EPL

The state of play ahead of the second half of the season

Published

3 months ago

December 24, 2022

Henry Burt

We’re back, baby.

Boxing Day marks the return of the Premier League, with England’s top flight having been on pause for over a month due to the, ahem, interesting timing of this year’s World Cup.

We’re sure you’ve been brushing up on what’s happened so far this season as your team prepares to return to action. Just in case you haven’t, though, we’ve summed up the state of play for you here so you’re all set for Boxing Day.

Manchester City have won four of the last five Premier League titles, and will be determined to win three in a row for the first time in their history with another triumph this season.

So far, however, that has been easier said than done. Usual title rivals Liverpool have been off the pace this season but a new challenger has emerged: a resurgent Arsenal, who sit at the top of the tree this Christmas having won twelve and lost just one of their opening fourteen games.

City’s strength in depth and title-winning pedigree probably still just about gives them the edge in this race – not to mention the prodigious goalscoring abilities of Erling Haaland – but Mikel Arteta’s Gunners have been superb and are deservedly top of the league at this stage. Can these two sides push each other all the way?

Only City and Arsenal look remotely likely to win the league this year, but the race for the top four is where things really start to get interesting.

In third place are Newcastle, who have defied all expectations to land themselves firmly in the hunt for European football with some stellar performances. Eddie Howe’s side have lost only once so far and, despite the money being pumped into the club by their new owners, have exceeded almost everyone’s expectations by doing so well, so soon.

Behind the Magpies are Tottenham Hotspur, who under Antonio Conte continue to be one of the most confusing sides in the league. Spurs are a defensively solid outfit and can be shockingly dull to watch at times, yet they are among the league’s highest scorers and remain on course to qualify for the Champions League for a second successive season. Their form was beginning to dip before the World Cup, but Conte will be hoping to repeat his side’s form in the second half of the 2021/22 campaign.

The race for the top four doesn’t end there, however. Next up are Manchester United and Liverpool, both of whom have recovered from poor starts to climb the table and will fancy their chances of sneaking into a Champions League spot. United are steadily improving under the management of Erik ten Hag, while Liverpool have arrested their slump after a series of poor results and performances.

Chelsea will also try and keep optimistic about European qualification despite currently sitting eighth in the table, needing to find consistency under new manager Graham Potter. Meanwhile, Potter’s former club Brighton have started the season superbly and will be desperate to achieve European qualification themselves. With so many sides trying to fit into a handful of league places, this is bound to be a fascinating narrative as the season progresses.

This is shaping up to be one of the best relegation battles in years, with pretty much all of the bottom 10 or 11 teams needing to look over their shoulder.

The early frontrunners for the drop were newly-promoted Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest. Both sides have since demonstrated that they are capable of picking up points in the top flight, however, opening the door for a less obvious team to fall through the trapdoor.

Currently bottom of the table are Wolves, who despite possessing a more-than-decent squad have simply been unable to score goals. Will a change of management help to steady the ship at Molineux?

We’re less than halfway through the season, but already six Premier League sides have hired a new manager.

Bournemouth were the first to act, sacking Scott Parker after he lost 9-0 to Liverpool and essentially said his players weren’t good enough for the league. Since then, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Wolves and Southampton have all lost patience with their respective gaffers, while Brighton were forced to find a new manager after Chelsea nabbed Potter from them.

The Blues started brightly under Potter but have since suffered a slump in form only arrested by the arrival of the World Cup. Bournemouth have been resurgent under Gary O’Neil and now stand a fighting chance of survival, while Unai Emery has already picked up a couple of wins at Aston Villa to help them steer clear of the drop zone.

Southampton’s Nathan Jones needs more time before a proper judgment can be made, while incoming Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui takes charge of his first match against Everton on Boxing Day.

In terms of upcoming managerial changes, one or two bosses will be looking over their shoulder as the season resumes. Frank Lampard has struggled to steady the ship at Everton, while West Ham’s David Moyes has underachieved massively following a major summer spending spree. Jesse Marsch has come under serious pressure at Leeds United, while Leicester’s Brendan Rodgers appears to have turned his side’s fortunes around and is out of the sack race for the time being.

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EPL

Fabio Paratici opens up on Antonio Conte’s Tottenham exit & provides update on manager search

Published

19 hours ago

March 28, 2023

Sean Walsh

Tottenham Hotspur managing director of football Fabio Paratici has discussed the decision to part ways with head coach Antonio Conte.

Spurs reached a mutual agreement for Conte to depart the club on Sunday night following a disappointing run of results.

Conte oversaw exits in the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and UEFA Champions League this season despite high hopes of ending the club’s 15-year trophy drought.

In his personal life, Conte lost three close friends – Spurs fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone, former Italy colleague Gianluca Vialli and Serie A legend Sinisa Mihajlovic – while he had to undergo emergency surgery on his gallbladder at the start of February.

Speaking to Tottenham club channels, Paratici leaned on these reasons as to why Conte’s reign ended so sourly.

“About Antonio, we know how difficult this season was for him personally. Gian Piero died, Vialli and Mihajlovic [died], the surgery, the club supported him a lot about this and everyone was close with each other. But we arrived to this mutual agreement, and I think the decision we made was the right decision to everyone,” Paratici said.

Paratici went on to talk about interim manager Cristian Stellini – Conte’s former assistant who took charge of Tottenham in his absence this year – as well as speculation over a permanent successor.

