Ollie Phillips: England’s emphasis on the collective has turned the side into a multi-faceted one with a shot at a Six Nations Grand Slam February 14, 2019 England have enjoyed a perfect start to the Six Nations but the length of the tournament and physical nature of rugby means squad depths will always be tested. Mako Vunipola was one of the stand-out players in the wins over Ireland and France but an ankle injury means the back-up options now come into question. [...]
On the up and in the cup: Frank Lampard has turned Derby County into giant-killers as they look to claim third Premier League scalp February 14, 2019 Earlier this week Frank Lampard brushed off talk that he could be the man to replace Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea, anid speculation over the Italian’s future following a turbulent start to 2019. The notion that Lampard could be ready to take on such a big challenge at his former club is testament to the job [...]
Go away, Jose: Mourinho and his team receive £19.6m pay off from Manchester United February 14, 2019 Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho and his coaching team received a £19.6m payoff after getting sacked from the club, its accounts reveal. The club’s quarterly accounts list the £19.6m payment under exceptional items describing it as “compensation to the former manager and certain members of the coaching staff for loss of office”. Mourinho was [...]
Tottenham 3-0 Borussia Dortmund: Son Heung-min and Jan Vertonghen lead perfect second-half performance for Spurs February 13, 2019 As the Tottenham fans funnelled into the depths of Wembley at half-time last night there would have been nerves. Spurs had fashioned just one opening in the first 45 minutes as they continually ran up against the yellow wall of Borussia Dortmund. The passes weren’t sticking up front, the midfield were struggling to penetrate and [...]
Chris Tremlett: Mark Wood’s fiery return against West Indies showed England’s need for speed February 13, 2019 Mark Wood’s return to the England Test side was brilliant to see. It’s been a long time since we saw such a spell of fiery fast bowling and it was both hugely enjoyable and hugely effective. Wood took career-best figures of 5-41 in the first innings of the final match in the West Indies this [...]
England’s top three batsmen still up in the air for this summer’s Ashes following inconclusive West Indies series February 13, 2019 Only one Test match now stands between England and the start of this summer’s Ashes. Despite having just spent the last three weeks playing that very format in the Caribbean, they are no closer to solving their perennial problem. The phrase “first name on the team sheet” is a common one in sport; right now [...]
Tracey Emin at the White Cube Bermondsey: An agonised howl marks Emin’s return as an artist February 13, 2019 It’s been years since the last major Tracey Emin exhibition, but she returns with an agonised howl of a show exploring the gaping emotional wounds that threatened to destroy her as both an artist and a human being. The White Cube’s first room is dominated by 50 giant selfies of Emin in bed, taken on [...]
Ed Warner: Good riddance to ‘no compromise’, the funding policy that sucked joy out of sport February 13, 2019 Good riddance to ‘no compromise’. UK Sport, the quango responsible for handing over National Lottery funds to Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic sports, has consulted the public, unsurprisingly found that it loves medal-winners, but has still chosen to change its funding strategy for the Games in Paris in 2024 and Los Angeles four years later. And [...]
Chelsea face a season-defining fortnight starting with a Europa League trip to Malmo, but they are yet to win away in 2019 February 13, 2019 On the back of Chelsea’s worst defeat in Premier League history, Maurizio Sarri faces a battle to galvanise his side for a season-defining fortnight. The Blues meet Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round on Monday night, Manchester City, who humiliated them 6-0 last weekend, in the EFL Cup final a week on Sunday, [...]
Italian football club Juventus enlist Morgan Stanley to help in €175m bonds sale February 13, 2019 Italian footballing giants Juventus have ramped up their efforts to raise money after paying €100m to buy Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo last summer, issuing bonds to investors. The club originally planned to offer €150m (£131.4m) worth of bonds maturing in around five years at a 3.5 per cent yield, but City A.M. understands this has increased to €175m. Read more: [...]