North African side Morocco will today, be hoping to make more history by becoming the first African Side to get to the finals of a world cup.
On Saturday, they made history by becoming the first ever side to reach the semi-finals after beating Cristiano Ronaldo’s portugal.
Walid Regragui boasts having a well organized, committed and disciplined squad. He has set his side to be compact off the ball. This is well summed up by the fact that the side has just conceded one own goal in five matches. None of the heavyweights they faced, including Spain and Portugal generated an expected goals tally (XG) greater than 1.0 against them.
They have pace and an abundance of physically capable players. Lest we forget, they have also been blessed with players that are tall, which makes them deal with aerial duels easily, both in defense and attack.
The elephant in the room has obviously been the performances of defensive midfielder Soffiane Amrabat. The 24-year-old has been crucial in providing a solid base upon which fellow midfielders,Selim Amallah and Azzedine Ounahi have used to link with the attackers. He will be integral if Morocco are to stand a chance of qualification.
Captain, Roman Saiss is in a race against time to be fit for the match. Nayeff Aguerd, who came to the world cup patched up, is another who will be hopeful of being fit in time for the primetime fixture.
France will be seeking to become the first team since Brazil to be looking to retain their title two tournaments in a row as they will be looking to upstage Morocco tonight.
Didier Deschamps’ side looked in disarray on paper following injuries to key players, such as Paul Pogba, Chris Nkunku and Karim Benzema.
However, they have surprised many by getting this far. In absence of Karim Benzema, Olivier Giroud has proved to be a vital cog to the squad by offering presence upfront and creating space for Mbappe and Dembele to get into goal scoring positions.
Antonio Griezmann has taken to his new withdrawn role like a duck to water.Griezmann’s game has always been about making late runs off a withdrawn striker to score goals. Now, he is playing different. He is drifting between the lines and combining effectively particularly with Ousmane Dembele. He is also setting the tempo of France’s games.
Assisted by the formidable pivot of Adrien Rabiot and Aulerien Tchouameni,the side have looked balanced. Paul Pogba and Ng’olo Kante have certainly, not been missed. However, Les Bleus are yet to keep a clean sheet since the tournament began. It is interesting to see whether they will be able to keep Morocco from finding the back of the net. At the same time, it remains to be seen whether Morocco can fight back after going a goal down.
They are currently ranked 7th world wide and coach, Luis Enrique, has overseen a transition of the squad into a youthful one, with only captain Sergio Busquets the lone survivor from that team that won the world cup in 2010.
Enrique will stick to his 4-3-3 formation that becomes 3-2-5 and then 2-3-5 in build- up and attack respectively .Unai Simon expected to keep his place in goal. Enrique is still looking for the ideal partner for Almeyric Laporte, who is expected to be fit, with fellow left footer Pau Torres the first choice. Eric Garcia, Huigo Guilamon and Diego Llorente are other candidates.
He will likely mitigate this by playing Cesar Azpiliqueta as an inverted right back who will drop into the defensive line to form a back three during build up. Jose Gaya and Jordi Alba will compete for the left back role and use their attacking instincts to support the front 3.
Expect Alvaro Morata to start upfront, although there have been calls for him to be dropped by fans and media owing to his profligacy issues.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica coach, Luis Guzman, will rely on a spine of experienced players like captain Brian Ruiz, Kaylor Navas, Cristian Gamboa and Joel Campbell to use their experience from the 2014 and 18 world cups to give the team a chance of upsetting the odds and getting to the knock out stages.
Costa Rica will face Spain in their opening game of the world cup campaign on 23rd November, before facing Japan 4 days later.
Germany
Nicknamed Die Manscafft, Germany one of the most successful national teams in international competitions, having won four World Cups
It is currently ranked 11th worldwide. Coach, Hansi Dieter-Flick, has made the team a solid unit since taking over from Joachim Low after the Euro 2020, where they were eliminated at the round of 16 to England . Given his high octane, handbrake off football, expect Germany to be one of the most entertaining teams to watch.
