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The anticipation ahead of the new season is slowly building. Fans are making their early season predictions and managers are making those final tweaks to their squads. I’ve been keeping an eye on all the transfer activity in the Premier League, and I feel some clubs still need to address certain weak areas to be more competitive. Let’s see what those areas are for some of those teams shall we? Manchester City: Left Back City’s squad is probably the best in Europe, stacked in all areas apart from one: left back. Cancelo has been great in that position for the last two years, but it’s not his natural position. Even before Zinchenko left for Arsenal (I’m not even going to reference that other guy), left back was an area that they needed to improve. Their interest in Marc Cucurella from Brighton only confirms this. If City get their man (which I suspect they will), it’ll be hard to stop them from 3-peating. Liverpool: Right Back I know what you’re thinking: “Daniel, Liverpool already have the best right back in the world in Trent Alexander-Arnold”. Well, der. You don’t think I know that? Liverpool don’t need to replace him, they just need an extra body in that position, someone who can provide a bit of cover if TAA gets injured. Joe Gomez can do a decent job there but the drop off is huge. Given the fact that they’ve recently sold Neco Williams to Forest, getting a good quality replacement is paramount. Chelsea: Centre Back Like City, Chelsea have a very good squad on paper, blessed with quality in all areas. If there was one position where I think they could do with some reinforcements, it would probably be at the back. Rüdiger and Christensen departed for Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, meaning they’re a couple of bodies light. They’ve just recently brought in Koulibaly from Napoli (an underrated signing by the way). But, since Tuchel likes to play three at the back, it couldn’t hurt to have extra cover. Spurs: N/A I’ve been impressed with Spurs’ transfer business this window. So much so that I don’t think they really have any missing pieces left to fill. Not saying that they’ve got a squad to win the league, nothing like that. I believe through all their signings they’ve made thus far; they’ve addressed all their weaker positions in their squad. They could maybe do with someone to play left or right wingback, but if we’re being real, both roles are tailor-made for Ivan Perišić. Arsenal: Right Back We’re onto our fifth team now and there’s a bit of a theme isn’t there. In all seriousness, Arsenal have made some good signings this summer and look to be building a squad capable of competing on multiple fronts. Arsenal fans that I know rave about how good Tomiyasu is. What last season showed was that, when he was injured, that right-hand side looked shaky. Soares and Bellerin simply don’t cut the mustard anymore. Maybe they need to bring in a bit more of an attacking right back to counter the more defensive-minded Tomiyasu. Manchester United: Holding Midfielder I’m a firm believer that only one player is needed to do the McFred role. People that know me well know I can’t stand Fred, and I don’t think McTominay is that much better in all honesty. We’ve been crying out for a good one for years now but still we’ve not found that missing piece. We seem to be involved in another drawn out transfer saga with Frenkie De Jong, but even if we get him, he’s not your traditional no.6. Who knows if we’ll address that area this window, for my sake I hope so. West Ham: Holding Midfielder My original choice was centre forward, given West Ham’s inability to be clinical in the final third last campaign. However, with the recent signing of Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo, improving their midfield is now essential. They’ve got two good ones in Soucek and Rice but if either of them gets injured, it’s curtains for them. They’re the only recognised centre midfielders currently at the club. I’d be a bit nervous as a Hammers fan if they didn’t make a signing in the middle of the park. Leicester City: Centre Back I didn’t even realise that out of all the top 10 clubs in 2021/22, Leicester conceded the most goals with 58. I’ve got to say, I’m not surprised by that. Jonny Evans ain’t getting any younger. Söyüncü isn’t the same defender that he used to be, Vestergaard isn’t exactly the greatest thing since sliced bread and Wesley Fofana is still recovering for a long-term injury. The market for centre backs isn’t great, so it may be tricky for Leicester to find the right one at the right price. Brighton: Holding Midfielder I think this one is an obvious pick. Having just let go of their best player in Bissouma to Spurs, they need to bring in a replacement asap. That’s easier said than done mind you. Quality holding midfielders are a rarity in the game today, so finding someone of a similar calibre to Bissouma is going to be really difficult, especially given the fact that Brighton aren’t the most clamorous club, despite the fantastic job Graham Potter is doing. Wolves: Centre Midfielder Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho have been superb for Wolves as a midfield pair. That being said, a shake-up in the middle of the park is needed. Neves has always been the subject of transfer rumours each summer and Moutinho is 35. What Wolves are lacking is a midfielder with dynamism, energy, and the ability to get up and down the pitch with ease. If they were to get a player that fit that description, it could be a game changer for them. This Week’s Hot Take The transfer window should close the day before the season starts. Players being able to move clubs (specially to rival clubs) once the campaign has already begun leads to unnecessary disruptions and clubs scrambling to find replacements. This could all be avoided if clubs made sure they completed their transfer business in good time, instead of leaving it to the last minute and risk missing out on key players.

