LONDON: There is a strand of Manchester United fan, those in thrall to the cult of Jose Mourinho, that insists that the situation he inherited at Old Trafford was much worse than the squad Pep Guardiola took over at the Etihad.
It is a slightly mystifying claim given the widespread perception at the time that City were aging while United had a scattering of extremely exciting emerging young talent. But what has given that notion legs has been the shambolic nature of United’s spending. And that has added edge to the unease between Mourinho and Paul Pogba.
City have made mistakes with their spending. Nolito did not work out. Danilo has struggled. Claudio Bravo was awful. But, for the most part, their signings have thrived. It is true that roughly €400 million ($491 million) has been spent net, but City have got full value for that spending. Most of those they have brought in have been young and upcoming, not unknowns by any means, but players still climbing toward a peak.
That cannot be said of United since Sir Alex Ferguson left, with new parts constantly being bolted on with very little sign of advance thought of cohesive planning. And most troubling is that the two most expensive signings, Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba, have both to some extent failed.
Lukaku has scored 22 goals for United in all competitions but none of those have come against other members of the big six. He did score against Real Madrid in the European Super Cup, but nothing he has yet done at Old Trafford has done anything to allay the fears that he is not quite at the elite level to make a difference in big games. What was striking at Sevilla on Wednesday as that Alex Sanchez cross came to him in the first half was how, even though the ball was on his preferred foot, it never seemed plausible that he might score.
Pogba, meanwhile, has managed eight goals and 13 assists in 45 Premier League starts since joining in the summer of 2016 which, on the face of it, sounds good. But the problem is the disruption he causes. In the 4-2-3-1 Mourinho seems these days to favor, Pogba is neither disciplined enough to play in one of the deeper positions — a point Mourinho made forcibly to him on the touchline in the defeats against both Tottenham and Newcastle — nor technically good enough with his back to goal to play behind a striker.
He is a rampaging, surging presence, a player to thrill the heart when he takes hold of a game, but an anachronism in the modern game as a box-to-box player in an era that has essentially separated midfield into two distinct bands.
Perhaps the most troubling evidence of his misfit status came at Arsenal when his red card paradoxically seemed to make United more secure in their lead as they could retreat into their bunker without anybody leading heroic charges at the opposition.
In that sense, the player he is most reminiscent of is Steven Gerrard, whom Rafa Benitez ended up playing wide or as the most creative of three central midfielders at Liverpool. Mourinho’s switch to a 4-3-3 in Seville, but with Pogba on the bench, seemed a point being calculatedly made. Yet when Pogba did come on, after Ander Herrera had suffered a hamstring injury after 16 minutes, his impact was minimal — as it had been on the left of a 4-3-3 at Basel in the group stage.
Mourinho’s frustration with Pogba is understandable, but his decision to take him on is intriguing. When he described Scott McTominay earlier this week as having “a normal haircut, no tattoos, no big cars, no big watches ... ” it was pretty obvious whom he was really talking about.
With his extended contract now signed, Mourinho presumably feels emboldened, able to take radical action to try to shape the squad as he wants. But we have seen this political game-playing before, most notably at Real Madrid when he ousted the sporting director Jorge Valdano and then ostracized the goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas.
Then it was the beginning of the end for Mourinho at the club. With Chelsea visiting Old Trafford today these are dangerous games he is playing.
Jose Mourinho playing dangerous games at a testing time for Manchester United
Jose Mourinho playing dangerous games at a testing time for Manchester United
Prince Sultan champions E1 Jeddah GP’s theme of ‘Race for Change’
- UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF, the world’s only all-electric boat race, kicked off 2nd season with E1 Jeddah GP on Friday
JEDDAH: Prince Sultan bin Fahd bin Salman, chairman of the Saudi Water Sports and Diving Federation, has championed the E1 Jeddah GP’s theme of “Race for Change” as a key part of Saudi Arabia’s sporting ambitions.
