LONDON: When Manchester United announced the long-teased recapture of Paul Pogba in August 2016, the Premier League club sought to maximize the marketing opportunity. Having successfully kept Pogba, the club and their principal sponsors in the headlines for majority of the summer window before formalising an initial €105 million ($129 million) transaction, United hyped the midfielder and the record transfer fee for all it was worth.
When Alexis Sanchez was spirited out of Manchester City’s grasp with the offer of financial terms on par with Pogba’s three weeks ago, the Old Trafford marketing machine powered through the gears again. “The announcement posts generated 75 percent more interactions than the announcement of the sale of the world’s most expensive player last summer,” executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward proudly informed shareholders.
Manchester United plc booked £581.2 million ($808.6 million) of revenue in the 2016-17 financial year. Some £275.5m of that derived from commercial income, the highest return of any Premier League club. In contrast to certain domestic and European rivals, all of that commercial revenue was self-generated; none of it dependent on cosy sponsorship arrangements with companies held by United’s owners.
Woodward’s marketing department is extremely good at what it does. There can, however, be unexpected repercussions to selling shirts, merchandise and assorted “global”, “regional”, “media & telecommunications” and “financial” partnerships by hyping and trading on the images of star acquisitions.
Back on the football pitch a partnership that should be generating goals for United has so far engendered strife. Of the four matches in which the earlier superstar signing has appeared, United have delivered two expected victories and suffered two worrying defeats. Critically, Pogba has spent a significant period of each game watching Sanchez from the bench.
The France international was rested for the FA Cup win at Yeovil, then substituted after 63 minutes in the defeat at Tottenham. Dropped from the starting line-up versus Huddersfield, Pogba played only the last 25 minutes. Reinstated for Sunday’s visit to Newcastle, he lasted 66 minutes before being removed from an underperforming team trying to recover a goal deficit.
A media debate has rumbled around him over tactics and the player’s capabilities. Prominent commentators like Graeme Souness argue that Pogba is unable to understand “the responsibility that comes with being a central midfielder.” “He plays like a schoolboy running after the ball in the playground,” was Souness’ most damning comment, in The Sunday Times.
When Wayne Rooney took the unusual step of advising an opposition manager on how best to use a key player, an amused Jose Mourinho responded to his former captain’s assessment that “Paul Pogba is a classic box-to-box player” who should be liberated of some defensive responsibility.
“This week I got a bit confused when some people say a box-to-box has to play free of defensive duties,” said Mourinho. “That is not box-to-box: That is a box in the box, and stay in that box, and doesn't move from that box. I think this country produced a lot of amazing box-to-box players — I had the pleasure to coach some of them - but I think nowadays with some pundits, some agents, some family members, I think the concept of the box-to-box is changing a little bit.
“When people ask what is the best position for Paul to play? Paul is a midfield player. Depends on the tactical system the team plays - he can play with two, he can play with one, he can play with three, but he will be always a midfield player. And it is difficult to find a midfield player with more potential than Paul has. Because Paul has everything."
Team Pogba agrees with Rooney. According to individuals familiar with the situation, the Frenchman wants to be played on the left-hand side of a midfield three with a third man charged with helping Nemanja Matic shield United's defence. The idea is to emulate the Juventus system in which Pogba's established himself as one of the game's most valuable players.
Ego lies at the core of the complaint. The perception is that Pogba's importance to United is such the team should be set up to allow him to be its key protagonist. Sanchez's signing is said to have piqued that ego, Pogba's representative initially making noises over reports that the new arrival was to be paid more than his client; the player himself discontent he's had to take on defensive duties to accommodate the new forward in the starting line-up.
Conscious of the need to protect a fragile back four, Mourinho emphasises the importance of positional diligence. He sees a footballer with the physical and technical potential to dominate a midfield and will continue to encourage Pogba to express that potential for the benefit of his team.
At this level of football, playing for yourself is a self-defeating exercise. No matter how your club markets you.
