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Being a United fan, I experienced a multitude of emotions this season: despair, hope, humiliation to elation, anger, pride. This team really put me through the emotional wringer (but isn’t that just the life of a football fan). One thing I can say for sure is the 2022/23 season represented a step in the right direction. Most of my posts don’t focus exclusively on the red half of Manchester, so it would only be right for me to summarise my thoughts from Erik Ten Hag’s first year in charge. Ten Hag: Half Man, Half Amazing For the first time in a while, it feels like we have the right man at the helm. From the opening two games, it was apparent that Ten Hag had a massive job on his hands. But once he found his footing, you could see the impact he was started to have on the club. His decision-making has been critical, not being afraid to make big decisions when needed. Three specific decisions come to mind. Number 1: dropping Harry Maguire. You would have thought it was about time that he was dropped right, but Ten Hag was the first coach to have the balls to do it. Number 2: benching Cristiano Ronaldo. This was a massive decision as he was United’s best, and really, only striker and last campaign’s top scorer. But no, that was irrelevant. The manager didn’t think he was the right fit, and he did what was required for the benefit of the team. Number 3: dropping Marcus Rashford. He turned up late to training before an away game against Wolves and was subsequently dropped. However, he was more than vindicated as Rashford scored the winner. This season has shown that Ten Hag has the bravery and courage to potentially lead United on a success path of yesteryear. The Wait is Over A 6-year trophy drought is a heck of a long time for a big club like United. Since Mourinho lifted the Europa League is 2017, we’ve failed to win silverware, but like the saying goes, all things must come to an end. In this case, it was United’s trophy drought. United were crowned the winners of the League Cup after beating Newcastle. I mentioned this in a previous blog; whilst the League Cup is not the most glamorous competition, it is an important first trophy to win. Just look at Mourinho and Guardiola. The first trophy they won in England was the League Cup, and just look at the success they’ve achieved. Lifting your first trophy is always special, as it helps to instil that winning mentality around a club. It also shows that in the biggest of moments, when you need your players to stand up and deliver, you can count on them to get the job done. Do I now thinking that we’re guaranteed to win trophies moving forward? Of course not. I’d be stupid to believe that. However, now that this team knows what it takes to win, it gives me a little more confidence that we’ll be fighting it out for some of the other domestic (and maybe) European honours. Everyone Acts Tough When They’re Up Whilst there were key positives from this year just gone, we’ve got to talk about the elephant in the room. This team continues to have the ability to capitulate, particularly away from home. We saw it first against Brentford in early August, when United went 4 goals down before half-time. I don’t think I felt as defeated after a game as I did after watching that embarrassment of a team put in an utterly abject performance. This was then followed up by the 6-3 trouncing in the Manchester derby in October, where the scoreline flattered to deceive. Again, we were already 4-0 down before half time and 6-1 down after 72 minutes. And just when I thought it couldn’t get anyway worse, we got our asses handed to us by Liverpool at Anfield, losing 7-0 in what was surely one of the darkest days in the club’s history. What all these defeats have in common is that if this team is confident when they’re up, but the second things don’t go away, their heads could just completely go. Specifically at Anfield, although United were 1-0 down at the half, we weren’t playing that bad, but once the second and third went in, the players had fully lost it. If United are going to get back to winning the big trophies, Ten Hag must prevent these capitulations from happening on a regular basis. It's Time To Kick Rocks One of my overriding feels about this season is that there is still deadwood that needs to be gotten rid of. A big hindrance for us was depth. It’s not a case that we lacked depth, as for the most part we had two players for every position which I think is more than enough. It’s the lack of quality depth. Ten Hag was overly reliant on a small group of players as he didn’t have much trust in some of his squad players. Looking at our squad, I’d say there about 9/10 players that I like, there is a few that I think should probably be loaned out, and then the rest I think just need to kick rocks. De Gea, Maguire, Fred, McTominay, Martial. If I had my way, I’d get rid of all of team. There are other players I haven’t mentioned but I think you get my point. Shifting a lot of players in a single window is near impossible (unless you’re in cahoots with our friends in the Middle East, hint hint). You’ve got to start somewhere, even if it’s just getting rid of 3 or 4 players, I don’t see why that’s not reasonable. If we can then replace these players with quality, we’ll be in a decent position looking ahead. This Week’s Hot Take We’ve improved this campaign, no doubt. But if you look at it, it hasn’t been a great season if we’re being honest. We came third in the league, but heavily benefitted from teams like Liverpool and Chelsea performing well below expectations. We did win a cup, but if you look at the path to silverware, we had a easy run. Similarly in the FA Cup, it wasn’t until we faced City in the final where we came up against a top team. Lastly in the Europa League, the way we got bounced out by Sevilla was underwhelming. All in all, I’m content with how the season went, but I’m not going to act like we did something special.

It’s award season baby! The time has come where we look back at the last 10 months of Premier League football and reflect on some of the outstanding (as well as the quite shocking) performers over the season. I feel that with some of these awards, the names pick themselves, as we’ve witnessed some remarkable achievements from certain players. However, there are sure to be a few prizes that could have gone either way. With the usual preamble out of the way, let’s get straight into it. Player of the Season: Erling Haaland This one was a no-brainer. I mean how can you not look past the big Norwegian? We’ve seen strikers (particularly from the Bundesliga) struggle in their first season in the English top-flight, but Haaland is no ordinary striker. What he accomplished this year was unbelievable. It’s as if he isn’t human, but rather AI that has been sent to England to dominate. His desire and hunger to score goals is what makes him elite, but at the same time, he’s not just been getting his; he’s a team player through and through. While City didn’t buy Haaland to win the Premier League, he ended up being exactly what they needed. City always create chances, but sometimes, they’ve lacked that killer, someone who would just hover around in the six-yard box and still the ball away. The 36 goals he scored for City is the most ever in a single campaign. The funny thing is, we’ve not seen the best of Haaland. Premier League defenders best be scared because he’s only going to get better. Young Player of the Season: Bukayo Saka For this post, I’ve decided that a player can’t win two awards, so while Erling Haaland is still technically a young player, I’ve picked Saka for this one. He is one of, if not, the reason why Arsenal were challenging for the league title for so long. He’s by no means the most glamorous winger, but he’s been highly effective. His numbers were very good, 14 goals and 11 assists, but he’s so much more than just stats. His play embodies what Arsenal were all about – intensity, vibrancy, and determination. He didn’t finish the season too strongly (that penalty miss vs West Ham springs to mind), but unlike others, I’m not going to hold that against him. Sure, he was always getting the goals and assists, but his performances were still of high quality. In my mind, he’s one of the wingers where you put in him any system, there would be no or a very minimal drop-off. He’s recently signed a new long-term contract at the club and he’s part of that young crop at the Gunners that will be key for them moving forward. Manager of the Season: Eddie Howe Again, this was another easy choice. No one truly believed that Newcastle would qualify for the Champions League this year. That’s exactly what Eddie Howe did in his first full season in the Northeast. I think what’s made the Magpies a popular club for the neutrals is the way they did it. When the new owners came in, we all assumed that they would go big on players and the manager, but they haven’t done that. They’ve been smart in all their decision-making. Eddie Howe was a good choice as the gaffer. He wasn’t the flashiest appointment