FootBall

Hello, and welcome to another installment of Tactically Naive, SB Nation’s weekly soccer column. This week: pistachio nuts. Aren’t they great? The ecstasy and the agony From the outside, It can often seem like there’s a lot of suffering built into being a Newcastle United fan. This is a club …

Frank Lampard has lauded Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani, but insists Chelsea are no closer to bringing in another striker. Lampard has been adamant the Blues – who had their transfer ban lifted ahead of the January window – would only bring players in if the deals were right for …

Mikel Arteta agrees with Alexandre Lacazette’s assessment that Arsenal need to be a nastier team ahead of a must-win encounter against Chelsea. A 1-1 draw at home to Sheffield United on Saturday left the Gunners 10 points adrift of the top four and Lacazette urged his team-mates to become “nastier”, …

Mitch Freeley  Chelsea will be hoping to return to winning ways when they welcome Arsenal to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening.  The Blues may currently sit in fourth place in the league, but Frank Lampard will be worried for his side, following a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Newcastle. The Blues have …

Cristiano Ronaldo fired reigning Serie A champions Juventus four points clear at the top of the table with a brace in a 2-1 win at home to Parma. Juve were given an unexpected boost in the title race earlier on Sunday when Inter were held 1-1 at Lecce, and Ronaldo …

Mitch Freeley  Barcelona were made to work by 10-man Granada at Camp Nou on Sunday in Quique Setien’s first game in charge before Lionel Messi secured a 1-0 win. The champions needed three points to reclaim top spot in LaLiga from Real Madrid but were mostly blunted by a disciplined …

Substitute Ante Rebic completed a match-turning second-half double in the 93rd minute to earn Milan a rollercoaster 3-2 victory over Udinese in Serie A on Sunday. The Croatian winger struck moments after his half-time introduction to cancel out Jens Stryger Larsen’s early opener before Theo Hernandez volleyed in a brilliant second, …

Perth Glory piled further pressure on Markus Babbel with a 1-0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers at Bankwest Stadium on Sunday. Bruno Fornaroli’s deflected finish in the sixth minute condemned the Wanderers, who have won just once since October, to a third successive A-League loss. Kwame Yeboah looked to have …

Jurgen Klopp claimed Manchester United have assembled one of Europe’s strongest squads as he warned Liverpool not to underestimate Sunday’s opponents. The bitter rivals drew 1-1 at Old Trafford in October – the only time this season Liverpool have dropped points in the league – but are separated by 27 …

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said Liverpool are not the greatest team in Premier League history, highlighting Alex Ferguson’s record with the Red Devils. Liverpool are on track for their first league title since 1990 as Jurgen Klopp’s unbeaten Reds top the Premier League by 13 points with games …