Paul Pogba ego takes a hit with Alexis Sanchez arrival at Manchester United
Paul Pogba ego takes a hit with Alexis Sanchez arrival at Manchester United
Harris English makes a late charge to take 3rd-round lead at Farmers Insurance Open
- The four-time PGA Tour winner put his 131-yard third shot inside 3 feet on the 18th, holing out for the 54-hole lead
- A large group of players had to finish its second rounds Friday morning after ferocious wind forced an 86-minute delay Thursday and affected scores across the board
SAN DIEGO: Harris English finished his 6-under 66 with three straight birdies Friday, charging into a one-shot lead over Andrew Novak at 9-under 207 heading into the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open.
English capitalized in the third round after Torrey Pines’ brutal wind calmed down and the coastal South course returned to picture-perfect weather, making three birdies in four holes before the turn and adding four in his final six holes. The four-time PGA Tour winner put his 131-yard third shot inside 3 feet on the 18th, holing out for the 54-hole lead.
“Today was way easier condition-wise,” English said. “Yesterday was wild. ... You’ve just got to manage your game, and I’ve done that.”
English went to a four-way playoff at Torrey Pines in 2015, but lost to Jason Day. He had nine top-10 finishes in the past two seasons, but he hasn’t won since 2021, when he survived an epic eight-hole playoff with Kramer Hickok at the Travelers Championship.
Novak also shot 66, but he went bogey-free and held the lead until English nudged in front with his big finish. South African rookie Aldrich Potgieter was at 7-under 209, while Joel Dahmen, Lanto Griffin, Matti Schmid and K.H. Lee were four shots back of English at a tournament that has seen its share of electrifying final-day rallies..
A large group of players had to finish its second rounds Friday morning after ferocious wind forced an 86-minute delay Thursday and affected scores across the board. There was minimal wind Friday, although the breezes are expected to kick up again Saturday.
The Farmers Insurance Open began on Wednesday and ends Saturday to avoid a conflict with the NFL’s conference championship games Sunday.
Potgieter, the promising 20-year-old, birdied three par-3 holes and eagled the par-4 12th. He holed out from 173 yards with an 8 iron, celebrating with a hug from his caddie.
“Par 3s probably aren’t my strongest out of the pars, but I was hitting the ball a lot better today,” Potgieter said. “Especially on those holes, I put myself in good spots to hole some putts.”
Potgieter battled through the wind to a 76 on Thursday, but got better along with the weather.
So did Novak, who buried a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th. Novak is chasing his first victory in his fourth season on tour.
“You want to win, and anytime you want something, you might put pressure on yourself,” Novak said. “There’s going to be nerves (Saturday). You know, I’ve gone through Q-school. I’ve been sweating out cut lines. It’s all just nerves. I’ve been nervous a lot of times playing golf. It’s just part of it. You just have to step up and hit the golf shot.”
F1 champion Max Verstappen the brightest star missing from stacked field at Rolex 24 of Daytona
- The race that begins Saturday at Daytona International Speedway features 235 of the best drivers in the world representing 31 countries
- Kevin Magnussen, who in December closed his 10-year F1 career for good, has the most recent series experience out of the 14 former F1 drivers entered
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida: The notorious tune “Du du du duh ... Max Verstappen ...” is likely loathed by every racing driver other than the reigning four-time Formula 1 champion.
But if many of those same drivers had their way, the Dutchman would be in Daytona this weekend racing the Rolex 24 and the song that honors his dominance would be blared throughout the infield during his driving stints.
The race that begins Saturday at Daytona International Speedway features 235 of the best drivers in the world representing 31 countries, and while that count includes former F1 drivers, none are currently active in the global series. Kevin Magnussen, who in December closed his 10-year F1 career for good, has the most recent series experience out of the 14 former F1 drivers entered.
He’s joined in Daytona by former Haas F1 teammates Romain Grosjean and Pietro Fittipaldi, Daniil Kvyat, Kamui Kobayashi, Felipe Nasr, Felipe Massa, Sebastien Bourdais, Paul Di Resta, Will Stevens, Brendon Hartley, Jack Aitken, Gianmaria Bruni and Pascal Wehrlein. Current F1 reserve drivers Felipe Drugovich and Frederik Vesti, and Ferrari development driver Arthur Leclerc are also entered.
