Tag Futebol

Saturday's dismal defeat to Newcastle has killed any notion of a genuine revival from Erik ten Hag's side, and more misery awaits

Predicting results is never an easy business, as last weekend's flurry of late goals in the Premier League emphatically demonstrated. But for fans of betting accumulators or those in prediction leagues with their friends and family, Manchester United have made things a lot easier.

There is a very simple way to work out how Erik ten Hag's side are going to fare in the Premier League each week: simply look at the league table. If United's opponents are in the bottom half, then they will win, more often than not (the only bottom-half side they have lost to is Crystal Palace). It might not be pretty or convincing, but they will almost-certainly win.

But whenever the Red Devils play a team from the top half of the table, they lose. Without fail. And often dismally. Saturday's defeat at Newcastle, which was the finest example of a 1-0 thrashing, has emphatically quashed any hopes of a genuine revival after a brief upturn in results against bottom-half opponents.

And unless United can reverse their predictable tendency to fade as soon as they face a quality side, then all they can hope for is an upper-mid-table finish. In other words, the only destination is mediocrity.

• Getty Images
  

  Deceptive resurgence

  People say the league table doesn't lie, but on recent evidence, the form guide sure does. That's because despite making their worst start to a season since the 1960s, United were top of the Premier League form guide at the beginning of the weekend, having won five of their previous six games.

  Ten Hag's side place at top of the mini-league caused double-takes from football fans around the world, but there was a huge caveat. With the exception of their 3-0 drubbing by Manchester City, they had enjoyed a very comfortable set of fixtures, facing Brentford, Sheffield United, Fulham, Luton and Everton.

  They won all five of those games, albeit without looking comfortable in any of them. They needed two last-gasp goals from Scott McTominay to beat the Bees and late strikes from outside the area from Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes to take the three points from their trips to Brammall Lane and Craven Cottage, respectively.

  They also had an unconvincing win over Luton – who were making their first-ever trip to Old Trafford – and then enjoyed their biggest ever win of the season – and their first by more than a goal – at Everton.

  But even their 3-0 win at a fiery Goodison Park was not exactly a stroll, as they withstood a first-half onslaught and benefitted from some terrible misses from the hosts, who hit the woodwork and were denied by a Kobbie Mainoo clearance off the line.

  The run of results may have lifted United's spirits, but it was clear that their revival was built on sand.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  Back down to earth on Tyneside

  Saturday's trip to a freezing St James' Park – with inclement weather causing United's flight to be cancelled and forcing them to take the coach – was the real test of their mettle, and they completely failed it.

  United's record at St James' Park has been poor even when the Magpies have been at their lowest ebb, and even though they have had far worse scorelines against them – not least last month's 3-0 surrender in the Carabao Cup – this was one of their worst ever displays on Tyneside.

  Eddie Howe's side gave United a tactical schooling and it was a miracle that they only conceded once. The visitors managed only three shots on goal and were ravaged down both flanks, as Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho failed to work in tandem with Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Dalot behind them.

  Speaking on , Newcastle great Alan Shearer tore into Ten Hag's side. "They absolutely battered Man United in wide areas," he said. "[Kieran] Trippier and [Tino] Livramento were sensational against Wan-Bissaka and Dalot, but in their defence, they got no help whatsoever from Rashford and Garnacho.

  "Not enough effort from Rashford, he didn't look interested. Newcastle created so many chances, they only got one goal, but it should have been many."

• Getty Images
  

  'Bad eggs' eating away at United's soul

  Shearer brilliantly summed up United's problem when he said there were "too many bad eggs" within the squad. Ten Hag has enough quality players to turn over lesser opponents, but when the going gets tough and those same players are really up against it, they tend to shrink.

  Three days after an energy-sapping and thrilling 3-3 draw away at Galatasaray, United were forced to dig deep against Newcastle, but they couldn't do it. Howe's side had to endure Champions League agony of their own after being on the wrong end of one of the harshest handball decisions of all time against Paris Saint-Germain, but showed that they were made of much sterner stuff than their opponents.