that the club could have made, but the owners knew he was a man that the players would embrace, and the fans could really get behind. They’ve also been clever their signings, not just splashing the cash left, right, and centre but getting players that fit Newcastle’s style of play. The first half of the season, they were defensively solid but when the defence became a little leaky, he adapted, and they became more of an attacking team. His impact on that city has been undeniable, and this season, he got Newcastle fans dreaming once again. Best Signing: Manuel Akanji The United fan in me wanted to give this award to Casemiro as without his contributions, I doubt United would have sniffed top 4. However, I want to show some love to another signing from the city of Manchester: Manuel Akanji. His £15m move from Dortmund was a steal, as these days, there is a serious lack of top-quality defenders on the market. From watching him, he’s been one of City’s most consistent performers. He possesses a unique combination of speed and strength and doesn’t seem too fazed not matter who he’s up against. What surprised me most was his versatility, and he’s been deployed by Pep at left-back, centre-back and right-back. Once more, he’s been very good in all three of those positions. He was pivotal towards the second half of the campaign, when Pep changed his approach and lined up with 4 orthodox centra-backs in the back line. I think this signing may be one of the best we’ve seen in recent memory. Worst Signing: Mykhailo Mudryk I’m not one to be too critical of young, foreign players entering the Premier League and I don’t believe it’s entirely this player’s fault, but this is my worst signing of the season. Around the halfway point of the season, I picked Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but I can’t look past Mudryk. It’s crazy that he was bought for just under £90m and yet he had only played shy of 50 games of first-team football. He had an impressive cameo on his debut against Liverpool, but it went downhill from there. He managed only 2 assists and 0 goals in 15 games for Chelsea and specifically towards the end of the campaign, he looked like a player shot of confidence. It may have been a different story had he signed for the Gunners as he arrived at a club that was a mess both on and off the pitch. With all young players, time is their best friend as he has many years to improve his game. But for right now, in terms of cost vs production on the pitch, the Ukrainian must be my pick. This Week’s Hot Take Similar to the 6th man of the year award in the NBA, I think the league should introduce a 12th man of the year award. For a lot of teams, it’s not necessarily just the starting XI that are impactful. It’s also those that come off the bench and produce moments that massively influence the outcome of matches. I also think it would be a chance to recognise some of the unsung heroes that don’t always get the love that they deserve.

Honestly, where did the time go? It felt like it was yesterday that we were gearing up for the start of the 2022/2023 and now it’s all over. We can all agree that no one expected the season to play out that way it did. From surprise title contenders, the traditional top 6 being torn apart and a relegation that no one saw coming, it’s truly been a year to remember. It’s time we discuss the main storylines from the last 10 months of Premier League football. It's City’s League, But Arsenal Have Arrived No one thought Arsenal would be anyway near contending for the league. We knew they would continue their upward trajectory from the previous campaign, but a title challenge seemed a couple of years away at least. However, right up until April, I truly believed they would win the league. They were playing the best football in the league, and they were steamrolling teams. However, in the end, the Gunners couldn’t sustain their levels of play. Crucial points dropped against the likes of Liverpool, West Ham & Southampton in effectively handed City the title. City did what they do best: come up clutch when it matters the most. Their previous title-winning experience was a decisive factor in them winning their fifth title in six years. Mikel Arteta has gotten Arsenal fans believing that this isn’t a one-off, and they’re here to challenge for years to come. Provided they strengthen well this off-season, they should be among the contenders once more. Europe: Brace Yourselves In the last few years, it’s normally been the same teams that qualify for European football. This season, that was not the case. We saw the landscape for European competition completely shaken up. Newcastle secured Champions League football in what was a remarkable achievement for the first time in 20 years. And they we weren’t the only newcomers to a seat at the European table. Brighton, despite selling their best players and replacing their manager during the campaign, qualified for the Europa League. Whist Unai Emery did the unthinkable, guiding Aston Villa to the Europa Conference League play-offs. All these achievements are impressive in themselves, as all these teams except Newcastle weren’t even thinking about qualifying for Europe before a ball was even kicked. It just shows the competitive & greatness of the Premier League, as anything is possible. A new age may have dawned where the so-called big six ceases to exist. London's Burning In my early season predictions, I predicted Spurs and Chelsea to finish third and fourth respectively. However, both clubs had seasons to forget. I believed Spurs won the summer transfer window with their shrewd business, but none of their signings really hit the ground running. They finished the season in eighth, missing out on European football entirely. Sacking Antonio Conte was a key turning point but given the way he threw his players and the board under the bus; the decision was a no-brainer. Chelsea’s season was just an outright mess. Two managers, two interim coaches, £600m spent, 13 new additions and what did they have to show for it? A twelfth-place finish. Not only did they not even make the top half, but they were far closer to the relegation zone than they were to the Champions League places (10 points vs 27 points). There’s sure to be a lot of changes at these two clubs over the summer to get them back into a position to be challenging for the European places. Saying Goodbye Is Always Hard This year saw two clubs’ extended stay in the English top-flight come to an end. After 11 years, Southampton were relegated to the Championship. Truth be told, it had been coming. The last couple of campaigns there were involved in a battle for survival, and it felt like it was their time to go. They had three permanent managers over the course of the season, with each one losing a minimum of seven games. They’ve got some talented young players that will depart during the summer and so Southampton will need to be savvy when it comes to preparing for life in the Championship. The other shocker was Leicester was going down on the final day. From title winners to the Championship in the space of seven years, who would have thought. What makes their relegation so surreal is that in two of the three seasons prior, they were on the cusp of qualifying for European’s elite club competition. And now, who knows when they’ll next be in the Premier League. Letting go of their captain and no.1 Peter Schmeichel was criminal, and the sacking of Brendan Rodgers did them no favours. Let’s hope they won’t be away from the league for too long. A Sign Of The Times Managers are always a result away from getting the sack, and that was evident more than ever this year. 13 different permanent coaches were relieved of their duties and one interim manager even managed to get the sack (Cristian Stellini at Spurs). It’s a sign of the times really, as managers are under increasing pressure to meet expectations. In many ways being a football manager is like any other job. If you don’t perform, there are consequences. I’m pretty sure that we’ve had the most managerial changes out of any season and this trend of hiring and firing coaches looks like it’s here to stay. In certain instances, sacking the manager made sense (e.g., Villa & Everton sacking Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard respectively). However, in other instances, a manager getting fired was the wrong decision (e.g., Chelsea sacking Thomas Tuchel). In football, time can be your best friend, or your worst enemy but if this season has proven anything, time is a privilege that not all managers are blessed with. This Week’s Hot Take Chelsea may have had one of worst seasons in Premier League history. How can you spend that much money, have that good a squad on paper and end up becoming a worse team as a result. It is an achievement to be that bad with almost unlimited resources at your disposal. The people making the important decisions clearly underestimated what they were getting themselves, making bad decision after bad decision. There needs to be a culture shift at that club to avoid a repeat next season.

