NICK FEINBERG: AMORIM IS NOT THE MAN

HELLO my good football people, I trust all is well your side! Here we are again... into the 2025-26 season!

It’s mad, I forgot how dominating football could be as a large chunk of my Sunday was spent in front of the TV. Wake up, eat, watch football, eat, go to sleep.

I’m about as useful on a football weekend as Andre Onana’s replacement! But yeah, some perspective needs to be shed on the first few games of the season.

The integration of new players, adjusted tactics, fitness levels needing to reach peak and stabilise... it takes a few games to get going. We see this every season, it’s always been like that and it always will be.

However, given the pressure from investors, expectation has increased as the business stakes grow relentlessly. That felt most evident on Sunday as Arsenal travelled to Old Trafford.

The two highest net spenders this transfer window went head-to-head. Ruben Amorim having to change chumps to champions and Mikel Arteta having to improve this season, which I guess means winning the Premier League title!

Firstly, can someone explain why Manchester United fans were super confident in the run-up to the first game? They finished 15th in the league last season and a bought a few new players. Following their loss to Arsenal on Sunday, it was pretty much business as usual.

Yes, it was the first game, but I’m going to go against what I’m saying (about settling into the season) and boldly state, Amorim is not the man for United.

They defended quite well and looked a bit dangerous here and there on the break, but it was sh!t. I was gobsmacked to hear Owen Hargreaves’ post-match comments: “I haven’t seen United play that well the whole of last season”. Huh?

Arsenal weren’t that much better... Viktor Gyokeres is going to take time to settle in, but just doesn’t appear to be Arsenal quality, and as long as Chelsea rejects (Kai Havertz and Noni Madueke) are on the pitch I don’t see huge improvement coming.

Third on the table of biggest net spenders, Liverpool will be pleased to have completed the expected opening three points against Bournemouth. But what’s pleasing for the rest of us, who have pretty much resigned to the fact that they’ll probably win the league title again, is for 30 minutes they were bullied and bossed all over the park. Sailing to a 2-0 lead, something switched and suddenly the South Coast visitors looked like peak Real Madrid.

They really should have scored a third goal when they were rampant, instead leaving a couple of gaps and letting Arne Slot’s lot back in to win 4-2!

Going down the list of biggest spenders, in fourth place is Manchester City. I mentioned this last week… Why have they been written off? It’s Pep “f*****g” Guardiola. It’s a great squad and there’s piles of money to “rebuild”.

The team was hardly recognisable from a couple of seasons ago, but mate, they were at their very best. Total domination and sticking down an early marker for all the doubters.

On the flip side, expectation for Chelsea has skyrocketed since crushing Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final. These American owners just don’t get it.

Plastered high up over the Shed End at Stamford Bridge, a mural…a  globe with a lion on top of it. Guys it really isn’t that important to us!

Anyway, it was a very average London derby and a fitting 0-0 result against Crystal Palace. Can all the idiots saying “why was the free kick disallowed” just search rule 13 and read it? It’s not another conspiracy.

It’s the frikkin rules, which state an opposing player cannot be within one meter of the defending wall.

It’s rarely been enforced, but prior to the season, we were informed that referees will be clamping down on players jostling in the box during set pieces. This was very much looked at from that perspective. It’s s**t, I don’t like it and we’ll fall foul of it, but it is what it is.

Elsewhere, Villa’s 0-0 draw v Newcastle was an excellent game. West Ham will be wondering what the hell is going on after losing to Sunderland and Spurs will be satisfied in the way they disposed of Burnley.

So, however your team performed, don’t read too much onto it. Give it a month before feeling depressed or confident of the season ahead. 

Either way, so great to be back and this weekend coming is throwing up a couple of crackers. On Friday night (for me) Chelsea go to West Ham. The lunchtime kickoff on Saturday is City v Spurs and on Monday, Newcastle v Liverpool!

Tip: Make extra time for your kids, partner, family and friends, so that you don’t have to feel guilty or be accused of allowing football to dominate your weekends!

Chat next week, bye bye.