  "There are too many bad eggs in that Man United team, too many bad attitudes," Shearer said. "All right when things are going well for you, you can get your feet on the ball, you can play, your heads are up when things are all nice and rosy.

  "But when it's not going for you and you're a little bit tired, you've been away in a European game and you think you've got to roll your sleeves up, there's not enough characters in that team."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  Injuries are no excuse

  Ten Hag has on many occasions sought to blame his woeful second season in charge of United on their terrible luck with injuries. He has indeed had to do without key players for long periods, with Luke Shaw missing more than three months, Lisandro Martinez being out since September, Casemiro currently sidelined until 2024 and Christian Eriksen recently hurting his knee.

  Tyrell Malacia and Amad Diallo have been injured all season, Mainoo has only just returned while Mason Mount has been injured twice and Rasmus Hojlund missed the first month after turning up with a back injury when he signed from Atalanta.

  But United are hardly unique in that regard. The compressed schedule and the timing of last year's World Cup has affected every club in Europe. and while United have been hit hard, they are by no means the team to have suffered the most with injuries.

  Ten Hag's side are currently ranked 14th in the Premier League injury table, with eight players out. Newcastle are bottom with 13 players unavailable and still managed to outplay them both in the league and in the Carabao Cup.

  Tottenham have 11 players missing but they were able to hold Manchester City to a 3-3 draw, twice coming from behind and showing the type of resilience most United fans would kill for.

Delhi Daredevils failed to qualify for the IPL playoffs for the fifth year in succession, finishing like they did in 2016 – in sixth place, but with two fewer points. They had made a good start to the 2017 season, but a five-match losing streak ruined their prospects. In his evaluation of the campaign, Daredevils mentor Rahul Dravid they were done in by their inability to close out tight games.”You need eight wins to qualify in this tournament, we got seven last year, six this year and I think the close games we lost probably cost us,” Dravid said after Daredevils lost their final game, against Royal Challengers Bangalore. “If I look at five or six of the games, we were actually ahead and we couldn’t close out those games. Maybe that’s a lack of experience, maybe that’s something we can learn from and take ahead in the future.”There were probably seven or eight games that were close and we probably won only two of them, five or six we lost and you can’t afford to lose that many. Obviously, it is a little bit disappointing but there were positives as well right through the season.”Some of Daredevils’ tactics came in for criticism this year. Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem, who eventually was their most economical bowler, played only half the games. And while Karun Nair was given an extended run despite his poor form, Rishabh Pant wasn’t batted at the top of the order in the early games. Dravid said some of the decisions were dictated by injuries.”Corey Anderson, at the start, was the Man of the Match against Kings XI and then he got injured for two games. Zaheer Khan got injured in the middle for two or three games. Chris Morris got injured towards the back end of the tournament. There are some injuries, sometimes you do take calculated decisions. Shreyas Iyer was not there for the first two games due to chicken pox.”Few of the changes were obviously forced due to injuries, sometimes you do make tactical changes as well when people are not in form, so it’s hard to assess. Each and every game was different. That’s not really an excuse. I believe we had the squad and the players to make up for that. I think the team was really good, maybe a little bit inexperienced in the batting because of the injuries early on but I still think we had the ability and a lot of opportunities in a lot of the games.”There was also an element of predictability in their pace-heavy attack, featuring Zaheer Khan, Pat Cummins, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammad Shami and Chris Morris, with Corey Anderson as the back-up seamer. The emphasis on beefing up the bowling, according to Dravid, was to compensate for a weakened batting line-up.”Unfortunately for us at the start of the season, after the auction, Quinton [de Kock] and JP [Duminy], who were probably our two experienced players, pulled out of the IPL because of injury and we had to look for replacements at the last minute and, which, I guess, isn’t easy when most of the players are taken.”So, to balance it out, we tried to go with a slightly more experienced bowling attack because we knew we had young Indian batsmen. I think there is a lot of talent … but, maybe, sometimes you have to get the balance right. Maybe we didn’t have a little bit of luck as well: injuries at the wrong time, maybe a couple of guys didn’t kick on as well as we would have liked.”While three of the Daredevils top four – Nair, Sanju Samson, Iyer and Pant – aggregated over 300 runs, none of them made defining contributions. The absence of an experienced Indian batsman, and the reluctance to give England batsman Sam Billings a longer run at the top, hurt Daredevils.”When you look at our batsman, yes, they are all very talented and, yes, they are probably less experienced than some other people but you got to see it in a different context – in a larger context,” Dravid said. “Because, a couple of years ago, in the middle of a big auction, you are not going to get experienced Indian players, nobody releases experienced Indian players.”Once the Indian players are in a franchise, it’s very rare that they get released in the middle of an auction. We obviously took that decision to back some of the young Indian talent and balance it out with some foreign experienced players.”Through the example of Samson, Dravid illustrated the need for in-form batsmen to not let the momentum drop. While Samson scored the first century of IPL 2017 – a match-winning 102 off 63 balls – he only made two more 50-plus scores and finished with 386 runs at an average of 27.57. He scored 0, 2, 10 and 0 in his last four games.”We have all seen flashes of brilliance, we have seen some fantastic performances, he scored a hundred and some of the innings that he has played but, by his own admission, he probably would have liked to be more consistent,” Dravid said. “That’s the nature of the tournament as well: sometimes when you are on a roll, when you are playing well, you can’t afford to relax. You got to keep going because it’s tough if you get into a slump and if you have a few bad games.”

