Come August, there are always a few clubs that capture the imagination with their audacious summer spending before inevitably collapsing by October. Usually this is Everton.
The return of a club legend, the signing of a highly touted prodigy or a loan move for a big-name player whose career has stalled (or preferably all three in one window) are the usual fixings for getting way too hyped before the start of a new campaign.
On Tuesday, England's 33-man preliminary squad was reduced to its final 26 members for the upcoming Euro 2020 tournament.
The likes of Jesse Lingard, James Ward-Prowse and Ollie Watkins were cut, while Manchester United's Mason Greenwood withdrew due to injury:
England's final 26-man squad, with the following seven missing out...
Aaron Ramsdale
Ben White
Ben Godfrey
James Ward-Prowse
Jesse Lingard
Ollie Watkins
Mason GreenwoodCorrect decisions?
LONDON — Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold earned a recall in a 33-man provisional England squad for Euro 2020 on Tuesday as manager Gareth Southgate played for time before whittling the numbers down.
The right-back was dropped in March for World Cup qualifiers but he made the cut in a squad that will be reduced to 26 players ahead of a June 1 UEFA deadline.
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith was understandably furious when he discovered that news of Jack Grealish's training ground injury had leaked online.
With soccer tactics constantly changing, certain types of players are not always accommodated.
Roles like the libero, trequartista, striker partnerships and burly center backs have become, or are quickly becoming, outdated in modern football. Other roles like ball-playing goalkeepers, false nines and wingers that cut inside onto their stronger foot have become very trendy.
This often leaves current players wishing they had played in a previous decade and former players wishing their career had started a little later. Ah, what could have been.
Sam Kerr signed with Chelsea in November of 2019. She’s yet to lose a league match with the Blues.
Kerr scored the opener as Chelsea eased past Aston Villa 4-0 on Tuesday. The win moved the Blues’ unbeaten streak in FA Women’s Super League action to 32, setting a new record and breaking a tie with Manchester City.
32 games unbeaten in the #BarclaysFAWSL.
Manchester City’s first goal in its 2-0 Premier League victory against Aston Villa on Wednesday will go down as one of the most controversial goals of the season.
A goal had yet to be scored heading into the final 11 minutes of normal time. Controversy struck when a City player headed the ball up the field to no one in particular. The only City player nearby was Rodri standing in an obvious offside position.
With the Premier League season nearly half over, this current lull in matches is the perfect time to look back at the campaign so far.
We've all been following the matches and have a general idea about where each team sits in the league table, so the next logical step is to dive deeper into the analytical side of the Premier League and examine the expected goals league table.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær's Manchester United has the opportunity to pull even with Liverpool on Friday, but the Norwegian and his side will have no easy task.
Next: #MUNAVL! pic.twitter.com/8J7VgURoZo
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) December 30, 2020
Given the fact that Christian Pulisic had already missed time this year because of a calf strain, major hamstring tear and subsequent hamstring complaint, it was surprising to see the American in Chelsea’s starting lineup on Monday after going the full 90 against Arsenal on Saturday, but it affirmed the fact that Frank Lampard saw the American as a lone bright spot in that 3-1 defeat.