Author: Andrew Rogers

Arne Slot believes Liverpool can still become the dominant side he envisages this season.However, he insists progress depends on fixing costly problems from set pieces. Liverpool have climbed to fifth after a difficult first half of the campaign.Slot admits their league position remains below his expectations. He said recent results have been tight and sometimes fortunate.Liverpool must reach a level where luck no longer decides outcomes. Set pieces have hurt Liverpool at both ends of the pitch.Only Bournemouth have conceded more set-piece goals this season. Liverpool have also scored far fewer from dead-ball situations than rivals.Slot stressed these issues cannot…

Declan Rice built his elite status on honesty, resilience, and constant improvement.Coaches call it “clean feedback”, direct criticism designed to drive development, not comfort. Released by Chelsea at 14, Rice joined West Ham United with doubts around his coordination.Even then, coaches debated whether he deserved a scholarship. Rice responded by working harder, listening closely, and demanding more of himself.His progress was steady before accelerating dramatically. He debuted under Slaven Bilic and evolved from a reliable defender into a dominant midfielder.A Premier League manager now compares him to a Rolls-Royce for his control and grace. At Arsenal, Rice has added goals,…

Manchester City are favourites to sign Antoine Semenyo after Chelsea ended their interest.Semenyo has a £65m release clause active for the first two weeks of January. Liverpool and Manchester United have tracked the winger, but City lead the race.The 25-year-old is believed to prefer a move to Pep Guardiola’s side. Chelsea explored the deal but chose to keep their current attacking options.Rival clubs expect Semenyo to leave Bournemouth this winter. Semenyo has eight goals and three assists this Premier League season.Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola admitted uncertainty over his future but praised his importance.

Bruno Fernandes is “impossible to replace”, says Ruben Amorim, but others must lead.Fernandes suffered a soft-tissue injury against Aston Villa and will miss several matches. Manchester United also lack Kobbie Mainoo, who has a calf problem.Amorim said the absences offer a chance for new leaders to emerge. Fernandes usually organises set pieces and on-field structure.Amorim wants players like Lisandro Martínez and Luke Shaw to assume responsibility. He confirmed neither Fernandes nor Mainoo will face Newcastle United on Boxing Day.Teenager Jack Fletcher is among the options to fill midfield gaps.

Plans to stage a Serie A match between AC Milan and Como in Australia have been abandoned.The fixture in Perth would have been the first major European league game played abroad. Serie A said escalating and unacceptable requests from the Asian Football Confederation made the match impossible.President Ezio Simonelli cited financial risks and last-minute complications behind the decision. The game had been moved because the San Siro was unavailable due to the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics ceremony.UEFA had reluctantly approved the relocation earlier this season. Serie A viewed the match as a chance to promote Italian football internationally.Those ambitions collapsed after…

Aston Villa strengthened their title challenge with a 2-1 home win over Manchester United.Morgan Rogers scored twice at Villa Park, sealing a seventh straight league victory. Villa sit third, three points behind leaders Arsenal, after ten consecutive wins in all competitions.Unai Emery celebrated wildly as Rogers struck his second decisive goal after the break. Rogers opened the scoring before half-time with a curling finish into the far corner.United responded through Matheus Cunha, who levelled shortly before the interval. Villa regained control early in the second half when Rogers struck again from inside the box.The goal followed sustained pressure and sharp…

Kylian Mbappé equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid scoring record with a late penalty against Sevilla.His 59th goal of 2025 secured a 2-0 win and kept Real one point behind Barcelona.Jude Bellingham scored first, while Sevilla finished with ten men after a late red card. Juventus stayed in Serie A contention by beating Roma 2-1 at home.The result lifted Juventus within one point of Roma, as Milan and Napoli remain ahead.Roma’s struggles against top teams continued. In Germany, Bayer Leverkusen came from behind to beat RB Leipzig 3-1.The win moved Leverkusen into third before the winter break.Elsewhere, Freiburg edged Wolfsburg 4-3,…

Confusion and frustration are spreading at Chelsea after Enzo Maresca publicly suggested he felt unsupported by the club, comments that insiders say caught both executives and allies by surprise. Rather than clarifying his remarks, the head coach has doubled down, fuelling speculation of a rift with the hierarchy and creating an atmosphere Chelsea are desperate to avoid. The fallout began after a subdued win over Everton, when Maresca described the build-up to the match as his worst period since joining the club. Chelsea sources insist the comments were unnecessary and damaging, particularly as Maresca has since declined multiple chances to…

Lewis Miley scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner as holders Newcastle edged Fulham to book a Carabao Cup semi-final against Manchester City. Still smarting from a derby defeat by Sunderland, Eddie Howe’s side dominated possession but struggled to break down Fulham, who twice cancelled out Newcastle pressure through goals from Yoane Wissa and Sasa Lukic. With penalties looming, the 19-year-old local midfielder rose highest to head in a late corner, lifting the mood at St James’ Park and keeping Newcastle’s cup defence alive.

Celtic chairman Peter Lawwell has announced he will stand down at the end of December, citing “intolerable” abuse and threats from a section of the club’s supporters. Lawwell’s departure deepens the sense of crisis at the Scottish champions, who suffered a League Cup final defeat to St Mirren on Sunday – their third consecutive loss under new manager Wilfried Nancy. Fans’ anger has intensified following transfer window mistakes, the departure of Brendan Rodgers, and Celtic’s Champions League qualifying exit to Kairat Almaty. Formerly the club’s chief executive, Lawwell said the abuse had escalated to the point that it alarmed his…