Arsenal could be closing in on their top summer target already…

What's the latest on Declan Rice to Arsenal?

That's according to The Independent, who claim that despite plenty of Premier League interest, it is the Gunners who remain in the driving seat for West Ham United captain Declan Rice.

The north London outfit has already found themselves embroiled in a long-standing transfer saga with the 24-year-old, having already seen two bids rejected by the Hammers.

However, they are hoping to once again move quickly to mobilise a new offer, which would easily surpass their previous record signing of £72m. It is noted that the feeling within their camp remains positive that they are getting 'closer' to concluding a deal.

With a move for Chelsea forward Kai Havertz now all but confirmed too, it seems Mikel Arteta is wasting no time in bolstering his squad in preparation for the new campaign. These are exciting times indeed as the Gunners target two Premier League superstars to bolster their ranks.

Would Declan Rice improve Martin Odegaard?

The signing of such a stunning midfield general would likely have a boost on everyone within the team, but few would arguably benefit more than Martin Odegaard.

Their Norwegian captain profited hugely from the defensive exploits of Thomas Partey behind him, and yet that ageing titan seems poised to be swapped out for the fresh and youthful energy that this London-born ace promises.

Not only can he provide a sturdier platform for the 24-year-old to thrive, but also his added technical assets make him a particularly special option to hold down the engine room.

Last term he recorded a 7.19 average rating in the league, largely upheld through his one key pass, 2.1 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game, via Sofascore. For comparison, Partey only managed a 7.11 average rating, and saw his key passes drop to 0.8 and his interceptions fall dramatically to 0.5 per match.

Such an outstanding personal season for Rice served not only to maintain his steady rise to prominence but prove the words of journalist Roshane Thomas correct too. He had branded the midfielder a "generational talent" just last year.

Having now made himself a hero in east London by claiming European silverware, it seems fitting that he should take this next natural step up to help Arteta challenge for the title once again.

To place him beside Odegaard could be a petrifying combination for the rest of the Premier League, as it could see the 15 goals and eight assists the maestro recorded last term skyrocket even further with such a reliable asset behind him.

It seems that the progression of this side hinges on the completion of this Rice deal, suggesting that the Gunners should stop waiting around and finalise the move.

