European Super Football

Ahead of the start of the 2023/2024 Champions League Group Stages This article will explore some of the best matches from this stage of the competition. When did Europe's premier competition introduce a Group Stage? Since the 1997–98 season, the competition has allowed multiple entries from certain countries. It added a round-robin group stage in 1992. For a brief period between 1999 and 2002, there was a 2nd Group Stage introduced. The best Group-Stage matches  Tottenham Hotspur 2-7 Bayern Munich (2019-20) By smashing seven goals past an almost hapless Tottenham Hotspur team that had no answers to their attacking prowess at home, Bayern Munich revealed a glimpse of what was to come in the season they lifted their sixth UEFA Champions League title! For Spurs, this set the tone for what was a poor season after they came so close to European success the previous campaign. Monaco 8-3 Deportivo de La Coruña (2003-04) The 2003-04 season was a fairytale run for Monaco in the UEFA Ch

Brentford 1 - 1 West Ham United Tomas Soucek's second-half goal secured a point for West Ham against Brentford after Bryan Mbeumo netted a lightning-fast opener for the hosts within the first minute. For the third consecutive Premier League match, Brentford scored in under 60 seconds, with Mbeumo expertly curling a volley beyond Alphonse Areola's reach. Despite the early setback, West Ham maintained a positive approach, dominating the chances in the first half. Jarrod Bowen, Michail Antonio, and Mohammed Kudus all had opportunities, though only Kudus managed to test the keeper. Brentford, after their early burst, seemed content to sit back and absorb the pressure. Their next significant effort came in the 34th minute when Mbeumo headed over the bar. West Ham’s persistence paid off shortly after the break. Soucek, drafted into the starting line-up to replace the suspended Edson Alvarez, capitalised on a loose ball and calmly slotted home from close range. Premier League: 202

 Fulham 5 - 0 West Ham United Raul Jimenez continued his impressive resurgence, scoring another goal as Fulham convincingly defeated a lackluster West Ham, marking their second five-goal triumph in just five days at Craven Cottage. The Mexican forward opened the scoring by heading in Joao Palhinha's cross, notching his fourth goal in five league games. Under Marco Silva's management, Fulham dominated the first half, with Willian adding a second from Andreas Pereira's cut-back and Tosin Adarabioyo out-jumping Kurt Zouma to head in the third from a corner. Despite Lukasz Fabianski denying substitute Harry Wilson, Fulham's dominance continued, culminating in them sealing their second 5-0 victory of the week. This awful performance from West Ham, devoid of energy and ideas, saw them overwhelmed within 18 minutes, leaving Fulham fans delighted with another stellar home display. Fulham, who struggled initially, now boasts 15 goals in their past four games, a stark contras

England have confirmed their 26-man squad for the European Championships Gareth Southgate has revealed his final 26-man squad, and some notable names are missing. Manchester City's Jack Grealish, Manchester United's Harry Maguire, and Tottenham's James Maddison have all been left out. Burnley's goalkeeper James Trafford, Liverpool's defender Jarell Quansah, Everton's defender Jarrad Branthwaite, and Liverpool's midfielder Curtis Jones, who were part of the initial 33-player shortlist, have also not made the cut. Manchester United's Luke Shaw who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since mid-February, is part of the squad. This has come to the surprise of many but his experience and nature as one of England's best left-backs probably swung that in his favour. Euro 2024 news and stories (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) International Friendly: England start Euros prep with a win (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) Goalkeepers Dean Henderson (Cr

Let's have a look back at one of the most controversial moments of recent history. Many of the world's biggest clubs said they were forming a new competition. The European Super League. You can read the initial report from Greater Manchester Football by clicking the link below Clubs Announce New Super League Competition (greatermanchesterfootball.blogspot.com) At the time of the announcement, the story said: AC Milan, Arsenal FC, Atlético de Madrid, Chelsea FC, FC Barcelona, FC Internazionale Milano, Juventus FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid CF and Tottenham Hotspur have all joined the new competition as Founding Clubs.   It is anticipated that a further three clubs will join ahead of the inaugural season, which is intended to commence as soon as practicable.  Proposed format of the competition Twenty participating clubs with fifteen Founding Clubs and a qualifying mechanism for a further five teams to qualify annually based on achievements in

