Manchester United enters the confrontation with Italian Como in the Champions League amid a complex crisis that combines declining results, worsening injuries and mounting criticism of the club’s management, at a time when coach Michael Carrick needs to restore victories to relieve the pressures surrounding the team.
According to the British newspaper The Telegraph, the rainy atmosphere that greeted the team in northern Italy was nothing but a reflection of the difficult circumstances the English club is experiencing, after achieving only two victories in the first 10 matches of the season, so Carrick finds himself facing a double challenge before facing Como, and then Bournemouth in the English Premier League next Sunday.
United is missing 9 players due to injuries, illness and suspension, including 5 defenders, which leaves the technical staff with limited options in reshaping the back line. Carrick may have to bring in Dutchman Matthijs de Ligt for the first time in 11 months, after he suffered from a chronic back problem, or use young defender Harry Abmas in the left-back position, with Noussair Mazraoui in the heart of defense alongside Harry Maguire.
The list of absentees includes Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez and Patrick Durgo due to injury, while Aiden Haven suffers from illness, and Lenny Euro is suspended after being sent off in the 0-2 loss to Atletico Madrid last week. Kobe Maino's absence will also continue for about 10 additional days, and Marcus Rashford will be sidelined due to a hip problem, while the club is awaiting a clearer evaluation of the condition of striker Benjamin Sisco after his renewed suffering from a shin injury. Manuel Ugarte will be absent for a long time.
Carrick's troubles are not limited to the physical aspect, as the crisis coincides with the escalation of internal criticism of the club's management method, after Martinez sparked widespread controversy last week with a sharp attack on Jason Wilcox, director of football, and United's management, against the backdrop of contracting policy and what he considered a lack of accountability at senior levels.
The statements of former coach Erik Ten Hag increased the pressure, after he accused the management of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the company “Ineos” of contributing to creating a “toxic culture” within the club, by giving the players too much influence, and not supporting him in some disciplinary issues during his leadership of the team.
Ten Hag, who was dismissed 116 days after extending his contract, said that the administration promised him loyalty, support, communication and consensus regarding the problems facing the club, but it did not fulfill those promises. He also criticized the management's working method and decision-making mechanisms, in statements that came at a sensitive time for Carrick, who is trying to contain the pressures and get the team back on the right track.
Carrick responded by confirming that he had not faced problems with the club’s management, and that he felt he had their support, but he stressed that the priority remained achieving victories. He said: “We have to win matches, and this is what we strive for. “I do not need reassurances, as I know the nature of my role and responsibilities, and I fully understand what is required of me.” He added that winning is the essential element in ensuring that things go the right way, stressing that the team has the ability to change its situation through results on the field.
These circumstances put the Como confrontation in front of an important test for United, especially since the Italian team enters the match with rising ambitions under the leadership of Cesc Fabregas, who led the club to fourth place in the Italian League last season, to reserve its place in the Champions League for the first time in its history.
Como showed his offensive capabilities early by defeating German Leipzig 4-1 in the opening of his European campaign, before losing to Dutch Feyenoord 2-3 last week. Although he, in turn, suffers from some injuries, he has offensive elements capable of exploiting the deficiency in his opponent’s ranks, most notably Argentine Nico Paz and Greek striker Tasos Doufkas.
The large number of absences raises concerns for United, which has only kept one clean sheet during the current season, at a time when the defense line suffers from a clear lack of options. When Carrick was asked about not signing a left-back during the summer transfer period, in light of the current problems in this position, he merely said that injuries may push any team to review what could have been improved, pointing out that the coincidence of absences in one position makes dealing with them more difficult.
While Carrick tries to distance his players from external pressures, the improvement in results remains the most important factor in calming the atmosphere within the club, especially with the increasing criticism directed at the management and the continuing doubts about the team’s ability to overcome its faltering start. Facing Cuomo represents an opportunity to test United's ability to withstand these circumstances, but it also comes at a time when the coach does not have many options, whether in the lineup or in the margin of time available to change the course of the season.
Arsenal's management is facing a state of internal dissatisfaction after announcing that 60 jobs were at risk of being eliminated, in a move that came months after winning the English Premier League title, and a few days after coach Mikel Arteta signed a new contract with the club, which cast a shadow over the atmosphere of celebration of the historic achievement.
According to the British newspaper The Telegraph, morale within the club has declined significantly, in light of organizational changes that have affected several departments, and the departure of experienced and influential figures, or their willingness to leave in the coming months, in a scene that contradicts the stability that the first team is experiencing under Arteta’s leadership.
These developments come at a time when Arsenal has a team competing at the highest levels, highly engaged fans, and record revenues recorded by the club last year. But sporting success did not prevent the escalation of anxiety among employees, especially since the decision affects administrative and commercial jobs, at a time when a limited number of the team’s stars receive salaries and bonuses worth millions of pounds annually.
