The worst season ever? Man Utd don’t need a new winger and…

Keep your mails coming to theeditor@football365.com…

Unpopular opinion?
I’ve thought this for a while, but watching yesterday just reinforced my opinion that Man Utd don’t actually need Jadon Sancho (sound the unpopular opinion claxon). What they need to do is invest in primarily at this point are a world class centre back, world class defensive centre midfielder, a backup keeper and a right back.

Harry Maguire badly needs a top class partner to shore up the defense, with Lindelof, Bailly and Tuanzebe all able backups should they be required in Europe/Carabao etc. A defensive midfielder would allow a shift to 2 forward thinking midfielders against “weaker sides” while McTominay could come in alongside the defensive midfielder in the bigger games along with giving Garner a chance to develop and learn from a world class player. There is a bit of a clear out of the goalkeeping union this summer (either De Gea or Henderson, along with Romero, Grant and Pereira to go). Finally backup right back who will push Wan-Bissaka to improve (much like the threat of Telles has for Shaw).

In addition to the goalkeepers, I can see Jones/Smalling and possibly Dalot (if not given the opportunity to challenge Wan-Bissaka), Mata, Lingard and Pereira all going, but not much movement in the front line (excuse the pun). As such what does signing Sancho actually do…. it means that given Fernandes is basically undroppable, you have Greenwood, Rashford, Cavani, Martial and Pogba all looking for three spots and thats before you restrict the development of Dan James, Amad, Chong, Elanga, Pellistri, Hannibal and Shoretire. I accept that the last 4 are probably not fully ready yet but thats 12 potential players for 3 spots. Signing Sancho tells the 7 younger players that their pathway is blocked and that’s before you consider the players likely to make the step into the u23s this year such as Hugill, McNeill and Zidane Iqbal. We lost Gomes to this exact problem, and there is a huge amount of talent coming through now who need to see the pathway.

In short, a goalkeeper (Heaton/Johnstone), Central Defender (Kounde/Torres/AN Other), Right back (Aarons/Trippier or give Dalot a go) and Central Midfielder (Rice/Ndidi/Fofana/Bissouma) would be a far better use of say £150m this summer than spending £100m on Sancho when we clearly don’t need it. And don’t even get me started on Kane….
Andrew, MUFC, Ireland

Taking a moment to laugh at Poch…
From September 2019 – one month into Solskjaer’s first full season as United manager – to around January 2021, every week the Mailbox was filled with shouty demands for his sacking. Everyone wanted the great Mauricio Pochettino installed as his successor. Ole is a clueless, hapless, smiling mascot who doesn’t know how to coach, we were told – Poch is the tactical supergenius who will take us to the next level.  Well, Poch just managed to come second in a one-horse race in France. He did not win the league… WITH PSG. Ole, I can say with some certainty, would have won it. Heck, *I* would have won it with that PSG team (and I know nothing about coaching).
For the record, I believe Poch (despite his zero meaningful trophies) is an excellent coach and he’ll come good at PSG or wherever he goes next. But I’m just taking a moment to enjoy the schadenfreude.
(Note to Harry Kane: You can leave the Spurs but the Spursiness never leaves you.)
Akhil, Man Utd, Delhi

Alternative winners…
No arguments at all with the winners section. Impossible to include everyone so I thought I’d add a couple more:

Jack Grealish – if ever a player has shown just how much they thrive on responsibility it’s Grealish. Villa might well wonder where their season would have taken them but for his untimely injury (is there a timely one??). Two wins against two tricky opponents in which he played integral roles. He is easily the player for which any team would be grateful to have. Spurs decision to not buy him a few years back hurts.

Son – his best season for combined goals and assists. The criticism of him might be that he has too many spells where he’s ineffectual but they are fewer and father apart than had been. His finishing in the first three months was spectacular. Kane gets the plaudits but plenty of those assists still took something special to convert.

City’s non-striker system: To win the league so easily and do so with your top scorer on 13 goals having previously not bothered the scoring charts much at all previously is amazing.

Unfashionable clubs players (convoluted) Bissouma, White, Lampty, Perriera, Willock, Saint-Maxime, Wood, Ings, Ward-Prowse, Anderson – some proper good players there, fully expecting a fair few to be on the radar of many…I’d take all at least five of those at Spurs…
Dan M

It is all about how you spin it
Liverpool started this season embarking on a title defence for the first time in 30 years, and what a ride it has been. They started like a steam train smashing 4 against Leeds, beating Chelsea 2-0 away and then Arsenal 3-1 at home. 3 games, 3 wins.

