The £90m French midfielder has had a tough time in England this season and he struggled again to justify his lofty valuation against Celta VigoIt cannot be easy wearing the tag of world’s most expensive footballer, and it may turn out the detailed transfer fee revelations of the past few days prove a blessing in disguise for Paul Pogba.Since Manchester United brought him back in such costly fashion last summer there has been a background muttering for most of the season to the effect that he does not actually look like a £90m player. José Mourinho keeps saying that he will, one day, while United’s many detractors and even one or two of their supporters feel that pushing the boat...
After brushing aside Lyon in the Europa League semi-final first leg, the Dutch club can scent a chance of a first European trophy in 22 yearsIt is a cold Thursday morning at Ajax’s De Toekomst complex, where the canteen doubles as a trophy room, the sheer weight of football knowledge can be overwhelming, and the atmosphere is unsurprisingly buoyant after the events of the previous evening at the Amsterdam Arena. Nothing is being taken for granted but Ajax can be excused for feeling pleased with themselves after their stunning performance in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final. These occasions are supposed to be cagey, cautious affairs and they have just torn up the script by beating a dangerous...
The players celebrated in front of their supporters, who had faced a raft of protest banners, one proclaiming their team to be the ‘gravediggers of football’Even before it all kicked off in Berlin, RB Leipzig were already in the mood. In the dressing room at the Olympiastadion on Saturday afternoon, the coach Ralph Hasenhüttl played his squad a video compilation of their season’s highlights, “with the Champions League anthem at the end” as outro music, as the midfielder Diego Demme later told journalists.It clearly had the desired effect. Leipzig simply overpowered the European hopefuls Hertha Berlin in a performance that was so finely honed that it was almost a caricature of their best qualities. They pressed Pal Dardai’s side like...
Torino’s manager angrily accused the Juventus legend of not being impartial after a controversial red card opened the door for Higuaín’s stoppage-time equaliserYou could hardly call it a dull round of fixtures. There were 10 goals scored in a single match at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico, while Juventus saw their run of 33 consecutive home victories ended by Torino in the Derby della Mole. Tiny Crotone beat Pescara to make it 14 points from their past six matches – a run matched only by Napoli in Serie A.But what did it all add up to? Not a lot, actually. This was the weekend when everything happened but nothing changed, a sad reflection of how little remains up for grabs this season....
The former Arsenal and Rangers midfielder has taken the Dutch ‘club of the people’ to the verge of their first title since 1999 despite his unassuming natureJust when Feyenoord supporters thought it was safe to crow after 18 years in the wilderness, along came Bertrand Traoré, Kasper Dolberg and co. Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side travel to Excelsior on Sunday knowing victory would secure a first Eredivisie title this century, although Ajax’s 4-1 victory over Lyon in the Europa League semi-final first leg at the Amsterdam ArenA on Wednesday has already threatened to put something of a dampener on the celebrations.“All the emotions are a little bit spread at the moment,” admits Bert Konterman, the former Rangers and Holland defender and...