There have been inquests aplenty. The superstar strikers are not scoring in the copious quantities they were in the early weeks of the season. Romelu Lukaku, Alvaro Morata and Alexandre Lacazette cost the best part of £200 million between them last summer. Between the start of October and the end of Sunday, they scored a combined 14 goals in 60 club games.They may not attract much sympathy from their counterparts elsewhere, and not just because of their sizeable salaries or the quality of
UEFA's Annual Benchmarking Report, released Tuesday, confirmed what many suspected: the rich are getting richer and leaving the merely well-off far behind. This is perhaps the most stark observation from the hefty study -- it runs to 126 pages -- of top-flight club football in every league across the continent. If you're even a little bit wonk-ish, the Benchmarking Report, which is compiled from licensing, transfer and financial data, some of it accessible only to UEFA), makes a fascinating read, filled with all
Theo Walcott has completed his £20 million move to Everton, ending a 12-year stint at Arsenal in the hopes of a fresh start under Sam Allardyce.Walcott, 28, leaves the Gunners after making just six Premier League appearances for them this season, all as a substitute.'I'm very ambitious and I've come here because I want the club to push to the next level,' Walcott explained about the decision to move.'And with the players that have come in, I feel like the next level can
Chelsea's penalty win over Norwich City in their third-round replay at Stamford Bridge has earned them another FA Cup home tie, this time against Newcastle United.Cardiff City cruised past Mansfield Town to book a glamour match-up against Premier League leaders Manchester City, while Leicester's win over Fleetwood Town means they will now go to another League One side, Peterborough United. West Ham needed extra time to get past Shrewsbury Town, and will now be away to Wigan, who cruised past Premier League opponents
Antonio Conte insisted that the video assistant refereeing (VAR) system must be improved after watching his nine-man Chelsea team narrowly overcome Norwich City in a dramatic FA Cup third round replay at Stamford Bridge.Michy Batshuayi put the Blues on course for the fourth round on 55 minutes when he turned in Kenedy's low cross, but Jamal Lewis met Tom Klose's cross with a glancing header in the 94th minute to send the tie to extra-time.The VAR system, being trialled in both domestic cup
The world's most expensive player Neymar plundered four goals as Paris Saint-Germain reasserted their dominance of Ligue 1 with a 8-0 thrashing of Dijon at the Parc des Princes.It took Angel Di Maria only four minutes to light the touchpaper on a totally one-sided match in the capital and with 15 minutes gone the Argentinian had doubled PSG's lead.Six minutes later, Edinson Cavani drew level with Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the Parisians' all-time scoring charts by notching his 156th goal for the club.If Dijon
Lionel Messi missed a penalty as Barcelona's 29-match unbeaten record came to a shuddering halt at rivals Espanyol.Messi saw his spot-kick saved by Diego Lopez before Espanyol sub Oscar Melendo scored a memorable winner two minutes from time in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarterfinal.Barcelona went into the game on the back of an impressive comeback victory over Real Sociedad in La Liga and eager to extend their undefeated run to 30 games.But Melendo's late heroics secured a memorable 1-0
Inter Milan and Sevilla are interested in signing Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge this transfer window, a source has told ESPN FC.Sources have told ESPN FC that Liverpool would be open to selling Sturridge this window, but only if the offer is in line with the Merseyside club's demands.Sturridge has made just five starts in all competitions this season as he looks to earn a place in England's World Cup squad this summer.Sevilla and Inter have both registered their interest in the 28-year-old to
Liverpool midfielder Emre Can is remains a target for Juventus according to the club's general manager Beppe Marotta but a deal will not happen before the summer.Can is out of contract at the end of June and the Bianconeri are keen on making him their first summer signing.Talks with the player have taken place already and Marotta says these will now progress as they look to convince the Germany international to move to Italy.'Emre Can is a player whose contract expires on June
With an eye toward World Cup preparation, Mexico's national team will once again take the field for a friendly on January 31st. Set in San Antonio's Alamodome, an expected Liga MX-heavy roster will seek to win over manager Juan Carlos Osorio in the upcoming clash against Bosnia and Herzegovina.There's little time for countless fringe players to make a case for themselves, and with that in mind, let's take a look at the recent best and worst performances from El Tri's squad options.Warming UpHenry
