Czech Republic manager Miroslav Koubek has taken issue with how his comment last month about Ireland playing “island football” was interpreted by some as claiming the Irish team had a “primitive” approach to the game. “I never said ‘primitive’. Please don’t put words in my mouth,” Koubek said in reply to an Irish journalist’s question … Read more
A proper big weekend, this one. We’re very excited. Arsenal can either take a big step towards the quadruple, or see the whole thing go up in smoke altogether should Pep Guardiola get his hands on another trophy after what has for him been an alarmingly long wait. But the Premier League won’t give up … Read more
Between the defeatist messaging of Unai Emery and the record-breaking misery of Oliver Glasner, the Man Utd manager race is thinning out. But the story of the weekend was Arsenal taking a gargantuan step towards the Premier League title after a Manchester City slip. And there was movement at the bottom too, even just in … Read more
For the Tottenham Hotspur fans looking for comfort today, we bring good news: Lincoln is lovely in winter… For that is where Spurs are heading. How do we know? Aside from believing what our eyes are telling us, we’ve also done the relegation maths. And not only are they going down. Unless Igor Tudor – … Read more
Arsenal dodged a comical banana skin in Spurs, Erling Haaland cooked for once, Arne Slot settled an old score and Oliver Glasner deeply hates his life. There are also words of varying degrees of kindness for Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Tony Bloom and Brentford. Refresh your minds with a look at the Premier League table after the … Read more
It’s FA Cup fourth-round weekend! Let’s get excited! Always a tricky weekend, is FA Cup fourth-round weekend. Tends to feel a bit betwixt and between, neither nowt nor summat. Lacking both the magical all-things-are-possible wonderment of third-round weekend and the glory-in-our-sights potential of the later rounds, while still having the nerve and temerity to force … Read more
Welcome to Row Z, The Athletic’s weekly column that shines a light on the bonkers side of the game. From clubs to managers, players to organisations, every week we’ll bring you the absurdities, the greed, the contradictions, the preposterousness and the oddities of the sport we all love… Siu or… sue? Ronaldo, Saudi and a morality … Read more
Arne Slot, Oliver Glasner and Thomas Frank will surely all be out of work soon, while Manchester United and West Ham being sensible does not feel right. It was quite the Premier League weekend, with a single draw – which ultimately feels like a defeat for one of those teams – allowing for plenty of … Read more
‘Jealous’ Roy Keane and other Manchester United legends are slammed in the Mailbox, while Arne Slot will be ‘gone’ from Liverpool soon. There are also takes on Viktor Gyokeres, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace… Send your thoughts to [email protected]. Slot on the brink… The recent unbeaten run whilst largely unremarkable is proof that the … Read more
Two Liverpool whispers are ranked in the top three for probability, while one Arsenal striker link is marginally ahead of the other… With so much transfer talk doing the rounds, we’re here through the summer to sift through the bullsh*t and highlight the whispers that might have some substance. Each day we’re ranking the top … Read more