England 24-12 Ireland: Johnny Sexton’s struggles help England record confidence-boosting win at Twickenham February 23, 2020 The build-up to England’s Six Nations clash against Ireland at Twickenham on Sunday was dominated by one storyline. England captain Owen Farrell coming up against his father, Ireland head coach Andy, was an understandable focus, given the importance of both figures. But before England’s 24-12 win was over it was clear that particular aspect had [...]
Tottenham 0-1 RB Leipzig: Striker struggles hamper Spurs in disappointing first-leg defeat February 19, 2020 Jose Mourinho got his excuses in early ahead of tonight’s Champions League game against RB Leipzig. “The situation couldn’t be worse,” he said, following the news of Son Heung-min’s fractured arm. “There is nothing we can do.” But regardless of the extenuating circumstances Tottenham should still be displeased with their first-leg defeat to a side [...]
Olympiacos v Arsenal: Europe League tie offers escape from Greek football’s latest crisis February 19, 2020 When Arsenal arrive at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Athens on Thursday evening, it will represent the biggest game of the season for their opponents, Olympiacos. The knockout stages of the Europa League are always a huge occasion for the Greek club. But considering what is going on in their domestic competition, the fixture also acts [...]
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Liverpool: Simeone works his defensive magic as Klopp’s side draw a blank in the Champions League February 18, 2020 It took five months, but tonight Liverpool finally met their match. Before the return to the Wanda Metropolitano – the scene of last season’s Champions League final triumph – Jurgen Klopp had talked up his opponents. Atletico Madrid were painted as a tough nut to crack. The Liverpool manager’s prediction turned out to be spot [...]
How RB Leipzig’s business model and recruitment strategy drove the club to the Champions League last-16 and bred hatred February 18, 2020 RB Leipzig’s methods may be controversial, but they are certainly effective. Leipzig are widely considered the most hated club in Germany. Founded in 2009 by Austrian energy drink manufacturer Red Bull as a marketing ploy, the club have been allowed to circumvent the country’s 50+1 ownership rule which stipulates that 50 per cent of the [...]
Chelsea 0-2 Manchester United: Blues can’t hide behind VAR excuses after blunt performance in front of goal February 17, 2020 As a Chelsea fan there are two ways you can look at tonight’s 2-0 defeat by Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. Firstly, viewed emotionally, it was a night of pure frustration. A night on which N’Golo Kante and Andreas Christensen were forced off injured. A night on which the opposition’s captain and goalscorer got away [...]
England right to be excited about the Twenty20 World Cup after flexing their muscles in 2-1 South Africa series win February 16, 2020 England came into their Twenty20 International series with South Africa out of practice in the format, confident, but not entirely sure about the specifics of their route to this year’s World Cup. Through their mastery of the 50-over format over the last four years they knew they had the players and attributes required to be [...]
Arsenal 4-0 Newcastle: Mikel Arteta’s side finally turn the tide of draws in crucial, confidence-boosting home win February 16, 2020 Suddenly it all clicked into place. After a run of four successive Premier League draws and 45 minutes of predictable, frustrating and ineffective side-to-side football, Arsenal found their mojo. In the grand scheme of things it wasn’t much – a 15-minute spell of domination and creativity, and a strong finish against a unadventurous Newcastle side [...]
Leah Williamson interview: England and Arsenal defender on the fortunate timing of her career, studying accountancy and her Olympic dream February 12, 2020 Like many football-mad children, Leah Williamson dreamed of becoming a professional player. The talent was there and she took the first step on the ladder aged nine when she joined the Arsenal Ladies Centre of Excellence in 2006. However, there was one major problem in her way: 14 years ago there was no such a [...]
South Africa v England Twenty20I series preview: Roy, Bairstow, Buttler and Malan set to battle it out for opening role February 11, 2020 A short-format series tacked onto the end of a long tour can sometimes carry little significance, but England’s run of three Twenty20 Internationals with South Africa, starting today, is not one of them. Having won the 50-over Cricket World Cup last year, England’s attention is now firmly fixed on repeating that feat at the 20-over [...]
