Author: INDEPENDENT

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter I have virtually nothing in common with Salvatore Schillaci, aka Totò, the Sicilian footballer whose death at 59 was announced yesterday, other than that we were both born in the first week of December 1964. If you know your football, you’ll know who he is. He came from nowhere – which in a footballing sense is what Messina was and is – and snuck into the Italian squad at…

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Ange Postecoglou acknowledged Tottenham had to hang in there to avoid a Carabao Cup upset at Coventry, but was pleased with their spirit and character after a nervy 2-1 victory.Spurs were set to follow up Sunday’s painful derby defeat to Arsenal with another loss after Brandon Thomas-Asante fired the Sky Bet Championship club into a deserved lead after 63 minutes.It would have put Postecoglou’s post-match comments last weekend about…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsHistoric homeware brand Tupperware has filed for bankruptcy in the United States. The Orlando-based Tupperware Brands Corporation said launching bankruptcy proceedings was the “best path forward” after exploring “numerous strategic options” to stay afloat despite debts of more than $700 million.The business – famous for its airtight storage containers that were used by Queen Elizabeth II to store breakfast cereal – was developed in 1946 by Earl Tupper…

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Liverpool head coach Arne Slot insists opening their Champions League campaign with a 3-1 victory over AC Milan was more important than his birthday.The game coincided with the Dutchman turning 46 but the focus was getting his first European campaign off to a winning start.They achieved that with goals from Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai after conceding early on to Christian Pulisic.“I said a few times,…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsThe mother of ballerina Michaela DePrince has died the day after her daughter’s shock death. Michaela, 29, died on 10 September while her mother Elaine died during a routine procedure in preparation for surgery the next day, their family has confirmed.An orphan of war in Sierra Leone, Michaela moved to the United States while still an infant and was adopted by Elaine at the age of four. Elaine…

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USAmazon CEO Andy Jassy has sparked a fierce backlash among employees after announcing they’ll now be required to spend five days a week in the office. Jassy sent a memo to staff on Monday informing them of “a couple changes we’re making to further strengthen our culture and teams.”Part of doing that, he said, is returning to working in the office full time, as was the norm…

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter It used to be that Milan-Liverpool matches would crown Champions League seasons rather than kick them off, and it’s not the only thing about Tuesday’s meeting that has been upended. The two clubs have consistently been the names directly underneath Real Madrid in the competition’s list of honours since 1990, at which point the Spanish club had six European Cups, with Milan and Liverpool four apiece.It’s now 15, seven,…

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Mikel Arteta paid tribute to his Arsenal players after they brushed off a string of high-profile absentees to claim an “ugly” 1-0 win at rivals Tottenham.This north London derby had been billed as potentially make-or-break for Arsenal despite being the middle of September after the Gunners dropped points at home to Brighton before the international break.Manchester City’s fourth consecutive Premier League win on Saturday coupled with the unavailability of…

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Pep Guardiola hailed Erling Haaland’s mental strength after the prolific Norwegian struck twice in Manchester City’s 2-1 defeat of Brentford.Haaland had been a doubt for Saturday’s Premier League encounter at the Etihad Stadium following the death of a close family friend.City manager Pep Guardiola had allowed the player compassionate leave but he opted to stay and play.Guardiola said: “You have to be strong, maybe for 90 minutes forget your…

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has warned his squad not to expect to face a weakened Arsenal team on Sunday.The Gunners will definitely be without midfielder Declan Rice due to suspension, while summer recruit Mikel Merino is sidelined with a shoulder injury and captain Martin Odegaard is expected to miss out after he sustained an ankle issue on international duty with Norway.However, Postecoglou bristled at the notion it could…