The proud Bostonian will give us the inside scoop on what life is like behind-the-scenes in England’s top-flight with Q&A’s, first-person pieces and more. He will also touch on plenty of the hot topics across the soccer world. Simply put, you will get all of his expert insight, analysis and opinions on the beautiful game, right here.
This week we caught up with Geoff on the phone for a quick Q&A, following Stoke’s grueling away games against Liverpool and Manchester United in the space of four days, as he now prepare to face Arsenal on Saturday.
Let’s recap the last week. Two great performances away from home against Liverpool and Manchester United but two narrow defeats. How frustrating was that?
Away at Liverpool, we were disappointed to not get at least a point there where we deserved more and then going to Manchester United with our spirits high and we are disappointed again. I think we are playing well and working hard, but we are just not putting the ball in the back of the net and getting that bit of luck.
Sometimes you need some luck, you need to create your own but hopefully this weekend we can turn it around and get our home form to where it should be. We face another big team, a real tough opponent, but I think we can beat Arsenal. They are a very good team but we have been playing very well and coming up just shy of winning. We need that killer instinct and consistency to beat Arsenal this weekend, get three points and climb the table.
How hard is it playing on the road, often with hostile fans looming?
It is one of the toughest things to do and the thing is every game, every point, matters. Every game is crucial and you try to get as many points as you can. We want to improve on last year’s finish and we all believe that we can do more. That is the goal. But at the same time we’ve been very unfortunate recently because we’ve been playing really well but just not getting the bounces go our way.
Difficult is it to ignore the crowd? Often they are very close to the pitch.
It is what you have to do as a professional. For me, it gets you up for the games even more. When you are in the zone you don’t notice it because you are so focused. But the crowds over here and the passion is incredible. To be able to play in England and experience this every weekend, with the intense support and passion, it is a place you would always want to play.
Geoff’s had a busy week chasing around the likes of Juan Mata.
How big a part are injuries playing for Stoke right now?
Yeah, having injuries is tough. But at the same time, every team has injuries and you have to deal with it. I think we’ve done alright. We do have a lot of injuries but saying that, we have enough quality throughout the team and we have been unfortunate with the results we have had.
Looking ahead to facing Arsenal this weekend, it is going to be a full house at the Britannia Stadium. Do you think you can get at these guys?
We know what Arsenal has and what they have to offer and how good they are. But we have been playing very well and although we are disappointed with the last couple of results, we are pretty confident that things will change around and this weekend will give us a chance to do some damage.
The last few games you’ve played right back, center back and in central midfield. Is having your position change so much difficult?
It is definitely tough. But at the same time I am playing, so I’m not going to complain about it. I just want to play. For me it was a good opportunity the other night to play at Old Trafford against Manchester United under the lights and it was great to get a run at midfield and just to be playing. I just want to be on the pitch and playing and playing when I am confident.
You’ve been in the Premier League for a few years now but as a guy from Boston, do you look around before or after games and think ‘this is amazing to be playing at these famous stadiums!’
For sure. That is one of the things. You look up after the game and you are like ‘man… this is crazy!’ Not everybody gets the opportunity to play at these stadiums and play at such a high level so for me it is an amazing opportunity and like a dream come true. I just want to keep it going and play over here as long as I can.
You have a busy week with three games in seven days, and then in a few weeks time you have the busy festive season coming up. Is that time of year one of the best to be involved in the Premier League?
It is definitely one of the most exciting times of the year, that’s for sure. But it is also one of the hardest times of the year. While other leagues in the world have a break, but for us it is the busiest time of the year. For us, I don’t mind it at all. It is just a matter of keeping your body healthy and making sure you are ready to go for the next match because you want to be as fresh as possible.
Geoff scored his first-ever PL goal against Arsenal in 2012-13.
How do you do that?
Everybody is different. For me it is getting treatment, getting my body body realigned back to where it was before. The one thing for me is, sleep is the best recovery you can get. So sleeping and resting (see the Instagram post above for some serious chilling…). Preparing your mind mentally, and physically, for such a hard run of games. If you can do that, get your mind right and prepare yourself, it is a powerful thing.
Facing Arsenal, you scored against them a few years back. Would it be nice to get on the scoresheet on Saturday
I wouldn’t mind getting on the board against Arsenal again! That was a pretty cool moment in my career, especially as it was my first Premier League goal. Hopefully I will have a few more before my time is done.
Arsenal have the likes of Alexis Sanchez tearing it up and many others like Giroud, Welbeck etc. How big of an attacking threat do they possess and how big of a test will it be for Stoke?
