Matt Jones

On Saturday against Watford at Vicarage Road, a venue where Leicester City took a huge step towards the Premier League title last term, they conceded after 34 seconds, setting a moribund early tone for a 2-1 loss. After that surrender, the Foxes sit just two points above the relegation zone. On Tuesday the English champions […]

Had Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane had a full cast of players to choose from in Saturday’s showdown with Atletico Madrid, Isco wouldn’t have featured from the start. The Frenchman’s blueprint in marquee matches in the past has included Casemiro prowling at the base of the midfield, adding an additional defensive foundation to an otherwise […]

Never in the history of the rivalry between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid have matches between the two sides been as fiercely contested as they are in this era. Of course, thoughts immediately turn to the two UEFA Champions League finals they’ve played out, which Real have won on both occasions in dramatic fashion, but […]

Although Juventus, crowned Italian champions for the last five seasons in succession, being perched atop the Serie A table is no great surprise, there’s a sense early this season that a more fascinating title race could be on the cards. It’s one that Napoli, in fourth place and four points behind the league leaders, will […]

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 […]