Watching Pep Guardiola’s side dismantle their opponents in the FA Cup final was gruesome and reflective of a trend across Europe that suggests the time has come for a super leagueGoals! Goals! Goals! Trophies everywhere. Manchester City were brilliant …
Watching Pep Guardiola’s side dismantle their opponents in the FA Cup final was gruesome and reflective of a trend across Europe that suggests the time has come for a super leagueGoals! Goals! Goals! Trophies everywhere. Manchester City were brilliant …
For the elite clubs press-and-possess remains the dominant mode and the league’s less wealthy simply cannot competeOnce upon a time, not so very long ago, football was a game in which two teams battled for the ball and, when they had it, tried to score…
Pep Guardiola adopted a more pragmatic approach in some games, including at Anfield, and while their football was maybe less exciting their season was hugely impressiveFootball changed in 2008: Pep Guardiola became manager of Barcelona. Football had be…
Consistent Liverpool or implacable City? Regardless of the title’s destiny, the chasing pack must fear two clubs so far aheadAfter Tuesday at Anfield and Wednesday in Amsterdam, perhaps nothing will ever seem impossible again. Nonetheless, it remains e…
Manchester City have been unable to shake off their title rivals and Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester could provide a decisive twistAre Manchester City human? Do they doubt? Do they wonder? Is their faith in their own ability as implacable as it often appear…
The Leeds manager, who let Aston Villa score after his team had taken the lead against the spirit of the game, understands what it means to be a representative for your clubWhat is football for? Why do people go, week in and week out, to watch teams th…
While Ole Gunnar Solskjær tries to reconjure old values, City are breaking free from their past with the title a step closerIn prospect, six weeks ago, in that golden age when Manchester United didn’t have a permanent manager, the derby looked like bei…
Manchester United were woeful at Everton on Sunday and would Ed Woodward actually appoint Ole Gunnar Solskjær as a permanent manager now?So that’s the team Liverpool are banking on to win them the title? There could have been little pleasure for Liverp…
Manchester United were woeful at Everton on Sunday and would Ed Woodward actually appoint Ole Gunnar Solskjær as a permanent manager now?So that’s the team Liverpool are banking on to win them the title? There could have been little pleasure for Liverp…
Pep Guardiola’s champions showed they are human in the fraught 1-0 win over Spurs but another obstacle has been overcome with the Manchester derby up nextAt last some cracks are showing. This has been a title race characterised by the implacable excell…
Manchester City manager’s last final was in 2011. Away goals, missed penalties and a volcano have helped to trip himThis will be the eighth Champions League final in a row not to feature Pep Guardiola – which perhaps should feel as extraordinary as it …
Jordan Henderson is thriving in his more advanced role under Jürgen Klopp after years spent filling in where requiredOne of the hallmarks of great drama is when a previously unheralded character turns out to have a significant impact on the denouement …
Home defeat by Barcelona was no disgrace but it did raise further questions about the manager and Paul PogbaSo Manchester United need a 2-1 win in the Camp Nou to progress. Can anybody think of a time when they’ve done that? Yes, you at the back there …
Home defeat by Barcelona was no disgrace but it did raise further questions about the manager and Paul PogbaSo Manchester United need a 2-1 win in the Camp Nou to progress. Can anybody think of a time when they’ve done that? Yes, you at the back there …
Manchester City’s defeat at Tottenham took his run without a quarter- or semi-final victory to 10. It feels like more than a blipEight years ago Pepe was sent off and Lionel Messi scored two goals, one of them brilliant, as Barcelona beat Real Madrid i…
