Turkish forward reaps rewards from Eusebio Di Francesco’s new tactical approach with four goals in three gamesUdinese were served with ample notice of Cengiz Under’s threat. The Roma forward had scored three times in two games leading into his visit to the Stadio Friuli on Saturday but more explicit were the words of his manager. “He has this great quality of being able to line up his shot while still hiding it,” explained Eusebio Di Francesco. “Just like [Vincenzo] Montella used to do.”Forewarned but not forearmed. How does anyone prepare for something they cannot see coming? There were just under 70 minutes on the clock when Under took a pass a few yards outside the area, turned, glanced and in...
Max and co discuss a very one-sided 1-0, Liverpool’s Egyptian king, Swansea’s miraculous resurgence and whether Barry could relegate Manchester CityRate, review, share on Apple Podcasts,Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Gregg Bakowski and John Brewin to reflect upon the weekend’s football just gone, starting with Manchester United’s loss at Newcastle. Continue reading...
Only Barcelona and Atlético can match Eibar’s results over the last three months as another unlikely run at Europe continuesIván Ramis took off his shirt and put his hat on, a flat red porkpie perched on his head as he stood in the corner of Butarque where a couple of dozen Eibar fans down from the Ego valley were going wild in wigs: some red, some blue and some Scottish, ginger locks tumbling from tam o’ shanters. As he had flung his top high into the air before running towards them shouting, they had thrown the hat on the pitch; so he wore it, along with a smile that even the referee trotting over with a yellow card couldn’t wipe...
Schalke midfielder will join Bayern in the summer and his display against them will have pleased home fans in MunichAt least he ended up with an assist from it. It was a whisker from being one of the goals of the season, as Leon Goretzka threw a bicycle kick at Breel Embolo’s cross, and Sven Ulreich looked beaten. Unfortunately, the ball didn’t connect with his laces but flicked off the outside of his boot – falling to Franco Di Santo at the back post, who applied a measured finish. No matter. It was, Goretzka told Sky afterwards without the smallest hint of bashfulness, something he’d managed before. “It wasn’t as it should have been today,” he shrugged, “but it ended...
The warning signs were there for another Napoli implosion, but Maurizo Sarri’s side responded emphatically to beat LazioNapoli went into their Saturday night meeting with Lazio under real pressure. For a club with a recent history of implosions, this did not bode well. The last time they were involved in a serious Scudetto push, in 2015-16, they self-destructed at Udinese. Defeat that day meant they ceded crucial ground to eventual champions Juventus. Almost two years on, a similarly fateful performance seemed to be on the cards.All the warning signs were there. Juve had taken top spot with a win over Fiorentina on Friday, meaning Napoli had to beat third-placed Lazio in order to reclaim the initiative. They proceeded to go...