The Long Road to Eden for Mourinho

Looks like the long road to Eden for Jose Mourinho and that return to Stanford Bridge proved that much work needs to be done with The Reds. . Raising the question as to whether the Manchester United board will suffer while The Special One seeks to rediscover whatever made him great in 2005. Or lose patience not unlike Chelsea did when Mourinho returned last season from Real Madrid with little positive to contribute and eventually losing his job. The expensive and much touted moved to Manchester United was wrong from the start and a few months in to the season still looks a poor fit. With Antonio Conte proving the more astute manager on the day, winning by four gals and reviving Eden hazard from the dark place that he was under when manged by Mourinho. Who was keen to sell him at one point in his last stint at Chelsea. 

On Sunday, the Belgian international lived up to his surname and was nothing but a hazard for Mourinho, who on the side line looked almost a beaten man from the start and just hoping for the best. His team devoid of ideas and again a Paul Pogba who is playing like someone worth a quarter of the £89m transfer fee. Yet only months ago he was the main power with Juventus- the club he played at during four seasons. Ironically two of this were for Antonio Conte and were season that saw Pogba win the Biaconero with two Serie A in 2012–13 and 2013–14 and a Supercoppa Italiana. This season the trophy cupboard looks bleak and Pogba only half the player he was during EURO 2016. Indeed, Conte’s Chelsea looked like they had that proverbial extra man as they ran riot at Stamford Bridge scoring twice in the first half without reply. Then in the second succumbing to a Hazard goal and then Kate the latest recruit arriving from Leicester City. 

Antonio Conte

"I am delighted for the performance because we played very well with good intensity, good positions and we moved the ball very quickly and created many chances to score goals," he said.

"This is the third game we haven't conceded a goal and that is very important. This type of game, against a very strong team like Manchester United, increases our confidence about our work.

"We are working very hard, I see my players every day with the right commitment and work rate and they deserve this type of win and performance.

"When you work very hard it's important to win because then you trust the work."

"I asked my players to start the game strongly and to show our desire to win the game, not just to our fans but to our opponent," he added.

"We scored after 30 seconds. The most important thing is that we continued to play and to try to score the second goal, it happened and I'm very happy.

"Now we must continue because this is the right way but for me United is in the past.

"We must concentrate on Wednesday when we have another tough game against West Ham and it's important to recover and prepare for that game." 

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Manchester United v Liverpool - Preview

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Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal feels his side "must deliver" in their Europa League last-16 second leg tie against Liverpool on Thursday.

A desperately poor performance from the Red Devils saw them lose 2-0 in the first leg at Anfield last week.

United have failed to win in their last three matches in all competitions.

"It starts with the players, of course, but it starts also with the fans. They have a lot of impact on the pitch," said Dutchman Van Gaal.

The meeting against rivals Liverpool comes a week before the 32nd anniversary of one of their greatest comebacks.

Trailing 2-0 to Barcelona in the European Cup Winners' Cup, United won 3-0 at Old Trafford to reach the semi-finals.

They were also 2-1 down to Danish side FC Midtjylland after the first leg in the previous round, before winning 5-1 in the second.

"We have to believe in it," said Van Gaal when asked if they can rescue the tie. "I have spoken only with the players about the victory.

"We always owe to the fans a big result because the fans are paying to see that. We have to deliver."

'We can finish the job'

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal pointed to the atmosphere at Anfield being the difference for Liverpool

Liverpool last won the competition in 2001 - in its guise as the Uefa Cup - and it remains their only opportunity to win a trophy this season.

Their energetic performance in the first leg allowed them to open up an advantage which boss Jurgen Klopp feels they can keep hold of.

"We know about the job we have to do," said the German. "We will try to play similar or more intensive.

"I am absolutely optimistic [that my team will put in a good performance]. We know that we know how to play them.

"It was a good night for us last week. But at the same time it's only halfway. We'll go into the game confident we can finish the job."

Winger Ashley Young and full-back Cameron Borthwick-Jackson will not be risked by Manchester United and midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is not ready to start.

Liverpool midfielder James Milner returns after missing the first leg through illness but the visitors are still likely to be without defender Martin Skrtel, who has been out with a hamstring injury.

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Stillitano Seeks Relevant Champions League

Closing off European football competitions to include only elite clubs could make them far richer, according to the American sports executive who has held talks with the leading English Premier League teams about a shake-up to long-established league structures.

The Relevent Sports chairman, Charlie Stillitano, held talks with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United on Tuesday in London about this year’s International Champions Cup (ICC), an annual pre-season friendly tournament organised by his company. Stillitano confirmed they also discussed “restructuring the Champions League” – an issue high on the European Club Association agenda amid a power vacuum at Uefa.

Stillitano revealed that the European governing body has been keen on working with the ICC, which already attracts some of the world’s wealthiest teams to compete in games across the globe for a lucrative but meaningless prize. “We have even talked to Uefa in the past because they had an interest in our summer tournament,” Stillitano told the US satellite radio station SiriusXM. “That is something they would like to integrate into their portfolio.”

Joining forces with Relevent’s ICC would currently be incompatible with Uefa’s existing sponsorships. There are no plans with Uefa presently on the table but discussions have not been closed off.

Arsenal are the only team from the talks to go on the record in denying they advocate a breakaway Super League for Europe’s leading clubs.

Discussions within the ECA about the merits of advocating guaranteed Champions League places for prestigious teams come at a time when Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are all in danger of missing out on qualifying for Europe’s top competition next season.