Qualifying for the E1 Jeddah GP, which begins a second season of the UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF, took place on Friday with Team Brady, the 2024 Champions of the Water, first in the campaign’s opening race. Team AlUla, on their debut, set the fastest single lap time on water but had to settle for second qualifying spot overall. Racing Team Aoki rounded off the qualifying podium.
Presented in partnership between E1, the Saudi Ministry of Sport and SWSDF, the main E1 Jeddah GP race will take place on Saturday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the E1 Jeddah GP, Prince Sultan said of the “Race for Change” theme of this year’s race: “The first step of change is information; you have to tell people. You have to show people. If we don’t have more events like E1 where there is a high level of competition with the future of mobility in terms of electric, hydrogen and alternative methods of mobility, then I don’t think as many people would be as interested in it.
“The reason you have seen car racing develop as big as it is is because it is accessible; people can drive cars and the reason they want to do it is because they see the races. The thing with electric mobility is that more and more people are going to be interested in the racing and hopefully this is going to be the starting point for making it accessible for everyone.”
Prince Sultan added: “You inspire the next generation by showing them that it’s possible and by giving them access. Yesterday, we had an open day for 150 to 200 schoolchildren and when they’re here doing all of this, then it stays (in their minds).”
E1 features top teams owned by some of the best-known celebrities in the world such as Tom Brady, Will Smith, Didier Drogba, Rafael Nadal, Steve Aoki and more. Teams have two pilots — one male, one female — powering futuristic, all-electric RaceBirds. Following the Jeddah event, the E1 season continues at six different marine locations —including Doha, Lake Como, Monaco, and Miami — across the globe throughout the year.
Asked what he enjoyed most about E1, Prince Sultan said: “The competition. Honestly, I’ve never before seen such friendly competition here. When you speak to the pilots and team members, it feels like one big family — until they’re on the water. When they’re on the water, it’s fierce competition. The moment they leave the water, we joke and laugh about it, and congratulate each other on the results, but the competition is there properly. It’s positive competition; it’s not negative competition.”
The UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF, the world’s only all-electric raceboat championship, aligns with the vision of the Saudi Water Sports and Diving Federation, which promotes sustainable practices and broad participation across all levels of society.
Oban Duncan hoping for Didier Drogba inspiration in quest for E1 Jeddah GP success
- Team Drogba female pilot, 19, from Loch Lomond in Scotland, is the youngest competitor in the UIM E1 World Championship
JEDDAH: A teenage all-electric speedboat pilot from the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond hopes the wise words of Chelsea legend Didier Drogba can inspire her to success at the E1 Jeddah GP on Saturday.
Oban Duncan from Balloch, who celebrated her 19th birthday on Jan. 14, is the female pilot for Team Drogba, one of the celebrity-owned teams in the UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF, a competition entering its second season.
The current Champions of the Water are Team Brady — owned by NFL legend Tom Brady — but, backed by the former Champions League-winning striker, Duncan believes a triumph in Jeddah would be the perfect platform for Team Drogba this campaign.
Speaking beside the sun-kissed coastal waters of the Red Sea in temperatures of 26 degrees Celsius while her hometown of Balloch in Loch Lomond braces for a huge storm called Storm Eowyn this weekend, Duncan said: “I think a win in Jeddah would definitely put us in good form for this season. Testing for us has gone really well the past couple of days.
“I think absolutely everyone I’ve spoken to thinks Didier is amazing and he is an amazing team owner. I couldn’t have picked a better team. He’s so invested in the team and wants us to do well, which is great, and even when he can’t make events, he always tries to call or text just to say, ‘hope everything goes well.’ He’s so committed to us doing well but understands when it doesn’t go quite the way we want as well.
“We had a really tough race in Venice last year and it was really tough for me personally, and he sort of took me to one side at the race and was like, ‘look, we’ve all had tough races. You’ve shown that you’re a good pilot and we can get through this as a team. We know that you can do it.’ And it really meant a lot coming from him, from all his background and extensive knowledge of being a sportsman to understand that, yes, it’s one race and we still have a whole season ahead of us. He’s really great. He’s such a lovely guy. Last year for my birthday he gave us signed footballs and stuff, which was really nice. And Gabrielle, his partner, is amazing as well. She’s sort of taken me under her wing, which is so nice.”