Paul Labile Pogba. He really is one of the most polarising figures in football, isn’t he? No matter what you think of him, he’s a special talent. Blessed with all the natural ability in the world, he was destined for stardom. When he re-signed for United, he was meant to take the league by storm. Two trophies and six years later, he’s returned to Juventus a shell of the footballer he once was. This week we’re going to switch things up a bit and talk about why United and Pogba are to blame for his second spell turning out the way it did. Manchester United Mismanagement In his first season back, Pogba was played as a left-sided holding midfielder in a 4-2-3-1. Whilst at Juventus, he thrived on the left side of a midfield 3 alongside Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal. In that position, he was able to have a free role. He could make a late run into the opposing penalty box, pop up on the left flank or even make a last-ditch tackle in his own penalty area. He was never going to have that freedom as in a more defensive-minded role. Mourinho had his preferred system, which didn’t cater to Pogba’s strengths. Under Solskjær, he was played in many positions: left DM, left winger, attacking midfielder, the list goes on. Although he had his best scoring season playing as a 10 (scoring 16 goals in all competitions), he has always played best as an 8. Maybe if he was played in his actual position, United could have got the best out of him. Underperforming Teams When Pogba arrived. the club was still going through its post-Fergie transition. They had won the FA Cup the season before but failed to qualify for the Champions League. During his time at Juventus, he was so accustomed to success that he probably took it for granted, having become a 4-time Serie A and 2-time Coppa italia winner. It was always going to be an uphill battle to recreate that success at United. It’s unrealistic to expect one player to completely transform a club and in that sense, maybe too much pressure was placed on him. During his second stint back at United, the team never came close to winning the league and only won two trophies, none of them being the league or Champions League. It’s not like there haven’t been good players at the club during his time: Ibrahimović, Lukaku, Ronaldo, Fernandes, and many more. Even with all these great players during Pogba’s time, United never really had a team capable of challenging for the major honours. Paul Pogba Mentality & Sacrifice Not many players have the natural ability that Pogba possesses. However, you can’t just rely on talent alone. You’ve also got to put the work in. I’ve always felt that he doesn’t put the same shift in as everyone else. It’s the little things like not tracking back, or just letting your man ghost past you. Even the greatest players must sacrifice a bit for the betterment of the team. It’s not just his inability to put the team first, but also his mentality. I can recall times where, when the going got tough, Pogba was nowhere to be found. As an athlete, you’re judged on how you perform in the face of adversity. There aren’t too many times where I can recall Pogba rising to the occasion when the team needed him most. I look at a someone like Wayne Rooney who, during his legendary United career, always did what was best for the team. Pogba could have learnt a thing or do from Wazza about sacrifice for sure. Attitude Pogba is a bit of a maverick, living his life to the beat of his own drum, which I admire. The thing that irked me was his general attitude, with various well-documented bust ups while at the club. I remember when he was substituted in the 3-2 win against Norwich this year, he was being jeered by the fans as he was walking off. Obviously, it’s not nice to be on the receiving of boos but what did he do? He cupped his hand behind his ear in retaliation. Fans can be overly critical of players; we all know this. Still, childishly reacting in such a way does no favours. That wasn’t the only time when he annoyed the fanbase. On his way out of the club, he had the nerve to say that United offered him nothing to stay and he was going to make them regret letting him leave. You’re telling me £290k a week is nothing! To any normal person, that’s life-changing money but to him it’s “nothing. He has no right to be demanding more