How a World Cup run might turn £1 into £65,000 – the power of investment compounding July 20, 2018 The World Cup is underway, so what better way to explain the miracle effects of compounding than via a football analogy? We recently attended a meeting of company pension fund trustees where the chairman felt the need to clarify one observation with the line: “And, of course, because of compounding, a 10% increase in performance [...]
World Cup 2018 glory may have eluded England but planets could align for Gareth Southgate’s exciting team in 2020 | City A.M. July 12, 2018 Football might not be coming home just yet, following England’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Croatia on Wednesday, but it will soon be returning to its heartlands in at least one sense. The next European Championship, in two years’ time, has been designated a uniquely pan-continental affair involving 12 host cities in 12 different countries [...]
World Cup 2018: Are Sweden, England’s quarter-final opponents, another Iceland? July 5, 2018 On Saturday England’s burgeoning hopes of long-awaited international success hinge on seeing off unfancied Scandinavian opponents who are widely seen as game but ultimately inferior. Sound familiar? Two years ago it was Iceland who knocked England off their pedestal with a 2-1 victory in Nice. It proved the pinnacle of a run to the quarter-finals [...]
Chef’s Table: M Restaurant Chef Mike Reid interviews former England and Manchester United star Andrew Cole July 5, 2018 This month, M Restaurant chef Mike Reid cooks lunch for former Manchester United and England striker Andrew Cole, as they discuss the pressure on footballers, recovering from a kidney transplant, and why Australia is terrifying. STARTER: Cured Sicilian red prawns with potato sauce, peas and almonds; Burrata with baby tomatoes, spiced bread and red pepper; [...]
Chris Tremlett: England need to adapt fast with India offering a trial by spin this summer July 4, 2018 England’s problems against spin bowling are nothing new. It’s been an issue in Test matches for decades, especially when going away from home. After the high of thrashing Australia 6-0 in limited overs matches, India’s Kuldeep Yadav brought England back to earth yesterday with a match-winning spell of 5-24 at Old Trafford in the first [...]
England out on penalties? World Cup shootout odds are against Three Lions but Gareth Southgate’s approach boosts their chances July 2, 2018 England may have avoided a World Cup clash with old foes Germany, Portugal and Brazil by finishing second in their World Cup group, but there may be no escaping a more familiar enemy now that they are in the knock-out rounds: the dreaded penalty shoot-out. No side has a worse record in World Cup shoot-outs [...]
Deep learning: Belgium’s secret weapon for England’s World Cup group decider June 27, 2018 England manager Gareth Southgate has long been be familiar with the threat posed by some of the supreme talents in the the Belgium squad such as Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne. Yet the Red Devils have a less well-known weapon at their disposal for tonight’s World Cup match in Kaliningrad, effectively a [...]
Portugal World Cup stars William Carvalho, Gelson Martins and Bruno Fernandes’ contract row could trigger a new Bosman ruling June 26, 2018 Anyone who has been watching Portugal at this year’s World Cup might be surprised to learn that three of their starring players — William Carvalho, Gelson Martins and Bruno Fernandes — are all unattached and available on a free transfer. After all, Portugal have progressed to the last 16 after finishing second in Group B, [...]
England’s 3-5-2: Is Gareth Southgate right to stick to one formation throughout the 2018 World Cup? June 17, 2018 There are plenty of unanswered questions about Gareth Southgate’s young England side ahead of their World Cup opener against Tunisia on Monday, yet one thing seems virtually set in stone: they will line up in a 3-5-2 formation. England will play with three centre-backs, two wing-backs, one defensive midfielder with two mobile midfielders either side [...]
World Cup 2018: Why have Asian, African and North American teams stagnated after showing such promise in the 1990s and 2000s? June 13, 2018 At the turn of the century it appeared that Pele’s oft-cited prediction that an African team would win the World Cup by the year 2000, while not exactly accurate, had at least forecast a coming shift in the footballing world’s balance of power. In 1996 a Nigerian golden generation featuring Europe-based stars Jay-Jay Okocha and [...]