The newspaper believes that the timing of the restructuring, despite its sensitivity, is linked to an administrative and financial review that began before the title was won. Since Richard Garlick was appointed CEO of the club in September last year, internal operations have been subject to review, with the participation of management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group, with the aim of improving spending efficiency and enhancing the club's ability to generate revenue.
Arsenal's management is facing accumulated financial pressures. The club recorded losses for seven consecutive years, amid expectations that last season’s accounts would reveal a new loss, which could be significant, despite winning the league. This equation shows that sporting success is not necessarily immediately reflected in the financial situation, especially in light of the rewards associated with achievements, which may make finishing the season in second place less expensive in the short term than winning the title.
According to the report, the administration is based on the belief that redistributing resources and raising the efficiency of work outside the field can contribute to increasing revenues, allowing the club to enhance its investments in the first team and continue competing. Consultations regarding the positions threatened with cancellation are also still ongoing, with some of the affected employees likely to move to other roles within the club after the restructuring process is completed.
But these justifications did not dispel the fears of a number of workers, who feel frustrated and uncertain about their future, and do not yet see a clear picture of the long-term plan adopted by the administration. What makes the situation more sensitive is that Arsenal has sought over the past years to consolidate the club’s image as a cohesive family, a message that Arteta has repeated on more than one occasion.
The Spanish coach had stressed the importance of strengthening ties between club employees and showing interest in them. He also took a Labrador dog to the training center, in a move he said reflects the idea of the family he wants to build within Arsenal. However, the redundancies have raised questions about the extent to which this culture extends beyond the first team and the training center at London Colney.
The report indicates that the environment surrounding Arteta, his technical staff, and his players remained largely separate from the rest of the club’s departments, including the commercial departments and the retail sector, which makes talk about the unity of the organization less convincing for employees affected by the changes.
Last week, Arteta refused to comment on the threatened jobs file, saying that the question should not be directed to him, and that he is not the appropriate person to answer it, referring to the responsibility of the executive management and club owners to clarify the reasons for the decisions and their repercussions.
While Arsenal's management is betting that the restructuring will strengthen its financial strength and support its sporting successes in the future, the current challenge remains to contain internal dissatisfaction and maintain the cohesion of the institution. The club, which is celebrating a long-awaited achievement on the field, is at the same time facing an administrative test related to how to balance sporting ambition and job stability, and the extent of its ability to maintain the “family” image that it was keen to present to its fans and employees.
Barcelona received a harsh lesson at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, after German coach Hansi Flick's team realized, on the floor of the Parc des Princes stadium, the size of the gap that still separates it from the highest European levels, and the aspects that it must develop if it wants to take the decisive step towards competing with the continent's top players, according to the "The Athletic" network.
The Catalan team did not show the required decisiveness in front of the goalscorers, while its performance was marred by some errors in possession and passing, in addition to its lack of sufficient maturity in some crucial moments, especially when it conceded the third goal just two minutes after Lamine Yamal succeeded in equalizing 2-2.
However, this confrontation deserves to be remembered, as a new night of brilliance for the “La Masia” school, the famous Barcelona academy that never stops supplying the first team with exceptional talents.
Despite the bitterness of the loss to Paris Saint-Germain 4-2 on Tuesday, the match witnessed the true revelation of the talent of Xavi Espart, the 19-year-old defender, who scored his first goal in the Champions League, and gave a performance that will remain stuck in the minds of Barcelona fans for a long time.
Espart started his career as a midfielder, before moving to the full-back position during his formative years in the club's academy. He found himself forced to occupy the right-back position on an emergency basis, following the two injuries suffered by Eric Garcia and Jules Kounde at the beginning of the week.
But the way he dealt with Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, one of the most prominent wingers in world football, was quite remarkable. He succeeded in narrowing the spaces in front of the 25-year-old player and reducing his danger in an impressive way.
After Kvaratskhelia was forced to leave the field injured in the 59th minute, Ispart found himself facing a new challenge in the face of Frenchman Desiree Doue, but he maintained the same defensive level and finished the match without any opposing player succeeding in dodging or overtaking him even once.
The young defender's brilliance was not limited to his defensive duties; He showed exceptional calmness in dealing with the ball, and great confidence in possessing it, in addition to technical abilities that reflected the quality of his football formation.
The most prominent moment in his performance came when he scored the equalizer for Barcelona 1-1, taking advantage of a quick and perfect counterattack, before shooting the ball at the near post of goalkeeper Matvey Safonov.
After the goal, Espart closed his eyes and headed towards the corner flag, kissing the Barcelona logo on his chest, in a celebration that summed up the feelings of a young player experiencing one of the most important moments of his career.
Flick said, during the press conference that followed the match: “There are many things that impress me about Spart. It looks like he has been playing with our team for 3 or 4 years. “The way he defended tonight against high-caliber players in Paris Saint-Germain’s attack was amazing in every sense of the word.”
