In transferring from Deportivo in 2008 for something close to £10m, many thought Argentine centre half Fabricio Coloccini was to be the saviour of what was a near shambolic and frequently error-filled defensive back-line for Newcastle United at the time. However, his introduction gradually faded to ‘fruitless’ as Colo appeared to struggle with the intensity [...]

Fans of both Wigan and Arsenal are entitled to expect an open and entertaining match at the DW Stadium this coming Saturday, with both teams aiming to play a flowing brand of football. Both Arsene Wenger and Roberto Martinez appear to have the shared aim of having their team playing in the style of Josep [...]

Say the names Cech, Reina, De Gea, Friedel, Hart and Szczesny to any avid football fan and they will quite rightly return to you that these are the names of the GK’s in the best teams in the Premier League currently. However, mention the name of Tim Krul and many a fan could be forgiven [...]

How important the losses of Raul Meireles [and Alberto Aquilani] actually are to Liverpool Football Club. Since the arrival of New England Sports Ventures, The Reds have found themselves with funds that were previously absent under the reign of George Gillet and Tom Hicks Sr. This enhanced funding has resulted in Kenny Dalglish and Damien [...]

Manchester United’s early season defensive problems appear to have gone away, conceding only one goal in the last four league games – and that too a contentious penalty at home to Newcastle. Rather than delve into the reasons behind this new-found defensive solidity – feel free to speculate below – I thought I’d simply illustrate [...]

Manchester City emerged from Anfield with their unbeaten record over 2011/12 intact but not without a fight as Liverpool gave them arguably their toughest test (in the Premier League at least) of the season so far and were thankful to goalkeeper Joe Hart for a couple of smart saves late in the game to preserve [...]

In the summer Oriol Romeu was bought from Barcelona for a fee of £5m, with a buy back clause for Barcelona in case he does well.  The early signs of his Chelsea career suggest that he can excel in Chelsea’s midfield, composed on the ball, knows to spot a pass, tactically aware as a defensive [...]

Coming to Old Trafford, there was an unusual sense of optimism from Newcastle fans. Even though Manchester United had won their last three Premier League games 1-0 since their heavy defeat to Manchester City, their performances weren’t entirely convincing. Newcastle’s performance at the Etihad last week gave a lot of hope and their gritted performance [...]

Coming into the game at Chelsea last weekend, most Liverpool supporters would admit they were not confident they’d win all of the following three games. (Chelsea Away, City Home, Chelsea Away). Two-thirds of the way through and Liverpool beat Chelsea away and have now drawn to City at Home. A dominating performance from Liverpool left [...]

Liverpool and Manchester City fought to a 1-1 draw at Anfield, in which Manchester City started the brighter but Liverpool came back very strong in the second half. We have some real quick Opta stats for you to ponder over tonight as the match is fresh in your mind! Hopefully these stats should give you [...]