Ras' Football World

Manchester United's season ended valiantly in defeat last Saturday to our neighbours, Manchester City who have also taken over us now as the leading team in the city and the land. Let me present to you, my analysis of United's season. In the English Premier League, our season didn't start well. Like the previous Dutch manager we had, Louis Van Gaal, we followed up a pre-season campaign that raised the hopes of many followers, with a whimpering start to the season - a 1-2 defeat at home to Brighton & Hove Albion. Same result and the same venue as the defeat that was inflicted in Van Gaal's first competitive match in charge. A week after, things were to get worse as we slumped to a 4-0 defeat away to Brentford, losing all 4 goals in the first half. There were fears that nothing has changed from the horrendous previous season but thankfully, that was not the case. However, inconsistency still plagues Manchester United. We have looked imperious at home, the first-day de...

I have not posted anything about Manchester United aside from the calamitous start to the season. Since then my thoughts have been limited to Twitter with short tweets on how I felt the match went. Finally, after 6 years, Manchester United have a trophy to celebrate. In that period, we have lost 2 Cup finals, the FA Cup in 2017-18 under Jose Mourinho and the UEFA Europa League in 2020-21 under Ole Gunnar Solksjaer.   The opponents in the final brought back memories of the historic FA Cup final win in 1999 when we clinched our second trophy on the way to the Treble. I felt at that time, the real final was played in the semi-final against Arsenal and it was just a formality against Newcastle. My favourite memory of a Wembley meeting against Newcastle came in the 1996 Charity Shield when United hammered our then-title rivals 4-0. Newcastle was at that time a very strong team. Going into this final against Newcastle, it didn't feel like a formality because I felt this Newcastle te...

After winning the Supercoppa, I had written an article that the triumph merely covered the cracks that are emerging. In the aftermath of that triumph, news has emerged that Milan Skriniar will not be extending his contract and would thus be allowed to leave on a free transfer in the summer. It is a huge loss for Inter and their management as they would have got a big fee for selling him in the previous summer. Not to mention, the status of being an indispensable member of the team and a fan favourite. Like many Inter fans, I was troubled to hear the rumour of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)'s interest in him. I prayed the deal will not take place and Inter would get him to extend his contract just as our directors, Beppe Marotta and Piero Ausilio thought would be the case.  Just before the game, Skriniar's agent conducted an interview stating that Inter was looking to cash in on him in the summer and they rejected Inter's contract offer as it didn't meet their financial reque...

Juventus was handed a 15 points deduction by an Italian soccer court on Friday. I read about a possible 9-point deduction a prosecutor had requested before I slept that day. I woke up to the news that they have been deducted 15 points but I felt indifferent about it. I am not a Juventus fan, far from it. They are my arch-nemesis but then again in Serie A, you either support Juventus or hate them. There is no in-between when it comes to Juventus.  Juventus fans feel that rival fans and the Italian football authorities are jealous of their success thus this sentiment of love or hate and no in-between. If you speak to Juventus fans about this episode or Calciopoli in 2006, they will paint themselves as the victims and point out why others aren't punished as severely as them. The world of Serie A is full of conspiracy theories. Many times when favourable decisions have gone in favour of Juventus, their rivals have said that the referees have either been bought by Juventus or favour Juv...

Inter swept past Milan 3-0 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to retain the Supercoppa Italiana. I couldn't watch the match as it wasn't shown "live" in Singapore. It is always great to win a derby in this fashion but the feeling is lost when you don't actually watch the match. We have continued the trend of winning trophies in consecutive seasons which is an excellent habit to cultivate and this victory has proved that there is no doubt that Inter can beat anyone in a one-off match.  However, this victory just papers over growing cracks at Inter. When I see the club President, Steven Zhang get involved in the trophy celebrations, I feel he is not embarrassed. To be honest, his involvement looks a bit awkward as well. The squad is increasingly heading towards degeneration as the best players are slowly getting picked apart and replaced by ageing players. We know the reason why this is the case - the club is broke and they have to sell to invest in the team. The 30-something-...

I was excited as this weekend edged closer as it meant the return of European football starting with the English Premier League as is normally the case every season. After a horrendous season the last time out, I was looking forward to seeing what Manchester United was going to produce this season. The pre-season results have been good and the performances have been bright and sharp. But the cynic in me wasn't willing to read too much into the pre-season results and performances. I have seen this story before. Ironically, it was played out ahead of another Dutch manager's debut season, Louis Van Gaal.  As it turned out, my cynicism wasn't unfounded. Just like his predecessor, Erik Ten Hag started his competitive journey with Manchester United with a defeat. The symmetry is shared with the result, 1-2 and the venue of the match, Old Trafford. That season, after the defeat, United made four signings having only signed two players prior to the start of the season. This time, U...

