Cardiff City v Manchester United: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hopes to spark happy new era at old stomping ground December 20, 2018 When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer parted ways with Cardiff City in September 2014, the Norwegian could not have envisaged the circumstances of his return. Solskjaer, in his own words, “stepped aside” at Cardiff due to a “difference in philosophy” with owner Vincent Tan, but the brutal reality is that he had failed during his nine-month spell [...]
Happy Hammers: West Ham starting to reach heights promised before move to London Stadium under Manuel Pellegrini December 20, 2018 The ugly scenes at the London Stadium towards the end of last season are now just a distant memory as West Ham sit pretty in the top half of the Premier League on the back of four straight wins for the first time in almost in five years. It was just nine months ago when [...]
Arsenal 0-2 Tottenham: Five things we learned as goals from Heung-min Son and Dele Alli send Spurs through to League Cup semi-final December 19, 2018 It was a testament to the importance of this match that both sides opted to pick their strongest possible line-ups, despite it only being a League Cup tie. Ultimately, Tottenham’s best was better, as they knocked out Arsenal with a 2-0 win – just their second ever victory at the Emirates. In times gone by, [...]
Trevor Steven: Gareth Southgate tops my football roll of honour for 2018 December 18, 2018 It has been a year when quality coaching came to the fore in football. The World Cup and the Premier League is full of top bosses who are getting the best out of their players. Here are my highlights. Southgate shines in Russia Where else to start but with England’s efforts at the World Cup? [...]
Jose Mourinho’s fall from grace signifies the end of an era as his time in English football comes to a bitter end December 18, 2018 Jose Mourinho's fall from grace has been played out in the public eye over a torturous period that feels as though it began from the moment he took charge at Old Trafford, if not before. Mourinho has had a tendency to bounce from job to job and his decision to live out of the Lowry [...]
Jose Mourinho leaves Manchester United after worst season start in three decades December 18, 2018 Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has left his job amid the club's worst start to the season in almost three decades. The Premier League team, which is currently languishing in sixth place, said the Portuguese manager was leaving with immediate effect after two and a half years in the job. The club was beaten 3-1 [...]
Champions League and Europa League draws: A guide to English teams’ ties in the knockout rounds December 17, 2018 Monday’s draws for football’s European club competitions conjured some mouth-watering ties involving British sides, including a Premier League versus Bundesliga triple bill. In the Champions League last 16, Liverpool take on Bayern Munich, Manchester City meet Schalke, Tottenham face Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United play Paris Saint-Germain. Meanwhile the Europa League draw for the last [...]
Five things we learned from Liverpool 3, Manchester United 1: Reds pass another test; Jose Mourinho’s men losing touch with top five; Xherdan Shaqiri proves his worth December 16, 2018 The tests keep on coming for this Liverpool team and, with a new-found composure and a growing sense of destiny, Jurgen Klopp’s side keep on batting them away. On Sunday the challenge was to translate their momentum into a first Premier League win over Manchester United since 2014 and return to the top of the [...]
Weekend football talking points: Ralph Hasenhuttl makes Southampton mark; Tottenham super-subs; Leroy Sane shines in Benjamin Mendy’s absence; Rangers make Celtic sweat December 16, 2018 Southampton’s first home Premier League win since April, a harum-scarum 3-2 victory that ended Arsenal’s 22-game unbeaten run in all competitions, was a day to remember for new manager Ralph Hasenhuttl. The impact of the Austrian, known as a task-master who favours a high-intensity approach, was evident on Sunday as the Saints gave the Gunners [...]
The great TV robbery: How the world’s biggest sports broadcaster lost $1bn to a brazen campaign of piracy December 13, 2018 Imagine you’ve had something stolen. But this isn’t a conventional theft: you know who did it, how they did it, where they are – and you can prove it. It isn’t a one-off theft, but rather a never-ending succession of offences which the perpetrator does nothing to hide. Instead they taunt you frequently by flouting [...]