We’re less than a month away from the summer transfer window opening and, as a United fan, I’m curious to see who’ll be playing at Old Trafford next season, especially with the uncertainty around the potential takeover of the club. This week’s post will focus on which players the Red Devils should buy this summer. As a disclaimer, this list may change depending on if United do or don’t qualify for the Champions League but for now, when picking these players, I’m assuming United will finish in the top 4. With that out of the way, let’s get into it. Victor Osimhen The area that needs addressing the most is centre forward and Victor Osimhen would be the perfect striker for this team. Out of the strikers that may be on the market, he fits the profile of a no.9 that United are desperate for. He’s still only 24, meaning his best years are still ahead of him. He’s physical and should have no issue adjusting to the physicality of the Premier League. Not to mention he’s very good in the air and a willing runner in behind. Having been tearing it up in Serie A this season, now might be the time to test himself in the English top-flight. The other striker who has have been linked with the Red Devils for the longest time is Harry Kane, but I think Osimhen is the better choice. Let’s be clear: Harry Kane is the better player and Premier League proven. But United need to be thinking about both the present and the future when it comes to transfer strategy. The Nigerian is 6 years Harry Kane’s junior and could be our striker for the next 5-10 years. Not to mention it would be far easier to negotiate with Napoli than with Daniel Levy. We haven’t always made the best choices when it comes to signing strikers, but United should take a risk and sign Osimhen, at all costs. David Raya I’ve been David De Gea’s biggest defender over the years, but this season has shown we need a new keeper. There have been times that he has saved us in games, producing top-quality saves, but that doesn’t excuse the number of howlers he’s made this season. I think he’s made the most errors lead ing to goal than any other keeper in England. In the age of modern goalkeeping, his distributions and his ability on the ball is below par. There aren’t many keepers out there who really excite me to be honest, but I look at David Raya at Brentford as someone who could be a suitable replacement. He’s got experience of the league, he’s one of the better keepers in the league on the ball and his range of passing is underrated. I also don’t think United would have to break the bank if he made the move from West London to Manchester, with the rumoured price tag being £40m. The issue seems to be that there are contract talks ongoing between De Gea and the club to extend his contract. If he stays, I don’t think Raya would want to be his understudy and De Gea certainly wouldn’t want to play second fiddle to Raya. I guess we’ll have to watch this space. Frenkie De Jong We’re all aware of the soap opera that was United’s failed attempted at signing Frenkie De Jong from Barcelona last summer. However, I think we should try go back for him again. When thinking of midfielders that the club may be looking at, five came to mind: Declan Rice, Moises Caicedo, Jude Bellingham, Frenkie De Jong and Ryan Gravenberch. The first three mentioned will cost north of £100m and I don’t think United will want to spend that on one midfielder. Plus, they’re more heavily linked to other teams. That leaves De Jong and Gravenberch and out of the two, I’d go with the former. I think Gravenberch is a decent player and he’s been unlucky during his time at Bayern. However, given the brand of football that Ten Hag is trying to get his time to play, De Jong would fit his philosophy perfectly. When he’s played, Eriksen has been good in that “number 8” role, but I’m not too sure how many more years he’s got left at the highest level. A midfield next season of Casemiro, De Jong and Fernandes could work well together. Barcelona would for sure make it tough when it comes to any negotiation, but given their financial situation, he may be one of their most valuable assets that they’d be willing to let go. Jermaine Frimpong Out of all the positions, this would be the one where I’m the least certain who United should go for. Our current right backs, Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, are not good enough to take us to the next level. Dalot is okay going forward but he leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to defending. Aaron-Wan Bissaka is the complete opposite: defensively he’s one of the better full-backs in the league (especially one-on-one), but he’s not up to scratch offensively as most modern full-backs are these days. One of the names linked with United is Frimpong, who plays for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. This season, he’s excelled for Xabi Alonso’s side, scoring 9 goals and assisting a further 10 in all competitions. Based on those stats, it’s clear why he’s one of the right-backs on United’s shortlist. You look at the best right backs in the league: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James, Kieran Trippier. They all contribute to theie teams in the attacking third. United need that attacking spark from the right-back position and Frimpong could be a good addition to the squad. He shouldn’t be too expensive, but the question will be, can he make the adjust from Germany to England that other players have struggled with in the past. This Week’s Hot Take If United could sign all the four players I mentioned, I think this could be our best summer window in recent memory. Our track record when it comes to signings has not been great over the last decade or so, with the club seeming to flip-flop on the profile of players they bought. But with the players above, there is a clear strategy, and they will all fit in with where United are trying to go as a club, both on and off the pitch.

I was having some trouble thinking of what topic to discuss this week. But then I started reminiscing about former Premier League players who showed flashes of individual brilliance that made us football fans take a step back, but at the same time, couldn’t deliver on a consistent basis. We’ve seen some quality players grace the league in recent times and so with that in mind, I thought I’d look at certain players that typified the phrase “the streets will never forget”. Adel Taarabt The first name that springs to mind is Adel Taarabt. The guy was pure filth. Whilst his stats were never all that whist in the Premier League, his level of technique, flair and dribbling ability was unmatched at the time. He had a brief stint at Spurs, but it was at QPR where he’s most known for. He was pivotal in helping them achieve promotion to the English top-flight (bagging 19 goals and 21 assists in 44 games in the Championship the season prior). Once he made that step up, everyone saw his true ability. There was a goal I remember him scoring against Fulham where he picked the ball up just inside the opposition’s half, bounced his way past a couple of midfielders, drove towards the Fulham penalty box and did a quick ball roll before nonchalantly stroking the ball with the outside of his foot into the bottom corner. It’s a shame that his talent didn’t match his consistency as he had the potential to be a world beater if he applied himself. Yannick Bolasie Another player that fits the profile perfectly is Yannick Bolasie. In many ways, he was like Taarabt but also had that extra bit of athleticism and power that Taarabt lacked. The former Crystal Palace winger was so skilful and so good on the ball that he’d regularly send defenders flying. He even has a skill named after him, the Bolasie Flick, which to this day is one of the coldest pieces of skill I’ve seen. However, an issue with him (and a lot of players that I’ll mention) is that he lacked end-product and consistency to really become a top player. In his three full seasons at Palace, he never scored more than 5 goals. For all the flicks and tricks that he had, it never really translated on the pitch. I understand that he wasn’t playing for an elite team, but still, there’s no reason where he shouldn’t have found the back of the net more frequently. He will always be remembered fondly for his time in South-East London, but he certainly could have done more with his career. Michu If a player ever fit the description of a one season wonder, it would be Michu. I like to think that my ball knowledge is pretty good, but I had never heard of him until he signed for Swansea City in 2012 from Rayo Vallecano. He had a dream debut, scoring twice in a 5-0 win against