Is Manchester United Really Bad Or Simply Unlucky?

This is the question one can ask himself after watching Manchester United lose yet again this season. The Red Devils lost on their home field to Sunderland (0-1) on Saturday, May 3. 

This was the 11th loss for Manchester United, making it the worst season in the history of the club. The club will not qualify for any European Cup: A first in 20 years! 

So is Manchester United simply terrible this season or very unlucky? If you watched their games this season you could ask yourself the same question. It seems that the team does everything it can to win, especially at home, but just can't score. The team averages a possession of 60 percent, shots on goal at least 10 times in a game, and has a 1.44 goal for average, which means the team scores at least one goal every game. 

Against Sunderland, Manchester United players tried and tried, over and over, but never found the net.  The full-backs played many balls in front of the goal, but no one was there to finish. The Red Devils only had one clear opportunity to score when Van Persie deflected a cross coming from the right side and missed the net for a few inches. This is surely not enough to win a game. 

The main issue with the Red Devils this season is their defense. Sunderland could have won the game 3-0 if they hadn't hit the post two times in the second half. Manchester concedes an average of one goal per game, and lost seven games on a one goal margin this season. As a comparison, the team only lost five games last season. However, they still allowed 43 goals (for 40 this season), which shows that the defense was already terrible last year. 

The injuries of Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney could explain the bad showing this season. Van Persie had 30 goals last season for 17 this year. Without them, Manchester struggled to score goals. 

On top of that, Manchester had some really unlucky days, sometimes hitting the post two or three days in a game, or getting strange refereeing decisions. Many games should have gone their way, but slipped away from their grasp. That's also the beauty of football! 

United is having the worst season in the history of the club. A season that led to their brand-new manager, David Moyes, getting fired. Manchester will have to start over again next season with yet another manager. 

It seems that the departure of the legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson has dried out United's thirst for victory...         

Gomis close to Newcastle Utd

Newcastle United and Lyon Olympic are close to an agreement for the £8.7 million deal for French striker Bafetimbi Gomis to join the Magpies.

Gomis, 27, was fighting to stay with the seven-time France champions, but the club had no intention in keeping him on the squad, so he looked for an exit door. The player has not practiced once with the professional team this summer.

Newcastle United has a strong interest in the French Ligue1, with most of the squad’s players coming from France (Ben Arfa, Cabaye, Yanga-M’Biwa or Moussa Sissoko). So far, the club is composed of 10 French players out of 35. The club looks more and more like the old fashioned Arsenal FC with the French touch. But would Gomis be a good addition to the Magpies? Would he fit in the English Premier League?

For those who don’t know him, Gomis is an athletic, strong player, just like his French compatriot Olivier Giroud. He doesn’t have great technical skills and is not the fastest player alive, but he is a goal scorer. He reads the game well and knows how to put himself in scoring position. However, he is not a consistent player and has trouble keeping up his good form in the long term.

With Lyon, Gomis scored 50 goals in 141 appearances. Bafetimbi Gomis also played for the French national team, scoring three times in 10 games.