Author: Joe Soriano

It's not a stretch to say that West Ham have been the most disappointing team in the Premier League this season after Manchester United, who already took the big step of firing Erik ten Hag (though they really shouldn't have gone into the season with him as their manager). West Ham are a different case, because even though, like Manchester United, they made significant offseason additions after a poor 2023/24 campaign, they already changed their manager in the summer. The Hammers hoped Julen Lopetegui - formerly of Real Madrid, Sevilla, and Wolves - would be able to turn things around after an uneven second half of the season from David Moyes. Their decision to move on from Moyes, who was wildly successful earlier in his West Ham tenure, wasn't a universal one but largely seemed t...

When you look across the list of players in the Manchester United squad, you can't help but sort players into four distinct categories 1) Future building blocks, 2) Players who could potentially be useful, 3) Players who should have been sold years ago, and 4) Players who should have never been signed in the first place. Distinguishing these players is often not difficult at all. Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, for example, are very obviously building blocks for the future, and you'd be hard pressed to find many reasonable Manchester United fans who think Harry Maguire and Antony were remotely worth their price tags. It's an unfortunate reality, though, that Manchester United have far too many players in the third and fourth categories, but that's typical for a fallen giant tha...

On Nov. 24, Manchester United will officially kick off the Ruben Amorim era when they face Ipswich Town, and nothing less than a win will be expected for the Portuguese manager, even in his debut game with the club. Manchester United finally grew sick of the Erik ten Hag ruse, firing a manager they should have tossed aside before the season even started. But Man United may not have too many regrets if Amorim immediately proves to be the answer, since they may not have ended up with him if they fired Ten Hag earlier. Without a full transfer window of his own yet, Amorim will have to make do with a host of talented pieces who couldn't quite be put together as a cohesive unit under his predecessor, and this will be the kind of challenge a manager who truly aspires to be great, like Amor...

Arne Sloth has Liverpool off to a hot start in the 2024/25 Premier League season, and coming up to the November international fixtures, you really have to say that the Reds are clear favorites to win the league title for the first time in five years. Liverpool have lost just one game this season - to a breakout Nottingham Forest side, of all teams - and they boast the best goalkeeper, best center back, best right back, best midfielder, best left winger, and best overall player in the English top flight. But do they have the best manager in the Premier League? What Slot has done through his first three months on the job is nothing short of remarkable, because he's not only filled the shoes of one of the greatest managers of this era in Jurgen Klopp, but, if anything, he's been an upgr...

Manchester United are about to kickstart a new era after the international fixtures, as Ruben Amorim has officially taken over for interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy on Nov. 11. Amorim's first actual game in charge will come on Nov. 24 against newly promoted underdogs Ipswich Town, fresh off a 2-1 upset victory over Tottenham this past weekend. There is a lot of optimism surrounding the Amorim appointment, because so many other big clubs around European football were interested in hiring the Portuguese manager from Sporting CP. But Amorim waited and ended up leaping at the opportunity to be the guy who finally turns Manchester United around after a revolving door of managers, with the most recent being the thoroughly disappointing Erik ten Hag. With Manchester United coming of...

Chelsea star forward Christopher Nkunku hasn't enjoyed nearly the same importance or success since leaving RB Leipzig in 2023 as one of the most acclaimed attacking players in European football. Injuries have certainly played their role in Nkunku's diminished output, but he's also been overshadowed by a bigger breakout star in Cole Palmer, who was a legitimate Premier League Player of the Season candidate in 2023/24. With Chelsea needing and out-and-out striker to lead the line and with no room for another playmaker after Palmer's breakout. Nkunku has diminished in importance and the frustration is beginning to bubble. A recent report highlighted the possibility of Nkunku seeking a new club, with Manchester United reportedly ready to throw their hats in the mix for the 26-year-old...