Put it into the context of the Sir Alex Ferguson era, it was yet another classic Manchester United comeback – gung-ho football inspiring a succession of late goals to secure the Red Devils an invaluable win from the clutches of defeat. But this isn’t the Sir Alex Ferguson era at Old Trafford; this is the Jose Mourinho era, one filled with paranoia, cynicism, paralysing fear, fractious dressing rooms and commercial interests overshadowing footballing ones.

Manchester United used to launch their thrilling comebacks from a platform of belief in their own abilities, the idea that such victories were a part of the club’s identity and destiny. What manifested in the final twenty minutes against Newcastle on Saturday though was an unrelenting desperation formed from the realisation that as players, as a club and as a manager, Manchester United had little left to lose.

Facing a third consecutive Premier League game without a win and a second consecutive defeat to a team involved in last season’s relegation battle, it was a choice of either pulling themselves back into the match by any means necessary or accept the club had entered a full-blown crisis – the casualties of which would likely extend far beyond the under-fire manager.

Mourinho, inevitably, sought to build narratives after the 3-2 win, billing the performance as an act of defiance and vilifying the apparent ‘manhunt’ launched against him. But if there is a manhunt against Mourinho it certainly hasn’t been motivated by any personnel dislikes or vendettas. Quite plainly, Mourinho’s in the firing line because – as United’s very own comeback proved – he’s not doing his job properly.

Forget about Ed Woodward, the failure to sign a centre-half, the polarised relationship with Paul Pogba and all the other white noise that has besieged Old Trafford this season. Mourinho’s greatest quality as a manager at the most fundamental level has always been his ability as a tactician – to set a team out to win a game of football, whether that’s by one goal or three.

But that just hasn’t happened enough this season and Saturday’s game caught the trend in a microcosm. Within twenty minutes, as Newcastle scored twice, Mourinho’s game-plan had gone out of the window; he brought on a player in Juan Mata who hadn’t started a Premier League game since the first week of the new season, he took off a clearly emotionally fragile Eric Bailly and then stuck a 21-year-old midfielder in Scott McTominay at centre-half. At half time, it was McTominay’s turn to be hauled off, Mourinho admitting after the full-time whistle that the Scotland international looked ‘scared’.

There is certainly something to be said for managers being proactive with their substitutions, and the bizarre 3-3-4 setup Mourinho fielded in the second half with Paul Pogba bombing on from central defence did play a noteworthy hand in United’s comeback. But the Portuguese was clearly making it up as he went along, and that’s a very strange thing to say about Mourinho – a manager who once made game-plans with meticulous detail and prepared for every eventuality.

When Chelsea beat PSG in the quarter-finals of the Champions League during his first season back at Stamford Bridge, there was no panic or fear. The Blues instantly changed shape and the nature of their attacks, pushing the French champions back and launching diagonal balls into the box to besiege the final third and create sustained pressure on the visitors.

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Yes, Mourinho had to fling on Fernando Torres and Demba Ba to find the late goal, but the comeback was calculated and methodical. Between Newcastle’s second strike and United’s first on Saturday though, Old Trafford was pure pandemonium. There was no rhyme or reason to anything United were doing, or to the calls Mourinho was making. It was a case of sticking this player here and that player there, hoping something somehow would make the difference.

And that has been common place throughout this disastrous start to the season. From Mourinho’s 24 substitutions in the Premier League this term, 12 have been made with less than 65 minutes gone, and in two games already he’s been forced to make changes by half time or earlier. Equally tellingly, just seven of United’s 13 league goals have come before the first substitution has been made, compared to six after, and no club has more Premier League goals from substitutes this season than the Red Devils.

There was once a time when Mourinho’s triple substitutions at half time, or in some cases earlier, earned praise for their audacious bravery, their obvious intent on achieving perfection. But much like how Saturday’s performance would feel like a genuine triumph under the United gaffer’s great predecessor, these changes have taken place in a completely different, far less flattering context.

