Rivaldo Exclusive: Antonio Conte could be a good fit for Manchester United

“The Italian manager has produced solid performances at Juventus, Inter and also Chelsea, so, he has the pedigree to coach a big European club, especially in a country where he has already managed which will make things easier for him in terms of adaptation.”

– Rivaldo on Antonio Conte

Manchester United were trashed by their most ferocious rival Liverpool at Old Trafford last Sunday and the rumours about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer‘s exit are increasing each day.

There are also rumours relating to a potential lack of confidence from the players on Solskjaer’s approach which could mean some of them might be working to sack him, but I never witnessed anything like that in my professional career and don’t believe that’s the case, so, we need to wait and see if the team will be capable of turning things around.

Of course, the manager has his own responsibilities in all this via team selection, substitutions, tactics and approaches, etc, but it’s the players who enter the pitch and could salvage the situation.

Solskjaer’s exit is a strong possibility, and it seems likely that the Man Utd board could advance to Antonio Conte. The Italian manager has produced solid performances at Juventus, Inter and also Chelsea, so, he has the pedigree to coach a big European club, especially in a country where he has already managed which will make things easier for him in terms of adaptation.

With him at the helm, United will become a more pressing team with offensive football and intensity, which could fit better with the players the club currently have in the squad, and Conte also demands a lot from his players which might increase their commitment going forward.

In my opinion, he would be a nice option for the club if there is a change, but first we must wait for developments about Solskjaer’s future in the next few days or weeks.

Barça weren’t that bad in El Clasico considering the circumstances

Barcelona lost their fourth consecutive ‘El Clasico’ against Real Madrid on Sunday, but I don’t think the team was that bad in the game if we consider the gap between both clubs at the moment in terms of stability and squad depth.

As I mentioned prior to the match, I believed Barcelona could have a chance of winning it and they weren’t that far from achieving it, but, of course, in the end it was another loss that rings the alarm bells about a quick improvement that is needed if the club wants to fight for titles this season.

Koeman doesn’t deserve so many critics after being brave in taking the job

Ronald Koeman was once again the focus of some Barcelona supporters’ rage, who even kicked his car, all this is very sad, and I don’t consider that the people who did it really are true Barcelona supporters.

We must recognise that Koeman left the Dutch national team to embrace the tough challenge of coaching Barcelona in very difficult times and I don’t imagine many other club idols having such bravery.

He was crucial as a player in Barcelona’s first Champions League title, always proved to be an unconditional club fan and clearly doesn’t deserve all these critics.

He is giving his best to rebuild the club and it’s obvious he isn’t the only person responsible for the bad results, after all, he has an inferior squad compared to previous seasons and not every player has been available so far or even at their best.

If another manager arrives soon that isn’t a guarantee that things will steadily improve because it’s the players who enter the pitch, so, I think that the Dutch manager is being wronged on all this after being courageous and faithful to the club in tough times.

Vini Jr is profiting from Ancelotti’s confidence in him

The young Vinicius had another solid performance in El Clasico, showing a lot of confidence in his game and facing his opponents without any fear, creating a lot of problems to Barcelona defenders with his skills.

I think this is Ancelotti’s responsibility too because he put his confidence in the Brazilian, using him as a regular starter which wasn’t the case with Zidane last season.

Vini Jr is also scoring more often this season which obviously adds to his confidence on the pitch, so, I can only congratulate him for becoming an important part of Madrid’s team.

Now, he must continue this way because there will be a World Cup next year and it’s important to get confident ahead of the tournament in order to fight for a place in the starting XI since it won’t be easy in such a talented team as Brazil.

Messi looks set to claim his seventh Ballon D’or

The 2021 Ballon D’or voting period has come to an end and it all seems to point towards another Lionel Messi win which will be the seventh of his professional career.

He won the Copa America with Argentina, beating Brazil in the Final – in Brazil – ending a national team drought that had lasted since 1993, so, of course that might be crucial for his win since his success at Barcelona last season was slim and shouldn’t be enough to claim such trophy.

There are other players that can still surprise like Robert Lewandowski or Mo Salah, but with the voting already closed I’m afraid that the Egyptian’s recent excellent moments won’t be taken into account in the votes.

Actually, even his manager at PSG Mauricio Pochettino claimed that Messi deserves to win this prize which wasn’t appreciated by other team stars like Neymar or Kylian Mbappe and I think it was a mistake from Pochettino.

Yes, he probably said it as a happy Argentinian that watched his national team claim Copa America after many years, but as a PSG manager he forgot that this kind of comment might create some instability within the squad.