QPR, his second being a worldie with his left foot. He would finish the 2012/2013 season with 18 goals as Swansea secured a top-half finish. The drop off the following season though was mad. I don’t know if it was just a loss of form, injuries, or a lack of confidence, but he was never able to reach the heights of his first season. What’s interesting with Michu is, I can’t recall what made him so good for that one season, he was just quality. He was flying and it felt inevitable that he would have pushed on, but that never happened. Hatem Ben Arfa The latest attacker to join the club is Hatem Ben Arfa. I feel like I could just copy and paste verbatim what I said about Taarabt. With that said, out of all the players that I’ll mention, I I believe Ben Arfa was the silkiest. It felt like when I was watching him, he would be gliding across the pitch, barely leaving any footprints. He had a wand of a left foot and just played with this unapologetic level of bravado and confidence that almost bordered on arrogance. That solo goal he scored for Newcastle against Bolton was truly a work of art. The flick to get past the first man, the balance to shrug off a tackle, the touch to push the ball in between two defenders and the cool finish at the end was beautiful. Unlike others, his decline wasn’t so quick, still being a valuable member of that Newcastle team. However, injuries ultimately curtailed his time in the Premier League. Those three to four years though, he was a joy to watch. Dimitri Payet I think I’ve saved the best till last. Dimitri Payet could have become one of the best players in the league if he stayed at West Ham for longer. He joined the Hammers at the start of the 2015/2016 season and he made an instant impression not only in East London, but across the Premier League. What made him such a unique talent was his ball striking ability. Since his departure, the only player currently in the league that could strike a ball like him is Kevin De Bruyne. There’s that free-kick he scored against Palace that’s he’s most remembered for. Normally, if a free kick goes in on the keeper’s side, you’re questioning him. But the way the ball moved in the air, the keeper had absolutely no chance. It’s unfortunate that he fell out with the club and requested a move back to France because based on his short stint at West Ham, the league definitely was not ready for him. This Week’s Hot Take I haven’t mentioned this player, but Wayne Rooney is the greatest “the streets will never forget” player in Premier League history. Sure, he was never a one season wonder or someone that only showed glimpses of quality, but as a United fan, I always think what could have been. He peaked so early that people forget how good he was. The latter stages of his career sometimes paint a different picture of who he was as a player. Had he not peaked so early and had he not sacrificed so much for United, he would be regarded even higher than he already is.

I wrote a post at the beginning of the year, discussing which managers would be next to get the sack. Out of the four managers I mentioned, three since been sacked: Graham Potter, Frank Lampard, and Brendan Rodgers. The other one (David Moyes) is likely to either be relieved of his duties or leave on his own accord. It’s funny how things play out isn’t it? Fast forward, there are quite a few clubs are on the lookout for a new manager. Let’s chat about what the right manager is for those clubs that need one. Chelsea Let’s paint a picture of the situation in West London. They started the campaign with Thomas Tuchel who won the Champions League with them and was stupidly sacked just over a month into the season. Bear in mind they spent around £275m that summer to improve the squad. That was Chelsea’s first howler. Who sacks a manager no less than a week of spending a stupid amount of money? They then hired Graham Potter, someone who has developed a reputation for improving players. At the time, people questioned the move as Potter seemed to be the opposite of what Chelsea have looked for in the past and they were proven right. He was sacked at the beginning of the month with Chelsea way off the European places, having spent a further £300m in the January window and with no chance of winning silverware. Howler number two. Then to top it all off, they bring in Frank Lampard until the end of the season, someone who was previously sacked two years ago and has lost all four games since he’s taken charge. That’s three of a kind. The question is, who would dare step into that hot seat? Every Tom, Dick and Harry has been linked with the jobs. I thought Nagelsmann would be the favourite, but he’s no longer being considered for the role due to his lack of experience. The connection that Poch has with Spurs might make it hard for him to make the move to West London, but I actually think he’ll be their next coach. He probably won’t demand more money to spend on the squad and with his experience in the Premier League previously, he could be the exact kind of manager that Chelsea are after. Spurs Spurs are another club that are in a bit of a mess. While Conte’s track record is impressive, he is a very erratic figure and seems to get on the wrong side of the board/players at every club he’s been at it. The way he’s able to grind those around him the wrong way is one of the reasons that led to this sacking. The real nail in the coffin was the extraordinary interview he did when Spurs were pegged back to 3-3 against Southampton after being 3-1 with 15 minutes to go. In his post-match interview, he fully threw his players and the board under the bus in what was his last act as Spurs coach. I feel like the shortlist for the Spurs job has some overlap with the Chelsea job and what happens at one of the clubs will have a direct impact on the other. If you want to look at it from a sort of romantic perspective, Mauricio Pochettino would make sense. They never won a trophy during his time there, he was beloved by the fans and Spurs were one of the most exciting teams in the league to watch. Getting someone like him might be crucial in convincing Harry Kane that his future doesn’t lie away from North London. Again, Luis Enrique has been touted as a possible replacement for Conte, but again, I don’t think the fit is there. I think Julian Nagelsmann will be their next coach. He’s said he wants to manage in the Premier League, and after no longer being considered for the Chelsea job, Spurs represent the next best alternative in terms of teams in England. He’s an exciting young coach who had great success at RB Leipzig. Given the right support and backing, he may be able to work wonders at Spurs and get them to where they want to be. Leicester It’s a shame that Leicester are in their current predicament. Prior to this season, they finished eighth, fifth and fifth, and those two times where they finished fifth, they had a great chance of qualifying for the Champions League. However, the way the season started, you could start to see that things were beginning to unravel. They lost their no.1 Kasper Schmeichel, who made the move to Nice, and they spent the least amount of money out of all the teams in the league (a measly £15m). With the lack of investment and the loss of such a vital component of their team (without adding a suitable replacement), their season thus far has been a nightmare, culminating in the firing of Brendan Rodgers and the club lying perilously in the relegation zone. In the interim, Dean Smith has taken charge until the end of the season but he’s not the man for the job long-term. I’m unsure who will take the reins at Leicester come the start of the 2023/24 season, but I’d like to see Graham Potter get the job. Despite what happened at Chelsea, I believe he’s still a good manager, we’ve seen it when he was Brighton. In truth, he was done dirty at Chelsea. Most of the players they brought weren’t his choices, they were who Todd Boehly wanted. Trying to manage a squad of 30+ players is near impossible, and most would have failed. However, at Leicester, he’d be able to improve some of their young talent, get the team playing progressive, attacking football once again. This Week’s Hot Take There should be a limit on how many coaches a club can have in any one season. Look at the Champions League and the Europa League. A player can only play for a maximum of two teams in a single campaign. Why not have something similar for managers? Some clubs go a season having three permanent coaches and I think that’s ridiculous, especially when a manager is sacked when the season is basically over. This trend of sacking managers like it’s no man’s business needs to stop.

