Sean Donnelly

Jurgen Klopp May Regret Taking On Liverpool Task In The Premier League

As Liverpool succumbed to a 2-1 FA Cup fourth-round defeat away against West Ham yesterday evening – the club’s sixth defeat in their last 15 matches in all competitions (four draws) – it seemed remarkable to reflect on the manner in which Jurgen Klopp’s side were being tipped as Premier League title contenders only two […]

8y ago

ireland|Politics

Ireland’s General Election: Five Talking Points

Just a week after Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Enda Kenny formally dissolved the Dáil and set a date of 26 February for the country’s latest General Election, the issues that will determine the outcome of the vote are beginning to take shape. Here follows a list of five key talking points to keep an eye […]

8y ago

manchester united|soccer

Angel Di Maria Proving Manchester United’s Folly At Paris St Germain

A moment of inspiration from Angel Di Maria last night ensured that Paris St Germain retained a 24 point lead at the top of Ligue 1 following a 1-2 triumph away at Olympique de Marseilles. With the game level at 1-1 with 19 minutes to play, Di Maria received possession from a Zlatan Ibrahimovic cutback […]

8y ago

Tottenham Fans Are Blessed By Mauricio Pochettino’s Long Term Vision

Tottenham Hotspur has long been a byword for the short-termism, and instability that is the hallmark of the majority of clubs in the Premier League. Since replacing Sir Alan Sugar as chairman in 2001, Daniel Levy has overseen the hiring and firing of nine different managers (from George Graham to Tim Sherwood) and few clubs […]

8y ago

barcelona|Copa del Rey|spain

Gary Neville And Valencia Both Culpable For Barcelona Defeat

As anyone who watched Gary Neville in his role as a pundit for Sky Sports over the previous four seasons would be well aware, he is not a man prone to hyperbole. The 45-year-old was rightly lauded for the informed, insightful brand of analysis that he brought to British television screens since succeeding Andy Gray […]

8y ago

Atletico Madrid|china|Football

Jackson Martinez’s Guangzhou Evergrande Transfer Shows Power Of Chinese Football

Colombia forward Jackson Martinez last night became the most expensive transfer in the history of the Chinese Super League when he joined Guangzhou Evergrande from Atletico Madrid in a deal that the Guardian reports to be worth €42 million. You could be forgiven for having needed to read that story twice in order to take […]

8y ago

arsenal|soccer

Alexis Sanchez Helps Arsenal To FA Cup Win And Gives Season Renewed Hope

Arsenal’s bid to become the first side since Blackburn Rovers in 1886 to win three consecutive FA Cups remains on track after Alexis Sanchez struck an outstanding 53rd minute winner to give Arsene Wenger’s side a 2-1 victory against Burnley City. On paper, there is not much about this result that should get Arsenal fans […]

8y ago

Australian Open|serena williams|tennis

Angelique Kerber Wins First Major At Australian Open And Can Win More

When Angelique Kerber defeated top seed Serena Williams in order to win her first major title at the Australian Open this morning, it was remarkable to reflect on how close the German had come to bowing out of the tournament at the hands of Misaki Doi in round one. Doi, ranked 64 in the world, […]

8y ago

Andy Murray|Australian Open|Novak Djokovic|tennis

Andy Murray-Novak Djokovic Australian Open Final Grand Slam Tennis Betting Preview

It is testament to the scale of the task that Andy Murray faces in attempting to overcome Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open Final on Sunday that bookmakers price the Scot as long as 4 to 1 to lift the trophy with Djokovic trading as a 1 to 6 favorite. In many respects this pricing […]

8y ago

Australian Open|tennis

‘Spoiled Brat’ Daria Gavrilova Promises Bright Future For Australian Tennis Despite Open Exit

In the aftermath of her 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 defeat against Carla Suarez Navarro at the Australian Open on Sunday, Daria Gavrilova would have known better than anyone else that she had let herself down. I was a spoiled brat out there… Emotionaly fried…… sorry about my horrible behavior ? — Daria Saville (@Daria_gav) January 24, […]

