Steve Guppy is the one everyone remembers. Most dedicated followers of English football in the late 1990s and early 2000s would also be able to name Jason Wilcox and Steve Froggatt. Then you have your David Dunns, your Alan Thompsons, your Chris Powells. Two decades on, the infamous “England left-sided problem” tends to be evoked more as an exercise in nostalgia, a display of performative recall, than as a long-term failure of systems and imagination that Gareth Southgate may just be in danger of repeating.
A “left-sided David Beckham” was Kevin Keegan’s memorable description of Guppy ahead of his England debut, which sadly would also turn out to be his England swansong, against Belgium in 1999. And over the years, as the tournamen…
Josh Wolff believes Austin FC s new signings have given them a much-needed boost and hopes that will carry on against Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday.
Austin added Mikkel Desler, Oleksandr Svatok and Osman Bukari, who scored in their 2-0 win over Nashville SC last time out, helping to snap a three-match winless streak.
It means they sit ninth in the Western Conference, though only have a one-point advantage over the two teams sitting just below them.
However, Wolff says he is excited to see how the team continues to grow in the second half of the season.
The guys that we got in the summer have performed well and that helps create better overall performances for the team and creates competition in the group and I think it s helped us immensely, he said.
Sergio Busquets expects this to be his last European Championship with Spain, but the midfielder has not decided when to end his international career.
Busquets lifted the World Cup in 2010 and played his part in La Roja s Euro 2012 triumph nine years ago.
The Barcelona player has another major trophy in his sights, with Spain taking on Italy in the semi-final of Euro 2020 at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday.
Spain captain Busquets has thought about his future with the national team at the age of 32 but says beating the Azzurri is the only thing on his mind for now.
He told AS: You have to think about when to finish your cycle. What I have in mind is that this will be the last European Championship and then it depends.
You have to go step by step,…
Injured Portugal forward Helder Postiga has been ruled out of the remainder of Euro 2012, according to reports.
The 29-year-old sustained a thigh injury and was promptly replaced by Besiktas striker Hugo Almeida five minutes before half-time in Thursday s 1-0 quarter-final win over the Czech Republic.
The Portuguese Football Federation confirmed the nature of the injury and it was initially believed Postiga would only miss the semi-finals.
However, rumours have begun to circulate that the knock is much more serious than expected and that the striker will not play again at the tournament, according to Record.
Postiga entered the record books in the Group B 3-2 victory against Denmark, joining a special club of players who have scored at three different Eu…
Argentina were chosen as hosts of the 2011 Copa America on Tuesday, a spokesman for the South American Football Confederation told AFP.
However Julio Grondona, president of the Argentinian Football Federation (AFA), said there were other priorities ahead of the hosting of South America s most prestigious football tournament.
Our priority is to qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa, said Grondona, who recently appointed Argentina legend Diego Maradona as coach of the national side after a faltering start to their qualifying campaign.
After that we can work on the 2011 Copa America.
Grondona also revealed that Argentina would be inviting Japan to the Copa the Japanese guested in the 1999 edition.
We will discuss this invite fo…
Inter consolidated their position at the top of Serie A with a slightly scrappy 1-0 win over Torino in their final match of 2021.
This has been a year to remember for the Nerazzurri, ending an 11-year wait for the title under Antonio Conte, but Simone Inzaghi may yet ensure the coming 12 months are equally exciting.
While Inter will surely have to be better than they were against Torino to retain their crown, another Denzel Dumfries goal was enough to secure the three points.
Victory took Inter seven clear at the summit ahead of matches later on Wednesday for challengers Napoli and Milan, able to put their feet up over the festive period before returning to a potentially season-defining sequence of fixtures.
| DUMFRIES
Torino had been enc…
The Netherlands might not have the standout stars they had at the 2014 World Cup, but Louis van Gaal thinks the overall quality of his squad in Qatar is better.
Van Gaal, who was in typically good humour as he previewed the Netherlands game against Ecuador, led the Dutch to the semi-finals eight years ago.
Memphis Depay, Daley Blind and Stefan de Vrij are the only players who featured in Van Gaal s squad in 2014, with the rest of the Oranje s selection in Qatar being World Cup debutants.
Although their squad lacks the leading lights of Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben that Van Gaal had at his disposal in Brazil, the Netherlands coach thinks his squad of 2022 has more to offer across the board.
With Germany and Argentina losing their firs…
The New Orleans Saints head to the rainy Pacific Northwest for a date with the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field for Week 7’s final matchup.
The Seahawks will once again be missing franchise quarterback Russell Wilson for this Monday Night Football tilt, and NFL betting lines have them installed as 4.5-point home underdogs with the Over/Under at 43.
Here are our best free Saints vs. Seahawks picks and predictions for Monday, October 25, with kickoff at 8:15 p.m. ET.
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The Arizona Cardinals put Kyler Murray’s contract drama to bed before the start of training camp, paying $230 million to shoo that dark cloud away from the 2022 season.
The Cardinals’ upcoming campaign is far from devoid of drama, however. Top receiver DeAndre Hopkins is suspended for the first six games due to PED use and the defense lost two impactful leaders this offseason.
The NFC West got a little weaker with the departure of Russell Wilson, and Arizona’s NFL odds have it on the cusp of another double-digit win season and playoff appearance. We dig into how things will go down in the desert with our Arizona Cardinals 2022 betting preview.