Arsenal's move for Galatasaray right-back Sacha Boey could now fall through due to an injury the player suffered on international duty this week, according to reports in Turkey.

What's the latest Arsenal transfer news?

The Gunners look set for a hectic summer transfer window as they prepare for a return to the Champions League next season. Mikel Arteta’s side’s top four finish comes with added pressure and added expectations, and the way in they slowed down towards the end of the season exemplified the need for more quality depth.

The boss looks to be eyeing up a move for West Ham star Declan Rice in order to strengthen his midfield, while Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby has been identified to reinforce the attack, but they have also been strongly linked with upgrades at right-back.

Ben White had a fabulous campaign but cannot be expected to play every fixture across four competitions, leading to Edu Gaspar to make a £12m bid for Boey earlier this month. The 22 year-old provided four assists in 31 league starts for Gala this season, earning himself a call up to the France U21s squad.

Unfortunately for the youngster, he has picked up an injury at Clairefontaine, with Turkish outlet Sabah, via Sport Witness, now reporting it is bad enough to have thrown his Arsenal move into serious doubt.

His club had apparently been planning to sell for around €20m (£17m), so not far above Arsenal’s bid, but the deal “may fall in the water” due to an ankle injury. There are apparently few details on the extent of the damage, but it is clearly a concern as he has been pulled from the squad.

Is Sacha Boey any good?

This will certainly be a blow to Arteta’s transfer plans if the injury is serious. At 22, Boey is young enough that he would likely be happy to come to a huge club like Arsenal and compete with White for minutes, and the latter could then also provide cover at centre-back if needed.

This season, Boey ranked as Gala’s second best player behind only goal machine Mauro Icardi, as the flying full-back led his team in tackles per game (2.8). Dubbed a player who would “fit perfectly into Arsenal” by Bacary Sagna, he also managed over one key pass and one successful dribble per outing, showing he is effective on both sides of the ball.

For both Arsenal and the player’s sake, one will have to hope the injury is not as bad as initial fears suggest.

The Manchester City manager tends to tweak his tactics in big games, something that has been costly over the years

Pep Guardiola isn't necessarily a serial overthinker, but in big games, he has a history of overcomplicating and self-sabotaging. Stretching back to his time at Bayern Munich, Pep's penchant for tinkering has seen his sides lose important contests, or crash out of competitions despite being clear favourites.

And it's been particularly bad in the Champions League. While it is hard to criticise the tactical choices of a serial winner, Guardiola's blunders have repeatedly cost his teams on Europe's biggest stage. As a result, he hasn't won the competition at either Bayern Munich or Man City. And while the Citizens are clear favourites over Inter in Saturday's Champions League final, there will always be a slither of doubt about his team selection or tactical set-up.

So, when has it all gone wrong? And which infamous overthinks have been the worst? GOAL ranks the manager's most memorable tactical blunders on the big stage…

Getty6Leaving Muller out against Atletico (2016 semi-final first leg)

Atletico Madrid were a very good team when Guardiola's Bayern Munich lined up against them in the 2016 semi-final, and Pep's tactical decisions made sense. With Diego Simeone's side effectively playing four centre-midfielders, Guardiola brought in Thiago Alcantara for Thomas Muller to give the Bavarians more control in the middle of the park in the first leg.
Instead, he walked right into a trap. Atleti were happy to kill the game in the middle, and Bayern didn't have room to breathe. Robert Lewandowski, meanwhile, was relatively easily handled by Atleti's centre-backs. Bayern lost 1-0 despite having 74 per cent possession. And while they won the second leg – notably, with Muller back in the side – the Bavarians went out on away goals.

Advertisement5Man-to-man against MSN (2015 semi-final first leg)

It was, in reality, Lionel Messi's brilliance that saw Bayern lose this tie. But Guardiola went for an odd tactical decision, opting to play three centre-backs against his former club Barcelona, and attempting to man-mark Neymar, Luis Suarez and Messi. Bayern were run ragged from the outset and should have been three down after 20 minutes.

