Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger should consider recalling Theo Walcott or Danny Welbeck for misfiring Olivier Giroud in bid to restore fluency before vital Premier League games against Man Utd and Spurs February 24, 2016 Defensive mistakes attracted the majority of Arsene Wenger’s wrath as the Arsenal manager picked over the bones of another costly Champions League defeat, this time against free-scoring Barcelona, on Tuesday night. Yet there is another malfunctioning aspect of his team that has garnered less attention as they enter a run of fixtures that could determine [...]
Beckham urges United to give Van Gaal more time but also calls for Mourinho’s Premier League return February 23, 2016 Former England skipper David Beckham believes under-fire boss Louis van Gaal should be given more time by his old club Manchester United but also wants to see Jose Mourinho back in the Premier League as soon as possible. Van Gaal has overseen a turbulent campaign at Old Trafford which sees fifth-placed United currently six points [...]
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino should follow Manchester City manager Mauricio Pellegrini’s lead and prioritise the biggest competitions February 23, 2016 Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino cannot have failed to notice the furore that greeted Manchester City’s rotation policy as the Argentinian ponders team selection for Thursday's match against Fiorentina. Read more: Chelsea dump much-changed Man City out of FA Cup City boss Manuel Pellegrini has been pilloried this week after his experiment of fielding six teenagers [...]
Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu wants Europe’s biggest clubs to be given wildcard entry into the Champions League February 23, 2016 Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has backed the idea of the Champions League offering wildcard entries to elite European clubs who fail to qualify for the competition. Members of the European Club Association (ECA), the representative group of the continent's biggest clubs, tabled the idea of offering wildcards as a way of ensuring well-supported teams [...]
Shrewsbury Town 0, Manchester United 3: We needed help from Europa League conquerors FC Midtjylland to make FA Cup progress, admits Van Gaal February 22, 2016 Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal admitted that playmaker Juan Mata’s contentious free-kick was stolen from Europa League conquerors FC Midtjylland after the 11-time FA Cup winners cruised past League One strugglers Shrewsbury Town. A second-half strike from Jesse Lingard complemented goals in the opening period by Chris Smalling and Mata as United set up [...]
Arsenal v Barcelona: Arsene Wenger admits Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez-inspired Catalan giants are almost perfect but insists the Gunners can cause a Champions League upset February 22, 2016 Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits his team must rediscover their ruthless streak if they are to pull off a Champions League upset on Tuesday against a Barcelona team he rates as “not far from perfect”. Barca, propelled by the free-scoring triumvirate of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, are strongly fancied to condemn the Gunners [...]
Liverpool hoping for £90m Anfield main stand sponsorship from Chinese firms February 20, 2016 Liverpool are looking to the cash-rich Chinese market for a potential buyer of the naming rights to Anfield's new main stand, valued up to £9m a season by the Reds. The club's chief commercial officer Billy Hogan has reportedly travelled to China to meet firms interested in having their branding on the expanded main stand, which [...]
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger tells Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham to forget about loaning his players February 19, 2016 Arsene Wenger has warned Arsenal's rivals at the top of the Premier League they can forget about taking any of his players on loan. The Arsenal boss admitted he blocked a loan move for right-back Mathieu Debuchy to Manchester United last month, and suggested he would never lend one of his players to a direct [...]
Fiorentina 1, Tottenham Hotspur 1: Pochettino warns Alli to cool it and learn self-control February 18, 2016 Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino insists teenage midfielder Dele Alli must learn to curb his devilish streak after escaping with a yellow card following a petulant kick at defender Nenad Tomovic during his side’s draw with Fiorentina last night. Spurs will take a potentially critical away goal into next week’s second leg after midfielder Nacer Chadli [...]
FC Midtjylland 2, Manchester United 1: Van Gaal blames Murphy’s Law for Old Trafford avalanche of woe February 18, 2016 Beleaguered Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal hid behind the adage of Murphy’s Law after the avalanche of woe at Old Trafford intensified with defeat at Danish champions FC Midtjylland last night. A strike from £31m forward Memphis Depay gave United a crucial away goal before Midtjylland, who were only formed in 1999, stormed back [...]