Last January Chelsea signed David Luiz from Benfica, and 12 months later they are still waiting for him to show signs of adapting to the rigours of Premier League football. Ramires, who Chelsea signed from Benfica in the preceding transfer window, has become the driving force behind Chelsea’s midfield, yet Luiz appears as naive and ill-equipped as ever.
There have been plenty of highlights, although most have occurred in the oppositi...More
When watching Gareth Bale in full flow, it seems bizarre that a couple of years ago he was a figure of fun, 24 Premier League games without a win at Tottenham and more concerned with his hair than troubling the opposition’s right flank. The reigning PFA Player’s Player of the Year is still only 22 and Spurs are now believed to value Bale at £150m. They will hope that his astronomical price tag acts as a deterrent to Europe’s biggest clu...More
Manchester City claimed a dramatic 3-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur to put themselves eight points clear of the title-chasing visitors. Although much of the post-match coverage has been centred around the performance of Mario Balotelli, another recently criticised City player seized the opportunity to emerge as a key performer in a crucial result for the league leaders.
Samir Nasri went into the clash still looking to fully establi...More
Teams from Group D finally get there tournament underway today with one of the favourites Ghana taking debutants Botswana and a derby between Mali and Guinea.
Ghana coach believes this opening fixture is as important as the final, saying: “We know our quality and for the first game we want to send a message to the other teams we are the team to beat”. If The Black Stars were in any doubt about expectations, these were dispelled by Gh...More
In a period of success born midway through the 1980s, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish delivered three first division titles in six years, but in this, his second tenure, the narrative seems less prestigious. Their latest defeat at the hands of Bolton Wanderers not only brought an incensed post-match reaction from the Scot, but also from supporters who are starting to scrutinize their esteemed manager.
With the latter’s two most imm...More
Group C of Africa Cup of Nations 2012 gets underway on Monday with co-hosts Gabon meeting Niger while North African heavyweights Morocco and Tunisia also face-off. With only three group games in which to confirm passage to the next stage, a winning start could make or break each nation’s future.
For Gabon, having fallen at the first hurdle two years ago, a repeat performance on their own turf would be the ultimate disappointment. And...More
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