The Golden Ball ? Very little for the English press, which relegates Lionel Messi’s eighth coronation to inserts but not on the front pages. Because what interests our comrades across the Channel is the new crisis which is shaking Manchester United. The English club is having its worst start to a season since 1986-1987, with already 5 defeats in the first 10 days of the Premier League. That of last Sunday was particularly bad, since it involved rival Manchester City (3-0).
And we could see the gulf that now separates the two teams. Even former number 1 enemy Arsene Wenger has compassion for Manchester United’s situation. “At the end of the day, for such a big club, you feel sorry for Man United because there is no hope in the team. Basically, I don’t see where they can improve. This team has lost confidence, quality and even state of mind today. Even the fighting spirit of Manchester United has disappeared”he declared on the set of Bein Sports after the scathing 3-0 defeat against the Citizens.
Rashford pinned
Man United won’t play Man City every weekend, but in the league they are also capable of losing to Crystal Palace and Brighton. Obviously, Erik ten Hag finds himself in the hot seat, and the latter tries to seek a feeling of revolt among his players. As reported The Sun, he forced his players, Saturday after the match, to listen in silence to the Citizens loudly celebrating their victory. This obviously didn’t work. The proof ? Marcus Rashford went out clubbing the same night, as revealed by Daily Telegraph last night. A behavior that goes badly since the England international, often the only glimmer of hope in the gray Mancunian sky, misses the start of the season (only 1 goal in all competitions).
In the media, criticism is piling up, with glorious veterans like Gary Neville and Roy Keane never missing an opportunity to express their frustration. Recently, Keane attacked the captaincy of Bruno Fernandes, Neville frequently tackles management and recruitment. That of Mason Mount is still a mystery, while MU accumulates attacking midfielders (Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes, Mount) and lacks personality in recovery. Today, Arsène Wenger’s damning observation appears on the front pages of the newspapers, and there are not many people to dispute it.
