The international break is nearing its end, so it’s time to turn our attention to domestic matters once more. Below, theScore picks out five new faces to look out for as the Premier League returns for its fourth round of games.
Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal)
Transfer details: reported £16-million fee Potential debut: vs. Norwich City on Saturday
Tomiyasu played most of last season in the middle of Bologna’s backline, but the deadline-day arrival of the Japanese defender presents more tactical options for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta than you’d expect.
The Spanish boss has been tinkering during the international break, shaping a back-three in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Brentford. Ben White, Pablo Mari, and Gabriel made up the defensive trio, with Cedric Soares scoring twice from left wing-back and Calum Chambers taking up the other wing-back role.
The personnel would likely be different in competitive fixtures – Tomiyasu, Kieran Tierney, Sead Kolasinac, and Nuno Tavares were all away on national team duty – but the formation could be a possibility in the coming weeks. Though Tomiyasu could feature in that setup as a wing-back, his most natural spot would be to the right of the back-three.
Should Arteta choose to continue with a defensive quartet, Arsenal could be better protected with Tomiyasu at right-back. Tierney would be afforded more freedom to attack from left-back while Tomiyasu can shift inside to form a solid back-three when the Gunners are in possession.
Daniel James (Leeds United)
Transfer details: reported £25-million fee Potential debut: vs. Liverpool on Sunday
He was always going to end up here, wasn’t he?
James held up a Leeds United shirt on the final day of the January window in 2019, the culmination of determined scouting by director of football Victor Orta and his team. That is until the transfer collapsed due to Swansea City ghosting Leeds’ calls after terms were agreed and a medical was completed.
He ended up at Manchester United a few months later, but now, after Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival effectively ended the Welshman’s two-year stay at Old Trafford, James has moved across the Pennines to work with Marcelo Bielsa.
“He’s well known all around the world and everyone learns things off him, so I’m just looking forward to learning every day,” James said of his new manager.
It will be interesting to see if Bielsa devises a way to deploy right-winger Raphinha, left-winger Jack Harrison, and James all at once. This weekend could be primed for James’ debut while Raphinha faces the prospect of a five-day FIFA ban.
Marc Cucurella (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Transfer details: reported £15.5-million fee Potential debut: at Brentford on Saturday
Brighton eyed Cucurella for much of the summer window and finally landed the wild-haired wing-back on deadline day.
The Seagulls have had issues at left-back for a while, enlisting the help of center-back Dan Burn, winger Solly March, midfielder Jakub Moder, right-back Joel Veltman, and forward Andi Zeqiri in that position over 2021. Cucurella is an attack-minded option at left-back, the position he played while progressing through Barcelona’s youth ranks.
For the most part, Cucurella played as a left-winger for Getafe, where his battling qualities proved valuable in their aggressive pressing style.
The defensive base that would provide the best attacking platform would surely consist of a back-three featuring Lewis Dunk and two from Shane Duffy, Adam Webster, and Burn, with Tariq Lamptey (when fit) and Cucurella bombing forward from the wing-back slots. It could be incredible to watch.
Saul Niguez (Chelsea)
Transfer details: loan with option to buy Potential debut: vs. Aston Villa on Saturday
Saul’s star has fallen in recent times, but Thomas Tuchel will be snapping up the reported €40-million option in his loan contract if the Spaniard rediscovers his best form.
The 26-year-old will be desperate to make Spain’s Qatar 2022 squad after missing out on last summer’s Euro 2020 jaunt and should have plenty of chances to impress in Chelsea’s midfield. Tuchel is keen to give Jorginho more rest after relying heavily on the Brazilian this year and N’Golo Kante has succumbed to numerous injuries over the past couple of seasons.
Aside from that pair, Saul will compete with Mateo Kovacic for minutes and should easily see off any potential comeback from Ross Barkley, a rather frustrating footballer who was on loan at Aston Villa last term.
Saul boasts the combativeness you’d expect from a player who’s worked for Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid, but it’s his eye for a pass and fine execution of the box-to-box midfield role that will endear himself to the Stamford Bridge faithful.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Transfer details: initial €15M fee Potential debut: vs. Newcastle United on Saturday
A second debut is a debut, right?
Ronaldo will reintroduce himself to Old Trafford on Saturday. The marksman returned from the international break early after breaking a men’s international scoring record in a two-goal outing against the Republic of Ireland, and supporters have since lapped up the sight of him training alongside his new teammates at Carrington.
The Portuguese superstar is still an extremely dangerous player at 36, winning Serie A’s top scorer award last season after converting 29 times ahead of an admittedly underwhelming Juventus midfield. But the main question at United is: where does Ronaldo fit in a team already full of attacking players?
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seeks versatility in his strikeforce. Throughout their careers, Marcus Rashford and Ronaldo have spent much of their time out on the left, Mason Greenwood has done most of his work through the middle, and Jadon Sancho on the right. However, each of those players can take the other roles in attack and will face competition from the similarly versatile Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard this season.
