A three-week pause appeared to be just what Borussia Mönchengladbach required after a painful opening to their Bundesliga season, and it may also have suited newly appointed coach Alexander Blessin. Beginning his tenure with a derby against fierce rivals Köln offered an immediate chance to sharpen the squad’s concentration. However, the circumstances were far from […]
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The past cannot be recreated. In the middle tier of the Stretford End, the ticker had reappeared after being updated to “51 years”, with the work reportedly costing an appropriately symbolic £114. Before the Abu Dhabi era began, Manchester City had not lifted a trophy since 1976. The calculation may be open to debate, but […]
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On Friday night, Aston Villa will take to the pitch at Sevilla’s Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium with the chance to win the Antonio Puerta Trophy, an honour that remains relatively unfamiliar to many supporters beyond Spain. The friendly fixture commemorates Antonio Puerta, a product of Sevilla’s youth system who died in August 2007 at just 22 […]
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Although March’s defeat by Italy understandably brought frustration, there remains a strong belief that this young group’s greatest opportunities to qualify for major tournaments will come in future campaigns. Among the players who started in Bergamo, Hull City defender Paddy McNair, 31, was the only one over the age of 26. The 28-player squad announced […]
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Aaron Paul, Jobi McAnuff and Luke Chambers discuss the latest developments across the EFL. What lies ahead for Preston following Paul Heckingbottom’s dismissal? And how much can Lincoln achieve after their impressive opening to the season? Millwall meet West Ham on Saturday for the first time since 2012, with defender Caleb Taylor joining the podcast […]
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Chelsea registered 34 attempts during the contest, their largest tally in a WSL fixture since the beginning of last season. James made an immediate impact, firing an excellent effort into the top of the net after only 11 minutes, leaving Chelsea supporters anticipating many more goals. Villa offered almost no attacking threat and managed just […]
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Three Argentina footballers have received suspensions for their involvement in a confrontation following last month’s World Cup final against Spain. However, their role in showing a Falkland Islands banner after the semi-final victory over England resulted only in financial penalties. Fifa’s disciplinary committee handed Leandro Paredes a 10-game suspension and a $90,000 (£66,000) fine. Nahuel […]
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In today’s podcast: it has been a turbulent week for the World Cup, beginning with an attempt to promote the tournament on Monday, followed by boycott threats on Tuesday, a dramatic reversal on Wednesday, and repeated denials throughout the rest of the week. Max and the panel examine the latest Fifa controversy and consider whether […]
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If Rangers overcome Polish club Jagiellonia Białystok in the third round of Europa League qualification, their next opponents will be Lillestrom of Norway, the winners of Larne versus Iberia 1999, or the losing side from either Levski Sofia against Kairat Almaty or Mjallby against Slovan Bratislava. After dropping out of Champions League qualification, Hearts will […]
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Looking at the bigger picture, it is difficult to ignore the changes taking place at Newcastle, regardless of how anyone feels about them. Despite the club’s public statements, the overall direction is clearly no longer the same. The club is undergoing a transformation, with the owners’ objectives, ambitions and recruitment policy appearing significantly different from […]
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