8y ago

Novak Djokovic|tennis

Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open Struggle Is Kei Nishikori’s Opportunity – Preview

Novak Djokovic learned first-hand at the Australian Open this morning just why Gilles Simon has been nicknamed “The Grinder” on the ATP Tour. The world number one needed five sets in order to bypass the 14th seed into his 27th consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final at the Australian Open, and of the 11 victories that he […]

8y ago

Australian Open|Maria Sharapova|tennis

Belinda Bencic Faces Grand Slam Test In Maria Sharapova At Australian Open – Preview

Belinda Bencic has a great deal in common with her fourth round opponent at the Australian Open, Maria Sharapova. It was, after all, only 10 seasons ago that Sharapova defeated Justine Henin-Hardenne in straight sets in the 2006 US Open final in order to claim the second Grand Slam title of her adolescence, 27 months […]

8y ago

Andy Murray|Australian Open|Novak Djokovic|roger federer|tennis

Lleyton Hewitt Exits Australian Open And Retires With Unfulfilled Potential

Lleyton Hewitt bade farewell to both the 2016 Australian Open and professional tennis this morning following a straight sets defeat at the hands of the Spanish eighth seed, David Ferrer. The 34-year-old had announced his intention to retire at the conclusion of his twentieth Australian Open campaign last January and the warmth of the send-off […]

8y ago

Australian Open|roger federer|tennis

Roger Federer Faces Australian Open Tennis Test In Grigor Dimitrov – Preview

Roger Federer produced something of a tennis-serving masterclass in dispatching world No.35 Alexandr Dolgopolov in straight sets at the Australian Open this morning. He rained down 25 aces and won an astonishing 88 percent of his first-service points (43 of 49) in order to progress 6-3, 7-5, 6-1. But as third seed, Federer could scarcely […]

8y ago

Rafael Nadal’s Australian Open Exit Latest Sign Of Grand Slam Decline

Rafael Nadal’s five-set defeat at the hands of Fernando Verdasco in the first round of the Australian Open this morning has set in sharp relief the extent of his decline at the top level of men’s tennis and raises serious doubts over his ability to add to the 14 Grand Slam singles titles that he […]

8y ago

england|Football|liverpool|manchester united|soccer

Manchester United Title Talk Does Louis van Gaal Few Favours

The fact that it was the Manchester United goalkeeper, David de Gea, who took the man-of-the-match award following his side’s narrow 0-1 Premier League victory away against Liverpool yesterday afternoon reveals much about the nature of the result. This was a fixture that United were extremely fortunate not to lose, let alone take three points […]

8y ago

Real Madrid Transfer Ban Stands To Benefit Zinedine Zidane

The transfer rumour-mill was driven into frenzy on Thursday following confirmation that FIFA has banned Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid from registering new signings for the next two transfer windows as punishment for their breaching rules pertaining to the signing of international players under the age of 18. Paul Pogba, Eden Hazard, Robert Lewandowski and […]

8y ago

Joel Campbell’s Arsenal Rise Is Testament To His Self-Belief

When Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger waited until the 86th minute before introducing Joel Campbell at 2-3 down at home against Olympiakos in the Champions League in September, one could have been forgiven for assuming that the Costa Rica international had no future at the Emirates Stadium. After all, Campbell was the only forward player whom […]

8y ago

arsenal|england|Football|liverpool

Liverpool Must Upgrade On Simon Mignolet In Order To Break The Top-Four

The timing could hardly have been worse: just hours after Liverpool had confirmed that Simon Mignolet signed a lucrative, new five-year contract at Anfield, the Belgian goalkeeper played a direct played a direct role in helping Arsenal to twice recover from a goal down in order to draw 3-3 on Merseyside in the Premier League […]

8y ago

poland

Poland’s Democracy Is Under Threat: The EU Must Strike A Balanced Response

Poland’s integration into the political and economic mainstream of liberal, democratic Europe since the collapse of Soviet rule in 1989 can be accurately regarded as one of the European Union’s greatest ever success stories. Having been reduced to rubble at the end of the 30 years of fighting that ravaged the continent in the first […]

8y ago