Manchester United and Leicester under pressure to start well, Emery’s formidable opening task, heightened ambitions for Brighton and Wolves Related: Summer transfer window verdict: how every Premier League club fared Related: Transfer window 2018 – every summer deal from Europe's top five leagues Related: The big Premier League preview – Football Weekly Extra Continue reading...
After frustration and in some cases ridicule, players who have suffered from injury torment will be desperate to show what they have to offer as a new season gets under wayHarry Redknapp used to be tickled by the notion that top professionals would move clubs primarily for sentimental reasons. Many times he made the sort of quip that he delivered in 2012 when there were suggestions that Carlos Tevez might take a big pay cut to leave Manchester City for Redknapp’s Spurs. “He’s always wanted to play for Tottenham,” said Redknapp, deadpan as you like. “Ever since he was in Argentina he had a picture of Hoddle on the wall and Ricky [Villa] and Ossie [Ardiles]. I want to play...
Sade’s 1984 soul hit has proved a suitable soundtrack to Manchester City’s sexy football under their Spanish managerFew people know the secrets behind Pep Guardiola’s managerial success as well as Domènec Torrent, who worked as the Spaniard’s assistant at Barcelona B, with the Catalan club’s first team, at Bayern Munich and finally at Manchester City before, after 11 years, leaving his mentor’s side this summer to take over at New York City. This week Torrent offered a glimpse inside Guardiola’s tactical bunker.“Pep loves music in general and I am the same,” he said. “When we worked in the office we always had music on. Not rock music. Just something relaxing, maybe Sade.” Related: Sadio Mané's stoppage-time winner lifts Liverpool over Manchester...
Somehow, with no title race since 2014 and Manchester City all but wrapping up this one in October, it has still been enthrallingAnd now the end is near. And so we face the final curtain or at best a rather demob-happy, oddly tension-free final flutter of a curtain that fell some time ago for most of English football’s top tier.Sunday’s final fixtures of the Premier League season will be played out in the usual conjoined fashion, simultaneous kick-offs designed to offer last-day drama and a level playing field to the final jostle for air and space. Related: Farewell then Yaya Touré, Manchester City’s clanking midfield giant | Barney Ronay Related: Arsène Wenger quiz: 22 questions on his 22-year reign at...
The Etihad Stadium said goodbye to the Ivorian this week and he leaves with the feeling that the Premier League never quite appreciated how good he was at his peakBeing a parent isn’t easy. Over time you just hope you can pass on as many of your own flaws and prejudices, minimise the chances your children might become better, kinder human beings, and trust they can instead spend their lives staring at screens, leaving things on the floor and responding to attempts at conversation with remarks like, “Mmm. He’s doing one of his funnies”.I think that was the idea anyway. Looking back, the original instructions seem quite vague. It could have been the other way round. Passing on the virtues....