Arsenal visit Old Trafford on Saturday with a dreadful recent record there but the opposite was true in the early 1980s, so when Ron Atkinson’s United beat them 4-0 to go top in March 1984 it seemed the long title wait was about to endOn Saturday Arsenal travel to Old Trafford looking for their first league win at Manchester United’s home in a decade. In recent years, even as all else crumbled around the ears of whoever United had in charge, one constant comfort blanket they have clung to is the visit of the Gunners.In the early 1980s, though, roles were reversed. Those years represented a fairly grim time for Arsenal: they didn’t win a major trophy between 1979-1987, although...
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s suspension for the Arsenal game means Rashford may be asked by José Mourinho to play in the role where he made a huge impact last season, including two goals against Arsène Wenger’s sideMarcus Rashford’s big audition for José Mourinho’s Manchester United will come against Arsenal on Saturday if he is handed the No9 berth. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s one-game suspension means a vacancy opens up at centre-forward in a major match for the first time since Mourinho took over and made the Swede his totem signing.It was against Arsenal that Rashford got his first Premier League goals last February, scoring twice after he had done the same on his debut against Midtjylland three days earlier, and he will hope to...
Even without physical comparisons with his former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney is unable to keep up with today’s hard-running demandsIn between buffing and burnishing his alarmingly sculpted physique, Cristiano Ronaldo likes to take 3am ice baths to boost his metabolism. He eats six high-protein meals a day, rarely drinks alcohol and refuses soft drinks. Away from the constant task of tweaking his already unimprovable musculature, Ronaldo relaxes by swimming, sleeping a strict eight hours and – oh yes – doing 3,000 sit ups a day in front of the television.It is of course pointless to compare mere mortals with such extreme athletic obsession. But this does still seem to be the lot of Wayne Rooney, in part because of the...
The beautiful game is littered with beautifully strange, funny and famous tales. Journalist Nick Szczepanik has compiled many for his new book, Pulp Football. Here are five of Guardian Sport’s favouritesPerhaps the most notorious football mascot, and certainly one of the breed’s serial offenders, is Cyril the Swan. The 9ft Swansea City mascot’s antics have resulted in more than one four-figure fine from the Football League and even a touchline ban – usually a sanction reserved for errant managers and coaches. Related: Mascot fears soccer beaks Continue reading...
The year saw Arsène Wenger’s arrival, Manchester United chasing down Newcastle in the Premier League and developments still talked about todayIt is England v Scotland on Friday night in this, the 20th anniversary year of one of the more joyous occasions at Wembley, so nostalgia is perfectly permissible for Euro 96, when the hosts’ brand of uninhibited football was bettered only by some even less inhibited goal celebrations. Related: From the Vault: Paul Gascoigne's wondergoal against Scotland at Euro 96 Related: Twenty years of Wenger: where are the Arsenal manager’s rivals from 1996 now? Related: On Second Thoughts: Rob Smyth says Euro 96 wasn't how it is usually remembered Continue reading...