Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has chosen a dangerous time to gamble on his criticism provoking a positive reaction January 20, 2019 Conventional wisdom dictates that football managers shouldn’t criticise their players in public. Point out their flaws, tear strips off them and give them the hairdryer treatment behind closed doors, but in front of the cameras it’s generally regarded as counter-productive. Maurizio Sarri has never been one for convention, though. The Chelsea manager, who had a [...]
Arsenal v Chelsea preview: London clubs meet in “small final” for Premier League top four with cracks appearing January 17, 2019 This season was supposed to be about fresh starts for Arsenal and Chelsea. With new managers in place, there was renewed optimism for the future. Unai Emery was the man to step into the void following Arsene Wenger’s long-awaited departure from Arsenal after 22 years, while Maurizio Sarri succeeded Antonio Conte to become the latest [...]
Saint Claudio: Ranieri will have to pull off another miracle if Fulham are to survive January 17, 2019 When it rains, it pours. And when fighting relegation down at the bottom of the Premier League table, it can seem as though everything is going wrong. It felt that way for David Wagner, who left basement club Huddersfield earlier this week, and it must feel that way for Claudio Ranieri, whose Fulham players recently [...]
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a perfect fit for the Manchester United job and has given the club a decision to make January 15, 2019 Less than month ago Manchester United were a dysfunctional club, with a team susceptible to being turned over and a manager who had lost the dressing room. Now, under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, they have been galvanised, their collective spirit is back and, with six wins from six games, they are an opponent to be feared [...]
Big brands doing big deals show the UK sports sponsorship industry remains in rude health January 14, 2019 January is typically the time to look forward, to forecast and predict what will happen in the coming year. To understand the state of the UK sponsorship industry, however, it’s more worthwhile to look at what happened in the months leading up to Christmas. Rewind to the week after Black Friday in December and big [...]
Tottenham 0-1 Manchester United: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer shows tactical prowess as Marcus Rashford makes it six straight wins January 13, 2019 Talk of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s perfect start to life as Manchester United manager has tended to be accompanied by caveats. Easy run of fixtures. Class players. Made to look good by what preceded him. Barring the latter, none of those points hold true any more after a 1-0 win over Tottenham at Wembley which showed Solskjaer [...]
Galacticos! Inside the US law firm building the most expensive team in UK legal history January 13, 2019 In 2000 Real Madrid signed Portuguese football star Luis Figo from arch rivals Barcelona in a move that signalled the start of the galacticos era at the Spanish club which used its financial clout to bring other international stars such as Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and Brazilian striker Ronaldo to the Bernabeu in the following [...]
Arsenal’s slump in form is making Unai Emery’s omission of Mesut Ozil harder to justify January 13, 2019 Nothing fortifies a manager’s decision-making like wins, and when you are on a long unbeaten run you can do much as you please. Change formations week to week? Sure. Leave it late to take the points? No problem; never in doubt. Freeze out the club’s top earner, indeed one of the best paid players in [...]
Chelsea FC turnover hits a record after bumper financial year for owner Abramovich January 13, 2019 A return to the UEFA Champions League helped deliver record turnover for Chelsea Football Club in 2018, adding to a bumper financial year for its owner Roman Abramovich. The Russian billionaire, who recently emerged among the FTSE's big winners in 2018 largely due to rising steel prices, has seen turnover at his Premier League club hit [...]
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faces biggest test yet as Manchester United boss when his side visit Tottenham January 10, 2019 After a week in the sun, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be dropped back into the harsh, cold reality of the Premier League on Sunday, where he can expect to face his biggest managerial test yet. While Manchester United have been enjoying a warm weather training camp in Dubai, this weekend's opponents, Tottenham, continued their fine [...]