Mourinho looked powerless in Manchester United’s 2-1 derby loss to City last Saturday. Weakness is not something associated with him. It was anticipated that in such a high-profile match he would flex his tactical muscles by executing a game plan to avoid defeat. But his side were unable to do even that against their title rivals. This could prove psychologically damaging in 2016-17. The scoreline flattered United and subsequently some serious questions have been asked about what Mourinho was doing with his team selection and formation, particularly in the first half. It’s worth remembering that Mourinho was appointed at Old…
Author: David Folami
Chris Smalling says Manchester United’s players need to stand up and be counted to avoid an “unacceptable” third successive defeat. Jose Mourinho’s appointment and some marquee signings helped bring a feelgood factor back to Old Trafford after the reign of Louis van Gaal, but a 2-1 home defeat to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City was compounded as Feyenoord eked out a late 1-0 win in Thursday’s Europa League opener. Stand-in captain Smalling admitted “we didn’t play up to our standards” in the Netherlands and that United can ill-afford another loss when they return to Premier League action at Watford on Sunday.…
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has confirmed that his contract with the La Liga club was cut by two years last summer, but insists that “nothing has changed.” The news was revealed this week that, after talks following a second Champions League final defeat in three years, Simeone had agreed with Atletico’s hierarchy for his contract to now end in June 2018, leading to speculation about the future plans of a coach coveted by many of Europe’s richest clubs. And, asked to confirm the reports, the Colchoneros coach told a news conference that the contract had indeed been revised, but…
Manchester United’s winning start to the season did not have Jose Mourinho “on the moon” so their underwhelming back-to-back defeats have not overly concerned the recently appointed manager. Fresh from losing 2-1 at home to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, United started their Europa League campaign with a whimper. Uninspired on the attack and unwieldy in possession, Feyenoord eked out a late 1-0 win thanks to Tonny Vilhena’s late strike at the imposing-if-partially-closed De Kuip. Few of United’s eight changes impressed as they failed to win on their European travels for a sixth successive match, compounding Saturday’s Premier League loss that…
Fit-again defender Jerome Boateng and winger Arjen Robben are back in the Bayern Munich squad for Saturday’s home Bundesliga game with Ingolstadt 04. The champions, however, will be without captain Philipp Lahm, Thomas Mueller and David Alaba, all out with a stomach bug. Dutchman Robben has not played competitively since suffering an adductor muscle injury in March. Boateng has recovered from a muscle tear he picked up in Germany’s Euro 2016 semifinal defeat by France in July. Fellow central defender Mats Hummels is also fit after being kicked in the face in the 5-0 victory over Russian club Rostov in…
It is just a matter of time before Sergio Aguero’s goal-scoring ability earns him individual honours, his Manchester City teammate John Stones has predicted. Aguero netted his ninth goal in five games this season following his hat-trick in City’s 4-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach in their Champions League Group C opener on Wednesday. The 28-year-old has not featured in the Professional Football Association (PFA) Team of the Year and has never won the PFA Player of the Year award either, something Stones blamed on the Argentine’s low-profile lifestyle. “He’s one of those players who comes in, gets on with his…
Kelechi Iheanacho scored his first goal for Manchester City in the Uefa Champions League on Wednesday as the Citizens beat German club, Borussia Monchengladbach 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium. The 19-year-old did not start the game for City as he was only drafted in as an 83rd minute replacement for Argentinean striker, Kun Sergio Aguero who had netted a fantastic hattrick to put his side 3-0 up before his withdrawal. He did not disappoint his manager, Pep Guardiola, for the faith shown in him as he ensured City won with a flourish, netting a superb goal in the first minute…
For Manchester United it was a second defeat in six days after they lost to rivals Manchester City in the Premier League, and it ended Mourinho’s honeymoon period after he began the season with four straight wins including the Community Shield. United, playing in the Europa League group stage for the first time, never really looked like scoring even after striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was introduced in the second half and they were picked off on the counter in the 79th minute. Nicolai Jorgensen looked offside when he burst clear on the right flank but he crossed low for Trindade to…
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic has defended France midfielder Dimitri Payet after Watford players accused him of showboating last Saturday. Payet set up a goal for Michail Antonio with a ‘rabona’, crossing the ball with his right foot behind his left leg. Watford captain Troy Deeney said that wound his team up and prompted a comeback from 2-0 down to win 4-2, their first Premier League victory of the season. Bilic denied on Friday that it showed a lack of respect. “It doesn’t bother me if someone does a rabona pass and it ends up in a goal,” he…
Governor Nyesom Wike has slammed his Edo counterpart, Adams Oshiomhole for saying that he planned to disrupt the postponed Edo Election. Oshiomhole had earlier alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo and some Governors in the Niger Delta had hired 8,000 militants to cause violence during the polls. The Rivers Governor also said neither him nor the Delta state Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa hired any militant to disrupt the elections in Edo. Wike said he was shocked by the comment because he met the Edo Governor some hours before he made the allegations, at the airport. He said “Oshiomhole…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has reacted to a call made by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) requesting President Muhammadu Buhari to resign. Timi Frank, the APC acting national publicity secretary in a statement on Thursday, September 15, 2016, said the PDP was not in tune with reality. He dismissed the call saying most Nigerians still believe in the leadership of President Buhari and the APC. Describing the PDP as a degraded carcass, the APC spokesman urged Nigerians to disregard comments from the opposition party. “I think it is shameful and unheard of for the degraded PDP carcass to call…