The field, simply put, is stacked. But when Australian V8 Supercars champion and NASCAR Cup Series rookie Shane van Gisbergen was asked what driver is missing from the race, his answer was a single name: “Max.”
No one even had to ask which Max he was referring to as he echoed the sentiment of Ben Keating, a co-driver on van Gisbergen’s team.
“I’d like to see Max Verstappen come out here and play around with us,” Keating said.
Van Gisbergen said he’d been messaging with Verstappen during Rolex preparation and, “I think he’d be good here.”
Verstappen drove an Acura sports car at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in November ahead of the F1 race there, and has previously indicated he’d someday like to move to endurance racing. He’s an avid SIM racer and the live streams of his sessions draw hundreds of thousands of viewers.
Magnussen predicted Verstappen will eventually make his way to Daytona, in part because “I don’t see him continuing 10 years in F1.”
“He’s a proper racer, so he would do Daytona. Based on all the SIM racing he does and he already has a GT team,” Magnussen added.
Verstappen has previously said his family is planning to form a two-car GT3 team that could compete in series like the GT World Challenge (GTWC) and the idea came from his SIM racing, from 2025 onwards.
“The first step is our own GT3 team and then we’ll see where we end up,” Verstappen previously told Dutch magazine Formule 1. “It would be nice to be able to grow to the highest level in endurance racing.”
Sabalenka, Keys wind up for big-hitting Australian Open final
- Keys and Sabalenka have met five times previously, with the Belarusian winning four, most recently on Beijing’s hard courts last year
- Both players are on 11-match win streaks after Sabalenka clinched the title in Brisbane and Keys followed suit in Adelaide
MELBOURNE: The irresistible force of Aryna Sabalenka meets the unbreakable spirit of Madison Keys on Saturday in an Australian Open women’s singles final that promises to be a thunderous slugfest.
Defending champion Sabalenka was hailed by beaten semifinalist Paula Badosa as being so good it was “like she’s playing a PlayStation” after dishing out a merciless straight-sets bludgeoning to her good friend.
The never-say-die American Keys, who will turn 30 next month, saved eight break points and a match point in a nerve-shredding final set against Iga Swiatek that went all the way to a 10-point tiebreak.
“Definitely some big-hitting. I think that is going to happen,” the powerful 19th seed Keys predicted of the final between two similar power players.
“Not a lot of long points.”
The final on Rod Laver Arena begins at 7:30pm (0830 GMT).
Keys and Sabalenka have met five times previously, with the Belarusian winning four, most recently on Beijing’s hard courts last year. Keys’s sole win came on grass in Berlin in 2021.
“She’s playing incredible tennis,” said Sabalenka.
“She’s a very aggressive player, serving well, moving well. She’s in great shape.
“It’s going to be a great battle.”
Sabalenka is guaranteed to remain at world No. 1 because of Swiatek’s defeat, while Keys will break back into the top 10 for the first time since 2019.
A victory in the final will see Keys equal the career-high ranking of seven she reached in 2016.
Both players are on 11-match win streaks after Sabalenka clinched the title in Brisbane and Keys followed suit in Adelaide.
Sabalenka, the modern-day queen of Melbourne Park, has won 20 straight matches on the famous blue hard courts. A 21st will complete a treble not witnessed this century.
The last three-peat in Melbourne was achieved by Martina Hingis in 1999 and only four other women have done it — Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles.
Three in a row is a rare achievement at any Slam and has only been done this century on three occasions.
At Roland Garros Justine Henin completed the treble in 2007 and Iga Swiatek emulated it last year.
Serena Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles but only managed a hat trick once, at the US Open from 2012-14.
Sabalenka will be in her fifth Slam final, Keys in only her second, having lost the 2017 US Open final 6-3, 6-0 to Sloane Stephens.
“I’ve obviously thought of that match endlessly for the past eight years,” said Keys, who broke down in tears after beating Swiatek in a see-sawing contest that lasted 2hr 35min.
