Trevor Steven: Arsenal have rediscovered their team spirit and it is fuelling their revival under Unai Emery October 23, 2018 On the eve of the season, when we were all making our predictions, I felt that the Arsenal squad that Unai Emery was inheriting was very good – but one that was in need of a push. Having lost his first two matches – understandably, since little was expected against Manchester City and Chelsea – [...]
Trevor Steven: England’s win in Spain was better than 5-1 in Germany or anything at the 2018 World Cup October 16, 2018 It’s difficult to recall a game in which England have played better than they did in Monday’s hugely encouraging 3-2 defeat of Spain in the Nations League. The 5-1 win over Germany in Munich back in 2001 is one that springs to mind, but that England team was much more experienced than the one that [...]
Trevor Steven: Young call-ups make perfect sense in Gareth Southgate’s England masterplan October 9, 2018 Leading England to their best World Cup finish for 28 years not only proved Gareth Southgate to be the right man for the job, it also earned him a new contract until 2022 and carte blanche to fully realise his vision for the national team. It is in that light that his latest squad selection [...]
Trevor Steven: Barcelona test offers Tottenham chance to kick-start season October 2, 2018 Were it not for the way they wilted in their defeat to Inter Milan last month, I’d be far more confident of Tottenham getting something out of their Champions League clash with Barcelona on Wednesday night. Yet the fixture remains a great opportunity for Spurs to kick-start their season, having spent much of the new [...]
Trevor Steven: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp should resist wholesale changes against Chelsea in Carabao Cup September 25, 2018 Maurizio Sarri may have given us a clue as to how he will approach Wednesday's Carabao Cup tie at Liverpool when he remarked at the weekend that his Chelsea team were at least a year behind the Reds. Although the Italian has started very well in west London, neither Chelsea nor any other Premier League [...]
Trevor Steven: Where has it gone wrong for stale, predictable Tottenham? September 19, 2018 Results are king, so although they weren’t playing well at the start of the season Tottenham’s winning start gave them momentum, culminating in a confidence-boosting 3-0 victory at Manchester United. Since then Spurs have been found out. They lost to Watford and that put extra pressure on their match with Liverpool on Saturday. Their disjointed [...]
Trevor Steven: Where has it gone wrong for stale, predictable Tottenham? September 19, 2018 Results are king, so although they weren’t playing well at the start of the season Tottenham’s winning start gave them momentum, culminating in a confidence-boosting 3-0 victory at Manchester United. Since then Spurs have been found out. They lost to Watford and that put extra pressure on their match with Liverpool on Saturday. Their disjointed [...]
Trevor Steven: Marcus Rashford shows England’s youngsters are being held back by lack of game time September 12, 2018 Marcus Rashford scored both goals and was the stand-out player in England’s defeat by Spain and win over Switzerland, but his performances also served to underline a growing problem. Rashford is undoubtedly a talent, but he doesn’t get on the field enough. He’s in a difficult situation at Manchester United: he’s not going to get [...]
Trevor Steven: Marcus Rashford shows England’s youngsters are being held back by lack of game time September 12, 2018 Marcus Rashford scored both goals and was the stand-out player in England’s defeat by Spain and win over Switzerland, but his performances also served to underline a growing problem. Rashford is undoubtedly a talent, but he doesn’t get on the field enough. He’s in a difficult situation at Manchester United: he’s not going to get [...]
Trevor Steven: Jamie Vardy’s England retirement is a mistake but it opens door for exceptional talent Phil Foden August 28, 2018 Tinker, modify and ask how you can improve, by all means, but I don’t think Gareth Southgate should chop and change too much when he names his first England squad of the season on Thursday. The opening match of the new Nations League against Spain on Saturday week and a friendly with Switzerland three days [...]