David Moyes is under criticism today for comments he made this past weekend after Manchester United’s 2-1 loss to West Bromwich Albion.
Moyes said:
“To win the Champions League, you have to have five or six world class players. If you look at Bayern Munich, they have five or six nearly world-class players. Look at Barcelona, who had it in the past and Real Madrid have maybe got it now. That’s the level you have to get at to win it.
“We’ve not got that yet but what we have got is experience and several players who are in that category or close to it.”
Manchester United face an away tie against Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday, in another game where Moyes will want a good result to relieve the pressure on him and his players, especially with the club sitting in twelfth place in the Premier League.
In Moyes’s quote above, is he being a defeatist or realist? In my opinion, he’s being a realist. Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson papered over the cracks in his side in the past few years by relying on players such as Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs to help the club when United should have been going out and signing quality players who are world-class.
The pressure is on Moyes, but he can only do the best with what players he has at his disposal. While the United team have depth to run for another Premier League title (once things turn around), they’re out of their depth in the UEFA Champions League (particularly the latter rounds).
Here are today’s world soccer news headlines:
Premier League
- Moyes Says Manchester United Squad Lacks Quality Needed to Win The Champions League — Telegraph
- All’s well for now at Arsenal, but the Wenger succession must be faced one day — Independent
- Martin Jol: Fulham manager urges calm after calls to quit — BBC Sport
- Kevin De Bruyne axed by Chelsea and sent to train with the youth team — Off The Post
- Steve Bruce backs Hull’s Tom Huddlestone for England — Sky Sports
- Is lack of money a good excuse for a manager? — The Political Economy of Football
- Sunderland manager latest: Tony Pulis joins Gus Poyet on shortlist — The Mail
- Gareth Barry on brink of top-flight landmark 500 appearances today — Independent
- Jose Mourinho assures John Terry he can earn himself a new contract at Chelsea — Metro
- West Brom striker Saido Berahino, on £850 a week, interests Arsenal and Everton — The Mail
Football League
- Steve McClaren is in talks over becoming Derby County’s new manager — This Is Derbyshire
- Steve McClaren’s move to Derby County takes step closer as QPR ready themselves for his departure — Telegraph
- AFC Wimbledon face competition to return to Plough Lane — Telegraph
- Derby County sign Leicester City centre-half Zak Whitbread on loan — This Is Derbyshire
International soccer
- “Breaking Sepp” – Will Qatar 2022 be death by a thousand cuts for FIFA? — Forbes
- Stefan Kiessling could be offered Germany recall — BBC Sport
Serie A
La Liga
- Valencia court orders Isco to pay €2.6m to former agents — Inside World Football
The Daily Soccer Report is your morning guide to the latest world soccer news headlines, so you don’t have to spend an hour or more scanning the Internet. We do all the work for you. Read The Daily Soccer Report on World Soccer Talk every morning to stay on top of all the news that matters.
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