Left Field Left Field

Covid's grip on the Premier League's neck appears to be tightening again with Manchester United the latest to successfully appeal for a game to be called off. A new variant is in play, cases are on the rise and there are concerns that matches could once again return to being played behind closed doors. We discuss the scenario everyone dreads.Over in Switzerland, UEFA, to the amusement of many, cocked up the Champions League draw. They got it right at the second time of asking allowing us to p...

It's been a while since a Premier League club has succumbed to Covid but with a clutch of cases in Conte's camp, Spurs have had matches with Rennes and Brighton postponed. Against the backdrop of vaccine passes being introduced for match-going fans in England, the arrival of winter has once again underlined that we're not out of the grip of this rather tedious pandemic. Rather than get too down about things, we instead focus on the great week enjoyed by Divock Origi. With legend (and meme) st...

Robert Lewandowski had to settle for a sympathy award at the Ballon d'Or ceremony as Lionel Messi pipped him to the big one on a night when Jorginho took bronze as the best player in the world. We chew over the criteria behind a controversial list that had Mo Salah down in seventh.Back in England, Newcastle United underlined their credentials for the drop with another limp performance, this time against Arsenal. Can they find salvation in the January transfer window or will players be put off...

After a host of poor results, culminating in a humiliating 4-1 defeat at Watford, Manchester United's owners couldn't ignore the issue any longer. Finally, after 168 games in charge, they pulled the plug on the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era. It was painful for all involved, evident by the tears shed by the Norwegian in an interview with the club's in-house TV channel. Where do United go from here? They don't seem so sure with an interim, Michael Carrick, due to be replaced by another interim if th...

We're pretty much done with international football for 2021. A select few countries can start booking flights to next year's World Cup in Qatar, others, including some big names, face nervy playoffs. We assess the winners and losers from a dramatic week that included spectacular bottle-jobs by Portugal and Italy, a formal complaint by South Africa to Fifa, England engaging in some superb stat-padding and Ireland, Wales and Scotland all burnishing their reputations with decent results.All...

You take a week off and all hell breaks loose in the Premier League.Left, right and centre, managers have lost their jobs with Norwich and Aston Villa following the lead of Newcastle and Spurs - the managerial merry-go-round always spins faster just before an international break. We mull over the comings and goings and what might happen next at the clubs affected.A different type of manager has also come under the spotlight this week - social media managers. Following a cock-up by Bruno Ferna...