Month: September 2020

PREVIEW: MANCHESTER UNITED VS TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Wednesday 30th September 2020

In a game that already has early influence on the Champions League race, Sunday sees Jose Mourinho return to Old Trafford for the second time since his sacking as his Tottenham side play Manchester United live on Sky Sports Main Event as both sides aim to get their second league win of the new campaign.

The action will be televised live on Sky Sports and all We Love Sport pub and bars will be broadcasting the live action. You can pre book your table for the match and redeem a free pint by downloading the app today.

RECENT FORM

Manchester United are coming into Sunday’s fixture after beating Brighton and Hove Albion 3-2 at the Amex courtesy of a last-minute penalty from Bruno Fernandes. The game vs Tottenham gives United to chance to register their first home win of the league campaign, after they lost 3-1 at Old Trafford to Crystal Palace in their first game of the season. Likewise, Tottenham have also not started the season as smoothly as they would like to have done. They might have won their second league game, 5-2 away to Southampton, but Everton defeated the Lilywhites on the opening weekend of the season and last time out they were robbed of all three points after Callum Wilson scored a 95th minute penalty after an incredibly dubious handball was given against Eric Dier.

GUESS WHO’S BACK… BACK AGAIN!

He’s back again. Jose returns for the second time to Old Trafford nearly two years after his sacking. On his first visit back, his Tottenham team fell short as Marcus Rashford scored twice in a 2-1 win for United. Since leaving United, Mourinho has managed against them twice, with the other game being the first after lockdown which finished 1-1. Jose Mourinho’s time at Manchester United is very mixed. He bought Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the club – two world stars. Not only this, he won the Europa League and Carabao Cup in his first season in charge. Manchester United also finished second under Jose, which is their highest ever finish since Sir Alex Ferguson departed in 2013, an achievement which Jose has called “the best in his career”. Despite this success, fans grew sick of the style of defensive football and in December 2018, United sacked Jose Mourinho as they sat in sixth place. Sixth place may look well, but they were closer to the relegation zone than Liverpool at the time.

Since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over from Mourinho, he has recorded wins over Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and finished third in the Premier League, but he has also lost three semi-finals. Mourinho took time out and replaced fan favourite Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs after Tottenham’s form slipped drastically and enough was enough. Whilst Mourinho failed to get into the Champions League places, the feeling is that he has made Spurs a much more solid unit and will be looking to continue the progress he has made despite injuries and controversy dominating Spurs in 2020. Last week Tottenham drew against Newcastle as VAR awarded a handball against Eric Dier, despite the Spurs man being less than 3 yards away from the ball when it was struck which left Jose Mourinho furious whilst Manchester United managed a win after VAR awarded them a penalty AFTER the final whistle had been blown.

THE TALE OF TWO BOARDS

The transfer window closes the day after the game on Sunday, and still Manchester United have only signed Donny Van de Beek from Ajax and have been unable to shift any of the deadweight in the squad. It has been clear to fans and pundits alike, the squad Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted at this point compared to what he has is clearly a big reason United have struggled so far this season. The Jadon Sancho saga has gone on for months and unsurprisingly, Ed Woodward has failed to agree a fee. The situation is similar to what happened with Harry Maguire, where Woodward’s incompetence led to him still signing the player, just a year down the line and an awful lot more than the selling club originally wanted. Players like Marcos Rojo, Jesse Lingard and Phil Jones are still being paid over £100,000 a week and Ed Woodward cannot find anyone to sign these players, yet they also will not be in the squad vs Tottenham this Sunday, as it has been clear that the United manager does not want him. Despite conceding 5 goals in two games against Palace and Brighton, it seems Woodward won’t be bringing in a partner for £80 million Harry Maguire. At very best, the club may get in their second choice left-back, Alex Telles from Porto.

The way Daniel Levy has backed Jose Mourinho is very different, and in two cases this summer Woodward and Solksjaer have missed out to Daniel Levy and Jose Mourinho. Sunday could see Sergio Reguilon make his Premier League debut after signing from Real Madrid, a player that was Manchester United’s first choice and even managed to agree personal terms with the club, but once again Woodward could not agree terms with the selling club. The second case of Jose Mourinho beating United to a player is Gareth Bale re-signing on loan. It was thought that Manchester United would sign the Welsh wizard as they were unable to secure Jadon Sancho’s signature. The double-signing from Real Madrid shows the difference between a board backing a manager’s ideas, which is something Ed Woodward does not seem to do – something Jose Mourinho knows first-hand.

