Another (expensive) cavalry charge

The season is over. The Dutchman has gone; the man from Portugal is in. There’s another trophy in the cabinet and (most) of the contract problems are being resolved quickly and positively. But now that the inevitable as happened, there are just as many questions for Manchester United fans now, as there were two or three weeks ago. There just seems to be a feeling of optimism around the club, one that has been absent for the past few years.

For me, Mourinho is going to be judged on his transfer dealings and his style of play. Trophies will come; they invariably do wherever he has managed. I just can’t stand to sit through another season of the team playing as quickly as continents drift, or hopefully knocking in 80+ crosses.

Give most Man Utd fans a list of positions that need addressing and it will probably be the following that pop up, albeit in a different order of priority. Centre back, right winger, centre forward and a central midfielder. That’s the order in which I’d focus the clubs attention this transfer window.

So, in the spirit of transfer window bullshit and “sport journalists” making up rumours for page views, I’ve put together a few suggestions for how I’d attack the window.

Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo have both tried and failed to nail down a spot in the centre of defence, so much so that Daley Blind, a defensive midfielder converted into a centre back, not without some success, if we are being fair, by Louis Van Gaal, replaced them. But they both need moving on and a new, specialist centre back brought into partner Chris Smalling. Yes, we have already bought Eric Bailly, but I still think we will need a top centre back to come and tighten up the defence immediately.

First up is Athletic Bilbao’s Aymeric Laporte. Despite a season ending injury, that has ruled him out of the European Championships, he is still a man in high demand due to his recovery (apparently) going much quicker than was first believed. Laporte is a true defender, the kind that the back four Van Gaal started to build, but never managed to finish. Darmian, Smalling and Shaw were the pieces are three quarters of United’s next great back four. If United are able to bring Laporte in and are willing to be patient, then we could see the start of a great defensive unit.

Also, he is a Jorge Mendes man. Which will certainly help United’s chances if Mourinho wants him in.

Raphael Varane could, theoretically be a Manchester United player, but Phil Jones was signed and Varane moves to Real Madrid, where he has been criminally placed behind Sergio Ramos and Pepe in the last few years. Varane had a great World Cup in Brazil, where he really announced himself on the world stage, coming across as a young Rio Ferdinand with his reading of the game and being very comfortable on the ball.

Of the two, I’d lean towards Varane, yes it is a bit of a gamble with regards to his injury, although it isn’t as serious as Laportes, but he just seems to be someone who bring that balance to this back four (five with David De Gea) for the next five years, by being comfortable on the ball and commanding both on the ground and in the air.

Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard have done well to fill a void that was blatantly obvious from the start of the season. Both offered different aspects of what is needed from a wide man, but neither one is the complete package. Lingard offers the speed and defensive responsibility, while Mata offers the creativity and superior finishing.

The first option I’ll put forward is Marco Reus, the man we enquired about back in the summer of 2015, but decided against starting negotiations for 60m, looking back at the season he had and the difference he could have made. Basically, making it into the Champions League, that figure, which may have gone down just as easily as it could have gone up, looks like an absolute steal, even with his injury troubles.

Reus, who is capable of playing wide right, wide left, behind the main striker and even up top, is a player whose core skills and strengths were those that were so sorely missed in countless games for United last year. Especially when most attacks came down the left, through Anthony Martial, Reus would have offered a similar level of threat and increased out attacking options, stretching the defence both with his movement with the ball and without it. Also, his ability from dead balls would have probably seen fewer opportunities wasted, as they were with Memphis and Wayne Rooney.

Riyad Mahrez has just had the best season of his entire career with Leicester City and while he has stated he is happy to stay at the club, no one would bat an eyelid if he left for a more traditional “big team”. If he came to United, he’d offer the right side something it has been sorely lacking, someone unafraid to take on their man and drive the team forward. He is also one of the few wingers in the league at the moment that is just as effective on the right side as he is the left side. He would also add a natural balance to Martial, who comes inside from the left, where Mahrez would come in onto his stronger left foot from the right.

