TheEdge & Sun-171023

theSun is published and printed by Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd (221220-K) of Lot 6, Jalan 51/217, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Tel: 03-7784 6688 Fax: 03-7783 7435 • Tel (Editorial): 03-7784 6688 Fax: 03-7785 2624/5 Email: [email protected] • Tel (Advertising): 03-7784 8888 Fax: 03-7784 4424 Email: [email protected] or download app from the App Store or Google PlayTM . Read iPaper at www.thesundaily.my Free access to iPaper PDF Download SCAN ME TUESDAY • OCTOBER 17, 2023 Fascinating title race Arsenal can profit from chaotic race thanks to three wildcard teams THE cliche used to be that the League table takes shape after 10 games. If everything happens faster these days, the standings after eight look like a guide to how they will look after 38. Chelsea are 11th and Crystal Palace ninth but were they to swap positions, then the eventual top 10 may already be in situ, if not necessarily in the positions they will eventually occupy. The current bottom five could be the sides in the scrap to survive: they include all three promoted clubs, with two of them below the dotted line. The teams in the relative obscurity of 12th-15th might be destined for lower mid-table. So far, so predictable? Not entirely. If Ange Postecoglou appears a oneman rebuttal of Antonio Conte, taking a Tottenham team shorn of Harry Kane to the top of the table while eschewing his predecessor’s self-defeating negativity, the surprise package at the summit highlight a wider and more welcome theme. There might just be a title race. At this point, it is worth pointing out there was one last season. Arsenal were top for 248 days. It is easy to retrofit the campaign and argue Manchester City’s eventual triumph was inevitable; it was not, though for the vast majority of those 248 days, they remained favourites in the eyes of many. Yet if they retain the same status now, it is with a greater sense of competition. Pep Guardiola’s City have cruised to two titles – as frontrunners in 2017-18 and after a mid-season surge in 2020-21 – without significant opposition. Their other three Premier League crowns have been secured after a fight: twice with Liverpool, once with Arsenal. This season could offer the prospect of a race with several genuine competitors. Certainly Arsenal, given added belief by finally defeating City in the League, could sustain a challenge. There is some confidence within Liverpool, too, with Jurgen Klopp energised by a new-look side that seems packed full of goals. The assumption may still be that Tottenham will slip off the pace; but, there are signs they have substance: only three of their first eight games have been at home, for instance, and they have already faced Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, taking seven points (contentious and fortunate as their win against Klopp’s team was). There are reasons to wonder if Tottenham have the necessary strength in depth, though Rodrigo Bentancur will be a high-class reinforcement when fit again. But there are also grounds to wonder if, unlike the country, the Premier League has had its own form of levelling up. Spurs are definitely better than last season; Liverpool too, with Dominik Szoboszlai adding quality and a midfield where they had a mess. Mikel Arteta’s relentless tinkering is designed to improve Arsenal and if the jury remains out on Kai Havertz, there is no doubt Declan Rice has brought an upgrade. The biggest factor, however, may be that City look worse. Perhaps, after reaching the heights of the treble, the only way is down. City have had two terrific results thus far, beating Newcastle without recourse to substitutes and when tired and winning at West Ham, yet their fixture list has been kind. Arsenal was their toughest test to date and they failed it. Now they have to face Brighton, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool before December arrives; each will examine the mettle of this team. One possibility, which felt obscured when City won their first six League games, was that, after the seasons of ridiculously high points tallies, this year more teams will take points off each other and that around 85 may be enough. It could be a consequence in part of the division’s rising forces, each threatening to gatecrash the Champions League party. If David Moyes’ ability to get top-eight finishes without playing in the Champions League suggests West Ham’s ceiling is fifth, there could be three wildcards in the battle at the summit: Aston Villa, Newcastle and the wildest of all, Brighton. And if Chelsea and Manchester United, whose expenditure ought to have positioned each to challenge, scarcely look in the title race now, there is the prospect several others might be: some for a while, perhaps one or two into the finishing straight. – The Independent A leading Manchester United fans’ group called for clarity on the future of the English giants amid speculation British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is set to take a minority stake in the club. United’s owners, the American Glazer family, announced nearly a year ago that they were exploring “strategic alternatives to enhance the club’s growth”, with a full sale one of the options. Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani withdrew his attempt to buy the 20-time English champions, a source close to the bid told AFP on Saturday. Ratcliffe was the other frontrunner during several rounds of bidding, but no offer has yet met the £6 billion (RM34.6b) valuation put on the club by the Glazers. Founder of petrochemicals giant Ineos, Ratcliffe will now settle for a 25% stake for around £1.3b (RM7.5b) the BBC said on Sunday. Ineos will reportedly seek to take control of the sporting side of United’s business in return for its investment. The Glazers have been unpopular with supporters ever since a leveraged takeover in 2005 for £790 million (RM4.5b) saddled the club with huge debts. “It would be wildly optimistic to think the Glazers are acting in the interests of supporters or are making ownership decisions which don’t centre on their own priorities,” the Manchester United Supporters Trust said in a statement. “However, what supporters should expect at the very least now is some clarity and an end to this process. “Furthermore the outcome must include new investment into the club. It cannot be solely about the interests of shareholders, whether existing or new. “We call upon all parties to put Manchester United interests before their own interests.” Former United captain Gary Neville raised his concern over how much impact a minority investment can have in turning round the club’s fortunes on and off the field. “My preference is and always will be now for a Glazer family full exit. They have overstayed their welcome in Manchester yet seem oblivious to this fact,” Neville posted on social media. “How does a minority shareholder stop cultural decline across a whole organisation if the people who have overseen this decline still have a majority shareholding?” The dominant force of English football when the Glazers took control 18 years ago, United’s fortunes have faded under their reign. The Red Devils have not won the Premier League since former manager Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 and last won the Champions League in 2008. They currently sit 10th in the Premier League and have lost their first two Champions League group stage matches for the first time in the club’s history. Despite their commercial appeal, United have also been overtaken by their rivals off the field. The club’s debt has spiralled to £970m (RM5.6b), according to figures released in March, despite a lack of investment in their stadium and training ground. Old Trafford was overlooked in favour of Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium for the UK and Ireland’s successful bid to host Euro 2028. “Old Trafford requires significant investment on its surrounding land,” added Neville. “Does this deal impact this requirement positively or does it leave it as a concrete wasteland?” – AFP Man Utd fans seek clarity as Ratcliffe eyes minority stake █ RICHARD JOLLY Arsenal’s Declan Rice (left) and Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai.