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Gareth Southgate shuffled the pack and watched as his England side recovered from an early goal down to seal their place at next summer’s European Championships in Germany with a 3-1 win over Euro 2020 winners Italy. Harry Kane’s brace – sandwiched between Marcus Rashford’s mazy second-half finish – secured their passage early, as two Group C games still await next month.
Continue reading “England 3-1 Italy: Kane’s brace seals Euro 2024 qualification with comeback win”
With newly-appointed captain Reece James and vice Ben Chilwell both sidelined, England midfielder Conor Gallagher again captained the side to a 2-0 away win over their west London rivals Fulham earlier tonight – producing precisely the sort of individual showing convincing other clubs to test Chelsea’s resolve for an overly criticised player keen to breakthrough at his boyhood club. Continue reading “After rejecting summer interest aplenty, Chelsea captain tag looks good on Conor”
Currently serving an eight-month ban for breaching the FA’s betting regulations, Brentford’s talismanic forward Ivan Toney will see his suspension end in the middle of January. That’s opportune timing for a mid-season switch to a London rival, with both reportedly open to making bids in excess of £50m for a 27-year-old English striker undoubtedly itching to make up for lost time. Continue reading “Chelsea and Arsenal linked with January move, as Toney exit talk intensifies again”
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich were said to be flirting with the fullback all summer long, but Manchester City’s Kyle Walker says his desire to complete another treble-winning season – like their unprecedented 2022-23 campaign – is why he rejected their advances to extend his stay at Eastlands, until 2026.
Continue reading “Bayern target Walker: Repeating treble-winning success was key in City extension”
His Crystal Palace teammates were said to be in tears after an abrupt training ground injury – rupturing his Achilles – left him sidelined for several months on the same day he was part of England’s Euro 2020 provisional squad. Two years on, he could make his senior debut this weekend, and it’s another timely reminder how important patience is as far as long-term goals are concerned. Continue reading “As first England cap awaits, Eze shows value of patience after untimely setbacks”
For all the talk of focusing on defending against the brilliance of Kylian Mbappe, it was France’s all-time top goalscorer Olivier Giroud – who spent nine years playing in England’s top-tier – delivering the final blow as Gareth Southgate’s men showed spirit but ultimately crashed out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage with a jarring 2-1 defeat by the defending champions. Continue reading “France 2-1 England: Giroud the matchwinner as Kane’s penalty miss sends Southgate’s men out”
Gareth Southgate insisted afterwards that he’s not unhappy and expected a tight game given the strength of their American opponents. His players were frustrated post-match, but can only blame themselves for a ponderous and unsettling display as they – like the Netherlands three hours earlier – failed to secure the World Cup’s first last-16 berth with a group game to spare.
Continue reading “World Cup 2022 – England 0-0 USA: Berhalter’s boys expose Three Lions in anti-climactic stalemate”
Although he’s struggled for regular minutes and consistency at club level with Chelsea, Christian Pulisic still represents the US’ big hope – alongside Gio Reyna and Brenden Aaronson – to surprise their critics and exceed expectations in Qatar, having failed to qualify altogether four years ago. Will they progress from a tough Group B which features England and Wales? Continue reading “World Cup 2022: Pulisic excited, determined to change the way the world sees US soccer”
After forcing his way into the England squad by shining on-loan at Crystal Palace last term, Conor Gallagher wants to make Chelsea an undisputed home once and for all. As the Blues’ pre-season campaign gets underway Stateside, now the 22-year-old has the licence to do it.
Continue reading “Conor Gallagher and the task of emulating talented academy products before him”
Per reports, West Ham’s talismanic midfielder Declan Rice has a gentleman’s agreement with the club to stay for the 22-23 season before leaving next summer – where he’ll have 12 months remaining on his contract and more of Europe’s suitors will undoubtedly circle for his signature. Continue reading “Reports: Declan Rice has ‘gentleman’s agreement’ to leave West Ham in summer of 2023”
Ian Foster’s men topped Group B with three wins, seven goals scored and none conceded – finishing with a 1-0 victory over second-placed Israel on Saturday evening. Up next for them is the Italians on Tuesday afternoon in the tournament’s semi-finals, but will they hold firm again? Continue reading “U19 Euros: After flawless group stage campaign, tougher tests now await English teens”
Gareth Southgate’s two-year extension announcement means, if all goes well, he’ll remain England manager until December 2024 – occupying the position for more than eight years, being their longest head coach since Bobby Robson. They’ve progressed considerably under his guidance and yet there remains an unwavering feeling he’s taken them as far as he can. Continue reading “Gareth Southgate’s contract extension felt inevitable, but is no less divisive”
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