While it’s a close one, I’m going to go for Reus. Yes, there is the always the injury fear, but is seems to me that too often he has played before he fully recovered from an injury and as a result has then spent more time recovering from a recurrence of that injury. But he has the experience of playing at the highest level and has also been a consistent performer for Dortmund for the last four years and is that consistency which tips the scales in his favour.

Louis Van Gaal cut too quickly in the centre forward position during the summer, didn’t bring anyone in and then finally claimed that Fellaini could play there. No he can’t and he never did. Luckily Marcus Rashford took the opportunity that fell his way and isn’t letting go. He finished the season as the first choice no.9, but with Mourinho in charge, it’s unlikely he will start every game, or be expected to shoulder so much of the goal scoring burden (most likely along with Martial).

This is the only position I won’t put forward two options as in the last few days, there have been so many stories linking Zlatan Ibrahimovic to United, none of which have been denied, that it just seems nailed on to be a done. All they have to do is wait for June to end, Zlatan and his agent to pocket a loyalty bonus from PSG and then he’ll (more than likely) sign with United.

Zlatan works for numerous reasons, firstly, he is undoubtedly a world-class player who will inspire those around him to rise a level or two and really push themselves. Secondly, his style of play has never been based around speed; it has always been about reading the game and being good in relatively small spaces. Finally, he’s 34, which means the maximum amount of seasons we are going to get out of him is two, which works out well for Rashford and Martial, who will be roughly 20 and 22 by that point and will have played nearly three seasons of Premier League football each, so they’ll be fully used to demands of the league and ready to take all of the pressure that will be lumped onto them.

Central Midfield was for about five years a position Manchester United needed to invest in, but never did. It was seven years between signing Ander Herrera in 2014 and Owen Hargreaves and Anderson in 2007. For any club not to invest in one area of the team for so long was criminal. There is however, one giant elephant in the room, one that would have negated a lot of the frustration about United’s midfield. Paul Pogba and how United lost one of the best box-to-box midfielders of a generation.

Let’s start with Paul Pogba, because the stories and reports are everywhere and most of Europe’s elite would take him in a heartbeat. In the years he has been at Juventus, he has learnt under some of the modern games best midfielders and been able to grow into one of the best in the game at the moment and at such a young age, any club would pretty solve most of their midfield problems for the next seven to ten years.

Anyone who has watched either Sevilla or Poland recently will recognise just how much of a beast Grzegorz Krychowiak is, he is the legs and power in their midfield and isn’t afraid to break forward and unleash a bullet of a shot from distance. At twenty-six, he’s only going to get better and is unlikely, given his size, pace and power, to affected by the increased physicality in the Premier League.

Leon Goretzka is another box to box midfielder and someone who could, if he develops over the next two or three years, could be come one of the best in Europe. His physicality would prove he would have no trouble adapting to the Premier League, although the difference in that side of the game isn’t that big and he is technically very good, so would have no trouble dealing with the, at times manic nature of midfield battles in the Premier League, where time is at a premium and every second on the ball is fought for.

While the popular vote would undoubtedly be for Pogba, I am inclined to pick Krychowiak, not just because he has attributes that would suit the Premier League, but I also see him forming a solid, strong and very mobile understanding with Morgan Schneiderlin and Ander Herrera, a combination that could be a part of the first team for the next five or six years.

Now, I’ll drop a quick list of how I hope we’d line up, with these signings brought in.

GK – David De Gea

DR – Matteo Darmian

DL – Luke Shaw

DC – Chris Smalling

DC – Raphael Varane

DM – Morgan Schneiderlin

CM – Ander Herrera

CM – Grzegorz Krychowiak

RW – Marco Reus

LW – Anthony Martial

ST – Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Yeah, I know there’s no Wayne Rooney or Marcus Rashford in this team. Rooney, I’m sorry, but I don’t see how he fits in anywhere now, nor if he plays is he the best player in that position the club have. Rashford would rotate in and out with the other front three named here.

