A lot noise round Bruno Fernandes and his suitability as Manchester United captain, a few of it led by my colleague Oliver Holt.
‘Wonderful participant, by no means a pacesetter in 1,000,000 years,’ stated the Every day Mail’s Chief Sports activities Author on X.
It is a generally held opinion. I imply, do United and their supporters actually desire a skipper who will get so upset by a referee brushing in opposition to his shirt earlier than a penalty that he then lands his spot-kick within the River Thames?
However think about this straightforward query. If not Bruno for the United armband then who?
Actually from Sunday’s workforce sheet, there aren’t any credible candidates.
Harry Maguire? United have tried and failed with that one. Luke Shaw? Can he be trusted to remain match? Casemiro? Not likely. Matthijs De Ligt? Possibly however the Dutch defender at all times appears to be like like the sort who has all of it on to take care of his personal sport, by no means thoughts all people else’s.
Manchester United should keep on with Bruno Fernandes as their captain regardless of his poor Sunday
He blasted a penalty over the bar as United drew with Fulham – irked after colliding with the ref
Ruben Amorim will scratch his head even additional to discover a appropriate captaincy substitute
Liverpool
Arsenal
*18+, excludes NI. Phrases and situations apply
Considered on this context, the argument for Bruno is evident and it is lent weight by the truth that the Portuguese ahead did show himself worthy of the job final season.
The 30-year-old won’t ever be good. He stays too emotional once in a while and too voluble relating to referees.
However good captains lead by what they do and Bruno’s ranges of efficiency and dedication final season supplied an instance that – had others been in a position or keen to observe – would have led Ruben Amorim’s workforce to a Premier League end a way increased than their dismal fifteenth.
Cates’ flawless MOTD debut however is the model diluted?
There isn’t any doubt as to Kelly Cates’ pedigree as a broadcaster and her debut as one of many Match of the Day trio of rotating hosts was as flawless as one would count on. The present will miss a few of Gary Lineker’s familiarity and expertise however not his at instances suffocating ego.
Nevertheless it did jar a little bit to then see Cates fronting Sky’s Sunday afternoon sport between Fulham and United at Craven Cottage.
Match of the Day stays BBC’s flagship soccer programme, a bespoke piece of tv.
Does Cates’ prominence within the all-consuming world of satellite tv for pc soccer protection dilute the MOTD model a little bit?
Personally, I believe it does.
Soccer presenter Kelly Cates made her debut on BBC Match of the Day on Saturday night
The subsequent day she was again on Sky Sports activities, presenting their Tremendous Sunday protection
Fulham hierarchy relaxed about Marco’s moans
Fulham supervisor Marco Silva is sad with the actual fact his membership have not signed the gamers he desires this summer season and has stated so. At boardroom stage they won’t stress an excessive amount of.
Silva is a coach who continues to enhance yr on yr however he has additionally a behavior of pushing the boundaries and testing the endurance of these he works for.
When he was linked with the Tottenham job final June, Mail Sport spoke to a senior official on the membership who simply laughed.
‘We’re used to this with Marco,’ he stated.
‘These tales come and go and unusually sufficient they often begin in Portugal.
‘However ultimately they calm down and Marco stays right here…on what’s an excellent contract certainly!’
Marco Silva’s moans about Fulham’s lack of switch spending is prone to fall on deaf ears
Man Metropolis’s evolution is evident, a title problem isn’t
An early season quiz query.
Of the 11 Manchester Metropolis gamers who began final season’s house Premier League marketing campaign in opposition to Ipswich a yr in the past, what number of survived to play in opposition to Tottenham on Saturday?
Extremely, the reply is simply three. Rico Lewis, Ruben Dias and Erling Haaland.
If that does not inform us how a lot issues have modified at Metropolis then nothing does and whether or not Pep Guardiola can engineer a title problem amid all that evolution stays to be seen.
Actually, the Metropolis supervisor has inquiries to reply about his alternative of goalkeeper.
New signing James Trafford should have a deep listing of qualities. Metropolis have signed him, Newcastle wished to signal him and England supervisor Thomas Tuchel is a recognized fan. Trafford shall be within the squad for subsequent month’s video games in opposition to Andorra and Serbia when Tuchel reveals it this Friday.
However at instances, Trafford appears to be like so removed from the completed article that it is horrifying. Final time he was within the Premier League with Burnley two seasons in the past, he was bullied within the air and misplaced his place. On Saturday as Metropolis misplaced 2-0 to Spurs, he was all around the store together with his ft. None of it impressed confidence.
