Trevor Steven: Liverpool have shown the rest how to beat Manchester City January 16, 2018 Liverpool’s thrilling win over Manchester City on Sunday was more than just a mighty performance. In becoming the first team to beat the leaders in the Premier League this season they also established a blueprint for how to set up against Pep Guardiola’s team that I expect other managers to follow. The formula was simple: [...]
Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and…Jesse Lingard? Why Manchester United man is up there with the best this season January 14, 2018 A good demonstration of how transformative Jesse Lingard’s recent performances for Manchester United have been is provided by rewinding barely two months to when he made his 100th appearance for the club in late November. For a homegrown player who had been capped by England and scored the winning goal in an FA Cup final, [...]
Tottenham won’t sell stars like Harry Kane this summer, vows chairman Daniel Levy January 11, 2018 Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has moved to reassure fans that they will resist any offers from Europe’s biggest clubs for record-breaking marksman Harry Kane this summer. Kane’s relentless goalscoring has made the England striker one of the game’s hottest properties and Real Madrid, who paid £85m to prise Gareth Bale from White Hart Lane in [...]
The beauty parade for the next Bank of England Governor has begun January 11, 2018 Not that long ago this column mentioned the fact that speculation over who would succeed Mark Carney as Governor of the Bank of England would begin in earnest this year. Just a few short weeks later and it has already begun. On Tuesday Reuters speculated as to who the possible successors to Mr Carney might [...]
What is VAR and how does it work? Ahead of Brighton v Crystal Palace, has football’s trial with video assistant referees been a success so far January 7, 2018 The high-stakes nature of knock-out football and the added scrutiny of a grudge match are not the only unusual elements facing Brighton and Crystal Palace players when the two sides meet in the FA Cup on Monday night. They may also need to negotiate the use of video technology which some colleagues in other countries [...]
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger given three game touchline ban for Mike Dean comments January 5, 2018 Arsene Wenger has been given a three-match touchline ban by the Football Association (FA) for his comments towards referee Mike Dean after his side’s 1-1 draw at West Brom last Sunday. The Frenchman, who has also been fined £40,000, admitted at an FA hearing today that his language and behaviour in the referee’s changing room [...]
FA Cup 2018 third round prize money: How much is winning it worth compared to the Champions League and Premier League? January 5, 2018 In winning last season's FA Cup, Arsenal basked in the glory that only comes with winning silverware, their players popped champagne, fans savoured stopping London rivals Chelsea from winning a double and manager Arsene Wenger made history as the competition's most successful manager. And yet for all that, in monetary terms the triumph was worth [...]
Ross Barkley: Chelsea transfer spending set to hit £200m mark as club close in on Everton midfielder January 5, 2018 Chelsea are set to take their season’s spending past the £200m mark after making a £15m bid for Everton midfielder Ross Barkley. The England international is believed to be in London to negotiate terms with the reigning Premier League champions, despite having turned them down last summer. Barkley opted against leaving Everton while carrying a [...]
Arsenal 2, Chelsea 2: Hector Bellerin strikes late to snatch a point but Gunners boss Arsene Wenger rages at refereeing again January 3, 2018 Arsenal 2, Chelsea 2 Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger resumed his attack on refereeing standards despite seeing his team snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat in a thrilling Premier League derby with Chelsea. Wing-back Hector Bellerin conjured a 92nd-minute equaliser after the visitors had responded to midfielder Jack Wilshere’s opener with goals from forward [...]
Tottenham Hotspur v AFC Wimbledon: Dons on a high as opportunity knocks for FA Cup giant-killing at Wembley January 3, 2018 There is an air of contentment at AFC Wimbledon. An upturn in form, the green light to begin constructing their new stadium and the stardust of Sunday’s FA Cup clash with Tottenham at Wembley has left even the club’s perennially grounded chief executive Erik Samuelson smiling. Although the threat of relegation lingers – The Dons [...]