LONDON: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Tottenham boss Antonio Conte have called for January’s League Cup semi-finals to be switched to one-legged ties to ease fixture congestion. Spurs have a backlog of three Premier League fixtures due to postponements for bad weather and coronavirus outbreaks among the squad, while Liverpool have also been impacted by … Read more
LONDON: Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson fears player welfare is too low down the list of football’s priorities as the English game continues to grapple with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Premier League announced on Monday its intention to continue with the scheduled matches over the traditionally busy Christmas and New Year period, despite … Read more
LONDON: Manchester United on Tuesday reopened their Carrington training ground following a coronavirus outbreak that forced the postponement of two Premier League matches. United closed Carrington for an initial 24 hours eight days ago and their matches at Brentford and at home against Brighton were subsequently called off. “Manchester United’s players have started a return … Read more
MANCHESTER: Premier League chiefs will meet on Monday to discuss a potential festive “firebreaker” as a result of the escalating coronavirus crisis, with managers voicing fears over player safety and fairness. Just four of the scheduled 10 games took place this weekend due to a number of call-offs caused by outbreaks that left clubs unable … Read more
The Premier League on Thursday postponed six more matches due to the wave of coronavirus infections hitting Britain, but said it intended to “continue its current fixture schedule where safely possible” as calls for a circuit break intensified. Leicester’s scheduled match against Tottenham was postponed just hours before kick-off on Thursday. Five more games scheduled … Read more
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp believes that stopping the Premier League will make no difference as the situation will be the same after the tournament resumes. “Stopping the league is probably not the right thing, but with the schedule, we have to be more flexible,” said Klopp, according to Sky Sports. “I don’t see the massive … Read more
PARIS: The coronavirus is once again disrupting global sport, forcing the cancellation of English Premier League matches and the scrapping of a one-day cricket series. AFP Sport looks at the state of play around the world as authorities scramble to cope with the surging pandemic. Football Five of the 10 Premier League matches scheduled for … Read more
PARIS: Last season’s beaten finalists Chelsea were sent packing from the Women’s Champions League on Thursday after a 4-0 defeat away to Wolfsburg in Germany in a dramatic final round of group games. Captain Svenja Huth and Tabea Wassmuth, the competition’s leading scorer, both scored twice as the Germans claimed the comprehensive win they needed … Read more
LONDON: The Premier League on Thursday postponed six more matches due to the wave of coronavirus infections hitting Britain, but said it intended to “continue its current fixture schedule where safely possible” as calls for a circuit break intensified. Leicester’s scheduled match against Tottenham was postponed just hours before kick-off on Thursday. Five more games … Read more
LIVERPOOL: Jurgen Klopp has ruled out a move into the transfer market to cover for the Liverpool stars set to take part in the African Nations Cup. Liverpool are set to lose the services of Egypt forward Mohamed Salah, Senegal winger Sadio Mane and Guinea midfielder Naby Keita when the tournament gets under way in Cameroon. In … Read more
LONDON: A temporary ban on owner-related sponsorship deals for Premier League clubs in the wake of a Saudi-backed takeover of Newcastle has been lifted. The block on such transactions was backed by 18 top-flight clubs in October with only Newcastle opposing and Manchester City abstaining. Abu Dhabi-owned City’s rise to be the dominant force in … Read more
LIVERPOOL: Premier League fans will be subject to vaccine passport checks to enter stadiums from Wednesday, but fears are rising over how long the English top-flight can continue in front of capacity crowds as the Omicron variant sweeps across Britain. Tottenham’s trip to Brighton and Manchester United’s visit to Brentford have been postponed due to … Read more
LONDON: Manchester United’s match at Brentford on Tuesday was postponed as the English Premier League reported a record number of Covid-19 cases, with the virus threatening to disrupt the busy Christmas fixture list. It came hours after the Old Trafford club closed their Carrington training complex because of several players and staff members testing positive for coronavirus. … Read more
Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea remain separated by just two points at the top of the Premier League after all three relied on penalties to win this weekend. Manchester United also needed a spot-kick and a man-of-the-match performance from goalkeeper David de Gea to see off lowly Norwich before becoming the latest English club to … Read more
