Author: Football Fanatix
Florian Wirtz v Martin Ødegaard: what the first 55 games really tell us
Jamie Carragher is entitled to ask why Florian Wirtz is not doing more for Liverpool. The harder question is whether 55 appearances are enough to decide how much more he can give. That distinction matters in the debate following Liverpool’s 1-0 win at Bournemouth. Wirtz’s performance prompted another pointed assessment from Carragher, while a comparison with Martin Ødegaard’s first 55 Arsenal appe...
Why Premier League spending means little without a clear identity
Money buys better players. It buys depth, options and, increasingly in the Premier League, the ability to correct an expensive mistake by making another expensive signing. What it does not automatically buy is a team. That distinction has been difficult to ignore over the opening weeks of the Premier League season. Brighton dismantled champions Arsenal 3-0 on Saturday. Brentford beat Chelsea by th...
Five things the Premier League weekend told us before the international break
Five games are nowhere near enough to define a Premier League season, but they are enough for the first assumptions of August to begin colliding with reality. The opening phase of the campaign ended with Manchester City alone at the top, Arsenal’s perfect league record gone and several clubs already performing rather differently from pre-season expectations. There is plenty of time for all o...
Fulham 1-1 Manchester United: Cunha rescues late point at Craven Cottage
Matheus Cunha rescued Manchester United with an 89th-minute equaliser as Michael Carrick’s side escaped Craven Cottage with a 1-1 draw against Fulham. Lisandro Martínez’s own goal had put Fulham ahead midway through the second half and Álvaro Arbeloa’s side were within minutes of their first Premier League victory of the season. But Cunha’s speculative effort took a heavy d...
Bournemouth 0-1 Liverpool: Isak delivers as Reds grind out valuable win
Alexander Isak scored the only goal as Liverpool battled to a 1-0 Premier League victory over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. The Sweden striker struck in the 57th minute after Cody Gakpo created the opening down the right, giving Andoni Iraola a winning return to his former club and Liverpool three valuable points before the international break. It was not Liverpool at their most fluent. Bou...
Coventry’s first Premier League win in 25 years means more than three points
For Coventry City, this was never going to feel like an ordinary three points. Jay Dasilva’s second-half goal at Nottingham Forest gave the Sky Blues a 1-0 victory and their first Premier League win in 25 years. It also brought their first goal and first points since returning to the top flight this summer. After four league defeats and a difficult introduction to life back among EnglandR...
Brighton 3-0 Arsenal: Seagulls stun champions to end perfect Premier League start
Brighton marked their 125th anniversary with one of their finest recent Premier League performances, dismantling champions Arsenal 3-0 at the Amex and ending the visitors’ perfect start to the league season. Pascal Gross and Charalampos Kostoulas struck before half-time before Chema Andrés added a third early in the second half. By the end, Arsenal could have few complaints about either the result...
Chelsea’s 21-game clean-sheet drought is the real warning from Brentford defeat
Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat at Brentford provided a striking start to the Premier League weekend, but the scoreline itself may not be the most significant part of the story. For long periods at the Gtech Community Stadium, Chelsea had plenty of the ball without looking particularly likely to make it count. By the end, Brentford had exposed familiar weaknesses at the other end and turned a tight contest i...
Chelsea and Manchester City teams confirmed for FA Cup final
Chelsea and Manchester City have named their teams for this afternoon’s FA Cup final at Wembley, with both managers making major calls for the showpiece. Pep Guardiola brings Rodri back into the Manchester City midfield, while Erling Haaland returns to lead the line after being rested in midweek. Omar Marmoush is also handed a start in attack, with Rayan Cherki left out of the XI. For Chelsea, Rob...
Confirmed: Manchester City and Chelsea teams
Manchester City team: Ederson, Nunes, Khusanov, Akanji, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Gundogan, Bernardo, Marmoush, Foden, Haaland Subs: Ortega Moreno, Stones, Grealish, De Bruyne, Reis, Savinho, O’Reilly, Lewis, McAtee Chelsea team: Sanchez, James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Enzo, Madueke, Palmer Sancho, Jackson Subs: Jorgensen, Disasi, Acheampong, Tosin, Gusto, Dewsbury-Hall, Neto, Nkun...
Confirmed: Leicester and Manchester City teams
Leicester team: Stolarczyk, Justin, Coady, Vestergaard, Kristiansen, Winks, Soumare, El Khannouss, Mavididi, Buonanotte, Vardy. Subs: Iversen, Okoli, Wilson-Brown, Thomas, Skipp, Choudhury, De Cordova-Reid, Alves; Daka. Manchester City team: Moreno, Lewis, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol, Kovacic, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Savinho, Foden; Haaland. Subs: Carson, Walker, Grealish, Doku, Gundogan, Simpson-Pusey, Mu...
Confirmed: Brighton vs Manchester City teams
Brighton team: Verbruggen; Veltman, Van Hecke, Julio, Estupinan; Hinshelwood, Ayari, Rutter; Adingra, Welbeck, Mitoma Subs: Steele, Gruda, Pedro, Enciso, Moder, Baleba, Wieffer, Ferguson, O’Riley Manchester City team: Ederson; Walker, Simpson-Pusey, Gvardiol, Lewis; Kovacic, Gundogan, Nunes; Savinho, Haaland, Foden Subs: Ortega, Ake, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Akanji, Wright, O’Reilly, McAte...