Sheffield United and a potential volte-face so extreme it could lead to whiplash

Before the Championship season started you would not have required the prescience of Mystic Meg to correctly predict that a team from the Steel City would be bottom of the table with no points after their first five games. With their club’s very existence under very real threat, most Sheffield Wednesday fans had resigned themselves to relegation at best before a ball was kicked, as long as their owner Dejphon Chansiri refused to sell up. A month on, the presence of their bitter city rivals one place below them at the foot of the table must be a rare source of happiness for Owls fans, in what looks likely to be a long season of unrelenting misery mixed with trepidatious uncertainty. Having lost last season’s Wembley playoff final to a late, late Sunderland winner, the Sheffield United hierarchy elected to end Chris Wilder’s second spell in charge of their club and embark on a new direction. And while “downwards into League One” might not have been the specific one they had in mind, it is certainly the new direction they appear to have taken after losing their first five games by an aggregate score of 12-1.

When Scott Parker opined on Sunday that, in defeat by Liverpool, his crestfallen Burnley players “had to go to places that not many humans go to”, he clearly hadn’t factored in the suffering endured by die-hard Blades fans who made the seven-hour round-trip to Portman Road on Friday night. They saw a 5-0 shellacking that led to Wilder’s replacement, Rubén Sellés, being fired from his role as head coach after just 88 days in charge, bringing what the club’s owners had previously described as “a new chapter for Sheffield United” to an unedifying but inevitable end. In talking up Sellés’s understanding of “the power of potential and how to unlock it” upon his appointment, the club’s USA USA USA-based COH Sports ownership group conveyed the impression they might have listened to one episode of the High Performance Podcast too many, even if there was no hint that things would go so pear-shaped, so quickly for the 42-year-old Spaniard who has achieved much more with much less backing elsewhere.

While Sellés’s “ability to integrate academy talent, employ innovative recruitment and analytic strategies, play an exciting brand of football, and adapt dynamically to the modern game” were the tenets COH Sports believed “that the next great chapter of Sheffield United football [would] be built upon”, they are now reported to be in the process of performing a volte-face so extreme all involved may end up with a painful case of whiplash. Having already been fired twice by the club, most recently in May, it seems the man being tasked with writing the next new, hopefully less abrupt chapter for Sheffield United, is a well known local author. Less than three months after being told to clear away his quill, ink-pot and parchment, Chris Wilder is on the verge of a sensational return to Bramall Lane. Quite what the 57-year-old, who is famously intolerant of the kind of “do-gooders” and “lefties” who won’t let him criticise his players, will make of his club’s woke attempts to implement artificial intelligence and data-led recruitment remains to be seen but at the very least, he might start playing established stars such as Callum O’Hare and Gus Hamer in their proper positions.

After the goal, Marcus said ‘well done’, with the eyes of a brother, but he wasn’t laughing. He teases me about headers, and so does Dad, so I’m happy” – Khéphren Thuram enjoyed scoring in Juventus’s madcap 4-3 win over Inter – especially so given that he got one over his big brother, who was also on the scoresheet. Nicky Bandini has the lowdown on a sensational Derby d’Italia here.

I pay no attention whatsoever to Scottish fitba, except when Scottish clubs go out of Bigger Cup, and it’s already September, so that’s long gone. However, I couldn’t help but notice that Rangers are nine points off Celtic and only two places off the bottom of the table after five games, which was puzzling until I remembered that Russell Martin was managing them. And also that fans of top-of-the-table Celtic are, and I quote, ‘mutinous’” – Noble Francis.

Like Chad Thomas (Friday’s Football Daily letters), I also love the verb play that Football Daily does. Sadly, I very seldom get to see my favourite verb used these days, because Alex Ferguson doesn’t make the headlines as often, and typically isn’t angry as much. Gone are the days that he ‘purpled’ on a weekly basis. Nostalgia always gets you” – Todd Van Allen.

