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Pre-Season: United Defeat Florentina 5-4 On Penalties

Pre-Season: United Defeat Florentina 5-4 On Penalties

Manchester United rounded off our pre-season preparations with a 1-1 draw against Fiorentina at Old Trafford before winning 5-4 on penalties to be crowned winners of the Snapdragon Cup.

A Robin Gosens own goal for the Reds had cancelled out Simon Sohm’s opener for the away side inside the opening 25 minutes, with no further action in the way of goals, forcing a shootout at the end of normal time. Altay Bayindir made the only save of the 10 spot-kicks, from Fiorentina’s fifth attempt, and Kobbie Mainoo then converted to earn a 5-4 win on penalties.

There was a buoyant mood in M16 before the action had even begun, with reasons to be cheerful about the personnel in town from both camps – including those in the line-ups and otherwise.

After our four summer additions – Matheus Cunha, Diego Leon, Bryan Mbeumo and the most recent acquisition confirmed just two hours before kick-off, Benjamin Sesko, – were presented to supporters on the pitch, there was also a special moment for legendary goalkeeper David De Gea on his M16 return, receiving a commemorative award from his friend and former team-mate Bruno Fernandes before the action got under way.

FIRST HALF – A TALE OF TWO SET-PIECES

Of our four signings made so far this summer, Cunha and Mbeumo were those given their first Old Trafford starts for United here, but were already on the pitch for their pre-match unveiling to fans when the remaining nine starters walked out from the players’ tunnel at kick-off. That pairing took up the wide berths of our attacking three in the first half, with Mason Mount occupying the most advanced central role.

Fiorentina made the quicker start to proceedings as ex-Everton forward Moise Kean led a first charge for the visitors, combining with another familiar foe in Edin Dzeko, whose cross from the right-hand side was blocked by Ayden Heaven but the looping ball stood up kindly for Kean making his way back into the box, where he nodded just over the crossbar.

But the visitors made no mistake with their next opportunity, taking the lead on eight minutes. Patrick Chinazeakpere Dorgu had slid in well on Dodo to concede a corner, but the resulting delivery picked out Sohm unmarked in the centre to volley coolly into the bottom right corner, in front of the Stretford End.

United immediately went up the other end in search of an instant reply, Amad playing a give-and-go with Cunha to breach the Fiorentina area, but he lashed a right-footed strike wide of the near post.

Patience was required for the Reds to restore parity but our pressure markedly grew after the 20-minute mark. Mbeumo – appearing to be on set-piece duty, certainly from the right-hand side where he provided some quality inswinging deliveries – picked out Harry Maguire from a free-kick, with our no.5 glancing a header wide of the left-hand post.

A neat exchange between Dorgu, Cunha and Mount followed to win us another corner, whipped to the back post by Fernandes from the left-hand side, where pressure from Leny Yoro and Casemiro forced Germany international Robin Gosens to divert into his own net and give United the leveller. Despite appeals a foul, if anything it looked like Harry Maguire had been impeded.

Another succession of corners on the half-hour mark almost saw United go ahead, with Casemiro closest to Mbueumo’s delivery, before he sent another wicked cross into the box from the second – after initially playing short to Amad – perfectly setting up Yoro to head goalwards, who was thwarted by the familiar sight of an impressive reaction save from De Gea, receiving applause from those behind him in the East Stand for his intervention.

Mbeumo and Amad repeated the short-corner trick 10 minutes later with Heaven this time the man on the end of the delivery, but his header needed only a routine save from De Gea, enough to preserve the stalemate status going into the interval.

SECOND HALF – PENALTIES REQUIRED

There were no alterations at the break in terms of personnel, although Mbeumo and Mount’s roles in the front three did appear more fluid at the start of the second half, rotating between the right and central roles in our attack.

Like in the opening half, Fiorentina forced the first threat, as Kean’s advance down the left saw him stand up a cross from the byline, which was deflected by Dorgu onto his own crossbar, under pressure from goalscorer Sohm, whose goalbound volley moments later was well cut out by Dorgu.

Mount’s pressure then kickstarted a United attack in response, which culminated in Fernandes firing over from the edge of the box. Cunha went much closer from distance just after the hour, flashing a low drive just beyond De Gea’s right-hand post, and Heaven sent an instinctive header just over shortly after following a Maguire flick-on.

A pre-season feeling became evident as Fernandes turned on the style by turning on the ball cleverly in his own box, and a intelligent flick beyond another opponent, while still having the recovery pace to challenge Kean superbly, preventing him from going one-on-one against Bayindir.

