Arsenal’s squad trimming has continued, with Shkodran Mustafi joining Schalke on a deal until the end of the season. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta said prior to the January transfer window that he was keen to trim some flab from his squad. Mesut Ozil has been the highest-profile departure, with the former Germany international joining Fenerbahce and in so doing the club cleared a sizeable chunk of wages from the monthly bill. Sokratis Papastathopoulos joined Olympiakos earlier this month after being released from his contract, William Saliba, Sead Kolasinac and Matt Smith have left on loan, while Matt Macey joined Hibernian on a permanent basis. World Cup winner Mustafi emerged as a possible departure towards the end of January, and he was linked with a shock move to Liverpool. Premier League ...
Jordan Henderson felt Liverpool were the “better team” against Manchester United, but has admitted that his side have allowed their standards to slip in recent weeks. Liverpool welcomed United to Anfield on Sunday knowing that they could return to the top of the Premier League standings with a victory. However, confidence within the Reds’ camp wasn’t at its highest point after uninspired draws against West Brom and Newcastle and a dismal defeat away at Southampton, with Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino all struggling for form in the final third. Unfortunately, the talismanic front three were quiet once again as Jurgen Klopp saw his team struggle to break down a well organised United outfit in a 0-0 draw. Liverpool had No.1 goalkeeper Alisson to thank for keeping them in the ga...
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard acknowledged that he was given a sharp jolt of reality as the Blues capitulated at home to Manchester City on Sunday. Lampard’s charges have been in torrid form since the start of December, following up a run of nine unbeaten Premier League games with four defeats in their last six outings. The latest, a 3-1 reverse at Stamford Bridge at the hands of City, was concerning not just for the result but also the subdued display offered by the hosts. Chelsea mustered just two shots on target to give debutant goalkeeper Zack Steffen a quiet afternoon between the posts, and only troubled the scorers late into injury time through Callum Hudson-Odoi when the game was already out of reach. And with the Blues having slipped down to eighth as a result of their recent woes,...
Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has hit out at Dele Alli, accusing the midfielder of creating “problems for his own team” in his side’s 3-1 win over Stoke in the Carabao Cup. Alli was handed a rare start at Stoke on Wednesday and looked dangerous on occasions in attack, seeing a goal-bound strike saved by Andy Lonergan in the first half. However, he was at fault for Stoke’s goal when a flick gifted possession to the home side – and it was an action that angered his coach. “For me a player who plays in that position is a player that has to link and create and not create problems for his own team,” Mourinho said in his post-match press conference. “They got us on the counterattack, so yes I was angry. “First half we were solid. They didn’t touch the ball, have a shot, have a corner. Instead of ...
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said the Premier League’s top six could be left without 11 fit players unless changes are made to protect the welfare of stretched squads. Already depleted by an injury crisis, the Reds will play three games in six-and-a-half days this week. Klopp’s men saw off Leicester City 3-0 in Sunday’s late Premier League kick-off and will welcome Atalanta to Anfield in the Champions League on Wednesday before travelling to Brighton for Saturday’s 1230 GMT kick-off. “If we keep playing Wednesday night and Saturday 12.30, I am not sure we finish the season with 11 players, all the top six or seven,” said Klopp in an impassioned interview with Sky Sports, the largest domestic rights holder of Premier League games. Under the terms of a £4.5 billion ($6 billion) deal for th...
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...
Mikel Arteta admitted Arsenal were beaten by the superior side as the Gunners lost 3-1 at Liverpool on Monday evening. Liverpool ended the Gunners’ 100 per cent start to the season, while extending their own with a victory at Anfield to make it 61 home league matches unbeaten. Having lost their last two matches to Arteta’s side – one on penalties in the Community Shield – there was barely a time over the 90 minutes when the defending champions looked like allowing it to happen a third time. Sadio Mane, Andy Robertson and Diogo Jota, on his home debut, all scored after Alexandre Lacazette had been gifted the opener after a Robertson error. And after the game, Arteta told Sky Sports that he had no complaints with the result. He said: “We were in the game for a big part of the game. The reali...
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 ...
Premier League clubs agreed on Thursday that all 28 fixtures in September will be broadcast live in the United Kingdom and around the world. The move comes to ensure supporters in the UK will still legally be able to watch their teams while matches are being played behind closed doors. Sky Sports will air an additional six matches live in the UK in September, with BT Sport broadcasting three extra and one each going to the BBC and Amazon Prime. This means that three kick-off times have now been changed on the opening weekend of the season … West Ham v Newcastle will now take place at 20:00 BST on Saturday 12 September. Sheffield United v Wolves has been brought forward to 18:00 BST on Monday 14 September. And Brighton v Chelsea gets under way at 20:15 BST on Monday 14 September. The Premie...