The Devil's Den

Football is Dead [viz. by Varun Sangwan] Yesterday, the footballing world was shaken to its core by the announcement of a European Super League, potentially disrupting the existing European competitions, i.e., UEFA Champion's League and The Europa League. Gone will be the days when any team could dream of playing in the European competitions as an attempt to challenge the status quo about the big teams in their respective leagues. Teams who have done well recently - the likes of West Ham, Leicester, Real Sociedad, Atalanta, and so on, who rose above expectations to challenge the top tier teams in their divisions will probably find their herculean efforts to have been in vain because the owners of the so-called big clubs have decided that football is just supposed to make money and shouldn't mean anything to the fans. WHAT IS THE EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE? What is the European Super League? [via GiveMeSport] The European Super League is an initiative lead by the biggest teams in wor...

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...

The Red Devils face an in-form Leicester City in the Last 8 of the FA Cup TRIVIA Venue - King Power Stadium Kickoff - Sunday, March 21, 17:00 GMT                                                          22:30 IST Solskjaer's Manchester United have fared pretty well in what has been said as a season-defining week for the club. After a few dismal 0-0 draws, The Red Devils were to face a rampant Manchester City side, running away with the title. And oh boy, were they up for it. We brought an end to City's 21-game winning streak through a wonderful team performance. The very next match, we had a below-par performance against AC Milan in the Europa League, somehow got a goal and somehow gave it away in the last minute.  Having more or less secured Top 4 with a win against West Ham , Manchester United also knocked out ...