At the other end, Maguire accepted the crowd’s urges to shoot from distance, drawing another De Gea stop. A quadruple United change saw Matthijs de Ligt, Luke Shaw, Mainoo and Diogo Dalot introduced for the closing stages.

Matheus Cunha was closest to scoring a United winner before penalties were forced.
The visitors continued in search of a winner of their own at the other end as Gosens fired a volley he felt was destined for goal into his own team-mate, Albert Gudmundsson, and Kean forced a one-on-one stop from Bayindir before the offside flag was raised.

Cunha might have grabbed the decisive goal when he was on the end of a Fernandes cross from the left byline, following nice interplay with Mount, but his goabound strike was deflected over just in front of the goal line, and Yoro had a header from even closer range held by De Gea – before the Spaniard was awarded a standing ovation when he was replaced by Tomasso Martinelli late on.

The stand-in goalkeeper had a penalty shoot out to contest following just a couple of minutes of action in normal time to determine a winner.

After both sides scored all of their first four penalties – Fernandes, Cunha, Dalot and Amad, in cheeky fashion, successfully stepping up for the Reds – Fabiano Parisi’s fifth strike for the visitors was kept out by Bayindir, giving Mainoo the opportunity to win it with the final of our five efforts, and he duly obliged with an emphatic effort into the right-hand corner to ensure we were awarded the Snapdragon Cup at full-time.

MATCH DETAILS

UNITED

Line-up: Bayindir; Yoro, Maguire (De Ligt 73), Heaven (Shaw 73); Amad, Casemiro (Mainoo 73), Fernandes (c), Dorgu; Mbuemo (Dalot 73), Mount (Ugarte 84), Cunha.

Subs not used: Heaton, Mee, Fredricson, Leon, Collyer, Hojlund, Obi.

Goal: Gosens 25 (own goal).

FIORENTINA

Line-up: De Gea (c) (Martinelli 87); Comuzzo (Kouadio 35), Pongracic (Pablo Mari 79), Ranieri (Viti 63); Dodo, Fagioli, Sohm (Ndour 63), Gosens; Gudmundsson (Fazzini 79); Dzeko (Richardson 63), Kean.

Subs not used: Leonardelli, Lezzerini, Bianco, Fortini, Mandragora, Beltran, Kospo, Sabiri, Braschi, Montenegro, Trapani, Parisi.

Goal: Sohm 8.

Booked: Dodo 60.

Manutd.com

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Mikel Arteta Tight-Lipped On Declan Rice Fitness After Arsenal Midfielder Hobbled Off In Brentford Win

Declan Rice limping off the pitch during Arsenal’s match against Brentford

Arsenal fans held their breath midweek when Declan Rice unexpectedly hobbled off during the Gunners’ 2-0 win over Brentford. And if anyone was expecting a clear update from Mikel Arteta, they certainly didn’t get one.

Ahead of Arsenal’s crucial trip to Villa Park, the Spanish manager remained intentionally cryptic — and for good reason. Arsenal’s injury list is growing, and every hour seems to matter.

Arteta Says: “Let’s See” — Patience Required On Rice

Rice has become the engine, heartbeat, and battery pack of Arsenal’s midfield since arriving from West Ham. His presence is so crucial that even a minor niggle triggers panic across North London.

Although Rice himself told reporters he felt “fine” after the match, Arteta isn’t rushing any verdict.

According to the manager:

“We have another training session in the afternoon. Every hour is going to be very important to see the availability of the players.”

Translation: Nobody knows anything yet — even him.

Arsenal’s Defensive Crisis Deepens

And Rice isn’t the only concern.

Arteta also confirmed that Cristhian Mosquera is facing an uphill battle for the Villa clash. With Saliba and Gabriel already sidelined, losing Mosquera too would leave Arsenal’s defensive unit looking like a Jenga tower leaning on hope and prayers.

Arteta put it bluntly:

“That’s the more complicated one… we need to corroborate with all the testing today.”

Meanwhile, hopes remain higher for William Saliba and Leandro Trossard, with the manager saying their situations are “a matter of days.”

January Window Already Open In Arteta’s Mind

Despite spending over £250 million in the last transfer window, Arteta hinted Arsenal may need to dip back into the market — especially with injuries hitting key departments.

“We always have to be prepared… we need to be open for it.”

In football language, that usually means one thing: Phone lines will be busy in January.

Fixture Congestion? Arteta Shrugs It Off

Playing midweek at Brentford and facing Aston Villa on Saturday lunchtime is hardly ideal, but Arteta kept his cool.

“We are ready for tomorrow’s game, that’s for sure.”

Whether his squad physically is… that’s another story.

