D-Day for United - and for Pochettino, Chelsea and Spurs?

The Independent’s football newsletter [SUBSCRIBE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( April 28, 2023 [View in browser](   [The Independent]( [The Independent]( D-Day approaches for Man United - and so too for Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea and Spurs Bidders expect Friday night to be final offers for United As protracted as the [Manchester United sales process has been](, those involved now expect hard lines and conclusions. The feeling from those involved is that, after 10pm on Friday, there will be no more questions and it will just be about [who the Glazers want to go with]( - if they want to go with anyone at all. It is why everyone is waiting on Qatar, and whether the Sheikh Jassim-led bid eventually does what everyone has long anticipated and just puts up an offer that no one else can match. This hasn’t happened yet. It is within that context that many industry figures are at least marvelling at the strategising of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS, given his offer of Avram and Joel Glazer retaining a stake changes the field. Much depends now on the last few hours of Friday. Last few weeks a wake-up for Ten Hag on depth As mentioned in this newsletter before, the conclusion of the takeover is directly relevant to United’s summer plans - let alone the future of the club - and Erik ten Hag does want assurances on certain positions. Everyone knows he wants a No.9 but the last few weeks have also shown he needs a new goalkeeper and another centre-half, as well as a prospective alternative to Casemiro. Pochettino outlines who he would keep As of Friday afternoon, Mauricio Pochettino’s move to Chelsea wasn’t yet agreed but was advancing well. He has in particular discussed the potential make-up of his squad, what players he could sell - something very necessary - and who he particularly likes. Pochettino prizes youthful energy above all, which is why the core of this squad and especially those like Reece James and many of the more recent signings are especially attractive to him. The Argentine is already starting to think about how the team might work. [That is more that can be said for Chelsea right now](, as Frank Lampard presides over a disastrous run. One word from within the squad is that there is no tactical structure as regards attack. Some players have found they have a lot of the ball but don’t really know what to do with it. Arteta looks to recent tactic for new response The Arsenal squad were naturally deflated after the nature of Wednesday’s defeat, but Mikel Arteta maintained the same attitude he has throughout: that it’s not over, that they need to be mindful of how good they have been. It has worked for most of this season. It worked after last season’s collapse. The wonder is whether it can have any effect now. The way that match ended was the image of a team who knew. None of that is necessarily to fault Arteta, even if you can ask questions about his set-up. A young and relatively thin Arsenal squad just look like they are running out of steam, [as Manchester City just pick up](. Chelsea on Tuesday will tell so much. Spurs make big pitch for another big name [Daniel Levy is making a huge pitch for Julian Nagelsmann](. The German has recently been resistant but is at least willing to listen to Tottenham Hotspur and whether they meet his considerable demands. Had he agreed a Chelsea contract, sources say it would have been one of the biggest in the game. Nagelsmann also wants control. So much of this comes down to Levy’s command of the club. He is acutely conscious of the growing criticism, as his statement on Monday about Cristian Stellini’s departure indicated. It does mean Spurs are back where they were at at least three points in the last year. They need a “statement” manager as a response to recent failures. The big question is whether this is really conducive to long-term thinking. We have to wait and see. The player committee, so name-checked in that statement, will be especially observant. [They are known to consist of Harry Kane](, Eric Dier and Hugo Lloris, with the future of the captain still so uncertain.   Top stories [Why Wrexham? How Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney came to buy a club they’d never heard of]( [Liverpool’s latest revival being powered by two unexpected sources](     Miguel's Dispatches If the great Premier League title showdown didn’t live up to billing, there was still a huge sense of occasion around Manchester itself. It was impossible to get a hotel room. Many of the most expensive were booked out by a proper who’s who of stars and football people, with so many wanting to be seen at the game. This is of course what the competition dreams of, a sort of Super Bowl-type event. The only issue was a few grumbles about how the game itself might well prevent the sort of title run-in everyone wants - and the league really wants to sell.       QUOTE OF THE WEEK "Normally we play with two number eights and I think he [Pep Guardiola] wanted a little bit more control because of the way they press. So Gundo [Ilkay Gundogan] would be a double six and I had to choose more the moments, depending on who presses out of [Granit] Xhaka and [Thomas] Partey - if Partey was pressing I would try to go on his back and the other way round, and it was difficult for [Rob] Holding and Gabriel" Kevin De Bruyne explains the tactical technicalities of how City destroyed Arsenal   Reading the game quiz Reading the game quiz There are six players who have scored 20 goals in a Premier League season, but their club finished in the bottom half of the table in that same season. Name them. ([You can find out the answers here](. The answer page will be updated weekly and contains answers from previous newsletters, too) £99 £20 for 1 year ✓ Full access to Premium news analysis ✓ Advert-free reading across web and app ✓ The Independent Daily Edition newspaper ✓ Puzzles, virtual event tickets and more [SUBSCRIBE NOW](   [INDYBEST]( /BEST BUYS]( [We found a way to get a PS5 for £20 less at John Lewis]( The retailer’s [discount]( can be applied to anything over £200 - but hurry, the offer ends soon! [Get the deal]( Trending: [Best camping chairs](     Essential reading Scoring fewer, conceding more - Everton are heading for the Championship under Sean Dyche](   A%20tiny%20ground%20and%20a%20squad%20costing%20less%20than%20a%20Man%20City%20sub.%20So%20how%20are%20Luton%20within%20reach%20of%20the%20Premier%20League?[A tiny ground and a squad costing less than a Man City sub. So how are Luton within reach of the Premier League?](     OTHER NEWSLETTERS YOU MIGHT LIKE [Sports Brief] Sports Brief Every Monday, 6pm (UK time) Written by Karl Matchett [Join now]( [Climate News] Climate News Every Friday, 12pm (UK time) Written by Louise Boyle [Join now]( If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Download the free Independent app Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's football newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's football newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Football_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AH. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.