LONDON: Steven Gerrard will be determined to give Liverpool a bloody nose on an emotional return to Anfield with Aston Villa on Saturday as the coronavirus once more casts a shadow over the Premier League. Former Liverpool midfielder Gerrard has won three of his four league matches since taking over from Dean Smith at Villa Park but faces a … Read more
Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta has urged his teammates to show an immediate response after falling off the top of the Premier League and finishing a disappointing second in their Champions League group. The European champions twice surrendered the lead in Russia on Wednesday to draw 3-3 with Zenit Saint Petersburg and end their Group H … Read more
LIVERPOOL: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta lambasted his side’s performance after Everton struck twice in the final 11 minutes to end an eight-game winless run with a 2-1 victory over the Gunners. Arteta’s men have passed up a huge opportunity to move into the Premier League’s top four after blowing the lead at Manchester United and … Read more
LIVERPOOL: As Barcelona and Spanish champions Atletico Madrid scrap for a place in the Champions League last 16 this week, the Premier League’s four participants can take it easy knowing their places in the knockout stages are already guaranteed. Read more: Barca, Atletico in danger of Champions League exit Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United … Read more
Eddie Howe has urged Newcastle to make history by recovering from their winless start to avoid relegation from the Premier League. Newcastle have gone 14 games without a victory and sit bottom of the table heading into Saturday’s match against fellow strugglers Burnley. The struggling Magpies are just the fourth team to fail to win … Read more
Borussia Dortmund legend Karl-Heinz Riedle says the Bundesliga club is ‘praying’ star striker Erling Haaland stays next season as they fend off interest from the Premier League. “We’re praying he will stay another year at Borussia Dortmund,” Riedle told international media on Friday. “It will be very difficult to keep him after this season, but … Read more
MANCHESTER: Ralf Rangnick said Friday he wanted to “balance” Manchester United by strengthening the club’s leaky defence. The 63-year-old German’s first press conference since being appointed interim manager until the end of the season following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came after United’s see-saw 3-2 win over Arsenal in the Premier League on Thursday overseen by … Read more
LONDON: Antonio Conte said Tottenham are starting to understand his philosophy after Son Heung-min’s first Premier League goal since October sealed a 2-0 win against Brentford on Thursday. A 𝗕𝗜𝗚 three points! 👏 pic.twitter.com/EtcsEdYZS6 — Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 2, 2021 Conte’s side were last in action seven days ago for an embarrassing 2-1 defeat against Slovenian … Read more
MANCHESTER: Michael Carrick exited Manchester United with a win as Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed 800 goals for club and country with a double to see off Arsenal 3-2 on Thursday. Carrick was taking charge for the final time as caretaker manager with new interim boss Ralf Rangnick watching from the stands and announced after the match he will … Read more
Thomas Tuchel admitted Chelsea rode their luck as the Premier League leaders survived a spluttering display to snatch a 2-1 win against Watford on Wednesday. Tuchel’s side were well below their best at Vicarage Road, but Hakim Ziyech bagged the 72nd minute winner to extend their unbeaten run to 12 games in all competitions. Mason … Read more
Eddie Howe says it would be “foolish” for him to promise that bottom side Newcastle will buy their way out of Premier League relegation trouble in the January transfer window. The new boss celebrated his 44th birthday on Monday by preparing his team for Tuesday’s clash with Norwich, with the club still seeking their first … Read more
LONDON: Liverpool crushed Southampton 4-0 on Saturday to put pressure on Premier League leaders Chelsea as Arsenal got back on track with a victory over Newcastle to hand Eddie Howe his first defeat as Magpies manager. Steven Gerrard made it two wins out of two as Aston Villa boss with a 2-1 win at Crystal … Read more
Ministers on Thursday backed the creation of an independent regulator for English football after it was recommended by a fan-led review of governance but one Premier League chief warned of the dangers of too much meddling. The wide-ranging exercise, chaired by former sports minister Tracey Crouch, has called for changes to ensure the long-term financial … Read more
GLASGOW: Giovanni van Bronckhorst has warned his Rangers squad that any player lacking “hunger” will find themselves working under a “tough manager”. Former Gers midfielder Van Bronckhorst was appointed in succession to Steven Gerrard following the Englishman’s move to Premier League club Aston Villa. Read more: Steven Gerrard ‘hungry’ for first match as Aston Villa … Read more
