Sportsmen and women cannot and should not be censored. Sometimes, they are the changemakers we needSince I first found myself, as a high-profile footballer and England international, in the public eye one of the rules I have tried to live by is this: speak from a position of strength. I believe if a player speaks publicly, on any issue, while they are not performing well it will always enrage some fans and the power of their words will be lost. Supporters will think: “Focus on the pitch rather than on your pet cause.” Though some of the people Mesut Özil has angered by posting on social media about China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims won’t care particularly about his form, many...
Arsenal’s downward drift means they could be one of the biggest casualties should a European super league be formedThere is a danger always in football, perhaps in life more generally, to assume certain attributes, certain virtues, certain values are eternal. They are not.We talk now of a Big Six in the Premier League but it’s not so long ago it was a Big Four. In truth, once the group of the Big had grown beyond the number of sides who could qualify for the Champions League, it was never likely to be as self-perpetuating as it had been. That particular hegemony was broken by Sheikh Mansour’s investment in Manchester City and the remarkable rise of Tottenham – for which Daniel...
Early exit of Unai Emery was no surprise in these times, so now Mourinho’s no-frills, quick-fix style is the perfect strategyIt was fortunate Liverpool emerged victorious against Salzburg on Tuesday because otherwise they might have been out of the Champions League, with speculation growing that Jürgen Klopp was for the axe. I jest, of course, though it’s not quite as an absurd idea as it may sound.Klopp has worked wonders at Liverpool, creating arguably the finest team in the world at the present time. In all competitions the only side to beat his team so far this season are Napoli. But it should be noted the manager of that Napoli team, Carlo Ancelotti, a three‑times winner of the Champions League,...
Arsenal can exploit Manchester City’s weakness, Pellegrini in peril and Brighton upbeat for Palace derbyNigel Pearson was introduced to the media at Vicarage Road on Thursday, when he was asked about the reputation he has gained across his career. Towards the end of his time at Leicester one press conference memorably dissolved into an instantly infamous rant – “If you don’t know the answer to that question then I think you are an ostrich” – which sealed his reputation as, frankly, a bit of a grump. “I know I have at times been perceived as difficult to work with, but a lot of that was born out of trying to protect my players,” he said. “I’m a human being, I’m...
Fred is finding his feet under Solskjær, Maddison and Grealish jostle for England attention and do Everton have a new plan?Fred has described Fernandinho has his role model in the past but, until recently, it seemed like the only thing the pair had in common was that they both moved from Brazil to Shakhtar Donetsk before arriving in Manchester. Over the last month, however, Fred has finally started showing the quality that persuaded United to spend £52m on him last year. He and Scott McTominay form a midfield partnership of formerly maligned players who have become more than useful. They, along with Marcus Rashford’s refulgent form and the fact that United now relish being underdogs, are reasons why City might...