Stories By Harry De Cosemo

• Sport

  High time English football gave Pep more praise

  Perhaps it is a tired cliché, but they say great art is never truly appreciated until it is gone. In the case of Pep Guardiola’s coaching style, it is hard to see it ever receiving universal acclaim, particularly from a UK audience.

• Sport

  Is Declan Rice in contention for Player of the Year?

  Declan Rice’s career trajectory perfectly encapsulates the misconceptions and current importance of the holding midfielder in modern football. After initially leaving Chelsea as a young player, he has found stardom at West Ham and is now seen as one of a few guaranteed starters for England at the World Cup in Qatar.

• Sport

  Karim Benzema at his best

  It has been a long, difficult and often controversial road to get where he is today for Karim Benzema, but he is now set for the legacy his talent deserves. The 34-year-old is part of France’s ‘lost generation’ alongside the likes of Hatem Ben Arfa and Samir Nasri; talent wasn’t an issue, just like most France teams, but work-rate and togetherness meant, for years, Les Bleus underachieved.

• Sport

  Can Tielemans help stem the tide at Manchester United?

  For years under Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United’s key strengths lay in their midfield. At the turn of the century, they were the dominant force of English football, building around a quartet of David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane and Ryan Giggs.

• Sport

  Tottenham to face a brand new Newcastle

  As Newcastle United’s new owners took their seats in the St James’ Park directors’ box on October 17 last year, they felt the wave of possibility surging through the stadium and wider Tyneside area.

• Sport

  Despite El Clasico win, Barcelona aren’t “back” yet

  Gerard Pique’s Twitter feed should always be taken with a pinch of salt. It has been four-and-a-half years since he posted a photograph with Barcelona teammate Neymar captioned ‘he’s staying’ mere days before the Brazilian signed for Paris Saint-Germain.

• Sport

  Vieira pushing Crystal Palace to new heights

  Following Crystal Palace’s FA Cup quarter-final victory over Everton on Sunday, Patrick Vieira said his side were going through an ‘exciting period’. He was speaking after a comprehensive 4-0 victory at Selhurst Park, and although the big story may well have been the Toffees’ latest collapse after a positive start to the game, Palace’s ability to stay calm and gradually assume control while playing a brand of football nobody thought would have thought possible a year ago is testament to their development under the Frenchman.

• Sport

  Criticism of Newcastle United’s Saint-Maximin undeserved

  The gap between Newcastle United’s two Premier League encounters with Everton was just over five weeks, but for Allan Saint-Maximin, they were worlds apart. On the evening of February 8, the Frenchman stood in the centre of the St James’ Park pitch, arms outstretched, singing along to ‘Hey Jude’ by the Beatles as he was serenaded by 52,000 people having inspired a season-turning victory.

• Sport

  Enjoy understated Thiago Silva while you can

  During the Carabao Cup final at Wembley between Liverpool and Chelsea late last month, there was a noticeable pattern that ran through the entire 120 minutes of football. It was the reason only a missed penalty by substitute goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga gave the Reds victory under the arch.

• Sport

  Real Madrid vs. PSG subplots make for a fascinating encounter

  In a strange way, Kylian Mbappe’s injury and potential absence from Wednesday night’s Champions League last 16 second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu is bad news for everybody, including Real Madrid.

• Sport

  Could Dusan Vlahovic put Juventus back on top?

  For Juventus, defeat in the 2017 Champions League final was a bitter blow. It was their second appearance in the showpiece event in three years, but this one felt different to the last. Against Luis Enrique’s Barcelona in 2015, the Bianconeri were simply outclassed by a better side; a team worthy of a second treble in just six years.

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