European Super Cup an inconvenience for Premier League sides August 13, 2019 Tonight’s European Super Cup between Liverpool and Chelsea in Istanbul is a rarity in that the fixture does not feature a Spanish side for the first time since 2013. In the last 10 years, all but one Super Cup has been claimed by either Barcelona, Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid, with four of the last [...]
Frank Lampard’s brave approach backfires on Chelsea managerial debut as Blues ship four at reinvigorated Manchester United August 11, 2019 Few footballing unions are as long and happy as Frank Lampard’s association with Chelsea, with whom he renewed his vows when he returned to the club as manager last month. Not many honeymoons have been so short, either. On his first Premier League match in charge of the team he played for with such distinction [...]
VAR could avoid £100m errors or ensure the right team wins the Premier League, its flaws are a small price to pay August 11, 2019 Death, taxes and Manchester City racking up a cricket score at the London Stadium; whatever life throws at us it is reassuring to know that some things remain unavoidable. Also in that category: people moaning about the video assistant referee (VAR), which had a major bearing on whether West Ham shipped three, four or five [...]
Summer transfer window: Premier League narrowly misses out on all-time record as £1.41bn is splashed August 8, 2019 When Premier League clubs voted to shut the transfer window before the season started the reasoning was clear: get business done earlier to avoid disruption on the pitch. The change, which began last year and had its second outing with deadline day, was not unanimously agreed upon, with five clubs voting against and one abstaining, [...]
Anatomy of a modern football fan: The evolving trends and tastes of the Premier League’s global following August 8, 2019 Concept kits blurring the lines between football and fashion; freestylers and video gaming encouraging a new breed of young player; supporters following leagues and superstar players before teams; a hunger for more sophisticated and relevant punditry. It is fair to say that football and fandom is changing. And on the eve of a new Premier [...]
Why fired-up Liverpool can end Manchester City’s Premier League reign and Manchester United could fall out of the top six August 8, 2019 What separates Manchester City and Liverpool from the rest of the Premier League is that they have settled squads which excelled last season, playing to their optimum level almost every week in a brilliant title race that City eventually just edged. Sustaining that lead is so difficult and this is why Pep Guardiola got such [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]