So, Ronaldo will fit in just fine in any part of Solskjaer’s ever-changing frontline, but it will inevitably come at the cost of other players’ game time.
Honorable mentions: Maxwel Cornet (Burnley), Odsonne Edouard (Crystal Palace), Emerson Royal (Tottenham Hotspur), Kurt Zouma (West Ham United)
Breaking down thrilling EPL title race with 10 games left
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One of the most intoxicating title races in Premier League history is, mercifully, ready to resume.
The quirks of the calendar – an FA Cup weekend succeeded by an agonizing international window – means the titanic tussle between Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City will have been on hiatus for a full three weeks before it gets back underway on Sunday.
But there are no more impending interruptions. With 10 matches remaining for each title contender, we’re barreling toward a resolution to the type of three-way battle that’s exceedingly rare in England’s top flight. There’s never been a season in the Premier League era where three teams went into the final day with a chance to hoist the trophy. This could be it. The last time it happened was the 1971-72 campaign, when Derby County won an incredible four-team fight, narrowly beating Leeds United and, ominously, Liverpool and Man City to the crown. We’re overdue for that kind of drama.
That three sides have converged this way at all is, frankly, remarkable.
These are the three best teams in the country by an enormous margin. They’re the only ones with an expected goal difference per game of plus-1.0 or greater this season. The next best mark, surprisingly, belongs to Mauricio Pochettino’s erratic Chelsea team at plus-0.36. So, yeah, it’s not close.
The three of them are also on a tear and show no signs of slowing down. Arsenal have won all eight of their league games in 2024, scoring 33 goals in the process; Liverpool have collected 22 of a possible 27 points in that time; reigning champions Manchester City have racked up 23 of 27 points. They’ve combined for just one loss since the calendar flipped – Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat against Arsenal in early February.
The only sides that look capable of halting their progress are each other, which makes this weekend’s clash between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad all the more significant.
Euro 2024 playoffs: Miraculous Ukraine comeback, big result for Wales
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Wales, Greece, and Poland registered statement wins Thursday, joining three other teams in next Tuesday’s playoff finals for the three remaining places at Euro 2024.
Ukraine staged an incredible late comeback against Bosnia and Herzegovina in its semifinal to keep its Euro dream alive.
The highest-placed team in FIFA’s rankings that’s no longer in contention to reach the tournament in Germany is 60th-placed Finland.
Here’s how the playoff semifinals across Path A, B, and C played out.
Path A
Mateusz Slodkowski / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Poland 5-1 Estonia
Estonia barely stood a chance. Down to 10 men as early as the 27th minute, the northern Europeans could only muster a consolation goal in a 5-1 loss to Poland. The Polish achieved the rout without Robert Lewandowski getting on the scoresheet and remain unbeaten in 21 Euro qualifiers at home, a magnificent run dating back to September 2006. Poland is trying to make up for a poor qualifying campaign in which it finished third in Group E, four points behind the Czech Republic and Albania. The country hasn’t missed the Euros since 2004.
Wales 4-1 Finland
The Red Wall might descend on Germany this summer. Wales’ raucous supporters have legitimate hopes of traveling to another major tournament after the Dragons scorched Finland without the retired Gareth Bale and with Aaron Ramsey, 33, on the bench after more injury problems. Teemu Pukki gave the visiting team some hope just before halftime following well-taken finishes from David Brooks and Neco Williams. But Wales needed just 73 seconds of the second period to restore its two-goal cushion via Brennan Johnson’s tap-in. Daniel James took advantage of a defensive error before rounding the goalkeeper in the 86th minute to give the host a resounding victory.
Playoff final: Wales vs. Poland, Tuesday 3:45 p.m. ET
Path B
David Balogh – UEFA / UEFA / Getty
Israel 1-4 Iceland
Iceland’s Albert Gudmundsson stole the show with an emphatic hat-trick against Israel on Thursday. His stunning free-kick into the top right corner canceled out Eran Zahavi’s opening goal for Israel, and he created a nice cushion for his country with a pair of markers in the final 10 minutes. Just before that, Zahavi blew an incredible opportunity to equalize the match at 2-2, missing a penalty awarded for handball against Iceland’s Gudmundur Thorarinsson. A red card to Israel’s Haim Revivo didn’t help the trailing side. Iceland is now a game away from making only its second-ever appearance at the Euros following its quarterfinal run in 2016.
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-2 Ukraine
Ukraine scored twice with just minutes remaining in regulation to snatch what seemed to be a sure victory from Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday. Bosnia controlled play for most of the match and took the lead in the 56th minute when Mykola Matviyenko turned in Amar Dedic’s shot into his own net. But a colossal defensive lapse cost the Bosnians a chance to make it a record four countries from the former Yugoslavia at Euro 2024. Roman Yaremchuk came off the bench to equalize in the 85th minute and teed up Artem Dovbyk’s sensational winning header three minutes later to turn the playoff semifinal on its head. Ukraine now faces Iceland with a third consecutive Euro appearance at stake.
