Ljungberg and Trossard make instant impact, Wilson has Liverpool quality and Rodgers leaves ‘young Frank’ on back footThe inclusion of Joe Willock and Reiss Nelson against Burnley a week after they became the first pair of teenagers to start a Premier League game for Arsenal since Paolo Vernazza and Matthew Upson in 1998, was more evidence of Unai Emery beginning to trust his young players. That may have something to do with the promotion of the former under-23s coach Freddie Ljungberg to become the Spaniard’s assistant, with Willock particularly impressive alongside Matteo Guendouzi in midfield. The 19-year-old played in a more advanced role in the opening day win over Newcastle and shows how Emery is tapping into the former Sweden...
There were promising signs in the Super Cup defeat by Liverpool but the new man at Stamford Bridge has to start winning soonAfter losing badly to Manchester United on the opening day, Chelsea’s performance against Liverpool in the Super Cup, even if they did not quite manage to win, was very impressive.It is hard to say at this moment what a good season would look like for Chelsea, with a transfer ban and a young, inexperienced manager who promises to field young, inexperienced players. The fact Frank Lampard is in charge, a man with so much goodwill from his time at Chelsea as a player, will buy the team a little time but what are the minimum expectations? I feel...
The hosts struggled to hold their lead until telling interventions by Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford that bode well for their campaignAcross two breathtaking minutes Manchester United shot an electric bolt through Old Trafford.Until then Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side clung to a lead against a Chelsea side who surely wondered how they still trailed. Related: Manchester United make it a nightmare start for Frank Lampard’s Chelsea Related: Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 top scorers 2019-20 Continue reading...
Players such as Christian Eriksen and Paul Pogba could still move clubs after closing of Premier League window, complicating season planning at many clubsMauricio Pochettino is right about the transfer window deadline; it makes no sense to be three weeks out of step with the rest of Europe.Given the way Romelu Lukaku has just left Manchester United in the lurch, basically forcing through his own departure with only time left for his club to make a half-baked and easily resisted attempt to sign the 33-year-old Mario Mandzukic as a new attacking figurehead, any manager in charge of a squad containing a player coveted abroad will not be able to rest easy until the beginning of September. Such players include Paul...
West Ham have the talent to cause Manchester City problems on opening weekend while David de Gea has a point to proveWhile there is plenty of excitement to be drawn from Liverpool’s much-lauded front three, a good argument could be made that the two most thrilling players in Jürgen Klopp’s side are defenders. Technically, anyway. In reality, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson spent last season making a mockery of their job descriptions, zooming forward with exuberant abandon and each laying on more goals than any of the side’s so-called attackers. Meanwhile, down in the Championship, a similar operation was in progress. Norwich’s full-back duo, Jamal Lewis and Max Aarons, are under strict instructions from Daniel Farke to play with the...