“What would Manchester United argue: did we create soccer or did Leicester create [it]?” said Stillitano, who met United’s executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward, on Tuesday. “Let’s call it the money pot created by soccer and the fandom around the world. Who has had more of an integral role, Manchester United or Leicester? It’s a wonderful, wonderful story – but you could see it from Manchester United’s point of view, too.”

If the Premier League season ended now, Leicester and Tottenham would qualify for the Champions League alongside Arsenal and Manchester City.

“Maybe that is absolutely spectacular unless you are a Manchester United fan, Liverpool fan … or a Chelsea fan,” Stillitano said. “I guess they don’t have a birthright to be in it every year but it’s the age-old argument: US sports franchises versus what they have in Europe. There are wonderful, wonderful, wonderful elements to relegation and promotion and there are good arguments for a closed system.”

Stillitano believes Europe’s biggest clubs deserve to make more cash from the Champions League, given their contribution to making it such a financial success. He said fans are more likely to watch the Juventus v Bayern Munich and Arsenal v Barcelona games in the current round of 16 rather than matches involving PSV Eindhoven and Ghent.

"This is going to sound arrogant and it’s the furthest thing from it … but suddenly when you see the teams we have this summer in the ICC you are going to shake your head and say, ‘Isn’t that the Champions League?’” Stillitano said. “No, the Champions League is PSV and Ghent.”

Voicing the complaints he hears from clubs, Stillitano said: “I could make a lot more money, I can be a lot more visible, I can help my sponsors out but right now I am locked into doing certain things that are really historic.”

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Van Gaal Blames Loss on Murphy

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Louis van Gaal blamed his side's 2-1 defeat at the hands at Danish side Midtjylland on "the law of Murphy".

With United's season already in the doldrums, their best hope of returning to the Champions League next season is now in peril.

United had started positively and went ahead in the 37th minute with a scrappy goal from Memphis Depay but the advantage was cancelled out a minute before halftime when Pione Sisto pounced on a mistake from Michael Carrick and scored with a low shot.

Van Gaal's men were then undone in the 77th minute by a goal from Paul Onuachu. The substitute pinched the ball after a half-hearted challenge from Juan Mata on the edge of the area and swivelled before firing home a low bouncing drive to earn the Danes victory.

David de Gea was injured in the warm-up for United with a knee injury but his replacement Sergio Romero made several fine saves and helped to at least keep the Red Devils in the tie.

"When you start the game and your goalkeeper is number 14 (players out injured) then you are not starting like usual I think," van Gaal said on BT Sport 2.

"A lot of things are happening in the heads of the players and the first 10 or 15 minutes we were not so good. But after that we came in the match, we scored, we could have scored more.

"The second half we didn't win any duel, any second ball. You cannot afford a second goal, but we could have scored also, Jesse Lingard had two remarkable chances, so it is the law of Murphy I think."

When quizzed about De Gea's injury, he added: "We have to wait and see, we have to investigate tomorrow with a scan, we cannot answer now."

Former United midfielder Michael Carrick was more scathing of the team and admitted they were not at the races.

The experienced midfielder said: "It's just not good enough, it's not acceptable, the performance and the result, it's nowhere near good enough. It's got to be a lot better.

"I think we caused a lot of our own problems. We haven't played well enough. We didn't kick on after we scored."

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Van Gaal Walking in Memphis

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Louis van Gaal faced the media in combative mood after Manchester United’s 2-0 defeat at Stoke City in Boxing Day’s early game, accusing his side of being too nervous to play properly in the first half and saying that the decision to leave Wayne Rooney out of the starting lineup was the correct one, before dismissing headlines based on ‘rubbish’.

The Dutchman told Sky Sports: “My thoughts are that we don’t dare to play football in first half. We gave a very bad goal away and then they score out of a free-kick indirect.

“At half-time we have spoken with each other and I have to say the second half was much better but still we have created one or two chances and then you have to score and then maybe the belief is coming back. In the second half we played better but the problem is we don’t dare to play and that’s my analysis.

Manchester United’s Memphis Depay makes a weak header under pressure from Glen Johnson leading to what Louis van Gaal called ‘a very bad goal’ for Stoke City. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

“I’m always very faithful and I see also how they have trained so they want to perform well but the circumstances are difficult, not only the wind but also with the pressure and that’s why, in my opinion, we don’t dare to play football. Second half we were in a losing position and we can give everything more easily and that we have done but then you have to score the first chance.”

When asked if he was the man to help United rediscover their form, he said: “It’s more difficult because I’m also a part of the four matches that we have lost. People are looking at me and I have to deal with that, but much more important is that the players have to deal with that because they have to perform.”

On his future he added: “It’s another situation. We have lost the fourth game so you have to wait and see.”

When Van Gaal spoke to the BBC, he was asked about Rooney spending the first 45 minutes on the bench and the continuing speculation about his future. “I thought it was the right decision [to omit Rooney] otherwise I would not have done it.” Rooney came on at the break for Memphis Depay, whose error led to Stoke’s first goal.

Asked about the speculation over his future, Van Gaal added: “I don’t think that is interesting what they [the headlines] do to me. I have said they have to stick by the facts. The scrutiny is all right for me, I’m used to that. You have to stick by the facts and not rubbish.

“I have received it [backing of club] all the time but we have lost today so there is a new situation. I feel the support of my players and my board. The fans will be disappointed but that is logical after four defeats.”

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