Return to Anfield, scene of harrowing recent defeats, offers early test of Arsenal’s putative revival August 22, 2019 If any fixture can puncture the fragile early-season optimism that has broken out at Arsenal then it is surely the prospect of a 200-mile journey north to face Liverpool. Saturday’s trip to Anfield promises to be a reminder of harrowing experiences for the Gunners in recent seasons, with the manner of their defeats even more [...]
The Doctor at the Almeida review: Robert Icke signs off with a masterful medical ethics drama August 22, 2019 Robert Icke approaches a classic play the way a mechanic might approach a motor, breaking it down to its constituent pieces, working out what makes it tick, and then replacing half of it with gleaming new parts. This approach paid dubious dividends in his largely hellish revision of Ibsen’s The Wild Duck last year, but [...]
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark film review: Joyously grisly but too scary for young fans August 22, 2019 Retro is very much in vogue, especially when it comes to horror. Following the spate of nostalgic Stephen King revivals and the success of Netflix’s Stranger Things, it would be easy to write off Scary Stories as just another algorithmically-generated, mild-horror cash grab. But that would be doing it a disservice: it’s a soulful tour [...]
Chris Tremlett: Once-in-a-generation Jofra Archer gives England an Ashes fear factor August 21, 2019 I was lucky enough to be at Lord’s on Sunday to see the culmination of Jofra Archer’s debut and watching live it felt like I was witnessing a once-in-a-generation bowler operate. Archer is undoubtedly a special talent. People may have scored more runs or taken more wickets on their Test debuts, but I’d struggle to [...]
England v Australia third Ashes Test preview: Joe Root comes home to Headingley needing to disprove the captaincy burden August 21, 2019 It’s hardly a new debate – in fact, it’s one nearly as old as the game itself – but Joe Root will still want to nip it in the bud this week as he returns home to Headingley. England begin the third Ashes Test against Australia in Leeds tomorrow needing to win at least two [...]
Unai Emery has given Arsenal personality with David Luiz and Dani Ceballos signings. Now they can rival Tottenham for a top three place August 20, 2019 As they have stagnated and drifted towards mediocrity in recent seasons it has become increasingly difficult to see what would make Arsenal a standout team again, one with obvious strengths like Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham. But of the sides near the top of the Premier League it has been Unai Emery’s team whose start [...]
Justin Thomas is in the box seat for the Tour Championship but the $15m FedEx Cup finale’s exciting new format means the race is far from over August 19, 2019 This week’s Tour Championship, the finale to the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup, sees the debut of a unique new format which I wholeheartedly believe is an excellent idea for players and fans alike. Players will start the week on a score determined by their place in the FedEx Cup standings, so current leader Justin Thomas [...]
Australia still lead but Jofra Archer has redressed the balance of the Ashes at Lord’s August 18, 2019 They may not have levelled the series, but England’s performance at Lord’s has gone a long way to redressing the balance of the Ashes. Ultimately they were undone by the weather, which denied them the time to wrap up a win at the end of another enthralling Test. Considering the nature of their previous failings, [...]
Chelsea 1-1 Leicester: Blues will need to show patience with Lampard ironing out his team’s kinks August 18, 2019 It was always going to take time for the Frank Lampard era to get going and, on this evidence, all parties will need to show the patience promised to the new Chelsea manager. Much like in their first two games of the season, Chelsea showed promise, offered excitement and displayed evidence of taking on board [...]
Clear and obvious cases of misplaced outrage as VAR and new handball rule deny Manchester City against Tottenham August 18, 2019 Another weekend of Premier League football, another batch of outrage at the correct implementation of new rules. This time at Manchester City, where Gabriel Jesus’s stoppage-time would-be winner was disallowed after consultation with the video assistant referee. Jesus’s strike was chalked off because it hit City defender Aymeric Laporte’s arm on its way to the [...]