All posts by h79snht.top

The Toffees have started this campaign in the way that their fans have deserved, after the shambles of last season. Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley are beginning to show their true potential, whilst John Stones is continuing to impress Europe’s best players and managers.

Roberto Martinez has had his ups and downs during his spell at Goodison, but no one can question his desire to play attractive football and see the Toffees challenge for European football.

Unfortunately, on FM16 you are unlikely to get any sort of budget to play with and the squad comes with a lot of injury prone players from the very start. Importance must be placed on improving on the support for Lukaku and finding a genuine long-term replacement for Gareth Barry.

A top half finish will probably be your target from the board, but, with the squad at your disposal, anything other than a finish in the European places should be deemed as a disappointment.

Here are FIVE signings to reinforce your side…

Ron Vlaar

You will have to wait until January to step up the former Villa man, but Vlaar can be a rock at the heart of your defence on a free transfer.

Stones and Jagielka make a fine partnership, but Vlaar’s presence and leadership in the squad will do your team no harm and the Dutchman will be an ideal mentor for the developing Stones.

There will be a lot of competition for his signing, so you may need to bump his wages up to ensure you get your man.

Helder Silva

It will take time for Helder Silva to develop into a first team player for you, but his potential proves that it will be absolutely worth it.

He may only be 16 at the start of your save, but Silva can be snapped up for under £500k and could even be used in some of the easier cup games if you want to speed up his development.

The striker won’t be ready for about three seasons, but he will be at least as good as Lukaku once he peaks.

Lincoln

One of the best wonderkids on FM16 is Lincoln, who begins your save at Gremio. Due to the rules regarding Brazilians youngsters, Lincoln cannot sign for you until January 2017, by which time he will be good enough to walk into most Premier League first teams.

His finishing might be an issue, but this starlet is available for less than a million pounds and would be an ideal creator for Lukaku long-term.

Walter

Walter will be available for under £5million and has all the attributes to be excellent foil for Lukaku.

The Brazilian forward can play as a lone man up front or anywhere behind the striker and possesses great strength to go with his sublime first touch and eye for goal.

These Brazilian may well be worth putting on ‘shoot on sight’ with a long shot rating of 15+.

Ki Sung-Yeung

Swansea’s Korean midfielder seems the ideal partner for James McCarthy in central midfield.

Whilst McCarthy does the running and ‘the ugly side of the game’, Ki can focus on creating from deep and releasing Barkley between the lines.

A passing rating of 16 makes him the ideal man to sweep up in front of the defence.

Desperate times …

Hey, a guy can dream …

Edging closer …

Will he ever move to Stamford Bridge?

Bold move

Yes, he still exists

From bad to worse for Man United

Back to whence he came

Title Charge

Well, if you have to sit on a bench, better to do it in Spain!

Emotional Return?

Leaving it late

The Sunderland revival was stopped in its tracks today as the Black Cats slumped to a 1-0 loss away at an impressive West Ham.By no means a classic, the game’s opening first 15 minutes was nothing to shout about, though the encounter did open up after quarter of an hour.Mark Noble was first to hit the bar with a rasping effort, a feat which was soon replicated by the opposition in the shape of Wahbi Khazri, who struck the top of the goal frame with a clever free kick.Around the half hour mark, the industrious Michail Antonio collected Sam Byram’s hopeful ball forward and made the most of some lax Black Cats defending.The summer signing, who really is growing into this Hammers outfit, bamboozled past Patrick van Aanholt, who really should have cleared his lines, before slotting home a cool finish into the bottom left corner of the net.The visitors were by no means done yet and conceding actually seemed to help their cause, looking far more urgent after the half an hour mark.Jermain Defoe, who enjoys a good record against his former club, squandered perhaps the best chance of the game to level the scores.The games are running out for Sunderland and Sam Allardyce, who will at least be pleased about his reception back at Upton Park.Having left under acrimonious circumstances last term, he was barely welcomed back with open arms, but there was no distinct petulant booing from the home support.So, the Irons are now into fifth and above Manchester United, while Sunderland remain in the drop zone and are second from bottom.What else did we learn?

ALL HAIL MICHAIL

West Ham’s transfer activity has been hailed over the past couple of seasons, though Dimitri Payet clearly takes the lions share of plaudits.

While that’s all well and good, the arrival of Michail Antonio from Nottingham Forest in the summer has been a great bit of business.

