ESPN FC’s Steve Nicol details how Marcus Rashford has transformed into the most important piece of the puzzle at Manchester United. Former Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur striker Dimitar Berbatov announced his retirement from football on Thursday, 18 months after leaving India’s Kerala Blasters, bringing an end to a glittering 20-year career. The 38-year-old, Bulgaria’s
Clubs
ESPN’s Alexis Nunes and Julien Laurens discuss the factors that will make or break Liverpool’s Premier League title hopes. Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola insists he will continue to back his players after they believed in him during his first season in charge. Former Liverpool star Steve Nicol says Manchester City have no choice but to
Former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol explains why Andrew Robertson was guilty of a foul for his challenge on Napoli’s Jose Callejon. Virgil van Dijk insists there will be no hangover from Liverpool’s Champions League defeat to Napoli as there is no reason for panic following their first loss of the season. The champions of Europe
Shaka Hislop presents his weekly power rankings and is given quite a bit of stick by the FC guys for how he ordered the top 10. Philippe Coutinho is tasked with naming his favourite player, his top games and goals after completing his move to Bayern Munich. Philippe Coutinho explains how his chats with Thiago
5:32 PM ET Christian Pulisic watched from the bench as Valencia gatecrashed Frank Lampard‘s managerial bow in the Champions League by earning a morale-boosting 1-0 win at Chelsea on Tuesday after Ross Barkley spurned a chance to equalise by missing the target from the penalty spot. – Champions League group stage: All you need to
ESPN FC’s Julien Laurens weighs in on 16-year-old Ansu Fati’s impact at Barcelona so far with two goals in his first three matches. Barcelona forward Ansu Fati wants to represent Spain and will do so in next month’s Under-17 World Cup provided the paperwork arrives on time, coach David Gordo has said. Ansu, 16, who became
David Luiz made a typical error late on in Sunday’s game to give Watford their equalizer. Arsenal failed to get back to winning ways in the Premier League as they surrendered a two-goal advantage to draw 2-2 with Watford at Vicarage Road. target=”_blank”>Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice in the first 45 minutes to heap the pressure
4:52 PM ET Angel Di Maria was the star of the show in Paris. IAN LANGSDON/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Angel Di Maria scored a first-half brace against his former team as Paris Saint-Germain comfortably beat a listless Real Madrid 2-0 in their Champions League Group A opener in Paris on Wednesday. In the absence of the formidable trio of
Ale Moreno feels Atletico Madrid vs. Juventus will be the key UCL fixture from matchday 1 given Cristiano Ronaldo’s dominance vs. Atleti. Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo has said he deserves to end his career with more Ballon d’Or awards than Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and hopes to establish himself as the greatest player of all time.
4:54 PM ET Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund played to a draw in their Group F opener. Getty Lionel Messi made his season debut and Mar-Andre ter Stegen saved a penalty as Barcelona drew 0-0 at Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League Group F opener on Tuesday. – Champions League group stage: All you need to know–
Craig Burley slams Maurizio Sarri for blaming the temperature in Florence for Juventus’ lacklustre draw against Fiorentina. Juventus’ Gonzalo Higuain reacted furiously to being shown up in a training drill, by kicking the coach and taking his anger out on an advertisement board. Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has called Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo a
This should be about the game. About a club, Paris Saint-Germain, taking yet another crack at winning the biggest prize in club football after three straight seasons of controversial exits by wafer-thin margins. And their visitors Real Madrid, the game’s ultimate blue-bloods, halfway in rebuild mode as they pursue their 14th European Cup as an
Craig Burley says Zlatan Ibrahimovic reminds him of Ruud Gullit late in his career and lays out how Zlatan would fare if he returned to Europe. Marcus Rashford converted an early penalty to help a depleted Manchester United side fend off Leicester City at Old Trafford. Alejandro Moreno feels the current version of Manchester United
Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola insists he will continue to back his players after they believed in him during his first season in charge. ESPN’s Alexis Nunes and Julien Laurens discuss the factors that will make or break Liverpool’s Premier League title hopes. Steve Nicol explains why Manchester City’s defence is likely to cost them more
Andrew Robertson’s silly penalty led to Liverpool’s loss at Napoli. European champions Liverpool were unable to get their Champions League campaign off to a bright start as they fell to a 2-0 loss at Napoli on Tuesday. Dries Mertens scored from the penalty spot following a poor Andrew Robertson challenge, with Fernando Llorente sealing the
There’s lots to talk about in this week’s Monday Musings following a wild weekend. Gab Marcotti is here to recap the big stories around soccer. Jump to: No crisis yet for Man City | End of Bayern’s dominance? | Fati masks Barca’s issues | Juventus get lucky | Neymar gets rude welcome | Arsenal woe
ESPN FC’s Alejandro Moreno joins Ross Dyer to react to Chelsea’s thumping 5-2 win at Wolves which included a hat trick from Tammy Abraham. Brian McBride feels Mason Mount’s time with Frank Lampard at Derby has given him an early advantage over Christian Pulisic. Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount speaks to the media ahead of England’s
ESPN FC’s Julien Laurens weighs in on 16-year-old Ansu Fati’s impact at Barcelona so far with two goals in his first three matches. Lionel Messi is in Barcelona’s squad to face Dortmund despite missing the first four matches in La Liga. Should Ernesto Valverde risk playing him? Exactly a year ago Wednesday, on Sept. 18,
Roberto Pereyra’s converted penalty brought Watford back from their two-goal deficit, to force a 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Vicarage Road. Shaka Hislop slams Unai Emery for his lack of leadership and Arsenal for their calamitous play out of the back in their draw against Watford. The Toe Poke Daily is here every day to
Alejandro Moreno feels the current version of Manchester United can only grind out wins and doesn’t intimidate other Premier League sides. The Premier League transfer window has closed, but the rest of Europe remains open for business until Monday. Plus, it’s never too late to look forward to January! Click here to view the latest