They have a lot of good players… but so do we. It is a matter of us showing up to play and all we can do is worry about ourselves and how we have been playing. If we go out there with the same hard work we’ve been putting in during the last couple of games, then I think we will be alright. You can’t focus on too many of those guys. It is the same situation when you play Man United or Liverpool. They have so many good players, so you can’t focus on one, you have to focus on them all as a team and everyone working together.
Give Geoff a follow on Twitter for the latest insight into his life in England playing in the Premier League.
Tied at 0-0 from the first leg of the final in San Nicolas on Thursday, the advantage is with red-hot Chivas as their stunning recent form saw them win their final four games of the Clausura regular season to finish third in the table before beating Atlas and Club America in the playoffs.
Victor Guzman and Alexis Vega are Chivas’ main attacking threats as they will keep it tight defensively and the energy of the home crowd at Akron Stadium should be a huge help as Chivas aim to win their first Clausura title since 2017, when they also beat Tigres in the final.
Tigres finished seventh in the Clausura standings and beat Toluca and Monterrey to reach the final. The duo of Sebastian Cordova and Andre-Pierre Gignac are their main hope of winning on the road in Guadalajara and lifting the trophy.
Below is everything you need for Chivas vs Tigres, one of whom will be crowned as the Clausura champions on Sunday.
Borussia Dortmund gave the Bundesliga title to heated rivals Bayern Munich on a shocking final day in the Bundesliga, a stunning collapse that left a ready-to-party Westfalenstadion in mourners’ status.
Bayern took an early lead through Kingsley Coman at Koln and Dortmund went down 2-0 in the first half versus Mainz, missing a penalty that would’ve tied the score at 1.
Dortmund entered the day with the table lead and dominated Mainz to the tune of 26-7 in shots and 3.64-0.62 in expected goals, but Andreas Hanche-Olsen and Karim Onisiwo’s goals were enough as only Giovanni Reyna’s set-up of Raphael Guerreiro got Dortmund on the board in a 2-1 loss.
Koln briefly gave hope with a penalty equalizer in the 80th minute versus Bayern, but Jamal Musiala’s 89th-minute goal put the defending champions back in front.
Dortmund would’ve won the league by matching or bettering Bayern’s result and but Instead hand an 11th-straight Meisterschale to the Bavarians. No one has won more German top-flight titles than Bayern’s 33.
BVB remains on eight Bundesliga titles and remains one behind Nurnberg, which has not won since 1968.
MAINZ TAKE LEAD AT DORTMUND 🇩🇪 If results hold, Bayern win 11th straight German title. Bundesliga scriptwriters trying to one-up Premier League counterparts.pic.twitter.com/dXn5Ruk5If
Luton Town overcame a blown lead in regulation to earn a place in the Premier League by outlasting Coventry City in penalties during Saturday’s playoff final at Wembley Stadium.
USMNT goalkeeper Ethan Horvath watched as Fankaty Dabo’s penalty sailed over the goal to give the Hatters a 6-5 win after 120 minutes ended 1-1 and neither team missed on 11-straight attempts from the spot.
In 2018 Luton and Coventry were both in the fourth-tier of English football. Now Luton is joining Sheffield United and Burnley in the top flight.
Jordan Clark scored Luton Town’s goal, while Gustavo Hamer leveled the line for Coventry City.
Coventry City vs Luton Town as it happened:
GOAL! Luton’s taken the first five shots of the match and now one’s found the back of the goal. It’s Jordan Clark who belts home in the 23rd minute to put the Hatters on top! Luton Town, 1-0
CHANCE! It’s Elijah Adebayo, who assisted the opener, who can’t quite get a very decent chance right, as Luton is looking to put an early vice grip on the final. Still 1-0, 30′.
Shots are up to 9-0 in favor of the Hatters but the total xG is still below 1.00. Coventry has to wake up, but maybe they’d take getting to halftime down one at this point.
The 11th shot of the game is Coventry’s, and it’s a high volley that slashed over the goal. Off-balance and improbable, but Coventry will be hopeful it’s a sign that they’re coming into the affair; Soon after, a rush is bungled but into the Luton third.
HALFTIME: Luton Town 1, Coventry City 0 — (Clark 23′)
SECOND HALF: Coventry has more of the ball and is building off its late first half, but Luton looks well-drilled into its system despite the concession of some set pieces.
Good news on a scary-looking injury for Luton star Tom Lockyer:
We are able to report that after collapsing on the pitch, Tom Lockyer has been taken to hospital for further tests.
He is responsive and talking to his family, who are with him.