than that given how he performed for United over the last six years. Last Thoughts I’m sure Pogba is going to succeed back in Serie A. United have a history of their former players thriving once they leave. Even if he is a success at Juventus, I’m glad we’ve seen the back of him at United. It never felt like he wanted to stay for the long haul and it’s a good thing that we’ve got rid of the drama that he brought. Do I hate the guy? I wish him all the best at Juventus. It’s time for us to move on from the Pogba debacle and get back on track. This Week’s Hot Take Paul Pogba’s transfer from Juventus to United will rank as the worst transfer in Premier League history. Think about it. He was signed for a then world-record £89m. He was so hyped that there was a whole promotional campaign involving Stormzy and #Pogback. Here’s the kicker. United let him go for free TWICE in the space of 10 years, firstly back in 2012 and then again, this summer. For someone who was meant to become the best midfielder in the world and set the Premier League alight, he ended up being a catastrophic failure at United, both down to his own shortcomings as well as the failings of United.

I’m not a fan of “what if” statements. They’re trivial and they lead to silly statements being made based on ridiculous hypotheticals. What if my team signed this player? What if this player didn’t get injured? In the end, it doesn’t matter because you can’t change what’s in the past. Despite my aversion to these statements, it is fun to think what could have occurred. So, let’s talk about certain what if events and my view on how they could have changed a team’s or player’s fortune. Manchester United What if United didn’t sign Ronaldo? This one is a bit of a double-edged sword. United’s over-reliance on Ronaldo this campaign was painful to watch. He was so clutch for us that whenever we needed him, he always came through. I saw a stat the other day which read without his goals, we would have been 14 points worse off and finished 14th in the table. FOURTEENTH. While his impact was undeniable, his arrival may have been damaging to our season. Signing Ronaldo wasn’t planned (typical United right). Our starting forward line was going to be Rashford, Sancho and Greenwood. Young, dynamic, and well-suited to the counter-attacking football that Solskjær wanted to play. Once CR7 came, that all went out of the window. We had to completely change our style just to cater to Ronaldo’s skillset. I’m sure we would have been better off with Ronaldo than without him. But we would have been a more balanced and enjoyable team to watch without him. What if Solskjær was sacked before the season? The main reason why our season was embarrassing was due to our failure to move on from the mediocrity of our coach. I’ve said it before that he did a decent job, but he took us as far as we could go. The perfect time to sack him was after the Europa League final defeat, but no, the club were delusional enough to think he was still the right man. I called it at the time; the failure to get rid of this man was going to be our downfall, and so I was right. Instead of firing him before the season, it wasn’t till the end of November, when our season was already a train wreck that he was relieved of his duties. Sacking him before the season would have given the board time to recruit a top manager. I’m not saying we would have finished in the top 4, but for sure it would have been more likely with a better manager. Premier League What if City signed a striker instead of Grealish? When Jack Grealish signed for City for £100m, the move made zero sense to me. They already had an embarrassment of riches when it came to attackers. They didn’t need him. What they lacked was an out-and-out number 9. We know that Guardiola likes his forward line to be fluid, but it can never hurt to have a proper striker. They could have got Harry Kane, but Spurs knew City wouldn’t pay the £150m that they were asking for. They could have bought someone like Lautaro Martinez or Erling Haaland a year earlier. With a proper centre forward, City would have coasted to the title and made it past Real Madrid in the Champions League. That Real Madrid tie was clear evidence of how much they could have benefitted from having a nine. City dominated the tie and should have been out of sight