Manchester United shares dip as lack of Champions League football hits financials February 25, 2020 Manchester United today reported lower revenue and profit for the second quarter as its absence from the Champions League this season took its toll. Core earnings fell 31 per cent to £72m in the quarter to 31 December, compared to the same period last year. Revenue fell 19 per cent to £168m. The New York-listed [...]
Bayern Munich have been revived under caretaker boss Hans-Dieter Flick as they prepare to face Chelsea February 25, 2020 On Bayern Munich’s last visit to England, nearly five months ago, they dismantled Tottenham 7-2 in north London. Chelsea will be hoping to avoid a similar fate when they welcome the German champions to Stamford Bridge tonight but, worryingly, that was Bayern amid a relative slump; since then, they have rediscovered their mojo. Just 33 [...]
Arsenal 3-2 Everton: Gunners come out on top of end-to-end game between two work-in-progress Premier League sides February 23, 2020 Intrigue was never going to be in short supply in a match between two Premier League teams overhauled by high-profile new managers still harbouring faint hopes of European qualification. Still, Arsenal’s narrow victory in a five-goal contest that swung one way then the other – from Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s acrobatic first-minute goal to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s decisive [...]
Crystal Palace are yet to win in 2020 and slipping perilously close to relegation scrap February 20, 2020 As the business end of the season approaches, the battle to stay in the Premier League looks set to be fiercely contested. But while focus may be on teams from 15th-placed Brighton downwards, there is also cause for concern at Crystal Palace who lie 14th but are slipping ever-closer close to the relegation scrap. The [...]
Tottenham 0-1 RB Leipzig: Striker struggles hamper Spurs in disappointing first-leg defeat February 19, 2020 Jose Mourinho got his excuses in early ahead of tonight’s Champions League game against RB Leipzig. “The situation couldn’t be worse,” he said, following the news of Son Heung-min’s fractured arm. “There is nothing we can do.” But regardless of the extenuating circumstances Tottenham should still be displeased with their first-leg defeat to a side [...]
Olympiacos v Arsenal: Europe League tie offers escape from Greek football’s latest crisis February 19, 2020 When Arsenal arrive at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Athens on Thursday evening, it will represent the biggest game of the season for their opponents, Olympiacos. The knockout stages of the Europa League are always a huge occasion for the Greek club. But considering what is going on in their domestic competition, the fixture also acts [...]
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Liverpool: Simeone works his defensive magic as Klopp’s side draw a blank in the Champions League February 18, 2020 It took five months, but tonight Liverpool finally met their match. Before the return to the Wanda Metropolitano – the scene of last season’s Champions League final triumph – Jurgen Klopp had talked up his opponents. Atletico Madrid were painted as a tough nut to crack. The Liverpool manager’s prediction turned out to be spot [...]
How RB Leipzig’s business model and recruitment strategy drove the club to the Champions League last-16 and bred hatred February 18, 2020 RB Leipzig’s methods may be controversial, but they are certainly effective. Leipzig are widely considered the most hated club in Germany. Founded in 2009 by Austrian energy drink manufacturer Red Bull as a marketing ploy, the club have been allowed to circumvent the country’s 50+1 ownership rule which stipulates that 50 per cent of the [...]
Jose Mourinho gives Tottenham the edge over Chelsea and Manchester United in race for Champions League places February 18, 2020 Manchester United’s win at Chelsea on Monday has only cranked up the pressure in one of the most keenly contested races for Champions League qualification in recent years. Just seven points separate Chelsea, in fourth, and Burnley, in 11th, because – Liverpool aside – there is very little consistency and everyone is beating everyone else. [...]
Atletico Madrid must face the Liverpool juggernaut amid the club’s worst spell in a decade February 18, 2020 Liverpool are the last team Atletico Madrid would have wanted to meet when the Champions League draw was made. Atletico are already enduring a difficult season and now face the most daunting of challenges as they welcome the reigning European and soon-to-be Premier League champions to the Wanda Metropolitano tonight. It is the same ground [...]