Key events
With United out of both cup competitions and not playing in Europe this season, Will Unwin poses the question of whether this is the club’s post-Ferguson nadir …
It’s fair enough to suggest so, but nothing will surely top be worse than losing to 17th-placed Spurs in the worst Europa League final of all time (TM), all the while finishing 15th. Sorry Ruben.
Get questions in for Jamie Jackson before Manchester derby
Later on this morning we’ll be holding a Q&A session with our Manchester football correspondent, Jamie Jackson, ahead of the Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
What sort of state are United in? Will City take full advantage and boost their title chances? Email your questions using matchday.live@theguardian.com or simply comment below.
Preamble
Good morning and welcome to another of The Guardian’s matchday live blogs. This is your one-stop-shop for all things Saturday football buildup, and today is another biggie in the Premier League, from which we enjoyed a (short) break due to the FA Cup last weekend.
It’s big primarily because it’s derby day in Manchester with Michael Carrick making his (second) debut as United’s interim head coach, but there are other games to whet the appetite; Spurs v West Ham has been dubbed ‘El Sackico’ with Thomas Frank and Nuno Espírito Santo both under immense pressure. There’s also Chelsea v Brentford, which is a west London derby and Liam Rosenior’s first Premier League game as Blues manager.
Down the leagues there’s plenty to play for as well. Coventry v Leicester in the Championship looks an attractive proposition while Bradford v Cardiff and Swindon v Salford should be belting games at the sharp end of League One and League Two respectively.
As always, we welcome your comments and emails. Let us know how you’re spending this dreary January Saturday. Hopefully it’s by watching some football, after you’ve scrolled up and down this blog of course. Stay tuned!
