Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Childish feuds & functional football can be forgiven... but only while the tills are ringing
ON the day Manchester United were embarrassed by Tottenham Hotspur in the Theatre of Dreams, their share price reached a record high.
On the day Manchester United were knocked out of a competition Jose Mourinho preens himself for having won four times, they announced record revenue figures.
In Florida, the Glazers were doubtless drawn by only one side of those coincidences in the defeats to Spurs and Derby County.
Never mind the quality, feel the wedge.
As long as United remain a commercial phenomenon and as long as they sanction enough spending to keep them competitive at elite level, then training-ground shenanigans, petty feuds and functional football mean nothing.
As the pettiness and immaturity of the feud between Mourinho and Paul Pogba escalated, ex-players and nostalgists were queuing up to lament, falling over themselves to say this was not the way Manchester United do things. Only it is.
Because Mourinho was as much a commercial acquisition as he was a footballing one and there is every chance Pogba was the same.
In light of Ed Woodward’s boasts about social-media hits, wait until the investors on the New York Stock Exchange get to hear about six million views of the Carrington contretemps.
But the manager and star player were arguing. In front of young players. It was childish. Ah, who the hell cares? We broke Twitter, bonuses all round.
For all the criticism of Mourinho you will read and hear from us, the media, we love him.
A Mourinho soundbite is worth a hundred Manuel Pellegrini press conferences.
He is the gift that keeps on giving.
Yet the one thing obscured by the financial might of Manchester United and the airtime-dominating, column-inch-monopolising of Mourinho’s antics is the sheer ordinariness of the team’s football.
While those wolves of Wall Street might toast them, the Wolves of the West Midlands play nicer stuff. Derby County, of the Championship, can dictate
Pogba clearly has his sights set on a move. He is playing for himself
play against them. And “It’s Only Spurs” can wallop them.
They collected a highly commendable 81 points last season and, until very recently, there was a convincing argument to suggest Mourinho deserved time to try and build something special.
There is also a convincing argument, based not least on his performances at the World Cup, to suggest Pogba could still mature into a stellar playing asset. But, as the dynamic sours between the manager and his best player, the football becomes a struggle.
The Pogba of Manchester United – as opposed to the magnificent Pogba of France – is one half thoroughbred, one half show pony and clearly has his sights fixed on a move.
Pogba is playing for himself. And since Mourinho took over prior to the 2016/17 season, United have failed to score five goals or more in a single game.
In the same time, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have done it 10 times. In the same time, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have done it 14 times. Since Mourinho took over, United have been the Big-six low scorers by a distance.
Their Premier League goals total from 2016/17 to now is 131. City: 205. Liverpool: 176. Spurs: 172. Arsenal: 163. Chelsea: 161.
United are the most unwatchable team of the Big Six.
Of course, as long as the tills keep ringing, the Glazers and Woodward might not be minded to change things.
But if they have any sense of duty to the fans, they should act sooner rather than later.
The question is always about which one should go.
Pogba? Or Mourinho?
The answer is becoming more and more obvious with every passing spat.
Both. GARETH SOUTHGATE seems fairly entrenched when it comes to Phil Foden, saying he needs a lot more Premier League game time.
Not only Southgate, but also Aidy Boothroyd, who dismissed the idea Foden, 18, (below) should have been in his Under-21 squad.
But the evidence in his Premier League cameo against Cardiff and in his Carabao Cup display against Oxford should be compelling enough for them.
The same applies to Foden’s former team-mate Jadon Sancho, also 18, who came on for Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday and scored and assisted in a 7-0 rout of FC Nuremberg.
Foden and Sancho are clearly phenomenal young talents and Southgate has everything to gain by getting them on board pretty quickly.
MARCO SILVA seemed remarkably composed last Sunday when Pierre-emerick Aubameyang’s goal – one which doubled Arsenal’s lead against Everton — was scored from an offside position. The club executives who decided not to use VAR in the Prem this season should be suitably embarrassed.
JURGEN KLOPP hooked Xherdan Shaqiri at halftime, after he had been instrumental in helping Liverpool to a 3-0 halftime lead over Southampton.
He then appeared to give the player a dressing-down on the pitch, after he had performed well in the EFL Cup loss to Chelsea. Imagine if that had been Jose Mourinho.