I have a theory as to one reason (of many) the England National Team tends to underperform in major tournaments: the players all play in the same league. Every England international plays in the Premier League. One might argue this breeds familiarity and is therefore good for the national team, but I think it leads to a lack of stylistic variety in the team and makes the payer pool stagnant. It's basically like inbreeding, is what I'm saying.
BIRMINGHAM — Aston Villa inflicted more misery on shell-shocked Manchester City on Saturday, defeating them 2-1 in the Premier League with goals from Colombian forward Jhon Duran and former City forward Morgan Rogers.
Villa rose above City into fifth place in the Premier League table, and the title holders dropped provisionally to sixth with their ninth loss in 12 games across all competitions.
Pep Guardiola's team could fall to as low as ninth by the end of the weekend and have just one victory to show from that 12-game stretch.
Tottenham’s 4-3 victory vs. Manchester United in the EFL Cup on Thursday was full of bizarre moments. No instance was better than the Lisandro Martínez Son corner kick drama in the final minutes of the game.
With Spurs leading 3-2, the South Korean superstar was taking his time walking over to the corner flag for a set piece. Martínez, to the displeasure of the home crowd, went over and told Son to hurry up.
The United defender would instantly regret telling Son to get on with the corner kick as the Spurs forward then scored directly from the set piece.
Chelsea have confirmed that forward Mykhailo Mudryk has been contacted by the Football Association after an adverse finding following a routine anti-doping test.
The Premier League club issued a brief statement on Tuesday confirming an investigation into the Ukraine international after the adverse result from a urine sample.
Mudryk doping test controversy
MANCHESTER, England, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Manchester United poured on the misery for flagging Premier League champions Manchester City as late goals by Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo snatched an unlikely 2-1 away victory from the jaws of defeat on Sunday.
Ruben Amorim's side were heading for a third consecutive league defeat as they trailed to Josko Gvardiol's header.
Watch: Gvardiol goal vs. Manchester United
THE ETIHAD ERUPTS!
Aston Villa will be disappointed with their 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, however an unbelievable Emiliano Martínez save was one big highlight they can smile about.
In the 60th minute with the score tied at 0-0 Martínez seemingly broke the laws of physics with an unreal save. Nottingham Forest’s Nicolás Domínguez thought for certain he’d scored the opening goal with a close-range header but was denied by the paw of Martínez.
Emi Martínez save vs Forest
Welcome to this week’s edition of USMNT Abroad, where we bring you the latest updates on American soccer players making waves across Europe.
From standout performances to key transfers, rumors and injury reports, The18 has got you covered with all the action involving U.S. men’s national team players in Europe’s top leagues.
C’mon, you yanks!
USMNT Abroad this weekend: The latest on American players in Europe
Christian Pulisic (AC Milan)
MANCHESTER — Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola blames the congested fixture schedule for the injuries that have ravaged his struggling team this season, saying he needs a squad of 45 or 50 players to weather the storm.
Saying City are in survival mode, Guardiola added he could have just three defenders available when they host Manchester United in Sunday's derby at Etihad Stadium, another blow to their dwindling hopes of retaining their Premier League title.
They are fourth in the table and have just one victory to show for their last 10 games across all competitions.
A third-tier Croatian club have ruffled the feathers of Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion due to having a VERY similar looking crest. NK Jadran Galeb compete in Croatia and adopted a familiar look for the club’s logo.
The story gets funnier. Allegedly a member of the Croatian club visited the Brighton offices in England and informed them of the similarity between the clubs. The person in question then metaphorically swung for the fences and asked if Brighton would donate to NK Jadran Galeb in the form of equipment.
Weston McKennie is on Cloud 9 after scoring a fabulous scissor kick goal against Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday. His biggest haters, Leeds United fans, appear to be in shambles on social media.
After Wednesday's game McKennie did an interview with CBS and was asked by Micah Richards about his loan spell with Leeds United.