After removing the broadcast headset at full-time in last week’s thrilling Heidenheim-Freiburg contest to bring an end to 2023, I was tempted to immediately write this roundup column but wanted instead to take a few days to digest what we’ve all witnessed these past few months. Sometimes we can get carried away in the moment and a more sober analysis requires time. But as 2023 dwindles away, my verdict is…
Erik ten Hag called Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s investment in Manchester United a “positive” turn of events for the club, but said it had no impact on the players on his team. Ratcliffe’s sporting guru, Sir Dave Brailsford, was in the stands at Old Trafford on Tuesday as United came back from 2-0 down to beat Aston Villa 3-2. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) It was their first…
We are just days out from the transfer window opening and there are moves in the works and plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!
Manchester City are closing in on the signing of midfielder Claudio Echeverri from River Plate, a source has told ESPN. City have held formal talks with the Argentine side and are nearing an agreement for the 17-year-old midfielder. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) If a deal is reached, it’s likely that Echeverri would be loaned back to River Plate until at least the end of the Premier…
FIFA warned Brazil on Sunday it could suspend its national teams and clubs from international competitions if an intervention by its football federation (CBF) leads to the election of a new president in January. FIFA said in a letter to a Brazilian football executive that the CBF could face suspension if it does not heed its call to wait and instead holds a swift election to replace Ednaldo Rodrigues as…
Happy holidays to one and all! The gift of soccer kept giving this weekend, with the title race in the Premier League taking shape. Arsenal played Liverpool at Anfield to an entertaining 1-1 draw, and Manchester City sit six points off top spot with a game in hand. Tottenham Hotspur are back in fourth (for now) after a win over Everton. In Serie A, the youngsters at Juventus helped secure…
Manchester City are still considered favourites to win the Premier League despite falling six points off the pace, which has been set by Arsenal. But is the bookmakers’ assessment right, or is this Arsenal’s year? And what about Liverpool, who sit in second? Might third-place Aston Villa “do a Leicester” and shock them all? At the other end of the table, who might fall into the relegation scrap after Christmas?…
The winter transfer window hasn’t re-opened in Europe yet, but there are moves in the works and plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals! – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Various big-name European clubs are interested in Palmeiras forward Estevao Willian — commonly known as “Messinho” — as has been reported by Mundo…
LONDON — It was the inevitability of this latest Manchester United defeat that is so damning for manager Erik ten Hag. After all, did anyone expect anything else from a team that haven’t scored for four games in a row across all competitions? (It’s the first time this has happened since November 1992.) For 72 minutes against West Ham, United had almost two-thirds of the possession and their best five…
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Even while it was going on, it sometimes felt as if FIFA’s Club World Cup was battling for relevance. Speaking to reporters just a few minutes after Manchester City’s win over Urawa Red Diamonds in the semifinal, captain Kyle Walker reflected on a year in which Pep Guardiola’s team reached the tournament in Jeddah courtesy of their success in the Champions League six months earlier. –…