going into the second leg. But their inability to convert the multitude of chances they created was their undoing. In the league, there were games where they created an abundance of chances but didn’t take enough of them. With a proper striker, City would have been even more unstoppable than they were. What if Patrick Bamford was able to stay fit? In 2020/21, Patrick Bamford was Leeds’s star man, scoring 17 goals in all. His 2021/22 season, however, was hindered by injuries. A combination of ankle, hamstring, and foot injuries as well as COVID-19 meant he made a mere nine appearances all year, scoring only twice. Without their main marksman, Leeds spent most of the season in a relegation battle. They didn’t achieve Premier League survival until literally the last kick of the season. With a fully fit Bamford, Marcelo Bielsa probably doesn’t get fired, Leeds finish at worst mid-table and maybe Raphinha doesn’t become Leeds’s talisman. Think about it, Raphinha had to put the team on his back. He had no real help from the other attackers and had to carry the load without his fellow partner in crime. I think this season showed that Leeds need to get a back up striker to ease the pressure on Bamford, and for their sake, I hope they do. What if Newcastle didn’t get new owners? I don’t think anyone saw this coming. Yes, everyone and their dog knew that Mike Ashley’s reign of terror was coming to an end. Newcastle were in the midst of a customary rotten, depressing season and something needed to change. However, no one foresaw Newcastle being bought by a Saudi-led consortium who are arguably the richest owners in the league. With new owners came a newfound sense of belief. They quickly made their mark by replacing Steve Bruce with Eddie Howe and it turned out to be a stroke of genius. He was able to do something that not many before him have done; bring joy back to the city of Newcastle. If Mike Ashley hadn’t sold the club, Newcastle would have gone back to being the unthinkable: a Championship team. There was no desire, no hunger, they were just a club struggling to tread water. But once the new regime came into effect, that all changed. Imagine if they started the season with the new owners, I think they may have been dark horses to qualify for Europe. This Week’s Hot Take If Spurs didn’t forfeit their game against Rennes in the Europa Conference League, they don’t make top 4. We all know that the Thursday Night effect can be detrimental to a team’s domestic performances. People don’t talk enough about the good fortune that Spurs received by exiting the competition. They would have gone far in the tournament had they stayed in it and with Arsenal having no European football all season, I think they would have secured 4th place, not Spurs.

It’s that time of the year where we recognise the very best (and very worst) that this football season has had to offer. This year, there have been some phenomenal performers and dreadful ones. So, let’s see who the victors (and losers) were in 2021/2022. Manchester United Player of the Season: Cristiano Ronaldo Without this man's goals, who knows how far down the table we would have finished. No normal player at the age of 37 should have accomplished what he managed to, finishing as the league’s third highest scorer with 18 goals. Some strikers in their prime don’t even get that many goals in a season let alone a player who really should be slowing down. You could say that his production came at the expense of others, but without him, we would have been in a world of trouble. Young Player of the Season: Anthony Elanga I didn’t know much about Elanga before the campaign begun, but from what I saw, I was impressed. In a season filled with dark moments, he was one shining light. From his instant impact against Atletico in the Champions League to crucial goals against Leeds and Brentford, he’s been one of the few good players for United. What I like most about him is his fearlessness, consistently backing himself even after setbacks. His missed penalty against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup could have wrecked his season. But no, this young gun is made of sterner stuff. I’m excited to see his career at United progress in the coming years. Best Signing: Cristiano Ronaldo This was a no brainer. Raphaël Varane has had a shaky start