From his Russian tumble to a Spain prison sentence, the erstwhile United manager has had a dim week. At least it’s entertainingAfter so many years of refusing to give the public what they want, it’s great to see José Mourinho finally serving up something highly watchable. On Monday the erstwhile Manchester United manager staged a spectacular pratfall at an ice hockey game in Russia. By Tuesday he was being handed a prison sentence. (Suspended, agonisingly, but still.)Barely a week after Gemma Collins made her ice‑fall in ITV’s Dancing on Ice, the Portuguese supplanted The Only Way is Essex star as the most hilariously viral rink‑based tumble of 2019. Related: José Mourinho accepts prison sentence for tax fraud but will not...
Virgil van Dijk is leader of the flying Dutchmen, Kosovo are on the verge of something special and a fed up Britt abroadWhen Gareth Southgate needed to turn the tide against Croatia at the World Cup, his options were limited by a lack of forward players on England’s bench. It was difficult for Southgate to alter the flow of the game and it was unsurprising to see his side run out of steam. Yet England have continued to progress since then and offered an indication of their greater strength in depth when they reached the Nations League finals at Croatia’s expense. What a difference it made for Southgate to introduce Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard and Jadon Sancho after Andrej Kramaric...
After winning his first three matches he oversaw the country’s first competitive home defeat for 15 years as England won 3-2The inquiry began way before the game had finished. The stadium clock had not yet reached half an hour when to the right of it, high in the Benito Villamarín, England’s drenched fans began to chant: “Are you Scotland in disguise?!” They were not, of course, but nor, it seemed, were the team down below Spain. Luis Enrique has been swift to quieten comparisons to that Spain – the team who won three tournaments in a row, European, world and European champions – but nor, at that point, were they this Spain, the team who had recovered so well since...
Scepticism and confusion over the Nations League have been overtaken by teams at all levels taking it seriouslyA pile-on by the corner flag in Stockholm said it best. Turkey had just come from two goals down to defeat a seemingly comfortable Sweden and, in those chaotic moments after Emre Akbaba’s header drifted past a slow-footed Robin Olsen, a full 20 seconds passed before their outfield players disentangled themselves from the jubilant scrum beyond the quadrant.It was some way for Turkey, so reliably inconsistent, to ignite their Uefa Nations League campaign and it was just as significant for the nascent tournament itself. Akbaba had entered as a substitute in the 62nd minute: in a friendly he would have been one of...
Miserable World Cup campaign a distant memory after new manager defeats England and Croatia in first two gamesAt the end of Spain’s Nations League game against Croatia in Elche, Luis Enrique was asked how he felt. “Embarrassed,” said the new coach. He was not talking about the way his team had played, he was talking about the moment fans began singing his name. Managers here are not often serenaded, national team coaches even less so, and certainly not after two games in charge. Yet there was no mistaking the sound coming from the stands at the Martínez Valero. That was Luis Enrique’s name ringing round.“I didn’t expect it,” he admitted but then they didn’t expect this, either. It is eight...