiful invoice to restore morale and send a hint to his critics with the celebration.
The '10' broke the gaffe that accompanied the azulgrana box and hit the table. He wants the Champions League and goes with everything. He has already understood that, if he wants to win the Golden Ball, it is a condition 'sine qua non' to raise the Orejona.
Leo is obsessed with regaining his throne and unseating Cristiano Ronaldo as the player with more gold balls in history, in addition to match in European Cups, with five.
In the long term, Messi also dreams of repeating the feat of CR7 at Real Madrid, as impossible as it seems: to be the kings of the World for three consecutive times. The leagues do not matter, if not the maximum continental competition. 
In Turin, Juventus de Ronaldo suffered against Ajax an unexpected defeat. The costumes of Barca did not lose any detail of what was happening in the Allianz Arena and saw how one of the favorites to win the championship was eliminated by the great revelation of the season.
Messi's message to Cristiano could not be more direct. He wants the Champions League and expects a rival in the final. Although yes, he has no doubts. If the 'Vecchia Signora' had arrived, the result would have been humiliating. Leo did not see Juve as the great candidate and believes that Barça would have passed the roller in the final. 
Liverpool waits in the semifinals already.

Read more »

at April 16, 2019 0

Barcelona will look to secure a place in the last four of the Champions League as they host Manchester United on Tuesday night.
The Catalan giants hold a 1-0 advantage from the first leg at Old Trafford in their quarter-final tie and are now considered strong favorites to complete the job at home.
However, United remain a threat as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side know that they can cause their rivals' problems after the first meeting, despite failing to register a shot on target.
With the pace, movement, and quality that they have in the final third though, they could be a handful on the counter-attack and that is something Barcelona will have to prepare for and nullify.
After being rested at the weekend, several key stalwarts are back in coach Ernesto Valverde’s squad, as seen in the club’s tweet below.
Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Gerard Pique were all absent in the draw with Huesca, but they all return for this crunch showdown.
Ousmane Dembele also gets the nod as he continues his recovery from an injury, and after featuring on Saturday, the Frenchman is ready to provide Valverde with another key option in attack to pose a different threat to the Red Devils.
The 21-year-old recovered to make the bench in the first leg, but having now got minutes under his belt after missing four consecutive La Liga games with a muscle injury, he’ll hope to play a more prominent role.
Based on the reaction below, it’s fair to say that many Barcelona fans are delighted to have him return to the fold, and they’ll hope that he can prove to be decisive to seal their place in the semi-finals having bagged 14 goals and eight assists in 36 games so far this season.
It’s a strong squad for Barcelona and Valverde, and few will go against them securing the result they need to advance.

Read more »

at April 16, 2019 0

MANCHESTER UNITED team news - what starting XI will take to the field against Barcelona this evening?

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has the difficult task of selecting a team capable of overturning a 1-0 deficit at the Camp Nou tonight.
Manchester United thwarted Barcelona well in the Champions League quarter-final first leg but was unable to punish a deep-lying defense.
A team built for the counter-attack, United should have more success going forward in Catalonia - but will also have more work to do in defense.
Solskjaer’s best results have come away from home - think Tottenham (0-1), Arsenal (1-3), Chelsea (0-2), Paris Saint-Germain (1-3) - and that has been because of his team’s ability to spring forward quickly after absorbing attacks.
In two of those wins, against Tottenham and Arsenal, Jesse Lingard played behind a front two, who would sometimes split to the wings, effectively making the energetic England international a false nine.
Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford did the business in the memorable comeback against PSG, from which Solskjaer is drawing inspiration, and you would expect the manager to stick with those two, despite it meaning Anthony Martial’s absence.
Solskjaer may well use Lingard similarly against Barcelona because he is as positionally-aware and hard-working defensively as he is offensive.
That would mean operating with the 4-3-1-2 formation which brought early success on the road.
Alexis Sanchez and Nemanja Matic are back from injury and with the squad but will surely not be thrust into a game of this magnitude without a minute’s preparation, despite the latter’s otherwise secured place at the base of midfield.
Fred has emerged as a trusted player under Solskjaer since Matic’s injury and played well as the holding midfielder against Barcelona last week.
He could anchor a three-man midfield with Paul Pogba on his left and Scott McTominay, who made a standout performance in the first leg, on the right.
McTominay was rested against West Ham on the weekend, presumably priming the academy graduate for tonight. Ander Herrera remains sidelined.

In defense, Luke Shaw is suspended, opening up a spot at left-back.
The forgotten Marcos Rojo played 75 minutes in that position on the weekend, and it looked a practice-run before the main event tonight.
He is left-footed and, despite lacking the offensive threat of Shaw or Diogo Dalot, will be aggressive with Barcelona’s wide men, whatever degree that is to.
Taking all into account, Express Sport expects four changes from Saturday's Premier League match against West Ham, and two from the first leg.
Man Utd predicted line-up vs Barcelona: De Gea; Young, Smalling, Lindelof, Rojo; McTominay, Fred, Pogba; Lingard; Lukaku, Rashford.
Read more »

at April 14, 2019 0

MANCHESTER UNITED boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has promised a brutal approach to the transfer market this summer.

Manchester United boss Solskjaer will look to sign as many as five new players when the transfer window reopens at the end of the campaign.
The Red Devils will also look to get rid of some players, however, following a season of mass turbulence over at Old Trafford.
Manchester United could lose Ander Herrera to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, while Paul Pogba is attracting interest from Real Madrid.
Matteo Darmian, Marcos Rojo, Alexis Sanchez, and Eric Bailly are also facing uncertain futures at Old Trafford.
And as is Romelu Lukaku, whose agent recently hinted at a summer exit amid links to Serie A trio Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus.
Solskjaer, though, has promised a cutthroat approach as he aims to turn United into title challengers next season.
“I'm under no illusions that this is not going to be plain sailing,” said Solskjaer. “It's going to be hard.
“It's going to be survival of the fittest or survival of the best. That's how ruthless we have to be.
We need players here who are going to be able to take us forward.
That means the culture in the dressing room and what we do every single day here to make us challenge again.”
Solskjaer admitted that United stars are now playing for their futures while lauding Fred and Scott McTominay.
The duo impressed as the Red Devils slipped to a narrow 1-0 Champions League defeat to Barcelona.
And Solskjaer was enthused by the application of the United duo, saying: “I think they've done that since I came in, really.
“We have a certain standard here. We had a great boost [at the start], but now it's more challenging times with the results and performances.
“You want to see players step up now and say: 'I want to be part of this'. You saw Fred and Scott McTominay the other day take up the mantle.
“That's what we expect from all the players. When you win 5-0 or when you're 3-0 up, or when you win five games on the bounce, it's easy.
“It's easy to be a footballer. But it's not always easy. You get through tougher times. You'll lose games and your character is revealed.”
Read more »

at April 14, 2019 0

LIONEL MESSI will be fit for Barcelona’s Champions League quarter-final second leg with Manchester United despite taking a blow from Chris Smalling.

Messi was left bloodied and bruised after the United defender clattered into him during the first leg at Old Trafford.
That was after the Argentinian had set up Luis Suarez to head in, via a deflection off Luke Shaw, as Barcelona earned a crucial 1-0 lead to take back to the Nou Camp.
But the blow left Messi looking out of sorts, and he failed to have his usual impact for the rest of the game.
Messi was left out as Barcelona faced Huesca in La Liga on Saturday, with a number of other stars rested.
But Barca boss Ernesto Valverde has revealed Messi has recovered from his clash with Smalling.
“I spoke to him and he is fine, but it was a hard knock,” Valverde said.
“He wasn’t feeling good the day after nor during the rest of the match.
“It was like a truck had run over him.”
Manchester United ace Smalling caught Messi in the face with an arm as the two challenged for an aerial ball.
And the duo spoke after the game, with no hard feelings between the pair.
“Yeah, we spoke after,” Smalling said. “I didn’t realize at the time actually that I caught him like that.
“But, after the game we just had a brief chat, shook and hands and he said ‘yeah, it was an accident’.
“[I spoke to] Suarez after as well. We had a good tussle and he just shook my hand after and we said good luck.
“It’s nice when you can have that battle on the pitch and then there’s full respect after the game.

We started sloppy and a bit nervous. After their goal we settled and played well.
"We had very good individual performances in midfield. At times it felt like a proper United team - the crowd were behind us, we got out wide and got crosses in.
"We didn't start great, but it was a great goal and movement from Messi and Suarez but they're fortunate it comes off Luke Shaw.
“It's a blow but we settled well. We're still in this tie."

Read more »

at April 13, 2019 0

LIONEL MESSI holds no ill feeling towards Chris Smalling after the Manchester United defender left him bloodied and bruised at Old Trafford - insisting he KNEW it was an accident.