A player has left the Premier League Dele Alli has completed a season’s loan move from Everton to Besiktas that gives the Turkish club the option to buy the midfielder. Alli has experienced a disappointing spell at Everton since joining from Tottenham last January, making 13 appearances, including two as a substitute this season. Besiktas have an option to buy for £6m before 1 January or for £8m after that until June. Alli will otherwise return to Everton, where he would have one year on his contract. Everton signed Alli on a free but have to pay Spurs £10m if he makes 20 appearances for them. Further add-ons are dependent on team and individual achievements. Besiktas are level with the top club, Fenerbahce, after three matches. Besiktas supporters gave Alli a raucous welcome when he arrived at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul to seal his transfer. Winger Nicolas Pépé has left Arsenal to join Nice on loan for the 2022-23 season. The Ivory Coast international returns to Ligue 1, having p

Two huge derby matches and a meeting of English football giants are headlining Women's Football Weekend The event sees the women's club game become the focal point of the domestic football schedule in England during the international break in the men's game.  Birmingham City v Aston Villa Aston Villa and Birmingham City Women continue their league campaign as they face each other in the Second City derby. The match gives Villa an opportunity to open up a 10-point gap between themselves and 12th-placed Leicester City, a gap which would go a long way to seeing them secure Women's Super League status so early on in the season. 🎙️ @cwardy7 spoke to the media this morning to discuss Sunday's #SecondCityDerby ... pic.twitter.com/26dvfgOTkj — Aston Villa Women (@AVWFCOfficial) November 12, 2021 Everton v Manchester United Manchester United Women make the short trip to Everton. They are unbeaten in their last three WSL games. In October, they beat Birmingham 2-0 at S

 We are going to explore Burnley's 2023/2024 season. This was the 142nd season in the history of Burnley Football Club and their first season back in the Premier League since the 2021–22 campaign, following promotion from the EFL Championship in the previous season.  They also participated in the FA Cup and EFL Cup. After losing 2–1 at home to West Ham United on 25 November 2023, Burnley became the second team in English league history (after Newport County in 1970–71) to lose their first seven home matches of the season. The streak was then ended the following game when they beat Sheffield United 5–0. On 11 May 2024, they were officially relegated from the Premier League following a 2–1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur. They finished the season in 19th position.  Their form in the cup competitions wasn't much better. They only made it to the 4th round of the EFL Cup and couldn't make it past their first hurdle in the FA Cup.  A look at some of the key moments from their seaso

 Jose Mourinho is set to become the new manager of Fenerbahce The 61-year-old will take over from Ismail Kartal, who left Fenerbahce after they finished second in the league to city rivals Galatasaray.  Despite losing just one game and recording 99 points last season, Fenerbahce finished as runners-up. How much of an impact will have Mourinho in Turkey? The club hinted at Mourinho's appointment in a video featuring the Portuguese manager directly addressing the fans with the words "See you tomorrow". Are you ready for tomorrow? 🔥😄 pic.twitter.com/PgbdiegcjE — Fenerbahçe English (@Fenerbahce_EN) June 1, 2024 Mourinho, who has previously managed Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Manchester United, is the only manager to have won the Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League .  Over his 24-year managerial career, he has won 21 major honors, beginning in his home country of Portugal at Benfica and including stints at Porto, Inter Milan, and Tottenham.  Mourin

There has been an interesting addition to the squad at Craven Cottage Ryan Sessegnon has rejoined Fulham on a two-year deal after his contract expired at Tottenham. The 24-year-old Fulham academy graduate returns to the club until 2026, with the option for a further year. He originally left for Spurs in a £25m deal in August 2019. The winger's spell at Tottenham was marred by hamstring problems and he was limited to 57 appearances for the club. During his first spell with the Cottagers, Sessegnon scored 25 goals and made 18 assists in 120 senior appearances. He becomes Fulham manager Marco Silva's first signing of the summer as they look to build on last season's 13th place finish. This is how they announced the signing on their YouTube account.  More reaction Jamie, a Fulham fan, told us: "This is a great signing. Bringing back Ryan Sessegnon seems like a really smart move and I can't wait to see him playing for us again at Craven Cottage." Lucy, another F