“So Cristian managed the team even when Antonio was sick this season and was good. He has a lot of experience as a second and even first coach in the past. We have Ryan Mason who can help him a lot because he’s been part of this club for a long time, he knows everything about this club and this kind of group of players. So I think we are really, really confident that these two persons can do a very good job,” Paratici continued.

“The players doesn’t have to change a bit, the style of training. So change everything when you have just 10 games to go I think would be really difficult to the players.

“I would like to see, not just this season but even last season, when we came here we speak about ‘rebuild’ a bit. We started to play Conference League, starting not so good. Then at the end of the season we achieved a big result to get Champions League.

“Then this season, we played Champions League, we passed the group, it was a good achievement for us. And then we get out against Milan.

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“I think about growing up, the team and the club. The pathway for the club was good about results in that way. And then of course we are disappointed because we can be better in the FA [Cup] against Sheffield [United]. Every time you lose one game, you regret it.

“Of course we are focused and looking forward about being better arriving at the end of the season and the next season better again.

“The Premier League always is tough, so we have a lot of teams and clubs [who are] really, really prepared…but we fight, we like that. So we will fight to achieve our target, we are prepared to fight until the end of the season. We have to be focused on the last part of the season.

“We don’t speak about other coaches or follow the speculation in the media because this is just speculation. We are focused and now concentrating on helping Cristian and the staff, the players.

“I think today we have to be focused on our squad and our manager because it’s an important moment.”

Paratici is one of 12 former Juventus officials who were due in court this week regarding the club’s financial mismanagement, though a date for the hearing has now been pushed back until May.

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On this edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey & Toby Cudworth discuss Julian Nagelsmann’s future and links to the vacant Tottenham head coach role, Barcelona’s ambition to bring Lionel Messi ‘home’, Brighton teenager Evan Ferguson, Florian Wirtz, Kalvin Phillips and more!

If you can’t see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!

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EPL

Bruno Fernandes disagrees with Cristiano Ronaldo’s assessment of Roberto Martinez

Published

20 hours ago

March 28, 2023

Sean Walsh

Bruno Fernandes has revealed he does not agree with teammate Cristiano Ronaldo regarding the impact of new Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez.

The former Everton and Belgium boss was named as the surprise successor to Fernando Santos following the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

While Martinez has been known to coach attacking and entertaining football, his teams are often characterised by their haphazard and sloppy defending – almost the inverse to how Portugal played under Santos.

Ronaldo, who scored four goals in two games for Portugal this month, was quick to tell reporters of the positive impact Martinez has had on the team.

“It’s a new chapter for everyone, for the players, the staff and the country. We feel good energy. It’s a breath of fresh air,” the Al Nassr forward said.

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But when speaking to Portuguese channel RTP3, Fernandes simmered Ronaldo’s excited judgement.

When asked if he agreed with Ronaldo’s comments, Fernandes replied: “No, it’s just a new coach with new ideas. There is no breath of fresh air at all. It’s just a transition period.

“The atmosphere in the national team has always been good. There’s never been anything that wasn’t fresh of the air, so I think it’s just new dynamics, new coach, and you have to assimilate his ideas.”

Portugal have made a perfect start under Martinez’s management, securing a 4-0 win at home to Liechtenstein before beating Luxembourg 6-0 on the road.

Fernandes and Ronaldo’s recent careers have been intertwined due to their prominence with the Portugal national team and their 15-month spell together at Manchester United.

Upon Fernandes’ arrival in England, the Old Trafford faithful devised a chant which referenced his arrival ‘from Sporting like Cristiano’.

The duo didn’t quite hit their best heights in tandem while at United, and Ronaldo’s bitter exit in November 2022 was followed by the two appearing to be on frosty terms ahead of the World Cup.

But Ronaldo dismissed this suggestion at the time, telling the press: “My relationship with him is excellent.”

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EPL

Premier League clubs keen to sign wantaway Lorient star Enzo Le Fee

Published

1 day ago

March 28, 2023

Tom Gott & Graeme Bailey

A number of Premier League sides are monitoring Lorient midfielder Enzo Le Fee after he confirmed his desire to leave the club this summer, 90min understands.

The 23-year-old has dazzled this season for Lorient, impressing both defensively and in attack and chipping in with four goals and five assists in 28 games.

90min reported in November that Leicester had begun tracking Le Fee as they prepared for the departure of Youri Tielemans, and sources have confirmed to 90min that the Foxes are by no means alone with their interest.

Both Fulham and Wolves have voiced an interest in Le Fee while one source also named Liverpool, Newcastle and Tottenham as admirers of the France Under-21 international.

The interest in Le Fee has follows the midfielder’s public admission that he does not plan to extend his contract, which expires in the summer of 2024, and his desire to secure a move away from Lorient this summer.

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“It’s time for me to leave,” Le Fee told Le Telegramme on Monday.

“I have a special bond with the club and that’s why I wanted to extend my contract at the start of the season. I waited for a contract offer from Lorient until December. It never came. Now, I don’t expect anything from the club and I won’t extend my contract.

“I hope to leave this summer so that my transfer will bring money to Lorient.”

Before that interview, Le Fee told L’Equipe of his desire to finish the season strongly to boost his chances of a summer transfer.

“I’ve never wanted to leave Lorient through the back door,” he stressed. “We’re having a very good season and I know these last few months are very important if I want to join a big club.

“I am someone who likes challenges, risks too. I want to show that I am capable of playing at the highest level.”

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