The Premier League has recently adopted something that is well known in American team sports: the Hall of Fame. This rite of passage recognises those who have made an exception contribution to the Premier League since its inception in 1992. Thus far, 16 players and two managers have been inducted. For the 2023 class, the league is giving fans a chance to vote who the next three players should be that enter the Hall of Fame out of a shortlist of 16 players. It’s going to be tough, but I’m going to provide my picks for this latest round of inductees. Rio Ferdinand I think all Premier League fans can agree that Rio Ferdinand is one of the greatest centre-backs to ever grace the Premier League. People have him to Virgil Van Dijk which is my eyes is somewhat unfair. Not because VVD isn’t elite (he obviously is), but it seems that we forget the Rio Ferdinand was Van Dijk even before Van Dijk. We’re talking about a player who, along with Nemanja Vidić (also nominated by the way), formed arguably the most successful defensive partnership in Premier League history. If you look at what he’s achieved in his career in England, not many have a list of achievements that he does: 504 appearances, 189 clean sheets, 6-time Premier League winner, 6-time PFA Team of the Year representative. His accomplishments don’t do him justice. From the moment he burst on the scene as a youngster at West Ham, it was clear that he was destined for bigger and better things. After establishing himself at West Ham, he made the move to Leeds (in what was, at the time, a British transfer record) where he was part of a team that was one of the more exciting teams to watch in the early 2000s. He eventually became club captain, a sign of his growing ability and confidence. It wasn’t long before a big team came knocking for him, and Man United duly obliged. The rest you could say is history. When we talk about the great centre-backs of the modern game, Rio Ferdinand must be in the conversation and would be a worthy inductee into the Hall of Fame. Petr Čech In an era where midfielders and attackers get all of the praise, I want to show some love to a goalkeeper that, I feel, goes under the radar a bit when we talk about Premier League greats. If it wasn’t for the existence of Peter Schmeichel, we all would crown Petr Čech as the undisputed greatest stopper to place in the English top-flight since its restructuring. As a United fan, I will not act like I religiously paid watched him regularly during his playing days. But, similarly to Rio Ferdinand and Man United, he was a critical piece as part of a keeper and centre-back partnership that helped Chelsea achieved unrivalled success. He played 443 games for Chelsea and Arsenal, achieving an almost 1 to 2 ratio in terms of clean sheets to appearances. He’s a 4-time Premier League winner and 4-time Golden Glove winner. The stats speak for themselves. In his first season after joining from Rennes, he kept 24 clean sheets (a record that stands to this day) as Chelsea won the league with 95 points, the fourth highest ever total points tally. I personally think he deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame for what he went through injury wise let alone his footballing contributions. Against Reading in October 2006, he suffered a nasty head injury after colliding with the knee of Stephen Hunt. He had to undergo surgery for a depressed skull fracture and, according to reports at the time, the injury could have cost him his life. It’s a miracle that he was able to return to first-team action in just under three months. And then to have the career that he’s had is a testament to his mentality and his ability to overcome the odds. For that, he would be my second inductee. John Terry This last one was a toss-up between like three players: Ashley Cole, Andy Cole, and John Terry. Ashley Cole is in my opinion the best left-back in Premier League history and I’m in no doubt that his time will come, but I don’t think his time has come just yet. With Andy Cole, he probably isn’t one of the first strikers you think of when we’re talking about the best number nines to play in the league. He’s the fourth highest scorer with 187 goals but again, I don’t think he should be next up. So, by a process of elimination, JT would be my last entrant into the Hall of Fame. In terms of leadership and the ability to galvanise a squad, there weren’t many players in their time that John Terry. He may have not been the quickest centre-back around but he more than made up for his with his footballing IQ, no-nonsense defending and his bravery while on the pitch. He achieved phenomenal success throughout his playing career whilst at Chelsea (and briefly Aston Villa for a season). He’s a 5-time Premier League winner, 3-time PFA Team of the Year representative, 1-time PFA Players’ Player of the Year as well as making just under 500 appearances. His superior aerial ability helped him have an eye for a goal, which makes it no surprise that he’s the highest scoring Premier League defender with 41 goals. His contribution to not only Chelsea, but also the league in general will forever be celebrated and for that, he’s place in the Hall of Fame is only a matter of time. This Week’s Hot Take The Premier League should have different types of Hall of Famers. In American team sports, they have first ballot Hall of Famers, athletes who are inducted in their first year of eligibility and receive at least 75% of the votes. In the grand scheme of things, how you make it into the Hall of Fame doesn’t matter. But it will make it clear that not all that get inducted are made equal. Maybe something for the Premier League to consider moving forward.

We’re still a fair bit away from the summer transfer window opening, but as per usual, the rumours are flying around about who’s going to be on the move. For all teams, the next couple of months will be crucial in determining whether they’ll be in a strong or weak position to improve their squads. A good end to the season and your transfer strategy is set. Have a bad end to the season and your entire transfer plans can go up in smoke. For this post, I’m going to talk about a few players that will be in the high demand in the summer. Jude Bellingham Jude may be the hottest property this summer. Since his arrival in Germany, he’s been a revelation, going from strength to strength. I’ve said it in a previous post, but when the media started waxing lyrical about him, I assumed he was just another overrated English talent. But having watched him for Dortmund in the Bundesliga & Champions League his talent is undeniable. Every top club in Europe is going to want to sign him. The question is who could realistically afford him? The main candidates for me are City, Real Madrid & Liverpool. I’m not sure I see him going to City as the way they play I don’t think suits his skillset. Real Madrid have recently signed two young midfielders in Eduardo Camavinga and Aurélien Tchouaméni, but Luka Modric and Toni Kroos aren’t getting any younger. The best fit for me is Liverpool, but do they have the funds to splash £100m+? Better yet, will they even make top 4? If they don’t, let’s be real, they don’t stand a chance in prizing Bellingham away from Dortmund. Whoever does get him could have a world class player on their hands for the next 10 years. Victor Osimhen Victor Osimhen is a bad boy, plain and simple. He’s been tearing up in the Serie A this season He’s a massive reason why Napoli are set to win their first league title since 1990. He’s young, quick, tenacious and is a defender’s worse nightmare. I watched him against Juventus early in the season and I can’t remember the last time I saw a striker dominate three centre-backs like he did. When it comes to selling him, Napoli will play hardball as they have all the leverage. Top strikers are hard to come by, which is why he’s going to have his pick should he want to leave. His choices seem to be the two Manchester clubs and Chelsea. City already have Erling Haaland, so unless they want to play two up top that move makes no sense to me. United and Chelsea are both in desperate need for a striker, and he would be the perfect one for both. Who do I think has the best chance of signing him? Probably United simply because I think they are more likely to be in Champions League next season than Chelsea. The other team I may through in is Real Madrid. With Karim Benzema nearing the end of his career, it might make sense for them to buy his successor. Harry Kane Another striker that could leave his current club is Harry Kane. He’s stated publicly he wants to win trophies and at Spurs, it’s looking less & less likely. We’ve been so infatuated by what Erling Haaland that we don’t realise that Harry Kane is quietly having another top season. Who would want him? Any team really. Who needs him? I’d say Chelsea, United and Bayern. The issue with doing a deal is that Kane is approaching 30 and has a recent history of injuries. Does it really make financial sense to spend £100m+ on him? Also, negotiating with Daniel Levy no cup of tea. He has a history of making it difficult to prize away his best assets (take Gareth Bale as prime example). In terms of who would be the best fit, given the rivalry there’s no way he’d go to Chelsea. United have been interested in a while and he’d work in that system well. Plus staying in England, he’s more likely to break Alan Shearer’s record. However, the only place he’d be guaranteed trophies is Bayern. He’d easily bag 30-40 goals a season if he stayed fit. The time may be running out for him to make that move, so we’ll have to see what happens. Joško Gvardiol Let me show some love to a defender for a minute. The Croatian 21-year-old is one of the best young centre backs in the world right now. His ability to read the game at such a young age is a testament to his footballing IQ and how’s he developed since he made the move to RB Leipzig after initially joining as a left-back. He’s also been doing it on the international stage as well, being in the team of the tournament as Croatia finished third at the Qatar World Cup. He’s been linked with all the top European clubs, names such as Liverpool, City, Chelsea, Real Madrid; the list goes on. He’s got a £98m release clause so whoever gets him will need to go deep into their wallet. You could argue that the strongest case would be for him to go to Liverpool as Van Dijk has shown signs this season that he isn’t the same player he was before and it’s not like Joel Matip is getting any younger. Knowing Todd Boehly and Chelsea, they won’t be deterred from that release clause, even though they’ve signed 3 centre-backs in the last 12 months. Before making that big move, it may be worth spending one more year in Germany. This Week’s Hot Take The four players I mentioned will all be Premier League players come the start of the 2023/2024 season. Granted, one is already (Harry Kane of course) but forget the Super League, the Premier League is the Super League. English clubs have some much more money to play with compared to the other big 5 European leagues it’s a joke. All these players, if they move, will go for big money, which makes me think that Premier League clubs have the best chance of signing them.

