European Championship revamp keeps football open to all October 13, 2019 Every time Indiana Jones takes a plane, his journey is illustrated by a red line moving gradually towards its destination, the aircraft pivoting now and again to refuel as it traverses continents. For those still recovering from trying to understand the Uefa Nations League, the Raiders of the Lost Ark motif helps explain what will [...]
Czech Republic v England: Mason Mount deserving of a first start ahead of Ross Barkley October 10, 2019 Tournament qualifiers hold a strange significance for England. On the one hand they are fully-fledged competitive internationals which need to be won in order to reach World Cups and European Championships. But on the other hand, England haven’t lost one in 43 instances – an unbeaten streak which dates back almost exactly 10 years, since [...]
European football chiefs quick to co-opt ‘the dream’ in fight for future of Champions League October 8, 2019 They may be on opposite sides of a bitter dispute over the future of European football but they both came to defend “the dream”, that somewhat nebulous but impossible-to-oppose tenet of sporting competition. Andrea Agnelli, the latest figurehead of a dynasty that has owned Juventus for nearly a century and the chairman of the European [...]
There is an undercurrent of unrest at Tottenham and the big players are not turning up October 8, 2019 No one could have seen Tottenham’s disastrous start coming but, having finished the last campaign on a low after losing the Champions League final, they just haven’t turned up this season. Their most consistent run of results so far has been two defeats and they have not had their eye on the ball at all [...]
Premier League talking points: Matty Longstaff’s heartwarming interview, Frank back super, Pochettino struggling and more October 6, 2019 Manchester United’s problems are showing no signs of easing, with their 1-0 defeat against Newcastle leaving them 12th and just two points above the relegation zone. Unsurprisingly the underlying statistics don’t make for happy reading. No away wins since March, five victories in the last 23 matches altogether and just seven goals scored in the [...]
Adama Traore double sinks Manchester City and presents Liverpool with brilliant opportunity October 6, 2019 “It’s a bit like a recipe,” Pep Guardiola theorises in Pep Confidential. “League titles are won in the final eight games, but they are lost in the first eight games”. When he invited friend and journalist Marti Perarnau to document his 2013-14 season with Bayern Munich, Guardiola wouldn’t have been thinking about the ramifications of [...]
Lille 1-2 Chelsea: Willian’s bolt from the blue secures vital away win for Lampard’s side October 2, 2019 After their disappointing opening round defeat at home by Valencia it was all about winning tonight, and win Chelsea did. Frank Lampard’s Blues are clearly a work in progress, especially when faced with challenging, unfamiliar sides in the Champions League. Read more: Spurs punished by seven-goal Bayern But while there were chinks in the armour, [...]
Tottenham 2-7 Bayern Munich: Tactical naivety and basic errors cost Spurs dear in Champions League thrashing October 1, 2019 The wheels didn’t just come off the Tottenham wagon in the Champions League tonight; they were loosened by its driver and catapulted out of sight over the horizon. Bayern Munich absolutely outclassed Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs on their own turf, putting seven past a weary, disenchanted and ramshackle opponent. Read more: Leicester can be better than [...]
Crystal Palace hawked for sale in £210m deal October 1, 2019 Crystal Palace are being hawked to prospective buyers in a deal which would value the Premier League football club at £210m. A document circulating among bankers and seen by Morning Wire offers to facilitate the purchase of at least 75 per cent and up to 90 per cent for either a single buyer or a [...]
This Leicester City team could be even better than the title winning side October 1, 2019 Brendan Rodgers made a bold decision when he walked away from a third successive domestic treble at Celtic in February and return to the Premier League with Leicester. The former Liverpool and Swansea boss took a lot of flak and the switch could have gone either way – he had lots to lose and not [...]