 It’s been 2 weeks since Manchester United’s season ended and I have been conspicuous by my absence. I have not said a word about Manchester United in the season that has just passed since the 20 th of January this year. What is there left to be said that has not been said by the fans and pundits? Where do I start and where do I finish? Having said that, this will inevitably be a long piece. This has been the worst season I have experienced as a Manchester United fan. We started with enthusiasm after the signings of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane and that reached fever pitch with the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo. It was exciting. I didn’t think we would have won the league with these signings but I had in mind a different kind of season than the one that unravelled. Like many, I thought this season was the do-or-die season for Ole Gunnar Solksjaer as United manager but little did I know that he would be “killed” so soon in the season. I have always maintained my respect for h...

 Inter ended the 2021-22 season with two trophies in the trophy cabinet and nearly a clean sweep of domestic honours but had to relinquish the Scudetto they won last season to neighbours, AC Milan on the last day. Inter ended a long, excruciating wait of 11 years to win the Scudetto last season but we couldn’t enjoy the triumph for long as days after, Antonio Conte left by mutual consent. There was plenty of news report as well that our owners, the Suning Group was broke and had to balance their books which meant selling key players. The first painful sale the club made was of Achraf Hakimi. We thought that would be the only one. Later during pre-season, another bombshell was dropped when Romelu Lukaku was sold. This time it was because the player wanted to challenge himself again in the Premier League for a club that is dear to his heart. During Euro 2020, Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest and would not be able to play in Serie A with an implantable cardioverter-defibril...

  As the dust has settled on the Coppa Italia final, I share my reflections on a dramatic final. Nicolo Barella scored a great goal to open the scoring at a time when the game was still in its infancy. Neither team had exerted total control at that point of the match. The opening goal gave Inter the momentum to dominate the match in the first 25 minutes of the match. Thereafter, Juventus grew into the match. It is tough to completely dominate and keep out a team with quality like Juventus. I also felt that a reason why Juventus grew into the match was that our forwards, Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko struggled to keep hold of possession and were second best to any ball played forward. Giorgio Chiellini epitomised Juventus’ fightback in typical fashion with determination and tenacity. In matches such as this, it is expected for Inter to face different phases of the match; from dominating the match, we had to dig deep and defend. Generally, we did a good job to withstand Juventus’...

I was cautious on Italy’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup as unlike previous editions, this would be played on a knockout basis and Italy would have two knockout matches to navigate. The draw for the first of these knockout matches was favourable as were drawn against North Macedonia, on paper a winnable match. I was confident that given the importance of this match and the quality Italy had, they would have enough to see off the Macedonians. What lay ahead in our path after this match was what worried me as we would likely face the previous European champions, Portugal. But football, like life can be unpredictable. Italy ended the game with 32 attempts on goal and 16 corners but North Macedonia had the most crucial statistic, the only goal struck in injury time to knock four-times champions, Italy out. For the second World Cup in a row, the mighty Italians with a significant and reputable history in football, a team with prestige and pedigree, a team that only nine months befo...

I watched Inter vs Liverpool without much hope of Inter being able to win the tie and advance to the next stage of the Champions League. I watched it to support the team from afar on a sofa chair in Singapore in the wee hours of Thursday morning. All I asked for was for my team to give a good account of themselves and not let themselves down. Based on what I saw, I would say they did give a good account of themselves in a tie where we are not favourites to win and advance to the next round. But I also feel that this is not the real Inter, not the one that we see weekly in Serie A. Arguably, a draw would have been the fair result but we are sat here mulling over a defeat and what-ifs. Inter dealt with the threat of facing Liverpool’s famed strike trio of Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah well – Mane was substituted during the game and Jota was brought off at half-time. In the first half, I felt we were a bit nervous and cautious. We kept playing the ball back towards our goal...

 Manchester United beat Brentford 3-1 and with that, we became the first-ever Premier League club to win 300 away matches in the league. But I am not breaking my long draught of not writing about Manchester United to write about the game. I don’t even know where to start and what to say about Manchester United anymore. Is Manchester United cursed? Did someone put a curse on Manchester United Football Club? It sounds ridiculous but it does feel like it now. Did Sir Alex Ferguson have a magic formula with him and brought it with him? So many pundits are trying to put a finger on what is the issue at the club but honestly can only speculate. Ex-players can only talk about the past and past glory. Sometimes, I feel these former players should just turn up for the training sessions at Carrington unannounced to watch the training sessions, study the body language of the players and the rapport the players have. There have been so ma ny reports and rumours of unhappiness and negativity ...

Inter has ended 2021 on a high as Winter Champions. Personally, it is not a title that I cherish as it means nothing in the grand scheme of things. I would have been happy finishing the year in second or third but within touching distance of the top but I will take whatever good that comes my way. Dark Clouds In The Summer We impressively clawed back a deficit on AC Milan and Napoli who both had perfect records in the early months of the season to get to where we are now. Inter didn’t enter the season with an air of optimism after losing our manager, Antonio Conte, one of the best wing-backs in the world, Achraf Hakimi and when we thought that is all we would lose over the summer, we lost our most prolific striker in the last two seasons, Romelu Lukaku. We had also lost a key player in our title charge over the summer in the European Championships, Christian Eriksen, due to a heart issue. Composure Of Inzaghi The jury was out on Simone Inzaghi on how he would manage this Inter te...