Ispart made his first appearance with the first team when he participated as a substitute in the last minutes of the first leg against Newcastle United, in the round of 16 of the Champions League last season.
Since then, he has remained present in Flick's accounts, playing 5 additional matches before the curtain falls on the 2025-2026 season.
This season, the player has raised his level to a new level, having participated in 8 matches so far, 7 of which he started as a starter in the left-back position, out of 9 matches that Barcelona played in the Spanish League, scoring two goals and providing two assists.
Thanks to these levels, Espart succeeded in ahead of Alejandro Balde in the ranking of Flick's preferred options in the left-back position.
The German coach added: “Ispart caught my attention from the first day he trained with us last season, but he suffered an injury shortly after that. In the summer, he participated with the Spanish national team in the European Under-19 Championship, which they won, and he performed at great levels. He continued: “He only had one week of vacation, then he asked to join us during the preparation period for the new season, and since then, he has been performing at the highest level.”
Last month, Espart played his first match with the Spain U-21 national team, while next Sunday he is expected to start the first “Classico” match in his career against Real Madrid at the “Camp Nou” stadium.
The presence of “La Masia” in Tuesday’s confrontation was not limited to the brilliance of Ispart alone; Flick fielded Barcelona's smallest starting lineup in an away Champions League match in more than 20 years.
The average age of the players in the starting lineup was 24.38 years, and according to the Catalan radio “RAK 1”, one must go back to 2004, when Barcelona faced Shakhtar Donetsk, to find a younger squad, the average age of whose players at that time was 24.23 years.
The starting lineup included 4 players, each of whom was 19 years old: Espart, Lamine Yamal, Pau Kuparsi, and Mark Bernal.
These players agree that they were all born in 2007, which is the year on which the batches of players in the “La Masia” academy are classified. The quartet shared the locker room over many seasons during the formation stages of the age group teams.
Yamal and Kuparsi continued to provide remarkable levels that made them among the most prominent young talents in European football.
For Koparsi, there is little doubt that he has become a top-class defender; His exceptional abilities in handling the ball, in addition to his strength in individual confrontations, were evident, reflecting the great maturity he has achieved despite his young age.
As for Lamine Yamal, words do not seem to be enough to describe what he offers.
It is true that the young player did not appear at his best during the first half, and made a mistake by losing the ball before the opening goal scored by Dowie, but he returned in the second half to confirm his ability to appear in the moments when his team needed him most.
His goal, which brought Barcelona back to a 2-2 draw, 11 minutes before the end of regular time, was new evidence of his exceptional talent. He succeeded in finding an extremely difficult shooting angle, and sent the ball into the net, past goalkeeper Safonov in an exceptional way.
Yamal became the first player in the five major European leagues to reach double figures in both goals and assists this season, after scoring 10 goals and making the same.
Despite these bright glimpses, no signs of satisfaction appeared on the faces of any of the Barcelona players as they left the field after the final whistle.
But the atmosphere inside the locker room reflected a conviction that the Paris Saint-Germain confrontation, despite its importance, was the least impactful test of the two major confrontations awaiting the team this week, in light of the approaching date of the “El Clásico” against Real Madrid.
Flick revealed that his decision not to include Rodri in the starting lineup came out of consideration for the upcoming confrontation against the traditional rival, on Sunday, on Barcelona soil.
The German coach said in this regard: “I think the decision was good for us, and for him as well.”
Rodri was not the only one whose participation was affected by the calculations of the upcoming match. Almost all of the substitutions that Flick made came within the framework of managing the players’ physical effort, in preparation for the most important confrontation locally.
Pedri left the field after an hour of play, knowing that he had only completed a full match once this season.
At the same time, Brazilian Rafinha was replaced, who played his first starting match since suffering an injury to the posterior thigh muscle during his participation with the Brazilian national team last month.
Flick acknowledged that physical fatigue contributed to his team's decline in performance and its mistakes, but he refused to use that as an excuse to justify the defeat.
He said: “I do not want to make excuses, but I also believe that the mistakes we made were the result of our lack of physical recovery. The effort we made over the past two weeks was tremendous, and perhaps that is why we were not at our best levels.”
He added: “But we will learn from this match, as titles are not decided in October, but in June.”
Barcelona paid the price for its crowded match schedule and the changes its coach made to the lineup, leaving the French capital with a painful defeat, but it was not enough to dispel his feeling that he was close to the level he aspires to reach on the European scene.
The difference between Barcelona and its major competitors may still be clear in some crucial details, but what happened in Paris provided new evidence that the Catalan club has among its ranks a generation capable of reducing this rudeness.
In the midst of loss and disappointment, Barcelona emerged with a gain no less important than the results of the current matches, after the French capital witnessed a new chapter in the success of “La Masia”, the exceptional talent factory that continues to prove its value and gives the club renewed reasons for optimism.
