Lampard quits Derby to take over from Sarri at Chelsea
July 4 – After weeks of speculation, Chelsea have finally appointed their former midfielder Frank Lampard as their manager on a three-year deal.
Performance
Crossing the line. Has VAR overstepped the mark on penalty taking?
By Andrew Warshaw
A new rule agreed by football’s lawmakers in the spring which gained little publicity at the time has suddenly burst into controversy within days of taking effect and threatens to cause widespread consternation across the game.
France 2019: Argentina shock Scots with last gasp comeback as VAR changes game
June 20 – Argentina pulled off an unprecedented women’s World Cup fightback from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with Scotland on Wednesday with a twice-taken stoppage-time penalty courtesy of the video assistant referee system which ultimately broke the Scots’ hearts as they were eliminated in cruellest of circumstances.
Al-Khelaïfi parachutes in Leonardo to bring results and dismantle PSG’s ‘star’ culture
June 19 – PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi (pictured) has said that his club needs an “electroshock” to get back on track after a disappointing season marked by problems in the dressing room.
Sarri leaves Chelsea to take Juventus job
June 17 – After just one season in charge, Maurizio Sarri has formally left Chelsea to return home and take over as Serie A champions Juventus, it was officially announced after weeks of reports that a deal was being concluded.
Chelsea release Sarri as Juve beckon; Lampard lined up for return
June 14 – Most clubs whose head coach manages to win one of UEFA’s two European club trophies in his first season as well as finish third in the domestic league would consider that a resounding success.
Portugal win inaugural Nations League as Dutch point to the future
June 10 – Portugal won the inaugural Nations League defeating the Netherlands 1-0 to record a historic double for Fernando Santos’ team. England claimed third-place in the competition, edging Switzerland on penalties.
Spurs fans begin the long walk back to happiness after Madrid final’s missed opportunity
By Andrew Warshaw in Madrid
June 3 – The sight of thousands of crestfallen Tottenham Hotspur fans traipsing out of the Wanda Metropolitano stadium on Saturday, lost in thought following bitter defeat in the Champions League final, hardly told the full story.
Madrid: Liverpool climb Champions League summit as Spurs returned to base camp
By Samindra Kunti in Madrid
June 3 – Liverpool won a sixth European Cup by defeating Tottenham 2-0 in a Champions League final that failed to ignite. Mohamed Salah converted a second-minute penalty before Divock Origi ensured Liverpool’s win on almost on the whistle.
Lost in the cloud. England turn to Google to give teams a data edge
June 3 – The data revolution has arrived at the English FA who have signed a new partnership with Google Cloud and the creation of a new analytics system that will be accessible to all the English national teams.
Pochettino says it will be emotional, Kane is ‘ready to go’, only Liverpool stand in the way
By Andrew Warshaw
May 31 – They are the underdogs with the bookmakers, are in unchartered territory and face a side desperate to make up for the pain of 12 months ago. But as the old cliché goes – or two clichés to be precise – it’s 11 versus 11 and anything can happen on the day when Tottenham Hotspur take on firm favourites Liverpool for Champions League glory on Saturday.
Zamalek president Murtada fires Swiss manager Gross calling him an infidel
By Abdelaziz Abuhamar
May 31 – In what is one of the more bizarre performance-related sackings of a top manager, irritable president of Egyptian club Zamalek Murtada Mansour fired Swiss coach Christian Gross soon after his side drew 1-1 against Al-Entag in an Egyptian Premier League tie on Thursday.
More fizzle than sizzle as Chelsea dump Arsenal in Baku
By Samindra Kunti in Baku, Azerbaijan
May 30 – Chelsea demolished London rivals Arsenal to win the Europa League 4-1 after a soporific first-half and a 23-minute second-half onslaught that left Arsenal reeling and reflecting on a failed season. The North Londoners will miss out on Champions League football for a fourth consecutive season.
Sarri storms out of training as Baku tensions and speculation on his Chelsea future intensify
May 29 – Chelsea’s preparations for the first of this week’s two all-English European finals have been overshadowed by reports that manager Maurizio Sarri appeared to storm out of a pre-match training session in Baku.
Competitive imbalance: Big clubs dominate big leagues with more points than ever before
May 29 – An analysis of the percentage of points needed to win one of the Big 5 European leagues shows that over the past 20 years championship winning teams have progressively increased the percentage of points available to them.