 Michael Carrick ended a 15-year stint at Manchester United as a player, coach and interim manager at the end of Manchester United’s win over Arsenal. It came as a surprise to me but it was the right thing for him to do and it is nice for him to leave on a high. Michael Carrick, the player, I felt got better as he aged like fine wine. Today, we deeply miss a player like him in our midfield. He was a great servant to the club, a classy top-quality player but under-appreciated. If he was an Italian, Spanish, Argentine or Brazilian player, he would have been appreciated better. Carrick, The Coach As a coach, he worked under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at a time when the club lacked stability and there were higher than usual expectations placed on the team to deliver silverware. In his time at the club, the club failed to deliver any silverware and the jury is out on player development; there might have been one or two players that have improved but not enough to bring t...

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the player gave us a lot of joy. He was one of the best finishers in the Sir Alex Ferguson era and played a massive role in helping us win the Treble – not just the winning goal against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final but also the winning goal against Liverpool in the FA Cup 3 rd Round. Besides that, he has contributed to United winning trophies in his time at the club with his goals. At this point as well, I want to point out that aside from the goals, he was a team player. In the 2002-03 season, he played a part in United winning the league title playing out wide on the right as an outside forward. That is Solskjaer, the player. Solskjaer’s Entry As a manager, he came at a time where I hope a former player would be the manager but I didn’t think that Solskjaer was the right profile but was open to being surprised. He did a great job when he entered a fractious dressing room; he improved the team’s mood, united the team and gave the team a feel-g...

 Italy was playing against Switzerland in a playoff for top spot in the group and with that came automatic qualification to the 2022 World Cup. I remember the first time I heard of Switzerland and found out that they were no pushovers in the qualifiers for the 1994 World Cup. We drew 2-2 and lost 0-1 at that time but qualified top of the group. Fast forward to 2021 and we beat them well in Euro 2020. We drew 0-0 in Switzerland, missing a penalty. After the result in Euro 2020, I was confident that we could win and seal the deal but that wasn’t the case. Sluggish Start, Lacking Intensity In The Final Third We were held to another draw. Since beating Belgium in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals, we have drawn four matches over 90 minutes, lost once and only won twice. We were not at our best and were sluggish from the start. Our control of midfield and possession has been a key feature of this new-look Italy and that was what was lacking in the game. We kept misplacing passes and our ...

Inter needed to beat Milan if they are to close the gap on their neighbours who have started the season unbeaten and on-fire. Inter’s start to the season has not been too bad, but it pales in comparison to the frantic pace Milan and Napoli have set this season. We did not win the latest edition of the Derby Della Madonnina but at least we did not lose and the gap between the two teams did not get bigger. Common Theme In Big Matches Inter’s performance in the derby warranted a win but after a very good recent record over Milan, I always fear Inter might lose to Milan as they did last season and because in derbies, the form book goes out of the window. However, it has become a theme for Inter in big matches this season; play well but fail to score enough goals to win it. Inter has failed to beat Atalanta, Lazio, Juventus and Milan in Serie A and Real Madrid in the Champions League despite playing well in most of these matches. The only match Inter struggled in was against Atalanta and ...

I am not going to write about how the match went. Everyone saw it and if you missed it, I am going to paste the link to the highlights of the match below so if you are interested, you can check that out. My Desire To Hire A Manchester United Man What I am going to write about is my feelings and thoughts about the situation Manchester United finds itself in. After the disarray and toxicity of the Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho stints at the club, I wanted someone who was associated with this club; someone who understood what it meant to play for Manchester United, the ethos of the club and the playing style that made us successful. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was not the first name in my mind although I did struggle to think of the right name considering the less than impressive record of ex-United players turned managers. But Solskjaer it was and if anything, it could have been an interim appointment to stabilise the club before an elite manager of the right profile was available to take ...

If you are Ole In or Out, this article will not convince you to think otherwise. That is not what the purpose of this article is. I recognise that whichever side of the fence you sit on, you are convinced why you should be where you are. It’s a shame that fans of a club are split like that but most importantly, everyone should always be Manchester United In. Big Relief Win For that reason, we should enjoy United’s convincing 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. After some poor performances that culminated in a humiliating defeat to our arch-rivals, Liverpool, having our faces rubbed in mud by their supporters and turmoil around the future of our manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, this should be a welcome relief and departure from the doom and gloom. Safety-First Approach In the days leading up to the match, I was joking that players who were clearly so poor and off-form like Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Scott McTominay and Fred will start this match and true enough they did. It...