A year ago Crystal Palace got their season on track with a win at Chelsea and Roy Hodsgon will need his side to replicate last year’s heroics ahead of tough run October 25, 2018 It was this time last year that Crystal Palace began to stop the rot following a dismal first seven games of the season that left them bottom of the Premier League with no points and no goals. A shock win at home to Chelsea in mid-October proved the catalyst for improvement. Palace went from strength [...]
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 – [...]
PSV Eindhoven v Tottenham: Mauricio Pochettino’s side need to grind out a win to keep the project on track October 23, 2018 It wasn’t supposed to be like this for Tottenham. Their third consecutive season in the Champions League was meant to see the club push on and compete with Europe’s elite inside their shiny new stadium. But after two games they are already at a make-or-break stage. Successive defeats by Inter Milan and Barcelona – each [...]
Arsenal 3-1 Leicester: Five things we learned as Ozil and Aubameyang lead Gunners to 10th straight win October 22, 2018 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came off the bench to score twice in five minutes against Leicester and earn Arsenal a 10th straight win for the first time in 11 years. After an even first half, Unai Emery’s substitutions helped the free-flowing Gunners hit their stride and make up for their still error-prone back line. Read more: Five things [...]
Five things we learned from the Premier League this weekend: Hodgson too cautious, Lamela back in business, United need to be unshackled and more October 21, 2018 Crystal Palace have many problems but leaving scoring goals, over-relying on Wilfried Zaha and not converting penalties aside, Roy Hodgson’s reluctance to make changes hurt them in the 2-0 defeat by Everton. Luka Milivojevic’s lazy central spot-kick left Palace flailing, but had Hodgson followed Marco Silva’s lead and switched systems who knows what might have [...]
“There are no longer pointless matches” – Gibraltar’s first competitive wins demonstrate the objective of Uefa’s Nations League October 18, 2018 Bored of the international break? Not drawn in by the Nations League? Counting down the hours until the Premier League resumes on Saturday? England’s exciting 3-2 win over Spain may have brought around some people, but there are plenty who view Uefa’s idea to brighten up international football as an unwanted distraction from more important [...]
Wembley Stadium sale called off as billionaire bidder backs out of £600m deal October 17, 2018 American billionaire Shahid Khan has withdrawn his £600m offer for Wembley Stadium, saying the bid does not have enough support within the Football Association. Khan, who owns Premier-League side Fulham and American football team Jacksonville Jaguars, said he believes the FA would not vote to accept his offer. Read more: Trevor Steven: England win in Spain [...]
UAE T20x: Icon player Kumar Sangakkara and chief executive Salman Butt on Twenty20’s latest league October 16, 2018 You might think that Twenty20 cricket has reached its saturation point. Since its advent in 2003, the game’s shortest format has gone from strength to strength, culminating in a point now where it dominates agendas both domestically and internationally. Its success has seen tournaments spring up all over the globe in an attempt to catch [...]
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 [...]
Can elite-level footballers like Thierry Henry and Steven Gerrard dominate the managerial landscape again? October 15, 2018 When Kevin Keegan signed for Liverpool from Fourth Division side Scunthorpe in May 1971, he reportedly agreed a contract worth £45 per week. Inflation-adjusted, one of the brightest prospects in English football accepted a salary of little more than £30,000 a year to play for a top-level club, an offer comparable to a mid-ranking human [...]