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Lessons learnt from the UEFA super cup match 2017;

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For those who did not see the ManU Real UEFA super cup match here are a few Chelsea-centric take aways;

1. The final score of 2-1 did not display just how superior Real were to ManU especially noteable because CR7 played only the last 10-15 minutes of the game.

2. Gareth Bale is a shadow of the player he once was. The blistering speed is gone, the guile, the confidence is gone. The ability to finish is gone. We would be crazy to spend anywhere close to the reported going price for him. He is simply not worth it. I would be shocked if Real don`t find a way to move him to bring in Mbappe this window because he is clearly the weak link of their front three right now.

3. Anyone who saw this match will realize we may well have made a big mistake sending Matic to ManU. He was arguably their MOTM. The goal Lukaku scored was entirely the result of Matic`s shot and the guy was everywhere ( he essentially played like a B2B midfielder rather than a traditional DM ) for ManU. He played the full 90 minutes and was nearly at the Spider beast level from his first year back with us and Jose. Meanwhile we wait for Baka to get fit and pray our board can find a competent back up in the meantime.

4. If you want to see what it means for a striker to be able to hold up play and competently play back to goal go look at Lukaku today. He had limited chances and touches and yes he missed one chance that he should have absolutely put away but let us give the devil his due. You may not like the guy but he is the prototypical no 9 in build, aerial threat ability and certainly today he was the textbook definition of being able to hold up play and play back to goal against superior opposition. Let us be honest, as of today he is way ahead of Morata. This is the fact at the moment. Morata clearly has more finesse and may ultimately end up being the better player given time but as at now there is no doubt who the better striker is for a BPL campaign.

5. Marcus Rashford is the real deal. Once he came on ManU grew in stature. This match may have ended differently despite Real’s obvious technical superiority if Jose had started Rashford upfront with Lukaku rather than Lindgard.

6. It amazes me to see how comfortable Mata is with being a squad player with ManU when he was so bent out of shape being an impact sub for us when Jose was here (BTW this is not based on this match but just observing him since he moved the ManU and since Jose arrived there). His role on the ManU side is a shadow of what he was asked to do by the same Jose while with us and now he is perfectly fine and content with it while he was so dissatisfied to not be a starter for us. I just wonder why.

7. Pogba is obviously over rated. Modric and Casemiro played him out of the game. For someone who cost so much one has to ask. What was all the fuss about???

8. I will be shocked if Manu don`t finish this BPL season in the top 4 and suspect they will be in the top 3. Many pundits are suggesting they will even win the BPL title yet the gulf in class between them and Real even without Ronaldo was really telling. What this tells me is the BPL teams are likely not going to fare much better than they have recently in the Champions league. We may be in for a very rude awakening in the Champions league if we have some high caliber teams in our group stage matches. Certainly by the time the knockout phase comes around the difference will be quite apparent and as we are right now, we are no where close to ready to compete with teams like Real. That is just the harsh truth.

9. People may say these sort of matches are just glorified friendlies but you could tell from the pace the match was played and the animation of the managers on the sidelines, this meant something. The magical pupil ( Zidane) put one over the former tutor ( Jose) and it was apparent Jose was miffed about it. For Zidane it is another trophy to add to his incredible tenure as manager at Real that is still under 2 calendar years since he took over from Rafa Benitez. The affection his players have for the man was palpable and apparent . Akin to what I saw with our players and Conte last season. That sort of bond is critical to enabling players perform at 120% and for teams to exceed the mere sum of their parts.

There you have it folks. To those who watched the match by all means chime in on your thoughts regarding the spectacle. KTBFFH.

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Editor - a forty something Canary, who has been following Norwich for 30 odd years. Family man with wife, kids, dog and a love of sport. Fan of Boxing, Vale 46, F1 and Rock.