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 [...]
Raheem Sterling may miss out on Player of the Year, but he deserves recognition for his contribution to the game this season April 25, 2019 Raheem Sterling may seemingly have missed out on the PFA Player of the Year award to Virgil van Dijk, but no one can take away what the England and Manchester City forward has achieved on and off the pitch this season. The 24-year-old has encapsulated everything that a footballer should be: a competitor on the [...]
Premier League given profit warning as rising wage bills eat into margins despite record revenue April 25, 2019 The Premier League may be experiencing a vintage season on the pitch, with a title race for the ages, most key positions in the table still undecided and English clubs dominating in Europe once more. But off the field the picture appears to be taking a turn for the worse, with top-flight teams’ most recent [...]
Trevor Steven: Don’t blame Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United’s slump is down to their average squad April 23, 2019 When the two teams met in the Premier League 12 months ago, Manchester United succeeded in disrupting Manchester City’s title charge with a 3-2 win over their neighbours. It’s hard to see that being repeated at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening. In fact, it’s hard to see anything but an emphatic win for the men [...]
Trevor Steven: Manchester City’s make-or-break week in their quadruple bid starts against Tottenham April 16, 2019 Last week I was lucky enough to visit Manchester City’s training facilities and witness how they are building not only success on the pitch but also a global brand. It was mind-blowing; they are so ahead of the game, I have never seen anything like it. Winning the quadruple would be the ultimate endorsement of [...]
Tottenham v Manchester City: Quadruple talk masks the fact that only Champions League glory will do for City April 8, 2019 Is it possible to enjoy resounding success, to set new standards of achievement not just for your club but for the very competitions in which they play and yet still leave a nagging sense of hopes unfulfilled? It’s a question Bayern Munich must have wrestled with in the last days of Pep Guardiola’s tenure as [...]
Five things we learned from the weekend football: Gutsy Watford rip up the script; Everton turning a corner; Arsenal wretched on road; Liverpool bust a gut while Man City cruise; Foxes have tails up April 7, 2019 On paper, this looked like the less appetising of the two FA Cup semi-finals. On paper, Watford looked like underdogs against a Wolves side who were in the ascendancy and possess star quality. But on Sunday at Wembley, Watford – and particularly Gerard Deulofeu – ripped up the script and dragged the Hornets from two [...]
Trevor Steven: It’s time for Mohamed Salah and Liverpool to show they are winners March 12, 2019 For a few minutes of Liverpool’s Premier League win over Burnley on Sunday I kept my eyes trained solely on Mohamed Salah. In that brief spell he must have lost the ball four or five times. In the previous game at Everton, Salah wasted a couple of one-one-one chances against Jordan Pickford in which he [...]
With nine games to go, the battle for the Premier League Golden Boot looks set to go down to the wire March 7, 2019 At the front of every great team there is a goalscorer, charged with converting the team's chances into goals and delivering moments of quality that can change the course of a game. While the battle for the Premier League crown looks set to go down to the wire, there is another race that is starting [...]
Puma claws Manchester City away from Nike to grow their consumer impression March 6, 2019 Premier League champions Manchester City have signed a long-term shirt sponsorship deal with German sportswear brand Puma, ending a 7-year agreement with Nike. The move will put a different logo on players’ chests but also affect loyal fans. Media reports suggest the deal could be worth up to £65m a year over 10 years. Puma [...]