Roberto De Zerbi has made such an impact that Brighton were never likely to lose but Grimsby deserve their admirers tooAt times during this relentlessly entertaining FA Cup quarter-final it was hard to avoid the feeling that the ambient levels of wholesomeness inside the Amex Stadium might just be reaching a potentially dangerous high, the counters starting to fizz and burp.This was an occasion so wholesome even the half-time entertainment was a deeply moving presentation from the life-saving stadium medical team, followed by a mascot race, a kids’ race and then a succession of Mother’s Day announcements so heartfelt you half-expected the match officials to come running out for the second half holding a cake and flowers. Continue reading...
Burnley are flying high in the Championship under Vincent Kompany but were completely outclassed by Manchester CityManchester City had won the previous 10 matches against Burnley with an aggregate score of 34-1. All of those games took place against sides managed by Sean Dyche, a very different style of team to the one created by Vincent Kompany but, six goals later, some things never change. The Belgian has turned the Clarets from a dour but efficient team to being exciting and free-wheeling but the reality of what he faces next season became apparent on Saturday night.Promotion is essentially guaranteed, it would take an almighty demise to give up their 16-point lead on third with a game in hand in the...
The Liverpool manager is left trying to build a new era while continuing to win – it is possible if he is given timeWith 11 minutes left in this FA Cup fourth-round tie and the score 1-1 Jürgen Klopp could be seen racing out to the touchline, yanking the snood from his face and performing a series of furious scything gestures with his right arm, as though trying to break free from some invisible set of manacles.Klopp shrieked. He threw his head back. Just as quickly he stopped, crouched, and mooched back towards his seat. Nothing was really happening. Klopp was reacting to the shapes in his head, seeing danger, slackness, loose stitching in Cody Gakpo’s off-the-ball positioning during a...
Walsall look to catch the eye against Leicester, Liverpool seek revenge at Brighton and intriguing games in ManchesterThe Walsall manager, Michael Flynn, was very unhappy about the news that his side’s clash with Leicester would not be aired on a main UK channel. “I think it is a disgrace our game hasn’t been chosen, it is what the FA Cup is all about,” he said. His argument is more than a fair one when Manchester United v Reading will be available on Saturday night. League Two clubs such as Walsall heavily rely on TV money from cup runs to help with finances, more than the likes of United topping up their coffers. It is up to Flynn and his squad...
Newcastle need to invest in squad depth, Bryan Gil is in derby contention and Coventry count cost of ‘embarrassing’ lossHalf a week is a long time in football. On Thursday, for 45 minutes, Chelsea were good enough to make Manchester City look pedestrian. On Sunday, they were so poor that City located their unstoppable mode, which had gone missing since mid-October. Chelsea are now out of both domestic cups, and in the Premier League, after scraping one win from their past eight games, they are closer to the bottom (13 points ahead of Southampton) than the top (19 behind Arsenal). Top four? They’re not even in the top four in London, with Brentford and Fulham lording it over them, never...