Pep Guardiola has loads of meals for thought after seeing Manchester Metropolis lose to Tottenham
Joao Palhinha is again at house within the Premier League
Tottenham deserved their win in opposition to Metropolis and it is heartening to see their Brazilian ahead Richarlison entrance and centre after some private {and professional} difficulties during the last couple of years.
Nevertheless it has been Thomas Frank’s transfer to shore up the centre of his workforce that sits on the coronary heart of Spurs’ glorious begin to the brand new season.
Frank’s predecessor Ange Postecoglou made a lot of final season’s defensive harm issues on his strategy to ending seventeenth within the Premier League however at all times appeared much less eager to debate how opposing groups might pour by way of his midfield nearly unopposed every time Spurs misplaced the ball.
All good groups should have some type of reliability at their core and the partnership of Rodrigo Bentancur and new signing Joao Palhinha are the platform on which Frank’s new Tottenham are being constructed.
Spurs followers are proper to be miffed at shedding Eberechi Eze to Arsenal. They dithered too lengthy on that one. However Frank is no person’s idiot. He arrived at Tottenham from Brentford after Postecoglou’s sacking this summer season absolutely conscious of what the true issues have been.
Palhinha was glorious throughout his time at Fulham and I count on him to be so within the north of the capital.
On-loan midfielder Joao Palhinha (second left) was glorious as Tottenham received 2-0 at Metropolis
It will not be Eze changing Eberechi for Crystal Palace
Arsenal will want Eze much more than they thought after accidents to Bukayo Saka – anticipated to overlook a month of soccer – and Martin Odegaard in opposition to Leeds and his smile of gratitude and nearly disbelief as he was launched to the group on Saturday was a stunning second.
How Crystal Palace will cope with out their star participant, however, is slightly scary.
Of the 115 video games the FA Cup winners have performed within the Premier League since August 2022, their win share with Eze within the workforce stands at 36 per cent. With out him? 6.7 per cent.
Ouch.
Eberechi Eze’s arrival at Arsenal is their acquire and a worrying loss for Crystal Palace
Scientific Coventry put stats to the sword
Nonetheless with stats, efficiency of the day outdoors the Premier League was undoubtedly the one which noticed Frank Lampard’s Coventry beat QPR 7-1 to go third within the desk.
Lampard continues to do an excellent job and the actual fact there have been nearly 30,000 contained in the Coventry Constructing Society area is indicative of ahead progress.
Nonetheless Coventry’s XG (anticipated targets) from Saturday’s sport was simply 1.27. From their eight pictures heading in the right direction, seven went in!!
Typically, it is simply your day.
Coventry Metropolis thrashed Queens Park Rangers 7-1 within the EFL Championship on Saturday
Loyalty is the whole lot to Evangelos Marinakis
Nottingham Forest supervisor Nuno Espirito Santo seemed like a person attempting to place a lion again into its cage after his workforce’s draw at Crystal Palace.
‘There may be going to be a decision,’ he stated regarding the points with proprietor Evangelos Marinakis that he selected to make public final week.
‘It will be tremendous’.
Time will inform however Marinakis has his fingers in each single space of that soccer membership and if he feels slighted then Nuno shall be on his means sooner or later. To Marinakis loyalty, is just the whole lot.
Final season, the Every day Mail hung out with two of the Forest proprietor’s closest and most trusted allies in Greece.
Requested how exhausting they tried to intervene when Marinakis was about to do one thing they seen as a mistake, they seemed a little bit baffled.
‘Errors?’ stated one.
‘Mr Marinakis would not make errors.’
Nuno Espirito Santo admitted his Nottingham Forest future is unsure after latest feedback
Nuno will maintain talks with Evangelos Marinakis regardless of the stress between them over signings
West Ham need to hope to maintain maintain of Jarrod Bowen
West Ham shall be at Forest subsequent Sunday and already that appears like a defining sport within the dismal Graham Potter period. How lucky he’s nonetheless to have his captain.
Together with his former team-mate Mohammed Kudus now at Spurs and different skilful ahead gamers like Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo on the transfer this summer season, it is totally baffling {that a} participant as proficient as Jarrod Bowen isn’t on all people’s listing.
Liverpool need Aleksandar Isak and Newcastle need Yoane Wissa. If anybody wakes as much as what Bowen can provide over the remaining days of the switch window then West Ham actually shall be in bother. With out their captain they may nearly actually go down.