In fact, Liverpool proved why they had won the title so convincingly in the first part of the season. They swatted Leicester aside 3-0, smashed Wolves 4-0 and even Manchester City couldn’t dent them after a 1-1 draw at the Etihad. In December Liverpool beat Spurs at home and then plundered 7 away at Palace in successive games. Liverpool ended 2020 as they had started it… top of the Premier League with just 1 defeat to the turn of the year.

Over the course of the season Liverpool gave masterclass after masterclass. They scored 7 away at Palace and Lincoln, 5 away at Atalanta (third in Serie A) and beat RB Leipzig (second in the Bundesliga) 4-0 on aggregate. They scored 4 at Old Trafford, beat Spurs and West Ham in successive away games 3-1, won 3-0 at Arsenal and 3-0 at Burnley.

In the final stretch Liverpool really showed their class with 8 wins and 2 draws in the final 10 games, with Manchester City losing 3 games over the same period. They even found time to give some much needed game time to the likes of Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips. Truly a remarkable season all round.
Micki (all silver lining and no cloud) Attridge

Last time I mailed in I was just feeling sorry for Liverpool and commented on what centre backs where available during the nadir of the season.

Its still Liverpool’s fault for going into a title defence season with just 3 senior centre backs and the worst possible outcome happened so the lack of a title defence is on them.

However, combined those 3 defenders missed 92 league games this season (as per B/R Football). That is insane, so to get third with the players that they had is genuinely solid work and enough to be pretty happy with.

Its not a good title defence even with the circumstances, even if it is really disrespectful to Gomez and Matip in some corners to memory hole them in favour of only talking about Van Dijk. But, the recovery in the last 10 games was admirable.

Thiago and Fabinho look genuinely game changing for us, reintroduce the recovery pace and passing ability at centre back (Konate looks set to join) and a title challenge is entirely possible… Probable even, good.
Tyla (with a sigh of relief) Roxburgh, Liverpool

Tommy Tuchel
I’ve read and heard an awful lot about what great managers we have in the Premier League in recent days as we celebrate the end of a particularly screwy season .

Pep Guardiola wins the league at a canter with only a 60 man first team squad at his service .
Jurgen Klopp takes Liverpool from 1st to 3rd , injuries duh.
Brendan Rodgers masterminds Leicester’s failure to get into the Champions League on the last day of the season for the second season
in a row but did actually bring home the Fa Cup bacon .

However , let us spare a thought for Tommy Tuchel who gets little praise considering he took over the club in ninth place got them to an FA cup final , into the top four and to the Champions league final with a side whose top scorer has seven league goals and takes the penalties !

See how City would do with no Aguero or Jesus goals , Liverpool with no Mane or Salah goals . Spurs with no Kane or Son goals.

There are no goals anywhere in this Chelsea side , our defenders get one or two a year the Midfield other than Top Scorer Jorgi have
no goals between them , our strikers and attacking midfield have between 4 and 6 goals .

What TT has achieved is a miracle.
Mark Kelly

Thank you and goodnight to the worst season ever?
Dear Editor,

I’m exhausted, the players are exhausted, the managers are exhausted, I get the feeling sports journalists are exhausted too.

We’ve learned despite our initial misgivings that the game needs the fans. It needs them in the stadium, in the pub or even just together in the living room.

A few points I’d like to make if I may:

1) The players have ploughed on through all of this, fair play to them. But every game had the feeling of a training exercise, hence the ridiculous scores, the average performances and the title winners – you’d back the best technical players to come out on top in such a sterile environment. And yes, I am not a fan of Man City – but this was a title by default if ever I saw one. Even they were way down on previous seasons levels, and at times the opposition looked like they could barely be bothered – very much a forget this game and move on feel. It’s good riddance from me. Let’s get back to the real stuff ASAP.

2) It quickly became apparent that Liverpool would struggle. As mentioned in Winners and Losers – they looked psychologically gone – the same as City last year (though I have to say I think F365 were overly harsh to Liverpool in my opinion in W&L). The hits kept coming on the injury front, but we perhaps could have wrapped up Champion’s league a little sooner had we risked it with Phillips and Kabak sooner and consistently. To think we could match last season’s title win without Van Dijk, Gomez, Matip, Henderson was laughable and especially losing the two players who were supposed to help drive us on, Thiago and Jota for over twenty games each. It tore the core out of the team – meaning we basically had to reinvent how we played at times. Usually you’d get a little notice.