I’m not going to go into who should be sold or released, instead we’ll move onto the most important thing for Mourinho or any manager. The style of play. Moyes, if we are being totally honest, never produced the turgid, treacle pouring out of a tin style of football that Van Gaal did. It was the more results that did for Moyes, whereas with Van Gaal, the football was terrible and downright frustrating to watch.

One of the key aspects Mourinho has to improve upon is the speed in which the ball is moved from the back to the front, at times it was as if the players were scared to go route one. I’m no advocate of constantly knocking it long and hoping for the best, but if you bypass your midfield and the oppositions quickly and get the ball to Martial or Rashford, then you dramatically increase your chances of scoring. Martial one on one with most full backs is going to be successful more often than not.

After that, we need to bring back a balance to how we attack, side to side, patient probing may work some of the time, but you have to let both your wingers (a problem that needs solving) be free to attack their full back again and again.

Most teams now are well drilled in how they defend against us. Compact and keep the ball in front of them, this was because we never ran at our men, with the exception of Martial obviously, but attacking one side with one winger and no real overlap will only offer so much success.

Basically, every United fan and I just want to see our team have a go at teams for the whole game, not just the first fifteen minutes then give up and run out of ideas. Old Trafford used to be a ground where teams would turn up and already have lost in their minds, now they turn up with a genuine belief they’re going to win. This idea is one that needs to be remedied and the status quo reinstated quickly.

The Best Films of 2015

The Stuies 2015

Late as usual with my best of the year, but with a limited choice of cinemas (that’s this little part of North Yorkshire for you) and having a toddler, yet again I’ve had to wait to catch a few films on Blu-Ray, DVD or online.

As usual, it covers releases pretty much from Oscar ceremony to Oscar ceremony, but because of home video release schedule, I don’t get around to watching some till later and this year, there were some great films I had to wait till late March to catch up with.

So here, goes, my top 7 films of 2015.

7. White God

Simplified as like Rise of Planet of the Apes but with Dogs, this films show a remarkable restraint and maturity in showing animal abuse and using it as a metaphor for the all things we as species have created, not fully understood and then unleashed on the world with out a thought of care for the responsibility we have. The lead dogs, give better performances than a lot of the leading human performances this year, yes anthropomorphising helps us relate to the dogs that little bit more, but these dogs manage to say as much with the tilt of their head as some actors do with a convoluted monologue.

Essentially, this film shows just how much of a sad, horrible and shitty species we are, by showing us just how badly we treat each other and the world around us.

Director: Kornel Mundruczo

Writer: Kornel Mundruczo, Viktoria Petranyl and Kata Weber

6. Winters Sleep

I’ll preface this selection with this. I know this premiered at last years Cannes, but I never saw it in theatres, hence its inclusion here. That and for a film that is essentially, three hours of conversations between people in a remote Turkish town,  is completely gripping. On the Blu-Ray cover, the film refers to “series of magnificent set pieces”, these aren’t action based sequences, or anything close to it. They are, as previously mentioned, long discussions/conversations/arguments, but brilliantly written, framed and acted and are more exhilarating than most action sequences anyway.

This films digs into the variety of relationships we have in our lives and how they control us and affect how we live. It tackles the repetitiveness and stages of marriage from the initial excitement, to the jaded caring we have for the other person no matter what, the need to protect and keep our family close even if they drive us crazy at times, these are just some of the great things Winters Sleep does.

Not afraid of a long shot, take or scene, Ceylan is confident enough in the material and the skill of his crew and actors to let the moments breath and give them time to bring the film and their darkly comic existences to life. Another gem from a true contemporary master of cinema, just don’t be put off by the run time and you’re in for a great experience.

Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Writer: Nuri Bilge Ceylan and Ebru Ceylan

5. What We Do In The Shadows

Another film about vampires, werewolves and zombies, just what we need right? Well in the case of Shadows, yeah it is. This film brilliantly satirises everything about the modern interpretations of the characters, whilst almost paying homage to the classics. Peter is a great nod to Nosferatu. While a lot of comedies often set up the big laughs or physical moments, Shadows works towards being funny with every moment, even the serious ones are drenched in it’s bizarre and self-aware sense of humour. I’m reluctant to go into any details about this, for fear of giving something away, as every scene is start to finish, hilarious and one of the best comedies of the last two or three decades.

Director: Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi

Writer: Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi

4. Sicario

One of the toughest and meanest films made since William Friedkins Sorcerer (seek it out by the way), Sicario is a film about the modern war on drugs along the US-Mexico border, where it highlights the idea of the US becoming just as ruthless and cruel as the cartels they are fighting. Kate (Blunt) is an FBI agent who volunteers for an inter-agency task force designed at combating the cartels, but soon it becomes clear that the US are up to things just as shady and morally opaque as their enemy.

The cinematography of Roger Deakins is an absolute wonder here, we are watching a true master at work. As far as I’m concerned, he was robbed (again) of the Oscar, no single shot this year has had the effect that “That Shot” has had on me. In case you’re unsure, it’s the one towards the end, as the team walk in the desert at sunset. It’s so good, that Sicario could have made it onto the list based on those ten seconds alone, but the rest of the film presents a mature and complicated look at a war that has been going on for decades now and shows no real sign of abating soon.

Director: Denis Villeneuve           

Writer: Taylor Sheridan

3. Carol

Mesmerizing. Beautiful. Two words that easily describe Carol, a story about two women in 1950’s New York, who after a chance meeting in a toy store, become close friends amid the overbearing and controlling efforts, or the attempted controlling efforts of the men in their lives. Plot wise, it’s relatively straight forward, but in the construction of the characters, it’s the polar opposite, vastly complex and fully realised, both the lead characters, Carol (Cate Blanchett) and Therese (Rooney Mara) are so vivid that it is a pleasure to spend time with them and watch as their relationship develops amid the constraints of the time.

Director: Todd Haynes

Writer: Phyllis Nagy (screenplay) and Patricia Highsmith (novel)

2. Inside Out

It’s the story of five emotions, inside an eleven-year-old girls head. With some film makers or studios, that could quite easily turn in to a complete disaster, but with Pixar, it becomes one of the best films of the year and probably one of the studios best films to date. Inside Out gives us everything we need to know about the world and how the emotions work in the first ten minutes that it really gets the film off to flying start. It’s use of colours for the different emotions and how it calls back on simultaneously vividly specific memories, but also general ones we can all remember or understand deeply invests us in Riley (the eleven year old) and care about what happens to her.

It took five years to make this film and it’s clear to see why, the level of detail, ideas and understanding of the mind and emotions on show here has made it into an important film for parents and people who work with children, as it breaks down ideas, often complex ones, into simple, entertaining ones that everyone can comprehend. The way the dream factory works and the idea and construction of the different personality islands are moments of joyful genius.

Director: Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen (co-director)

Writer: Pete Docter (story and screenplay), Ronnie Del Carmen (story), Meg LeFauve (screenplay) and Josh Cooley (screenplay)

1.     Spotlight

Never have I left a cinema and been torn in two different directions at almost the exact same time. With Spotlight it was the joy and excitement of seeing one of the most accomplished films of the year, but also the blinding rage of the subject matter.

Tom McCarthy (also directing) and Josh Singer, expertly navigate a complex issue and time period, juggling various storylines, or lines of investigation, to really give us as much of this whole story as possible.

Easily the best journalist or newspaper film since All The Presidents Men, Spotlight is so engaging and entrancing because of the way it is told. McCarthy keeps the flashy directorial moments to a minimum, the only real one being a long tracking shot between two houses. I won’t spoil the reason for the walk, but it gives the investigation an even greater importance to one member of the Spotlight team. Instead, McCarthy gives the actors the space to bring the characters and the story to life.

It’s not the easiest subject matter, but Spotlight is quite easily the best film of 2015.

Director: Tom McCarthy

Writer: Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy