Manchester United certainly can't be accused of not supporting their new manager, Erik ten Hag, given the players they're going for in the transfer market.
Granted, that's more about how United are primarily being linked with players Ten Hag knows or has previously coached rather than them targeting a host of renowned superstars.
Whether that suggests a certain trust in Ten Hag or if it comes down to a lack of belief in the club's own scouting department is a discussion for another time, but clearly Ten Hag is being allowed to build a team in his image, and that's what many fans will have hoped for.
The first one in through the door is Tyrell Malacia, who joins from Eredivisie side Feyenoord on a four-year contract with an option for a further season.
Netherlands international Malacia had apparently been close to joining Lyon until United came in at the last minute, but once the Red Devils' interest became apparent, there was only likely to be one destination: Old Trafford.
But what sort of player are United getting? Stats Perform takes a look…
Exit looming for Telles?
When considering the areas United needed to strengthen ahead of the new season, left-back might not have been highlighted as a major cause for concern, therefore some are likely to feel Malacia's signing isn't necessary.
But most would agree Luke Shaw endured a generally poor season, and his deputy – Alex Telles – seemingly wasn't good enough to fully dislodge the England international. Then you have Brandon Williams, who has returned from a loan spell at Norwich City but will in all likelihood be sold.
One would assume Malacia's arrival will lead to another sale at left-back as well, and that'll presumably be Telles rather than Shaw, who will be expected to get back to the level he showed in the 2020-21 season.
Shaw has responded well to competition before. In fact, his excellent 2020-21 campaign coincided with United's signing of Telles, but perhaps he took his foot off the pedal once he realised the Brazilian wasn't likely to be a long-term threat to his place.
Malacia could be.
At 22, Malacia is youthful and boasts a skillset that may make him a greater understudy – and challenger – to Shaw than Telles.
Already a Netherlands international, Malacia is quick, comfortable on the ball and had an impressive output in attack last season. Telles, on the other hand, isn't especially fast and his final-third threat relies on crosses from deep.
Full-backs performed an important function for Ten Hag's Ajax. Their underlapping runs make them potential threats in the box, while those at his disposal in Amsterdam possessed excellent technical abilities, helping the team to maintain control of possession even out wide, a little like at Manchester City.
Such a role certainly shouldn't faze Malacia considering his pace and technique.
A considered threat
Malacia's technical ability and speed are probably his two most obvious attributes, though neither are especially easy to prove with numbers.
Of course, it's difficult to accurately – and fairly – compare players across two hugely different competitions just using stats, but you can at least get an idea of what a player offers.
Malacia's 1.1 open-play chances created every 90 minutes in the Eredivisie last season was the 10th highest among defenders (minimum of 1,000 minutes played). That was the same as Shaw's, though the latter was obviously playing in a league generally regarded to be a higher level.
Despite that frequency not being especially remarkable, Malacia did lay on four assists, and his 6.0 expected assists (xA) was bettered by only four Eredivisie defenders.
So although he wasn't necessarily creating a huge amount of opportunities, those he did craft had an average xA value of 0.16 – of the defenders with at least 18 key passes, only Daley Blind (0.27), Noussair Mazraoui (0.19) and Yukinari Sugawara (0.17) created better chances on average.
Similarly, Malacia's xA output on a per-90-minute basis of 0.19 was higher than that of Shaw (0.14) and Telles (0.11).
Both of the xA averages mentioned for Malacia highlight – and can be partly explained by – how he attacks. He recorded 2.7 touches in the opposition's box every 90 minutes last term (fifth among Eredivisie defenders), whereas Shaw (1.1) and Telles (1.0) were far less willing to get into that area.
As such, of his 5.0 passes into the box each game, only 3.0 were crosses. Those respective figures for Shaw (5.9/5.7) and Telles (7.6/7.3) show a far greater reliance on hopeful crosses.
Again, specific coaching instructions may explain the figures of Shaw and Telles, so the data isn't suggesting any one is better than the others, but it's still easy to see why Ten Hag might feel Malacia is a good fit as one of his underlapping full-backs.
Malacia also tallied more tackle attempts (2.7), tackles won (1.8) and duels (11.0) compared to Shaw (1.1, 0.7 and 8.2) and Telles (2.4, 1.3 and 9.8).
As before, these don't necessarily mean he's a better defender because the context of the two leagues and the respective teams' playing styles make it difficult to draw such conclusions, but Malacia's figures do at least point to a certain level of tenacity off the ball.
Regardless of the numbers, it seems clear United are taking a bit of a gamble with Malacia. Although obviously talented, he is young, inexperienced and joining a team that cannot claim to have much stability.
Nothing about United over the past decade has suggested it's a club that successfully nurtures young players anymore. Even when you look at the success stories such as Marcus Rashford, he's not appeared happy for a while.