3) Jurgen Klopp – what an absolute genius. My one (minor) criticism is listed above. But then when someone in my family dies, I wouldn’t be expected to go to work every day, or not attend the funeral, or do a million inane press conferences all while having millions of people telling me I should be doing better. Last three league finishes of 2nd, 1st and 3rd. As many points as City over that time. And he’s held the weight of the fans on his shoulders.

4) Lastly, what an effort from F365, The Athletic, The BBC et. al. From W&L to the Football Daily. We’ve had something to read to help pass the time in this worst of years. It’s no exaggeration to say I’ve enjoyed the conversation more than the football.

5) The Euros can do one. Let’s all put our feet up. UEFA should have cancelled it by now.

Cheers,
Marc, London

Pep is fantastic. But…
Gushing praise from Eamonn, Dublin about Pep Guardiola. I’d agree with most things he said, but I feel like he just breezed over the resources available to Guardiola as if they are not significant. Guardiola took over City in 2016. They had won the title in 2012 and 2014 and already had a fantastic squad, including top class talent such as Kompany, Aguero, Sterling, Silva and De Bruyne. Since his time at City, he has spent close to a billion pounds and has not had to sell any of his first team players, either to fund transfers, or because they wanted to leave. It was a very similar story at Barcelona and Bayern (where he underachieved, given his failure in Europe).

Klopp by contrast started with an XI of Mignolet, Moreno, Sakho, Skrtel, Clyne, Can, Lucas, Milner, Coutinho, Lallana, Origi. He spent nearly half of what Guardiola has spent and had to sell first team members, including one of Liverpool’s star players along the way.

Guardiola has never been at a club where he has not had superior resources to the rest of the league. That doesn’t make him any less of a manager, but to me it will always provide a caveat to his achievements. Personally, I would rate Klopp’s job at Liverpool as more impressive than Pep’s at City. Comparing what they started with and what they have spent, the improvement of Liverpool under Klopp has been far greater than City under Guardiola.
Mike, LFC, London

This season…
Thank you F365 for your Premier League 20/21 winners piece and pointing out that City, just like every other Premier League team, were pants before Christmas which you wouldn’t know if you listened to the media, pundits and fans alike – what short memories people have!  Don’t get me wrong City fully deserved the title but to portray them and Pep as the second coming is pushing things a bit IMHO.

A quick point on UEFA and their hypocrisy over the ESL; how can they accuse clubs of only being after the money when they are extending the Champions League and Europa League?  UEFA showed their true colours by not moving the CL final to Wembley because their delegates would have to quarantine, sorry but WTAF?!!  Sod the delegates what about the bloody fans you allegedly care so much about?  UEFA is all about making money, if they weren’t then the CL would be exactly that; a tournament for champions and not the champions plus also rans we currently have to endure.

Thank god this season is over because it’s the worst I’ve ever experienced (thanks Covid!), lets hope we get to see full stadiums next season and clubs learn to live within their means after such a harsh wake up call.
Badger

Shock Liverpool review
Weeks 1 through 17 – top of the form chartsWeeks 18 through 27 – shocking form (lost 6, drew 3)
Weeks 28-38 – top of the form chart

At no stage this year did Liverpool look invincible, but the 10 game period in the middle really took it’s toll on the team.
Barry

Leeds season review…
F*cking brilliant
Steve Leeds since 1970

Everton not losers?
I saw a stat that Everton-(the people’s club despite only 26% of Liverpudlian’s supporting them) have spent more money over the past five seasons than everyone except City, United, and Chelsea. They’ve just finished 10th. And yet didn’t even get a mention in The Losers column. I thought spending that much would have made them somewhat relevant? It seems not. Odd.
Derek, LFC.

