Sam Cunningham

London

Football Correspondent at The i Paper

Chief football correspondent @theipaper Email: [email protected]

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Articles

How Marco Silva's super subs put Fulham on the brink of Europe

6 days ago | inews.co.uk | Sam Cunningham

There was an unfortunate mix-up during Fulham’s recent defeat to Bournemouth that may have painted a misleading picture of Marco Silva’s aptitude at substitutions. With a little over half an hour to play and Fulham chasing a goal against their rivals for European qualification, Silva readied Tom Cairney, Adama Traore and Raul Jimenez to come on. Yet when the fourth official’s board went up and the players left the field, confusion spread across Silva’s face.
How Liverpool can replace the irreplaceable Trent, according to transfer experts

1 week ago | inews.co.uk | Sam Cunningham

There was something poignant about the way Trent Alexander-Arnold played the passes that made him the most creative defender in Premier League history at Newcastle United in December. Not necessarily because of the assists themselves – in Alexander-Arnold’s highlights reel, they will not feature highly.
Frank Lampard: It would be great if the next England manager was English

1 week ago | inews.co.uk | Sam Cunningham

Frank Lampard had been out of work for a year when the England job became available and his name started getting mentioned. He was an outside bet, sure. Eddie Howe was a strong contender, but chose to stay at Newcastle United – a decision vindicated when he became the first English manager to win a trophy since Harry Redknapp 17 years earlier. Graham Potter, who soared like Icarus until he got burnt at Chelsea, was out of work, and keen.
The picture that shows VAR is broken

1 week ago | inews.co.uk | Sam Cunningham

When Fifa awarded the United States the rights to the 1994 World Cup, there remained some apprehension. It was the first time the tournament was to be held in the States, a great chance to grow the game to a massive audience, but what if no-one showed up? The US already had vast arenas used to host homegrown sports, filling them with fans who did not even know how football was played was another matter.
Arsenal shut out by Paris Saint-Germain and have huge mountain to climb

2 weeks ago | inews.co.uk | Sam Cunningham

Arsenal 0-1 PSG (Dembele 4′)EMIRATES — Arsenal are still breathing, at least. A faint heartbeat still recognisable in their Champions League semi-final. The tie alive. For a while it had looked as though they would endure death by a thousand passes at the feet of Paris Saint-Germain, their opponents out-thinking and out-playing them in their own home in a mesmerising first leg.
This is a warning to Man City and Arsenal: Liverpool could dominate for years

2 weeks ago | inews.co.uk | Sam Cunningham

Has there ever been more excuses made for why a team has won a title, rather focusing on what the champions have achieved? Nobody has put up a serious challenge, we have been told, frequently. It was the only off year Manchester City have had in a decade. As though Liverpool’s 20th top-flight trophy has been handed to them, neatly gift-wrapped and with a delicate bow on top.
How Liverpool won the Premier League title without overspending

2 weeks ago | inews.co.uk | Sam Cunningham

Liverpool are one point away from the club’s first Premier League title in five years. And, well, nobody could really say they expected it at the start of the season. A new and untested manager, a first season without Jurgen Klopp and barely any spending in the summer transfer window had all the hallmarks of a difficult, finding-your-feet season. Instead, Liverpool were virtually uncatchable by February.
Burnley and Leeds have a 60% chance of going down - that should worry every fan

3 weeks ago | inews.co.uk | Sam Cunningham

Up until the last decade or so, a newly-promoted Premier League side were looking at around nine other teams who they could realistically challenge to avoid relegation. That is three teams out of 10 going down. Still around a 30 per cent chance of relegation, but promising enough odds. Now, though, statisticians believe it is increasingly closer to three out of five – a 60 per cent chance of going straight back down. Not so appetising.
Ruben Amorim would be facing the sack at Man Utd - if he was British

3 weeks ago | inews.co.uk | Sam Cunningham

Compare the headlines following a defeat after David Moyes’s first five months in charge at Manchester United, and those after Ruben Amorim’s latest defeat in the same amount of time, and it tells us a lot about the attitude towards British managers. On Monday, much of the focus of a disappointing defeat to Wolves was on misfiring forward Rasmus Hojlund. There was a little talk of “misery”. Some damning statistics relating to this season.
The 'next Jamie Vardy' is a 150-goal forward who barely trains

3 weeks ago | inews.co.uk | Sam Cunningham

Jake Tabor is thinking about the secret to scoring goals but can’t quite put his finger on it. Chances are you will not have heard of Tabor. He is 22 years old, a striker for Amersham Town FC, having never played higher than the bottom steps of the football pyramid. But Tabor can’t stop scoring, and in one of the internet’s many popular niches corners, he is a non-league sensation. His goal clips go viral. YouTubers with millions of followers request interviews.