Manchester United's Unlikely Heroes

Hi all 😀 

Before we start, a special shoutout to Álvaro Djaló. He scored in yesterday’s Champions League match against Real Madrid and slid…while still 2-1 down.

This is honestly such a power move. Don’t run to the net and get the ball, you just scored against REAL MADRID. Savor it.

Today we talk about:

• The Champions League, and what we learned from yesterday’s matches.

• The Serie A betting scandal, and how Sandro Tonali became the player caught most in its crosshairs.

But first, here’s your FRONT THREE.

Cue dramatic news music

The Front Three

Scary scene in Lens. Ahead of their Champions League clash, fans of PSV and Lens were reportedly involved in a scuffle that resulted in the firing of projectiles and tear gas being used by police. There have not been any reports regarding injuries, but we will continue to monitor the situation.

Serie A makes big deal. On Monday, it was announced that Sky and Dazn would retain the rights to broadcast Serie A matches in a massive deal worth $4.8 billion. Quick question for you: What league do you watch the most? Reply to this email and let us know.

Lyon owner makes bold claim. In an interview with L’Equipe, Lyon owner John Textor stated that “there is no risk of relegation”. Well John, if Clermont Foot win this weekend, your club will be five points adrift at the bottom of the Ligue 1 table. If you’ve ever watched Avatar: The Last Airbender, Textor’s words will sound a lot like these:

Yesterday’s Champions League Matches: What Did We Learn?

In order for this article to have full effect, read it while you listen to the Champions League anthem in the background.

Is it playing? Good, let’s get started. During yesterday’s Champions League group stage matches, we saw big signings continue to show their worth, and some players who are on the hot seat reminded us of theirs.

Here’s everything we learned:

• Bellingham is still really good at football.

We’re 12 matches into the Bellingham Era at Real Madrid.

11 goals.

3 assists.

However, it’s not just the stats. Everything is running through Jude right now. He’s not just dropping 10 /10 performances, but he’s a source of stability in the side. Other players are clearly starting to look to him as a leader through his play, which Ancelotti will love. It’s not easy to make one of the most expensive transfers of all time look like a bargain, but Los Blancos somehow pulled it off. Again.

• Maguire and Onana deserve some respect.

Let’s start with Maguire. For months he’s been a dark cloud over Man United’s overall turbulent situation. There were questions about him potentially going to West Ham, as Ten Hag clearly didn’t rate him. But he came through tonight, and there aren’t many better nights he could have picked. What became the game-winning goal helped the Red Devils pull within a point of Galatasaray in their group, effectively saving their lives in the Champions League. Say what you want about Harry Maguire. Criticize the mistakes, but Maguire gave United the scoring edge they desperately needed tonight.

But we’ve talked about who made the score 1-0, let’s now talk about who kept it that way. Since coming to Manchester, Andre Onana has struggled, to put it nicely. Ten Hag brought him in because he’s great with the ball and at his best, provides an entirely different dimension to United’s style of play. However, his errors with the ball have cost the team goals, and it’s clear that, even though his willingness to take accountability for mistakes gained him some extra grace from supporters, that patience was wearing thin. The most damning aspect of the Onana vs. De Gea debate was that United was going to miss the Spaniard’s shot-stopping, which was beginning to manifest itself throughout the season so far. Onana needed to prove that he could make plays with his gloves as well as his boots, and tonight’s penalty save came at the perfect time for the Cameroonian. He protected the points for his team and in the process, allowed his team to leapfrog a resilient Copenhagen side in the group standings.

Copenhagen’s Instagram admin was pissed, evidently.

I’m not saying I agree with this post, but I’ve been there.

• Benefica and Union Berlin should clear their Thursdays.

Here’s a stat for you. Benefica are the first team to be selected from Pot 1 to reach the halfway point in the group stages with 0 points and 0 goals. They’ve shipped out some high-profile players in recent years: Darwin Nunez, Enzo Fernandez, Alejandro Grimaldo, to name a few. And to be honest, it doesn’t look like their replacements have been able to pick up with they left off.

As for Union Berlin, today’s loss against Napoli marks their NINTH straight loss in all competitions, as they now sit bottom of their group and are two points above the relegation zone in the Bundesliga. If there was an option to decline to participate in the Europa League, Union Berlin would almost certainly take it right now. If Urs Fischer wants to find a way to somehow keep this team playing European football next season, he needs to find a way to get their league form back in order without any other distractions. The team simply looks overwhelmed right now. They thought they would be ready for the massive increase in matches from the year before, but it proves to be too much for a lot of first-timers. Union look to be no exception.

Gambling Investigation Hones in on Sandro Tonali

If you missed our initial analysis of the Serie A gambling investigation, we talked about how three players, Sandro Tonali of Newcastle, Nicolo Fagioli of Juventus, and Nicolò Zaniolo of Aston Villa had been implicated in a gambling scandal involving both betting on matches and illegal gambling websites.

Since then, Fagioli has received a 7-month ban, Tonali has admitted to betting on AC Milan matches while at the club, and is now cooperating in the investigation.

Here’s what we know:

• Tonali will almost certainly miss time. The 23-year old’s legal team is in talks with Italian authorities over a shorter ban in exchange for his cooperation.

• Reports say this ban could be 10 months, which would be preferable in comparison to FIFA’s outlined punishment for players caught betting on matches: three years.

• Newcastle have backed Tonali, they released a statement expressing that “He [Sandro] and his family will continue to receive the club's full support”.

• Guiseppe Riso, Tonali’s agent, has also come forward and stated that his client has a “gambling addiction”, which is similar to how the team of Nicolo Fagioli handled the situation before them.

• Fagioli’s legal team were able to bring his ban down to just 7 months, provided that he goes to rehab for his gambling addiction. Tonali’s team will hope that with further cooperation and a promise to also receive treatment, a similar path back to the field will be available for their client.

What happened to the case against Nicolò Zaniolo?

• Aston Villa’s Zaniolo was also implicated in this probe when he admitted to using gambling websites that he did not know were illegal at the time.

• His case is still ongoing, however, he will likely only face fines from Italian authorities, as Zaniolo maintains that he never bet on matches.

Full Time. Thanks so much for reading, and enjoy the Champions League matches today. Before you go, like always, be sure to take a look at some other stuff we also thought you’d like.

Take care ❤️

More Good Stuff 👍

Kevin Draper and Rory Smith of The New York Times chronicled the unrivaled popularity of Messi’s Inter Miami jersey: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/23/business/lionel-messi-inter-miami-jersey.html?unlocked_article_code=1.5Ew.PEjk.pMegseuePZMw&smid=url-share

A ref in the Brazilian league let a couple of kids take home his red and yellow cards as souvenirs: https://www.reddit.com/r/futebol/comments/17f1idr/o_%C3%A1rbitro_do_jogo_da_ponte_preta_x_ituano_deu_os/

Yesterday Fabrizio Romano tweeted out the below. Would you want your club to sign Guirassy? Reply to this email and let us know.

Jordan Campbell and Jack Lang wrote a great piece in The Athletic about the construction of Braga’s stadium: https://theathletic.com/4950514/2023/10/24/braga-stadium-granite-real-madrid/

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