Playoff final: Ukraine vs. Iceland, Tuesday 3:45 p.m. ET
Path C
GIORGI ARJEVANIDZE / AFP / Getty
Georgia 2-0 Luxembourg
Two clever finishes from Budu Zivzivadze in Tbilisi assured Georgia of a place in Path C’s final – and all without the help of suspended talisman Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. But it wasn’t that simple for the host. Luxembourg thought it equalized during the second half, only for the goal to be eventually snatched away due to Maxime Chanot’s apparent foul 45 seconds earlier. Luxembourg’s Chanot was controversially sent off for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity, and Zivzivadze effectively ended the match six minutes later with his second strike. Kvaratskhelia is available for the final.
Greece 5-0 Kazakhstan
Anastasios Bakasetas lashed home a penalty, Dimitrios Pelkas headed into the net’s roof, Fotis Ioannidis tapped in from close range, and Dimitrios Kourbelis added another header. And that was all before halftime. Kazakhstan’s impressive 2022-23 Nations League campaign and notable Euro 2024 qualifying wins over Denmark, Northern Ireland (twice), and Finland suddenly seemed ages ago, as Greece recorded its biggest halftime lead since October 1978 (5-0 against Finland). Aleksandr Marochkin’s embarrassing own goal in the 85th minute made Kazakhstan’s day even worse.
Playoff final: Georgia vs. Greece, Tuesday 1:00 p.m. ET
Look: Nike unveils beautiful kit selection for Euro 2024, Copa America
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Nike released a stunning batch of threads ahead of Euro 2024 and Copa America on Monday.
Days after Adidas launched its lineup for the summer’s top two tournaments, Nike followed suit with an array of colorful designs.
The U.S. manufacturer also announced redesigns for Canada and Poland, even though they’ve yet to qualify for their respective tournaments. The Canucks face Trinidad and Tobago in a one-off Copa America qualifier on Saturday, while Poland must navigate a four-team playoff to reach Euro 2024.
(All images courtesy of Nike)
Euro 2024
Croatia
Home
The square-shaped design that gives Croatia its unique look gets a slight upgrade. The home shirt features larger squares than ever before.
Away
Croatia’s away shirt plays on the national flag, with the traditional checkered pattern now on a slant.
England
Home
Influenced by England’s 1966 training gear, the home shirt has a classic feel with a rich blue collar and gorgeous trim along the cuffs.
Away
England embraces a deep purple hue for its away selection. The crest stands out with a contrasting off-white tint that makes the three lions pop.
France
Home
France’s home shirt may have the biggest crest of all of Nike’s offerings. The oversized rooster defines this shirt as much as the royal blue that’s made France’s kits a crowd-pleaser.
Away
The pinstripes mirror the colors of France’s national flag and span the width of the shirt in a simple, yet elegant design.
Netherlands
Home
Nike could’ve offered anything orange here, and it would’ve been perfect. But the Netherlands has something bolder and better to wear. The zig-zag pattern adds edge.
Away
The orange collar and cuffs pop alongside the three shades of blue Nike has chosen to create the abstract design on this work of art.
Poland
Home
Poland dedicates premium real estate on the country’s home shirt to its imposing crest.
Away
Poland’s away shirt is a daring choice. The graphic treatment adds texture, giving it a rugged feel while separating from the red tones of years past.
Portugal
Home
With possibly the best home shirt in Nike’s collection, Portugal leans heavily into its traditional red-and-green motif with a polo collar and thick cuffs. The logo sits prominently as well. A smash hit.
Away
Here’s another winner. Portugal’s away strip has a stunning textile imprint that gives off a cool summer vibe.
Turkey
Home
This is a menacing look. Turkey will look like a whirring red army with these imposing shirts.
Away
The classic red band returns to Turkey’s away uniform. Like the others, it features an oversized crest in the middle of the shirt.
Copa America
Brazil
Home
Nike goes big with Brazil’s crest and adds an intricate design to the same yellow hue the Selecao have used for decades.
Away
Brazil’s secondary strip feels like the beach. A horizontal wavy pattern covering the entire shirt mimics the country’s picturesque coastline.
Canada
Home
The only blemish in Nike’s lineup. Why is there a circle around the swoosh? And why are the shoulders so much darker than the body? None of it makes sense.
Away
The 13 pinstripes are supposed to represent the 10 provinces and three territories that make up Canada. Unfortunately, the rest of the shirt looks incomplete.
United States
Home
The United States men’s national team gets a classic home shirt with patriotic detailing along the color and sleeves.
Away
The gradient works perfectly with the red shorts the U.S. will wear at the Copa America.