abject

Man Utd boss Solskjaer hits out at Sanchez after abject showing against PSG

OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER hit out at Alexis Sanchez after his abject showing in the Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

The Chilean replaced Jesse Lingard but had no impact on the game as the home side were outclassed at Old Trafford.

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Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hit out at Alexis Sanchez

Sanchez, who is paid more than £400,000 a week, has started just one Premier League game and two FA Cup matches since the Norwegian took over.

But he did little to show he deserves a starting spot over Solskjaer's preferred front three of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard after offering nothing on Tuesday night.

Speaking after the game, the clearly frustrated Manchester United boss said: "I can't do anything about Alexis Sanchez.

"When he plays he needs to find himself."

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Sanchez had little impact after coming on as a sub for Jesse Lingard

The United boss admitted his side were outplayed by the French champions, despite them missing Neymar and Edinson Cavani.

He added: "They had the momentum after the first goal and controlled the game.

"You could see that we hadn't played at this level for a while and we will have to learn.

"It was an experience that can go either way, it's not going to be a season defining one, it's one we have to learn from."

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Solskjaer was clearly frustrated when talking about the Chilean

Solskjaer also refused to use injuries to Martial and Lingard as an excuse.

He said: "You can't say that's a reason, we had quality players to come on but Lingard and Martial give us something and let's hope they are not too serious.

"They are muscle injuries, we have to wait a couple of days."

He later added: "Mountains are there to be climbed, you can't lay down and say this is over. We will go there, play our game and improve from today.

"Today is a reality check for us."

Liam Fox Branded 'Abject Failure' Over Lack Of Pre-Brexit Trade Deals

Cabinet minister Liam Fox was accused of “abject failure” after it emerged just six of the 40 trade deals he promised will actually be signed in time for Brexit. 

The trade secretary, who once said a free trade agreement with the EU would be the “easiest in human history”, had vowed to “roll over” 40 EU deals with 70 countries before Britain breaks from the bloc on March 29. 

But, according to a document leaked to The Sun, Fox has secured just a handful and is now asking countries to sign non-binding “letters of understanding” instead. 

During an urgent question in the Commons on the issue, tabled by shadow trade secretary Barry Gardiner, Fox said many of the deal would go “down to the wire”. 

The leaked document shows four trade deals in a ‘green column’ already agreed, with Switzerland, Chile, an Eastern and Southern African bloc, and the Faroe Islands.

Deals with Israel and the Palestinian Authority were marked as ‘on track’.

Amber warnings, signifying ‘deliverability by March 29 off-track’ were given to nine countries, including South Korea and Canada. 

Those with no chance of being delivered – or ‘significantly off-track’ – were given red and black warnings, including those planned with Japan, Turkey and Mexico.

It comes as Fox faced criticism for refusing to rule out a move to zero tariffs on imported goods under a no-deal Brexit.

Labour says the move, which would give foreign competitors unprecedented access to UK markets, would give countries no incentive to sign a trade deal with the UK.

Former party leadership candidate Owen Smith, who supports the People’s Vote campaign for a second referendum, said: “Today’s revelations are not surprising – they are just the latest sign of the government’s abject failure to deliver on the promises made for Brexit. 

“Liam Fox and other leading advocates of Brexit promised a ‘Global Britain’ vision for the future if people voted to leave the EU, but the reality is very different – not only is our trade relationship with our largest trading partner, Europe, now in jeopardy, but Brexit is also damaging our trade with non-EU countries as well.” 

The powerful US department of trade, meanwhile, is consulting on how to approach negotiations, with lobbyists demanding huge concessions on food standards and handing foreign firms the ability to sue the British state. 

The Department for Trade has not denied the story, and said: “This does not reflect the whole picture: in 2018, around 12% of UK trade took place under EU Trade Agreements in force.

“We have already signed a number of agreements including with Switzerland, the largest of these. We continue to work to replicate as many of these as possible, until exit day, to ensure the maximum continuity of UK trade.

“Of course, the best way to ensure that all existing agreements continue to apply is to pass the Withdrawal Agreement.”

‘Capernaum’ is a harrowing tale about the human spirit under abject poverty

In terms of sheer quality the most packed Oscar category this year is also one of its most obscure – best foreign film. With the Oscar telecast’s new 3-hour time limit, I wonder if this category will even make it on the air but its five nominees have never been so highly honored.

The Mexican entry “Roma” not only is tied for this year’s most overall Oscar nominations (10), including high profile nods like Best Picture, Director, Actress and Supporting Actress, and Screenplay, it’s actually the frontrunner for Best Picture. A black and white film with subtitles!

The Polish film “Cold War” is itself up for three Academy Awards, including the prestigious categories of Best Director and Cinematography. And speaking of prestigious, the Japanese film “Shoplifters” has already won the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme D’Or and stands at 99 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. All three films are available to see in Seattle right now, and a fourth nominee, the Lebanese film “Capernaum,” opens today. It’s also a Cannes Film Festival winner and another multiple Oscar nominee, including for Best Cinematography.

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“Capernaum” tells a harrowing tale of a 12-year-old boy born into abject poverty but making the best of it under rather dire circumstances. Zain lives with a half-dozen or so siblings — three to a mattress — in a makeshift couple of rooms in the slums of Beirut.

None of the children goes to school because none of them was registered at birth, due to the expense. So the kids spend their days selling their wares in the streets and/or delivering store items for their shop owner landlord.

When Zain’s cherished 11-year-old sister gets sold off in marriage to the landlord’s son, his outrage knows no bounds. He runs away from home and is eventually taken in by a friendly but illegal Ethiopian immigrant, a working mother of a one-year-old who lives in a shantytown outside Beirut.

The bulk of the movie consists of Zain taking care of the toddler while the mother’s away. As their circumstances become more and more desperate, the street-smart Zain becomes more and more industrious. He’s a shining embodiment of the resiliency of youth.

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The darkness of “Capernaum” is undeniable but so is the human spirit. Director Nadine Labaki has assembled a remarkable non-professional cast, most especially the boy playing Zain (Zain Al Rafeea.) He’s a Syrian refugee who brings both a necessary gravity and a natural charm to the demanding role. Equally brilliant is the one-year-old who interacts with Zain and his “mother” with uncanny presence.

In some ways, “Capernaum” seems very contemporary, given how it depicts the ongoing political crises of undocumented citizens, illegal immigrants, and international refugees. But it’s the universality of the human experience, and the compassion it elicits, that comes to the fore and gives the film its real power.

By the way, the fifth and final nominee for Best Foreign Film opens next week. “Never Look Away” is a German film made by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, who’s already won one Oscar for his masterpiece, “The Lives of Others.”

The Oscars are two weeks from Sunday.