Rohit – what a legend
Belter of a mailbox today. Absolute gold reading about how Kane isn’t any good, cheats etc and yet everyone in the next breath are talking about what it’d take to get him in their team!! The disrespect the guy gets from everyone – wins golden boot, most assists – it’s crazy

Anyway Rohit, not sure if you meant it but that was so funny I snorted with laughter
Dave, (£60 for a farmers league ticket, upper tier, no concessions, nice food lol?) Winchester Spurs

English managers abroad
In the morning mailbox Callum asked why so many English managers were willing to work overseas in the 80’s. Now, I’m sure you’ve had quite a few responses to this so I’ll keep it brief. Following Heysal English clubs were banned from playing European football for a period of 5 years. Much like the highest profile players the best domestic managers still wanted to test themselves against the best so had to move overseas for those challenges. Interestingly enough look at how many Rangers players were in England’s Italia 90 squad for further proof.

In Sir Bobby Robson’s case following the volume of abuse he received while England manager he chose to move abroad after leaving the national team, partially to get out of the spotlight. The national reaction when news broke of his deal with PSV prior to the World Cup shows he made the right decision in that regard (he was able to sue the Today newspaper for damages after they ran a headline referring to him as a traitor).
Kevin, Nottingham

Stale Sky Sports
Hi,

Now that the season is over my thoughts turned to how stale Sky Sports coverage has gotten over the past couple of seasons. It’s coverage, aside from the excellent Monday Night Football, has gotten to cosy and comical. Its not worth the extortionate fees I’m paying each month.

I propose the following changes:

Retire Martin Tyler, his “it’s live” exclamation is a constant, grating attention grab. During yesterday’s match it was embarrassing the way he was angling to claim credit for Aguero’s last kick of the season title win. You had nothing to do with it mate, you were watching with the rest of us. The less said about the constant “Croydon De Bruyne” the better.

Either shake up soccer Saturday to replace the old guard of failed managers or pack it all together. BT Sport are doing an improved representation (Excluding Savage) adding journalists and including football on the continent.

The cosy cabal of Kammy, Merson and Sherwood and has had its day, I can’t remember any of the panel offered up anything resembling an original thought. Disgruntled Jeff should be asked to leave too, he’s become entitled.

Maybe replace the current format with a NFL red zone program, like BT Sport do with the group stages of the CL.

Less time in between matches. We don’t need a full hour of analysis before or after each match. Keep it to fifteen minutes bringing the dreaded 8 o’clock game on a Saturday/Sunday earlier (in the event that as much football is shown next season). There’s plenty of time for analysis before the games start or after they’ve finished.

Bin Redknapp and Souness. Jamie has nothing insightful to say about a game he’s played at the highest level and Souness appears to bring an opposing view to any argument despite evidence to the contrary.

Stop ex-players commentating on their own teams. It’s biased as fuck

…and finally, can they get rid of the turtle neck wearing “transfer ponces” on SSN who know little more than we do.

Thanks,
Andy, Newcastle

Aguero
“Really, just f*ck that crushing emotional baggage because there is no physical pain that even comes close to the internal agony that is watching as people you love and idolise say goodbye. It hurts your brain, but there’s no remedy because there’s nothing physically wrong or broken. There’s no sticking plaster or paracetamol that eases that wound.”

Really? Really? A footballer has left a football club. He’s not dead, or even retiring, he’s going to play with his mate Leo in Barcelona for a year or two. All fans have to accept that their favourites eventually get old and move on, such is life. I’d encourage this particular City fan to get a fucking grip of themselves and have a wee cry into your Premier League trophy. In this year of all years, with lives lost, livelihoods ruined, relationships tested and the country likely financially ravaged for the rest of our lifetimes, a very good footballer leaving a very good football team is the very smallest of beers. As the old adage goes, don’t be sad it’s over, just be glad it happened, and also, get your big boy boots on because if this causes you agony I’m not sure you’re ready for real life.
Alistair Gilmour, Glasgow

In response to Naz…
In reply to Naz and his optimism for Arsenal. Point 2 is straight out of the OGS manual of justifying poor runs of form by taking a snapshot of the season and extrapolating that to “prove” progress. Naz mate, in those 24 games you would have played some teams twice. Naturally this will affect the extrapolation to get a full season that you seem to think is a logical way of doing this. So i had a look and in those 24 league games the teams Arsenal played twice were:

Brighton (16th)
Palace (14th)
Newcastle (12th)
WBA (20th)
Chelsea (4th)
28 points in those 10 games. All wins apart from 1 draw. Chelsea the only team would argue is difficult.

I guess after a desperately poor season under Arteta, some fans will look at anything. Or maybe Arsenal fans should look to whoever is putting out the cones now for Man City or who sits closest to Pep on the bench and push for them to be appointed?
Ben