In fairness, the Bavarians stayed alive, but three goals in the last 15 minutes – from Messi and Neymar – saw the tie ended at Camp Nou on Guardiola's return. The Blaugrana were the best team in Europe by some distance that year, and were heavy favourites on the night. Still, Guardiola didn't do himself many favours.

4Double overthink in Spurs loss (2019 quarter-final)

The tie in which Guardiola overthought not once, but twice. In fairness, Man City's loss to Tottenham in 2019 was cruel. Pep's side were hurt by a dubious Fernando Llorente goal and late VAR drama in an incredibly dramatic tie.

Still, it really shouldn't have been close. In the first leg, Guardiola switched formation, opting for a 4-2-3-1 and benching Kevin De Bruyne – despite the Belgian having no obvious fitness issue. Spurs enjoyed the better chances on the night, with Son Heung-min scoring the only goal.

And in the return leg, Guardiola went attacking. He moved back to a 4-3-3, brought De Bruyne back, and moved Ilkay Gundogan to a defensive midfield role. And although City commanded possession, they were vulnerable defensively – something Spurs took advantage of, scoring three times at the Etihad and winning on away goals to cap off a Champions League classic.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Laurence Griffiths3Dropping Sterling against Liverpool (2018 quarter final, first leg)

Man City were battered at Anfield in the first leg of the 2018 quarter-final, losing 3-0 to a rampant Liverpool side. And they effectively lost the tie after 40 minutes.

Guardiola's personnel decisions cost him dearly this time. He left out in-form Raheem Sterling, gearing his side to attack the young Trent Alexander-Arnold on the Liverpool right. Alexander-Arnold, though, turned in a solid performance, and without Sterling, City didn't have an obvious outlet on the other wing.

Meanwhile, new boy Ayemeric Laporte was deployed at left-back, where he was run ragged by Mohamed Salah. The Liverpool press did the rest, and City fell 5-1 on aggregate.

The agenda for the BCCI’s annual general meeting could attract the ire of the Lodha Committee

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Sep-2016On September 21 the BCCI will conduct its 87th annual general meeting in Mumbai; a routine affair, according to its various officials. What the board considers routine, however, differs significantly from what the Lodha Committee, which has been tasked with reforming the BCCI by the Supreme Court, considers routine.In August, BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke had met with the Lodha Committee and said the AGM would concern only routine business. On August 31, however, in an email to BCCI chief executive Rahul Johri, the Lodha Committee spokesperson said the AGM should be limited to “routine business concerning the past year (2015-16)” and that “any business or matters relating to the next year (2016-17)” be dealt with only after the BCCI implements the Committee’s recommendations.

Issues on the BCCI’s AGM agenda

• Adoption of the annual budget for 2016-17

• Appointment of auditors for FY 2016-17

• Election for the post of board secretary

• Election of working committee, standing committee, special committees for 2016-17

