Emery shows Mourinho how to re-energise a falling giant

Jose Mourinho’s list of the things Manchester United lack now extends to “mad dogs” – who join defenders, mature youngsters and creative midfielders on the must-acquire list. United’s manager has become a man of infinite dissatisfaction, much of which ignores his own failings in spending badly and not improving players.

Arsenal’s visit to Old Trafford tonight serves up an uncomfortable contrast between Mourinho’s negativity and the energetic management of Unai Emery, who took over a stagnant and complacent team. Emery set out to draw the maximum from a squad way behind Manchester City and Liverpool in quality. Mourinho (below) appears to think this is beneath him, though it was his hallmark at Porto and in his first spell at Chelsea.

So what we have instead is this rolling litany of grumbles which, cumulatively, must be causing his players to wish he would take his moroseness elsewhere. The big question now is whether the next United manager can match Emery’s feat and re-energise a team who lack star quality but are surely better than 22 points from 14 games and a negative goal difference.

Manchester United and Arsenal used to be England’s giants. Only one is now making a fight of it.

heavyweight champions invited to share their thoughts on Wilder-fury. Bowe against Michael Dokes in New York in 1993 was the first heavyweight title fight this correspondent covered.

Dokes, who had a drug problem, was sweating and twitchy throughout the build-up and was quickly knocked out by Bowe, whose life sank into chaos after a fine career. Dokes, who ended up in jail, died of liver cancer in 2012, a day after his 54th birthday.

Boxing is full of these life stories. The least fighters deserve in the ring is accurate and truthful judging. They are also entitled to more consideration from us, the audience.

“I’m a boxing historian, I’ve seen these decisions go the wrong way time and time again,” Fury said. He acknowledged, too, a better outcome: “Both men got out of the ring healthy, and we both got back to our families.”