The England national football team haven’t ended a year with such a sense of optimism since 1966. After an unexpected run to the semi-final of the World Cup in the summer, in recent weeks England have overcome Spain and Croatia to reach the last four of the inaugural Nations League. For the first time since […]
Manchester City
Zidane’s exit heightens uncertainty over Bale’s future
After reminding fickle Real Madrid fans of his match-winning ability in the Champions League final, Gareth Bale spoke of his frustration after the game about the lack of playing time he has received this season. In spite of all the success he has enjoyed in the Spanish capital, a week ago it looked more likely than […]
Mourinho clutching at straws
The 54-year-old Manchester United manager has an enviable record of winning the domestic league in his second season in charge of every team he has coached since 2002. In pre-season this achievement was used as powerful evidence that Jose Mourinho would replicate the feat for a fifth time and bring the title back to Old […]
Football sleepwalking towards a drugs scandal
The beautiful game is failing to confront the ugly spectre of doping. It emerged last week that no binding drug tests have taken place in Spanish football by anti-doping authorities for almost a year and yesterday the English FA was forced to handle doping misdemeanours in its own league. Manchester City was charged with failing to provide details of training sessions […]
The match they dare not lose
Manchester City face Arsenal on Sunday with both sides eager to prove a point after failing to keep up with runaway leaders Chelsea. Pep Guardiola has so far failed to live up to the admittedly sky-high expectations at the Etihad. The Citizens travel to Liverpool on New Year’s Eve, and pressure is mounting to make […]
Hart facing an uncertain future
Pep Guardiola, the new Manchester City manager, has long been rumoured to be unconvinced by Joe Hart. Certainly, if Guardiola was unsure about the England goalkeeper’s ability, Hart did not help his cause by exhibiting some fundamental handling errors during Euro 2016. For a player who has been at the club since 2006 and who prides […]