Gary Neville rounds on Chelsea’s midfield weak link after opening loss to Man City

Gary Neville believes that Enzo Fernandez is way out of his depth turning out in the Chelsea midfield in their current system after getting a good look at the player during their opening loss to Manchester City.

went behind early on and generated only a handful of chances to bring the score level before former Blues star Matteo Kovacic out the result beyond doubt.

The match was the first look at how Chelsea would set up under new manager Enzo Maresca and Neville singled out one of his key players for some vehement criticism.

Fernandez was asked to step up for Chelsea in more ways than one as he took both a more advanced role in the midfield as well as the captain s armband.

The Argentine was always going to be under scrutiny after a summer where he was …

Arsenal target winger after Romano reveals Nico Williams blow as Gunners ‘watch’ £55m RB Leipzig star

Arsenal remain in the market for a winger before the end of the summer transfer window as Fabrizio Romano reveals how close they came to signing Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao.

Barcelona were hot on the trail of Williams before the Spain international – who shone at Euro 2024 – told the Catalans he would be staying at Bilbao, at which point Arsenal s interest ended despite .

Romano put those rumours to bed, telling TBR: “Forget, guys, on names like Nico Williams. I have many questions from Arsenal fans on Nico Williams.

“Arsenal are not signing Nico Williams. Arsenal are not in negotiations for Nico Williams. Nico Williams is not on the market in the final days. Nico Williams is staying in Bilbao.

“And for Arsenal, in August, it was never a…

Man City star ‘considering quitting’ after Gundogan return with Guardiola ‘unwilling’ to sell

Mateo Kovacic is considering his future at Manchester City following the summer addition of Ilkay Gundogan, according to reports.

The Croatian midfielder joined from Chelsea for £30million last July.

He was brought in as a replacement for Gundogan after the German joined Barcelona on a free transfer.

The 30-year-old played 46 times across all competitions for the Citizens in 2023/24, helping them win the Premier League and reach the final of the FA Cup.

Kovacic probably played a lot more than people expected him to and he has started all three of his side s matches at the start of this season.

Matheus Nunes was also brought in to provide more midfield depth last summer but found opportunities a lot harder to come by.

before the Super L…

F365 interview: Hargreaves calls for Man City to avoid points deduction for ‘another punishment’

Owen Hargreaves has suggested Man City should not have Premier League points deducted from their total this season if they are found guilty of breaching Financial Fair Play rules.

City s lawyers arrived at London s International Dispute Resolution Centre (IDRC) on Monday as a hearing .

Lord Pannick KC, who is leading City s legal team, was pictured arriving at the IDRC, for a hearing that is reported to have been scheduled for 10 weeks, with the independent commission s verdict not expected until early in 2025.

The charges facing , who won a fourth straight Premier League title under manager Pep Guardiola in May, date back as far as the 2009-10 season.

Man City are also accused of failing to co-operate with the investigation and they could face a range o…

Pimlico Race Course Odds & Picks – Preakness Stakes Undercard

Graded stakes events begin around 1:30pm on Saturday. CNBC has coverage until 4:30pm, and then NBC takes the baton. There is a mild chance of rain, with temperatures expected to be in the 70s. Our picks in the table above for the day of racing focus on Super Chow, Sopran Basilea, Atone and Nakatomi.

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Chick Lang Stakes Prediction

Seven three year olds are signed up for this six furlong Grade 3 test with a purse of $300,000. The favorite is Bob Baffert s Havnameltdown (+160). This is his first race since running second in February s one mile, one turn Saudi Cup.

While Havnameltdown just missed, he was…

Chargers vs Raiders Props – Best Player Props to Bet for TNF Week 15

Both QBs are being given a TD pass prop total of 0.5 for this game. The over on Chargers QB Easton Stick is set at odds of -150. The under for Las Vegas QB Aidan O Connell is set at +180. Las Vegas is favored by 3 points in the Chargers vs Raiders odds and the over/under is 34.5 in the Week 15 .

Odds as of Dec. 14 at ESPN BET. Check out the for this week s Chargers vs Raiders game and other Week 15 NFL action. And don t forget to input the promo code DIME when signing up at ESPN BET to get your $250 in bonus bets by simply betting $10 on the NFL tonight!

Chargers vs Raiders Props #1: Austin Ekeler Receptions

With so much talent potentially unavailable for this game Chargers QB Justin Herbert is out, while LA WR Keenan Allen and Las Vegas RB Josh Jacobs are unlikely to…