Bale is injured for Sunday’s game and another player we can expect to not see is Dele Alli. He has been strongly linked with a move away from Tottenham, with many outlets suggesting the club offered Alli to Real Madrid on loan as part of the deal for Gareth Bale. Alli was not in the squad for the draw against Newcastle, and by the time the game even comes around Sunday, the former MK Dons man could have his move to, what looks like, PSG confirmed.

Despite Manchester United not setting alight the transfer window and Tottenham missing marquee signing Bale and midfield maestro Alli, the game live on Sky Sports is bound to be a cracker. After both of United’s and Tottenham’s last minute mayhem last week, it can safely be said drama won’t be never far away, and it never is when you put Manchester United and Jose Mourinho together.

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MATCH PREVIEW: LEEDS UNITED VS MANCHESTER CITY

Wednesday 30th September 2020

In a mentor vs mentee clash Saturday, Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds look to win three games in a row as they welcome Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Premier League evening kick off. Pep Guardiola is one of many top-end managers that have highly praised Bielsa, with Pep calling him “the best in the world” and “top of the list”. This game marks only the fourth time Pep Guardiola will manage against his idol.

The action will be televised live on Sky Sports and all We Love Sport pub and bars will be broadcasting the live action. You can pre book your table for the match and redeem a free pint by downloading the app today.

RECENT FORM

Since returning to the Premier League following a 16-year absence, Leeds United have been a breath of fresh air, managing to score eight goals, three of which coming against current title holders Liverpool. Leeds are coming into this game off of the back of a 1-0 win at Brammall Lane vs Sheffield United. This electric start to the season is something you would expect from a Pep Guardiola side, however they have only won one of their opening two games, losing 5-2 at home to Leicester City in their last Premier League outing.

DEFENSIVE DEBUTS AND DIFFERING FORWARD FORTUNES

On Monday, one day after the defeat to Leicester, news broke that central defender Ruben Dias would be arriving at the Etihad from Benfica for over £50 million plus Nicolas Otamendi going the other way. After the capitulation at the hands of the Foxes, it will be no surprise if he makes his debut against Leeds live on Sky Sports Main Event. Pep Guardiola has now spent over £400 million on defenders in his time at the club, and he will be hoping that the newest recruit will slot straight in alongside fellow summer signing, Nathan Ake (£43 million), to keep the rampant front line of Leeds quiet.

Similar to Manchester City, Leeds United have also spent big in the transfer window on defenders. Fabian Koch has come in from SC Freiburg to replace Ben White after his loan from Brighton ended, and Diego Llorente coming in from Real Sociedad, who may make his debut against the blue side of Manchester.

The Leeds forward line lead by Patrick Bamford, will be looking to ruin the probable debut of Dias, and it would be hard to bet against the striker getting on the scoresheet making it four goals in four games. The striker has kept £30 million signing Rodrigo out of the number 9 berth so far this season, despite doubts over his abilities over the past 12 months. It is looking like Michael Cuisance will arrive from Bayern Munich for £20 million, but it is unlikely he will start. Unfortunately for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, there is still no sign of Sergio Aguero or Gabriel Jesus in the squad this season, with Aguero set to be out until November with Jesus injured for at least one month. It appears no money will be spent in that central attacking role so we can expect Raheem Sterling to fit in again, with young Liam Delap being the understudy to the English International.

BIELSA VS PEP – WHAT WE CAN EXPECT

Whilst of course the big battle is between the players on the pitch, perhaps the most intriguing managerial clash will be the one between Marcelo Bielsa and Pep Guardiola. As previously mentioned, Pep referred to Biesla as his mentor. Guardiola is one of many managers that have the utmost respect for Guardiola. Tata Martino, who has managed Barcelona and Argentina has said that everyone who has been moulded by Bielsa should be called his “disciples”, which Mauricio Pochettino agreed with, also calling the Leeds manager his football father. Many players such as Lionel Messi, Fernando Llorente, Alexis Sanchez and even Diego Maradona have mentioned the sublime impact Marcelo Bielsa has had on their career.