They’re a sign of a manager continually getting his game-plans and team selections wrong, and often being forced to turn to players that he would rather ignore. Tellingly, all three of United’s goalscorers on Saturday have been at logger-heads with him at some stage of their careers, or are in that exact predicament currently, and it was Pogba who made the biggest difference in the second half despite being stripped of the vice captaincy just a matter of weeks ago.

Credit must be given where it’s due and there’s certainly some to be handed out from Saturday’s shambolic revival, but how much of that rightly belongs to Mourinho? As much as there’s an obvious hypocrisy in criticising the manager as soon as everything goes wrong but refusing to praise him when things start to go right, United’s comeback against Newcastle owed as much to the quality of player and how the Red Devils reached the point of having nothing left to fear as it did Mourinho’s directions from the dugout. In fact, the first few of those – sticking McTominay at centre-half and then bringing on Marouane Fellaini to pump the ball forward – initially only made United’s problems worse.

Before Saturday’s late kickoff, there was talk of Mourinho’s fate being decided regardless of the result. It would take a brave man to dismiss the Portuguese after that kind of comeback, but it would also take a foolish man to forget what took place in the first 70 minutes of the match, not to mention the first seven-and-three-quarters games of United’s Premier League season.

It has been littered with confused team selections, players clearly misunderstanding the systems they’ve been deployed in, substitutions made seemingly made for political reasons as much as footballing ones and overall, starting XIs that haven’t been prepared in the way you’d expect of not only Manchester United but also Mourinho – a manager who has built his career on impeccable organisation and game management.

And as far as the comeback goes, how much can you really praise a man for hitting a six when he’s bet everything on his last roll of the dice? Does that qualify as genius, or fortune favouring stupidity? Either way, United once again almost paid the price for being improperly prepared for a Premier League game, and the responsibility for that only lies with the man in the dugout.

United need to get rid now, because next time they won’t be so lucky.

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Liverpool’s season so far has been a good one, with the Reds positioning themselves right in the mix for a run at the title if they can maintain their form.

The Reds’ style of play under manager Jurgen Klopp has much to be admired, and there is every chance that they can continue to build and finally land that first Premier League title.

However, in order to keep up the pressure and maintain form, Liverpool do need to keep adding quality to the ranks, and that means dipping into the market in the next two transfer windows at the very least to ensure they keep the pace with the other big hitters in the top flight.

Indeed, one man we think will be getting a move to one of the big clubs in the coming seasons is former Chelsea defender Nathan Ake, who has been in superb form for Bournemouth this term.

While Chelsea hold the trump card in terms of bringing him back to the Bridge, we at the Tavern think that Liverpool signing Ake would be a superb piece of business at Anfield.

The £22.5m-rated Dutch star has really developed in the last 12 months, and is finally fulfilling the promise he showed at the Blues.

While Liverpool do have Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez, the thought of putting Ake with that pair as a back three really does read well on paper, meaning Liverpool could be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.

Liverpool fans, what do you think? Would Ake be a good signing? Let us know in the comments!

The majority of Manchester United fans that answered our poll want Jose Mourinho to start Dutch wonderkid Tahith Chong against Everton.

In his pre-match press conference, Mourinho complained that he had no other options to Romelu Lukaku, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial upfront, but this completely disregarded the 18-year-old Chong who was inexplicably left on the bench against Juventus when United were chasing an equaliser.

Chong has netted five times and provided two assists in nine appearances for the youth team this season, and Mourinho must trust the youngster to take some of the pressure off the three fit senior attackers, with Alexis Sanchez and Jesse Lingard out injured.

The Dutchman has represented his country at all levels between U15 and U19 and a majority 47 per cent of Manchester United fans that answered our poll now wanted him to make his debut and start at Old Trafford against Everton, whilst 44 per cent at least wanted him to be used from the bench.

Check out the full results of the poll below.

