Category: Sport News

LONDON: Roy Keane insists Manchester United need to appoint a “bigger and better” manager next season, despite Michael Carrick successfully guiding the club back into the Premier League’s top four.

It has been 12 days since Carrick was appointed as interim manager until the end of the season, and he has stolen the spotlight after orchestrating two consecutive victories over title contenders Manchester City and Arsenal.

But despite the positive signs United have shown since Carrick took over, Keane is still not convinced his former teammate is the right choice for the long term.

“You’re being ridiculous,” Keane told Sky Sports after Micah Richards suggested Carrick was the best candidate to take over permanently from Ruben Amorim.

“Two great performances, but anyone can win two games.

“Even though they finished the season in fourth place, I’m still not convinced he’s the best fit. Not at all.

“They need a bigger and better manager. But he was given a chance and it was a big opportunity for him and he is taking advantage of it.”

Keane did not hide his dissatisfaction with Carrick’s appointment until the end of the season, including questioning the coaching staff brought in.

“I’m worried about the appointment, worried about the staff and the manager. But I would probably feel that way about most people at this stage of the season,” Keane said before the win over City.

“Looking at the group of players we have, it’s a big task. At Middlesbrough, whatever Carrick’s mandate might have been to get promotion, he didn’t achieve it. He failed there, but that doesn’t mean he’s a bad manager. It’s a tough task.

“It’s great for him to get this opportunity, but I look at the staff he’s brought in. You always say United need the best of the best and at the moment I’m not seeing it. But that doesn’t mean they can’t get results.”

Carrick was unimpressed by Keane’s criticism and openly downplayed any claims that the former United captain’s comments had affected him.

Instead, he continues to strengthen his prospects of being considered for a permanent position following two convincing performances against the league’s top two teams.

“Michael Carrick came on and he’s been fantastic for us,” said man of the match Harry Maguire after the win over Arsenal.

PRAGUE: Barcelona showed great fighting spirit as they came from behind to record a 4-2 victory over Slavia Prague in the Champions League on a challenging night with temperatures reaching -8 degrees Celsius.

Fermin Lopez emerged as Barca’s hero with two first-half goals, while Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski added two more after the break to secure three points on Czech soil.

The victory moved Barcelona up to ninth place on 13 points, sharing the points total with seven other teams in a fierce battle for a place in the top eight and an automatic ticket to the last 16.

Slavia, meanwhile, remains in the bottom group – in third place, trailing by three points.

The hosts surprised the visitors as early as the 10th minute when Tomas Holes headed a corner kick back for Vasil Kusej to score.

Barcelona equalised in the 34th minute through Lopez who fired a powerful shot from inside the penalty area to beat goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek, before he scored his second goal in the 42nd minute with a shot from outside the penalty area.

However, Barca’s advantage only lasted two minutes when a corner kick hit Lewandowski’s shoulder and he headed into his own goal to tie the score at 2-2 at half-time.

The second half saw Barcelona completely dominate the game with constant pressure, before Olmo scored a beautiful goal in the 64th minute with a solid shot from outside the penalty area.

Lewandowski made up for his mistake seven minutes later when he finished off a pass from Marcus Rashford, who made a quick run down the left wing, to secure a 4-2 victory.

“We knew this match would be tough, the weather was very cold and they put a lot of pressure on us. It was tough, but we managed to come back and win.”

“We realise that goal difference is important to chase the top eight. We want to maintain a clean sheet, but that’s difficult. The important thing is that we play well and win,” said Lopez.

LONDON: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is confident that his team’s consistent performance has motivated his players that they can achieve something historic this season with the club still in contention for four trophies.

Arsenal, who have finished second in the league in the last three seasons, are now six points clear at the top of the table and are unbeaten in their last 10 games in all competitions.

They are also top of the Champions League after winning six out of six matches, advancing to the fourth round of the FA Cup, and beating Chelsea 3-2 in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final last Wednesday.

“We are building good momentum and that confidence comes from the performances and the level of consistency we have shown throughout the 32 games this season,” said Arteta ahead of the Premier League match against Nottingham Forest, early Sunday morning.

“What we did at Stamford Bridge should have convinced us that we can do it. But the reality is, every game has to be proven. There’s still a lot to come, but we’re happy to still be in four competitions.”

Arteta also warned about Forest, who are currently 17th but have shown improvement since appointing Sean Dyche as manager in October.

“A great coach. You can see the influence in the way they play, the results against big teams and how they make it difficult for opponents,” said Arteta.

MANCHESTER: Manchester United’s troubled season worsened when the managerless team was knocked out of the FA Cup after losing 1-2 to Brighton in the third round at Old Trafford.

Brajan Gruda put Brighton ahead in the first half before former United striker Danny Welbeck added a goal after the break.

Benjamin Sesko’s consolation goal came too late to save United, who saw their teenage star Shea Lacey sent off in the dying minutes.

The defeat drew cynical cheers from angry supporters, symbolizing the continued suffering of another turbulent season.

Caretaker manager Darren Fletcher has still failed to stem a slump in form after Ruben Amorim was unexpectedly sacked on Monday, with United now looking for a caretaker manager until the end of the season.

Former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and United legend Michael Carrick have been mentioned as potential interim candidates, but the turmoil at Old Trafford has made the job less appealing to any high-profile manager.

Welbeck, 35, was part of United’s last Premier League title-winning squad in 2013 under Alex Ferguson, who watched the humiliating defeat from the referee’s box.

United are currently seventh in the league, without a win in four matches and with only one win in their last seven matches.

A tough road awaits with Manchester City visiting next weekend before a trip to Arsenal on January 25.

After a humiliating League Cup defeat to fourth-tier Grimsby in August, United have now been knocked out of both domestic competitions at the preliminary stage for the first time since the 1981-82 season.

Brighton, meanwhile, avenged their 2023 FA Cup semi-final defeat with a fourth win in their last five visits to Old Trafford.

Kobbie Mainoo made his second start of the season as Fletcher dropped Casemiro to the bench, among three changes from the 2-2 draw against Burnley in midweek.

Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele made some excellent saves to deny Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes, before Brighton punished United’s laxity in the 12th minute.

Welbeck’s move broke through the United defence followed by a pass to Georginio Rutter, whose shot was cleared on the line before Gruda struck from close range.

United looked to be in turmoil, with chants against co-owner Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family echoing.

Brighton doubled their lead in the 64th minute when Gruda gave Welbeck space to fire a powerful shot past Senne Lammens.

Sesko sparked a dramatic finish with a header from Fernandes’ corner kick in the 85th minute, but United failed to steal a late comeback.

The defeat was finalized when Lacey received a second yellow card for throwing the ball in frustration.

RIYADH: Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund helped Napoli beat defending champions AC Milan 2-0 to reach the Italian Super Cup final at King Saud University Stadium earlier this morning.

The victory sees Napoli face the winner of the other semi-final between Inter Milan and Bologna scheduled for tonight, with the final set for Monday.

The semi-final action started slowly as both teams carefully found their rhythm.

Napoli opened the scoring in the 39th minute through David Neres who finished off Hojlund’s cross from the left. The back pass was only slightly deflected by Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan before the ball fell straight to Neres.

Hojlund then almost confirmed Napoli’s victory in the 64th minute when he managed to break into the penalty box despite being pushed by defender Koni De Winter, before firing a shot from a tight angle that tricked Maignan for the second goal.

After that, the tempo of the game decreased with both teams waiting for counterattack opportunities.

Hojlund was taken off at the end of the match and received a hug from teammate Romelu Lukaku, who was on the bench after a long injury lay-off since August.