Marcelo Bielsa has only won four trophies in football, but it was actually this weekend’s opposing number, Guardiola, that said it does not matter how many titles Bielsa has, despite how that is the way managers are judged. Guardiola believes “that is much less influential than how he has influenced football and his football players. That is why, for me, he is the best coach in the world.” Bielsa’s influence was felt instantly at Leeds. The Argentine arrived at Elland Road in the summer of 2018 as Leeds finished 13th, and within two seasons got the club back into the Premier League with a quick, aggressive and possession-based style of play set the league alight, much like Guardiola’s style of play.

Guardiola’s Barcelona played Bielsa’s Athletic Bilbao three times, with Barcelona winning two of them, however much like their first battle in England, it was their first meeting that garnered the most interest in a game that finished 2-2. Bielsa has always had a holding midfielder who sits back and dictates play, now Kalvin Phillips role. At Bilbao, Ander Iturraspe had this position and in the 2-2 draw he stayed back, whilst every other midfielder, fullback and forward continuously went forward every time a chance arose. As we have seen in Bielsa’s time in England, he does not change to a more defensive style no matter who Leeds line up against, and Bielsa certainly did not take this approach vs Barcelona. Bilbao constantly pressed Barcelona, much like Leeds do now, and when on the ball they played short, intricate passes until the opportunity came to get it to the big target man in Fernando Llorente. Whilst Llorente has a World Cup medal and Patrick Bamford does not have a senior cap, Marcelo Bielsa has influenced Bamford’s style and used him in the Llorente-at-Bilbao role throughout his time at Elland Road.

We can expect Bielsa to use Bamford and Phillips in the same way he used Iturraspe and Llorente to try and put City’s fragile defence to the test. The Leeds manager will be hoping to get his first win over his protégé live at 5:30pm on Saturday live on Sky Sports Main Event.

BOOK NOW AND CLAIM YOUR FREE DRINK

Download the We Love Sport to find your nearest sports pub showing the live action on Saturday afternoon. You can book a table in front of a screen and redeem a free drink to welcome in the new season. Terms & Conditions apply.

WORST FIVE HOME KITS IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE 2020/21 SEASON

Friday 18th September 2020

As we head into the second weekend of the Premier League season, We Love Sport’s Jonathan Fone looks at the five WORST home kits in the Premier League for the upcoming 2020/21 season. Don’t forget you can find your local pub or bar to catch all the action in via the We Love Sport app!

Don’t get us wrong, we’re a big fan of some of the kits being used in this year’s Premier League season. For others though… that simply isn’t the case. As is the case every single year; we’ll always get some stinkers. This is usually down to kit manufacturers ‘over-thinking’ it, owners looking to re-brand their club, or even as we see (in a few instances this year) a horrid sponsor logo slapped on the front. Any fan of the clubs with kits listed below may very well undoubtedly disagree with our reasoning for disliking the kits, but please, hear us out. Here are our top 5 worst home kits for the premier league 2020/21 season, yuck!

5) Manchester City

As you’ll see as you carry on reading – this won’t be the first time that Puma appear on our stinker list. We’re not completely sure what they were going for with this pattern. Apparently this is supposed to resemble the mosaic works that can be found in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, but to us it looks like the bottom of a swimming pool that you’d find in Magaluf. We wouldn’t be surprised to find a dirty plaster stuck to the back!

4) Chelsea

We considered putting this kit at number 3 of the list, just for a bit of a laugh, can you guess why? Oh yes, the award for most obnoxious and distracting kit sponsor goes to Chelsea with their new Nike kit. In an almost biblical twist of fate – Chelsea started wearing this kit just after the resumption of the Premier League last season due to contractual agreements, and immediately lost 3-0 to Sheffield United. Critics say that they’ll need more than Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell to try and stop the shirt from becoming a cursed omen!