Germany will have to do without Marco Reus and Timo Werner, whose pace helps stretch teams and exploit gaps his team creates upon winning the ball back through injuries.
Germany mostly utilizes a highly octane 4-2-3-1 formation, which offers an extra attacker in the forward unit and has made Germany look stylistically more like Bayern Munich, who Flick managed before taking the national-team job. That is a good thing, with Germany the first team to qualify for this World Cup.
Manuel Nueuer is expected to start in goal ahead of Marc Ande-Ter Stergen. At the back, Antonio Rudiger will partner one Nico Shlotterback or Niklas Sule, with David Raum and Thilo Kellerher making the fullback slots their own.
In midfield, expect Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka to maintain their partnership, with players like Gundogan and Jamal Musiala battling out for the creative role, as Kai Havertz, Leroy Sane and captain Thomas Muller battling for the attacking slots.
Japan
Japam are ranked 24th in world football. Head coach Hajime Moniyasu, who served as assistant at the 2018 world cup finals, has a strong spine he can rely on to help the team progress to the latter stages.
Japan are a possession based team but tend not to build-up close to their own goal. Instead, they look to play forward quickly and have organized possession in the opposition half, where they create chances through wide combinations between full-backs, wingers and the roaming No 10.
Daniel Schmidt will start between the sticks while Takehiro Tomiyasu and captain, Maya Yoshida will marshal the back 4.Yuto Nagatomo could be relied on to bomb up and down the flanks thanks to his experience. Not only that, it will be useful in guiding the younger generation in the squad, such as the very exciting Takefusa Kubo.
Takehiro Tomiyasu will be integral to the side if they are to stand a chance of making the knockout stages.He made the squad after shaking off a troublesome calf injury. He can play anywhere across the back four, is strong,good on the ball which can give the team an advantage when playing on the break, is athletic,pacey, ambidextrous and is good at reading situations defensively.
Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
Belgium
The Belgium national team have qualified for fourteen FIFA World Cups.Head coach, Roberto Martinez, has been in charge since 2016. Under his stewardship, they finished 3rd at the 2018 world cup.
Although most of the squad for that tournament have since retired from international duty, promising new players, such Jeremy Doku, Amadou Onana and Lois Openda have shown there is a bright future ahead for the devils.
The 3-4-2-1 formation has been a staple of Belgium under Martinez which comprises two wing-backs plus a box midfield (a double pivot with two attacking midfielders ahead).The box is fluid and at times the No 10s will drop deeper to help overload the midfield and create chances for other players, such as the Lukaku and the onrushing opposition 10, like Jeremie Doku.
In goal, Thibaut Coutois will use his presence and goalkeeping brilliance to keep the goals out. Captain Jan Ventonghen will marshal the defense.
Axel Witsel and Youri Tielemans will create the midfield platform upon which the likes of De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku to will use to be the creative hub that feeds Romeku Lukaku.
Kevin De Bruyne is ultimately the key player this tournament for Belgium. He will use his creative skill sets and ability to net goals to enhance the team’s chances of going far.
Canada
Nicknamed The Reds, Canad will participate in their second World Cup in 2022, and will co-host, along with the United States and Mexico, the 2026 world cup.
The team, which is currently ranked 41st world wide, is coached by John Hardman, who is overseeing the unearthing of golden generation Canadian players, such as Bayern left Back Alphonso Davies, Porto midfielder Steven Estaquio and forward Johnathan David.
The team mostly play an attack-minded, possession-based 4-4-2, that adapts adventurously between the phases of the game. While they were always resolute defensively and always brilliant on the counter-attack.
They never shied away from taking the match to their opposition, with John Herdman instilling a fear factor and a sense of resiliency never seen before from this national side. They should not be underestimated heading into the tournament.
Morocco
Morocco are one of the most successful African countries of all time. They have participated in the FIFA World Cup six times.Their best result came in 1986, when they were the first African national team to finish top of a group at the World Cup.
