Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho kisses the trophy after his side beat Ajax in Stockholm to win the Europa League on May 24, 2017. (AFP)

José Mourinho and Mike Tyson are the Heavyweights of Counter-punching

by Barney Ronay | Jun 19, 2017 | Sports

London – Mike Tyson has an interesting new book out called Iron Ambition. In it he talks about his violent childhood, explores his relationship with his late coach, the great Cus D’Amato, and kicks the whole thing off with a passage about wandering around his...

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Riyad Mahrez: a footballer so casual in his movements at times you expect to look down and notice he’s played the last 60 minutes in espadrilles. Illustration: Gary Neill via The Guardian Sport

Riyad Mahrez: A Creative, Mooching Trend-bucker English Football Should Cherish

by Barney Ronay | Jun 13, 2017 | Sports

London – Odd as it might sound given the strange, clamorous dealings of the last week, the sense of a very public meat-exchange taking place somewhere just out of sight, the Premier League transfer window doesn’t actually open until next month. Not that you’d...

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Chelsea players carry coach Antonio Conte as they celebrate winning the Premier League. (Reuters)

Antonio Conte’s Brilliance Has Turned Chelsea’s Pop-up Team into Champions

by Barney Ronay | May 16, 2017 | Sports

London – The manager inherited a mess but has glued together a title-winning side with his tactical nous, fierce work ethic and by bringing back the fun. After an extended, processional run-in that started as a head-down sprint away from the peloton and settled...

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‘It will be fascinating to see how this compelling little sprite of a footballer finds room to grow and assert his will, a mere superstar in the presence of greatness.’ Illustration: Nathan Daniels for the Guardian

Neymar Won’t leave Barcelona while He is Hovering Close to the Throne

by Barney Ronay | Apr 3, 2017 | Sports

Mourinho was surely right when he described the week’s most exciting transfer rumour, the notion Neymar might be lured to Manchester United, as “absurd”, “impossible” and “like trying to break into a safe”. Sadly for the Premier League, this must surely be the case....

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Eden Hazard. (AFP)

Why Eden Hazard Eclipses the N’Golo Kanté Cult and is Player of the Year

by Barney Ronay | Mar 27, 2017 | Sports

London – There are some things in sport that you’re just not allowed to say, lines that must not be crossed. For a long time it was more or less impossible to say in public that you thought Paul Scholes was simply a very good footballer, as opposed to a...