A FEW week ago, after Arsenal had won at Old Trafford, the backside seemed to be dropping out of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s world. Manchester United had been beaten by Crystal Palace, Tottenham and Arsenal at home and the knives were out. Now, some 11 games later, United are top of the Premier League, they are […]
Category: Premier League
Chelsea in profit, but on the field they’re making losses
LIFE is never dull at Chelsea since they became a super club. As the Blues unveiled their latest financial figures, other statistics were being pored over, those that indicate Frank Lampard, club legend and all-round good fellow, could be losing his way at the moment. There has been paper talk that some players are confused […]
Sheffield United: Missing crowds and the element of surprise
AT the risk of sounding like Messrs Cleese, Idle, Palin, Jones, Gilliam and Chapman, Sheffield United no longer have one of their key weapons: “Surprise”. This is just one of the problems facing the Blades in 2020-21 as they lurch from disappointment to disappointment. The club must be sick of the sound of nerds and […]
The Leeds United way – delight or disaster?
LEEDS UNITED conceded another six goals against Manchester United, taking their season total to 30, the highest in the Premier League. Life is never dull in Leeds games, in fact, their game at Old Trafford was real end-to-end stuff, but are Leeds’ fans really enjoying their time back in the top flight? The neutrals surely […]
Liverpool v Spurs: Why “the best team lost” is a matter of opinion
JOSÉ Mourinho, typically, told his opposite number, the dentist’s dream that is Jürgen Klopp, that the best team had been beaten in the top-of-the-table clash at Anfield. Klopp, still grinning, was mystified and made light of it, and thanks to his perpetual bonhomie, the flame of controversy was extinguished. He’s a big fellow, is Klopp, […]
Mourinho and Tottenham may be ready for their next title
TOTTENHAM Hotspur are one of English football’s under-achievers. Their last league title was won in 1961 and their only other championship was secured in 1951. The modern era hasn’t exactly by-passed them, for Spurs have retained their position as a club that attracts respect, praise and plaudits, but something has been lacking, what some might […]
Why the Manchester City-Liverpool dynamic isn’t quite the same
IN ALL probability, Manchester City and Liverpool will be “there or thereabouts” come the end of the 2020-21 season, but in these early weeks of another strange campaign, it is clear both sides currently lack some dynamism. In short, Liverpool’s defence and City’s attack seem to be the main problems, but there was something a […]
7-2: Time for goalkeepers to be interchangeable
LIVERPOOL’s crushing 7-2 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa may turn out to be a freak result, but it certainly highlighted the need for clubs to employ more than one goalkeeper at the top of his game. Adrián may not have been the reason Liverpool shipped seven goals, indeed the entire defence looked complacent […]
Portuguese flair could make Wolves the dark horses in old gold
WOLVES were fairly comfortable winners at Sheffield United in their first match of the Premier season, but you got the feeling it could have been even better than a 2-0 victory at Bramall Lane. Sheffield United could find their sophomore season a tough one, although the neutrals will delight in any success that comes their […]