Coming from a non-league background and working his way up the English league system is really paying off for the 26-year old.

He’s a robust winger, tracking up and down the right flank with his direct pace and physical style of play.

Crucially, the former Sheffield Wednesday star had the quality to make the most out of the Black Cats’ comical defending when it mattered.

SUNDERLAND NEED A CHANGE OF GEAR

The arrival of the aforementioned Khazri, as well as Lamine Kone, in January clearly had an impact on Wearside. Both men have adjusted to life at the Stadium of Light, proving key in decent results against Manchester United and Liverpool.

Still, much of that impetus appeared to have evaporated today. Too often did the team look flat and timid when on the ball, looking as if they are destined for mid-table, rather than fighting for their lives.

HAPPY HAMMER

Much like Aaron Cresswell on the opposing flank, Sam Byram has taken to the Premier League well since stepping up from the Championship.

The 22-year old is a major improvement on Carl Jenkinson in the right-back berth, despite the Arsenal man’s form last term. Like his teammate on the left, he’s proven to be utterly dependable.

All too often do full-backs forget how to defend effectively, though the former Leeds man proved today he is just as capable when doing the dirty work as he is pushing forward.

However is scouting these players at Upton Park is doing an excellent job.

LET’S TALK ABOUT JERMAIN

Unlike many of their relegation rivals, the Black Cats boast a truly top finisher in Jermain Defoe. So we keep hearing, anyway.

Ok, to be fair, the former England international is a top finisher. However, perhaps he is not the talismanic presence he’s been perceived as in recent times.

At Spurs and Portsmouth, he was revered as a top striker, though never the man likely to grab teammates by the scruff of the neck. Rather, he would cooly slot home like a silent assassin.

Fair enough. All well and good when a team is creating a number of chances per game. However, in this particular incarnation of a Black Cats side, the service really is poor.

Meaning he must take every chance he gets. Today, the 34-year old squandered a glorious chance to level the scores, when the pressure was on.

NO PLACE THEY’D RATHER BE

West Ham are now into fifth place, trailing behind Manchester City in the final Champions League spot.

While it’s perhaps a touch to optimistic to say the Hammers will break the top four this term, the club are in no better position to enter their new home next season.

Much of the talk surrounding the stadium move was making sure the club retained Premier League status. Now, it is certainly is feasible that the Olympic Stadium will take the Irons up another level.

Currently, the level up is the Champions League. Should they continue the way they’re going, it would be hard to write them off entirely as an exciting new era dawns.

Arsenal star Mesut Ozil has urged the club to sign more players in order to compete with Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola next season, according to reports from the Mirror.

Bayern Munich boss Guardiola will leave the Bundesliga giants and take over the Citizens next term, with many believing that the Spaniard will make the Sky Blues big contenders for the title.

And Ozil, who signed for the Gunners back in 2013, is adamant that the club hierarchy must spend big in the summer transfer market to compete with Guardiola’s side to have any chance of winning the Premier League title next season.

“We know that it will not be easy and that we need reinforcements if we want next season to be on top here again,” he said.

“It is again interesting to see who invests in who and how much the clubs do during the summer break.

“In addition, great coaches are coming into the league. I am thinking primarily of Pep Guardiola. Wherever he has been, he had success. He is a coach, keen on playing and his teams are feared.

“I wonder what he will do with Man City. He will be imprinting his football in England and people will be surprised.”

Wenger’s men are currently ahead of City on the table, but are a massive 11 points behind shock leaders Leicester City.

However, Ozil believes that with a game in hand, they can claw back and close the gap on the Foxes and hopefully catch them at the final hurdle.

“I do not think it impossible,” he said for German publication Welt am Sonntag.

“Although there are only a few games left, Leicester have a run against some of the big teams to come.

“We ourselves must in any case not allow any more slip-ups. The hope of the title is still there – we have the players for the title.

“They deserve to be up there – Leicester fight for every point.

“We see in every game that players of Leicester want to achieve something. We ourselves have not been focused in every game, and that is not possible in the Premier League since there is no opponent you can beat easily.

“Leicester have been great, but there are still a few games. I think we still have a chance to catch up Leicester. We must, of course, hope for mistakes.”

Arsenal face Watford, the team that knocked them out of the FA Cup, in their next league fixture.

