Liverpool 5-5 Arsenal: Klopp’s side win on penalties as Mustafi and Keita flop and Ozil and Origi impress October 30, 2019 It’s probably unwise to draw any firm conclusions from a game that open, unpredictable and madcap but both Jurgen Klopp and Unai Emery learned something about their players after making 11 changes to their starting XIs. Tonight’s match at Anfield was a contest for a place in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup, and yet [...]
Chelsea v Manchester United: Lampard showing Solskjaer how to succeed with a blend of youth and experience October 29, 2019 When a strike from Daniel James deflected into the back of Chelsea’s net to put Manchester United 4-0 up at Old Trafford in August, the road to rejuvenating his new side looked like being a long one for Frank Lampard. But just two and a half months on from that defeat on the opening weekend [...]
Granit Xhaka must apologise or lose the Arsenal captaincy October 29, 2019 Captains tend to be brilliant leaders, have great communication skills, or a bit of both. I’m not sure that’s Granit Xhaka but Arsenal aren’t blessed with a host of players who fit that description and someone’s got to wear the armband. In fact I’m not sure what Xhaka is great at. Yes, he comes up [...]
Liverpool 2-1 Tottenham: Aurier and Eriksen poor as Alexander-Arnold and Salah shine for league leaders October 27, 2019 It wasn’t straightforward, but the Liverpool juggernaut rumbles on at the top of the Premier League. Tottenham came to Anfield with a clear game-plan designed to suppress the hosts and Harry Kane’s header after just 47 seconds gave them the opportunity to implement it. But, as they keep doing, Liverpool found a way to win. [...]
VAR wars deflect from Unai Emery and Arsenal’s woes; Frank Lampard the genius; Leicester outfoxing all over October 27, 2019 An exercised Unai Emery pointed, with some justification, to two video assistant referee interventions to explain why Arsenal lost a two-goal lead and drew 2-2 at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday. “For me, VAR is positive, but we need to manage it in the right way,” said the Gunners manager. “At the moment to [...]
Liverpool win New Balance court battle allowing Nike to become kit supplier October 25, 2019 Liverpool have won their court battle with New Balance which will now allow Nike to become the club’s kit supplier from next season. New Balance took Liverpool to High Court for allegedly refusing to honour the terms of their current deal by allowing Nike to become the club’s new kit sponsor despite a stipulation in [...]
Liverpool v Tottenham preview: Mauricio Pochettino must refresh stale Spurs squad to lift the current malaise October 24, 2019 If Red Star Belgrade at home was the perfect fixture for Tottenham in their current state, Liverpool away is the polar opposite. Jurgen Klopp’s side might have dropped their first points in the Premier League this season against Manchester United last time out, but they remain imposing at Anfield where they haven’t been beaten in [...]
Ajax 0-1 Chelsea: Lampard’s stock rises as solid Blues take a big scalp in Amsterdam October 23, 2019 Youthful exuberance is a phrase which has generally defined Chelsea’s 2019-20 season so far under Frank Lampard. With a former player in charge and a transfer ban in effect the Blues have called back youngsters from loan deals and integrated them into the first team. That has lead to a lot of excitement and impressive [...]
How Ajax have reshaped squad to maintain Champions League momentum October 23, 2019 Ajax’s failure to reach the Champions League final last season was as unexpected as the events that led to their semi-final encounter with Tottenham. Leading Spurs 3-0 at home with just 45 minutes of their semi-final tie remaining, it seemed the stars had aligned for a group of talented, largely home-grown players whose coming of [...]
Tottenham 5-0 Red Star Belgrade: Kane, Son and Lamela run riot to rejuvenate Spurs October 22, 2019 Red Star Belgrade were exactly what Tottenham required after being shaken by a terrible run of form. Colchester, Bayern Munich, Brighton and Watford were not forgotten – not yet – but for 90 minutes Spurs fans were able to enjoy their side running riot against a wide-open, error-prone and haphazard opponent. Tottenham’s first Champions League [...]