This summer Serie A turned into Manchester United‘s dumping ground as Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sánchez, Matteo Darmian and Chris Smalling were deposited in Italy’s top flight. At the time, the Red Devils would have chalked those deals up as a success. Just three months into the season they’ve been left with egg on their faces once more. Lukaku has hit nine in 11 Serie A appearances...
It was after Napoli‘s 2-1 defeat by Roma on Sunday that president Aurelio De Laurentiis made a decision that is threatening to impact the club’s entire season. With I Partenopei sat seventh in Serie A after the defeat, De Laurentiis ordered a week-long ritiro – the squad was to be confined at the hotel at the club’s training ground for seven days. Head coach Carlo Ancelotti disag...
Crystal Palace are reportedly looking to reinforce their forward line when the transfer window reopens in January. Roy Hodgson’s men find themselves in ninth-place in the Premier League after a positive start to the campaign. They’re just two points shy of fifth-placed Arsenal. However, goals have been hard to come by. They’ve scored just ten in the 11 matches they’ve played this season, a total...
It’s a sign of the mismanagement of the Manchester United squad in recent years that 34-year-old Ashley Young has made 12 first-team appearances this season at left-back. Young was once a very effective player. In his younger days, he was a livewire winger with excellent delivery from wide areas. He was good. Very good. But Manchester United good? Probably not. His reinvention as a full-back...
This summer Serie A turned into Manchester United‘s dumping ground as Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sánchez, Matteo Darmian and Chris Smalling were deposited in Italy’s top flight. At the time, the Red Devils would have chalked those deals up as a success. Just three months into the season they’ve been left with egg on their faces once more. Lukaku has hit nine in 11 Serie A appearances...
It was after Napoli‘s 2-1 defeat by Roma on Sunday that president Aurelio De Laurentiis made a decision that is threatening to impact the club’s entire season. With I Partenopei sat seventh in Serie A after the defeat, De Laurentiis ordered a week-long ritiro – the squad was to be confined at the hotel at the club’s training ground for seven days. Head coach Carlo Ancelotti disag...
Crystal Palace are reportedly looking to reinforce their forward line when the transfer window reopens in January. Roy Hodgson’s men find themselves in ninth-place in the Premier League after a positive start to the campaign. They’re just two points shy of fifth-placed Arsenal. However, goals have been hard to come by. They’ve scored just ten in the 11 matches they’ve played this season, a total...
It’s a sign of the mismanagement of the Manchester United squad in recent years that 34-year-old Ashley Young has made 12 first-team appearances this season at left-back. Young was once a very effective player. In his younger days, he was a livewire winger with excellent delivery from wide areas. He was good. Very good. But Manchester United good? Probably not. His reinvention as a full-back...
Jamie Vardy is perhaps the most clinical forward in the Premier League this season. The 32-year-old is the top-flight’s leading scorer and is averaging 0.91 goals per 90 this term from the two shots per 90 he’s taking. Tellingly, he’s just eight shy of the total he netted in 2018/19 with 27 games still to play. The former England international turns 33 in January but looks sharper than he...
It’s often claimed a player becomes far more valuable when they are out of the team – absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that. Yet it’s telling that this season Chelsea have managed to cement themselves in the Premier League top four and move to the summit of their Champions League group without the man many would consider their best player. We are, of course, talking about N&...
It’s been a slow burner but Jürgen Klopp has managed to change an entire fanbase from doubters into believers, just as he said he would on his first day in charge of Liverpool. Not only that, though, the charismatic German also convinced the players to buy into this, eventually turning them into mentality monsters. Speaking after he was officially unveiled as the man to succeed Brendan Rodgers,...