Duncan is by far the youngest pilot in the UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF, which also has teams owned by the likes of Will Smith, Rafael Nadal, Steve Aoki and the just-announced Team AlUla championed by Lebron James competing. Championing equality in sport, each team has a male pilot and a female pilot in the all-electric RaceBirds — with Duncan’s Kuwaiti teammate Yousef Al-Abdulrazzaq at Team Drogba more than double her age at 44. But do not be deceived about Duncan’s experience; she began competitive boating in Scotland from the age of eight.
Duncan said: “My mum and dad have had boats and jet skis since I was little, so I grew up around them. I just found out I loved it. I must have spent thousands of hours on Loch Lomond going round and round in circles trying to learn as much as I can learn. It’s home water for me, it works.
“About a year and a half ago now, I was contacted by E1 to test drive the boat. They needed a female pilot to try it and see their opinions on it. So, I went out for a day to test in Italy, and then we had a couple more test days with E1. From there, Team Drogba contacted me to be a pilot and it’s just grown massively from there. There are much worse jobs out there than this! It still doesn’t feel real. It’s amazing.”
She added: “For E1 to have equal male and female pilots, it’s definitely made a huge difference. I think season one has shown that there isn’t a huge difference between male and female pilots and that we can all compete against each other and just be as good as each other. It’s completely mixed, which is great. I think it should 100 percent encourage more women to get into it. There’s also work being done trying to bring women into engineering as well, in terms of motorsport engineering, and I’ve seen great success with that.”
This season’s opener in Jeddah comes under the theme “Race for Change.” Following the Jeddah event, the E1 season is held at six different marine locations across the globe, including Doha, Monaco, Lake Como and Miami.
Presented in partnership between E1, the Saudi Ministry of Sport, and the Saudi Water Sports and Diving Federation, qualifying for the E1 Jeddah GP took place on Friday, with the main race on Saturday. The UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF is the world’s only all-electric raceboat championship. It transcends traditional racing and champions a vision of revolutionizing marine transportation, with the introduction of charging points at race venues marking a shift toward greener marine practices.
Duncan said: “We came to Jeddah last year and sort of fell in love with the place. We absolutely love it. It’s a beautiful race. The course is really challenging but great at the same time. We had a couple of days off where we got to go out on boats, which is not what you’d expect us to do! We went for a swim around and just enjoyed the peace and quiet because although it’s the hustle and bustle of a city, it’s a beautiful city and a gorgeous sea at the same time.”
She added: “We’re based in Loch Lomond, but it feels like we’re never there. But when we’re home, it’s just nice to have a break and enjoy the fresh air, the cold weather. I love to be home when we’re at home, but I couldn’t fault the travel. We’d never get to see places like Jeddah otherwise.”
But while Jeddah is home this weekend and Loch Lomond will always be home, perhaps the place by the water with the deepest place in Oban Duncan’s heart is the Scottish west coast town after which she is named.
She said: “My mum and dad like Iona and all of those sorts of names and then were like, ‘Oban … love that.’ They actually got their wedding rings from the jewelery shop in Oban. They really love the place so we try and go as often as we can to see it and take it in, because it is a beautiful place. We just love the place.
“People from Scotland think my name is so different, which is great, and people that aren’t from Scotland don’t initially get it — and then once you explain it, they do, which is amazing. I think I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have an unusual name. I think it sort of makes me who I am.”
Australian Open: Keys upsets 2-time champion Sabalenka in women’s final for 1st Grand Slam title
- Madison Keys is the first woman since Serena Williams in 2005 to defeat both of the WTA’s top two players at Melbourne Park
MELBOURNE: Madison Keys of the United States upset two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in the Australian Open final on Saturday night to collect her first Grand Slam title at age 29.
By adding this win over the No. 1-ranked Sabalenka to an elimination of No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals on Thursday — saving a match point along the way — Keys is the first woman since Serena Williams in 2005 to defeat both of the WTA’s top two players at Melbourne Park.
