Lost in the noise that buzzes around Chelsea and Xabi Alonso is an obstacle that, to surmount, will require a radical rewriting of the Premier League tactical playbook. Alonso wants to challenge for honours using that so gauche, so ungodly formation: the dreaded three at the back. If you want to know what English football … Read more
It took 22 long years, but Arsenal returned to the summit of English football last season, when they eased to the Premier League title. This title drought stretched back to the days of Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles, and for former Gunners midfielder Ray Parlour – a member of that 2004 title-winning squad – the club’s wait … Read more
We’re back, baby. Welcome to the content zone. And yes, we did actually go away for a bit. Seriously. Check back. We really did. In the lead-up to this Premier League opener, Sky Sports had been trailing the fact it will show a total of 1,500 live games this season. Lay these end-to-end and that … Read more
If this was a glimpse of the Premier League’s new order then the rest had better watch out. By the time Martin Ødegaard sat Gianluigi Donnarumma down to make it 3-0 to the champions, the Arsenal party was in full swing. “Can we play you every week?” their supporters gleefully taunted their counterparts in sky … Read more
The doubt for anyone when a long-strived-for goal has been achieved is hunger. Arsenal waited 22 years for their 14th league title and, compounding the yearning, finished second three times in a row before finally lifting the Premier League trophy in May. The physical exertions of last season were immense – as seen by Declan … Read more
Myles Lewis-Skelly has been offered to Manchester United as a potential left-back option, with Arsenal wishing to recoup some of the £75m paid to Newcastle for Bruno Guimarães. Chelsea, it is understood, have also been made aware of the availability of the 19-year-old, who won the Premier League under Mikel Arteta last term. Whether the … Read more
After beating MK Dons 3-0 in a training-ground friendly last weekend, Arsenal truly begin their pre-season programme against Girona on Saturday evening. It marks a return to action for the Premier League champions, who will want to show their success last season was not a one-off. Retaining the English title is incredibly difficult if you … Read more
Arsenal may be champions for the first time in two decades, but the challenge is staying at the top. And that requires serious investment this summer, with the Gunners’ biggest acquisition so far being Christos Tzolis on the left wing. So with some huge deals shaping up in the coming weeks, what’s the best-case scenario … Read more
Georgia Stanway looks at her arms and then down at her legs on day one of Arsenal’s pre-season. “As you can see, I’m covered in tattoos,” she says. “I only see the bare skin, the space, so I need to keep collecting more”. Tattooing and being tattooed is her creative outlet, her way of expressing … Read more
Arsenal’s dramatic 1989 title-clinching victory at Liverpool remains one of the most iconic matches in English football history. George Graham’s side set off to Anfield for a Friday night showdown at the end a gruelling 1988/89 campaign for a title decider that had been pushed back following the Hillsborough disaster. For the Gunners, the equation … Read more