3) Burnley

Okay, many will feel we’re being a bit harsh by including this one as Burnley haven’t really made any drastic changes to their classic claret and blue top, but the campaign which is supposed to celebrate the club’s 100 years of history is somewhat overshadowed by the dirty great massive betting logo found on the front and sleeve. If increasing the presence of Burnley football club as a brand in Asia is the objective, just also make sure you don’t show them any pictures of what Burnley looks like. (Only joking Burnley, we love you really).

2) Crystal Palace

If there ever was a home kit that looks like a relegation kit, it’s this one. The shirt has completely torn Crystal Palace fan opinions – which is ironic seeing as the campaign launch slogan is ‘These Colours Unite Us All’. Certainly bold and eye catching, but unsettling all at the same time. Sorry Puma, another stinker.

1) West Bromwich Albion

And here we have it, THE worst kit for this year’s Premier League season must go to the baggies. We’re not sure if it’s just us – but we can smell boiled eggs just by looking at the shirt, and it’s far from ideal. Any fan wearing this shirt needs to be ready to set scanners off at the supermarket or at the pub whilst ordering a pint to their table. It’s loud, it’s crazy, a bit like West Brom to be fair, but it’s not for us.

With plenty of Premier League action to come, you’ll be glad you saw these in advance, call it a warning – for your eyes. If you disagree with any of our thoughts or think we’ve missed a trick, why not let us know in the comment section?

Download the We Love Sport app to find your nearest pub or bar showing all the live action.

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MATCH PREVIEW: CHELSEA VS LIVERPOOL

Thursday 17th September 2020

On Sunday afternoon, Football fans are to be treated to one of the spiciest fixtures in the calendar only one week after the return of the Premier League – as the reigning Champions head to Stamford Bridge for what promises to be a mammoth clash.

With over 300 We Love Sport pubs & bars broadcasting the Premier League Clash there really is no better place to enjoy than down the pub. Find where you can watch here.

In the home corner, you have Chelsea – fresh off the back of a 3-1 win at Brighton on Monday, against Liverpool, who will be hoping to close up any leaky defensive holes after their opening fixture against Leeds last weekend that finished with a 4-3 win at home.

At such an early stage in the season this will be a difficult game to call, especially after the whopping £200 million+ Chelsea have splashed out on new signings for the squad. Whilst we got a glimpse of what new German boys Kai Havertz and Timo Werner can bring to the table on MNF, we could expect more new faces joining the starting XI including Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva, who will certainly be looking to bolster the Blue’s defensive lines.

Frank Lampard gets first look at Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva ahead of Liverpool clash - Mirror Online

Unfortunately it appears we will have to wait a while longer to see January signing Hakim Ziyech in action whilst he continues recovery from a knee injury sustained in pre-season. Lampard will however be pleased to have Christian Pulisic back in the squad who was a key figure in Chelsea’s previous campaign.

Fortunately for Liverpool, an impressive hat-trick from Mohamed Salah and a first half header from Virgil Van Dijk was enough to see them past Marco Bielsa’s newly promoted Leeds in Matchday 1 however Klopp will know that he needs his team to improve, especially defensively, against Chelsea this weekend.

Liverpool also face a few injury setbacks which have affected Konstantinos Tsimikas, Xherdan Shaqiri, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. However it’s clear that the reds continue to boast enough world class talent in their squad to maintain a formidable force.

Inside Anfield: Watch unseen footage of Liverpool 4-3 Leeds - Liverpool FC

VIEW FROM A BLUE

Blues fan John Dunn from Surrey gives his predictions.

What will it mean to beat Liverpool so early on in the season?

I think it would be fantastic, not only in terms of showing what we have to offer this season, but also to prove that we can put a chink the armour of the top boys. Realistically, this game is going to be a very tough one, even at home. We lost both Premier League games to them last season, however the fact that we managed to knock them out of the FA cup must have been a stark reminder for them that we’re still here!

Where do you think Chelsea will finish this season?

Obviously it’s no secret that we’re after silverware this season – how could we not be after how much we’ve spent over the summer. But I think I’d be happy with a top four finish. We still need to give the new boys a chance to settle in and I think once Lamps has got everyone at the best level, then we’ll be in with a shot at the title.

VIEW FROM A RED

We also asked James Hudson, a reds fan from Merseyside for his thoughts on the game.

