The 2018-19 season has been packed full of drama, emotions and even comedy. What happens on the pitch is usually in focus — players making tackles, scoring goals, playing beautiful soccer; all of that takes the cake in media attention. But managers get that attention too. After a goal or an important moment in a match, the camera always pans to the manager, showing their jubilation, anger or their stoicness.
More than 15 years after Arsene Wenger brought Cesc Fàbregas to London at the tender age of 16, the Spanish midfielder played what was likely his final match for an English club. It was a little emotional.
After eight seasons with Arsenal and 4.5 more with Chelsea (with a brief stint at Barcelona in between), Fàbregas said farewell to the London fans, who gave him a heartfelt sendoff late in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup on Saturday at Stamford Bridge.
When looking at some of the world’s best teams, football’s future looks very bright. Manchester City for example is a testament to modern progressive football: back-to-front play in quick succession and starting attacks from the goalkeeper. Many European sides have adopted the tactic, as it encourages more open play.
It begs the question: Where is football heading in the next decade?
Nicklas Bendtner has some time on his hands and a tag on his foot.
The former Arsenal striker was arrested in September for assaulting a taxi driver. In November, he was sentenced to a 50-day jail term. The courts are allowing the Denmark international to serve his sentence from home while under intensive surveillance.
She said it, and viewers felt it, because NBCSN gets it.
“Best game of the season by a country mile,” Rebecca Lowe said as the NBCSN coverage of Manchester City’s 2-1 victory over Liverpool moved from the announcers in the booth at the Etihad back to the studio analysts stateside.
The best match of the season, perhaps the most important match of the season, had all the gravitas expected of such an event on Thursday because NBCSN continues to show it is the best soccer broadcaster in America.
Before today’s Premier League showdown between leaders Liverpool and defending champions Manchester City, a tweet from The Guardian’s German football correspondent Raphael Honigstein was shown a lot of love, and, in hindsight, for incredible reason.
Manchester United defeated Newcastle United 2-0 at St James’ Park on Wednesday evening, and that’s all anyone will remember on the night. But the ramifications of victory are again rosy for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer — the win moves them within three points of Arsenal in fifth; Romelu Lukaku scored for the second-straight game; the maligned Alexis Sanchez came off the bench and got an assist on Marcus Rashford’s strike (the Englishman’s third in four games).
Arguably one of the biggest matches of the season in the Premier League kicks off Thursday at the Etihad Stadium. Visitor Liverpool will be looking to extend its lead at the top of the table with a win over the champion and title challenger Manchester City.
Welcome to 2019, where we hope every goal is commemorated as perfectly as the Jamie Vardy celebration after his goal against Everton on Tuesday.
Leicester City defeated Everton 1-0 in the first Premier League match of 2019. The lone strike came from Vardy in the 58th minute.