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FA Cup semi-finals are seldom the most spectacular of footballing occasions, as nerves cripple creative freedom and managers drop defensive blocks deeper and deeper, but this game between two of the top flight’s stalwarts was a cracker. A game of ‘proper English football’ fast-paced, lots of crowd noise and dodgy defending, but, crucially, short of that bit of star quality we would be treated to elsewhere. The fact the game entertained us was as shocking as Wayne Rooney’s box office performance, an end-to-end encounter had everything a neutral could want, but do we know anything more about these players? Or even the managers?

Bobby Martinez and Louis van Gaal both came in to this huge game under even bigger pressure, they are both on the edge of the sack and the respective performances of their teams left the Spaniard at a far greater threat than the ego-driven Dutchman. Both teams, despite having dominant periods, proved that they have done nothing to right the wrongs of the campaign. The two managers have both been brutally criticised for never learning from their mistakes and, frankly, that most damaging of traits was compounded at Wembley. We do not know anything more about Roberto Martinez or Louis van Gaal. Both of these managers made the same tactical mistakes they have made all season and the game was such a wonderful spectacle because of their respective weaknesses.

The players, hey? Everton are better going forwards when Gerard Deulofeu plays, remarkable, yeah? No, its really not. Every man and his dog knows that Gerard Deulofeu is a more creative influence than Aaron Lennon, yet Roberto Martinez seems adamant that this is not the case. Within the first few minutes of the game we saw Romelu Lukaku power his way through on goal, did we learn that Lukaku is a monstrous athlete today? Lukaku then mis-controlled the ball on numerous occasions, did we learn that Lukaku’s game lacks the subtleties of a world class striker today?

John Stones produced some slick passes and confident footwork today, whilst making the occasional defensive mistake, although we are pretty sure that this isn’t something we discovered today. In fact, those who have watched Stones regularly could’ve told you that about 18 months ago.

Manchester United, typically, did not do anything differently to what we may have expected. Although Van Gaal’s team were playing in a more exciting manner than usual and produced some exuberant attacking football in the first half, the pace and skill of Lingard, Martial and Rashford is not something to hold the front page for.

Wayne Rooney, although people seem to have forgotten, has always had an excellent passing range. The England skipper dropped slightly deeper against Everton, but the sheer shock across social media at his creative performance in the first half was odd. We did not learn Rooney can play in midfield today. For years we have suspected that Rooney may drop deeper and he did not display specific skills or talent that we were not aware of.

David de Gea was exceptional at Wembley, too. The Spaniard made a brilliant penalty save and kept United in the game for the second half, but we are pretty sure that everyone knew how good De Gea was before today, don’t you? Real Madrid certainly did.

Everton’s flaky defence and Manchester United’s imbalanced midfield have been issues for a couple of years now, the difference on this occasion was the ability of United’s forwards to finish.

Only Lukaku and Barkley have scored more than five goals for the Toffees this season and Lukaku’s poor finishing, along with their under-15 style defending, cost Martinez’s side the game. Everton have relied too heavily on Lukaku to score their goals all season, whilst Manchester United’s side looks to be finally taking shape. United’s weaknesses were on full show in the second half, proving that Louis van Gaal, like us, has learnt very little.

We will see the internet awash with ‘five things we learned’ pieces after this match, but this game did not reveal anything new. Two teams who have consistently failed to sort their problems have provided us with a Wembley classic.

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To say it’s been a topsy-turvy season for Everton is perhaps the understatement of the century, well, aside from thinking Spurs were going to eventually miss out on second place to Arsenal.

In a season that saw the Toffees struggle to get anywhere above midtable, it was clear a bit of change was needed. And then came the hammer blow for Roberto Martinez, who was sacked with little sympathy heading his way from the Everton faithful; and even the boardroom. It was time for a change and someone needed to come in and ensure that the Blues could compete again next season.

With Everton still manager-less and the EUROs fast approaching, potential signings have been shelved a little, yet the supporters want to see some movement. So who should Everton be targeting? Here’s FIVE players who could improve the Toffees ready for next season…

Danilo

Danilo is a player who moved to the Bernabeu with huge expectations on his shoulders. He was backed to become one of the best right-backs in the league after excelling with FC Porto, but it hasn’t really happened for him in Spain. Dani Carvajal is much preferred at right-back but his quality is absolutely undoubtable. Danilo, though, would be a great signing for Everton.

Bertrand Traore

This young attacker is really struggling to break into the Chelsea side. With Antonio Conte’s arrival imminent, mystery surrounds the futures of all of Chelsea’s young stars and a move away may be on the cards for the pacey winger. What would he bring to Goodison? Lightening pace, the ability to put the ball away and a great attitude.