Do you think you’ll be able to see off Chelsea on Sunday?

I think we definitely can, if you look at the performances we put in last season we’ll be looking to gather that momentum and bring back that winning mentality Klopp instills in the squad. We’re absolutely solid up front and I think last weekend’s defensive errors were just a one off. I still think Chelsea aren’t perfect in defense yet despite their new signings – if the lads do their homework they’ll be looking at Kepa’s record of stopping shots from outside the box and I genuinely think we’ll bag a few with little to stop us.

Are Liverpool going to win back to back titles?

My heart says: ABSOLUTELY! But my head says: I’m not sure. I think this season will be hard work and we’ll need to make sure our key players are as fit as possible throughout the season – I think we’ll win a trophy, whatever happens – no red would cry if we took our Champions League trophy haul up to 7! At the end of the day it’s all down to whether we can recapture that momentum that we’ve seen in the past two seasons, once we’ve got that – we’re unbeatable.

HOW CAN I WATCH IT?

The game will be broadcast on Sky Sports on Sunday 20th September with kick off at 4:30pm. The best place to enjoy a match of this magnitude is down the pub.

With over 300 We Love Sport registered sports bars and pubs broadcasting this match you can use our app to find your nearest and secure your seats in front of the big screen. Find out how here.

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PUB PREDICTIONS – WEEK 1

Friday 11th September 2020

With many fans being unable to attend stadiums this year, fear not, there is a shining beacon of hope; the great British pub. A place that is counting on you now more than ever to show your support!

As thousands of pubs prepare for the return of the Premier League in the same vigour as star studded squads on the training ground, we get an inside scoop.

Here at We Love Sport we are on a mission to find the pub manager with the highest level of football knowledge by asking them to predict the weekend results!

Here’s how it works… for each correct result they get 1 point and if they guess the score correctly they get 3 points.

We asked Dave McLoughlin aka Dave Mac, General Manager at the Hogshead on the Isle of Wight, to kick things off by grabbing his predictions on how the opening weekend will turn out…

FULHAM vs ARSENAL

With Fulham newly promoted we can be sure they’ll go all out and I think they’ll even pip a goal against the mighty Arsenal – but in the end I can’t see the favourites slipping up.

Dave calls it: 2-1 to Arsenal

CRYSTAL PALACE vs SOUTHAMPTON

This is a tough one as they’re both strong attacking teams, but in the end it’ll all come down to defensive weaknesses. I think it’ll be a draw, but with goals to enjoy from both sides.

Dave calls it: 2-2

WEST HAM UNITED vs NEWCASTLE UNITED

Let’s face it, neither team possesses a goal scoring machine up front and I think they’re quite evenly matched. Perhaps I could be wrong and one team could surprise us!

Dave calls it: 1-1

LIVERPOOL vs LEEDS UNITED

After their defeat to Arsenal in the community shield , the reigning champions will be out for blood. I don’t think I could think of a better side than newly promoted Leeds for them to go all out at!

Dave calls it: 3-0 to Liverpool

WEST BROM vs LEICESTER CITY

Whenever we see a pair of midlands teams playing, it’s always exciting. It’s the west vs east midlands, so it’s bound to be a cracker. I’ll give Leicester the edge on this one because of their counter attacking threat.

Dave calls it: 2-1 to Leicester City

SPURS vs EVERTON

This one will be tough to call, especially after some of the signings that Everton have made this week. I think that the ‘special one’ will catch them off guard and snatch a victory here.

Dave calls it: 1-0 to Spurs

SHEFFIELD UNITED vs WOLVES

Wolves are putting together a very fresh looking squad here, I think that they’ll do very well this season. Plus I think the loss of Dean Henderson will be a massive blow to United, they’ll need something special to stop those Wolves attacks.

Dave calls it: 2-0 to Wolves

BRIGHTON vs CHELSEA

On top of my prediction I’m calling a hat trick for their new signing, Timo Werner! He was absolutely phenomenal in the Bundesliga, and Frank’s squad will be looking to start strong.

Dave calls it: 4-1 to Chelsea

Do you agree with Dave? Let us know in the comments below!