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David Shonfield

David Shonfield

Predictable Champions League group stage plods on

Predictable Champions League group stage plods on

Europe’s football hierarchy is not known for piety. Its devotion is mostly to something more tangible than God, in particular to the Swiss franc.

Tue, 01 Nov, 2016

Marseille’s nouveau riche add spice to bitter PSG rivalry

Marseille’s nouveau riche add spice to bitter PSG rivalry

Where would Luke Skywalker have been without Darth Vader? demanded France Football last week.

Tue, 25 Oct, 2016

Time for keepers to suit up and be superheroes

Time for keepers to suit up and be superheroes

“Even Superman is sometimes just Clark Kent” said the banner held up by Juventus fans on Saturday after a troubled 10 days for Gigi Buffon.

Tue, 18 Oct, 2016

Ultras rise to the occasion for a worthy cause

Ultras rise to the occasion for a worthy cause

A little bit of football history was made on Sunday when Salernitana played Benevento in Italy’s Serie B.

Tue, 11 Oct, 2016

Zinedine Zidane

Barcelona and Real Madrid suffer pre-break slumps

Big clubs can sometimes struggle against weak opposition after their players have been away on World Cup duty. On Sunday, Barcelona and Madrid managed to break new ground by slipping up before the international break.

Tue, 04 Oct, 2016

Spanish clubs concerned ahead of German clashes in Champions League

Spanish clubs concerned ahead of German clashes in Champions League

In a Champions League contest between Germany and Spain you would normally expect the Spanish clubs to come out on top.

Tue, 27 Sep, 2016

Rich get richer in European football's ‘evolution not revolution’

Rich get richer in European football's ‘evolution not revolution’

There is a carve-up taking place at the top of European football and you don’t need to be a conspiracy theorist to see who is behind it.

Tue, 20 Sep, 2016

Celtic v Leicester City - 2016 International Champions Cup - Celtic Park

Never a good time to play Barcelona, but not a bad one either for Celtic

Sunday was La Diada in Barcelona, the day when Catalan people celebrate their culture and identity, and the taste of defeat was in the air.

Tue, 13 Sep, 2016

Italy's lack of squad depth now clear to Antonio Conte

Italy's lack of squad depth now clear to Antonio Conte

How much will Ireland’s historic victory affect the way Italy approach their showdown with Spain on Monday?

Thu, 23 Jun, 2016

Athletic Iceland look best-equipped outsider to reach last 16

Athletic Iceland look best-equipped outsider to reach last 16

Michel Platini is in disgrace, his career with Uefa apparently over, but his legacy to this tournament lives on.

Thu, 09 Jun, 2016