In his latest column, Adam Bate examines Raphael Varane’s decline in form at Manchester United, another feel-good story at Luton Town and why clubs in the Football League are now looking for a different profile of manager...
Friday 24 November 2023 08:56, UK
Reports that Bayern Munich could be a possible destination for Raphael Varane are surprising not because Manchester United might be willing to let him go but because the assumption had been that Saudi Arabia would be the defender’s next stop.
Having been at Old Trafford for each of Varane's most recent two starts as a United player - the home defeat to Galatasaray and the fortunate win over Copenhagen that foreshadowed their capitulation in Denmark - his dramatic dip in form has been alarming.
Varane's reputation is deserved. He is a four-time Champions League winner and a World Cup winner. At 30, he should be in his prime. But as Indiana Jones once put it, 'It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage.' Injuries have exacted a physical toll.
He has been routinely referred to as a Rolls-Royce of a defender but maybe Ferrari would have been more fitting. His Champions League final wins came alongside the classy Sergio Ramos. It was Varane whose speed helped to get them out of trouble.
That engine is spluttering a little. Without the electric pace of old, what is left is a passing game that is surprisingly flawed. Opponents are opting to press him, aware of this uncertainty. He was exposed late on against Copenhagen and it was no one-off.
He is now behind Harry Maguire as United's right-sided centre-back and with at least four players ahead of him for the slot on the left side of the defence. That raises serious questions about United's rebuild because Casemiro's stock has fallen too.
The former Real Madrid pair arrived on big contracts with Casemiro, in particular, highly praised for his contribution in his first season with the club. Now, both are struggling with injury, the wrong side of 30, and with United looking a long way behind their rivals.
They did help deliver a Carabao Cup but more was expected. With Christian Eriksen at a similar phase in his career and even Bruno Fernandes now 29, United's squad profile remains a concern. The 'quick fix' has taken a long time. It will need fixing again.
With Varane, it feels like his spectacular career is entering its final phase at 30, but a word for Jordan Clark, who has finally reached the pinnacle at the exact same age. The Luton midfielder came off the bench to make his Premier League debut at Old Trafford.
Speaking to him a little over three years ago, Clark had made only one start in the Championship at that stage. He had since moved to Accrington Stanley and was dreaming of getting back to that level but was out of contract and facing an uncertain future.
The pandemic had complicated his plans. "It is all very strange," he said at the time. "I thought I was in good form and now everything has stalled. It is unclear what will happen with my contract." Ultimately, an offer from Luton set him on a different trajectory.
Theirs is a rise full of feel-good stories with Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu's journey from National League to Premier League with the same club unlikely to be repeated any time soon. But Clark's own tale is a reminder that anything is possible for those who keep going.
While no Premier League club has changed manager since the opening game of the season, 14 of the managers in the Football League have been in post for less than a month. Clubs are making changes but what is interesting is who they are opting for next.
Having followed Des Buckingham's career for some time, he appears to be a promising appointment by Oxford United. The 38-year-old coach has been working as part of the City Football Group at Melbourne City and Mumbai City. It represents a trend.
Bristol City have appointed Liam Manning, another who spent his formative coaching years with City Football Group at New York City and Lommel SK in Belgium. Perhaps the success of Enzo Maresca at Leicester and Mikel Arteta at Arsenal has encouraged this thinking.
There is a growing appreciation that the game is changing in the Football League. Lincoln City have appointed Michael Skubala, the former England futsal coach. The method matters and, increasingly, the best method seems to be to aspire to more of a passing game.
The direction of travel is obvious. In the 2019/20 season, the average passing accuracy of a Premier League team was 80.0 per cent. That has since risen to 83.4 per cent. But the percentage-point increase in the three divisions below that is even more pronounced.
In the Championship, it has risen from 74.8 per cent to 80.3. In League One, from 68.7 per cent to 74.4 per cent. Stylistically, then, today's League One is similar to the Championship of 2019/20 and today's Championship is similar to the Premier League of 2019/20.
There is gleeful nostalgia when a veteran like Neil Warnock bucks the trend and has an impact. But the trend towards a different way of playing is clear. Clubs are recognising that it only makes sense to appoint a different type of coach to help their teams play it.