Yohan Cabaye

Whilst the Frenchman has made no suggestion he is unhappy in London, it’s fair to say he is a better player than one having to fight off relegation season after season. He’s adored by the Palace faithful but that may not be enough. A move to Everton may kick-start his career, especially if the Toffees can get going again too.

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic

A massive, massive outsider this one, but if there was ever a player to lead a revival, the Swede could do it single-handedly. He’s expected to make a move to Manchester United but you never know, if Everton were feeling ambitious enough, they could prepare a move for the star-striker and really get the Premier League talking. With the likes of West Ham set to splash the cash with ambitious transfers and stadium moves, it’s important the Toffees keep up with this and don’t get left behind.

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Ross McCormack

The Scotsman has been begging for a chance to play in the Premier League for years and this may be the year to gamble on him. The Scotland international has been in fine form for Fulham this season, single-handedly staving off any lingering relegation fears that may have been left over Craven Cottage. A proven goalscorer and competent with both feet, McCormack would be an excellent striking option for the Toffees, especially with the doubt surrounding Romelu Lukaku’s future.

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After a second place finish in last season’s Premier League Arsenal fans will be demanding their side goes one further this time around.

Seeing Leicester win the league last year has led to a number of clubs asking why their club wasn’t the team lifting the trophy in May, ensuring a transfer window set for some big money moves. The Gunners are no different after looking like the team to beat they faltered badly and Arsene Wenger has already secured Granit Xhaka in the attempt to add some grit to his midfield.

The Emirates faithful will be hoping this isn’t the only first team addition their French boss makes as they go in search of their first title since 2003/04 and with the right incomings there’s no reason why they shouldn’t win the league.

Here at Football Fan Cast we’ve been looking at where the Gunners could enhance their title bid as well as who should start next season for the side and we think their line up will look something like this…

Petr Cech

Nailed on. Cech won points by himself last season with his saves, showing no signs of slowing down despite his age, and if he can replicate that form again this campaign the Gunners will be right up there come the end of the season. Cech brings a wealth of title winning experience as well as now being the holder of most Premier League clean sheets and will be key to any title push.

Hector Bellerin

Bellerin is fast becoming one of the brightest right backs in the league and deserves to carry on his progression as Arsenal’s main man next year too. The Spaniard gets up and down the pitch easily, offering Arsenal width whilst his defensive positioning is also strong and it’s only going to get better. Wenger will want to keep Bellerin for the forseeable future.

Laurent Koscielny

Koscielny is Arsenal’s best defender and so will definitely start next season for the Gunners. The Frenchman is a good ball playing defender – something increasingly popular in modern football – and also makes a number of important challenges to get his team out of trouble. Koscielny also possesses a decent amount of pace too and this makes him a solid Premier League defender.

Jeison Murillo

The Mirror have reported that the Inter Milan man could be on his way to the Emirates in a deal that would be welcome at the club. Gabriel Paulista has shown himself to be naive when it comes to Premier League defending whilst Per Mertesacker is past his best. Murillo could be the one to help cut out the mistakes the Arsenal defence sometimes makes as they hunt down the title.

Ricardo Rodriguez

Nacho Monreal improved last season but isn’t a top class left back whilst Kieran Gibbs career has stalled. Step forward Ricardo Rodriguez, a left back that can both attack and defend with a great left foot that’ll create chances for the Gunners forward line. The Independent have reported a deal could be on the table recently too and if it was to go through the Swiss international would be a sizable improvement on what the club has.

Granit Xhaka

You can’t think Xhaka was brought in to just sit on the bench. The Swiss player was identified by the Arsenal hierarchy as the man to finally tighten up their midfield and add some bite to it. The men from north London have struggled to shake the tag that they can be rolled over easily when the going gets tough and that they lack mental strength – Xhaka should be the answer.

Santi Cazorla

Cazorla is one of the best midfielders in the league and is integral to Arsenal’s playing style. Everyone knows how well they can pass the ball but they still need the Spaniard orchestrating all of it from the centre of the pitch. He’s natural with either foot too and if he stays fit the team have a real chance of getting their hands on the trophy they crave most of all.

Mesut Ozil

If Ozil carried on how he started last season for the duration of the campaign they would have won the league. The German, however, dropped off towards the end of the year and Arsenal seemed to fall apart. Ozil is world class on his day and will be the main man to make chances again this season and if he can stay consistent this year should be Arsenal’s.

