Stories By Graham Ruthven

• Sport

  Why Grealish needs more time to grow at Man City

  The FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool was Jack Grealish’s chance to prove why Manchester United made him the most expensive English footballer of all time. While the 26-year-old has struggled to nail down a starting spot for his new team this season, he was named to the lineup at Wembley last weekend.

• Sport

  Eagle-eyed Palace can soar against Chelsea in FA Cup clash

  The sight of Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-finals alongside Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City highlights the progress made at the club this season. Under Patrick Vieira, the Eagles have started to soar with this Sunday’s match at Wembley Stadium presenting them the chance to go even higher.

• Sport

  Lessons Man City and Liverpool must learn ahead of FA Cup clash

  Billed as one of the most consequential Premier League fixtures for years, Sunday’s clash between Manchester City and Liverpool ultimately had little consequence on the table with one point now dividing the two rivals just as it did before kick-off.

• Sport

  Five Man Utd targets to help fix their flaws

  Manchester United are preparing for a period of change with Ajax manager Erik ten Hag expected to take over at Old Trafford this summer. The Dutchman will be faced with a reconstruction job and much of his focus will surely be on the midfield unit.

• Sport

  The remarkable return of Christian Eriksen

  Chelsea know all too well what Christian Eriksen is capable of. The Dane has an exceptional record of nine goals in 16 appearances against the Blues with his latest strike coming in Brentford’s shock 4-1 win over Thomas Tuchel’s team on Saturday.

• Sport

  Lionel Messi a shadow of his former self at PSG

  The Santiago Bernabeu has been the setting of many great moments for Lionel Messi over the course of his career. Indeed, the Argentine has scored more goals at the home of Real Madrid (15) than at the home of any other opposition team.

• Sport

  Gareth Southgate right to omit Jadon Sancho from England squad?

  “There are other attacking players in our squad who are ahead of him in our opinion,” Gareth Southgate reasoned when asked to explain why Jadon Sancho had been omitted from his England squad. “Jadon in the last few weeks his performances have improved but it is an area of the pitch where we have competition for places.

• Sport

  Luka Modric getting even better with age

  Even as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo face, Luka Modric stands as the only player to have disrupted their dominance of the Ballon d’Or over the last 15 years. Indeed, the Croatian midfielder won football’s most prestigious individual prize in 2018 after a series of eye-catching performances for club and country that year.

• Sport

  Gareth Southgate can’t afford to gamble on Harry Maguire

  From the moment Manchester United made Harry Maguire the most expensive defender in history, the centre back has had a target on his back. Unfortunately for him, Maguire has recently given his critics plenty of ammunition to aim his way with the United captain currently enduring an extremely difficult individual season.

• Sport

  Is Frank Lampard the right man for Everton’s relegation battle?

  Even as Frank Lampard took charge of an Everton team that had won just once in 13 matches, sights were set on the upper echelons of the Premier League. Now, though, the realisation has come crashing down on the Goodison Park club that they are in the midst of a relegation fight.

• Sport

  The Old Firm rivalry is finally competitive again

  There have been some great title races at the top of Scottish football but not for over a decade. Indeed, the 2010/11 season was the last time Celtic and Rangers finished within touching distance of each other at the top of the table.

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