After an impressive start to the Premier League season, Manchester United has been halted in their tracks by a poor run of form knocking them off the pace of the title contenders.
The Red Devils set the tone for the term by making significant signings in the transfer market, pulling off a supposed coup to secure the return of Cristiano Ronaldo. Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane were also notable moves that were supposed to push Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team from a steady top four to the precipice of the Premier League crown.
There is a long road ahead in the season but it’s telling that United are considered as rank outsiders for the title at 33/1. Unless the teams ahead of them Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool have a dramatic fall from grace, United will once again have to settle for a top-four spot.
Even that is no guarantee amid the talent of clubs such as West Ham, who could be a good shout for a Champions League berth in the EPL betting tips from Paddy Power. Given the vast expenditure, failing to compete for the Premier League crown would be a significant underachievement.
Solskjaer will undoubtedly come under fire, but the club appears to be heading in circles. They’ve run through David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, and Jose Mourinho in the dugout since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson. Neither of the established managers came close to dragging the Red Devils back to the peak of their powers. Solskjaer remains a popular figure, but he is enduring the same issues as his predecessors regarding ultimate success.
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The signings of Sancho and Varane were encouraging, providing additional firepower in the final third and an experienced defender alongside Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof at the back. Ronaldo appeared to be a panicked purchase amid reports that he was on the verge of signing for City.
The Portuguese player has been productive, but the resources used to secure his signature may have been better used elsewhere. The 36-year-old is also halting the progress of United’s starlets such as Mason Greenwood, who has been shunted into a wide role rather than playing through the middle.
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Greenwood has enjoyed an outstanding start to the season and is scratching the surface of his potential. A front three of Greenwood, Marcus Rashford, and Sancho would hand the Red Devils pace and excitement to match that of their rivals at the top of the table.
However, Ronaldo did not join the club to sit on the bench, and his exclusion in United’s 1-1 draw against Everton raised eyebrows as noted by the Manchester Evening News, including from a former manager.
It begs the question of whether the signing of the Portuguese was down to the club’s hierarchy rather than the man in the dugout. Even at the age of 36, Ronaldo is the best forward at Old Trafford, but whether that will benefit the club in the short and long term is doubtful.
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If United cannot compete for the crown with Ronaldo in the line-up, they’re best off giving Greenwood, Rashford, and Sancho all the time they need to develop a rapport that could yield success in the future.
Manchester City fan gets treble tattoo before Champions League final
Danny Jones
We’ve seen plenty of tattoos gone wrong down the years and even more football fans getting ahead themselves, but it must have taken a special kind of confidence for this Manchester City fan to get the treble tattooed on his body before the Champions League final has even been played.
Man City may have taken one step closer to matching historic rivals Manchester United‘s achievement of winning the treble in 1999, lifting their fifth Premier League title in six years and adding yet another FA Cup to their trophy cabinet, but there’s still one massive game they need to win before they can boast the same.
The Blues take on Inter Milan in the Champions League final — just the second in their history — this weekend and have only ever won one continental trophy by beating Polish side Górnik Zabrze in the European Cup Winners’ Cup back in 1970.
Nevertheless, after yet another stellar domestic season and with two-time UCL winner Pep Guardiola at the helm, most fans, rivals and neutrals alike all think this is the year they’re going to lift their first Champions League — in fact, this man is certain of it.
The diehard City fan, simply known as Stuart on TikTok, shared multiple clips on his account on Tuesday, the first of which showed the treble tattoo in progress and has already had nearly 200,000 views in less than 24 hours.
Naturally, the comments underneath the videos are as you’d expect, with people remarking, “you’ve just made Inter win”, “he’s gonna regret that”, “RIP bro”, “pov: 2021” — the last CL final they qualified for and lost to Chelsea despite being heavy favourites — and so on.
However, responding to haters in the comments, Cityzen Stuart’s confidence looks to be unshakable, stating that it’s now “impossible” for them to lose and there’s “not a chance” Pep goes another yet without winning another Champions League.
Having already flown over to Turkey for the final in Istanbul this weekend, he shared a more recent video showing the tattoo in more detail, complete with full colour and shading.
Football fans are often superstitious (it’s such an unpredictable sport that it’s hard not to be) but it’s fair to say a lot of people are now worried he might have jinxed it, not to mention every single Red hoping that he has. For his sake, he better hope the footballing gods don’t take this kind of stuff into account.
In fact, this isn’t the first time a City fan has gotten a little bit ahead of themselves and put money and ink where their mouth is, as our minds immediately go back to 2009 and the time a supporter got a Champions League winners tattoo for the following 2010/2011 season.
This year’s final kicks off at 8pm on Saturday, 10 June and City fans everywhere will be hoping to Pep and co. lift the Champions League trophy in the club’s history and win a historic treble in the process.
They are already going to go down as one of the best squads ever assembled but, for many, this could see them held up there as the greatest of all time. The question is, can they take that final step?
Featured Image — @stuart1308 (via TikTok)/Comedy Central/UEFA
Sport
There’s a full day of FREE outdoor yoga classes happening in Manchester city centre this month
Emily Sergeant
There’s a full day of free yoga classes taking over an outdoor amphitheatre in heart of Manchester city centre in a couple of weeks time.
As a way of marking the summer solstice and welcoming in the new season, all while suitably-celebrating International Yoga Day at the same time, Manchester‘s famed ‘Yogathon’ is returning to Great Northern Warehouse later this month with a whole host of free outdoor yoga sessions, and it’s giving Mancs the chance to “get on the mat and work on the mind”.
Taking over the amphitheatre outside the historic city centre warehouse, you can join in with a full day of yoga classes led by award-winning instructors from The Life Centre from morning through to evening.
Early birds can kick-start the day with Sun Salutations from 7:30am, which is perfectly-timed as the sun rises over the city on the longest day of the year, while a lively functional flow class will follow as the ideal way to spend your lunch hour from 12:30-1:15pm.
You can then close out the day and unwind after work with a fun and friendly Vinyasa class from 5:15-6pm.
Yogathon 2023 is happening outside Great Northern Warehouse on Wednesday 21 June / Credit: Phil Tragen (via Great Northern)
Suitable for all ages and abilities to get involved with, each of the classes happening throughout the day are free of charge, and ultimately encourage Mancs to “treat your muscles and mind” and enjoy the physical and mental benefits of yoga in the great outdoors.
Yoga mats will be provided in the amphitheatre, but you should bring your own if you have one.
All proceeds from will go to Eat Well MCR to support people living in poverty across the city by delivering meals and providing much-needed respite during difficult times.
Yogathon 2023 is taking over the amphitheatre at Great Northern Warehouse, just off Deansgate in the heart of the city centre, on Wednesday 21 June from 7:30am right through to 6pm.
The Manc -
20th October 2021 
