England v USA: Christian Pulisic leads youthful visitors as they start afresh a year on from their nadir November 14, 2018 Thirteen months ago the US men’s national team reached its nadir. Needing just a draw against Trinidad and Tobago – ranked 99th among national sides – to qualify for the World Cup, the unthinkable happened. Omar Gonzalez scuffed a horrendous clearance over his own goalkeeper and into the net after 17 minutes and 19 minutes [...]
Trevor Steven: Moving abroad is a risk but young English footballers can only benefit November 13, 2018 To understand why young English players are increasingly attracted to the prospect of joining teams in other European leagues you need only look at the case of Ruben Loftus-Cheek. The midfielder, 22, was part of the England squad that achieved their best World Cup finish in 28 years during the summer, yet back at Chelsea [...]
Jadon Sancho and Reiss Nelson are taking Germany by storm, but how are the rest of England’s youngsters faring abroad? November 13, 2018 It’s no secret by now that for Jadon Sancho a move abroad has reaped huge rewards. Since leaving Manchester City in 2017, the teenager has established a starring role in a Borussia Dortmund side that currently leads the Bundesliga and beat Bayern Munich 3-2 at the weekend. But he has not been the only English [...]
Manchester City brush off financial allegations with dominant derby win over Manchester United November 11, 2018 If last week’s Football Leaks reports suggested that Manchester City’s success owes as much to creativity in their accounting as in their attacking play, then the visit of Manchester United to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday could hardly have been better timed. Because for all of City’s alleged gaming of Financial Fair Play rules by [...]
Five things we learned from the Premier League weekend: Lucky Arsenal, in-form Jordan Pickford, Fulham test Shahid Khan’s patience, Roy Hodgson’s gripes and Tottenham earn a breather November 11, 2018 There have been many occasions during Arsenal’s rollercoaster 16-game unbeaten streak when it seemed like the run was about to end and the 1-1 draw with Wolves on Sunday was certainly one of them. The match had every one of the hallmarks of Unai Emery’s short reign: a slow, ponderous first half, an improvement after [...]
Tottenham warned for promising Champions League football in delayed new stadium November 9, 2018 Tottenham Hotspur have been warned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for an advert claiming their new stadium would be "the only place to watch the Champions League in London". The watchdog have sent Tottenham an advice notice, warning them to "avoid making claims in future advertising that they cannot fulfil". The north London club [...]
Football Leaks: Who is behind the whistleblowing platform and where does the information come from? November 8, 2018 Even if you’ve not heard of Football Leaks you will have read some of the stories which originated from the whistleblowing website. That’s because they’ve been nearly unavoidable, intermittently dominating news cycles worldwide for the last three years with subjects which go well beyond football. While things like transfer fees details and third-party ownership may [...]
Unai Emery is as animated as he is meticulous… he takes a different approach to every team-talk he gives November 8, 2018 Arsenal’s appointment of Unai Emery in May was met with uncertainty, but he has quickly shown English football what he is all about by reviving the Gunners’ fortunes. The Spaniard is as animated on the touchline as he is meticulous on the training ground – so it may not be a surprise to learn that [...]
Trevor Steven: Wayne Rooney’s England recall for USA game is a mystifying own goal by the Football Association November 6, 2018 Gareth Southgate says he supports plans to bring Wayne Rooney out of international retirement for a farewell England appearance in next week’s friendly against the United States. I don’t believe that for a minute. I would like to know who made the mystifying decision to recall Rooney – which is completely at odds with the [...]
Chelsea 3-1 Crystal Palace: Alvaro Morata growing out of “fragile” state into a more confident striker November 4, 2018 Normally when a striker spurns a one-on-one chance while clean through in the 93rd minute the reaction would be disappointment. And while that emotion, plus plenty of stronger ones, were present inside Stamford Bridge as Alvaro Morata missed a glorious opportunity against Crystal Palace, the overriding thought was different. With the score at 3-1 and with [...]