Alexis Sanchez

What went for Ozil can also be said of Sanchez. On his day he’s a world class attacking player. He closes down defenders and doesn’t give them a moment’s rest whilst also being able to score some great goals. He has the potential to fire the Gunners to the title but like Ozil can go missing at key points – if he cuts that out his team will be far more potent.

Olivier Giroud

Giroud looks set to be starting as the main striker once again for the club. The Frenchman has had a good EURO 2016 and the Emirates will be hoping he carries this into next season, whether he does or not is a completely different prospect. The former Montpellier man can look a real handful but then on other days he looks very ordinary, no wonder he divides opinion.

Alexandre Lacazette

Lacazette has been linked with a £34 million move to the club and if that came off it would be a very big statement indeed. Lacazette can play through the middle or down either side and wherever he plays he brings goals. He’s been the leading man for Lyon for a few seasons now but you’d think if Arsenal seriously go after him he’ll want to move on from the French club.

Jurgen Klopp has finally taken charge of a pre season as Liverpool manager. It seems like an age since Klopp took over at Anfield, but ever since day one, we’ve said that any judgement of the German would have to take place once he had the chance to put his stamp on the club and its training methods.

With no Europe on the horizon, this season is about building a team – next season will be about adding depth to deal with the demands of European football, or so they hope.

Last season

In his first few months at the club, Klopp brought Liverpool to two cup finals. Such instant success is a transformation of the stale club he took over from Brendan Rodgers, but that might also bring expectation to a squad that currently looks weaker than many of their big-name rivals.

But without European football this season, that might not be a terrible thing. Liverpool will be hoping for the kind of searing performances seen in 2013/14 when they came within a planted stud of the Premier League title, but they won’t need a large squad – just a united one.

What does success look like?

Although they were outclassed in both finals, had things gone differently Klopp could have won two trophies in his debut season and that bodes well for the rest of his tenure. Success this season may not require trophies, though it will over the next few seasons.

This season is about getting the club on the right footing to challenge for Europe again regularly and get back to winning domestic trophies with the same regularity.

How has the summer gone?

At first glance, Liverpool’s summer looks slightly underwhelming, or at least it does when you stack it up against their bigger-spending rivals. The players brought in are a little ‘second-tier’ compared to the signings at City, United and Chelsea.

But it’s also the case that Liverpool haven’t really been in the market for those big names, and the way they’ve gone about their business has been impressive. Deals for Joel Matip and Loris Karius were concluded even before the start of the window, whilst Sadio Mane was an early purchase, allowing him to spend a full pre season getting to know his teammates and improving his fitness.

Liverpool’s approach this summer may have been quiet, but they’ve clearly planned it months in advance, and that sort of organisation usually leads to success.

Key man

Whilst Liverpool may not have the saturation of star names that some of their rivals have, it will be teamwork that allows the squad to improve and progress – you can do that when your coach masters both the man-management and tactical sides of the game as well as Klopp.

Liverpool do, however, possess the gifts of Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge. If Klopp can keep Sturridge fit and keep Coutinho firing at a high level, they’ll have the creativity to match anyone, and the finishing ability to make it count.

Make or break season

He was part of the Germany squad who got to the semi finals of the Euros this summer, and a player who is improving year on year, but Emre Can is approaching a period in his Liverpool career where he needs to make role in the team his own.

Versatility is always a good thing, but Can is a player who floats around the centre back, full back and defensive midfield roles – three fairly specialised jobs where you generally want a first choice player.

At 22, Can is still young, and if he can establish himself as a disciplined holding midfielder who can start attacks from deep, he can provide the perfect platform for the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino to roam in front of him.

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Everton host Crystal Palace this Friday night as the Toffees look to get back to winning ways following their first defeat of the Premier League season last weekend.

Ronald Koeman’s side slipped to a 1-0 defeat away at Bournemouth with a spectacular Julias Stanislas effort providing to be the difference between the two sides. The new-look Everton still sit fifth in the table however, having picked up 13 points from their first 6 games in what has been a positive start to the former Southampton manager’s career on merseyside.

They will face a tough opposition in Crystal Palace however, as the visitors have not lost in four Premier League games, winning their last three and looking in fantastic form ahead of the tie.

The signing of Christian Benteke has proven money well spent so far as the dangerous centre forward already has two goals to his name including the last minute winner in last weekend’s 3-2 victory over Sunderland.