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At Manchester City, manager Pep Guardiola is blessed with a host of talented midfield and attacking options with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling being just two gifted individuals the Spaniard can call upon.

As a result, playing time for English youngster Phil Foden has been limited and the 18-year-old is now attracting interest from Germany.

The Breakdown

According to the Daily Mail, Borussia Dortmund are hoping to lure Foden to the Westfalenstadion with the England U21 international having just 18 months to run on his current contract.

And given the success Dortmund have had with another Manchester City English youth product in Jadon Sancho since he left the Etihad for Germany last year, it is not surprising to see the Bundesliga outfit target Foden.

Should Foden decide he wants to stay in England, though, one team who could be perfect for the 18-year-old is Everton — a team who could do with a midfielder of his profile going forward.

With Ross Barkley no longer at the club and Andre Gomes only at Goodison Park for the season, Marco Silva will lack a midfielder capable of carrying the ball and playing between the lines.

The addition of Foden, however, would fix that and is something Everton should strongly consider — especially if they fail to sign Gomes permanently.

Foden may, of course, opt to stay at the Etihad. But if not, he is a player the Toffees would be wise to pursue.

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Tottenham got past PSV by the skin of their teeth on Tuesday night, but Mauricio Pochettino needs to make some major changes to get his side firing again.

The Chalkboard

Much like Liverpool, Tottenham have made an excellent start to their Premier League campaign, and yet something just doesn’t feel quite right.

Although they are picking up plenty of points, the team that was blowing teams away for fun over the last two seasons just isn’t clicking at full strength, and it was evident during the clash with PSV.

Fans will of course point to the lack of transfer activity in the summer as to why the team has stagnated slightly, and it’s now time for Pochettino and Daniel Levy to be absolutely ruthless to make sure the move to the new stadium surpasses all expectations.

A new January priority?

Perhaps the biggest factor in any Pochettino side is the full-backs, as the Tottenham boss demands so much from them. The team that finished second in 2017 had Kyle Walker and Danny Rose in the prime of their careers, and Kieran Trippier and Ben Davies were both superb last season.

The latter pair have had a torrid start to the season though, and it’s having a huge effect on the rest of the side.

None of Pochettino’s current full backs are able to offer both attacking impetus and defensive stability, and signing a world class left back in January might now be even more important than the hunt for a new central midfielder.

A new (old) role for Eriksen

Perhaps the biggest attacking change Pochettino has made this season is moving Christian Eriksen further back into midfield. The Danish international has played deeper on a number of occasions in the past, but there is no question he is better in a more advanced position.

The trio of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Eriksen absolutely tore teams to shreds over the last couple of seasons, and while the improved depth from players like Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura is certainly a useful asset, it has cost Erisken dearly.

The 26-year-old was one of very few players in the league to join the unique ten goals, ten assists club last season, but he has just one goal and two assists so far this campaign. The injuries in midfield have certainly played their part, but the boss has to find a way to get the Dane more involved in the final third.

So, Tottenham fans, how happy are you with your start to the season? Is playing Eriksen in the middle a mistake? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

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Nikola Vlasic cost Everton around £10 million to sign from Croatian outfit Hajduk Split in the summer of 2017.

The attacking midfielder arrived at Goodison Park in the same summer as the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Wayne Rooney. The presence of those two, both vying for the same positions on the pitch as Vlasic, meant that the Croatian struggled for regular game time.

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In his first season, with opportunities limited, Vlasic made just 12 Premier League appearances and failed to impress in English football. Ahead of the new campaign, the 21-year-old was shipped off on loan to CSKA Moscow.

At the end of last season, Vlasic was considered a flop. In Russia, however, the 2-cap international has rediscovered his best form. Recently, CSKA announced that the midfielder had won the player of the month award for the second month in a row.

Despite an underwhelming first season, Vlasic is showing he may well have a future with the Toffees yet. Plenty of Everton fans agree too, with 62% of those we polled stating that they believe Vlasic can have a future under Marco Silva.