They are ranked 22nd in world football. Head Coach, Walid Gegragoi has an assortment of established internationals to pick from, including captain Romain Saiss and Hakim Ziyech, who returned to the set up, after the sacking of former head coach Vahid Halilhodžić, who had exiled him for the AFCON 2021 held earlier this year.
Other players include recent Yashin trophy nominee Youseff Bounou, who has proven himself a capable man between the sticks, Youseff En Nesyri, who is a handful for defenders in front of goal, creative midfielder Amine Harit and fullbacks Nouzair Mazraoui and Archraf Hakimi, who is considered one of the best fullbacks in world football
In the two September friendlies, Regragui’s only games in charge, Morocco have played a 4-3-3 with one holding midfielder, inverted wingers and advancing full-backs. They are an exciting, fluid and expansive attacking side who look to build from the back but attack with pace, but are kind of weak in the engine room and easy to play against between the lines, which is something they will have to cut out to have a chance of progression.
Croatia
Nicknamed the blazers, the croatian national team comes into this tournament on the back of reaching the final of the previous world cup edition in Russia in 2018. It is currently ranked 12th in World football
Head coach, Zlatko Dalić has been in charge since 2017 and under his tutelage, they reached that 2018 world cup final where they lost to France, 4-2. He still has a large spine of the squad from that tournament, led by captain and reigning golden ball winner Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, Mateo Kovacic, Ivan Perisic, Ante Rebic and Andrej Kramaric
Croatia will stick to their blueprint, playing a 4-3-3 formation that places an emphasis on having a midfield triangle, which can keep possession by passing among itself, while the fullbacks push high to support the attack and create chances.
Croatioans will be hoping Luka Modric will carry on from where he left last tournament and help the team try to go far again. Modrić has been integral to the success of both Real Madrid and the Croatia national team, having won numerous individual honors for his contributions to club and country.
GROUP G:Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Brazil
The Brazil national football teamIt is the best ranked team in world football. Coach Tite, who led it to the 2019 Copa America title, has several quality options at his disposal and will be hopeful they will help him deliver a record 6th title home.
Brazil have looked at their best playing a 4-2-3-1, with Neymar given a free role as a No 10 and flanked by the inverted wingers Lucas Pacqueta (on the left) and Raphinha (right), with Richalison playing as the No 9.
In goal, Alison has cemented his position ahead of Ederson of Man City. At the back, Thiago Silva is expected to partner Marquinos as Danilo and Alex Sandro occupy the full back positions.
Casemiro is expected to be the first-choice Defensive midfielder, partnering Fred.
Neymar as usual, is the key man of the team for a third successive world cup. The forward, who has been instrumental for PSG this season will be hoping to help his team put the wrongs from the 204 and 2018 editions right.
Serbia
Since their first friendly match in 1994, The Serbia National team, dubbed the Eagles, has taken part in 5 world cup finals, with the first in 1998 where they reached the round of 16.
The team is ranked 21st globally.
Head coach, Dragan Stojković, who has been in charge of the team since 2021, will be looking to break this duck.
Juventus left wing back Filip Kostic will be his main creative outlet, using his attacking attributes to whip crosses in for the strike partnership of Dusan Vlahovic and Mitrovic. Captain, Dusan Tadic, will be the creative outlet in the 10 position who can also cushion chances for himself. Defensive midfielder Nemanja Gudelj will provide the platform upon which fellow midfielder SergeJ Milikovic Savic will make late runs from deep to score goals.
Switzerland
Coach, Murat Yakin, will be looking to help the team build on from the momentum of Euro 2020, where they reached the quarter finals after beating France. He sets the team up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, using a spine of experienced players that can give his team an edge, including keeper Yan Sommer, Fabian Schar, Ricardo Rodriguez, Remo Freuler, Granit Xhaka and forwards Xedan Shaquiri and Breel Embolo.
Manuel Akanji partners Fabian Schar in central defense, with Ricardo Rodriguez and Kenneth Mbabu providing width as wing backs. In midfield, Remo Freuler acts as the defensive midfielder who provides presence and allows for captain Granit Xhaka to control the tempo of the game. Upfront, Ruben Vargas, Drijbil Sow and Xedan Shaquiri will look to be the creative spark that will feed Breel Embolo upfront.
