Of the 73,738 benighted souls who pitched up at Old Trafford on Sunday for the Manchester derby – presumably even some, mostly City supporters, from Manchester – how many reckoned they’d got value for money? This was a dire game, devoid of energy, skill and flair. The most exciting thing was probably a low-key sit-in at the end to protest at United’s seat pricing. Even the term ‘derby’ was rubbish: as far as I could see, only one player of note – City’s Phil Foden – was Mancunian. Which is still more than the number of regular starting players from Merseyside in the recent Merseyside ‘derby’.
The Premier League likes to boast that it’s the greatest show on Earth. Well if so, it had better make sure there is actually something to put on show. Brentford’s 0-0 draw with Chelsea was, by all accounts, a total bore and scarcely worthy of a place at that great cathedral of sport, the Gtech Community Stadium.
Part of the problem this season is that the closing weeks of the league have been reduced to a tedious Liver-pool victory parade that diminished Fulham’s doughty win last weekend to a mildly diverting curiosity.
Meanwhile, injuries to entertainers such as City’s Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, not to mention a resurgent FA Cup and a mouth-watering Champions League, have made what has been going on behind the runaway leaders in the title ‘race’ only mildly more interesting than dogs fighting over a rubber bone.
Forest have been fabulous of course, as have Bournemouth (sometimes) and even Brighton and Fulham. But this still feels like a drab Premier League, partly because Chelsea, Spurs and Manchester United have been largely dreadful.
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