Category: English Premier League

Manager insists club ‘belongs in the Premier League’ and has been building a taller, tougher side to keep them there

The trampoline man. It sounds like a promising title for a novel, film or even a song but it is a label Daniel Farke remains desperate to avoid. To the Leeds head coach, the term “trampoline manager” carries no hint of glamour, let alone romance.

Farke knows that, after winning three promotions to the Premier League, the first two with Norwich, and enduring two immediate relegations, he could do without his latest bounce into the big time prefacing a swift tumble back to the Championship. No matter that there are persuasive mitigating factors for those two relegations with Norwich – mainly involving a severe shortage of money. Mud sticks.

Continue reading...

Kyle Walker has World Cup in his sights, Nottingham Forest remain potent in attack and James Trafford delights the Manchester City fans

It has been a constant in the last two seasons: Manchester United are doing OK in a game, resembling something approaching a football team, then out of nowhere all their good work is ruined by goalkeeping incompetence somehow predictable and unpredictable. And that was exactly what happened against Arsenal, United starting fairly well, only to concede a corner and fall behind in inexcusably soft circumstances. Usually, André Onana is the man responsible, but in his absence, Altay Bayindir seized the mantle with alacrity. We can be absolutely certain that Ruben Amorim has already told his bosses he must have a new keeper and, though they have already spent heavily, the position must be addressed as a matter of urgency because if it is not, this will continue happening and they might soon be facing questions about whether a new manager is necessary. It is pointless building a swish new house only for the owners to knowingly leave the back door open, get burgled and sack the builder. Daniel Harris

Match report: Manchester United 0-1 Arsenal

Match report: Nottingham Forest 3-1 Brentford

Match report: Chelsea 0-0 Crystal Palace

Match report: Brighton 1-1 Fulham

Continue reading...

Riccardo Calafiori punished an error from Altay Bayindir to give Arsenal victory against a lively Man Utd

We’re at home and we want to get three points. We know that everything is not going to change in four weeks but we have made steps that are really important for the future.

[On Benjamin Sesko’s role as substitute] We picked the starting XI thinking also about the end of the game, so we need to balance that. Ben had a very good week but it’s just one week. We have to remember that there’s a lot of emotion – changing countries, culture, working with new people. The first impression is really important so let the guy settle down. He’s ready to help us in the game.

I’m very excited about the season. We start with a great opportunity at Old Trafford. I know what this game will demand but I’m very excited about what’s coming. What a place to play the first game; we’re ready for it.

[On Viktor Gyokeres] Goals are his main quality. He brings a fear factor as well – it’s not just his ability to put the ball in the back of the net but the feeling he creates in the opposition.

Continue reading...

Blazing sunshine and a busy new marquee serving craft ale behind the Stretford End: ­Manchester United began in a shiny new world and finished in the gloom of another defeat.

First look at Altay Bayindir’s howler that handed Riccardo ­Calafiori an easy header. But then zoom out and you see this: a ­crisis at No 1 for United that features Ruben Amorim going all summer not ­fancying André Onana and still turning up for the season opener without a high-end replacement. Result: Bayindir’s ricket.

Continue reading...

Eberechi Eze had a goal disallowed in what might be his final game for Palace, who defended superbly and restricted Chelsea to few goalscoring opportunities

So what of Eze? Taking the money out of it for a second, part of me wonders why he’s leaving. If he was going to one of the top clubs to challenge for the big pots, fair enough. But at Spurs, he’ll get one season of Champions League, probably no more, and perhaps a Cup run, whereas if he stays, he could become Palace’s greatest player. If he was three years younger, fair enough, he could go to Tottenham then leave, but at 27, this is it for him, and I’m not sure what he’s getting beats what he’s leaving.

Otherwise, a general rule of thumb is that to win the title, a team needs three or four players who are among the best around, I don’t see that at Chelsea, who have lots of good players but not many – if any – special ones. Of course, they have several who can grow into that, I just can’t see them having more points than everyone else after 38 games, even without the summer workload.

Continue reading...

• Latest news from Premier League opening weekend

• Get in touch! Share your thoughts in an email to John

So, what are you doing on this first Super Sunday? Travel plans? Off to the Bridge, to the City Ground, to OT? Riding the road to hell? Watching on an iPad as you cruise down the Limpopo river? Braving Avanti? Do let us know.

The Premier League is back, and pre-season predictions are already out of the window. Liverpool can’t defend, Manchester City are champions, West Ham and Wolves are relegated, Regis Le Bris is the new Bob Stokoe. So why not do it all over again on Super Sunday?

Continue reading...

Tijjani Reijnders announced himself to the Premier League with a goal, an assist, and a glorious dinked pass in the build-up to the opener. Not a bad debut, all told

4 min: City have settled quickly. They’re already dominating possession. Bobb slips Reijnders into space on the right but the £34m signing from Milan runs the ball out for a goal kick.