Without doubt, Xhedan Shaqiri, who has netted 26 goals in 108 caps for his country will be the man Swiss hearts will feel is the man to get them into the knockout rounds.
Cameroon
The Cameroon National Football team is also known as the Indomitable Lions.The team has qualified for the FIFA World Cup eight times, more than any other African team, but has only ever made the knockout stages once, in 1990, when they lost to England at the quarter-final stage during extra time.
Ranked 43rd globally, the team recently reached the semi finals of the 2021 AFCON and head coach, Rigobert Song has been in charge since then and boats a solid spine of players like goalkeeper, Andre Onana, Nicolas Nkoulou, midfielders Andre Frank-Zambo Anguissa and Oliver Ntcham as well as forward and captain, Vincent Aboubakar.
Aboubakar is undoubtedly the main man for Cameroon. Having won the golden boot at the last edition of the AFCON earlier this year, he will seek to carry on that momentum into this tournament. His physical capabilities make him a nightmare for opposition defenses, and his leadership skills help rally his teammates on.
GROUP H
Portugal
Nicknamed the navigators, the portugal national team, which is ranked 9th in world football, will be taking part in its 8th world cup, with their best finish being the third place finish at the 1966 world cup held in England.
Head Coach, Fernando Santos has come under criticism for failing to make the most out of a golden generation of Portuguese talent that has emerged in the last 5 years and will look to prove the critics wrong.
He sets the team up in a 4-3-3 formation with an emphasis on playing workaholic creative playmakers to cover for Ronaldo’s physical limitations off the ball and also create chances for him.
Captain Cristiano Ronaldo, is expected to put his fictitious relationship with Man United this season behind him and lead the team in the quest for glory. Having scored over 100 goals for his country, he will expect to deliver in what might be his first ever world cup finals.
Santos will need to find a way to come up with a formation that maximizes his strengths while nullifying his weaknesses from a supporting cast that includes the likes of Joao Felix, Bruno Fernandes, Benardo Silva and Rafael Leao.
Diogo Costa is the man that is expected to start in goal. The Porto shot stopper is fast becoming a rising star and has cemented his place following Rui Patricio’s patchy runs of form of late. In defense, Ruben Dias will partner Danilo Perreira, as an exciting pair of fullbacks, Nuno Mendes and Joao Cancelo support the attack as fullbacks. In midfield, expect Ruben Neves and William Carvalo to dictate proceedings.
Ghana
Nicknamed the Black Stars, Ghana, which is one of the lowest ranked teams in the competition at 66, will be taking part in their 4th world cup. Their best ever performance was at the 2010 world cup, where they were eliminated in the quarter finals by Uruguay on penalties, in a match embroiled in controversy as Luis Suarez saw red for handling the ball after Kevin Prince Boateng had headed the ball destined for the back of the net.
Ghana head coach Otto Addo, will be seeking to make his team try to get out of the group stages, and will be hopeful some of his key players will be fit and available to help their cause, especially midfield general Thomas Partey, who has been struggling with injuries since joining Arsenal two years ago.
Adoo has used various formations so far, including the 4-3-3 and 5-3-2 formations. Given the limited number of international fixtures since the conclusion of the AFCON earlier this year, he is yet to settle on a fixed team, but you can expect the spine to consist of players like Daniel Armatey, Thomas Partey, the Ayew brothers, Jordan and Andrew and wonderkids Mohamed Salisu, Mohammed Kudus and Felix Afena-Gyan.
After managing to convince Inaki Williams and Tareeq Lamptey to switch allegiances to Ghana, the country’s federation is hopeful that they have added genuine quality that will see them through the group stages.
Uruguay
The Uruguayan national team are ranked 14th in world football.Head Coach, Diego Alonso, will be looking to guide the team to this world cup with the aim of making the team get past the quarter finals, a stage they have been eliminated from over the last 2 world cup editions.