After nearly 6 years, Manchester United finally broke their trophy drought, beating Newcastle 2-0 in the League Cup final. It was a hard-fought victory and one that was well overdue. A club of United’s stature should never go that long without winning silverware and it was another sign that under Erik Ten Hag’s, this team are heading in the right direction. So, for this week’s post, I’m going to talk about our journey to Carabao Cup 2023 winners. Third Round: Manchester United 4-2 Aston Villa This was the most exciting game on the road to Wembley. Believe it or not, all six goals were scored in the second half after a grim opening 45 minutes .It was the first time in the season that I saw United dig deep and show their fighting spirit and resilience. Aston Villa had gone ahead twice through Ollie Watkins’ cool finish and Diogo Dalot’s own goal, with a tap-in from Anthony Martial sandwiched in between. But from the moment Marcus Rashford equalised, the momentum in the match truly swung in favour of the Red Devils. Bruno Fernandes’ deflected strike after a mistake from the Villa defence made it 3-2 and then Scott McTominay sealed the win in stoppage time. At a time where the Cristiano Ronaldo cloud was still glooming over the club, this win was a welcome boost. Fourth Round: Manchester United 2-0 Burnley United’s first game post the World Cup (and post Cristiano Ronaldo) was this fourth-round tie against Championship leaders Burnley, led by former City captain Vincent Kompany. It was a competitive game as Burnley created a decent number of chances. In the end though, United’s class proved the difference, with goals from Marcus Rashford and Christian Eriksen sending United through to the quarters. Rashford’s goal was a thing of beauty, running past two defenders before drilling a fierce strike to the bottom left corner which left the keeper with no chance. Rashford’s strike was the start of a formidable run that he would go on that continues to this day. He had a good World Cup for England, and he came back firing on all cylinders. At this point, there was increased optimism that United could win their first trophy since 2017. Quarter-Final: Manchester United 3-0 Charlton Athletic Up to this point, the cup draw had been kind to us, and this was further evidence of this. Charlton Athletic were the lowest-ranked team left in the competition so you would expect United to breeze through this tie. Charlton had knocked out Brighton in the previous round, but this was always going to be a step too far. They occasionally threatened to cause another upset but they lacked the quality to cause United problems in the final third. A stunning strike from Antony and a Marcus Rashford double (the sixth came in a row in which he had scored in since the World Cup) booked United’s place in the semi-finals. With City surprisingly getting knocked out by Southampton, United now became the bookies’ favourites to win the Carabao Cup. The pressure now was really on and anything less than lifting that trophy wouldn’t be good enough. Semi-Final: Nottingham Forest 0-3 Manchester United (First Leg) United took one step towards Wembley with this convincing 3-0 victory at the City Ground. The atmosphere was fantastic, and both sets of players were right up for it. Marcus Rashford continued his great form by scoring another brilliant, solo goal, with additional goals from Wout Weghorst and Bruno Fernandes putting the reds in a commanding position heading into the second leg. Forest had a goal ruled out for offside, but that’s as good as it got for the Premier League newcomers. At a ground where some of the bigger teams have struggled (namely Liverpool and Chelsea), United stamped their authority and supporters were now truly believing that this would be their year. Once more, Rashford was in peak form, the defence was stellar and Casemiro and Eriksen in the midfield controlled the match. It was a professional team performance and provided more evidence of the improvement since those early games in the season. Semi-Final: Manchester United 2-0 Nottingham Forest (Second Leg) Another assured display for United proved enough to reach the final of the Carabao Cup. Despite the big lead that the Red Devils took into the second leg, Erik Ten Hag still named a strong side. The manager could have easily rested the big hitters, but no. Instead of taking the game lightly, I’m sure he wanted to continue to rack up the wins and build more momentum. In truth, the result was never in doubt. The first half was a low-key affair, with clear-cut chances at a premium. United remained focused and late goals from Anthony Martial and Fred sealed a 5-0 aggregate win and their place in the final of the competition. It was telling that even after the victory, Erik Ten Hag demanded higher standards from his place, the signs of a manager that does not accept mediocrity but insists on greatness. Final: Manchester United 2-0 Newcastle United Both teams heading into the final were under immense pressure to get the job done. United were amidst their longest trophy drought in four decades. For Newcastle, they hadn’t won silverware in 54 years. It was the Magpies that enjoyed most of the ball, with Allan Saint-Maximin forcing a good save from David De Gea. However, somewhat against the run of play, Casemiro headed United in front before another goal from Marcus Rashford created clear daylight. Once that second goal went in, I was never worried about Newcastle getting back into the game. These players have developed a level of defensive steel that enables them to see out games. This game was another example of that. It was by no means a final for the ages, but once that final whistle went, you could see the joy in the coaches and players. For United fans, this is hopefully the first of many more trophies to come. This Week’s Hot Take I believe that this will be the most important trophy that Erik Ten Hag will win as United manager. Many elite managers in the past have used the League Cup as a springboard for greater success. Both Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola won the competition in their first season at Chelsea and City respectively, before going on to win multiple Premier League titles. I’m not getting carried away by thinking that suddenly United will become title contenders. But if it does happen, I’m sure the Dutchman will look by at how the Carabao Cup started it all.