• Appointment of an ombudsman

On the agenda for the BCCI’s AGM, though, is the election for board secretary, the picking of the selection committee, adding new members to the board’s working committee, electing standing committees, choosing a new ombudsman, nominating a representative to attend ICC and Asian Cricket Council meetings, approving the budget for the next calendar year, and appointing auditors for the next financial year.The above might be routine AGM agenda for the BCCI but, according to the Lodha Committee, unless the board adopts the new Memorandum of Association and Rules, any appointments could be considered contempt of court. It is understood that if the BCCI makes any appointments – a person or a committee – for the future, the Lodha Committee will do everything within its power to remove them.The Committee has repeatedly reminded the BCCI of the powers vested in it by the Supreme Court order on July 18, and if the board and state associations fail to comply, the panel can approach the court again.The BCCI appears to be in a defiant mood, though. Having issued an advertisement last week inviting applications for selectors in the men’s, women’s and junior committees, a round of interviews was held in Delhi on Monday, and another is scheduled in Mumbai on Tuesday.At the AGM, the BCCI will select five new members to be part of its next working committee according to the zonal rotation system, and also appoint a new ombudsman because the tenure of Justice AP Shah ends on September 22. Shirke is also likely to be elected unopposed as BCCI secretary, though the board said it was accepting nominations until Tuesday. The election for secretary was necessitated because Shirke had been nominated to the post when Anurag Thakur took over as BCCI president in May, after Shashank Manohar had left to become the ICC chairman.All this is likely to draw the ire of the Lodha Committee. Shortly after the Supreme Court had approved most of its recommendations for the overhaul of the governance structure of the BCCI and its state associations, the Lodha Committee had given deadlines to the BCCI to implement the reforms in two sets.The first deadline is September 30, by when the BCCI and state associations need to amend their constitutions and adopt the new Memorandum of Association and Rules. The second is December 15, by when the board must hold elections to form a nine-member Apex Council to replace the working committee and hold its AGM.The BCCI’s defiance is backed by legal counsel from Justice Markandey Katju, a former Supreme Court judge. Katju was appointed by the board to advise how it should view the Supreme Court judgement that directed the board to adopt the Lodha Committee’s recommendations. His report called the committee “unconstitutional and illegal”. The BCCI then filed a petition seeking a review of the Court’s order of July 18.Katju said there was nothing wrong with the BCCI conducting the AGM. According to him, the BCCI was governed by the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975 and only the Registrar could take action against the BCCI, not a court-appointed committee. “It is well settled in law that the court cannot take over or usurp the functions of a statutory authority,” Katju had said in his report, and reiterated the same on Monday.Most state associations are also not too concerned. When asked whether there was anxiety over the approaching deadlines set by the Lodha Committee, a BCCI office-bearer, who also is a high-ranked official at a state association, said: “The BCCI has told all the state associations to follow their directives. No state association is party to the dispute. How come any recommendation is applicable to the state association?”Another state association official said: “The Lodha Committee cannot interfere with every step we take. Asking us is also overstepping their brief. The state associations’ parent body is BCCI. Whatever directions the BCCI gives us we will follow.”When asked whether there had been any directive from the BCCI, he said: “Nothing.”If anything, the Lodha Committee’s directives seem to have brought the BCCI together. Shirke travelled to Chennai last month to meet former BCCI president N Srinivasan, under whom Shirke had served as treasurer before stepping down during the 2013 IPL corruption scandal.The state official said that after Manohar’s departure to the ICC and the death of Jagmohan Dalmiya there were not many experienced hands for the BCCI to call on. “They want his advice, his support,” the official said. “Srinivasan will side with the BCCI, not Lodha.”A BCCI official said the AGM had been called “as per the existing rules and regulations of the board”. When asked about the Lodha Committee’s warning, he said: “We keep reading about that in the newspapers.”

Jason Mohammed steered Guyana Amazon Warriors to a thrilling four-wicket win over St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in Basseterre after Dwayne Smith’s scorching 62 off 36

