On a night when Manchester City looked to kick-start their European campaign following an opening day defeat to Bayern Munich, it was actually Rudi Garcia's excellently drilled AS Roma side who will leave the North West of England much the happier side. Manchester City Joe Hart – 6 Hart made a number of impressive saves […]

Through wide areas, Hull City has found a lot of its success, and Steven Naismith has become the centerpiece of Everton’s alternative system of play. Hull Raids The Flanks When Ahmed Elmohamady went on trial with Steve Bruce’s Sunderland in 2009, the Egyptian flank-raider changed his career. The Wearside club tried to sign the converted […]

Injured Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud will soon be rewarded with a two-year contract extension with the Gunners. Manager Arsene Wenger announced during his Tuesday press conference that the deal will be ironed out and completed shortly. The new contract will keep the France international at The Emirates until 2018. Giroud, who just turned 28 on […]

Had it not have been for the injuries to Englishmen Chris Smalling and Phil Jones along with that of a senior Jonny Evans and the suspension of the recently first-teamer, Tyler Blackett – millions of fans around the world would have been oblivious to the name Paddy McNair – at least for a couple of […]

I am a big fan of Michael Davies and Roger Bennett, better known as the Men in Blazers. Like many soccer fans, I discovered their terrific podcast on Grantland two years ago and haven’t missed an episode since. Their appreciation of all things soccer, their insightful analysis, and above all their contagious sense of humor […]

It wasn't that long ago that Newcastle United was challenging for an UEFA Champions League spot and Alan Pardew was named Premier League Manager of the Season. At the end of the 2011-12 season only a masterful performance by Yaya Toure followed by a 3-1 defeat at Everton kept Newcastle out of Champions League qualification, and […]

As the UEFA Champions League enters Matchday Two, all four Premier League clubs in the competition are facing tricky fixtures. Even though a draw or defeat would not condemn any of the English sides to the Europa League, anything less than three points would heap unwanted pressure on the club and create nervous times for their […]

A German inspection agency has come to the conclusion that the now famous vanishing spray used during 2014 World Cup matches contains parabens, a chemical linked with health issues. The agency, Technischer Überwachungs-Verein (TueV), issued a statement on the concern saying, “In its present form, the product is not usable in Germany and the European […]

The question was only asked because there was nothing else to talk about. The press conference lasted all of 50 seconds. The Portland Timbers had just crushed Guyanese side Alpha United 6-0 in front of one of their smallest home crowds ever since joining MLS in a midweek CONCACAF Champions League respite from the furious […]

FC Juventus and AS Roma keep marching unstopped toward the big match of next Sunday at Juventus Stadium – five victories in five games for both team, which on Saturday defeated respectively Atalanta and Verona. The Giallorossi won against one of the surprises packets of this term, the Verona side trained by Andrea Mandorlini, but […]

FIFA has recently announced that it will soon ban third-party player ownerships. While the association made the sensible decision to bar the sketchy involvement of third parties, the ban will not be effective immediately. Following a meeting on the issue, FIFA President Sepp Blatter stated, "We took a firm decision that TPO (third-party ownership) should […]

As a Swansea City supporter, consider me unimpressed by the season thus far for the Welsh team. While the Swans are sitting comfortably in fifth position, the team still could be doing much better than they are currently. It's that feeling of "could be doing better" that has undermined the Swans for the past couple […]

UPDATE: Sports Illustrated is reporting that Vincent Tan is one of the investors interested in acquiring MLS club Chivas USA. Vincent Tan just won’t go away. The enigmatic and controversial Cardiff City owner, who has avoided dullness at all costs since coming to the Welsh club, has been quoted in an interview today saying he’d […]

We're only six games into the Premier League season, but it's already panic stations for Newcastle United footballers, fans and manager Alan Pardew. The Geordies sit second bottom in the table (only above Burnley on goal difference). A loss today and the pressure will surely mount on owner Mike Ashley to make a decision regarding Pardew's […]

Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is rarely at a loss for words. The Sweden international has never had particularly kind words for Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola, since both the player and manager spent time working together while at Barcelona five years ago. In his 2013 autobiography, I AM ZLATAN, the 32-year-old Malmo-born striker reserved special attention for the current […]