Manchester United are winding down their nightmarish preseason, as tomorrow night brings their final International Champions Cup clash, versus Real Madrid in Miami. This will be the club’s final friendly in the United States of America, and penultimate exhibition match of the 2018-19 season.
There is certainly no shortage of topics to discuss today, so let’s take a spin through the latest news and notes items making the rounds on the internet right now.
-United manager Jose Mourinho has of course done a ton of complaining this summer, even by his standards, and there has certainly been plenty of material readily available to grind his gears. Among his targets, Mourinho has taken aim at the ICC, pointing out how the series of friendlies is unable to provide fans with an opportunity to see the stars of the game in action; given that this is a World Cup year.
In a statement that’s a breath of fresh air from usual press conferencespeak, Mourinho even said that he wouldn’t have paid money to go see the current depleted version of his team in action.
“The atmosphere is good but if I was them, I wouldn’t come,” Mourinho said after his club lost 4-1 to Liverpool in Michigan Stadium on Saturday.
“I wouldn’t spend my money to see these teams. I was watching on television Chelsea against Inter and the people in Nice decided the beach was better.
“They didn’t go to the game, the stadium was empty.”
“I think the passion many Americans have for soccer deserves more. They deserve the best teams and invest to bring the best clubs to the US. But we, and some other clubs, were not able to give to the people the real quality football that can attract even more passion in this country.”
Good for Mourinho to call out the ICC for charging such high prices to see games featuring mostly 3rd-teamers and youth system players. You couldn’t find a ticket for less than $90 on any ticket scalper website to Saturday’s one-sided debacle.
In the last 24 hours, bookmakers have seen a flurry of bets backing Mourinho to be the first manager sacked this Premier League season. With this development, his odds of getting the axe have been slashed significantly, and he’s now the current favorite to be the first manager fired.
United have only been able to manage one victory, and that was in a penalty shoot-out, on this nightmarish preseason tour, but they have had even bigger issues than drab results. The injuries, absenteeism and uncertain futures surrounding certain players in the back line is starting to mount into a legitimate defender crisis.
In just this position group, United must deal with:
team captain Antonio Valencia missing the rest of the preseason, Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw suffering knocks, new acquisition Diogo Dalot out until September, Matteo Darmian wanting out, and Marcos Rojo contemplating his future with the club. Youngster Timothy Fosu-Mensah sees an opportunity for himself to make his mark, and wants to do whatever he can to contribute.
“Last year, I was at Crystal Palace, I think I improved there and I’ve come back a better player,” he said on Saturday.
“I came back to show that I’ve improved and to show that I’m a better player now. I’ll keep working hard and see what happens.”
“I can play right-back, right wing-back, centre-back, in midfield. For me, it’s possible. I’ve played centre-back and right wing-back [on the tour] so for me it’s not a problem. I wouldn’t say in goal — in goal I would be very bad.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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