Talk of the Devils: The Athletic FC's Manchester United show

The pre-match protest organised by the 1958 Group was greater in numbers than most predictions and that energy only served to rev up the atmosphere at Old Trafford on Sunday teatime.Ruben Amorim's tactics were a slight compromise on one or two of his principles, but the deeper defence allowed United to contain and control Arsenal before Bruno Fernandes served up another set-piece special.A draw that felt almost like a win, then, and with "La Real" coming to Manchester on Thursday, we're hoping for more of the same in the biggest match of the season so far. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joshua Zirkzee scored his first goal in European competition as Ruben Amorim's slimline squad earned a draw in San Sebastian, leaving their Europa League tie with Real Sociedad finely poised.It could easily have been a win with Manchester United growing into the game after half-time and squandering several good opportunities through profligate finishing and rash decision-making in attack.But, La Real equalised from the spot and looked much the stronger side at the finish. Might Amorim consider his options for Arsenal with the home leg hanging over that game? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's investment in Manchester United with INEOS has brought a welcome re-focusing on sporting achievement as opposed to commercial success. Project 150, encompassing Mission 21 and Mission 1, sets out a clear ambition to have the men's and women's teams winning their respective leagues by 2028, the club's 150th anniversary.Does this statement of intent, now public knowledge, help channel the attentions and efforts of the club's staff? And is there conflict with recent cost-cutting measures? Chief Executive Omar Berrada is undoubtedly one of the architects of this scheme and responsible for its execution but what about Sir Dave Brailsford, who has no clear job title at Manchester United, and Sir Jim himself?We attempt to get to the bottom of it all, and assess how likely the club are to achieve their objectives, with Ian, Andy, Laurie, and Athletic Senior Writer Oli Kay. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With European qualification via the Premier League an outlandish prospect, Ruben Amorim's Manchester United had two hopes of making it back into continential competition. On Sunday, two became one.Another dispiriting, disappointing showing saw Fulham defy Bruno Fernandes second-half equaliser to progress to the quarter-finals via a penalty shoot-out.The Champions League may yet save our bacon, but Real Sociedad provide the first of up to four significant obstacles standing in the Europa League route. Hopes for the future may lie with youth, but even that's complicated! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The r-word has been put to bed after Bruno Fernandes delivered three more set-piece goals (via Morsy, De Ligt, and Maguire), but there was no shortage of drama at Old Trafford on Wednesday night with Andre Onana setting hearts racing again and Patrick Dorgu dismissed on his first home start.Fighting spirit on the pitch, then, but surely a sombre mood among Manchester United's staff after they were informed of more job cuts by Omar Berrada. We briefly break down the main points with a TotD Extra on executive strategy coming up next week.Fulham are better than Ipswich, it's fair to say, and they will pose a real threat to progress in the FA Cup. Can this competition provide the boost, and the route to Europe, that it did last season? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you were to try and identify Manchester United's worst first half performance this season you would have a lengthy queue of candidates, but the latest showing at Goodison Park might just be it.In fact, the malaise dragged on for 70 minutes when, possibly fortunate to only be 2-0 down, the team were sparked into life by Bruno Fernandes. The captain beat Jordan Pickford with a free-kick but also dropped deeper in midfield to generate some momentum.Manuel Ugarte's well taken equaliser was the end of the scoring, even if there was plenty of drama yet to come. But, with Kieran McKenna's Ipswich Town coming to Old Trafford on Wednesday, Laurie is doing some frantic sums! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our normal schedule resumes and we're back on some familiar subject matter, but not before another big interview courtesy of the team at The Athletic; this time, Charlotte Harpur sat down with Raphael Varane and while he spoke in a measured manner he was fairly candid about his time at the club.Manchester United's accounts were published on Wednesday and, even for those versed in the club's financial problems, some alarming figures emerged. Debt repayments resulting from the Glazer family's leveraged takeover have now passed £1b.On the pitch, it's the last ever trip to Goodison Park this week. After a long sustained period of success there, fortunes changed somewhat; a solid recent record might be threatened by a Blues side resurgent under the doubly familiar figure of David Moyes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the debut of our spin-off, in-depth, discussion podcast Talk of the Devils EXTRA and we're not afraid to dive in head first!Getting goals is the most valuable skill in football and, as a result, strikers are the most expensive players. It's also something Manchester United are really struggling with this season and a likely priority in the next transfer window.So, who are United's recruiters looking at? Has the shortlist changed much since Ruben Amorim came in? What does all this mean for the strikers already on the books? And, can a former Utd striker provide any clues to exactly what it takes to succeed? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was dubbed El Calamatico; a clash of two teams falling disastrously short of expectation in the Premier League this season. Unfortunately for us it was Tottenham, through Manchester United fan James Maddison, who found the crucial breakthrough.In fairness to Ruben Amorim's eleven, they had little support from the bench after a series of injuries in training this week. But, the forwards failed to convert one of a few decent chances on the night; an all too familiar story (that we will look into in greater detail on Wednesday's all-new TotD Extra).With Amad Diallo ruled out for the season we're facing up to the reality of a lengthy period of pain and suffering, all the more difficult to endure because you can't know for sure whether Amorim is the man to bring success back to Old Trafford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No midweek game but no respite; this is Manchester United! It's an epic show with no fewer than three FA Cup round-ups after the senior men and women and the U18s all booked their opponents in their respective competitions.If things aren't going great in the Premier League, it may be even messier in the backroom where more job cuts were announced in an effort to stem a major financial drain, even if the cause of that shortfall lies elsewhere.Before a look at the Calamatico v Spurs, we also dip into United's effort to catch up with the Premier League's best performers on their data systems and usage. Improvements are long overdue, but are Brighton and Bournemouth a fair comparison? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.