Andros Townsend looks to have finally found his feet again at Selhurst Park and the Eagles’ midfield duo of Joe Ledley and James McArthur look a force to be reckoned with.

If Everton and Koeman are to re-find winning ways they have a big task ahead of them, but can they stop Alan Pardew from pulling out his dance moves once again? If they are to do so, we think they should line-up like this ….

Goalkeeper

Only one choice here. Maarten Stekelenburg has been fantastic between the sticks so far this season following his summer move from Fulham. The massively framed Dutchman is an imposing figure at the back and is a hard man to beat, whether it be from distance or when through on goal, as the keeper is agile and quick on his feet for such a big man.

Back Four

Seamus Coleman is an obvious choice here, as is summer signing Ashley Williams who looks to have provided some much needed collectiveness and direction amongst Everton’s back four, something they lacked last year with John Stones in the side. Although Phil Jagielka has played well so far this season, in comes Ramiro Funes Mori.

The Argentine defender is very strong in the air and should be capable of dealing with the threat of Christian Benteke, as well as provided a much needed threat from set pieces going forward. Toffees fans will also be pleased to see Mason Holegate slot in at left back considering the youngsters fine form this season.

Midfield

The midfield duo of Idrissa Gueye and Gareth Barry has been one of Everton’s key successes this season, specifically the former, whose non-stop work ethic and tough tackling in midfield have made the Toffees much more difficult to break down through the centre. In front is Ross Barkley, who despite his hit-and-miss form has had a brilliant couple of games and put in a game winning display against Middlesborough 10 days ago.

Crystal Palace fans won’t be happy to see their former star Yannick Bolasie up against them, as he seems to have settled in nicely to life at Goodison Park, seemingly adding the ‘final ball’ to his game since the move. On the right side the tricky Gerard Deulofeu should cause problems for Palace’s Martin Kelly if he can get at him with the ball.

Striker

The 23-year old is at it again this season with four goals already, having netted 18 in the Premier League last season. The big Belgian forward seems to go from strength-to-strength each season as his goal tallies continue to rise as does his reputation. Everton were desperate to old on to their talismanic striker this summer, and you can see why. If he continues in the same sort of form he is showing now, he could be the man to fire Everton back into Europe.

Formation

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What do you think of the starting line-up? Agree or disagree?

It’s been another week at the office for Manchester United but this time, a solid 4-1 win over Leicester City has really set them on their way.

The Red Devils had originally struggled to gel with new manager Jose Mourinho now at the helm but the comfortable win over the current Premier League title holders has really given them confidence and now, many are tipping them to make a push for the title.

It seems like much of United’s season has been dominated by the ongoing Wayne Rooney debate but regardless of whether he’s on the pitch or not, they now need to continue to string some results together. There is little doubt that under Jose Mourinho they can do well and challenge for at least the Champions League places but at a club like this, only the best will be tolerated.

They were really just showing the hallmarks of a team that needed to come together and of course, in time, that will always come. But unfortunately for the players, Mourinho and their supporters, time is always of the essence in modern-day football and this is a serious results game.

Defeats to Manchester City and Watford were a real setback at this early stage but the comprehensive win over the Foxes was a result that showed how good things could be this season. Despite Wayne Rooney being dropped to the bench, the Red Devils looked fluid, confident and had that swagger we’ve come to expect from a Jose Mourinho team.

Paul Pogba hadn’t begun firing straight away and for some, that was a real concern. But a handful of games in, he now looks a lot more comfortable in the middle of the United midfield and there’s real hope he can be a ringleader in any potential success this campaign.

But people often forget that United have proven game-winners all over the pitch. Juan Mata has been superb this season and despite their differences in the past, he and Jose Mourinho seem to be getting along a lot better this time around. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is always going to be a character and a potential game-winner upfront and we haven’t even seen the likes of Timothy Fosu-Mensah this season.

There is a lot more to come from this United team and with a little bit of time, they will continue to gel going forward. We’re only a month in and sometimes it does take time to settle and relax but make no mistake about it, this is a United side that are extremely capable of bringing trophies back to Old Trafford this season.

A few more good results and positive performances from the likes of Rashford and co will soon set them on their way, both domestically and in the league.

But this is a United team that can win silverware and can have success. Sometimes some of the controversies need to be put to one side for just a moment to realise what good quality United have at their disposal.