Recent content by Jonathan Wilson

Juve have conceded only three goals in the Champions League all season and Real Madrid must find a way through their central defensive setup in the final Scoring goals is not something Real Madrid usually have a problem with. They have scored in every game this season and have not failed to...

An approach developed by Northumberland eccentric Alan Brown and made notable by Arrigo Sacchi is partly behind the title returning to Stamford Bridge The back three clearly made a huge difference, as did Antonio Conte’s man-management, but when Eden Hazard was asked in March what the biggest...

Victory over Ajax showed again Mourinho’s knack for thwarting gifted opponents but fans of a club of United’s means are entitled to pine for more poetryAs Manchester United’s players celebrated with the Europa League trophy, José Mourinho brandished a red flag. He walked in front of his squad...

The Muratti Vase match between Uefa hopefuls Jersey and Ryman South Guernsey embodies a very modern debate between club and countryThis mattered. There is always a slight suspicion at annual showpiece sporting occasions that the important thing is less the result than the enacting of the ritual...

The 23-year-old Argentinian forward, an immensely talented player with ‘PlayStation moves’, will be key as the Italian side take on Monaco in the Champions League semi-finalThe 24 years since Argentina last won a trophy are frustrating enough but they have been given additional edge of late by...

The Black Cats finally run out of Premier League lives. Plus, Tottenham triumph in the the north London derby and farce at Leyton Orient On today’s bank holiday edition of Football Weekly, AC Jimbo is joined by Iain Macintosh, Simon Burnton and Jonathan Wilson to look back on a definitive...

One of Wenger’s first acts at Arsenal was to shun the system but 21 years on it is in fashion and – partly out of desperation – his team are employing wing-backs In late September 1996, Arsenal travelled to face Borussia Mönchengladbach in the second leg of a Uefa Cup tie. Arsène Wenger had been...

Mauricio Pochettino enjoyed first success against Chelsea with three central defenders and United’s win will have clarified the Tottenham manager’s thinkingChelsea were poor against Manchester United on Sunday, very poor. That, for the first time in a decade, they did not manage a single shot on...

The pair fell out at Chelsea and while there is no animosity now, stopping the forward is a priority for Manchester United manager in Premier League matchFans, content with a perfunctory victory, were beginning to drift away from Stamford Bridge. Chelsea were leading Porto 2-0, having been in...

The Belgian striker has the muscle, bustle and hustle to cause opponents damage and, despite a few faults, would be a name to be feared on any teamsheetThere is much about modern football that would bewilder a visitor from 100 years ago. Even after they had got used to the lightweight kit, the...

It may not be a crisis yet but it will be if Argentina’s bogey team Chile defeat Edgardo Bauza’s side yet againWhatever happens on Thursday, Chile will haunt this generation of Argentinian players for ever. The two sides met in the 2015 Copa América final and the 2016 Copa América Centenario...

The decay is palpable and delaying an awkward decision for so long has made the club less attractive to potential successors to the Frenchman On Arsène Wenger, everything is divided, even the news. Just as Bild was reporting there has been contact between representatives of Arsenal and the...

The Barcelona and Bayern Munich players were already familiar with Guardiola’s complex juego de posición theory – at City he was virtually starting from scratch The fashion these days is to knife a manager at the first sign of trouble. Nobody is allowed to build, nobody is allowed to learn from...

José Mourinho may follow Tottenham’s lead and reinforce Manchester United’s defence in FA Cup sixth-round tie to counter the loss of his No1 strikerEvents this season are not quite going as José Mourinho has told them to. There is a possibility, of course, that he was being sincere in his praise...

The Chilean, dropped for the crunch fixture against Liverpool, threatens to be the latest in long line of false dawns at the EmiratesThe same again, but this time with more angst. Arsenal lost again away from home to a top-six side and again looked flat and brittle. The difference this season is...