Ramsey is off to Juventus in the summer but his double-act here with Mesut Özil reached heights all-too-rarely seenYou get what you pay for, as the old saying goes. And on this evidence, Aaron Ramsey is worth every penny of the reported £400,000 a week he will receive as a Juventus player over the next four years.More than a few eyebrows were raised in February when it was announced the Wales international would be moving to Serie A in the summer after running down his contract yet against one of Italy’s most respected sides, Ramsey delivered a performance which underlined just how good he can be. Since the deal was confirmed, he has been the driving force in the revival...
Under-pressure manager buys himself more time with passage through to the last 16 of the Europa LeagueAfter the tumultuous week he has endured, you cannot blame Maurizio Sarri for taking just about anything right now. Three days on from his side’s meek surrender in the FA Cup fifth-round tie against Manchester United, the embattled Chelsea manager arrived here knowing that anything less than a smooth progression to the last 16 of Europe’s secondary club competition was likely to spell the end of his reign.That scenario, at least, was averted as second-half goals from Olivier Giroud, Ross Barkley and Callum Hudson‑Odoi eased Chelsea’s passage through the Europa Cup against opponents who never gave up hope that they might rescue something from...
The lifelong fan travels to Aberdeen to celebrate the club’s return to European competition“One-nil to the Sunday league, one-nil to the Sunday league ...” There was a period on Thursday night when Aberdeen were leading us off the pitch as well on it.That particular piece of Aberdonian self-mockery was designed to highlight the “gulf” between the Premier Leagues of Scotland and England. A £3m wage bill was leading £61m thanks to a first-half penalty from Gary Mackay-Steven. Sam Cosgrove, a £20,000 signing from Carlisle, was leading the line for Aberdeen against internationals who earn that in a few days. If the “gulf” cliche had had a fair run-out in the buildup to this Europa League tie, so did that old...
Burnley’s visit to the Emirates on Sunday will be the last home game for the Arsenal manager, and some of his playersArsène Wenger had outlined the danger in the buildup to the second leg of Arsenal’s Europa League semi-final against Atlético Madrid. “The future of the club is not exactly the same if we qualify for the Champions League or not,” the manager said.The worst-case scenario duly played out. Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat in Madrid condemned them to a 2-1 aggregate loss and meant that for the second season in succession they will miss out on the prestige and revenues of competing in Europe’s elite club competition. Related: Arsenal v Burnley: match preview Continue reading...
Atlético Madrid were on the ropes but there was no knockout blow at the EmiratesIt is a lovely thought, Arsène Wenger burnishing his legacy by collecting the first European trophy of his career in Lyon next month, and for a while Arsenal’s manager could dream about that perfect send-off. Atlético Madrid were on the ropes, Diego Simeone was growling in the stands and for once it seemed that Wenger was not going to regret talking about a team with the potential to win the Europa League before this match.Yet the awkward truth for Arsenal’s eternal optimist is that the best teams show no mercy when the odds are stacked so heavily in their favour. This was an occasion that ought...