The international break is back, much to the dismay of pretty much every Premier League fan in the world. We swap our Klopps and Guardiolas for Gareth Southgate and his England side, in a set of matches which mean very little to most of the watching supporters. However, the international break hasn’t always been this feared. Under Southgate, there once was a time when people used to enjoy watching the Three Lions. After the abject failures of Roy Hodgson, Fabio Capello, and *shudders* Steve McClaren, Southgate took England to a World Cup semi-final, prompting the entire nation to stock up on waistcoats in his honour. Unfortunately, those days are long gone. A series of negative lineups and underwhelming performances have led to the former Aston Villa man becoming an unpopular figure. Many ...
Arsenal overcame an early scare to continue their perfect start in the Europa League with a 4-1 victory over Norwegian side Molde at the Emirates Stadium. Martin Ellingsen’s long-range effort gave the visitors a shock lead in the 22nd minute, but Arsenal, after a rather disjointed first-half performance, were back on level terms just before the break thanks to Kristoffer Haugen’s own goal (+1). The turnaround was complete in the 62nd minute as substitute Sheriff Sinyan also turned into his own net, before Nicolas Pepe (69) and Joe Willock (88) added the gloss to the scoreline for Mikel Arteta’s side. It’s three wins from three in Europe now for the Gunners, who move three points clear of Molde at the top of Group B as they race towards qualification for the knockout rounds. After a slow st...
Mauricio Pochettino says he is ready to return to management, almost a year after he was sacked by Tottenham. The Argentine’s enthusiasm will no doubt intensify speculation linking him with replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager of Manchester United. Pressure has begun to mount on Solskjaer at Old Trafford in recent months, with United currently 15th in the Premier League table. After taking Spurs to the Champions League final, Pochettino has been linked with a number of top jobs including those at Real Madrid, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain. However, after six years in England, Pochettino seems keen to return to the Premier League. “I discovered an amazing people in this country, an amazing culture. I am in love,” Pochettino said on Sky Sports. “I was always ready to be involved in t...
Getty Images Manchester United fullback Luke Shaw is set for an England recall next week. Shaw hasn’t been included in a Three Lions squad since September 2018. And despite emerging as a regular at Old Trafford during that time, he has struggled to persuade Gareth Southgate that he should be England’s first choice. But Southgate was much criticised for using Kieran Trippier at left wing-back last month, although he also handed Arsenal teenager Bukayo Saka his bow in the same position. Now Shaw, reports the Daily Star, will join Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell – back fit and Southgate’s first choice – in the squad for the international friendly with the Republic of Ireland and UEFA Nations League clashes with Belgium and Iceland, when it’s announced on Thursday. Shaw has won just eight caps s...
Kepa Arrizabalaga has been ruled out of Chelsea’s trip to Manchester United but Frank Lampard has said Petr Cech will not be drafted in as the Blues eye a long-awaited Premier League win at Old Trafford. Spain goalkeeper Kepa made yet another mistake in a 3-3 draw with Southampton last weekend after stepping in to replace Edouard Mendy, who missed out with a thigh injury. Mendy returned for a goalless Champions League draw with Sevilla in midweek instead of Kepa, who will not travel north to face United on Saturday due to a shoulder injury. Chelsea surprisingly added club legend Cech, who retired last year, to their Premier League squad but the 38-year-old keeper is not in the squad to take on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side. Lampard was asked about the status of Thiago Silva and Christian Pul...
William Troost-Ekong has taken to social media to say his goodbyes to Serie A club Udinese as he nears a switch to Championship side Watford. The 27-year-old Nigerian centre-back has been with the Little Zebras since the 2018-19 season, when he joined from Turkish outfit Bursaspor. He has been a regular fixture in the Udinese squad since then, racking up 66 appearances in all competitions, all which have seen the club comfortably avoid relegation, finishing 12th and 13th, with 43 and 45 points, in respective seasons. Troost-Ekong’s time in Udine is, however, coming to an end with an eminent switch to Vicarage Road as reported by Watford Observer, set to be completed soon. Though he participated in pre-season, Troost-Ekong was an unused substitute in Udinese’s season opener at Hellas Verona...
Brendan Rodgers hailed Jamie Vardy’s “incredible view of football” after the Leicester talisman scored a hat-trick for the Premier League pacesetters in their 5-2 victory against Manchester City. The 33-year-old former England international converted two penalties and scored one from open play as the 2016 champions came from 1-0 down at the Etihad on Sunday. It is the first time in 686 games as a manager that Pep Guardiola has seen his side concede five goals. The victory gave Leicester maximum points from their first three games in the English top-flight for the first time in their history. Rodgers praised Vardy’s overall awareness of the game. “He’s a phenomenal player,” said the Leicester boss. “He’s tactically so good. You see his goals and runs but he has an incredible view of footbal...
Micah Richards has slammed the Manchester City defence for their performance in their hammering by Leicester, accusing them of being “reactive, rather than proactive”. City’s weaknesses at the back were ruthlessly exposed by the Foxes, who fought back from a goal down to claim a famous 5-2 victory. Jamie Vardy was the star performer, hitting a hat-trick, with further goals from James Maddison and Youri Tielemans sealing the win. It is the first time a team managed by Pep Guardiola has shipped five goals and the first time City have conceded five goals at home in 17 years. It is not, however, the first time the team’s defence has been questioned, with a shaky back line one of the reasons why City failed to mount a sustained defence of their title last season. Richards certainly didn’t hold ...