Coach, Diego Alonso, has found success with a 4-2-2-2 shape that manages to accommodate most of Uruguay’s attacking talent, with Suarez partnering the explosive Darwin Nunez, who is best as a twin striker who uses his explosive pace to attack the gaps created for him by Suarez.
The main blueprint involves The midfield double pivot of Rodriguo Bentancur and Federico Valverde regularly dropping between the centre-backs in tandem to make a functional three, or a diamond when connecting to the other central midfielder while the wingers receive passes and then turn and play forward quickly along with the strikers, looking to combine with the high-and-wide full-backs to create passing triangles and situations for third-man runs.
South Korea
Nicknamed the Taeguk Warriors, South Korea is the most successful Asian national team in history, and will be participating in their 10th world cup. In 2002, they reached the Semi Finals of the competition, which to date, is their best ever performance.
Head Coach, Caulo Bento, boasts a spine of players such as Napoli Defender, Kim Min Jae, midfielders Lee Kang-In, Lee Jae Sung, Jung Woo- Yang and forwards Lee Kang In and Tottenham’s Son Heung Min.
Son, who also captains the team, will be relied on to be the player who can get the side as far as possible. The forward, who won the premier league golden boot last season, will use his pace, ambidexterity, clinical ability and experience to help contribute to their campaign. He has played 104 times for his country, netting 35 times.
As the world anticipates the start of football’s biggest competition, world governing football body, FIFA, has called up Nations to focus on football and forget the controversies.32 hopefuls will try their luck at winning the 2022 World Cup. Here is a preview of all teams;
GROUP A: QATAR, ECUADOR, NETHERLANDS, SENEGAL
Qatar
Qatar players pose for a photo before an AFC cup game in 2019. (Photo by Getty Images)
Hosts Qatar, are the reigning Asian Champions, having beaten Japan 3-1 in the final 3 years ago. Being tournament debutants, they will try to avoid slipping off from group stage despite the odds being against them.
They did well in the Arabian world cup in 2021, finishing third. Their squad has gained experience against higher level opposition, having also taken part in the 2019 Copa America and the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Coach Felix Sanchez, who has been incharge since 2017 and under whom the team has been so successful, will look to upset the odds, having found the right balance with his 3-5-2 formation to make the most of his best players, in particular, forward Almoez Ali, who can play across the front three and has played several games as a winger on both flanks. He made his debut for Qatar at the age of 20 and has gone on to play 82 times for his country, scoring 39 goals.
Senegal
Senegal players pose before a past match ( Photo by Getty Images)
Reigning African champions Senegal, are the highest ranked African nation in the FIFA rankings, finding themselves in 18th place.
Coach, Aliou Cisse, boasts a spine made of high level players for his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation , such as Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, Idrissa Gueye, Sadio Mane, Ismailla Sarr and Abdou Diallo, which is a solid spine to work with.
Senegal mainly rely on setpieces using their height advantage of their tall players to cause damage. This is because, due to a lack of naturally creative players in the middle of the park, they rely on the flair from the flanks by players like Mane and Ismaila Saar, who may get marked out of games.
They will have to do without starman, Sadio Mane due to a foot injury. It means the burden will fall heavily on Watford’s Ismalia Sarr to be the creative hub upon which Senegal cushion chances for themselves.
Netherlands
Netherlands players pose before a past match. (Photo by Getty Images)
Having missed the previous edition, coach Louis Van Gaal has built on from the foundations laid by Ronald Koeman. They look like an organized group with more confidence injected into their veins.
Netherlands have mostly lined up in a 3-4-1-2 formation since Van Gaal’s return. Captain, Van Dijk, who has been a key player for club and country due to his excellent defensive and leadership skills sits behind two center backs, usually Nathan Ake and Jurrien Timber who are adept at carrying the ball into midfield as Van Dijk sweeps behind them.
Daley Blind and Denzel Dumfries offer width as wingbacks while different options like Koopmeiners, Frenkie De Jong and Davy Klassen dictate proceedings from midfield. Memphis Depay, Steven Bergwign and Cody Gakpo make the front 3.