Avid readers of my blog will know I mainly cover the Premier League. After all, it’s the greatest league in the world. However, there’s plenty of football that takes place outside of England which offers just as much drama and entertainment. I thought I’d do something a little different this week and venture across the English Channel to see what the main stories are in Europe’s other top 5 leagues. Italian Serie A The main story in Italy must be Napoli. As of matchday 23, they’ve assembled a 15-point lead over second place Inter, having amassed an incredible 62 points out of 69 and are destined to win their first Scudetto since 1990. I’ve watched them a few times this season both domestically and in the Champions League; the level of performances they are producing week in, week out is phenomenal. The entire team has been first-class, but it’s their dynamic duo of Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the little Georgian wonderkid, that have caught my eye. Given the talent they let go, it will make their eventual triumph even more remarkable. Besides Napoli, the race for top 4 is really heating up. Six points separate Inter in 2nd from Atalanta in 6th, with Milan, Lazio and Roma sandwiched in between. If it wasn’t for Juventus being deducted 15 points following an investigation into their past transfer dealings, they’d also be in the mix. It will be so close to call come the end of the season, as all the teams involved have shown glimpses of quality throughout the season but have also shown signs of inconsistency. It’s going to be the little moments that will decide who qualifies for the Champions League and I’m sure there will be more twists and turns along the way. Spanish La Liga Over the summer, Barcelona seemingly mortgaged their future to get back to being competitive in La Liga. At least in the short-term, it looks like it’s working for them. They’re top of the table; eight points clear of Real Madrid. Such has been their impressive form domestically that they’ve only conceded 7 goals in 21 games and 1 goal conceded at home. No one has really been able to live with them and they’ve shown thus far that they have been a class above the rest. Real Madrid haven’t really been at the races. Losing Casemiro may have had a bigger impact than people thought. Eduardo Camavinga has been played in quite a few positions and hasn’t been able to nail down that holding role. Aurélien Tchouaméni looks like a player but has had to deal with some nagging injuries. It may be that if they fall further behind in the league, they’ll shift their focus to defending their Champions League crown. Aside from the big two, the only other story is Sevilla potentially involved in a relegation battle. They’re only 5 points above the drop zone, having played a game more than some of their rivals. Sevilla have got too many good players to go down, but if they don’t up their levels sooner rather than later, the kings of the Europa League may find themselves in the second tier of Spanish football come next year. German Bundesliga We’ve been here before, but it looks like we may have a title race in Germany. For the longest time, Bayern have coasted to the title and dispatched their rivals with ease. This year, that trend may not continue. When you lose a striker like Robert Lewandowski, you would think the goals may dry up, but they’ve haven’t. They’re still averaging just shy of 3 goals a game! It’s the momentary lapses in concentration that have allowed their rivals to make things interesting. It’s so tight at the top that there are five points separating first and sixth. Dortmund must sense they have a great chance of winning their first Bundesliga since 2012. It will come down to if they can keep this up to the end, as over the last few seasons, they along with other “pretenders” have fallen by the wayside as the business end of the season draws closer. Many will expect Bayern to pull away at some point, but I’m not convinced this is the same Bayern team of old. Schalke are set to head straight back down after getting promoted. They are rock bottom, six points away from a relegation play-off place. It’s a shame as I remember watching them mix it with the big boys in Europe, but the pandemic and relegations two seasons ago really did a number on them. Who knows if they’ll get back to their best. French Ligue 1 It’s the status quo in France as PSG look set to their ninth title in eleven seasons. Despite their domestic dominance, something stinks over there. On the face of it, it looks like all things are rosy over in Paris. They’ve got a seven-point lead at the summit, and their star-studded big 3 of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi have 61 goal contributions between them! Pre-World Cup, Neymar was playing some of the best football since his Barcelona days and Messi has now come back to PSG as a World Cup winner. So, what’s the issue? Well, there’s always that question mark of whether PSG are a collective, or a team of individuals. You watch some games where specifically the front three are completely disinterested in defending from the front. Also, their defence & midfield aren’t quite up to scratch and have been found wanting in key matches this year. They’ll be fine in the league, but I don’t give them much hope in the Champions League. A quick shoutout to Folarin Balogun, who on loan at Reims from Arsenal is the joint top scorer in France. It’s quite remarkable it wasn’t that long ago that he couldn’t buy a game for the Gunners and was struggling on loan at lowly Middlesbrough. What a story it would be if he could lead the league in scoring. He may end up having a future back at Arsenal. This Week’s Hot Take If I could only watch one league outside of the Premier League, it would be Serie A. It’s super competitive, boasting 6 or 7 clubs of similar quality who are consistently fighting for the title or the European places. Serie A used to be a defensive league. Now, we see the attacking flair and quality that’s on offer. Coupled with the fact that no team has owners that have significantly more money to splash than others, it really helps to level out the playing field.

Remember last week, where I talked about my revised Premier League standings now that we’re getting into the middle stretch of the season? Well, this is going to be the part two to that post. It only made sense for me to revise my picks for some of the individual honours as a lot has changed over the last few months. Some players have excelled whilst others have underperformed. I have a feeling that my selections are going to be quite a bit different to last time. Let’s get on with it shall we? Player of the Season: Erling Haaland My original pick for this price was Kevin De Bruyne. While he has still been good this year, by his standards, I don’t think he’s quite been his usual self. That’s why I’ve now chosen Erling Haaland. Despite City not being their dominant selves, the Norwegian has taken the league by storm. There was a little bit of apprehension (including from myself) that he wouldn’t be able to adapt to the Premier League (given the history of Bundesliga players having a tough time settling in England). However, he’s scored a remarkable 25 goals in just 20 appearances, and he’s virtually guaranteed to break Mohamed Salah’s record of 32 goals. It's the little things like always being in the right place at the right, the anger when he doesn’t get the ball in behind or when he misses a chance. That’s what makes this guy so good. Even if City don’t win the league, I think he is many people’s favourites to win PFA Player of the Year. Young Player of the Season: Bukayo Saka Ironically, the thing I hate the most about Bukayo Saka is that you just can’t hate the guy! At his tender age, his temperament is first class, and he almost has this innocence about him which makes him such a likeable person. Aside from his personality, he’s so far been not only the best young player this year, but he has also been the best winger in the country. When Arsenal faced United a few weeks back, he tore apart poor old Luke Shaw. That second half especially, he tormented, bamboozled, and downright destroyed the English full-back. He's done this to countless full-backs this season and has really taken his game to the next level. His performances have been influential in helping the Gunners lead the pack, with 14 goal contributions in 20 appearances. I honestly think he could miss the rest of the season and he’d still have this award in the bag, he’s been that good! Manager of the Season: Mikel Arteta There are several managers who could be in with a shot at this award: name such as Thomas Frank, Roberto De Zerbi and Marco Silva. But I simply can’t look past Mikel Arteta. The fact that Arsenal are title favourites shows the impressive job that Mikel Arteta has done. Last term, if it wasn’t for their damaging defeat against Spurs, they would probably have qualified for the Champions League football. I expected Arsenal to keep improving this term, but no way did I genuinely think they’d be in with a shot of winning the league. Sometimes his