Five things we learned from the Premier League weekend: Manchester City, Manchester United, West Ham, Wolves and Richarlison November 4, 2018 1. Man City on course ot beat their own records Premier League records tumbled as Manchester City waltzed to the title last season, not least in the goalscoring stakes, with the Blues netting 106 times and finishing with a goal difference of +79 – both new bests. Dauntingly for those teams who aspire to rival [...]
Four things we learned from the Premier League this weekend: Cech’s injury could be a blessing, Sarri triggers Luiz comeback and Kane sharp again September 30, 2018 When Petr Cech’s hamstring twinged in the closing stages of the first half of Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Watford on Saturday the overriding emotion of most fans inside the Emirates was one of curiosity. Injury to the veteran goalkeeper meant a Premier League debut for £19m summer signing Bernd Leno. Having only seen the German [...]
Trevor Steven: Callum Hudson-Odoi may not have started a Premier League game but his England call-up makes sense March 19, 2019 Some players just stand out; everyone in the game knows they are a special talent and there is no split opinion about it. Callum Hudson-Odoi, who could make his England debut this week, is one of them. Having starred at age-group level for Chelsea’s successful youth teams and the World Cup-winning England Under-17 side, Hudson-Odoi [...]
Premier League scheduling does not favour English clubs in Europe, but whose fault is it? March 5, 2019 It is just as well that Tottenham take a three-goal advantage into tonight’s Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund, given their testing week in the lead-up to the last 16 second-leg match. While Spurs battle fatigue following hard-fought games against Burnley, Chelsea and Arsenal, Dortmund come into the fixture having had four days’ recovery. Such is [...]
Trevor Steven: Claudio Ranieri’s experience and personality has given Fulham a fighting chance of staying up November 27, 2018 You never want to see people lose their jobs but I’m happy that Claudio Ranieri is back in the Premier League, tasked with lifting Fulham off the bottom of the table. I felt sorry for Slavisa Jokanovic, the man he replaced last week, who got off to a difficult start and never managed to adapt [...]
Brendan’s second coming: Rodgers to resurrect Premier League career with Leicester February 28, 2019 “My biggest mentor is myself,” was just one of the memorable utterances to emerge from Brendan Rodgers during his first stint in the Premier League, but more than three years after his sacking by Liverpool he has returned to England in the latest step in his bid to rebuild credibility. The Northern Irish manager has [...]
Holiday Homes: Head to Samoens in the French Alps to suss out new ski homes that allow you to resort hop at no extra cost February 18, 2019 Families wanting to buy a ski apartment without the hefty price tag of the best-known French resorts are finding smaller ski areas like Samoëns are a breath of fresh mountain air. An hour by car from Geneva, Samoëns is described by the French as one of their monuments historiques – that just happens to be [...]
Big-spending Everton still seeking lift-off in mission to challenge Big Six September 27, 2018 When Iranian billionaire Farhad Moshiri purchased a 49.9 per cent share in Everton two and a half years ago, his intention was to ensure the club challenge for Champions League football. Yet as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stroked home Arsenal's second goal at Emirates Stadium on Sunday and condemned the Blues to their second Premier League [...]
Valencia another hurdle as Jose Mourinho attempts to bail out the rising tides at Manchester United October 1, 2018 What a difference two weeks make. Thirteen days ago Jose Mourinho was reflecting on his side’s 3-0 victory over Young Boys – Manchester United’s biggest away win in the Champions League for five years. The performance, in his own words, was “not phenomenal, but good enough”. How Mourinho longs to make such an assessment of [...]
The Long Weekend: Where to stay and what to do in the rural bits of Mallorca, Spain December 7, 2018 The weekend: If you’ve been craving the chance to get back to nature (let’s face it, a quick sandwich in St James’ Park just doesn’t cut it), and a healthy dose of peace and quiet, head to this craggy peninsula on the north-eastern tip of Mallorca, pronto. An hour from Palma airport is the swish [...]