Inter’s victory over Napoli had the feel of a title race classic, while Juventus and Milan exposed familiar shortcomings despite their summer spendingAlready as the words were being spoken, Cristian Chivu started to bristle. “Scontri diretti” translates to “head-to-head clashes”. The term is commonly deployed in a football context as a shorthand for those high-stakes games between teams who are expected to finish close together in the table – much like “six-pointers” in the English game.Chivu’s Inter finished 11 points clear atop Serie A last season, his first as their head coach, but caught criticism along the way for an early Champions League exit and underperformance in some scontri diretti. Inter lost four out of six games against Napoli, Milan and Juventus. Their only win, at home to the Bianconeri, came after Alessandro Bastoni deceived a referee to get Pierre Kalulu sent off. Continue reading...
Newcastle fan Raul Kohli believes Nick Woltemade's presence was missed in the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth. Nick Woltemade could have been used in that game. The German forward featured from the bench in Juve's 1-1 draw against AC Milan at the weekend, but failed to make an impact in his 20-minute cameo.
ISAAN KHAN: Raya warned that Arsenal know they can beat anybody in the league and hailed the injection of confidence running through his side from lifting the Premier League title last season.
Keeper says Gunners ‘can beat anybody in this league’Arteta’s side have started title defence with three winsDavid Raya says Arsenal are playing with greater confidence after the “relief” of winning the Premier League. The champions continued their perfect start to the defence of their crown with the 2-1 home win over Chelsea on Sunday, making it nine points out of nine.It was a powerhouse performance coloured by a freedom of expression, which stood in contrast to the nerviness of the final months of last season when the team laboured under a weight of pressure and expectation before they beat Manchester City to the title. That was Arsenal’s first triumph since 2004 and followed three consecutive runners-up finishes. Continue reading...
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