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJason Mohammad hit six fours during his unbeaten 42 off 29 balls•CPL/SportsfileJason Mohammed steered Guyana Amazon Warriors to a thrilling four-wicket win over St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in Basseterre after Dwayne Smith laid the platform for the chase of 165 with a scorching 62 off 36.Smith’s pyrotechnics in the first 10 overs included three fours and five sixes, and helped the visitors race to 91 by the halfway stage of their innings. However, his dismissal off the first legitimate ball of the 11th over enabled Patriots to claw their way back with regular strikes. Chris Lynn was run out two balls after Smith’s departure, while Chris Barnwell and Anthony Bramble nicked behind.With Amazon Warriors still requiring 30 off the last three overs, Mohammed took charge. He did so with aplomb, finding timely boundaries as the Patriots pacers missed their lengths in the slog overs. With two needed off two, Mohammed mistimed a slog towards midwicket, but Faf du Plessis, sprinting in from the deep, could not hold on to the catch and the batsmen scampered through for two to seal victory with a ball to spare. Mohammed finished with an unbeaten 42 off 29 balls.Earlier, Sohail Tanvir was Amazon Warriors’ hero with the ball. The left-arm seamer began with a maiden, which included the wicket of Lendl Simmons for a five-ball duck. Tanvir was then re-introduced in the closing overs and conceded only 12 runs in his last two overs, while taking three wickets, including those of set batsmen Devon Thomas and Thisara Perera. Tanvir finished with figures of 4 for 20 while Australia legspinner Adam Zampa took 3 for 34 on CPL debut.While middle-order cameos from Thomas, Perera and Brad Hodge helped Patriots to to 164 for 9, that total proved to be not quite enough in the end.

Presenter and columnist Dominik Diamond has praised Celtic captain Callum McGregor for his superb display in the club's most recent game.

What's the latest on Callum McGregor and Celtic?

The Bhoys were held to a 1-1 draw at home this Saturday afternoon in the Scottish Premiership against Motherwell with goals from McGregor and Kevin van Veen settling the affair.

This was, in fact, just the first time Ange Postecoglou's side have dropped points in a home league game in almost an entire year.

Despite that poor result in front of their own fans, Celtic still sit safely at the top of the table and look in no danger of losing their lead as they chase back-to-back titles under their Australian manager.

What's more, one player can end the day with his head still held high. Indeed, goalscoring captain McGregor managed to earn plenty of plaudits for his efforts.

For instance, Diamond took to Twitter to express his astonishment at just how good the 29-year-old has been as club captain.

He wrote on Twitter: "I never imagined CalMac would be such a great skipper. Thought he’d be too quiet. Something about that role has made him an even better player too.

"Maybe being captain makes him want to get involved more and lead by example? But he is a phenomenal player these days."

How good was McGregor against Motherwell?

It seems Diamond wasn't the only one to notice how well the Scotland international was playing. In the Glasgow Live player ratings, Alan Galindo gave McGregor a team-high 7/10.

He also wrote: "Skipper brings such a calmness to the team. Always looking for next pass and keeping ball moving. Cracking strike for the opener at Parkhead."

And when you look at the stats, you can see just how remarkable the £32k-per-week midfielder was on the day.

Indeed, as per Sofascore, he finished the full 90 with 125 touches, completing 105/110 passes (a 95% success rate) and pulling off 3/3 attempted dribbles – showing just how tidy he was on the ball.

What's more, he was a creative force too, not only scoring his team's only goal, but he was also unlucky not to get an assist with two key passes, and one big chance created.

All in all, it's safe to say the club captain stepped up for the team when they needed him and perhaps Celtic would have suffered a shock defeat without McGregor's leadership.

Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes was left stunned by the performance of Sven Botman in their Premier League victory on Sunday afternoon.

Can Newcastle end their Champions League drought?

The Magpies are certainly making big strides towards returning to Europe's top table with their last appearance in the competition coming back in 2003.

And the fresh faces brought in under Eddie Howe's reign are quickly becoming local heroes with the likes of Guimaraes and Botman proving to be key figures in this new era on Tyneside.

The victory against the Red Devils not only provided the Toon Army with a taste of revenge following their Carabao Cup defeat last month, but also sees them leapfrog United into third spot.

Newcastle's time in third may be short-lived with Tottenham Hotspur travelling to Goodison Park on Monday night, however, the clash on Merseyside will restore their two-game advantage over the Londoners.

On the back of being handed the Player of the Match award himself, Guimaraes took to Botman's post-game Instagram image to praise the £90k-per-week defender's display:

How good was Botman on Sunday?

Howe's side have been rock solid at the back this season and boast the Premier League's tightest defence having only conceded 19 goals.