 Where will Ewan Ferguson be playing his football next season? Tottenham are among the Premier League sides interested in signing the Brighton sensation. Some reports have also indicated that Man United are also in the hunt to sign the 18-year-old this summer. Chelsea are also monitoring Ferguson’s situation as he continues to gain admirers in the Premier League.  Shining on the big stage The video below shows his recent goal for Brighton in the FA Cup against Grimsby. His side face Manchester United in the next round. Will he shine against The Red Devils at Wembley. Roberto De Zerbi’s side are also in the race for European qualification this season. The Seagulls are level on points with sixth-place Liverpool with a game in hand on the Anfield side.  Premier League news (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) The striker signed his first professional contract with the Seagulls on his 18th birthday in October 2022. At this point, he became Brighton’s fifth youngest-ever player when he

Everton 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur For the best part of an hour, this was a poor match as both Everton and Spurs struggled to create any clear-cut opportunities in the final third. The last thirty minutes was very different. Harry Kane was soon in the thick of the action when he challenged Demarai Gray on the halfway line, an incident to which Doucoure took exception. A few pushes were exchanged before the Everton midfielder put his hand into the face of Kane. The England captain went tumbling to the turf and referee David Coote brandished a straight red. A few people were critical of Kane, suggesting that he went down too easily.  Premier League news (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com) The England captain shrugged off the incident to open the scoring 10 minutes later from the penalty spot. He sent international team-mate Jordan Pickford the wrong way to register his 15th league goal against Everton. Spurs substitute Lucas Moura was also sent off for a nasty challenge on Keane. The former

 Aston Villa 3 - 3 Liverpool Aston Villa pulled off a thrilling late comeback against Liverpool at Villa Park to secure a crucial point in the battle for fourth place in the Premier League. Villa had the chance to seal a Champions League spot with a win, setting the stage for an electric atmosphere ahead of kickoff, highlighted by a special address to the fans from Hollywood icon and avid supporter Tom Hanks. However, Unai Emery's squad found themselves trailing 3-1 with just five minutes remaining, seemingly leaving the door ajar for Tottenham, but two goals from substitute Jhon Duran turned the tide, securing an improbable draw. The early festivities took a hit within minutes when goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez's unfortunate blunder saw him deflect Harvey Elliott's cross into his own net, leaving the Holte End in disbelief. Villa then rallied as Youri Tielemans slammed home an equaliser after 12 minutes, only for Liverpool to regain the lead through Cody Gakpo, exploit

This is a quick look at all today's news from around the Premier League Despite many players being away on international duty, there has still been a lot going on. Marcus Rashford scored in behind closed doors friendly Marcus Rashford scored twice in a closed-doors friendly against Blackburn Rovers. It was a 3-0 win for for Manchester United but more importantly Rashford returning to some match action after three months out. Rashford tweeted: "So good to get some minutes under my belt today." So good to get some minutes under my belt today 🔋 — Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) October 6, 2021 Idea to reduce size of the Premier League has been criticised  Former Tottenham player  Jamie O’Hara has put forward a case to make the Premier League an 18-team league. Many fans have taken to Twitter to offer their objection to proposal.  Nicola Palios, Vice Chairman of Tranmere Rovers, offered her objection: "So which 2 teams does he suggest get kicked out of the EF

The draw of the third round of the FA Cup has been made.  Let's have a closer look at some of the matches Boreham Wood or St Albans v AFC Wimbledon Yeovil Town v Bournemouth Charlie Wakefield's driven finish early in the second half against Stevenage was enough to put the Glovers into the hat for the third round. Their ultimate reward was a draw against Championship side Bournemouth. Stoke City v Leyton Orient Swansea City v Southampton Chelsea v Chesterfield Liverpool v Shrewsbury Town Cardiff v Preston North End Coventry City v Derby County Burnley v Huddersfield West Bromwich Albion v Brighton and Hove Albion Kidderminster Harriers v Reading Kidderminster Harriers are dreaming of more giant-killing exploits after upsetting FC Halifax at Aggborough to reach the third round of the FA Cup. Their reward is a home match against Reading. The away side will want to avoid a huge upset and go to have a decent run in the competition.  Leicester City v Watford Mansfield Town v Middl

