Stories By Graham Ruthven
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Sport
Barcelona’s dreadful defence undermining Xavi Hernandez’s rebuild
Only a handful of clubs spent more in the summer transfer window than Barcelona. The Catalans did this despite the precarious financial position of the club, but there was widespread belief that the spending spree would help Xavi Hernandez build a team capable of winning the biggest honours.
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Sport
Reece James and Kyle Walker injuries could force Gareth Southgate to rethink his England tactics
It will be a cruel twist of fate if England arrive in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup with a dearth of right back options. For years, Gareth Southgate has been spoiled for choice in that particular position.
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Sport
Ivan Toney is getting better and better and is ready for ‘Big Six’ transfer
Only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane have scored more Premier League goals than Ivan Toney this season with the 26-year-old a proven match-winner for Brentford. His early-season form has earned him a first England call-up and there’s no reason why Toney couldn’t make the step up to a ‘Big Six’ club.
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Sport
Sunday’s Clasico could be the start of a new era of the Barca-Real Madrid rivalry
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo turned matches between Barcelona and Real Madrid into must-watch events. Of course, the rivalry started decades beforehand with the political and cultural differences between the two clubs stark, but El Clasico felt like the pinnacle of the sport for a decade as Barca and Real Madrid dominated Spanish and European football.
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Sport
Cristiano Ronaldo is changing his game to give Erik ten Hag what he needs
If ever any further evidence was needed of Cristiano Ronaldo’s legacy as one of the greatest goalscorers in football history, his winner for Manchester United against Everton provided it. The strike didn’t just give Erik Ten Hag’s team a valuable victory away from home, it gave Ronaldo the 700th goal of his career.
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Sport
Erling Haaland will break the Premier League’s all-time scoring record if he stays at City long enough
The records keep falling for Erling Haaland. Never before had a player scored hat tricks in three successive Premier League matches before the Norwegian struck three times in the derby demolition of Manchester United.
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Sport
Wolves must become an attacking team after the dull conservatism of Bruno Lage
No team has scored fewer Premier League goals this season than Wolves. In eight games, the Molineux side have found the back of the net just three times and it was this lack of cutting edge that ultimately cost Bruno Lage his job as the Portuguese coach was sacked after Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to West Ham.
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Sport
Is Antonio Conte’s style of play the right fit for Tottenham Hotspur?
From the moment he was appointed, Antonio Conte appeared an awkward fit for Tottenham Hotspur. That, however, was what made the Italian’s arrival in North London so exciting. Even in times of success under Mauricio Pochettino, Spurs had been the Premier League’s nearly men.
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Sport
Union Berlin title triumph would the Bundesliga’s Leicester City fairytale
Bundesliga fans are used to seeing only one name at the top of the German top flight table, and it’s not Union Berlin. Bayern Munich are the division’s dominant force, winning the last 10 Bundesliga titles in-a-row, but the Bavarians’ stuttering early-season form has opened the door for an unlikely challenger.
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Sport
North London derby will test whether Arsenal or Spurs can truly challenge for title
The top of the Premier League table has an unfamiliar look to it. Not only are Arsenal sitting ahead of the other 19 teams, Tottenham Hotspur are just one point behind their North London rivals. Fans of both teams are talking tentatively of a title challenge and Saturday’s derby will provide more evidence to support or debunk the idea that either side can go all the way this season.
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Sport
Lionel Messi has timed his return to form perfectly for the World Cup
There is just one major trophy missing from Lionel Messi’s collection, as many like to regularly remind him. For all that the 35-year-old has achieved in football, he has yet to lift the World Cup trophy, coming closest in 2014 when Argentina lost in the final to Germany.
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