Ras' Football World

 Matchweek two of the Champions League pitted Manchester United against last season’s semi-finalists, RB Leipzig. After another fresh wave of criticism crashing down on the team from a meek goalless draw against Chelsea, United turned on the style for a resounding first win of the season at Old Trafford. Nobody would have foreseen a comfortable 5–0 hammering of the German team, an emerging force in European football and the current Bundesliga leaders. We inflicted on them their biggest defeat in Europe.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5BOdcpqrf4 After matches such as this, there isn’t much for me to write about but the following is my analysis: Solksjaer Displaying His Tactical Nous Once again in Europe, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer out-witted a contemporary tactically. He doesn’t get much credit for his tactics but his choices in resting some players like Scott McTominay, Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes while introducing Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Donny van de Beek, Anthony Mar...

Inter were restrained in a very frustrating 0-0 draw away to Shakhtar Donetsk in their second Champions League group stage match. This was a repeat of last season’s Europa League semi-final which Inter won very comfortably 5-0. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40xB69wa21M&feature=onebox Inter’s Dominance Like in the semi-final in August, Inter were the dominant team. They nullified the threat of Shakhtar’s speedy, young and technical forwards and put the pressure on their opponents. We ended the game with more shots on target, on goal and in possession but had nothing to show for it. Frustration Shakthar was playing a compact, high line of defence allowing Inter possession and we turned the squeeze on them. We were guilty of missing some gilt-edged chances, Romelu Lukaku’s first chance was saved and from the follow-up, Nicolo Barella’s superb volley crashed off the bar. Lautaro Martinez then missed an absolute sitter to epitomise his performance. Lukaku showed an ability nob...

 Manchester United was back at Old Trafford after getting smacked silly by Tottenham Hotspur the last time we played at home. Since then, they have recorded two impressive away wins, against Newcastle United in the league and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. The opponents this morning were another big team, Chelsea. Last season, United had beaten them three out of four times across all competition, losing arguably the most important match, the FA Cup semi-final. Both teams approached this match in indifferent form and what transpired was a battle of attrition. A bore draw that was a kick in the nuts of everyone who proudly claims that matches in the English Premier League are exciting and open. Tepid Display Both teams played without the intensity and competitiveness that these matches had in the past. Neither team looked like they wanted to take a risk out of fear of making a mistake. Both teams will feel frustrated that they could have got a better result had they r...

 Inter became the only Italian team to begin this season’s Champions League campaign without a win. They picked up an identical result to last season’s opener albeit against tougher opponents in German side Borussia Monchengladbach. A result made possible only due to individual errors again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2EqOS_ZiCk Balance Of Play The German side produced a throwback German performance, efficient and tight in defence. There were glimpses of what they could produce going forward but had no shots on target in the first half. We had most of the possession and more attempts on goal but the closest we came to scoring was a shot by Romelu Lukaku which dragged wide. After we took the lead, the German team produced a spirited response but two individual errors saw them overturn the game. Before Monchengladbach took the lead, Inter were unlucky when Lautaro Martinez’s shot crashed off the post. A late equaliser gave the impression that we got out of jail and should f...

When you least expect it, you get a result and performance that positively amazes you. Ole Gunnar Solksjaer and Manchester United returned to the ground of their last Champions League victory this morning, turning out a European tactical masterclass to beat last season’s finalist, Paris Saint-Germain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HqDqlt91As Wan-Bissaka, Tuanzebe & De Gea On the day of the match, a sex scandal erupted on Instagram that involved Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Who would have thought that someone who looks so quiet and shy could allegedly be guilty of cheating on his girlfriend and fathering a child with someone else? Not the first footballer to do so. I wondered what impact this would have on him considering his below-par start to the season. Instead, Wan-Bissaka put all that aside and produced a fabulous performance. Only once did Layvin Kurzawa get past him. Besides blocking crosses from the right and tackling, he was also following runners into the box and blocking the...

Manchester United responded from a humiliating smacking by Tottenham Hotspur and the ensuing witch-hunt with an impressive 4-1 win over in-form Newcastle United.   Starting Line-Up Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic were dropped from the starting line-up in place for Scott McTominay and Fred. For the umpteen time, Donny van de Beek was on the bench. Like me, many United fans expressed their annoyance at van de Beek’s presence on the bench. What does he need to do to be included in the first eleven? Harry Maguire started despite being in the line of fire since that defeat to Tottenham. I wasn’t sure on what he will produce on the pitch but I trust Solksjaer had assessed his mental and physical condition before deciding to field him. Marcus Rashford started as the centre forward in the absence of Anthony Martial and Edison Cavani. I am not too convinced about Rashford’s ability to play as a centre-forward so that was another doubt in my mind. Nightmare Start We got off to a horrible ...

