Matt Jones

The Premier League takes center stage once again this weekend and there are three standout matches to sample. While the race for the title in England’s top flight is becoming increasingly one-sided, there’s still an outside chance of a fightback. But the chasing teams face a difficult challenge in front of their own supporters this […]

A quick look at the teams involved in the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League this season and you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a Champions League draw. While the top tier of European soccer will rightly hog the spotlight in the days to come, the Europa League represents an intriguing sub-plot. And although […]

England manager Roy Hodgson had a chance to make a stance of sorts on diving during his television appearance for the BBC during Manchester United’s 3-1 win over Preston North End in the FA Cup last night. Granted, not an emphatic, abrasive stance—nobody really expected the England manager to lambast his national team skipper Wayne Rooney […]

At first glance, Olivier Giroud’s stylistic make-up means he probably shouldn’t be flourishing in this Arsenal team. The Gunners’ clutch of elusive, incisive attacking midfield players would typically be suited to a sharp, nippy centre-forward; a player who can loiter on the shoulder of the last defender before latching on to a scything through ball. […]

After a break of 69 days, the UEFA Champions League returns on Tuesday, February 17 with the prospect of several exciting number of Round of 16 1st leg games to be played through February 25. Take your pick from Chelsea against Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona versus Manchester City, Juventus vs Dortmund or any of the other […]

During some of my very early interactions with Italian soccer during the late 1990s and early 2000s, it quickly became clear that Parma was a team well worth watching. With players like Lilian Thuram, Gianluigi Buffon, Hernan Crespo and Juan Sebastian Veron in situ, the Gialloblu were one of the finest sides around, a tag that […]

The previous round of the FA Cup was fantastic to watch, and supporters across the globe will be on alert again for upsets when the competition gets back underway again this weekend. There are two intriguing ties to savor from that tournament to look forward to, as well as a pair of fascinating matches to […]

There was an unmistakeable arrogance about Atletico Madrid as they took apart city rivals Real Madrid 4-0 at the Vicente Calderon on Saturday. It wasn’t the kind of flash haughtiness that’s associated with Los Blancos either. Instead, Diego Simeone’s side showcased a simple, serene assurance throughout the contest. It was the kind of cockiness that […]

Aside from the Merseyside Derby played at Anfield earlier in the season—when both teams involved were at an especially low ebb—Everton have gone into these ferocious contests boasting a degree of rightful expectation. Last season, the Toffees were vying closely with Liverpool throughout the opening months of the campaign, but a 4-0 win for the Reds at […]

There are plenty that have been unyieldingly willing to dismiss Tottenham Hotspur this season. The club’s wonderful patent for turning around games and notching winners late on away from home has been attributed to luck by a lot, while the consistently sparkling form of various players have been branded as elongated purple patches. But to write off this team’s […]

It's not often we get to sample three of European football's most iconic derby matches on the same day, back to back. The North London, Madrid and Merseyside rivalries capture the passion of a local rivalry like few other fixtures in the game. Each club involved has a rich history, longstanding traditions and—aside from bragging rights—their […]

These are exciting times for West Ham United. Not only is the current crop playing with a new-found gusto, not only are they eyeing up a potential European finish in the Premier League but beyond this encapsulating campaign—regardless of what it may or may not eventually yield—those who blow bubbles at Upton Park should feel […]

Playing a formation consisting of three central defenders has long been perceived as taboo by your average soccer fan. While fillips of overseas influences have creeped into the English game and wholesomely enhanced it, the comfort in England and the USA of an elementary four-man back-line is something that fans still cling to. It seems as […]

Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard have been generation defining players. Throughout the course of the Premier League era, they are talents that have embodied the values of their respective clubs and subsequently they will be forever associated with those teams. But there comes a time when even these players choose or are forced to move […]

Bringing in a big name player from a top European league is nothing new to the supporters of Toronto FC. Jermain Defoe, Michael Bradley and Julio Cesar all penned deals with the Canadian club last year to stir up understandable hyperbole, but as of yet, a coalescence of factors have hampered this team’s quest to […]