VAR in our time: A bluffer’s guide to how video assistant referees will and won’t be used in the Premier League August 8, 2019 A quiet business estate built on the site of a former rubbish tip in the furthermost fringes of west London could hardly feel more removed from the hustle, bustle and stardust of Premier League football. But it is here, at Stockley Park in Harlington, where the outcome of a new top-flight season will be shaped [...]
Ollie Phillips: Eddie Jones is being decisive with England World Cup squad but his intensity could backfire August 8, 2019 Eddie Jones’s decision to name his World Cup squad almost four weeks before the official deadline is one typical of the England head coach. On one hand it’s unnecessary because he’ll almost certainly have to make changes to the 31 names he announces on Monday due to injuries sustained in the warm-up matches and training [...]
Southampton preview: Hasenhuttl ready to impart his tactical philosophy on Saints August 8, 2019 At the start of a new football season, fans’ excitement is increasingly directed towards new signings – players who offer hope that this campaign can be different. For Southampton, there are certainly high hopes for striker Che Adams, who has arrived from Birmingham for £15m, and winger Moussa Djenepo, who has joined from Standard Liege, [...]
Sheffield United preview: Blades bringing overlapping centre-backs to the Premier League August 8, 2019 Overlapping centre-backs. To those well versed in the basics of football tactics it sounds incongruous, like something experimentally toyed with on Football Manager, or conjured up by an over-ambitious Sunday league side. But this season it is a legitimate approach which will be seen in Premier League grounds all across the country. That’s because Sheffield [...]
Frank Lampard and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first meeting could be the beginning of a lesson in the value of nostalgia August 8, 2019 When Chelsea visit Old Trafford on Sunday, a combination of nostalgia and muted expectations will be the makings of an unfamiliar atmosphere between the two giants. From Jose Mourinho’s arrival in summer 2004 until Sergio Aguero’s last-gasp winner at Loftus Road in 2012, Chelsea and Manchester United were the only two teams to taste Premier [...]
Jamie Chadwick interview: W Series leader is living life in the fast lane as she races toward Formula One August 7, 2019 For young racing driver Jamie Chadwick, this year has gone from 0-100mph in a flash. Just 12 months ago she was claiming her first race win in the British F3 Championship after two seasons in the competition. This Sunday she will go in search of the inaugural W Series title in front of a home [...]
Richmond, Cornish Pirates and how the growing gap between Premiership and Championship rugby is threatening clubs’ finances and professional status August 7, 2019 Three years ago amateur rugby club Richmond sealed a surprise promotion to the Championship, the second tier of England’s two professional leagues. They were faced with a stick-or-twist decision: hire an entirely new squad of full-time players and try to compete, or reward their existing part-timers with the opportunity to compete against the pros. At [...]
Chris Tremlett: Jofra Archer has the ability to solve England’s Steve Smith problem at Lord’s August 6, 2019 When they look back on the 251-run defeat by Australia in the first Ashes Test, England will reflect on an opportunity missed. After losing the toss, England had the visitors right where they wanted them at 122-8, only for Steve Smith to claw Australia back into the game with a brilliant 144. The former captain [...]
England facing stern questions after succumbing to Australia comeback in first Ashes Test August 5, 2019 In the end England surrendered the first Ashes Test meekly. The 251-run margin of defeat was unimaginable on the opening day, when Australia were reeling on 122-8 at a raucous Edgbaston. And unimaginable for good reason: England made history, registering the biggest loss of any Test side to have claimed a first-innings lead of 90 [...]
$15m FedEx Cup play-offs offer Tommy Fleetwood chance to go one better than his runner-up finish at The Open August 5, 2019 With a $15m top prize for the winner, the FedEx Cup play-offs, which begin this week at the Northern Trust and conclude with the Tour Championship later this month, have become a huge event in the golf calendar. The format of the competition doesn’t always make it easy to follow but the rewards on offer [...]