If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our letter o’ the day is … Todd Van Allen, who wins some Football Weekly merch. Terms and conditions for our competitions are here. 

Just like you would never leave a murder mystery until the killer is unmasked, it’s best not to depart or turn off a Liverpool game. Though perhaps the outcome was never in doubt, Arne Slot’s team, for the third Premier League game in four, snatched victory from the jaws of a draw with a late goal at Burnley. They didn’t play well at Turf Moor; it may be more correct to say Burnley didn’t allow them to play well. Mohamed Salah was a mere apparition until asked to take the penalty presented by Hannibal Mejbri’s flick of the elbow. Hannibal followed Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha in being Liverpool’s latest, desperate-hours saviour. Up stepped Salah. The outcome? Another Liverpool win, and the continued development of “Arne Time”.

Racing Louisville midfielder Savannah DeMelo is “stable and alert” after she was taken by ambulance from an NWSL match on Sunday against the Seattle Reign because of a medical emergency that caused the game to be curtailed.

Phil Foden, who dedicated City’s Manchester derby win to the late Ricky Hatton, looks back to his best after his dip in form. “I know sometimes he struggles when people criticise him,” said teammate Jérémy Doku. “Football is not easy and he showed [against United] again that talent-wise you cannot say a word about him.”

Ruben Amorim is safe – for now – after Manchester United’s miserable collapse at the Etihad. “We have to be more in control of certain situations,” wailed Bruno Fernandes. “I believe in my way and I am going to play my way until I want to change,” roared Amorim with fingers in ears.

A barman who wore a Manchester United shirt under his jacket while serving City fans at the derby has been marched to the door marked “Do One”. “We can confirm that this individual has now been removed from their position,” growled a club post on a social media disgrace.

Arsenal are set to be without Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka for their Bigger Cup opener against Athletic Bilbao.

Meanwhile, Spurs may be without Dominic Solanke for their home match against Villarreal after the striker sat out training with ankle-knack.

Strasbourg fans have shown their anger after hearing news that star striker Emanuel Emegha will do one next summer to join Chelsea, who just happen to be owned by the same BlueCo billionaires. An ultras banner fumed “Emegha, pawn of BlueCo. After changing shirt, give back your captain’s armband.”

And with Graham Potter embattled as West Ham continued to concede set-piece goals against Tottenham, the new favourite for his job is none other than Nuno Espírito Santo, offed by Nottingham Forest just last week.

Ten talking points from the weekend’s Premier League action. Right here. Right now. And here’s your WSL review, with Sam Kerr striking after 634 days and Liverpool’s woes mounting.

Manchester United seem to have accepted their mediocrity, but how long can it go on, wonders Jonathan Wilson.

There was sweet relief for Diego Simeone as Atlético finally got a league win amid doubts about evolution, reports Sid Lowe.

Wolfsburg had a birthday party but Köln were late, late party poopers, reports Andy Brassell.

Ronaldo’s sudden interest in a return to the USA USA USA is the World Cup Trump card that Fifa craves, writes Barney Ronay.

Uefa has backed off overseas league fixtures but the struggle for power still goes on, explains Paul MacInnes.

From Shearer to Pogba: how 10 British record signings fared in the Premier League – Yara El-Shaboury digs into the history books.

And our Premier League top scorers page is now live. Erling Haaland will enjoy looking at it.

Happier times for Manchester United as Diego Forlán celebrates an 85th-minute winner against Southampton in November 2002. United went on to win the league by five points, though it never really worked out for the Uruguay forward at Old Trafford, perhaps because of his footwear. “[Alex] Ferguson wanted me to play with long studs, but I feel more comfortable in short ones,” he chirped in 2009. “I agreed to change but I didn’t and, against Chelsea, I slipped in front of goal and wasted a chance. Afterwards, I rushed to the dressing room to change boots but Ferguson caught me. He grabbed the boots and threw them. That was my last game for United.”