The fact Malacia has seemingly been signed upon the request of his manager – rather than a glorified accountant on the board – is undoubtedly a tick in the pros column, but only time will tell if that trust in Ten Hag is well-placed.
Clarendon College retains daCosta Cup title with 6-2 pounding of Glenmuir
It is said that revenge is a dish best served cold, and Clarendon College reminded neighbours Glenmuir High of the famous saying with a 6-2 pounding in an electrifying ISSA/Wata daCosta Cup showpiece, to retain their title at the National Stadium on Saturday.
After going down 2-3 to Glenmuir in the ISSA Champions Cup last week, Clarendon College would have been mindful that vengeance is more satisfying when not inflicted immediately, and almost as if possessed, they produced what could be regarded as the most clinical schoolboy football showing in recent times.
A delightful hat-trick from the prolific Keheim Dixon (2nd, 21st, 90+3), a brace from Jahmelle Ashley (9th, 38th) and one from Deandre Gallimore (67th), propelled the Chapelton-based team to its 11th title, adding to those won in 1977, 1978, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2014, 2018, 2019 and 2022.
Romario Thompson’s 63rd-minute own-goal, and Orel Miller (75th) were Glenmuir’s consolations.
It was also the first time a team scored six goals in a daCosta Cup final in recent times, bettering the previous 5-0 scoreline between Garvey Maceo and Mannings High in 2021.
For Head coach Lenworth “Teacha” Hyde, it was sweet redemption for his team and one which they dedicated to trainer, who was absent due to illness.
“I am very happy and elated, I am happy for the players mostly this one is dedicated to Junior Samuels out trainer, her is not here, he is very ill, and the players were hell-bent that they would come out here and leave everything on the pitch and that’s what they did. They worked very hard for this and the loss the other day made them even hungrier, so it was easy to get them pumped and it showed in their display,” Hyde said in his post-game interview.
With their Champions Cup five-goal thriller whetting the appetites of football enthusiasts, there was never a doubt that the rematch would fail to serve up a treat, and the large turnout in the grandstand, complemented by those in the bleachers, proved that much.
Unlike the Champions Cup when they played the patient game, Clarendon College were in no mood to wait on this occasion and declared their intentions in a frantic start.
They broke the deadlock with only two minutes on the clock as captain Malachi Douglas and Ashley combined in a build-up that paved the way for Dixon to fire home from close range.
Before Glenmuir could catch their breaths, they were two goals down, as Dixon forced a turnover to Douglas, who pass into the 18-yard box inadvertently got to Ashley at the far post, and the player sporting the number nine jersey fired in the roof of the net.
With Glenmuir struggling to contend with their pace, Clarendon College pressed the ascendancy, stretching the opponents defence, but came up empty at that point as Christopher Hull shot wide, and minutes later Glenmuir’s custodian Antwone Gooden, denied Dixon.
Glenmuir eventually came into their own and should have pulled one back in the 20th when Orane Watson dismissed defender and had enough time and space to pick a spot, but somehow hit his effort over the cross bar.
He was left ruing that missed opportunity a minute later when Ashley sent Dixon on his way, and the number 13 dismissed a defender, as well as the advancing Gooden to fire in his 30th goal of the season, and put Clarendon College 3-0 up.
In the 28th Watson went on another break for Glenmuir, but his attempt was charged down by Clarendon College’s Roshae Burrell, who left his line well in the one-on-one situation.
And before long, Ashley added another to Clarendon College’s tally, when he expertly headed in a weighted cross from Ateibo Green to make it 4-0 at the break.
Down, and faced with a mountainous task, Glenmuir came out more purposeful on the resumption and were rewarded for their efforts three minutes past the hour mark, courtesy of Thompson’s own-goal.
However, the celebrations were short-lived, as Clarendon College restored the four goal cushion four minutes later through Gallimore’s well-struck right-footer from the top of the arc that left Gooden beaten all ends up.
Glenmuir continued to show fight, and notched a second goal in 75th. Clarendon College’s defenders failed to deal with an Orane Watson cross which allowed Miller to pounce and finish.
But Clarendon College and their point man Dixon had one more in the bag, which came through a brilliant solo effort in which he slipped by four defenders before firing a right-footer past the hapless Gooden, for his 31st goal of the season, in time added.
Glenmuir’s Head coach Andrew Peart felt his team lost it from the start.
“I thought we had the worst possible start; we planned for them coming high up the field that’s why we had two strikers, but poor decision to play the ball short into the middle of the field cost us. That was the start that Clarendon College wanted because they are a rhythm team, and they want to be up early. Second half, we were a bit more controlled, but it was just a good start, and we just couldn’t get back to them from there,” Peart noted.
Clarendon College will next face Manning Cup champions Mona High for the Olivier Shield, at Glenmuir’s field on Wednesday.