Heading into this season, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp knew it was imperative for a new No.1 to be brought in.

Last term, neither Simon Mignolet or Loris Karius were convincing between the sticks with the latter struggling in particular.

As a result, Alisson was signed from AS Roma for big money following a solid campaign in Serie A, and the Brazilian has made it clear he is not planning to rest on his laurels at Anfield.

The Breakdown

“I came here for a high price and some people expect me to be perfect,” Alisson was quoted saying by BBC Sport. “It is not easy but I’m trying. I’m working to be better.

“It is really early to say if I’m satisfied with how I’m playing but I’m working to be perfect. I am really happy with my move to the Premier League. I’m working really hard to help Liverpool to achieve their goals.”

While Alisson may not be the perfect goalkeeper yet — or at least in his own eyes — he is certainly among the elite shot-stoppers in world football right now and is practically the complete No.1.

The 26-year-old arrived in England with a reputation of being competent on the ball, so seeing how well his distribution has been so far this season is not surprising, while the same can also be said about his shot-stopping.

Rather, what has been unexpected is how well Alisson has marshalled his area and dealt with crosses, something which new goalkeepers arriving from another European league can struggle with.

Bar a calamitous mistake against Leicester City back in September, Alisson’s performances have been close to perfect if not that.

All in all, the Brazil international is the ideal modern-day goalkeeper that Liverpool have desperately needed.

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Marca recently reported that there has been no progress in contract talks between Barcelona and striker Munir El Haddadi.

What’s the word?

The 23-year-old’s current contract at the Camp Nou is set to expire at the end of the season, and as of January he shall be free to agree a summer free transfer to another club by means of a pre-contract agreement.

Although the Catalan giants are keen to hang onto Munir, the once-capped Spain international may feel that he will have to contend with a lack of game time should he remain with the Blaugrana.

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If Munir wants to play week in week out, he must either seek a loan move or a permanent switch away from Barcelona as soon as possible. 

With the prospect of a pre-contract approaching, plenty of Premier League clubs would be wise to try and tempt Munir to agree to join them as a free agent at the end of the season. Everton, in particular, would do well to secure his services.

The opportunity he needs

Everton have made a habit of snapping up Barcelona outcasts in recent seasons, with Andre Gomes, Yerry Mina and Lucas Digne all having joined the Toffees in the last summer window alone.

Munir could be the latest addition to Everton’s collection of Barcelona stars. There is certainly room for the forward in Marco Silva’s set-up at Goodison Park. With striker Cenk Tosun having failed to impress at all since his January move to Merseyside, the chance to lead the line for the Toffees is up for grabs.

Proving his worth in the Premier League is exactly what Munir needs to do to take his career to the next level. His record of 11 goals and 11 assists in 53 career appearances for Barcelona ought to also excite Everton supporters.

What do you think, Everton fans, would securing Munir on a pre-contract agreement be a smart January move?

According to a recent report from The Liverpool Echo, Ben Woodburn looks set to be recalled from a loan spell come January. The Liverpool youngster made the move to Championship side Sheffield United at the start of the season in a bid for regular first team football under Chris Wilder, only for things to go awry for the Wales international to thus call his future at Bramall Lane into question.

And reports suggest that the young forward could be recalled by the Merseyside giants in the New Year with the aim to find him a better destination for the second half of the season, with Steven Gerrard’s Rangers the club he must seek to join given just how well fellow Liverpool youngster Ryan Kent is performing at Ibrox.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, 22-year-old Kent headed into the 2018/19 season needing a seriously good loan spell after struggling at Freiburg and Bristol City last time round, appearing a combined 17 times for the two clubs, and failing to net at all in those separate stints.

And the winger took the bold move to join Liverpool legend Gerrard at Rangers as the 38-year-old sought to bolster the Gers’ attacking ranks, and it has so far proven to be an inspired decision given just how good Kent has been for the Scottish giants.