pitch side antics can irritate fans and other managers. Putting that aside, he’s got Arsenal playing a brand of football like some of the best Arsenal teams of yesteryear. It looks like those years under Guardiola have done him a world of good! Top Scorer: Erling Haaland I think it’s obvious who will be top scorer that I’m not going to talk about this prize too much. The only competition Haaland really has is Harry Kane, who is currently 8 goals behind him. It will take a remarkable loss of form from Haaland coupled with a ridiculous run of scoring from Harry Kane to prevent City’s main talisman from winning the coveted Golden Boot. Best Signing: Casemiro A lot of people were left scratching their heads after United forked out £60m+ for Casemiro. We had spent the whole summer pursuing Frenkie De Jong and then completely out of the blue, we ended up signing the Brazilian, who is a very different player to that of De Jong. People were quite dismissive of his arrival initially, considering his age and the price tag. However, he’s been a revelation since he joined the club. For the longest time, we’ve been crying out for a midfielder of Casemiro’s quality. He brings a sense of composure that we haven’t had in a very long time. His presence in the middle of the park has made United a far better team, both from a defensive and attacking perspective. He’s also busted the myth that he’s merely a holding midfielder, showcasing his passing abilities whilst popping up with a couple of goals. He’s been a game changer and will be a big reason why United are set for a top 4 finish. Worst Signing: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang I could have picked any of Chelsea’s a billion and one signings, but Aubameyang stands out as the worse one. He was signed by Thomas Tuchel during the summer, having been dismissed by Arsenal and then deemed surplus to requirements by Barcelona after they acquired Robert Lewandowski. Then no more than a week after he signed, the very manager that bought the Gabonese striker was sacked. I mean talk about a stinker! Granted, Chelsea have struggled this season, but he’s been terrible since joining. 1 goal in 11 appearances is nowhere near good enough. He’s also been omitted from their Champions League squad by Graham Potter, and he doesn’t look to have a future at the club. His demise is hard to understand as for those 6 months he was at Barcelona, he was playing well and scoring goals. But for Chelsea, he can’t buy a game let alone a goal. It can’t imagine he’ll be at Chelsea past this season. This Week’s Hot Take I’m not sure exactly how the voting works for these awards, but Erling Haaland has a very good chance of doing a clean sweep. He could win the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year, PFA Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year, Fans’ Player of the Year and the Premier League Player of the Season. I’m pretty sure it has never been done in the history of the English top-flight, but the Norwegian striker could be the first one to do it.

With the second half of the 2022/2023 Premier League season now underway, it feels like a natural time to revise my initial Premier League predictions. Although there's still lots of football left between now and May, we’re starting to get a clearer picture as to how the season is going to play out. This campaign has once again proven the Premier League is the greatest league in the world filled with drama, controversy, and nonstop action. Before a ball had even been kicked, I tried predicting where teams would finish and in this week’s post, we’ll see if my predictions have changed. Title winners: Arsenal After watching Arsenal play United, I now believe Arsenal will are champions in waiting. They are a juggernaut right now. They play with such directness, aggression, and intensity that they end up suffocating their opponents and almost pummelling them into submission. Only 19 games in and they’ve got 50 points. Four teams prior to this Arsenal team have recorded 50+ points after 19 games. Only one failed to win the league (Liverpool in 2018/19). After the opening weekend, I had Arsenal finishing fifth. At the time I thought that was a fair prediction which made sense. Now I look like a fool! The thing that makes their place at the summit all the more impressive is that they’re doing with panache and one of the youngest squads in the league. Ramsdale has been great, Saliba has been a rock at the back, Ødegaard & Saka have been next-level and Nketiah has stepped up in the absence in a big way. It will take something special to stop Arsenal becoming champions. Champions League: City, United, Spurs City have a striker that is breaking all sorts of records, yet they’re 5 points off the pace having played a game more. I thought that Haaland was City’s missing piece that City needed. Turns out they’ve been worse with him this season compared to last year. The issue is Haaland is best when he has space in behind, but teams sit deep again City which means that space isn’t always there. As a United fan, I think Erik Ten Hag has done a really good job in bring discipline to the United dressing room. He’s not been afraid to make the tough decisions and he’s garnered the respect of all the players. He’s also got Rashford playing his best football in a while which has been great to say. I didn’t have us in the top 4 before the season, but I think we’ll make it. My main reason for including Spurs is Harry Kane. Despite how sluggish Spurs have looked in some matches, they’ve got a world class striker that guarantees goals. Along with him, Son and Kulusevski I think they’ll just about enough to make top 4. Europa and Europa Conference League: Newcastle, Liverpool, Chelsea, I was so close to putting Newcastle in my top 4. Their defence has been fantastic and they’ve more than held their own against the top teams. The main thing that worries me with this side is their attack. The goals have seemingly started to dry up a bit and it makes me think that they won’t be able to sustain their performances in the second half of the campaign. Right now, their goal difference is in their favour, but we’ll have to still wait and see how this team copes with the pressure later on. Liverpool have been all over the place, from defence to attack. They have the capacity to go on a winning streak but I feel they’ve left themselves with too much to do. Chelsea have been very unfortunate with injuries and Potter is still trying to figure out what his best XI is. It still doesn’t excuse the fact that the performances have been lacklustre. Potter has too many players and doesn’t know what to do with them. I think they’ll get better as the year goes on when they get players fit and healthy but it most likely won’t be enough. Best of the Rest: Brighton This pick was one out of Brighton or Brentford. In truth, I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these two. There isn’t one clear reason why I’ve gone for Brighton, just the fact that I feel they are the team most likely to keep up their good form. They’ve got a coach in Roberto De Zerbi who is arguably an upgrade on who they had before. They also have this ability to sell their best players and find replacements either within the club or from other clubs for almost a fraction of the price. They sold Leandro Trossard to Arsenal after he had a bust-up with the De Zerbi, but this has led to the rise of Kaoru Mitoma who has balled out over the last few games. I think it’s a testament to their recruitment team that they are consistently able to sell their best players but still be highly competitive. Relegation: Everton, Southampton, Bournemouth I’m confident in two of these three picks: Southampton and Bournemouth. Simply put I think they are the worse two teams in the league and they both struggle massively to do the basics right: score goals and defend well. Both have appointed new managers since the campaign began but it’s clear they’ve got fighting a losing battle. With Southampton, they have good players (Ward-Prowse, Adams, Walker-Peters to name a few) but it just feels like it’s their time to get relegated. Bournemouth simply look like a Championship team still as they didn’t really improve on their squad. My last pick is Everton. I remember saying before that they are too big a club to go down. However, it seems inevitable. They’ve sacked Frank Lampard but even Harry Houdini wouldn’t be able to save this Everton side. It doesn’t help that they are one of the worst run clubs in England. Any coach under that regime would be fighting an uphill battle. This Week’s Hot Take Arsenal could emerge as City’s main title rivals for the new few years if they continue in their current vein of form and win the league. All their key players are still in the early twenties and are sure to improve under the guidance and leadership of Mikel Arteta. We’ve seen the progression from this Arsenal team since his arrival. If you couple this with the uncertainty and period of transition that their other rivals are going through, we may soon see an Arsenal-City rival take over the Premier League.