Cricket scores and the unreadable text indicating time and score of the game

When Wenger and Jurgen Klopp combined to Criticized Mourinho for spending 100 million on a player his reply was punctuated by talk of specialists. He wanted specialists whose only job was to solve areas of the team he deemed weak and would be liabilities throughout the season not bulk signing in hope of the best. Watching the game between the latter managers ending in a thriller four goals to three one wonders who really needs some bit of specialism. The team that goes all out on the attack and forgets to cover its defense leading to a cricket score or the one that wakes realizing its insulting to ship three from a direct rival in the first fixture of the season.

This was a game between two teams that have marked defensive fragilities no wonder their preseasons have been punctuated by cricket scores either when they are shipping in goals or when they’re the ones scoring the goals.


Embed from Getty Images


Take Liverpool after beating one opponent four they shipped four In the next game after making few squad changes meaning the first team is far off detached from the team that played the previous game.  In the opening fixture after having the game in control they still afforded to supply their fans with a nervy ending to the game. Then there is Arsenal that is still addressing that illusive problem even when it’s written in the stars they need a defender but what they can afford to do in the meantime is dilly dally and simply be linked with defenders who don’t belong to them. If they have any senses may be this score gives them an opportunity to actually concentrate on the problems that plague their teams because they are crystal clear for everyone to see.

If cricket scores is something they intend on displaying this season they would have helped we who are having issue with the strong colors that blur vision thanks to the new branding by the premier league that makes visibility of the small texts on screen impossible especially the score in the right hand corner and test that appears indicting changes. This new look is not friendly why did they have to design it that much placing two colors that are not in sync with the font color. On top of this the text indicating the score was reduced making readability nearly impossible especially if you are sitting in a large hall where resolutions fall several times over. That section should be revisited instead of tampering with it either they increase the font size and reduce the opacity of the back ground colors for better readability.

Then the text at the bottom of the screen that flashes indicating substitutions, final scores why did they have to reduce that too. Take today’s game against Bournemouth the maroon color on top of was black small text that is not well contrasted. It is one of the changes that just doesn’t make sense. The whole point of that text is for us to read not to look at a color band that is forcing us to strain our eyes to make sense of. My hope is as the season pans on they will try to contrast that area of our screens there is no way we are going to strain our eyes to make sense of the score on the TV screen.

Manchester United finally have a defense they can be proud of

If there is one area of the pitch that Mourinho will not be spending sleepless nights is the defense having ditched the man marking for zonal marking his utilizing each of his defenders best attributes. His trusting them to do the job so well they have the confidence to do as they wish for some like Valencia are wearing that rear smile having notched four assists in as many games it’s looking like 2009.  This is on the back of documented struggles in the final third of the field where they are accumulating blind passes by the dozens and the strikers have on more than one occasion ran into each other’s path during a buildup.


Embed from Getty Images


Defense on the other hand looks solid even though one would allude that some players are on the pitch because the occupants of those positions are either suspended or lack match fitness however if the current players keep it up it will be an uphill struggle for those players to get into the team. Bailly for starters looks like a steal, a black Vidic lunging into tackles take those on Vardy in the community shield followed up by a masterful performance against Bournemouth.  On the other hand Blind is providing brains in defense with masterful discipline Mourinho will have to come up with a good reason to drop him. Sandwiched between an erratic tackler and a pace master for a full back in Luke Shaw his holding those too cogs together whenever cleaning up is needed. This role has been typified by his goal line clearance to clear Okazaki header during the community shield, brief argument with Bailly when needlessly rushed a tackle his message I won’t impose but complement short comings of everyone around me.

They have also shown an ability to handle teams that plan to play on the counter attack with plan of isolating slow defenders like Blind.  This good defensive discipline, De Gea has become less prominent in united defensive plays because for the first time in his Manchester united career his being protect by defenders coached how to defend. On so many occasions most shots were blocked or the shooter was rushed by insisted tackling by Manchester United players no Bournemouth’s goal only came after tearing open that defense something you are sure will be corrected during the week. For the first time in a while Manchester united fans can have the luxury of sitting through a game and not worrying about conceding another sloppy goal that would have been avoided if the defenders knew what was expected of them.

With a strong defensive foundation to play on the players too have been eased once again into loving the physical side of their games something that had become alien during Louis Van Gaals reign. On so many occasions players like Mata, Herrera, and Rooney would easily be nudged off the ball by opposition players. Done once, twice and they would be forced to stop expressing themselves by going for the easy pass either sideways or backwards.


Embed from Getty Images


However against Bournemouth their physical side was on show including for pint sized players like Mata who once in a while would be seen getting into physical tussles with players several times bigger them. Same thing was in mid field everyone on the field was expected to fight for possession and last ditch tackles were frequent throughout the match. Even Fellaini who is knowing for physical this time around his learning to be physical without running into the trouble with the referee instead relying a lot on his legs than his elbows to impose himself. Even Martial who was the biggest culprit of easily being nudged off the ball last season was going shoulder to shoulder with opponents. If they maintain those two throughout the season teams won’t be getting easy points off us this season.

Being a football fan is like walking blind in love

The closest you can ever come to the small ideal that love is blind is when you are a football fan diligently following a football club. Very rarely do we choose the teams we support unlike today someone can claim to support the hottest team at the moment. I have been a united fan for now 20 years and I don’t remember choosing them it’s like they chose me.  I for sure didn’t choose instead I fell in love with the team playing on my old man’s black and white television set because of the play, the never die attitude they carried to each match and the swagger.

And like any relationship there can be rainy days and it’s in such days that your partner always decides to wrong you so bad that you want them to feel a little pain but the problem of your partner feeling pain is that it always comes back to hurt you. Your conscious is it worthy to see your partner in pain and that is what it means to be an ardent follower of a team.

If you asked me what the best time for Van Gaal to leave Manchester united it was not better than yesterday during the FA cup. One big chance to win a trophy he messes it up and his out of the door but wait a minute that’s my hope the reality is very different. I didn’t want Manchester united to lose but also I didn’t want them to win either and this was compounded by his substitution of Fellaini for Herrera I remember one united fan simply storming out cursing Van Gaal has cleared lost it Manchester United was bound to lose. My heart was racing not that this would mean united was definitely going to let go of Van Gaal but its Manchester united losing here not Van Gaal.

A loss would surely nail the coffin in Van Gaal running experiment at Manchester united however a loss against an Everton team that got hammered four goals to nothing during the Mersey side derby and has failed to win away for the bulk of the season plus the amount of missed chances by Manchester united during the game now imagine the amount of trolling from the supporters of other teams, horrible.

However a win would only strengthen the bargaining position of Van Gaal and his supporters that his tactics are working, he would feel emboldened deem himself worthy for even for even more time. That’s a scenario you don’t want to go through once more after all the high hopes of this season that came crushing down in a huge heap bad decisions, denial and ineptness’s at best.

Away from Manchester united take the Arsenal fans who are plotting to walk out of the game in the 75^th minute because the team is hurting them, then at that moment Sanchez pulls of one of his mesmerising runs and scores a solo goal do you follow your head and walk out or follow your heart to see what more magic he would pull.

Another scenario was the Liverpool walk out at the 77^th minute if you look closely at the pictures of all those fans walking out there heads were out of the door while their hearts and eyes on the pitch. This is because following a team is not about using your brain; we don’t choose the teams we support but fall for them like falling in love and sometimes love can hurt like crazy.