The 22-year-old former England youth international has scored three goals and laid on one assist in 10 Scottish Premiership games for the Light Blues to help them to second place in the table, two goals and the assist of which coming in his four games prior to suffering a hamstring injury at the start of the month – thus, Kent was just beginning to get into his groove.

And Kent’s resurgence north of the border simply must be of interest to fellow Liverpool sensation Woodburn, who is also in need of a morale-boosting loan spell after struggling at Sheffield United so far this term.

The 19-year-old made the move to the Yorkshire outfit amid much excitement and anticipation, yet he has since only managed seven Championship appearances for the Blades, just two of which have come post-August.

And with only one start under Wilder so far this term, and no appearances in the matchday squad in seven of their last nine matches, Woodburn’s time away from Anfield simply isn’t having the desired effect – recalling him and sending him out on loan somewhere else in January appears to be the best option.

And given just how well Kent has benefited from his time at Rangers, £4.5 million-rated Woodburn (as per Transfermarkt) only need look at his Liverpool teammate to know that Ibrox is the place to be.

Rangers fans… what do you think? Let us know!

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Modern football is no doubt a squad game, and selection decisions inevitably get tougher at this time of year. Between now and New Year’s Day, Mauricio Pochettino has nine fixtures to guide his Tottenham team through; that’s almost one game every three days.

And yet, when it comes to an encounter as significant as the North London Derby, not only a crucial clash psychologically for Tottenham and Arsenal but also in the context of the Premier League table with both sides separated by just three points before kickoff, team selection should be pretty simple – get your strongest and most reliable starting XI out onto the field.

Unai Emery too, made mistakes with his starting XI – admitting as much when he made a double substitution at half time. But the Spaniard is still getting to grips with a squad he inherited from Arsene Wenger; Tottenham didn’t even make any signings in the summer, so Pochettino is privy to almost a year of familiarity with this exact cohort of personnel.

And that makes the decision to bench Toby Alderweireld, whose last four outings have seen Tottenham concede just two goals, all the more baffling, especially as the player who started instead – Juan Foyth – had only made three Premier League appearances before Sunday’s game and looked dangerously fallible for much of those 270 minutes.

That was the case once again against Arsenal, a game that highlighted the Argentine’s lack of experience as he bucked under the pressure of the North London Derby. While he made the most tackles of any player at the Emirates Stadium, seven, that only seemed to allude to how often poor positioning forced him into making challenges.

Perhaps more tellingly though, Foyth directly lost the ball four times – dispossessed twice while committing two unsuccessful touches – which is simply an unacceptable return for a centre-back and completed just 64% of his passes, the lowest rate of any defender for either side. He also suffered one error leading to a goal, falling on the ball to allow Aaron Ramsey a free run into the final third, where the Welshman slipped it to Alexandre Lacazette for Arsenal’s third goal.

It would be superficial to suggest the result would have been different had Alderweireld started instead; Arsenal’s relentlessness only increased throughout the ninety minutes and Tottenham seemed unable to keep up with the pace of play in all departments. Likewise, Jan Vertonghen did his rookie centre-back partner few favours, or Spurs in general for that matter.

But considering Alderweireld, who is valued at £36m by transfermarkt.com, is unquestionably one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League, a natural leader, a calming presence and has a long-existing partnership with Vertonghen, it’s safe to assume he would have enjoyed a better afternoon than Foyth, who never looked comfortable against the likes of Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Pochettino insisted before the match that the decision was purely down to rotation, and in fairness the Arsenal defeat came at the end of a week of big games for the club. But Dele Alli played 259 minutes until being subbed off late on against the Gunners, and Serge Aurier and Moussa Sissoko played all three games throughout. It seems strangely unnecessary to bench a key player, who operates in a position less demanding on fitness.

Clearly, Pochettino over-complicated and over-thought his North London Derby selection, and the big gamble on Foyth backfired spectacularly.

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