Interim manager Lee Carsley’s managerial ambitions faced a setback as England suffered defeat to Greece, as Erik ten Hag seems to have survived the sack at Manchester United.
HICCUP TO CARSLEY’S ENGLAND AUDITION
Oh dear. Lee Carsley looked certain to be appointed England manager as successor to Gareth Sopuythfgate, but 90 dismal minutes against Greece might have changed that. In their Nations League B, Group 2 match at Wembley, they lost 2-1, and Carsley will face the country’s wrath at least until they play Finland on Sunday.
It’s hard to place importance on this 54-annual country competition – Spain beat Croatia in last year’s final – but Carsley’s permanent appointment depends on how they do in the 2024 version.
TEN HAG GETS ANOTHER CHANCE
So far so good, sort of, for Erik ten Hag, who still goes to Carrington every day as Manchester United manager. Despite United’s woeful start to the season, the International break hasn’t sparked his dismissal, although he is still odds-on in official betting to win the annual Sack race (first manager out the door).
However, it seems as though he’ll be in the dugout when United host Brentford next Saturday. I simply hate lazy cliches like “do-or-die” because football is not life and death, but that game really could be his last at United if they were to lose.
UNITED STRIKERS FIRING BLANKS
Man United are in an unfamiliar 14th on the EPL table, admittedly after only seven of 38 matches. They won’t finish in the top three but there’s plenty of time to still go on and aim for Champions League (top four) contention. It’s easy to see where these problems lie. United have scored five goals from their seven games so far while conceding eight.
It’s not the eight that’s the worry – that’s less than Man City and Arsenal – but the five they’ve scored. Only Southampton (four) have scored fewer. One doesn’t need to be on £200k a week to see where the issue is.
FM25 STUCK ON THE SIDELINES
Full confession: I don’t play Football Manager, but I know of a lot of people who do. This means that the news of Football Manager 2025’s release until next March – two months before the end of the season – caught my eye. According to the developers, Football Manager 2025 is “the biggest technical and visual advancement in the series for a generation”.
Also according to them, “Many things have been moving slower than we had predicted. Timelines were already tight and we were rushing too much and in danger of compromising our standards.” Pre-orders in the UK has been reduced to £40.99, down from £44.99.
STATS THAT INFLUENCE A SEASON
As we sit through the International break, which always comes at a good time for EPL clubs that are stuttering, but are unwelcome for those clubs with momentum, we can see a few trends which have shaped the season so far. Be sure to think about them when filling in your Superbru next week. In the last three rounds, there have only been five away wins out of 30 games.
The seasonal average means we’re due a run of four away wins’ coming up. Only three teams have scored in all seven matches so far – Man City, Arsenal and Leicester. That’s good news for the Foxes because you keep scoring and you can’t get relegated. Only four teams have yet to keep a clean sheet – Brentford, Bournemouth, Southampton and Wolves. That’s not good for a team. For me, after the seven games, Southampton will finish bottom this season.
YOUNG RONALDO SHOWS HIS COLOURS
Biothing like pressure hey? Cristiano Ronaldo’s son is now 14, also named Cristiano. He has played for Juventus, Man United and Al-Nassr’s academies as he has moved from country to country and club to club. A picture went viral on social media this week of him doing his homework – of course it did.
Reaction was swift. “14-year-old does homework,” shock. However, the attention was on the shorts he was wearing. It was a Man United replica with the number 17 on the back and the name of Alejandro Garnacho. The latter is already a ripe age of 20 years.