Arteta worried about mounting injuries for final run-in

On Wednesday morning, Mikel Arteta addressed the hamstring injury sustained by Gabriel in the 2-1 win over Fulham on Tuesday. Gabriel left the pitch after only 16 minutes, pulling up as he raced back to defend, and Jacob Kiwior replaced him. Arteta was not upbeat about the injury and looked worried. With Bukayo Saka making […]

On Wednesday morning, Mikel Arteta addressed the hamstring injury sustained by Gabriel in the 2-1 win over Fulham on Tuesday. Gabriel left the pitch after only 16 minutes, pulling up as he raced back to defend, and Jacob Kiwior replaced him.

Arteta was not upbeat about the injury and looked worried. With Bukayo Saka making his comeback and scoring the winner, this should have been a double celebration for the Gunners, but Gabriel’s injury took the gloss off a successful night.

As if losing Gabriel wasn’t bad enough, Dutch defender Justin Timber also picked up a knee injury. He suffered the injury in the first half and tried to play on, but Arteta had no choice but to pull him out, and now, there is fear in the dressing room and on the terraces that neither Gabriel nor Timber will be able to face Real Madrid in the crucial Champions League match.

Arteta said both players would be assessed on Wednesday, but he is worried that four of his players will be missing for the Real match: Gabriel, Timber, Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori.

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Elanga shows United what they are missing

After Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 victory on Tuesday evening, United boss, Ruben Amorim was left asking why the club ever let Anthony Elanga leave after his explosive goal and constant tormenting of the defenders. Running 85 yards in nine seconds and taking seven touches resulting in a shot past Andre Onana was spectacular. Patrick Dorgu and Garnacho did their best to chase him down but failed to intercept.

The game highlighted how much United have to improve. Amorim’s Sporting Lisbon team was known for its physical, strong approach but against Forest, this just did not work for United.

 

Amorim says he will not let Fernandes leave

There has been much speculation this week that Manchester United captain, Bruno Fernandes will be moving in the summer. I checked this out and was told that Coach Ruben Amorim will not agree to any transfer, and he pointed out that Bruno signed a new contract last August worth over £300k a week, and it lasts until 2027 with an extra year’s option.

Fernandes told us that he has received an offer to leave United in June this year. Amorim said, “He is 29, I think, but he is still young because he plays 55 games every season; and between assists and goals, he is involved in about 30 moves at least. So, he is the type of player we want at United and he is not going anywhere.”

 

Emery fighting to the end with a fit Villa squad

Aston Villa coach, Unai Emery assembled his players at their training headquarters and told his squad that he wanted total commitment from them, even when they are in bed asleep.

Villa are fighting on three fronts: the last eight of the Champions League, an FA Cup semi-final and gate-crashing the top four at the pinnacle of the Premier League. He told them, “You have to sleep thinking football and wake up thinking football. Now is the moment because, really, it is our responsibility to try and be as good as possible for 90 minutes on the field. To get to this point is to rest well, eat good food, prepare for the match mentally and physically and arrive as strong as possible. Last year, we were not really 100 per cent – without energy, physically and mentally. We reached the Champions League but we were struggling through the last two months.”

 

Isco organising campaign to keep Antony at Betis

Another story I broke to you last week has been nicely followed up – Manchester United winger, Antony has made such a huge impression on his team-mates at Real Betis in La Liga that they want him to stay and are prepared to put money down to make it happen. They are trying to arrange a fundraiser after he once again played very well in Betis’ 2-1 win against derby rivals, Sevilla. Antony has scored four goals and made four assists in 12 games for the Spanish side; and captain Isco said, “We have to do one of those crowd-funding campaigns to see if we can bring him in for at least one more year. I am happy to enjoy Antony.”

 

Boehley’s long term plan for Chelsea is flawed

Todd Boehly, the Chelsea owner came out fighting this week after he received a lot of negative publicity regarding his running of the club and defended himself saying: “You don’t go to a grocery store and buy a striker. It is an amazing skillset…incredible mentality.” Something many suspect he clearly doesn’t have.

However, he has admitted that his Chelsea blueprint of buying young players on very long contracts is flawed. For instance, Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo came to Chelsea on seven-year terms with lower wages but guaranteed to stay at the club for the long term. Chelsea now admit they will have to renegotiate early and ahead of the final years, otherwise they could have to sell those players cheaply. Boehly said his seven-year contracts were actually five-year contracts because they have to be re-signed; and therefore, agents will demand bigger salaries two years before they expire.

 

Man United vs Man City

The big talking point, of course, is Erling Haaland’s ankle injury that more or less ends his season. City will miss their big front man, but Omar Marmoush is determined to seize his opportunity; and I expect him to regularly find the back of the net during the run in. He scored in the 2-0 win over Leicester this week.

Ruben Amorim has put his faith in the backline of Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro, who has proved his fitness in training. Harry Maguire is fit again and will come back into the reckoning, having come off the bench in the 88th minute against Forest in midweek.

De Ligt will have to match up against Marmoush, who, despite coming off the bench lately, is in great form. United’s Bruno Fernandes, always one of the brightest, energetic players, will again start beside Alexandre Garnacho.

Joshua Zirkzee was given another chance as striker on Tuesday in United’s loss to Forest and Mason Mount replaced him in the 78th minute. Amorim has a choice of Christian Eriksen, Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte in the centre of midfield, but it is not a selection he is happy with; and Eriksen and Casemiro will likely not even be United players at the end of the season.

City also have their problems. They have missed arguably their best player, the world class Rodri; and whereas they used to glide through the middle with Gundogan and De Bruyne feeding balls up to Haaland, that seemless, flowing football seems to have gone, and instead, City take balls up the wing and shoot them into the centre more in hope than any tactical brilliance.

United will definitely give chances to Savinho, Foden and Doku but at the other end, Garnacho will have probably his best chance when taking on Alexander Khusanov, who is yet to settle properly into his defending role for the light blues.