to his United career. It seems like him being partnered with Sergio Ramos at Madrid for all those years made him look better than he is. Yes, it’s tricky getting accustomed to the Premier League, but he has been anything but the epitome of confidence. Likewise, Jadon Sancho has found it hard back in England. Towards the end of the season his performances did improve, but he has struggled to cope with the pace of the league. Simply by a process of elimination, Ronaldo was always going to be my winner. Worst Signing: Raphaël Varane I’m giving this to Varane because the difference between his actual and expected performances has been alarming. When he signed, I thought he was the missing piece in our defence. Quick, strong, athletic. On paper, he has all the attributes to be an elite centre-back for United. But from what I’ve seen thus far, he hasn’t come close to what I expected. For that reason, this award unfortunately goes to him. Premier League Player of the Season: Heung-Min Son Son really doesn’t get the love that he deserves. He bagged 23 goals (joint top-scorer) and 7 assists in the league. 30 goal contributions for a Spurs team that under Conte aren’t necessarily known for their free-flowing attacking football is staggering. People talk about how pivotal Harry Kane is to this Spurs team. Son is just as important. He should be talked about in the same brackets as forwards like Salah and Mane, and this season, he showed all of us why. Young Player of the Season: Bukayo Saka I’m a big fan of Saka. Ever since he become a regular in the Arsenal starting XI, his influence on the team has been undeniable. The spirit with which he plays the game is great to see. I don’t know many players at his age who could carry the burden that he has to. What makes his season even better was, out of the players who missed a penalty for England in the Euro 2020 final against Italy, he was the only player to not let that setback get the best of him. In fact, he embraced that disappointment and, went out to prove why he deserves this honour. Manager of the Season: Eddie Howe Now hear me out. The obvious choice would be to pick either Guardiola or Klopp. But here on Let’s Talk About Football, we do things differently. When Eddie Howe became the Newcastle coach in November, they were in the relegation places and, although it was early in the season, it looked for all the world that they were going down. The way Eddie managed to endear himself to the players and got them to buy into his philosophy is a testament to his greatness. They went from struggling to stay in this league to finishing comfortably mid-table. With the financial backing from their new owners, who knows what Newcastle will achieve next season. Best Signing of the Season: Luis Diaz (Porto to Liverpool) How do Liverpool keep finding these bargains? Silly me thinking Liverpool would have trouble replacing their formidable front three, they sign this Colombian trickster from Porto for £37m. Watching him play, you’d think he’s been at Liverpool all his career. I couldn’t have predicted the speed at which he would have acclimatised to this league. He plays the game with such tenacity, energy, and aggression, always trying to make something happen whenever he’s on the ball. If he maintains this blistering start to his Liverpool career, there’s no telling what he could achieve. Worst Signing of the Season: Romelu Lukaku (Inter to Chelsea) I don’t want to say I told you so, but… I was always sceptical of this move. People were trying to convince me that Chelsea were signing a monster of a striker, a player completely different from his spell at United. I didn’t buy it. Yes, he had 2 great years at Inter, but with all due respect to the Serie A, the Premier League is a different animal. 8 goals in 26 appearances is unacceptable from your marquee signing, someone who cost nearly £100m. If he leaves in the summer (which is rumoured), it will be further proof of how bad this signing was. This Week’s Hot Take Bukayo Saka should have won the official Premier League Young Player of the Season over Phil Foden. I’m not saying that Saka is better than Foden. Put simply, if this season you took Foden out of City, they’d probably still win the league. You take Saka out of Arsenal, they don't come close to competing for Champions League football.

