In their third season, New York City FC still play in Yankee Stadium. But results have improved and they aim to become one of the US’s biggest clubsAs Pep Guardiola’s players emerged from the concrete bowels of the Los Angeles Coliseum, the fans jeered.The boos came as little surprise. Related: David Villa's tireless work in New York an example for MLS's foreign stars Continue reading...
Pep Guardiola appears to have addressed last season’s defensive frailties but will they have time to defend if the manager sticks to an attacking philosophy?Guardian writers’ predicted position 1st (NB: this is not necessarily Jamie Jackson’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)Last season’s position 3rd Related: Premier League 2017-18 fans’ previews, part 2: Manchester City to West Ham Related: Pressure on José Mourinho and Pep Guardiola to produce title challenges | Jamie Jackson Continue reading...
United and City expect far better for Manchester than last season while Premier League champions Chelsea hoped Morata’s goals could retain their crownAfter Antonio Conte led Chelsea to their fifth Premier League crown in his first campaign, Pep Guardiola and José Mourinho embark on a defining 2017-18 season. Defining because the pair were granted a free pass last term. However, Conte’s feat casts a harsh light on how poorly Guardiola and Mourinho performed. Guardiola guided City to an unconvincing third and Mourinho took United to a lowly sixth. As the positions suggest, neither manager was able to mount a serious tilt at the title and thus their respective employers have to find excuses for them and succour from elsewhere. Related:...
American fans flock to the International Champions Cup but there is concern that while enriching top European clubs it may not be helping the US domestic gameOn Saturday night a sellout crowd of 66,014 spectators footed between $240 (£183) and $3,500 (£2,665) to watch a pre-season friendly between Real Madrid and Barcelona at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, the pièce de résistance of the two-week summer exhibition tour featuring high-profile European clubs known as the International Champions Cup. The rights holder ESPN delivered the type of blanket coverage more typical of a Super Bowl or World Cup final, committing no fewer than 25 on-air personalities to south Florida and broadcasting live on location throughout the week.This is to say nothing of...
Mauricio Pochettino has bucked the trend by not adding to his Tottenham squad but the rest of the top clubs have plenty of spending left in them yetAs well as this summer being remembered for the transfer window in which just about every Premier League club tried to break their own spending record, there is a good chance it will eventually be remembered for something else. To wit: the summer when no one apart from Real Madrid knew whether they had broken a transfer record or not.Take the case of Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku, the £90m man, as the back pages have it. When Everton sold him the price was stated at £75m plus add-ons, which might have more or...