Smalling caught the Barcelona star in the face with his arm as the two challenged for an aerial ball in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Messi was unusually quiet but still managed to have the last laugh as he played a key role in the only goal of the game that saw Luke Shaw turn past into his own net.
It was a feisty affair between two European heavyweights and Smalling was involved in incidents with both Messi and his Barca team-mate Luis Suarez.
However, he insists there is no problem between the players and revealed they discussed it after the game.
“Yeah, we spoke after,” Smalling said. “I didn’t realize at the time actually that I caught him like that.
“But, after the game we just had a brief chat, shook and hands and he said ‘yeah, it was an accident’.
“[I spoke to] Suarez after as well. We had a good tussle and he just shook my hand after and we said good luck.
“It’s nice when you can have that battle on the pitch and then there’s full respect after the game.
Ultimately you’re just trying to do your best and enjoy the game.”
United will go into the second leg next Tuesday as big underdogs as they need to score at least once at the Nou Camp.
However, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes there were positives to take from a game in which United was not overawed by one of the favorites to win the competition outright.
"There were pluses and negatives,” the Norwegian said.

We started sloppy and a bit nervous. After their goal we settled and played well.
"We had very good individual performances in midfield. At times it felt like a proper United team - the crowd were behind us, we got out wide and got crosses in.
"We didn't start great, but it was a great goal and movement from Messi and Suarez but they're fortunate it comes off Luke Shaw.
“It's a blow but we settled well. We're still in this tie."
Read more »

at April 12, 2019 0

MANCHESTER UNITED manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer muttered just eight words to Lionel Messi after the Argentine laid on the goal which succumbed United to a 1-0 home loss against Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

Messi was silenced for most of the game at Old Trafford, largely due to a bloody nose which the forward sustained after a reckless aerial challenge from behind by Chris Smalling.
Barcelona’s talisman had to leave the field for treatment before returning with blood somehow smeared around his eye, but the bloodied magician’s work had already been done.
After untypically miss controlling an incisive chipped pass from Sergio Busquets, Messi curled a pinpoint cross to Luis Suarez at the back post and Manchester United’s old foe headed into Luke Shaw, whose torso diverted the ball in.
Solskjaer was seen talking with Messi after the final whistle but the United manager brushed off the significance of the chat.
Asked what he said to Messi, Solskjaer replied: "'All the best and see you next week'. That's it."
United now face the daunting task of overturning the deficit at the Nou Camp next Tuesday, where Barcelona have not lost in the competition since September 2013.
United thwarted Barcelona well for the majority of the game but lacked potency in the final third.
Doing the same, especially to Messi, in Catalonia next week will be a different kettle of fish, but Solskjaer was pleased with how his team coped last night.

Read more »

at April 12, 2019 0


Fred and Diogo Dalot had words of encouragement for United’s fans after the loss to Barcelona.
David de Gea sent a message after the match too. What he was talking about is unclear.
The Spaniard fired off a short tweet to supporters almost a full 24 hours after the 1-0 defeat.



 De Gea’s message simply read ‘Focus on the essentials’, with a picture of him walking off the pitch at Old Trafford.

What does it mean?

With De Gea’s contract status the subject of ongoing speculation, unclear messages like this can take on hidden meaning.
United fans are worried he does not want to re-sign. The Mail report he wants a reported £350,000 per week.
Earlier this week we called on him to step up against Barcelona and make an indisputable case he deserves it.
He could do nothing about the own goal and later stepped up to save a goalbound shot from Philippe Coutinho. It’s likely he will be busier in the second leg.
The defeat was United’s fourth in the last five games, with two against Wolves, one to Arsenal and now Barcelona.
We face West Ham this weekend in a must win the game at Old Trafford. De Gea may simply be calling for United to ‘go back to basics’ and get back to winning ways.
After all, no matter how much you earn per week, nobody likes losing.

Read more »

at April 11, 2019 0

Paul Pogba believes that, in Barcelona, Manchester United saw a team they can beat last night, despite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side needing a memorable comeback to rescue their Champions League campaign.
United must overturn a 1-0 deficit at the Nou Camp next Tuesday if they are to reach the semi-finals of the competition following their first-leg defeat at Old Trafford.
Luke Shaw's 12th-minute own goal proved to be the difference between the two sides in a game low on quality and clear-cut chances.
United reached this year's quarter-finals thanks to one of their greatest European results, overturning a 2-0 home leg deficit to qualify on away goals against Paris Saint-Germain.

And Pogba, who missed the 3-1 victory in Paris last month through suspension, believes Barcelona are so strong that another turnaround is impossible.
“Of course, we saw a team we can beat," he said. "If you don’t believe that then you just let them go through. We believe we can beat them. 

Read more »
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)