To put that into context, Manchester City – who have the second-best record – have conceded seven more goals and league leaders Arsenal have conceded eight more.

And the summer signing, Botman, has been at the centre of this stunning form having now played 25 times in the Premier League this term (via Transfermarkt).

In the Red Devils, Newcastle were coming up against one of the league's most in-form forwards with Marcus Rashford returning to the fold.

However, it proved to be a muted 90 minutes for the 26-year-old who had just 29 touches of the ball and registered no shots at all (via SofaScore).

In comparison, Botman – who's been labelled a "Rolls Royce defender" by journalist Jordan Cronin – racked up three interceptions, one block and one clearance as the Magpies limited the visitors to just one shot on Nick Pope's goal (via SofaScore).

What has been equally impressive is Botman's disciplinary record having received just one yellow card in over 2000 minutes of league action (via Transfermarkt).

Botman was not included in the Netherlands' 2022 World Cup squad late last year and his form in his first Premier League campaign is certainly making a mockery of that decision.

But it is apparent the 23-year-old's efforts are not going unnoticed by his teammates with Guimaraes full of praise for the Dutch defender.

Manchester United marched into the Europa League quarter-finals after overcoming a spirited Real Betis side in Seville on Thursday evening, with the Red Devils securing a narrow, 1-0 victory to clinch a 5-1 aggregate scoreline in the tie.

Despite having gone into the second-leg clash with a commanding lead following the meeting at Old Trafford a week ago, United looked far from convincing in the opening exchanges this time around, having been left thankful for some errant finishing from Manuel Pellegrini's men.

With the La Liga side still holding a shred of hope of getting back into the contest heading in at the break, man of the moment Marcus Rashford subsequently extinguished that belief with a stunning finish just before the hour mark, with the Englishman netting his 27th goal of the season in style.

That was to prove the end of the drama, in truth, as the Premier League giants comfortably saw out the closing stages, albeit with Erik ten Hag likely to have been frustrated by the at times nervous and erratic nature of his side's display.

While not an overwhelming night of positives, one shining light was that of Uruguayan starlet, Facundo Pellistri, with the 21-year-old more than taking his chance on what was just his first start for the club.

The eye-catching winger – who was making just his seventh appearance for the club since signing back in 2020 – showed real bravery in his play as he attempted to make things happen for the visitors, notably completing three of his five dribbles, while also winning six duels on the night.

Aside from what was a frankly "ridiculous" early booking for the youngster – in the words of 90min's Scott Saunders – it was an encouraging, rare run out for the former Penarol gem, with the hope being that he can now capitalise on the unfortunate injury blow to fellow forward, Alejandro Garnacho.

Pellistri was, however, not the only asset who took the opportunity to impress on the night, with summer signing Tyrell Malacia – who was one of four changes from the weekend draw with Southampton – producing a composed and dogged display at left-back.

How did Malacia perform against Betis?

After overcoming a 'panicky' opening – as per Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst – the diminutive Dutchman truly grew into the game and became a real, effective presence at both ends of the pitch, having showcased that he will not give usual starter, Luke Shaw an easy ride in the battle for the full-back berth.

The former Feyenoord ace was a real outlet down the left flank as he notably completed three of his four dribbles and enjoyed an 87% pass accuracy rate from his 81 touches, having also won three fouls for his side to help relieve the pressure.

The 5 foot 7 "pitbull" – as previously described by ex-Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal – was a typically tenacious and relentless presence defensively as he won an impressive eight ground duels on the night.

While it was a far from perfect display, as the 23-year-old also lost possession on 11 occasions, Malacia did prove that he is a more than capable understudy for Shaw moving forward, with the left-back role seemingly one area that Ten Hag can comfortably rotate without seeing a drop off in quality.

Such competition is no doubt healthy amid what has been and will continue to be a hectic and breathless season for the resurgent outfit.