Could Arsenal survive outside the Champions League in a post-Arsene Wenger future? March 8, 2017 Season after season, Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke has been able to bank on Champions League income boosting the club's bottom line thanks to manager Arsene Wenger reliably delivering top four finishes. Yet with speculation surrounding the Frenchman’s position reaching fever pitch since a 10-2 aggregate hammering to Bayern Munich in the last 16 of this year's [...]
Arsenal 1, Bayern Munich 5 (Agg: 2-10): Humiliated Arsene Wenger sinks to all-time low March 8, 2017 Under-fire Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger claimed the Gunners were in rude health despite them sinking to new depths after an embarrassing Champions League demise at the hands of Bayern Munich. Bayern cut Arsenal to shreds after Robert Lewandowski cancelled out Theo Walcott’s opener with a penalty which saw Gunners skipper Laurent Koscielny controversially sent off. [...]
Leicester City expected to hand caretaker Craig Shakespeare manager’s job until end of season March 7, 2017 Defending Premier League champions Leicester City are expected to hand caretaker boss Craig Shakespeare the manager’s job until the end of the season following a successful stint in temporary charge. Shakespeare was given the reins following Claudio Ranieri’s sacking last month and has guided the Foxes to back-to-back league victories which have eased the club’s [...]
Pep Guardiola wants an English core at Manchester City – if the price is right March 7, 2017 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola insists he wants to rebuild his ageing squad around a core of English players. Guardiola favours an indigenous bedrock, as he did at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, although he has warned that he may be priced out of repeating that approach at City, who have been linked with Arsenal midfielder [...]
Zlatan Ibrahimovic to miss Manchester United FA Cup tie as Bournemouth appeal against Tyrone Mings charge March 7, 2017 Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will miss next week's FA Cup quarter-final at Chelsea after accepting a three-match ban for violent conduct. The Swedish striker, who elbowed Bouremouth's Tyrone Mings in the first half of Saturday's 1-1 draw, will also be suspended for United's Premier League games away at Middlesbrough and at home to West Bromwich Albion. Bournemouth are [...]
Ronald Koeman to Arsenal or Barcelona? Why Everton manager is perfect for a Champions League club but should stay at Everton March 7, 2017 As an Evertonian, I was delighted when the club hired Ronald Koeman as manager last summer. He was the one that I wanted, although I wasn’t sure he would leave Southampton, where his results were pretty miraculous. He did and the Toffees have been lucky to have him. Koeman got off to a good start [...]
Betting: Barcelona and Dortmund to exact Champions League second leg revenge March 7, 2017 When Barcelona were drawn against PSG in the Champions League last-16, many just assumed that Luis Enrique’s all-conquering side would breeze past the French champions. But the Catalonians were left shell-shocked, when first half strikes from Angel di Maria and Julian Draxler put Unai Emery’s side in complete control. Further goals from Di Maria and Edinson [...]
BT must innovate to win over more football fans and justify its lavish £1.2bn outlay on Champions League rights March 7, 2017 The business of football TV rights used to be relatively simple. There were rights to show live games, and rights to show highlights. For years, Sky dominated the live market, crushing a series of challengers with its financial fire-power and superior coverage. Highlights were often reserved for traditional free-to-air TV channels such as ITV and [...]
West Ham United 1, Chelsea 2: Antonio Conte praises Blues for handing title pressure March 6, 2017 West Ham United 1, Chelsea 2 Chelsea manager Antonio Conte praised his team for withstanding pressure from their title rivals after they re-established a 10-point lead atop the Premier League with a clinical dismantling of West Ham. The Blues took hold of the contest when Eden Hazard finished a rapier counter-attack and tightened their grip [...]
Arsene Wenger plays down rumours of Alexis Sanchez rift on eve of near mission impossible against Bayern Munich March 6, 2017 Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger played down suggestions of a rift with Alexis Sanchez on the eve of his side’s near impossible Champions League conundrum against Bayern Munich. Wenger denied that a training ground feud was the reason for Sanchez’s omission from the Gunners’ starting line-up at Liverpool on Saturday, but conceded the Chile playmaker was [...]