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He Gives Us Energy: William Saliba Hails Mastermind Behind Arsenal’s Defensive Dominance

William Saliba and Gabriel Heinze during Arsenal training session

Arsenal’s defensive dominance in the Premier League has a new driving force behind it, according to William Saliba. The French centre-back has hailed Gabriel Heinze, Mikel Arteta’s new first-team coach, as the mastermind behind the Gunners’ impressive backline.

Since joining Arteta’s staff in July, Heinze has brought his trademark intensity and energy to Arsenal’s training ground, helping a side that has conceded just seven goals in 14 Premier League matches — the best defensive record in the division.

Heinze’s Influence On The Gunners

Speaking to the Men in Blazers Media Network, Saliba described Heinze as a constant presence around the defenders:

“Gabriel Heinze helps a lot, especially the defenders. He gives us energy because he’s always talking, always loud — even in training when we do simple things, he’s always loud. Even for nothing, he will be loud! He talks a lot and it’s good to have him close to us. I think this guy can help us a lot.”

Saliba’s comments paint a vivid picture of Heinze as a demanding coach, whose booming voice and relentless standards lift the entire defensive unit.

Arteta added context to Heinze’s appointment, noting their long-standing friendship and mutual trust:

“He’s a winner. He’s won in many clubs he’s been at. We’ve known each other for 23 years, I’m very close to that. It brings something extra.”

He praised Heinze’s tactical insight and complementary personality:

“We complement each other really well, and everybody brings a different insight, a different character, a different personality, to the table that makes us a much better team.”

A Winning Pedigree

Heinze’s coaching approach is rooted in a winning playing career. From PSG to Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Marseille, the former defender was known for hard tackling and relentless duels. Since retiring in 2014, he’s built a coaching résumé across South America and the U.S., including stints at Godoy Cruz, Argentinos Juniors, Velez Sarsfield, Atlanta United, and Newell’s Old Boys.

Testing Defensive Resilience

Heinze’s influence comes at a time when Arsenal’s defense has been hit by injuries. Key centre-backs Saliba and Gabriel have been sidelined, forcing Arteta to deploy makeshift partnerships like Mosquera, Piero Hincapie, and Jurrien Timber. Despite the reshuffling, Arsenal still secured a 2-0 victory over Brentford, proving the defensive organisation and resilience Heinze has instilled.

Arteta commented on the injury situation:

“He (Saliba) had a little niggle, so I think it’s going to be a matter of days. Big Gabi is doing very well as well, but that’s weeks as well.”

With Heinze bringing energy, intensity, and tactical sharpness, Arsenal’s defensive stability continues to impress, even amid injury crises — a testament to the Argentine coach’s impact on the Premier League leaders.

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Arne Slot Confirms Mohamed Salah Is ‘Always In My Mind’ Amid Liverpool Absence

Mohamed Salah sitting on Liverpool bench during Premier League match

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has addressed the speculation surrounding Mohamed Salah, admitting that the Egypt forward is “always in my mind” despite being left out of the last two starting line-ups.

Salah, 33, has had a slow start to the Premier League season, scoring just four goals, and has played only 45 minutes across the last two games. The forward’s omission from the starting XI has sparked talk of a potential Saudi Pro League move, though Salah recently signed a two-year contract extension with Liverpool in April.

Slot Explains Salah Situation

“I think for every player in my mind can start and Mo is an exceptional player for us,” Slot said. “He is always in my mind to either start or to come off the bench.”

Salah played a starring role last season, scoring 29 goals as Liverpool lifted the Premier League in Slot’s first campaign. However, he was an unused substitute in Liverpool’s 2-1 win at West Ham and again came off the bench in the 1-1 draw at home to Sunderland.

Slot acknowledged the chatter around Salah’s absence, saying:

“The chatter, yes because he deserves that, he has been so influential for me and six or seven years. It’s completely normal people talk about it when he isn’t playing.”

Van Dijk Weighs In

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk also commented, highlighting that no player at the club has “unlimited credit”:

“He is still a fantastic player and we still have to remember there is a reason why he has been so successful at the club and we have to respect that. I need him around as one of the leaders. He’s disappointed but that’s absolutely normal. It’s always been the case that no one is undroppable.”

This statement underscores the high standards at Liverpool, even for one of their most prolific stars.

Liverpool’s Current Form

The Reds are currently ninth in the Premier League, 11 points behind leaders Arsenal, having won just two of their nine league games. Salah’s presence will be crucial as Liverpool look to regain momentum, with their next game set against Leeds United.

While fans debate Salah’s place in the squad, both Slot and Van Dijk emphasize that he remains central to Liverpool’s ambitions, both on the pitch and in the dressing room.

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