Matt Jones

In a division that’s long been dominated by a couple of teams, it’s refreshing to see some new names battling it out at the top of La Liga. Atletico Madrid, of course, have been in the mix at the summit of the table for more than three years now, forcefully challenging the duopoly of Real […]

In the early weeks of the Premier League season, plenty has pointed towards a potential title challenge for Liverpool. But you sense the most emphatic indication of their credentials to be the top dog in English football would be a win over bitter rivals Manchester United at Anfield on Monday. A lot has aligned for […]

Being top of La Liga is no longer a novelty for Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid. Indeed, seven games into the Spanish football season, the Vicente Calderon club’s hike to the summit of the table has barely made headlines. The bald statistics totted up from their games no longer make for spectacular reading either. Atletico have […]

We’re only seven weeks into the 2016-17 Premier League season and already we’re set to sample a top of the table showdown, as leaders Manchester City make the trip south to face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. So far, the notoriously difficult nature of English football has been straightforward to tame for City’s new manager Pep […]

Premier League soccer on a Friday Night will take a bit of getting used to for watchers of the English game’s top flight. Opinion is split on the new slot on the weekend schedule. For some, mainly home supporters, the prospect of a live game to round off the working week is an enamoring one, […]

Under the guidance of new manager Carlo Ancelotti, Bayern Munich’s immaculate start to the season hasn’t taken up too many column inches. For the apex juggernaut of the German game five wins from five Bundesliga games—including 15 goals scored and just one conceded—is par for the course, such is the depth of their squad and […]

It’s remarkable how perceptions can rapidly alter in the Premier League. The narrative surrounding Arsenal, ridiculed again for much of the summer and lambasted after an opening day defeat to Liverpool, suggested they were set for a season of struggles. Chelsea, meanwhile, inspired by their enigmatic boss Antonio Conte, looked rejuvenated in the early stages […]

Given how relentless and complex the coverage of soccer has become, sometimes a player can stand out by carrying out basic duties with unbending conviction. Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne, the shining star of the Premier League season so far, is a footballer who does the simple things supremely. With the Pep Guardiola era in […]

Since Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid side established themselves as a major force in world football, matches against the capital club and Barcelona have always been absorbing. It’s the European game’s equivalent of the unstoppable force against the immovable object. The Catalans, with arguably the finest attack ever assembled in domestic football, up against one of […]

Although it’s tough to better the raw passion of a city derby, tussles between rivals from separate regions can occasionally be just as encapsulating. Matches between Inter Milan and Juventus capture the emotion that can be stirred from these clashes perfectly. Known as the Derby d’Italia, down the years these games have historically carried enormous […]

Here it is, then. Ever since speculation swirled about the futures of Louis van Gaal and Manuel Pellegrini last season, the clash between Jose Mourinho, the figurehead of Manchester United, and Pep Guardiola, the savvy tactician at the helm of Manchester City, has been anticipated. The dynamic between these fierce rivals is poised to add […]

After Roberto Martinez seduced Evertonians in the nascent stages of his managerial stint at the club, it’ll take a while before this chastened fanbase comes to fully commit to a new boss. It’s why, despite a strong start to the season and a fine track record, plenty are reserving judgement on Ronald Koeman. That’s understandable. […]

With meager few grains of sand left in the top of the hourglass tracking the time left in this transfer window, plenty associated with Premier League clubs will be on edge up until Wednesday’s 11 p.m. deadline. For supporters, one eye is kept on social media and the other on their television screens, as yellow-clad […]

Bayern Munich are the massive favorites to clinch what’d be a fifth successive Bundesliga title in 2016-17, as new boss Carlo Ancelotti seeks to build on the sterling work done by his predecessor Pep Guardiola. Indeed, the new Manchester City manager steered the side to three divisional wins in succession and did so playing a […]

Domestic soccer is back on the agenda again in the majority of European football’s elite leagues this weekend, meaning a return for our Top 5 feature. It’s Week 2 in the Premier League after a gripping opening weekend, although we’ll likely learn more about the state of the elite sides when they take to the […]