According to a story, Manchester United players were left looking red-faced after conversations in their WhatsApp group before the team’s 7-0 loss to Liverpool.
After defeating Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final the weekend before and beating West Ham in the FA Cup fifth round throughout the week, Erik ten Hag and his team entered a match at Anfield in good spirits.
But with a stunning 7-0 victory against Manchester United on Merseyside, Jürgen Klopp and his Liverpool players could not have dealt the Old Trafford squad and its fans a deeper humiliation.
Cody Gakpo gave Liverpool a slim lead of one goal at halftime, and Manchester United left Anfield after an amazing second-half implosion that left them completely embarrassed.
Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, and Roberto Firmino all scored goals to leave United players in complete disbelief, especially after some remarkably confident WhatsApp texts from the Old Trafford players surfaced.
According to details in a recent piece from Chris Wheeler of the Mail, Manchester United players had “a growing feeling” that winning the Premier League was “a genuine aim” for them before last weekend.
It has also been showed that members of Erik ten Hag’s first-team squad discussed the possibility of overtaking Arsenal and Manchester City at the top of the Premier League standings in the players’ WhatsApp group.
Following another thrilling round of play over the weekend, Arsenal presently maintain a five-point lead over Pep Guardiola’s reigning Champions in the competitive Premier League title chase at the top of the division.
Although Gary O’Neil’s team briefly led 0-2 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, Mikel Arteta’s team was mere minutes away from losing to Bournemouth at home.
Reiss Nelson’s goal in the 96th minute capped off a remarkable comeback in North London, earning them all three points and maintaining their lead over Manchester City after the Etihad club sailed to a confident 2-0 victory over Newcastle in the opening round.
The matchup between Manchester City and Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace team is coming up this weekend; in the past, this matchup has been extremely difficult for Pep Guardiola and his team.
Bruno Fernandes’ petulant behaviour hints at transfer call facing Newcastle United in coming windows
Bruno Fernandes has drawn criticism for his conduct during Manchester United’s 7-0 loss to Liverpool, and his actions may be a sign of things to come for Newcastle.
At Newcastle United, team cohesion is essential. For Eddie Howe, a player’s personality is almost as vital as their skill on the field, and it is this philosophy that has allowed the Magpies to quickly become a top-six force.
The players who have built the foundation of the locker room will eventually be replaced as the club develops and moves closer to becoming championship contenders and award winners. It will be difficult, but inevitable, to say goodbye to some of the people who traveled with the team through the Mike Ashley era’s final phases to the Carabao Cup Final. That is the cost of achievement.
As of right now, Howe’s strategy of signing players who have the correct mindset has paid off; the club has some bite without any egos out of control. The success of this strategy has sustained, which is a tribute to the transfer staff. At the moment, Newcastle’s roster is small. players who give it their all and, even on a terrible afternoon, do not give up or stop moving. Such an event would not be tolerated by Toon fans.
But those circumstances will eventually be put to the test. Newcastle run the risk of bringing in a player who disrupts the harmony of the locker room as they go from being a package trying to crash the top four party to regular sitters around the Champions League table. Another cost that elite clubs incur when acquiring elite athletes.
Players that pout and act out but then five minutes later perform a miracle to win a game. It goes without saying that the best players in the game have egos.
A prime example would be Bruno Fernandes, who demonstrated one aspect of his game as Liverpool dominated Manchester United. In a 3-0 victory for Erik ten Hag’s team against Leicester City a few weeks prior, Fernandes put up perhaps his best performance of the year. However, against Liverpool, he displayed a petulant and immature side to his game that many have dubbed a “embarrassment.”
The Portuguese international looked to push the linesmen as well as give up chasing Stefan Bajcetic with the ball still in play before falling to the ground and alleging Ibrahima Konate elbowed him in the face when it was plainly an inadvertent palm to his chest. Most concerningly, Fernandes appeared to signal the bench to replace him in the game’s last minutes. The former Sporting Lisbon player did not look good.
But, some would say that you must make that sacrifice if you want to field one of the top players in the world. In just 111 Premier League appearances over his three years at Man United, he has scored 41 goals and assisted on another 31.
There is no denying Fernandes’ talent, and he would easily fit into this Newcastle United lineup, providing Bruno Guimaraes with a real quality partner. But, many would question Fernandes’ mentality. As Fernandes fills in for club captain Harry Maguire, there are rising calls for ten Hag to remove the midfielder from his role as Man United captain. BBC analyst Chris Sutton told BBC 5 Live: “I think he should never put on the armband again for Manchester United.”
Would ten Hag, however, actually take the armband away from such a powerful player? A player who is more than capable of giving Man United the victory in their upcoming match with a brilliant pass or goal, which would soon erase everyone’s memory of his antics against Liverpool. Back to the original question: What do you anticipate from a true top player? It is difficult to locate someone with the proper mindset and a wealth of skills.
Can Newcastle find another pair of players who are as talented as Bruno Guimaraes and Kieran Trippier? To guarantee that progress is maintained, Howe and his transfer staff will eventually go shopping in the top level aisle once more. If a player has a positive attitude and produces an end product like Fernandes has, do you accept it or do you keep looking for the guy without a big ego in the hopes that what they lack in raw talent they make up for in team cohesion and spirit?
Newcastle United will follow their own way to the top of the table, but they will also take advice from the teams already there. The answer to that question may very well depend on how ten Hag handles Fernandes’ behavior. If Ten Hag fires Fernandes, as many people think he should, it might well be a sign that winning isn’t always a matter of aptitude over character.