“I was so consumed with being nervous and the moment that I never really gave myself a chance to actually play.
“You can also play tennis through that... is one of the biggest lessons that I take from that US Open final.”
The men’s doubles title will also be decided on the penultimate day of action at Melbourne Park.
Italian third seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori will face sixth seeds Harri Heliovaara of Finland and Britain’s Henry Patten in the final.
Bolelli and Vavassori are contesting their second consecutive Melbourne final after losing to Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden a year ago.
The men’s singles and women’s doubles titles will be decided on Sunday, the 15th and final day of the tournament.
Team Brady lead the way in Jeddah’s UIM E1 World Championship
- Tom Brady-backed outfit top breathless qualifying session
- Team AlUla provide fierce competition on the water
JEDDAH: Team Brady on Friday secured pole position in the 2025 UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF, the world’s first all-electric race boat series, which is taking place in Jeddah.
The 2024 Champions of the Water reigned supreme on the Red Sea, as the Tom Brady-backed team topped a breathless qualifying session.
The team’s Emma Kimilainen proved the fastest pilot in qualifying following a day of intense competition to put her team in the driving seat at the E1 Jeddah GP.
Her side overcame fierce competition from Team AlUla, championed by LeBron James, in second place and Aoki Racing Team in third.
Kimilainen said: “As reigning champions the pressure was always going to be on us. But as Tom (Brady) tells us, we should embrace it, and that’s exactly what we did today.”
E1 newcomers Team AlUla, competing for the first time after entering the championship this week, proved to be the surprise package thanks to a blistering qualifying time trial by their Canadian pilot Rusty Wyatt.
The result paved the way for a gripping race day on Saturday with the championship’s nine teams looking to establish an early lead to take the fight to Team Brady.
Friday marked the championship’s return to Jeddah, the location for E1’s first-ever race.
Maresca happy with Chelsea wide men as Garnacho rumors swirl
- The 20-year-old Argentina international has reportedly been the subject of interest from Chelsea and Napoli
- The Italian said the club were keeping a close eye on options in the transfer market
LONDON: Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said Friday he is happy with his wide options despite reports linking the London club with a move for Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho.
The 20-year-old Argentina international has reportedly been the subject of interest from Chelsea and Italian side Napoli during the January transfer window.
Representatives of Garnacho were in attendance as Chelsea beat Wolves at Stamford Bridge on Monday.
Maresca, who is likely to be without Mykhailo Mudryk for an extended period as the Ukrainian awaits the outcome of a doping investigation, handed a Premier League debut to academy graduate Tyrique George during the 3-1 win, after being left with only three available senior wide forward.
Noni Madueke, Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho have shared the two wide starting berths since Mudryk has been unavailable, while Joao Felix can also operate on the wings.
Maresca, whose team face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, was asked at his pre-match press conference about the Garnacho reports.
“I’m happy with the ones that we have in this moment,” he said. “We said many times, on the right side is Pedro (Neto) and Noni (Madueke) and on the left side is Jadon (Sancho).
“Misha (Mudryk) was with us but now he is not with us but (we also have) Tyrique, I think it’s a young profile that can help us. In this moment, we are OK.”
The Italian said the club were keeping a close eye on options in the transfer market, with the window closing on February 3.
Fourth-placed Chelsea are seeking to open up a five-point gap on the champions in the race to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Maresca was employed by City, first as coach of their elite development squad then latterly as an assistant to manager Pep Guardiola, either side of an unsuccessful and brief spell in charge of Italian Serie B side Parma.
The Chelsea boss spoke warmly about City, referring to the “trust, confidence and faith” they showed in him after his sacking by Parma.
And he downplayed suggestions that it was a good time to face Guardiola’s men, who have had a miserable season.
“It is probably on the other side,” he said. “I think this kind of club with these kind of players, when they are in a difficult moment, it’s when they want to show how good they are.
“They want to come against everyone and say: ‘OK, if you think we are not good enough, we are going to show you how good we are’, so I don’t think there is a good moment to play against City.”
