It was good to see Harry Maguire, one of the game’s good guys, become a hero again for Manchester United this week.
It has been a difficult period in his football life with previous managers looking to show him the exit door and the continuous criticism he has had to put up with on a weekly basis. That won’t have been easy, but he has shown real mental toughness in dealing with it and continued to turn up and say: ‘No, I want to be part of this.’
I met him briefly in Qatar during the 2022 World Cup and found him to be a thoroughly decent man. He is one of the game’s good guys, so fair play to him, it’s good to see him getting the credit. I’m pleased he is the fans’ hero for once.
Maguire was at the heart of a United side who showed they have a fighting spirit on Thursday night, the trouble is, they have only shown it occasionally, and occasionally at Manchester United is no good.
And as for the goalkeeper Andre Onana winding up the opposition, that’s not a good idea. Going by his performances, he’s best keeping his head down as football has a habit of coming back to bite you on the backside.
It’s that old chestnut, that for every team who plays Manchester United it is their cup final. The history and magnitude of Old Trafford oozes out of every column of the place. You always have to be on it 100 per cent in every game to be a United player, as the opposition always will be. That’s the challenge. But this lot haven’t been able to deal with that.
Harry Maguire capped a heroic comeback for Manchester United in the Europa League
I was delighted the defender became a hero given he is genuinely one of football’s good guys
United scored three goals in seven minutes in an astonishing comeback at the end of extra time
This current crop should realise how lucky they are to have the support they have.
United supporters stick with their team. With what these United players have dished up this season, there are very few sets of fans out there that would support their team to the same level.
It’s not the right time to judge the manager Ruben Amorim just yet. He’s working with the hand that he was dealt. It’s what he inherited. He has the same group of players that have got previous managers the sack. The time to judge him will be a year from now when he has had two more transfer windows to work with.
United may need the Champions League revenue to get the level of player they want but, if they don’t qualify, then they must buy what they can.
The infrastructure is in place now, no excuses. That’s where head of recruitment Christopher Vivell and technical director Jason Wilcox earn their corn.
They should have a knowledge of what quality players are out there in the world who will be suitable for Manchester United. They are in a position where you shouldn’t need to have your feet under the desk for months before being capable of making a decision. They are coming with knowledge so it should be straight forward to implement signings for Amorim.
It’s not just about the manager.
These guys in recruitment are quick to raise their hands when they sign a good player but not so quick to share blame for what has been signed over the past decade.
There’s no doubt, Thursday was a great night for our Premier League sides in Europe but that was it, one great night. It’s about consistency, not glimpses.
Tottenham put in a really good performance. Eintracht Frankfurt would have fancied themselves at home especially when Spurs have struggled to convince when away. At Galatasaray they could have been beaten by double figures, so to win in Frankfurt summed up Ange Postecoglou’s season.
I hate talk of managers’ jobs being in peril. I’ve been there, I know how tough it is once you are on that spiral. The task for both teams is to have a lot more good evenings between now and the end of the season. The message should be clear: there are no easy games left, go out and deal with it. There’s a trophy at stake.
The big question facing Aston Villa
The question I’d be asking as Aston Villa consider whether to sign Marcus Rashford permanently is ‘Can you trust him?’
Has he really pulled up any trees in his time on loan? Unai Emery will know more having seen him up close. He has started him in key games but has he really done enough?
Aston Villa know this is a huge transfer for Manchester United. If they pay the £40million fee it gives United greater headroom with Profit and Sustainability to buy in the summer, so why should Villa do United any favours?
They know how desperate United are so they’ll likely bid low.
Villa won’t want to match his wages as they’ll have everyone else knocking on the manager’s door asking for over £300,000 a week. They know United need to sell him and they’ll also have to weigh him in to go.
But you are still wondering what has changed?
Unai Emery’s side were agonisingly close to what would have been a remarkable comeback against PSG
Aston Villa should be wary of signing Marcus Rashford on a permanent basis
This is a Manchester boy who had to leave his boyhood club. They gave him a big, big contract and he let them down big time. What is different in his life? Are the same people supposedly responsible for looking out for him, still around? And if he signs, how long is it before he reverts to the same moody individual who struggled to turn up for Manchester United.
Can you trust him is the biggest question. Aston Villa are a huge football club that have to be in the Champions League and for that you need players you can rely on.
They were three missed chances from pulling off a remarkable comeback against Paris St Germain on Tuesday. If Marco Asensio had taken his chance, if Youri Tielemans had put more purchase on his header and if Ezri Konsa hadn’t closed his eyes, we would have been talking about one of the great European nights.
I had judged PSG on their performances against Liverpool. Against a team as good at closing down as anyone, PSG weren’t ruffled. But Villa brought out something in PSG I thought didn’t exist. They were rattled and resorted to long balls to relieve the pressure.
I heard the question marks against Emery for his substitutions but he obviously saw some drop off in the pace.
Villa must take much encouragement from how they played and go again in a very big game today against an in-form Newcastle United. They know they need to be in the Champions League after the taste they’ve had this year.
Why it’s curtains for Carlo
I don’t see how Carlo Ancelotti survives as Real Madrid manager after their display against Arsenal. That for them is unacceptable.
It was the most amazing performance but in a bad sense. For Real Madrid to resort to playing a poor man’s long ball game at the Bernabeu was mind-boggling.
If their coaches were to have phoned Mikel Arteta on the morning of the game and said ‘Would you mind if we play cross after cross into your box?’ He would have said ‘Ooh, yes please!’
Where was the cute, intricate passing we associate with Madrid? Their goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said as much afterwards.
But that was no mistake, those players were obligated to play that way. They had prepared that gameplan. Cross after cross waiting for Jude Bellingham to arrive late in the box but their superstars didn’t turn up.
It tells you everything that Luka Modric features in nearly every game. At 39 years old, he is still their go-to creative force, it shows how short they are in that department.
I was surprised as Carlo Ancelotti has managed in England, so he will know exactly what Arsenal’s strengths are but he played right to them.
I’ve always been full of praise for Carlo. He is the most successful manager in Europe for a reason, a coach who is always prepared to adapt, but he knows he is in a job where winning La Liga isn’t enough. So a Champions League quarter final exit will not suffice, particularly in that manner, and those newspapers in Spain will have been super critical.
But, well done to Arsenal. They defended to a man. They were rigid, they were concentrated in their effort. They went to the Bernabeu with all the threat of a comeback and said: ‘Ok, show us what you’ve got.’ And it was very little.
Arsenal will now carry the fight to Paris St Germain. They will be encouraged by what they saw in their game against Aston Villa.
I very much doubt PSG have encountered the same intensity against teams from other nations as they have faced from English sides. That is what the Premier League demands and that is what Arsenal will take forward.
