Tomorrow is Halloween, but you already saw the horror show yesterday, Manchester United fans. No need for ghost stories, or lurid tales of the macabre- seeing that Manchester Derby was enough.
United are so far behind City right now that it is absolutely ridiculous, and lots of media outlets are pointing that out. Let’s take a look at some of the United related stories that are trending online right now.
Also, the EFL Cup round of 16 is coming tomorrow night, so we can look ahead to that too.
Newcastle United at Manchester United
Kickoff: Wed. Nov. 1, 8:30 pm, Old Trafford, Manchester, UK
Starting XI Predictions: Manchester United Newcastle United
Team News: Manchester United Newcastle United
How They Got Here: United (beat Crystal Palace 3-0 in 3rd round), Newcastle beat Manchester City 1-0 in 3rd round)
Marcus Rashford went out partying last night after the Manchester Debris (as in City turned United into debris), and the tabloids were all over it. He’s having a poor season, to be sure, and that’s especially disappointing given how he was a 30 goal scorer last campaign.
But should he really be dragged over the coals for going to a nightclub? Especially when he turned up on time for training the next day. It’s very debatable whether or not this is really “controversial.”
Elsewhere, most of the United fan ire, thus far this season, has been directed at the Glazers, and understandably so. The Glazer backlash has gotten even worse with their farcical “potential sale of the club” process.
But manager Erik ten Hag deserves to have the heat turned up on him too. And now it really seems like it is. ETH is indeed at the wheel, of a ship that is taking on water rapidly.
The Guardian is spot on in their take. Ten Hag is leading a team with no identity on the pitch.
Their article points out how Unai Emery (Aston Villa) and Roberto de Zerbi (Brighton) have achieved success on their rebuilding projects in far less time, and with much less money at their disposal:
“Emery has been in position for 12 months, De Zerbi 13. The budgets available to the Spaniard and Italian are far less than that given to Ten Hag, whose investment stands at £385.4m.
Finally, as today is Halloween, we need to close with something that is very All Hallows Eve in theme. So we throw back, to 2013, when Robin van Persie and Rio Ferdinand really got into the holiday spirit.
You can see their Halloween costumes from a decade ago below:
RVP went as a vampire and Ferdy a zombie. Happy Halloween everyone!
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.