The Devil's Den

Manchester United come into the game in top form, having not lost their last 19 games in all competitions, with the previous seven being victories. The red devils are currently second in the league and are set to qualify for the Champions League quite comfortably next season. Key to all proceedings this season has been the Portuguese magnifico - Bruno Fernandes, who has been in sensational form this season, averaging a goal involvement per game. Manchester United will be looking to capitalize on this recent form, and a win against Burnley will further cement their place as the second-best team in England at this moment in time. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will also be looking to break the Burnley jinx, whose record at Old Trafford in the past five years has been exemplary.  Sean Dyche's men, on the other hand, will be looking to stay up in England's top tier as they are currently 7 points off 17th placed Fulham with a game in hand. They are unlikely to get relegated, but as long as t...

Manchester United beat Spurs 1-3 It was just another day at the office for Manchester United as they came from behind once again to win 3-1 against Tottenham and dent the hosts top 4 hopes with just 7 Premier League games remaining. After having a goal overturned under controversial circumstances, The Red Devils reacted in the exact way they were supposed to and made yet another brilliant comeback to undo the injustice done to them. The whole team reacted positively, credit to the manager to keep up the spirits and keep the players calm. Match Review "FRED SCORES THE EQUALISER FOR MANCHESTER UNITED!" Yes this actually happened Cavani had a goal controversially disallowed in the 33rd minute after VAR spotted a flailing arm from McTominay on Son in the build-up. Apparently, Scott McTominay was trying to run forward but Son pulled his arm back, and while trying to get away from him the Scotsman fingers brushed Son, knocking him out for 3 minutes. I was scared if he had to be s...

Solskjaer's turn to get his revenge? [via Football.London] Manchester United are set to face Jose Mourinho’s Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a clash which is important for both Mourinho and Ole. Winning the game will help the Red Devils reduce the gap to 11 points between the noisy neighbours at the top of the table. Man City dropped points against Leeds United (beating Bielsa ball isn't for everyone), allowing Solskjaer a glimmer of hope to close the gap between the two. United have a game in hand over the Blues and could possibly reduce the deficit to 8 pts. Just saying, Manchester City were 8 pts behind Manchester United with 6 games to go when they won the 11/12 Premier League Title. Mourinho has been under intense scrutiny this season [via Techno Trenz] Mourinho needs the win to keep Spurs Champions League hopes alive, which would be the least Spurs' fans would expect of him. After all, they saw their club crash out of both the Europa League and the FA Cup to...

Manchester United beat Granada 0-2 Manchester United move a step closer to Europa League Semi-Finals after a comfortable 2-0 first-leg win over Granada at Estadio Los Carmenes. The Red Devils displayed a much-improved game as compared to the one against Brighton. MATCH REVIEW The Men of the Moment United took control of the match early on in the game. They restricted Granada to the odd sight of goal, as they engaged De Gea into some Routine Saves. On-loan Chelsea forward Kenedy blazed a volley from a small frame. Former Spurs striker Roberto Soldado lashed a shot into the side netting. United switched off from a freekick and nearly paid the price 5 minutes before the break, but the woodwork came to their rescue as on-loan Manchester City midfielder Yangel Herrera's cross-shot cannoned off the post. Besides these, the Spanish side did not threaten United . Fernandes was yet again on target from the spot Rashford notched his 8th European Goal of the season in the 31st minute. Rashfo...

Granada vs Manchester United [via UEFA Europa League] TRIVIA Venue - Estadio Nuevo de Los Carmenes Kickoff - Thursday, April 8, 20:00 BST                    Friday, April 9, 00:30 IST Manchester United exited the FA Cup in a disappointing manner as they allowed Leicester City to run over them in the Quarter-Final. The result and moreover, the performance came as a shock to everyone as the same team had just beaten City, AC Milan, and West Ham in a span of 2 weeks. The International Break couldn't have come at a better time for Ole. Most of our players got about the right amount of rest and game time during their time with their countries. We were expected to come back fresher as we restarted PL action. But quite evidently, our team took a while to get out of their blocks against Brighton, conceding yet another early goal. Although we managed to come back from behind, yet again, we need to start winning games more comfortably. Taking...

Should Manchester United Let Eric Bailly Go? [viz by The Devils Den] Bailly Arrives At Manchester United Eric Bailly signs for Manchester United [via Daily Express] On 8th June 2016, Eric Bailly became the first signing of the Jose Mourinho era when he was signed from Villarreal on a 4-year contract for a fee of €30 mn. The promising young Ivorian was regarded as the "next big thing" at the heart of the central defence for Manchester United. But his ride has been rough in England. A host of consecutive injuries have halted the Ivorian's career growth at Old Trafford. The Ivorian Came With A Reputation Bailly established himself as one of the best CBs in La Liga [via BBC] Eric joined the Red Devils as one of the best center backs in the La Liga during the 2015-16 season and playing a key role in the impressive Europa League run of Villarreal seeing them progress to the semi-finals. With a United Defence which lacked a strong, physical and brutal defender at that time, the...

Europe’s Most Wanted Defender An analysis on one of the world’s most sought-after centre back, and no it's not Phil Jones Not many players are privileged to play for their hometown club, many youth players may not be good enough to make the grade and hence, released once their youth contract expires. The demands of a footballer are high, especially in Europe where money can be spent seamlessly to fill a hole in the team. That said, when Torres became Villareal’s first local debutant in 13 years against CD Toledo in the Copa del Rey in the 2016/17 season, expectations on him were high and we can see him relishing his potential today.   Pau Torres is currently living the dream as a boyhood Villarreal fan, playing regular football for both club and country whilst being amongst the radar of Europe’s elite. The centre back has impressed alongside Raúl Albiol at the heart of defence for the yellow submarines, as they chase European football for the second successive season, this tim...