There are two teams called Benfica in Lisbon. One is SL Benfica, the Portuguese champions famous around the globe. The other is CF Benfica, a tiny club established about three decades later in 1933, known locally as Fofo and totally unrelated to the Eagles.If fact, CF could claim to be the true bearers of the name, because they are actually situated in the Benfica district. It is a relatively poor area, heavily populated by immigrants, and thus CF Benfica offer an opportunity to
Borussia Dortmund coach Peter Stoger has said he assumes Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will remain at the club this month despite speculation linking him with a move to Arsenal.Sources told ESPN FC on Tuesday that Arsenal had held talks with Dortmund about the transfer of Aubameyang but, talking to Sport Bild, Stoger said 'I'd like to think that' when asked if he thought the striker would remain at the club.Stoger also said 'a lack of understanding' was behind Aubameyang's suspension from the squad for Sunday's
Liverpool fans continue to bask in the afterglow of an impressive 4-3 victory over league leaders Manchester City.Much was made of the contributions from the forwards, all receiving high praise. There were also tributes to the increasing importance of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, a player whose £40 million purchase was initially greeted with puzzlement.He was given the midfield place recently vacated by Philippe Coutinho. It'll take more than one goal and impressive performance to erase the Brazilian from everyone's memory but it was a good
Not content with being a professional footballer and a pro-standard poker player, Werder Bremen forward Max Kruse has added a third string to his bow.The 29-year-old has launched his own motor racing team called, slightly unimaginatively, Max Kruse Racing (MKR).MKR was officially launched at the beginning of January and the team have already signed their first driver in the shape of touring car star Benjamin Leuchter, a former colleague of Sebastian Vettel at junior level.As well as the hunt for podiums and championships,
Ahead of Manchester United's 3-0 win over Stoke, Jose Mourinho confirmed the reports that Henrikh Mkhitaryan may well be leaving the club in a deal that would see someone move in the opposite direction. While Mourinho repeatedly declines to talk about players contracted to another club, it was clear that the person he was referring to was Alexis Sanchez.With their best player potentially leaving for United for the second time in six years, Arsenal fans have attempted to comfort themselves by talking up
Twenty-two years ago, Manchester United lay second in the Premier League after 23 games, 12 points behind the leaders. Back in 1996, Sir Alex Ferguson's side would overhaul Newcastle United to win the title. Today, United are second, 12 points behind the leaders after 23 games. But don't start to think the impossible is possible: It's not going to happen.December was tough month for United fans and not just because of dropped league points and Carabao Cup elimination vs. Bristol City. It was
We're 23 games into the 38-game Premier League season and Pep Guardiola's Manchester City have finally been defeated. Sunday's wild 4-3 defeat at Anfield was, in truth, a much tighter game than the scoreline suggests, the goals tally boosted by a couple of defensive errors and some excellent finishing.Nevertheless, Liverpool's approach should be commended: they pressed in advanced positions to force those defensive errors at the start of the second half and City's upcoming opponents will consider this the template for causing City
Now it's official: Ronaldinho will not play any more competitive football.His older brother and agent, Assis, has announced that farewell matches and events will take place after the World Cup, but one of the most gifted players the game has ever seen will not be kicking any more balls in anger.In truth, this only makes official what everyone already knew. Ronaldinho has not been seen in competitive action for more than two years. His last serious match was a Brazilian league game for
Time is running out for Antonio Conte. The Chelsea manager has the air of a man who knows that he is in the wrong job.The Premier League champions have never looked like retaining their title and have made a bad start to 2018 with four straight draws, the last three of which have been 0-0. It's true that Conte's side are still in three cup competitions, but a feeling of staleness pervades Stamford Bridge and the 48-year-old has admitted his position is in
New York City FC forward David Villa says he will be 'working hard' to play in his fourth consecutive World Cup this summer.Spain's all-time top scorer with 59 goals in 98 games, Villa is hoping to have a strong start to the Major League Soccer season in order to win a place in Julen Lopetegui's squad for the tournament in Russia.'The only thing I can do is to give my best for New York City FC when the league starts in March,' the