After four long years in Serie A and three across all competitions, Milan is red and black. It is inevitable that one day, our unbeaten run in the Derby Della Madonnina, would come to an end. The slight consolation for us was that the match was played in front of a small audience. Let’s start with my analysis and thoughts. Kolarov His was a signing that wasn’t greeted with much enthusiasm by the fans and his displays so far, have proven our doubts right. Aside from a great ball to Achraf Hakimi in the build-up to the first goal against Benevento, he has had a torrid time in defence. This morning he made an inexplicable decision to chop Zlatan Ibrahimovic down in the penalty box and give away a penalty. He was signed to bring experience and winning mentality into the team but the rash decision he made in panic belied the vindication of his signing. Samir Handanovic nearly saved his team-mate’s blushes by saving Ibrahimovic’s penalty but the big Swede was too quick to tuck in the rebou...

The Past   In my time as a Manchester United fan, the centre-back pairing of Steve Bruce-Gary Pallister and Rio Ferdinand-Nemanja Vidic have been highly acclaimed. They are admired for their quality and consistency. There are other pairings I would highlight like Jaap Stam-Ronny Johnsen and Rio Ferdinand-Mikael Silvestre. The Struggle   Since Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic have left the club, United have struggled to produce a pairing of similar ilk. Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Jonny Evans have failed to establish themselves consistently. Managers like Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer have between them signed or used Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo, Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire in that position without successfully establishing a pairing that works.  Peculiar Statistic   A peculiar statistic stood out last season. Manchester United had the second most number of clean sheets in Europe’s top five leagues. We found it hard to bel...

The transfer window was closed on the 5th October 2020 in Europe. In one day, Manchester United made four signings after only making one signing previously and going through large periods of it without making any signing. First Signing Of The Summer The first signing we made I felt was uncharacteristically efficient and swift. We signed a quality, young player at a reasonable transfer fee, Donny Van De Beek. Van De Beek’s quality and versatility mean that we have now got cover for Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes and he can play with them too. The Ones That Missed The Boat Now for the biggest open-book secret of this transfer window, our interest in Jadon Sancho. Only at United would the main transfer target be common knowledge and this interest would drag on to the end. A club would slap a transfer fee on a player, the club that wants to sign the player has every right to negotiate to get a favourable deal. If the selling club is not budging, you are faced with two options, ...

Inter's goal heavy start to Serie A was halted in their first big match of the season at the Stadio Olimpico against Lazio. Lazio finished last season in third place but before lockdown, they looked like genuine contenders for the title. Inter's defeat last season at Stadio Olimpico to Lazio dealt a blow to our title aspirations. I badly wanted Inter to beat Lazio here to avenge that defeat. Match Analysis The match was cagey. Lazio had better chances and more attempts on goal in the initial stages of the game while Inter had most of the possession. Inter scored with our first shot on goal and that changed the tide of the game in our favour. We dominated the game but hardly created much in terms of clearcut chances. We came close twice in the second half to score and those misses came back to haunt us. Lazio got their equaliser out of the blue. An inch-perfect cross came from an unlikely source, centre back, Francesco Acerbi for the previously anonymous Sergej Milenkovic-Sa...

Newcastle United 5 Manchester United 0, October 1996. Southampton 6 Manchester United 3, October 1996. Chelsea 5 Manchester United 0, October 1999. Manchester United 1 Manchester City 6, October 2011. There is something about October and Manchester United that doesn’t sit right. The latest addition to that list of hammerings, Manchester United 1 Tottenham Hotspur 6, October 2020. If I felt devastated and dejected after watching the defeat in our first game to Crystal Palace, that reached a new low after watching United being humiliated by Tottenham yesterday. I sat like a zombie in disbelief staring at the scene of destruction that unfolded in front of my eyes. Great Start We got off to a great in the game, we were sharp and incisive in our passing. Bruno Fernandes set Anthony Martial free and he was fouled for a penalty within the first minute of the game. If he was not fouled, Martial stood a great chance to get a shot at goal. Fernandes was impeccable from the spot again. I i...

Inter made it a goal-laden start to their Serie A season with another high-scoring win. The match against Benevento at Stadio Comunale Ciro Vigorito was originally meant to be our opening Serie A fixture but due to Inter’s progression to the Europa League final last season, this match was postponed to the 30th September 2020. Free-Flowing Attack Inter clicked into gear straight from kick-off. A goal within 30 seconds of the kick-off, the fastest goal in Serie A this season. The Achraf Hakimi-Romelu Lukaku link-up had yielded a goal for us against Fiorentina and that worked again here. Lukaku looked to have shaken off some of the rust to grab himself a brace. The one time he did fluff his lines, Hakimi was on hand to pick the pocket of a Benevento defender to score a deserved, maiden goal. Lukaku has also scored more goals for club and country in 2020 than anyone in the Premier League, La Liga or Ligue 1. Alexis Sanchez had a selfless performance, at times a bit too selfless as h...