Managers

Forget MTV or TMZ, one need not look further than this Pogba Mourinho stuff at Old Trafford for some of the most eye-popping, high-profile drama of 2018.

There has been trouble abound in paradise for England’s most storied club in recent weeks as the Red Devils have stumbled early on in the season with a less-than-stellar start in domestic play, a manager who is feeling the pressure and discontent in the locker room.

Frank Lampard made many trips to Old Trafford as a player in a long career with West Ham, Chelsea and Manchester City. Perhaps the greatest midfielder in the history of the Premier League returned once more to face Manchester United on Tuesday — not as a player, but a manager of Derby County.

Lampard faced off against his former coach at Chelsea, Jose Mourinho. Lampard went home with an unlikely win.

Earnie Stewart’s search for the next USMNT manager hit the news wires this week after the U.S. General Manager was spotted at MAPFRE Stadium to watch Gregg Berhalter’s Columbus Crew defeat Colorado 2-1, and the flames of the fire were further fanned with the rumor that Stewart had held talks with FC Dallas coach Oscar Pareja — a rumor that was later quashed by Yahoo! Sports.

In the end, Shakhtar Donetsk’s trusted strategy of supplementing its Ukrainian core of players with a bunch of Brazilians proved, once again, a masterstroke — this time in spoiling the appearance of the youngest manager the Champions League has ever seen, Hoffenheim’s 31-year-old whizkid Julian Nagelsmann.

Diego Maradona’s debut as manager of Ascenso MX (Mexico’s second division) side Dorados FC coincided with the club earning its first win of the 2018 Apertura season, a 4-1 home victory over last-place Cafetaleros. Vinicio Angulo scored a hat-trick for Dorados, but the star of the show was obviously the 57-year-old on the touchline.

Roy Keane and aggression are two words that are perfect together. The tough midfielder was one of the toughest players to play the game, and he expects the same amount of toughness from his players.

With Argentina in flux under interim manager Lionel Scaloni and this international break containing only two inconsequential friendlies being played in the United States, Lionel Messi’s absence from the squad directly following his exertions in Russia came as no surprise, despite the myriad of hot takes that are attempting to read between the lines.