Chelsea 2-1 Lille: Blues avoid banana skin to qualify for the Champions League last 16 December 10, 2019 Frank Lampard was clear in his view on Chelsea’s crunch match with Lille tonight. The Blues needed a result from their final Champions League group game to reach the last 16 and their manager was ready to embrace the occasion. “I like the pressure of this game being a knockout,” he said in his pre-match [...]
Manuel Pellegrini must wake up and take West Ham back to basics to avoid the sack December 10, 2019 Manuel Pellegrini says he not worried about West Ham being relegated from the Premier League, but he needs to wake up because right now that is a possibility. Monday’s 3-1 home defeat by Arsenal means the Hammers have taken just four points from their last eight games – a run that leaves them one point [...]
Bayern Munich dead-rubber is a chance for Mourinho to show his changing attitude to youth players December 10, 2019 On one hand, Tottenham’s match with Bayern Munich on Wednesday night represents an opportunity for them to enact revenge on the 7-2 thrashing suffered at the hands of the German side earlier this season. On the other, with both sides already guaranteed to progress to the round of 16 and Tottenham unable to move above [...]
SailGP is aiming to make a splash in its second year after the arrival of Sir Ben Ainslie December 10, 2019 If the first season of SailGP was about making a splash and proving that there is an audience for the sport, then the second is about expansion. The worldwide sailing series, the brainchild of American software billionaire Larry Ellison and former world champion yachtsman Sir Russell Coutts, enjoyed a successful first season this year. Teams [...]
Amazon nets Champions League rights with German streaming deal December 10, 2019 Amazon has made its first move into European football streaming after snapping up the rights to show a package of Champions League games in Germany. The US retail giant today said it has secured exclusive rights to broadcast Tuesday night fixtures in the country for the 2021-2022 season. Read more: Amazon steps into Premier League [...]
Leicester’s solid defence has been the foundation of their rise up the Premier League table December 10, 2019 Leicester have proven a serious attacking threat this season with the re-emergence of Jamie Vardy as one of the deadliest strikers in the Premier League and a record-equalling 9-0 victory away to Southampton. But under Brendan Rodgers they have also rediscovered the defensive resilience that was so crucial to their logic-defying title triumph of four [...]
West Ham 1-3 Arsenal: Gunners’ nine-minute burst enough to give Ljungberg a first victory and end nine-game winless run December 9, 2019 In the end all it took was one morsel of confidence to build on. For successful teams winning becomes a habit; over the last nine games Arsenal had forgotten how to do it. Booed off after 45 minutes in the London Stadium tonight it looked like the Gunners were set for another dispiriting night on [...]
Six months after their treble, where has it all gone wrong for Manchester City? December 8, 2019 If Manchester City’s relentless brilliance created an impenetrable sky blue wall around the Premier League trophy last season, this term they are rolling out the red carpet. Saturday’s surprise 2-1 home defeat to Manchester United means they now trail runaway leaders Liverpool by 14 points, a chasm that manager Pep Guardiola called “not realistic” as [...]
Liverpool 5-2 Everton: Jurgen Klopp’s gamble pays off as Reds rest, rotate and roll on undeterred in Merseyside derby December 4, 2019 Some might have questioned Jurgen Klopp’s wisdom when they saw the Liverpool teamsheet he turned in to face Everton in the Merseyside derby. With a daunting and draining festive fixture list lying ahead, Klopp has decided rotation is his only option. The clash with their rivals from across Stanley Park represented the fourth of 12 [...]
Stop comparing business with football December 4, 2019 There are many similarities to be drawn between the executive boardroom and the football pitch. Both are high-stakes environments, full of competition and ruthlessness. They also host some of the most meaningless jargon in the history of the English language (think “game of two halves” and “reaching out about disrupting industries”). And, dare I say [...]