By Andrew Warshaw
September 11 – Having won their first English league title for 30 long and painful years, Liverpool kick off the defence of their crown this weekend as they attempt to disprove the old adage that it’s harder to win it second time round.
September 11 – European top-flight clubs have invested €870 million for youth development in 2020, according to a study by UEFA. With an average of €6.1 million per club, the Premier League clubs top the list.
September 11 – A depleted Paris St-Germain, rocked by an outbreak of Covid-19 that ripped through the heart of the squad, kicked off their season in the worst possible fashion on Thursday as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at newly-promoted Lens.
By Andrew Warshaw
September 7 – As footballing u-turns go, they don’t come much more spectacular. Just as millions of fans worldwide were in the throes of anticipating where Lionel Messi might end up after he dropped the bombshell that he wanted to leave his beloved Barcelona, so the Argentine maestro changed his mind and said he was staying after all.
September 7 – The ongoing pandemic has left a big mark on the world of sports, in general, and football, in particular. When the lockdowns were still in full effect, the Football Association floated the idea of suspending the Premier League season completely – an idea rejected by several English football teams, considering that it would’ve pushed them to the brink of bankruptcy.
September 4 – In contrast to elsewhere in Europe, Premier League clubs have again voted against using five substitutes instead of three in domestic matches next season despite a second attempt by the big boys to persuade the smaller clubs to accept the change.
September 3 – English top-flight clubs are split over whether to use five substitutes instead of three, with the issue being debated for a second time at today’s shareholder meeting having already been rejected.
August 27 – Glasgow Celtic crashed out of the Champions League following a dramatic 1-2 defeat at the hands of Hungarian championss Ferencvaros. It was the Scottish club’s earliest exit in the competition in 15 years.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 24 – Teamwork, teamwork, teamwork. While the goal-fest so many neutrals were hoping for did not materialise, Bayern Munich showed the importance of togetherness, steel and spirit as they claimed the Champions League title for the sixth time on Sunday and the first for seven years.
August 24 – Sevilla remain the undisputed kings of the Europa League, winning the tournament for a sixth time after a dramatic and absorbing 3-2 comeback against Inter Milan in the final behind closed doors.
August 31 – Kosovan club FC Prishtina have taken the unprecedented step of signing players on loan from rival teams for a Europa League fixture because a raft of their own squad tested positive for Covid-19.
August 21 – New Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman says he does not know if he can convince Lionel Messi to stay after the Argentine superstar reportedly threatened to quit following last week’s 8-2 Champions League humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich.
By Andrew Warshaw
August 20 – They weren’t at their best and were never going to deliver another eight-goal blitz. But Bayern Munich, 8-2 quarterfinal conquerors of Barcelona, duly booked their place in Sunday’s Champions League final with a hard-fought 3-0 semi-final over Lyon on Wednesday to set up a dream climax against fellow big-hitters Paris St. Germain.
August 19 – Ronald Koeman has quit as boss of the Netherlands to become the new head coach of Barcelona two days after the club sacked Quique Setien following that humiliating 8-2 Champions League drubbing by Bayern Munich that stunned world football.
August 19 – It took them 110 games in the competition stretching back several years to get this far.