McGrath High clips Frome Technical 1-0 to cop first Ben Francis Cup
McGrath High became the fourth school to win the ISSA/Wata Ben Francis knockout title since the change in format, as they edged Frome Technical 1-0 in a lively final at the National Stadium on Saturday.
Dante Anderson's 32nd-minute strike was enough to get the Linstead-based team over the line, and saw them join Charlemont, BB Coke and Edwin Allen as first-time champions.
Winning coach Jermaine Thomas was over the moon about his team’s accomplishment.
"I am happy and elated because we worked really hard for this. I also want to take time out to say rest in peace to Gibbs “Gibbo” Williams, he was an important part of my life and the reason why I went to college, so I wish he was here to witness this moment,” Thomas said.
“But congrats to the boys, they played well, we have been playing well all season, the last game we lost was to Christiana in the Round of 16, and we haven’t lost since then. So, I must commend the boys and the entire school community for the support,” he added.
It was a closely contested affair in which both teams threatened in open play and had their fair share of opportunities to break the deadlock.
McGrath went closest in the 32nd when a well-taken David Hutchinson freekick, was equally well-saved by Oral Davis diving full stretch to his right, in Frome Technical’s goal.
Frome responded soon after but Dwayne Watt’s shot from close range, was parried by Joel Davis, in goal for McGrath, as they remained scoreless at the break.
However, McGrath eventually found what turned out to be the match-winning goal five minutes into the resumption when Devone Davis picked up possession and played a pass off to Anderson, who applied a tidy finish, beating Oral Davis at his near post.
It was end-to-end action from there with McGrath looking to add to their tally, while Frome Technical pressed for the elusive equaliser. In fact, the Westmoreland-based team showed more in the attacking third in the latter stages, as they used the wide channels to good effect to provide services inside the danger area.
The tactic almost bore fruit in 74th when Akeem Kongal’s weighted cross was met by Jamaro Grant, who rose above defenders, but the effort was brilliantly cleared off the line by defender Isaac Mason to keep his team’s lead intact, and they saw off Frome from there.
Frome Technical’s Head coach Cleighton Stevens was gracious in defeat.
"First I have to say congratulations to McGrath on their victory, my boys put up a good fight, but it just wasn't our day. It was still a successful season and we just have to build on it going forward,” he said.
Mikel Arteta refuses to be drawn on VAR rulings as Arsenal slump to Villa defeat
Mikel Arteta was seemingly aiming to sidestep another Football Association charge as the Arsenal boss refused to be drawn on two contentious calls in their Premier League defeat at Aston Villa.
John McGinn’s seventh-minute strike was enough to seal a 1-0 victory for the hosts, who are now just two points off top spot and have won a club-record 15 consecutive league games.
The last time Villa failed to win at home was a loss to Arsenal in February, but this time it was the home side who secured the three points.
Arsenal wasted a number of gilt-edged chances and saw a strong penalty claim turned down for Douglas Luiz’s challenge on Gabriel Jesus, while Kai Havertz thought he had bundled in a last-minute leveller only for it to be ruled out for handball.
On both occasions, the VAR sided with referee Jarred Gillett and Arteta – who was watching from the directors’ box at Villa Park as he served a one-match touchline ban – would not be drawn on the decisions, having already been hit with an FA charge for his stinging post-match criticism of the officiating following a 1-0 loss at Newcastle last month.
Asked about both calls, the Spaniard replied: “Clear and obvious. Clear and obvious.”
Pushed on what he meant, he added, while stressing the two repeated words: “Clear and obvious, that’s what I mean. That’s my opinion, that’s all I can say.”
Arteta was also asked about the decisions during his post-match interview with Sky Sports, saying: “I prefer not to comment…I do (have a) big opinion, yes.”
Any further questions on the matter were shot down but Arteta did go on to say he felt his side had done enough to win the game.
“I’m very disappointed with the result, especially with the way we played,” he said.
“I think we deserved much more than what we got. We were the much better team. I haven’t seen a team do what we did to Villa since we won here in February.
“It was not enough to win it because we lacked the accuracy in the opponents’ box to put the ball in the back of the net with the amount of situations that we generated.”
For Villa, this was a second big win in the space of three days having already seen off reigning champions Manchester City on Wednesday night.
Former Arsenal boss Unai Emery stuck with the same starting XI as the Gunners visited Villa Park and his decision ultimately paid off.
“They were excited and I was thinking at the beginning to do some changes to the starting XI because some were tired from Wednesday,” he said.
“It was a big effort, but we were speaking yesterday with the doctors and all of the players wanted to play today, they were all telling us they were perfect.
“During the match I was watching and needed to be clinical with my decision in changing players.
“Clearly I am very proud of our matches we play here. We have won 15 matches, I have never been in this situation.
“We have to enjoy it and still be demanding, we are achieving. The last time we lost here was against Arsenal and today we competed against them. We are increasing our demands and our level, being consistent, responsible and mature.”
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