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Champions League

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11 sourcesAl JazeeraThe Guardian
15 Sept

Are Manchester United as poor as the early Premier League table suggests?

Michael Carrick’s side are 13th in the table after four games but, City mitigation aside, several areas need attention Manchester United are 13th in the Premier League, having taken four points from their first four games: a 2-0 defeat at Hull, 5-2 win against Ipswich, 2-2 draw at Everton and the 1-0 defeat by Manchester City on Sunday. Mitigation regarding the City reverse can be found in the derby coming three days after the Champions League win against Sabah on Thursday, with Enzo Maresca’s side having 48 hours more rest after winning at Porto. So are United, who host Brighton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday before visiting Fulham in the league on Sunday, as poor as the table suggests? Continue reading...

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21 sources11 Sept

First-half treble powers Aston Villa to Champions League win at Club Brugge

11 sources11 Sept

Europe's next great coach? How Fabregas led Como into Champions League

3 sources10 Sept

Man Utd put four past Sabah on Champions League return

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Chelsea have entered the realm of late-stage American sports capitalism | Leander Schaerlaeckens

The Blues’ lack of success was no impediment to Todd Boehly and Mark Walter recouping profits from the club’s sale. That’s how things work in the US Here follows a list of the things accomplished at Chelsea Football Club during a time that historians may choose to grandly term the First Clearlake Era, or perhaps the Boehly Bungle. Since the May 2022 purchase of the club from the sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, when Todd Boehly took over the club’s daily operations, Chelsea – Premier League champions as recently as 2017 and 2015, and Champions League winners in 2021 – have placed 12th, sixth, fourth and 10th in the league. A credible title challenge. Qualifying for European competition in two of four seasons, which ought to be the rock-bottom minimum for a club of Chelsea’s means. Building a new and larger stadium, even though one was mooted . Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Leander Schaerlaeckens33m ago

Mariona Caldentey penalty provides late WCL relief for Arsenal against Køge

Mariona Caldentey’s 93rd-minute penalty delivered a win and a hefty dose of relief to fans bouncing behind the goal in the North Bank after the ball hit the back of the net, but Arsenal’s narrow defeat of HB Køge in their Champions League opener left more questions unanswered than answered for the struggling Gunners. Manager Renée Slegers’ puffed cheeks said it all when the full-time whistle went. If it had been revealed on the final whistle that a forcefield surrounded the opposition goal at Meadow Park, many would have believed it, such was the extent of Arsenal’s ridiculous profligacy in front of goal in their League Phase opener. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Suzanne Wrack at Mangata Developments Stadium16h ago
  • critical toward Arsenal · 99%

Europa League roundup: Ferencvaros pile more misery on troubled Celtic

Hoops beaten again after chastening loss to Rangers Juventus hammer NEC, Besiktas pile woe on Marseille Celtic suffered another European embarrassment as the Scottish champions were beaten 3-1 at home by Ferencvaros in the Europa League. Just weeks on from crashing out of the Champions League qualifiers to Austrian side Lask, despite at one point holding a four-goal lead, Celtic’s defensive flaws were exposed once more. Martin O’Neill’s team also suffered a chastening 3-0 defeat to rivals Rangers last weekend and failed to deliver on their manager’s promise to respond. Bamidele Yusuf opened the scoring for the visitors before Mika Baur equalised late in the first half. However Kristoffer Zachariassen quickly put Ferencvaros back in front before Daniel Arzani’s sensational strike, on his return to Celtic Park, capped a fine night for Ferencvaros. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Agencies17 Sept

Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

Controversy rules the Manchester derby, Coventry get dunked on and Tottenham still can’t score a goal The 199th Manchester derby was defined by two controversial refereeing decisions: Phil Foden’s first-half red card for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes, and the VAR intervention to award Erling Haaland’s winning goal despite Enzo Fernández appearing to interfere with play from an offside position. In both cases, a healthy dose of common sense might have led to a different outcome – and Pro Ref later admitted that Haaland’s goal should not have stood. Still, it’s tough to argue that the final result was harsh on United. Foden’s dismissal gave the hosts a huge opportunity they failed to take, their best chance falling to Bryan Mbeumo in stoppage time. Michael Carrick began his reign with a 2-0 home derby win against 11 men in January, so this felt like a backwards step for the manager, unable to find a way to control the game. Carrick also bemoaned City’s two days of extra rest after Champions League games this week – but chose to keep Fernandes and others on for 90 minutes in the 4-0 stroll past Sabah. United’s next two league games are away at Fulham and at home to Spurs. Carrick will need to be smarter to stop an early-season wobble becoming something more serious. Niall McVeigh Match report: Manchester United 0-1 Manchester City Match report: Coventry 0-5 Brighton Match report: Sunderland 0-2 Arsenal Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Guardian sport14 Sept

Igor Jesus and Liam Delap strike for Forest to deepen Aston Villa’s league woes

This summer there were a couple of significant pieces of the puzzle for Oliver Glasner to put into place at Nottingham Forest. The first was a mobile striker to lead the line, and the other was a wing-back to fit his favoured 3-4-3 system. Enter Liam Delap and Daniel Munoz, both of whom had a big say in Forest’s first win of the season, though the match-winner was one of the old guard in Igor Jesus. Delap registered his first Forest goal in style, a powerful shot from 25 yards and Munoz was involved in the slick move that saw Igor Jesus read Morgan Gibbs-White’s exquisite backheel to defeat Aston Villa, who remain winless in the Premier League. Unai Emery hoped a Champions League victory at Club Brugge on Tuesday would be the catalyst to ignite their Premier League campaign but Igor Jesus clinched victory late on, after Alysson, a half-time substitute, headed in the equaliser. Emery introduced Ibrahim Mbaye and Johan Manzambi for their Villa debuts just after the hour but it was Forest’s £45m record signing Delap who ended the game victorious, this a typically boisterous display from the former Chelsea striker. Glasner tried to sign Delap for Crystal Palace last summer and finally has his man. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Ben Fisher at Villa Park12 Sept