Keys, ranked 14th and seeded 19th, was playing in her second major final after being the runner-up at the 2017 US Open.
She prevented Sabalenka from earning what would have been her third women’s trophy in a row at the Australian Open — something last accomplished by Martina Hingis from 1997-99 — and her fourth major title overall.
Alishan Sharafu and Jason Holder star as Abu Dhabi Knight Riders win big against MI Emirates
- Kieron Pollard half-century not enough to stop Knight Riders recording their third win of the DP World ILT20 season
ABU DHABI: Alishan Sharafu, Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers played defining roles for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders as they defeated the MI Emirates by 42 runs at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Friday evening.
The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders moved to third place on the points table with the win in Season 3 of DP World ILT20, and Sharafu came away with the player of the match award.
Batting first, the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders had a slow start, and midway through the powerplay they lost Mayers for 11 and Michael-Kyle Pepper for a duck, off consecutive deliveries to Alzarri Joseph. Andries Gous and Charith Asalanka then absorbed the pressure, and steadied the ship with a couple of very handy contributions.
The duo put on 41 runs together before Gous was caught behind for 27. That brought Sharafu to the middle, who along with Asalanka started to set up the platform for a big finish. Asalanka, who hit three boundaries and a six, scored 32 and was dismissed by Zahoor Khan in the 12th over. From then on in, Sharafu and Roston Chase took charge, with the Emirati cricketer starting to go through the gears. Sharafu played some exquisite shots, while Chase kept the momentum going as well.
They put on a 72-run partnership from 39 deliveries, after which Chase retired for 20, bringing in the dangerous Andre Russell for the final two overs. Russell started off with a big six but was castled on the next delivery. At the other end though, Sharafu brought up his half-century and had Holder for company. Sharafu continued his attack and finished with 55 to his name, while Holder added a quick 22 not out from seven deliveries, to help the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders reach 182/7 in their 20 overs.
The MI Emirates did not get the start they would have wanted as Kyle Mayers picked three quick wickets, including those of Kusal Perera for nine and Nicholas Pooran for one. From the other end, David Willey dismissed Tom Banton for one, and the MI Emirates were in trouble at 36/4 in the sixth over. Muhammad Waseem, who was the fourth to depart, had scored 19, and smashed three sixes during his stay.
Dan Mousley and Kieron Pollard now had their task cut out, and the duo dropped anchor to rebuild. The fifth wicket partnership gave the MI Emirates 33 more before Mousley gloved it to the keeper, and had to walk back for 17. Pollard by now had settled in well, and had Romario Shepherd for company.
Under pressure, Pollard started to up the ante and teed off in the 17th over, when he smashed a six and three boundaries, raising hopes of a comeback. Shepherd, though, could not hang in there and became Holder’s second wicket of the evening, which further piled on the pressure on the MI Emirates. Pollard meanwhile had completed his half-century.
Pollard continued to look for the big hits in the final couple of overs, but it wasn’t to be for the MI Emirates, who came off second best. Pollard finished unbeaten on 69, having hit four boundaries and as many sixes.
Player of the match Sharafu said: “It was a pretty special one, and I didn’t get many in all the other games, so wanted to cash in today. The wicket was a bit on the slower side, but once you bat a few balls you can try to take it from there.”
MI Emirates’ captain Pooran said: “Losing four wickets in the powerplay was tough during the chase. They also had a good left-right combination going, they had a good partnership that pushed the game forward.”
Brief scores
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders beat MI Emirates by 42 runs
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 182/7 in 20 overs (Alishan Sharafu — 55, Charith Asalanka — 32, Jason Holder — 22 not out, Alzarri Joseph — 3 for 32, Fazalhaq Farooqi — 1 for 27)
MI Emirates 140/6 in 20 overs (Kieron Pollard — 69 not out, Muhammad Waseem — 19, Kyle Mayers — 3 for 25, Jason Holder — 2 for 28)
Player of the match: Alishan Sharafu
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.”
