Don Robbie

Player Profile: Giovanni Reyna By Jonny Bray Giovanni Reyna is widely regarded as one of European football's most exciting young talents. The Borussia Dortmund and USA star was born in Sunderland and is the son of former Premier League player Claudio Reyna, who represented the Black Cats and Manchester City during his time in England back in the early to mid 2000s. But now, his son is lighting up German football, quickly rising from an unknown to one of Dortmund's most exciting prospects. With such a history of bringing through elite players, fans could be forgiven for getting extremely excited about the midfielder. But what do you need to know about the USA international? What has he done so far? Reyna has achieved a lot despite being just 19 years old. He made his Dortmund debut at the very start of 2020, becoming the youngest American, aged 17 years and 66 days, ever to appear in the Bundesliga, breaking a record previously set by Christian Pulisic. We've all seen the im...

By Oli Dickson Jefford After a 2021 which saw the return of fans to stadiums, a Premier League side triumphing in the Champions League and a thrilling men’s Euros, all eyes are now on 2022. The Premier League and Champions League are in full swing and there will be back-to-back years with major tournaments with the World Cup in Qatar coming just months after a home Women's European Championships. It promises to be another thrilling year with twists and turns and a decent helping of drama, but just who will be lifting trophies? Here are our predictions for who will win the Premier League, men's Champions League and men’s World Cup this year. Premier League Until a few weeks ago it looked as if there would be a thrilling title race between Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, However, with the latter two sides faltering in recent weeks, Man City have surged ahead and it is hard to see anyone catching them. Liverpool and Chelsea are still in touching distance, but with their sq...

European Review for all Premier League clubs By Jonny Bray The Premier League hasn’t been at this high a standard in nearly 15 years. Both fans and pundits appear to be in agreement that the quality of the teams throughout the league has been very impressive. However, it’ll be interesting to see if that will translate into European success for the English sides in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League. After an all-English Champions League Final last year, the question remains, can fans of the Premier League expect the same again this year? Liverpool Liverpool have had a perfect start to their European campaign this season. Winning all six games in any group is impressive but winning all six in a group with Atlético de Madrid, Porto and AC Milan is absolutely outstanding. It says a lot about how good Liverpool have been when they’re 11 points clear of their closest rival in the group. They’re arguably favourites to win the whole damn thing. Manchester United ...

Mid-week European preview of the Premier League clubs in action By Jack Lacey-Hatton  December is a busy time in the English football calendar for leagues up and down the country.    However, European action will take a winter break following this week, when the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League group stages reach the final matchday.   The final qualifiers for the UCL round of 16 will be decided, while the Europa and Conference League groups will also wrap up.   Let’s look at the Premier League clubs flying the flag across the continent over the next few days and see which teams still need a result.     UEFA Champions League    As is increasingly becoming the norm in the Champions League, all four English clubs have safely navigated the group stage, even with one matchday still to play.   Manchester City , the first PL side in European action this week, travel to Germany on Tuesday to face RB Leipzig (5.45...

What will new manager Antonio Conte bring to Tottenham? By Jack Lacey-Hatton Antonio Conte has already changed the feel of Tottenham’s season barely a week into the job. On the pitch, he has overseen a Europa Conference League win over Vitesse and a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park against Everton. But his impact in North London goes way beyond that, with Conte already revolutionising the approach at the club's Enfield training centre. Whispers around the club suggest some of the first-team squad have got more out of the Italian’s first week than they did in the entire Nuno Espirito Santo-era. But what will the Premier League title-winning manager bring going forward?   Tactical detail Conte’s reputation as one of Europe’s most formidable tacticians is not without justification. His studious nature should have a positive impact on the players over the coming months. He is flexible. Not set to one sole tactical approach, the Italian is capable of switching systems to suit the...

Who is closer to a Champions League Challenge? – Arsenal or Spurs? By Jack Lacey-Hatton Since the first North London derby of the season on September 26, both sides involved have seen contrasting fortunes. For Arsenal, the 3-1 win jump-started their season, with the Gunners going five games unbeaten since that day in all competitions. Spurs on the other hand have suffered defeats at West Ham and at home to Manchester United, the latter seeing the end of manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s short reign. But the appointment of Antonio Conte has raised spirits and given hope to the supporters that a top-four challenge can still be salvaged. But realistically, who is closer to qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League? Arsenal Ahead of their final game before the international break, the Gunners sit seventh in the Premier League table, with 17 points from their opening 10 games. After a tricky start, culminating in that awful collapse at Manchester City, Mikel Arteta has man...

                            Champions League review - All English teams in good positions By Tom Masters  All four English sides were in action in the Champions League this week, with three of them winning and one draw.    Chelsea made the visit to Swedish champions Malmo in the early kick-off on Tuesday evening, before Manchester United went to Atalanta later that night.    On Wednesday, Liverpool hosted Atletico Madrid and Manchester City hosted Belgian side Club Brugge. Malmo 0-1 Chelsea    It was not pretty for Chelsea on Tuesday evening, but they got the job done with a narrow 1-0 win in Sweden.    Hakim Ziyech scored the decisive goal for the holders of the competition, courtesy of a wonderful ball in from Callum Hudson-Odoi on the right-hand side.    With Juventus defeating Zenit St Petersburg 4-2, Chelsea lie in second place in Group H, with that decisive ...