Amid the concerns at Manchester United, one player unquestioned is Senne Lammens. The goalkeeper produced some important first-half saves against Ipswich to keep his side in the game in difficult circumstances. A relaxed character, the Belgian is a calming influence in an emotional environment, especially with a panicked defence.
When Julio Enciso was through on goal, Lammens had to decide when to come and how far, getting his distance and angles perfect to ensure the Paraguay attacker was repelled. His distribution was also excellent, instigating rapid attacks and bringing the dynamism demanded from the modern goalkeeper. Will Unwin Match report: Manchester United 5-2 Ipswich Town Reaction: Carrick hails United’s grit after rout of Ipswich Will Unwin: Rashford return feels like marriage of convenience Oliver Glasner said he would celebrate the closure of the transfer window with a pint on Wednesday night.
Andoni Iraola would surely be tempted to join his Nottingham Forest counterpart – perhaps in Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem – were it not for the distance between them. It underlines the strangeness of Liverpool’s recent transfer strategy that the understandable excitement generated by Bradley Barcola’s impending £123m arrival from Paris Saint-Germain is offset by concern over the gaps in Iraola’s squad that have not been filled – right-wing, right-back and central midfield being the most obvious ones. The need to improve in all three departments was evident as Liverpool had to fight back to salvage a late 2-2 draw for the second Premier League game in succession.
They have had little of the ball during the Spaniard’s first two league games. Chelsea had 38.1% possession during last week’s win over Fulham and 25% when they beat Brighton on Sunday, although Alonso insists this is not a strategy. Probably, in that moment, we have played too much with the result, instead of keep playing.
But it is never that approach, I don’t say today we need to have 60% or 20%.” Jacob Steinberg Deciding not to sell Harrison Armstrong will quell unrest at Everton for now but perhaps not for long. David Moyes has been on the defensive since the chief executive, Angus Kinnear, said the Friedkin ownership group saw last season as a “failure”. Moyes aligned himself with those fans at Bournemouth threatening to protest should Armstrong be sold to Nottingham Forest.
Selling a local boy for “pure profit” was beyond the pale. A manager who faced criticism as Everton slumped in the closing months of the season threw it back to his employers. The remainder of the transfer window, in which Everton have little wriggle room, may deepen battle lines.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
