Trevor Steven: Klopp’s decision on how to deal with Messi will prove decisive for Liverpool in Barcelona Champions League clash April 30, 2019 Liverpool’s Champions League semi-final against Barcelona tomorrow night comes at the perfect time. The Reds in form, have momentum after a 5-0 thrashing of Huddersfield on Friday and, following Roberto Firmino’s return to training, have all their major players fit. If this game had come around one year ago I definitely would have preferred Barca [...]
Eoin Morgan interview: England captain on World Cup preparation, reaching world No1 and squad make-up April 30, 2019 With the Cricket World Cup just around the corner you could forgive the captain of the hosts and favourites for displaying some signs of nerves. After all, the events between 30 May and 14 July will define Eoin Morgan’s four years of hard work. Alongside coach Trevor Bayliss, Morgan has been instrumental in turning England [...]
Sam Torrance: Jon Rahm and Ryan Palmer’s Zurich Classic triumph a heartwarming tale for golf April 29, 2019 Jon Rahm continued his rise at the weekend by winning the Zurich Classic and the heartwarming nature of his victory made it even better. The Zurich Classic has been a team event since 2017 and the format makes it all the more enjoyable, with Rahm winning alongside partner Ryan Palmer in New Orleans. The Spaniard [...]
Tottenham and Ajax’s Champions League success serves as a reminder that there is more to football than money April 29, 2019 It is the semi-final that no one saw coming. Two teams with limited financial resources who were supposed to struggle to make it out of their Champions League group. Instead, Tottenham and Ajax have claimed some of Europe's biggest scalps on their path to a final-four clash that will see two of the competition's surprise [...]
Day in the life: Ultra-runner and Marathon des Sables champion Ragna Debats on juggling family life with a training regime April 29, 2019 I started trail running by coincidence. I stopped training horses and two years later started running because, just like riding horses, I liked the feeling of freedom it gave me. I love the mountains and forest around where I live in Terrassa, near Barcelona, and in three minutes from my house I can be off-road [...]
London Marathon 2019: What next for Eliud Kipchoge after Kenyan set yet more records over 26.2 miles? April 28, 2019 Blink and you’ll miss him. Thousands of people packed the streets of London to soak up the marathon atmosphere, watch the elite athletes and cheer on friends, but the man who completed the 26.2 miles in the fastest time didn’t stick around for long to revel in the adulation. That’s because Eliud Kipchoge was busy travelling [...]
Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea: The race nobody wants to win, De Gea’s errors mounting and Blues’ over-reliance on Hazard April 28, 2019 It’s the race nobody seems to want to win. With Manchester City and Liverpool streaking away at top speed in the Premier League, the efforts of those below them to finish in the Champions League spots is one being defined by the bad, rather than the good. While Chelsea looked more than happy to take [...]
Avengers: Endgame review: A fitting finale to the most ambitious series in cinematic history April 25, 2019 Reviewing Avengers: Endgame is hard, because it’s not really a film, it’s more of a ridiculous fairground ride without the boring uphill bits. You could argue that the slow upwards climb for Endgame has been the 21 films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that preceded it, and which you need to have watched so that [...]
Relentless excellence of Manchester City and Liverpool makes this the best ever Premier League title race April 25, 2019 This is by no means the first close title race of the Premier League era. Blackburn set an early benchmark when they pipped Manchester United by a solitary point in 1995, and Arsenal, United – twice – and Chelsea have all done the same since, while nothing has yet matched the drama of Sergio Aguero’s [...]
Ollie Phillips: Newcastle face do or die fixture against Northampton in bid to beat the Premiership drop April 25, 2019 What a difference a year makes. Last season Newcastle were toasting a Premiership semi-final place; this time they are staring down the barrel of relegation. It has reached do or die time for the Falcons, who are bottom of the table, seven points behind 11th-placed Worcester with just three matches remaining. Newcastle still have their [...]