UEFA Champions League
2024/25
Declan Rice is running out of steam, leaving Tuchel a midfield conundrum
<p>England mainstay is flagging after six years of nonstop action, but finding a solution to his absence is no easy task</p><p>A freak of nature is Aaron Cresswell’s description of Declan Rice. The former West Ham left-back marvels at Rice’s ability to keep going. “He can play six or seven games a week,” Cresswell says of his old West Ham teammate. “God knows how many he’s played in the last few years.”</p><p>The answer is 360 since the start of the 2020-21 season. The schedule has been relentless for the England midfielder. He was vital for West Ham when they had deep European runs in 2022 and 2023, was a mainstay for Gareth Southgate’s England and has been no less influential for Arsenal’s Premier League and Champions League endeavours since joining them three years ago.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/19/world-cup-england-rice-out-of-steam-tuchel-midfield-dilemma">Continue reading...</a>
guardian
Sutton: Celtic need £50m summer overhaul
Chris Sutton believes Celtic may need to spend more than £50m overhauling their squad this summer if they are to retain their Premiership title and compete in the Champions League.
sky_sports
OL Lyonnes and Scotland’s Caroline Weir: ‘I would love to be competing for the Champions League’
<p>Midfielder is hopeful for trophy-laden spell after bidding farewell to Madrid and challenges Scotland to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil</p><p></p><p>June 2026 is a month Caroline Weir is unlikely to forget. She scored seven goals in two Scotland games as the team clinched top spot in their World Cup qualifying group, watched on with joy at 2am as Scotland’s men secured their <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/14/haiti-scotland-world-cup-match-report">first World Cup win for 36 years</a>, and then her move to OL Lyonnes was announced by the eight-time European champions.</p><p>The Scotland captain says the lure of playing for Europe’s most decorated women’s club made the transfer an easy decision after four happy years playing for Real Madrid.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/18/caroline-weir-ol-lyonnes-scotland-interview">Continue reading...</a>
guardian
England’s second-half forward surge against Croatia fails to mask defensive frailties | Jacob Steinberg
<p>Even as forwards shine, Dallas performance exposes shaky defence that may cost Thomas Tuchel and England dear come the tournament’s sharp end</p><p>When Thomas Tuchel won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021 the success was built on unflinching defensive rigour and midfield discipline. Five years on, though, Tuchel’s England displayed neither of those qualities during a dreadful first half in Dallas. They kept losing the ball in dangerous areas, struggled to maintain their shape without the ball and were rocking when Croatia stung them with a second equaliser just before half-time.</p><p>The vibe could hardly have been less convincing. Anthony Barry, Tuchel’s No 2, let rip in an interview with ITV, accusing England of doing all the wrong things, of playing with “a nervous energy”, of making everything “confused and complicated” against opponents well versed in making their craft and experience in midfield count.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/18/england-second-half-forward-surge-fails-mask-defensive-frailties-world-cup-croatia">Continue reading...</a>
guardian
How Modric and Croatia continue to defy the odds
The child displaced by war who won six Champions League titles and a Ballon d'Or - how Luka Modric and England's opponents Croatia continue to defy the odds.
bbc
Hearts to face Sturm Graz in Champions League qualifying
Heart of Midlothian will face Sturm Graz in the second round of Champions League qualifying.
bbc
Griping about Tuchel’s handbrake or Arteta’s bus makes the bantersphere tick | Max Rushden
<p>Opinions, the game loves them, and after Arsenal’s hugely divisive final, here’s my truth – feel free to yell back</p><p>What the world needs now is one last hot take on <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/may/30/paris-saint-germain-retain-champions-league-as-arsenal-dream-dashed-in-shootout">Arsenal and the Champions League final</a> before we are all brought together in beautiful symbiotic harmony by the World Cup.</p><p>Key questions such as: was it a good game? Was this the perfect way to take on the best midfield and attack in world football or the ultimate illustration of footballing cowardice? Why didn’t all the people in the UK want Arsenal to win? Why did some Arsenal fans find that annoying? Could it possibly be that people are different and want different things from football matches they consume in very different ways?</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/04/griping-thomas-tuchel-handbrake-mikel-arteta-bus-england-arsenal-bantersphere">Continue reading...</a>
guardian