Manchester United didn’t get this year’s European campaign off to the greatest start on Wednesday night after dragging out a disappointing result against FC Twente, and Christian Eriksen was the first to deliver a damning confession about the attitude in the dressing room at half-time.
The Danish midfielder grabbed the opening goal of the night – his third in the last three – but Man United were guilty of resting on their laurels and the Dutch side managed to pull a goal back with just over 20 minutes until the final whistle.
The 32-year-old ultimately turned out to be both the de-facto hero and ‘villain’ of the piece, as despite putting his team in front just after half an hour, he also lost the ball in the middle of the park, allowing opposition striker Sam Lammers to make it 1-1.
Placing himself in front of the media after the game, Eriksen didn’t hesitate to hold his hands up but even more concerningly than the nature of the performance was what he admitted to the fans about the United dressing room.
Not only did he roll out the standard “feel like a loss” line as you would expect before quickly admitting that the players said in the changing room that “it felt like they wanted it more than us” and despite insisting that this “can’t be right”, they were guilty of not capitalising on their lead.
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Eriksen’s goal itself was a wonderful strike but it was the lack of commitment and combativeness in the midfield, it seems, that saw them drop two points against a side most would expect them to beat.
Midfielder partner Manuel Ugarte, though still admittedly new to the club and the manager’s system, came out on social media to concede, “I’m the first to make self-criticism. It wasn’t a great match personally. We have to keep working.”.
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However, it was the words from the manager in the post-match that made Eriksen’s assessment even more damning as he essentially echoed the same sentiment as his player, stating that not only did they get “punished” for not scoring a second and that “They looked like they wanted it more.”
He went on to make it clear that Lammer’s leveller was “[a team goal]”, adding, “A player of Twente can dribble through the pitch without stopping. We can’t give a goal away like this.”
"In the second half we dropped a level and gave a goal away."
Although he assured supporters watching on that they are professionals and have already accepted that they cannot be satisfied with their own level of performance, this is by far from the first time the Red Devils have failed to take chances and kill games.
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It must also be concerning for fans to hear both the manager and a senior player confessing the same ‘unacceptable’ attitude in the dressing room. The result meant that this was ten Hag has notched just one win in his last nine games in charge of United – five of those being defeats.
Manchester City’s alleged charges have been increased to 130
Danny Jones
Manchester City’s hearing over their 115 alleged breaches of FFP (financial fair play) has ended and the outcome is that their charges have now been increased to 130.
Not exactly what Blues will want to hear.
The hearing officially concluded last Friday, 6 December after a 12-week process to determine whether they broke Premier League regulations regarding PSR (profit and sustainability), with accusations initially spanning a nine-year period.
However, rather than making any progress when it comes to clearing their record, it looks as though the opposite has happened.
Man City are now alleged to have committed 130 breaches of Premier League rules with both parties still able to enter an official appeal.
The hearing was held at the International Dispute Resolution Centre near St Paul’s in London, kicking off in September before coming to a close on Friday, 6 December.
Fans will no doubt have been hoping for and maybe even expecting a much more positive update, especially after having been successful in their recent case against the division regarding sponsorship deals and Associated Party Transactions (APT).
As well as the number of alleged breaches having risen to 130, the period of offence is also now said to have been extended, jumping from just under a decade to a total of 14 years.
The Times writer Martyn Ziegler says the club could quietly learn of their fate as soon as next month and even though a final decision still isn’t expected until spring 2025, should either side appeal the final outcome, this will likely draw out proceedings for several more months.
Man City’s charges have gone from 115 to 130. (Credit: The Manc Group)
For context, City still deny all of the claims laid against them, which include failing to provide accurate financial information for as many as nine seasons, full details of players’ wages, hiding the true figure former manager Roberto Mancini was paid for her service, as well as failing to cooperate with the Premier League’s investigation and UEFA’s FFP rules.
The club were slapped with a two-year European ban back in 2020 and have been fined by the European footballing body previously, but that ban was ultimately dropped and even their most recent financial punishment was dropped from £30 million to just £10m – chump change given their spending power.
It still remains unclear what exactly will happen to the reigning English champions if they are found guilty but with Pep Guardiola’s also struggling for form of late, having lost five games in a row for the first time in the Catalan’s career, those inside the Etihad could do with some good news.
The blue moon that has loomed over Manchester in recent years is looking a little lost behind the clouds at the minute.
Five Manchester City players have been named in the 2024 FIFPRO World 11 teams
Danny Jones
A total of five Manchester City players have been selected for the 2024 FIFPRO World 11 across the mens and women’s teams.
Notching the second most votes of any other team on this year’s roster, beaten only by Real Madrid with seven), Man City fans can round off another unbelievable year of achievements with one last round of accolades.
Earning a spot on the FIFPRO World 11 is arguably one of the most coveted forms of recognition a footballer can ever hope for, as the dream team is voted for by more than 28,000 players from 70 different countries.
As for which City stars they believe are among the best players in the world, four of Pep Guardiola’s side found themselves in the squad and just one player from Gareth Taylor’s team.
The peer-to-peer voting covered the period between August 20, 2023 and July 14, 2024 (Euro 2024 final) and featured players representing eight different clubs and hailing from 10 different nations.
As you can see, the Blues given the nod as part of the Men’s FIFPRO World 11 don’t come as too much of a surprise: Ballon d’Or winner Rodri was always going to be a shoe-in, as was his midfield partner and arguably the best in the world, Kevin De Bruyne.
Goalkeeper Ederson was also a pretty comfortable choice along with multi-record-breaking goalscorer Erling Haaland, all of whom followed a historic treble-winning season with a fourth Premier League title in a row – a feat never achieved before by any other English team.
With players given a larger list of 250 shortlisted talents to vote on, breaking it down into just 11 players is no easy task. The only other player from the divison who managed to get their name on the list was Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and England star Jude Bellingham notched more votes than anyone with 11,176.
As for the Women’s FIFPRO World 11, it England defender Alex Greenwood was the only Man City representative in the combined XI for 2024, though former players Keira Walsh and Lucy Bronze also made it on to the list for Barcelona, with the latter making it a record seventh appearance.
Other Lionesses and Women’s Super League players chosen included former Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps (now playing at PSG) and Chelsea winger Lauren James.
To have not only multiple English players but so many with Greater Manchester ties getting the shout is an honour and testaement to the region remaining a vital hub for sport. Smashed it.
What do you make of this year’s FIFPRO World 11 and do you think they missed out anyone particular?
Danny Jones -
26th September 2024 
