Football

There has been a notable shift in the style of play in the Premier League this season. From possession, passing and slowly building chances to a more direct approach bolstered by set-pieces and the return of the long throw. After 210 Premier League matches this campaign, Opta recorded an average number of 873.3 passes per

What a chastening eight days for the Premier League. The Champions League round of 16 began with talk of whether all six English representatives might blitz their way into the quarterfinals, but instead four fell by the wayside and in quite brutal fashion. Newcastle United and Chelsea each gave up eight goals on aggregate; Manchester

A member of the attacking ranks at La Liga giants Barcelona was rewarded for his efforts in the club’s latest outing with the Man of the Match award. The player in question? Raphinha. Barcelona were of course back in action a short time ago, welcoming Newcastle United to the Spotify Camp Nou for the 2nd

The former striker analysed the current state of Italian football: “There are clubs that spend a lot on their first teams but very little on their youth teams” One of the favourites to win the Champions League is Bayern Munich, a team Luca Toni knows well, having played for them from 2007 to 2010, winning

Lamine Yamal continues to rewrite the record books in the UEFA Champions League, with the competition emerging as his latest stage for history-making ahead of the World Cup. The Spanish winger has now become the youngest player in the history of the tournament to reach 10 goals, prompting a natural comparison with Cristiano Ronaldo and

Barcelona’s home kit looks a little different against Newcastle United in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday evening. The Catalans come into the fixture level on aggregate after salvaging a 1–1 draw in the first leg at St James’ Park. Hansi Flick’s men were not at their best last

Former Leicester City and Manchester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has revealed that his professional career could be over after suffering a serious shoulder injury Celtic keeper Kasper Schmeichel says he may have played his final game(Image: Luca Amedeo Bizzarri) Kasper Schmeichel says he may have played his final game as a professional footballer as he

The World Cup play-off is just around the corner for Italy, and Gazzetta notes that the Azzurri must ‘beat fear’ after failing to qualify for the previous two editions. Italy will be looking to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 2014, meeting Northern Ireland in the play-off semifinal next week. Advertisement

The landscape of Barcelona has been officially settled for the next five years following a decisive presidential election on Sunday. Joan Laporta has emerged victorious, securing a powerful mandate from the club’s membership to continue his project. Advertisement The overwhelming support for the incumbent president has led to praise from all branches of Spanish football,

Get the Adam Clery Football Column. A newsletter that unpacks the absurdities and oddities of the beautiful game The ACFC newsletter: unpacking football’s absurdities Unpack football’s oddities with the ACFC newsletter The Premier League could boast seven clubs in next season’s Champions League if all the right pieces fall into place – but there is

Jamal Musiala has been one of the brightest stars in German football in the last few years. A wonderkid that come onto the scene under Hansi Flick’s time at Bayern Munich, Musiala has blossomed into a terrific player for both Die Roten and Die Mannschaft. Unfortunately, he has missed significant time since a serious injury

Sergi Dominguez arrived at Dinamo Zagreb last summer after being one of the young players Hansi Flick relied on during his first and successful season at Barcelona. The Catalan centre-back spoke with Spain Country Manager, Oliver Domínguez, about his season in Croatia and that brief but intense experience with Barca’s first team. How have your

Former Barcelona and Real Madrid midfielder Bernd Schuster has said that he could see Bayern Munich winger Luis Diaz move to La Liga. Luis Diaz’s performances for Bayern Munich have reignited conversations about where his ceiling truly lies. Advertisement The Colombian winger has been one of the most consistent attacking threats under Vincent Kompany, but

And then there were four, three of them hanging by a thread. At the Etihad Stadium, an evening that began with pyrotechnics and a light show ended with Manchester City knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid for the third consecutive season. This time it was a 5-1 aggregate defeat — and if you

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Pep Guardiola wore a lumberjack-style shirt and Real Madrid chopped Manchester City down in the Champions League once again. Who knows how many more chances Guardiola will get to win European club soccer’s greatest prize with just one season remaining on his contract and increasing speculation he could walk away at

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Bradley Barcola punished Chelsea again in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday. They both scored in a 3-0 away win that sent defending champion Paris Saint-Germain into the quarterfinals with an 8-2 aggregate win. And PSG’s victory was sealed with a clinical goal from 19-year-old Senny Mayulu, highlighting the

So much for being champions of the world. Chelsea played more like also-rans than world beaters on Tuesday night, losing 3-0 at home to Paris Saint-Germain in the return leg of their Champions League last-16 game for a staggering 8-2 defeat on aggregate. Chelsea fans proudly displayed a banner reading “Champions of the World” before

Tom HamiltonMar 17, 2026, 06:04 PM ET Close • Joined ESPN in 2011• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018 Multiple Authors LONDON — Arsenal have successfully completed two of three tasks necessary to crown this a perfect week. They

Hansi Flick is “really happy” for Barcelona to be his last job as a manager before retiring, although there is by no means a set date for him to walk away. Flick turned 61 last month and has coached and managed for 30 years, having started out as a player-manager of little-known German club Victoria

Barcelona host Newcastle United at the Camp Nou on Wednesday needing a win to keep their Champions League dreams alive in the second leg of the round of 16. A noticeably tired Barcelona side pulled off a 1–1 draw in the first leg with the final kick of the game, a positive result considering they