Don Robbie

  Is it time for Liverpool to sell Joe Gomez? By Jack Lacey-Hatton For so long last season the heart of defence was a major issue for Liverpool. This time 12 months ago, following a horrible injury to Virgil Van Djik, centre-half had become a weak spot for the Reds, who suffered a disappointing loss of form in January. But now Jurgen Klopp’s team once again has one of the strongest backlines in Europe, with a range of options in the middle of defence. The summer arrival of Ibrahima Konaté, has added depth to a squad that already boasted Joel Matip, and arguably the best-in-the-world, Van Djik. But the signing of Konaté, has also put Joe Gomez in a sticky position. The English defender has suffered numerous injury problems in recent seasons, and while he does look a force to be reckoned with when on the pitch, is it now time to review whether his services should be retained.  Both Real Madrid and Aston Villa are being linked with a move for him when the January window opens in ...

By Oli Dickson Jefford It has been almost 30 years since the old First Division merged into the Premier League, a moment that changed football both across the UK and the globe. The Premier League has made superstars of its biggest players and managers and turned its clubs into some of the biggest teams in the sporting world. The past 30 years has delivered some classic encounters, more often than not fuelled by some key rivalries across both players and managers. We take a look at some of the biggest rivalries of the Premier League era. Alex Ferguson v Arsene Wenger No rivalry defines the Premier League era like Ferguson v Wenger. Between 1996 and 2004 the title was won by either Manchester United or Arsenal, with arguably the two greatest managers of the Premier League era bringing English football to new heights. United and Arsenal were each other’s biggest rivals in this era and while there was respect between the two managers, there was also a great deal of animosity. Ferguson once...

By Josh Graham You can have a Premier League side packed full of stars but if the man at the helm is not hitting the mark you cannot expect to be lifting trophies.   In the toughest league of the world, it’s a dog-eat-dog world when it comes to managerial chopping and changings and no more so among the traditional ‘big six’ clubs.   Here we rank the incumbents in charge at Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham.    1, Pep Guardiola    The Manchester City boss is a colossal figure when it comes to football management, having dominated the game at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and now at the Etihad.    Famed for rotating players in an irritating fashion for fantasy football players, a trait that has been coined ‘Pep roulette’, the Spaniard is revered globally for his tactics and tinkering.    The three-time Premier League manager of the season has helped turn City into a genuine European giant and all that...

How does this year’s Premier League title race compare to past three campaigns? By Oscar Maung-Haley With the Premier League entering its festive slate of fixtures, it’s time to look at how the 2021/22 title race compares to past campaigns. Chelsea top the table through 12 rounds of action, with Liverpool and Manchester City hot on their heels and it seems we’re destined for a close battle all the way to the line. While West Ham sit fourth, it seems unlikely they’ll be able to match the big three stride for stride, meaning it’s a three-horse race at the top of the Premier League. But how does that compare to past seasons? 2020/2021 – Quantity over quality Heading into the weekend, Chelsea were three points clear at the top of the table from Manchester City, with Liverpool a point further back in third. However, this time last season, just three points separated the top six. In fact, after 12 rounds of match action, last season’s leaders at this time were actually Jose Mourinho’s Totten...

Do Liverpool have the squad to challenge for the Premier League title? By Jack Lacey-Hatton After such a difficult season last year, many pundits in the summer were doubting whether Liverpool could mount another title challenge under manager Jurgen Klopp.   Yet strong form in recent weeks has re-established their credentials, particularly with Mohammed Salah in unplayable form.   Whilst they might not quite be back to their sensational performance levels of the pandemic-interrupted 2019-20 season, the Reds seem to be improving week-by-week.   So, can that squad improve on last season and this time sustain a Premier League title challenge?   Goalkeepers and Defence In goal Alisson remains a strong presence and is arguably one of the players now close to his title-winning performance levels from two years back.   Nearly every other club would swap their goalkeeper to bring him in. Few would question his ability to be part of a championship-winning team.   The...