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to return Nigeria to the status attained during the Goodluck Jonathan era and then resign from office. The PDP made the comments via a statement released by spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye. The statement reads: “The crass ineptitude and lukewarm-attitude of this APC government is no longer tolerable, and therefore, we are calling on President Buhari and his team to return Nigeria to its state of booming economy before they assumed office in May, 2015, and then quit immediately to allow other capable leaders recover our ailing economy”. “For instance, recall…
<img src="https://www.theinfostride.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/GEJ-300×200.jpg" alt="GEJ" width="300" height="200" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-96076" /The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to return all the money stolen by public officials during its reign as Nigeria’s ruling party. The APC also advised the PDP to apologize to Nigerians for its reckless economic policies. The ruling party’s comments were contained in a statement released by National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni. The statement reads: “The attention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is drawn to the latest ridiculous demand by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the administration of President Muhammadu…
Sen. Aliyu Wamakko (APC-Sokoto Central), has expressed optimism that Nigeria will soon overcome all her current economic challenges. Wamakko told newsmen in Sokoto on Thursday that the country’s recovery from economic recession required the collective resolve of all citizens. He said that Nigeria had passed through similar straits in the past and came through, though he did not give instances. “Nigeria has experienced such obnoxious travails in the past; the nation bitterly passed through difficulties and successfully overcame them. “Even now, I am truly confident that these unfortunate difficulties will soon be part of our history by the special grace…
Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano has raised alarm about the current recession in the country and urged state governments to pay their staff’s salaries. Obiano also said that any state that doesn’t pay its workers in these hard times is looking for trouble. The governor made the comments on Wednesday, September 14, during the launch of the Anambra State Fire and Safety Summit in Awka, Punch reports. “A state that does not pay its workers is inviting calamity. Payment of workers’ salaries energizes the economy. We saw this recession early and made agriculture one of the pillars of our administration,”…
Prominent cleric, Bishop Matthew Kukah has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to stop complaining about the past and solve Nigeria’s problems. Kukah also informed Buhari that the head of a family does not enter his home crying no matter how bad things are. The cleric made the comments on Wednesday, September 14, during the Catholic Bishops Conference Dinner in Akure, Ondo State. “And I think the business of government is not our business; our business is: if the previous government did badly, that is why we voted a new government. We did not vote a government to complain about yesterday, if…
Nigeria will not increase its gasoline prices, President Muhammadu Buhari told his oil minister and state oil firm head, summoned to his villa last week, sources at the compound said. Oil Minister Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, the head of state oil firm NNPC Maikanti Baru and the entire government have stepped up efforts to keep fuel flowing into Nigeria without repeating the price increase of May and risking civil unrest. Shortly before the meeting former Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) bosses had said such an increase may be needed. A steep devaluation of the naira currency has made sales of petrol…
Former Special Adviser to ex- President Goodluck Jonathan on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati has said that being a presidential spokesman was like going to war. Abati also defended President Muhammadu Buhari’s many travels saying that the foreign trips are necessary for Nigeria’s number one citizen. How was the experience of moving from the critical mass into the other side of the divide? I think it was a great experience. And in the process, I must have acquired some additional skills and experience. Also, it was an office that offered me additional responsibility – and it was a very…
Former first lady, Patience Jonathan is set to sue the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for freezing accounts which she claims contain her personal funds. The EFCC placed a restriction on the accounts as part of investigations into the affairs of former Special Adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on Domestic Affairs, Waripamowei Dudafa. However, after the accounts were blocked, Mrs Jonathan, through her lawyer, announced that the money in question belonged to her. News of the impending court case was confirmed to BBC by a source within the EFCC. Mrs Jonathan is also reportedly set to sue Skye Bank,…
Vocal Nigerian performer, Eedris AbdulKareem has once again bared his thoughts on the current economic situation of the country. Questioning the direction Nigeria is headed, Eedris, who once had a squabble with former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, expressed his displeasure with the government in a new interview with Hip TV. ‘It’s so sad Nigeria has been pregnant since 1960’, he said. ‘She was sixteen years old when she was pregnant, how many years old is Nigeria now? About 53-55years or something.’ ‘So you can imagine, she is already old and still in labour room, crying. Who raped Nigeria? Who slept with…