2 min: Doku scampers down the left and crosses deep. Haaland is lurking, so Moller Wolfe is taking no chances, and heads behind for the first corner of the match. Silva swings it in, but it’s cleared easily enough.

Continue reading...

Richarlison scored twice, including a stunning volley, Fulham equalised in added time and Sunderland roared to victory

GOAL! Wrexham 1-2 West Brom (Wallace 74)

Jed Wallace has given West Brom the lead at the STōK Cae Ras, splashing a shot past Wrexham keeper Danny Ward at the near post.

Continue reading...

Newcastle United missed the pick of the chances while Ezri Konsa took a red card for his Villa team as the side played out a reasonably entertaining stalemate

Sandro Tonali: Newcastle’s Italian midfielder looks fighting fit and in a very good mood as he makes his way back to the dressing-room following his warm-up having a laugh and a joke with Tino Livramento. En route to the tunnel, he goes out of his way to high five several young Villa fans.

Some correspondence: “As a previously pessimistic Toon fan, our starting XI looks very balanced, steady at the back and middle and hopefully enterprising enough up front without Isak,” writes Jeremy Keady. “Not sure about our depth for today or indeed the coming months, but a point here would be great, considering our next match (Liverpool at home) and tricky first six matches (Villa, Liverpool, Leeds away, Wolves at home, Bournemouth away and Arsenal at home).”

Continue reading...

A heartfelt tribute to Diogo Jota, a wonderfully exciting topsy-turvy six-goal thriller between two front-foot teams … and some thoroughly depressing racial abuse directed at Antoine Semenyo

More from Iraola, this time on the £57m exit of centre-back Illia Zabarnyi … “It is difficult when someone like PSG, winning the Champions League, comes for one of your players … I knew it was going to happen … I am very happy for him but it will be a big miss.”

… and his replacement Bafode Diakite, a £34m capture from Lille just a couple of days ago … “He is a great defender … it is probably risky to start him away here! … but he has experience in the Champions League … he will know the atmosphere … it will be a big test for him because he doesn’t have connections, the things you need with a team-mate … but we trust the player and hope he performs well.”

Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!

Will Liverpool canter to another title? Have Manchester City rediscovered their mojo? Have Arsenal finally found the missing pieces of the jigsaw? Will Chelsea’s midsummer Copa Gianni endeavours catch up with them? Can any or all of the three promoted sides make a decent fist of not going straight back down this time? Will Fulham finish 11th or 12th? How adverse an effect will being the father of twins going through the terrible twos have on the form of Jarrod Bowen? Some early clues to the answers of these and many other questions will be provided this weekend as the latest beautifully packaged model of the Premier League rolls off the assembly line, kicking off with tonight’s ding-dong between Liverpool and what’s left of a Bournemouth carcass that has been feasted upon by a wake of vultures during the transfer window. A club so resilient and resourceful that at one point they exhibited the massed ranks of their lame and halt David Blaine-style in a perspex box at the Vitality Stadium, Andoni Iraola’s side will almost certainly be just fine.

This season you want to make sure that you don’t lose those stupid points. There were a few games where we analysed them back and said to ourselves: ‘This can’t happen’” – Youri Tielemans gets his chat on with Ben Fisher, and reveals how Aston Villa have done the research and will be higher up the table if they cut down on daft mistakes.

Continue reading...

Thomas Frank takes charge of his first Spurs league match against Burnley while Arsenal travel to Manchester United

Saturday 12.30pm TNT Sports 1 Venue Villa Park

Continue reading...

Vítor Pereira’s side may at best stand still but hopes are high some of their youthful talent could change the picture

Guardian writers’ predicted position: 16th (NB: this is not necessarily Ben Fisher’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 16th

Continue reading...

• German has to stay fit like Salah, says Slot

• Giovanni Leoni moves summer spend past £300m

Arne Slot has said Florian Wirtz must reach the standards set by Mohamed Salah to realise Liverpool’s ­expectations of their new record signing.

Wirtz will make his Premier League debut when the champions open the season at home to Bournemouth on Friday. Slot said the Germany international’s “adjustment went better than expected, and we already expected a lot”, but admitted a more accurate gauge would take time.

Continue reading...

Clubs are spending like there is no tomorrow but the title looks to be between Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea

And I heard, as it were, a sound of thunder. I heard multitudes marching to the big kettle drum. Not to mention, it should be said, even larger multitudes talking on the wicked and unholy internet about agent sightings, failed here-we-gos and the Alexander Isak wheel of global conspiracy.

Let he that hath understanding count the number! Because, let’s face it, it really is an absolute beast of a number, 215 live Premier League games on Sky Sports alone, an endless rolling debauchery of games, of graphics that go whoosh, of arguments by the lighted dias.

Continue reading...