A decade is a long time. The Premier League has had 97permanent managers since 2010 began, from today’s motley crew right back to Owen Coyle, who left Burnley just five days into this decade (Gary Megson – remember him? – fell two days short of it). Reducing 97 managers to a slim Top 10 was harder than we expected –even though, in truth, several of our chosen ones come with caveats that we will acknowledge, while nonetheless praising the achievements that put them in this list.Some caveats, however, were too great. You won’t find Arsene Wenger below. Across the ’90s and 2000s he was among the best of the very best, but the 2010s? Though many would argue that Arsenal’s...
Had Tottenham not recovered from a half-time deficit to beat Brighton, the coverage of their recent performances would be quite damning. They were poor in winning at Molineux, dreadful in losing against Chelsea, and offensively anaemic on Boxing Day, in a game they still managed to win.So far, Jose Mourinho’s Spurs are showing themselves to be a team of few ideas and the performance against Brighton initially confirmed that. In a first half which was characterised by direct and repetitive football, few questions were asked of the visiting defence. VAR may have intervened to rule out a Harry Kane goal but, that aside, there were no chances created or even pressure applied. It was barren and, actually, at times a...
Amazon Prime’s Premier League coverage will be returning to our screens on Boxing Day and so will one of the most talked-about statistics in football.Opta’s Live Win Probability Model debuted during the streaming services’ first set of games earlier in December and sparked online debate.How to watch Amazon Prime Premier League fixtures on Boxing Day for FREEStats Perform Marketing Manager Peter Deeley explained the thought process behind introducing the model to Amazon’s Premier League coverage on Prime.“It’s something we’ve been working on for quite a long time,” he confirmed. “It’s years in the making, and with Amazon having the Premier League for the first time it offered the opportunity for them and us to bring audiences something new.“People are always...
Brendan Rodgers was respectful after his Leicester side lost to Manchester City on Saturday evening. City had been excellent, he conceded, and he was gracious in defeat, talking up the performance of Kevin De Bruyne and what he referred to as an ‘outstanding’ side.Whether he admits it or not, though, Rodgers will know that that was a missed opportunity. City’s show of strength wasn’t an illusion –they really were excellent at the Etihad –but Leicester are a very good team in their own right and, theoretically, possessed the tools to take at least a point from the game and consolidate second place in the Premier LeagueThe worry, however, is that they are not themselves when facing this kind of opponent....
Watford’s fans could hardly believe what they were watching. Maybe it was David de Gea’s mistake which stunned them – that gasp of silence before they realised the slow-moving ball had gone in for their opener. Maybe it was because they’d actually scored a goal or gone ahead in a football match for the first time this season.But 10 minutes before the end of Sunday’s game, fans of the bottom-placed team who couldn't score and couldn’t win began to believe.“Watford FC!” they chanted. “Watford FC. Watford FC.”It might be a while before the ultras in Argentina or Italy take their influence from the Hornets of Vicarage Road, but Watford were worth their win.Manchester United? Awful. Dreadful. Risible. Again.Let’s get the...