Another season bites the dust, and it didn't disappoint. From exhilarating title races, monumental transfers, and nothing short of a footballing miracle. This year had it all. Personally, it’s been a rough one. Being a Manchester United supporter, to put it bluntly, what I watched these last nine months was a disaster. Honestly, I wish this season never existed. Unfortunately, that’s not possible. So, we might as well get it out of the way now. Let’s talk about the elephant in the room shall we: Manchester United. The gift that keeps on giving. Since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013, we’ve had some bad years. One that springs to mind is the miserable title defence in 2013/2014 where we finished seventh in the league under David Moyes. But, if you think that was bad, what unfolded this year was even worse! My initial expectations were for us to finish in the top 4 and maybe win a trophy, as we hadn’t won anything for nearly five years. Then the unthinkable happening: the return of CR7. His return coupled with the signings of Jadon Sancho & Raphaël Varane from Borussia Dortmund & Real Madrid made me think we could achieve something more. Despite these signings, what transpired was much of the same: a series of insipid displays & baffling decisions. The sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjær certainly didn’t helped. I wasn’t his biggest fan and I thought he should have been sacked sooner. His tactical ineptness and his happy-go-lucky manner meant he clearly wasn’t the long-term solution. By the time he was sacked, the team was already capitulating. Humiliations against Liverpool and Watford meant something had to change. His replacement, Ralf Rangnick, had his work cut out. He hadn’t managed for two years and his first job back was at a club in crisis. I’ll give him this; he tried to stamp his authority on the team by switching the formation from 4-2-3-1 to 4-2-2-2. But he didn’t know what United fans already knew. These players have and will continue to throw their toys out of the pram when things aren’t going well. I could single out certain individuals for their pathetic performances, but let’s be real, only David De Gea and Cristiano Ronaldo have performed for us this year. Everyone else, they don’t deserve to wear the badge. Somehow, we managed to qualify for the Europa League group stages but if it wasn’t for the two aforementioned players, we would have finished mid-table. I think that’s enough about United for now. Let’s get to the good stuff. I believed the Premier League title race was over by mid-January. Manchester City were firing on all cylinders and looked like they were going to coast to the title. Liverpool though, had other ideas. How they managed to nearly catch City I will never know. The biggest complement I can pay to Liverpool is their ability to stay in the fight. They may get knocked down a few times, but they’ll never stay down. They managed to stay in the fight all the way to the last day of the season. Unfortunately for them, they got knocked out in the last minute of the 12th round. The football that City and Liverpool produced this year was something else. Some would say that being a United fan, it would be hard for me to say this. In truth, it isn’t. I have no problem recognising greatness when I see it, and those two teams proved how great they are. The race for the European places was really compelling. It seemed like Arsenal were in pole position to join City, Liverpool and Chelsea in qualifying for the Champions League. But not for the first time, Arsenal bottled it. Losing back-to-back games against Spurs & Newcastle effectively ended their chances and allowed Spurs to take fourth. Yes, they probably should have made the Champions League but they showed signs of progression. They are building something with their young players, Saka, Martinelli, Ødegaard etc. If they can keep their young core, it might not be too long before they will be playing in Europe’s elite club competition once again. Switching gears, shoutout to West Ham for what they achieved. They qualified for the Europa Conference League and made it to the semi-finals of the Europa League. The job that David Moyes has done at West Ham has been phenomenal. Props to him, considering what he endured during his time at United all those years ago. I was happy to see Norwich, Watford, and Burnley get relegated. Norwich constantly yo-yoing between the Premier League and Championship is annoying to say the least. Watford’s history of constantly hiring and firing managers is so short-sighted and idiotic that, quite frankly, they deserved to go down. Burnley though, are slightly different. It’s not that I wanted them to go down, it’s more that I didn’t want Leeds to go down. Since Leeds got promoted in 2019/2020, they’ve been a breath of fresh air. No one can deny they're good for the league. I’ve felt for a while that Burnley have outstayed their welcome. Sean Dyche must be Harry Houdini for keeping Burnley in this league for as long as he did with the resources at his disposable. He'll definitely bounce back and prove that Burnley were stupid to sack him in the first place. Normally, I would end with a hot take but I want to finish by talking about Christian Eriksen. When he suffered a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020, I thought he was done playing football. How wrong I was! In January 2022, he made a sensational return to football by signing for Brentford on a six-month contract. Not only was he able to resume his career, he helped Brentford finish mid-table in their first season in the English top-flight. How's that for an impact. I know this a football blog, but to end I’m going to quote NBA legend Kevin Garnett. If Eriksen can return to football after staring death in the eye, then anything is possible.