Andre Villas-Boas is resurrecting his career with Marseille in Ligue 1 March 3, 2020 It seemed a case of too much too soon for Andre Villas-Boas when his time in English football ended in ridicule and his rapid rise to the top, aged just 33, overwhelmed him. The Portuguese had been hailed as the new Jose Mourinho when he arrived at Chelsea in the summer of 2011 following an [...]
Premier League broadcasting: What does Amazon’s initial success with Prime Video mean for the market? March 3, 2020 Amazon broadcast its first live football matches in December, showing 20 Premier League games to subscribers on its Prime Video platform. The decision to make a first foray into the sector was a brave, albeit relatively small, one for the US retail giant. Now that the dust has settled, it looks increasingly like an intelligent [...]
Aston Villa 1, Manchester City 2: Phil Foden stars as Blues complete perfect week with Carabao Cup win March 1, 2020 Lately, it has not been the happiest of times for Manchester City. The title they have held dear for two years is being wrenched away by Liverpool, the title they covet most looks like being out of reach until 2022, and the knock-on effect of that has been to raise doubts about the futures of [...]
Portsmouth’s fan-led revival reaches new milestone with Arsenal FA Cup clash March 1, 2020 When Portsmouth welcome Arsenal to Fratton Park on Monday night there will be a release of emotions from the almost 20,000 Pompey fans present, many of whom are responsible for the club’s slow but steady revival. The fifth-round tie is the furthest the club have progressed in the FA Cup since the 2010 final and [...]
Arsenal 1-2 Olympiacos: Last-gasp El-Arabi winner dumps sloppy Gunners out of the Europa League on away goals February 27, 2020 There is little doubt that this was the worst performance of Mikel Arteta’s reign. Arsenal squandered a 1-0 advantage coming into the home leg of their Europa League round of 32 tie as Olympiacos won 2-1 on the night following a last-minute winner in extra-time from Youssef El-Arabi to go through on away goals. It [...]
Inter Miami: How David Beckham’s dream of establishing an MLS franchise became a reality in Florida February 27, 2020 It has taken a long time, but this weekend Club Internacional de Futbol Miami will finally play their first competitive match. When they take to the pitch against Los Angeles FC on Sunday, Inter Miami’s players will be fulfilling the ambitions of one of their owners. David Beckham has been attempting to establish a team [...]
Real Madrid 1-2 Manchester City: Pep Guardiola’s tactical master plan comes to fruition in slow burn away win at the Bernabeu February 26, 2020 Pep Guardiola lives for nights under the lights at the Bernabeu. As a former Barcelona player and manager – not to mention a prominent advocate for Catalan independence – he is not a popular man inside Real Madrid’s gigantic famous stadium. But so often in the past he has thrived in the lions’ den. His [...]
As Aston Villa brace for the Carabao Cup final, is a trophy more important than Premier League survival? February 26, 2020 The magic of a Wembley cup final is difficult to replicate but the importance of winning domestic silverware appears to have become increasingly secondary to the need to remain in the Premier League. For the thousands of Aston Villa fans set to descend on London this Sunday for the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City, [...]
Chelsea 0-3 Bayern Munich: Gnabry, Lewandowski and Davies run riot as Blues are put to the sword at Stamford Bridge February 25, 2020 Four years after he left Arsenal, Serge Gnabry now looks at home in London. He has only played two games in the capital this season and yet has scored a barely believable six goals against Tottenham and Chelsea in the Champions League. With 38 goals in 32 matches, and 10 in just five group stage [...]
Champions League ban threat can play into Manchester City’s hands against Real Madrid February 25, 2020 Manchester City’s possible two-year ban from the Champions League, starting next season, has added a couple of extra dimensions to their last-16 clash against Real Madrid on Wednesday night. Firstly, there is the question of whether City draw extra motivation from knowing this may be their last shot at the trophy until 2022, or whether [...]