GOAL! And the Sky Blues are level! It’s Brazilian-born Dutch youth international Gustavo Hamer who has it so with a solid finish, though the playmaking’s come from star performer Viktor Gyokeres. It’s all on now at Wembley! 1-1, 66′
A dangerous free kick in stoppage time for Luton after a very questionable foul, but fate makes sure this one doesn’t end with ignominy. Are we headed for penalties? Extra time is almost certain deep in stoppage.
xG is basically even after 90 minutes, as are shot attempts, and anything can happen when it comes to the 20th berth in the 2023-24 Premier League season.
END OF 90: Coventry City 1, Luton Town 1 — (Clark 23′, Hamer 66′)
INJURY! USMNT keeper Ethan Horvath is down for treatment 11 minutes into the first frame of extra time, which has otherwise been a scrappy period. Looks like he’s going to try to continue despite dropping to the pitch after a long goal kick.
END OF FIRST ET PERIOD: Coventry City 1, Luton Town 1 — (Clark 23′, Hamer 66′)
Not much happened there. Nerves? Can someone seize history in the next 15 or will we go to pens?
NO GOAL! Joe Taylor has it in the goal for Luton off a bad giveaway but VAR, not used in the regular season, spots a handball and the Hatters won’t win it here. We’re going to penalties.
END OF SECOND ET PERIOD: Coventry City 1, Luton Town 1 — (Clark 23′, Hamer 66′)
Horvath was a penalty hero for the USMNT in the CONCACAF Nations League against Mexico, while well-traveled Ben Wilson is between the sticks for Coventry. Here we go…
X Carlton Morris goal for Luton 1-0
X Matty Godden goal for Coventry 1-1
X Taylor goal for Luton 2-1
X Viktor Gyokeres goal for Coventry 2-2
X Marvelous Nakamba goal for Luton 3-2
X Ben Sheaf goal for Coventry 3-3
X Jordan Clark goal for Luton 4-3
X Josh Eccles goal for Coventry 4-4
X Luke Berry goal for Luton 5-4
X Liam Kelly goal for Coventry 5-5
X Daniel Potts goal for Luton 6-5
X Fankaty Dabo miss for Coventry 6-5
Coventry City vs Luton Town player ratings: Stars of the Show
Luton Town boss Rob Edwards left rival club Watford in November and the risky maneuver has paid off for the coach and club. Viktor Gyokeres is the club’s 21-goal scoring hero and he’s chipped in 11 assists as well, and Gustavo Hamer has been sensational as well.
Coventry City manager Mark Robins has been with the club since 2017 and it’s been up-up-up. Carlton Morris leads the way with 20 goals, while Alfie Doughty and Tom Lockyer have been key players, too, with Lockyer scoring in three of the Hatters’ last four matches.
Championship playoff schedule, how to watch, updates
Dates: Final – Saturday, May 27 at 11:45am ET Updates: Via scoreboard on NBCSports.com How to watch: ESPN+
Can Manchester United’s new-look side keep its place in the top four? What about Newcastle? Is Tottenham going to turn things around to claim a place or will another new name, Brighton or Aston Villa, make their claim? Liverpool’s not out of this, either…
How will the new boys get on? Who will be the surprise package? Can Chelsea salvage any pride from the season? Who will stay up in the congested scrap against relegation?
Those questions will be answered from August 2022 to May 2023, with the full list of Premier League fixtures.
While below are the answers to all of the questions you have around the Premier League fixtures and everything else you need to know for the upcoming season, with full details on the Premier League TV schedule across the NBC family of channels and more.
The Premier League fixtures for the 2022-23 season were announced on Thursday June 16, 2022 at 4am ET. Below is the full schedule, as you can watch all 380 games across our NBC platforms.
The Premier League fixture computer decides who plays who and when, as teams located close to one another are usually playing at home on opposite weekends to help with policing, crowd control and transport congestion in those areas.
When did the Premier League take a break for the 2022 World Cup?
When will the 2022-23 Premier League season finish?
The final day of the season will be on Sunday, May 28, 2023.
Which teams will compete in the 2022-23 Premier League?
These are the 20 teams which will compete in the Premier League for the upcoming season:
Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton and Hove Albion, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Leeds United, Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Predictions for 2022-23 Premier League season
We made a few bold predictions ahead of the Premier League campaign, which you can read in full here. And we’ve also predicted how we think the Premier League table will look at the end of the 2022-23 campaign. I’m sure you agree wholeheartedly with these predictions…
2022-23 Premier League TV schedule
Below are the Premier League fixtures in full, with all kick offs listed at 10am ET unless otherwise stated:
, 2023