Let's have a look at some football gossip from around Europe Mancini to Old Trafford? Italy head coach and former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has emerged as a candidate to be appointed Manchester United manager next summer. The former City manager is reportedly interested in getting back into club football. It remains to be seen whether he would carry on as manager of Italy throughout the Qatar World Cup should they qualify. Barcelona looking to re-build Barcelona has offered Manchester United the opportunity to sign Brazil winger Philippe Coutinho. He would become one of very few players to play for both Liverpool and Manchester United. It has been reported that Barcelona have a "total agreement" in place to sign Manchester City and Spain forward Ferran Torres, 21, but hope City will lower their asking price of  around £60m. Would he leave Manchester for Barcelona and then be part of the huge regeneration project under Xavi.  More news from around the Premier

Eastleigh  1 - 3 Newport County Newport County secured a spot in the FA Cup fourth round and a lucrative tie against Manchester United by defeating Eastleigh 3-1.  Aaron Wildig gave Newport an early lead, skillfully gliding past goalkeeper Joe McDonnell following great play from the County. Paul McCallum equalized for Eastleigh after 48 minutes with a well-placed half-volley, levelling the score against Newport. However, Newport's James Clarke regained the lead with a header on the hour mark, and the victory was sealed by Will Evans, their top scorer. The televised match in the fourth round is expected to bring significant financial rewards, around £400,000, to Newport.  They are set to face Manchester United at Rodney Parade on Sunday 28th January, showcasing their potential for causing upsets, as demonstrated by previous victories against Leicester City , Middlesbrough and a draw with Tottenham Hotspur. Newport class shows While this game was anticipated as a historic moment

In the middle of some great football action across Europe, let's have a look at some of the latest gossip. West Ham United manager David Moyes is set to make a final bid to sign Burnley defender James Tarkowski with the 29-year-old English centre-back due to become a free agent in the summer. West Ham will be determined to keep growing their squad as they continue in their quest to join the Premier League elite.  Manchester City's Spain forward Ferran Torres, 21, has submitted a transfer request with Barcelona interested. Barca have also been linked with Raheem Sterling in recent days. Fiorentina have put a £55m price tag on Serbia striker Dusan Vlahovic in a bid to hold off interest from Manchester United - but the 21-year-old is not expected to make any move in January. Would the Serbian be a good signing for the Old Trafford club? Alexandre Lacazette has said his agents are considering variety of options. The 30-year-old France striker's contract expires at Arsenal in

The fixtures for the 2024/2025 Premier League season have been announced What's happening on the opening weekend? Newly promoted Ipswich Town will host Liverpool, while champions Manchester City will travel to Chelsea for the opening weekend of the new Premier League season. Ipswich, returning to the top flight after a 22-year absence, will play on Saturday, 17 August. Their last Premier League match was a 5-0 defeat by Liverpool at Anfield on the final day of the 2001-02 season. Their relegation came just a year after they surprisingly finished fifth in the top flight. Manchester City will begin their title defence at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, 18 August. This represents a great opportunity for Chelsea to show how much they have improved. The season starts with Manchester United hosting Fulham at Old Trafford on Friday, 16 August. The weekend before the Premier League starts, United will face City in the Community Shield at Wembley.  Fulham: 23/24 Season Review (eurosuperfootb

Does there need to be a change in tactics? Do they need a new manager? What's next for the Old Trafford club? Despite last season's FA Cup win, United fans views on the future of Ten Hag were split. After finishing eighth in the Premier League last season, many fans wondered if he was the right man to lead the club back to its former glories.  Some supporters also argued that his tactical approach was too rigid, and there was additional growing concerns about his ability to adapt to the demands of the English game.  Debate about Ten Hag's future again Once again, the Dutchman's position at the helm of one of football's giants has shifted from persistent uncertainty to genuine crisis following a 3-0 defeat against Tottenham. For United's hierarchy, the choice to stick with the ex-Ajax manager is proving to be one that may cast a shadow over the early phase of his reign at Old Trafford. But the question now is whether they should double down on their decision