Ecuador
Jhegson Mendez of Ecuador battles for possession with Ritsu Doan of Japan during the international friendly match between Japan and Ecuador at Merkur Spiel-Arena on September 27, 2022 in Duesseldorf, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
Ecuador have been quite flexible, using the 4-1-4-1, 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1 formations all with varying levels of success under coach,Gustavo Alfaro. Players such as Brighton left back, Pervis Estupiñán are integral to his chances in attack given that ability to stretch play.
They will look to defend in blocks and compress space centrally and then try to press in an aggressive manner and win the ball back before springing forward on the counter-attack.
GROUP B: ENGLAND,IRAN,USA,WALES
England
England players look on during the penalty shoot out during the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Final between Italy and England at Wembley Stadium on July 11, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Getty Images)
This Group will not be plain sailing for England, given their rivalry with Wales and the USA.
Under Gareth Southgate, the team got to the semi-finals at the last world cup in Russia. They followed it up with a semi final place at the 2019 Nations League and a final at Euro 2020. Since then, their form has flattered to deceive, with a recent relegation from their nations’ league group a stain on his CV.
England line up in a couple of formations, such as 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 but Southgate tends to rely on 3-4-3 especially in big games. Pickford is expected to start in goal with Ben White Stones and the heavily scrutinized Harry Maguire forming the back 3.
In midfield, the wingbacks ,Trippier and Shaw will provide the width as the double pivot of Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham controls the game. Upfront, Harry Kane will lead the line and use his vision and passing range to get the wingers like Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling into play, as well as get on the end of chances himself if given the space.
Iran
Iranian Players poses for one minute silent during FIFA World Cup Qualifier match between Iran v Cambodia at Azadi Stadium on October 10, 2019 in Tehran, Iran. (Photo by Amin M. Jamali/Getty Images)
Iran are ranked 22nd in world-football and will be taking part in their 6th World Cup.However, they have never made it out of the group stages.
Head coach, Carlos Queiroz, will be taking them to Qatar for the third time, having quit Egypt earlier this year. Queros is your typical pragmatic coach, who is happy to set his team up in a mid to low block and make themselves difficult to beat as a result. He used these very tactics to get Egypt to the final of AFCON 2021.
In 2014, Iran were happy to sit back and deny opponents time and space, but on the ball, they lacked options to pass the ball upon winning it, leaving them with no choice but to hoof hopeful balls forward. In 2018, they became more adventurous and gave their opponents a hard time. With a large spine of the team still intact and familiar with Queiroz’s methods, they could be competitive.
USA
The USMNT starting 11 pose for a photo before taking on Uruguay in a friendly match at Children’s Mercy Park on June 05, 2022 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Kyle Rivas/Getty Images)
The U.S.A has made great strides in terms of developing as a football or ‘soccer’ nation. The U.S. team, or the Yanks, has appeared in eleven World Cups, including the first in 1930 , where they reached the semi-finals.
Head coach, is Gregg Belhalter , mostly sets the team up in a 4-3-3 formation that becomes a 3-4-3 in possession.
Captain, Tyler Adams drops between the center backs creating an extra option in build up. The wingbacks, Antonee Robinson and De Andre Yedlin provide the width as Timothy Weah and Cristian Pulsic drift narrow to help the cenre foward overload the final third. Yunus Munsah operates those pockets of space as one of Keylin Acosta and Weston McKennie occupy the box to box role.
Wales
Gareth Bale of Wales (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring their team’s first goal from a free kick during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier knockout round play-off match between Wales and Austria at Cardiff City Stadium on March 24, 2022 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
The Welsh national team is making its second ever World Cup appearance, with the first in 1958 when they reached the quarter-finals before losing to eventual champions Brazil.
The team hasn’t qualified for major tournaments a lot, but the few times they have, they have tended to go far. They qualified for the Euro 2016 where they reached the semi-finals before again losing to the eventual champions, Portugal.
Page will rely on a spine of experienced players like Wayne Hennesey, Aaron Ramsey, Gareth Bale and Joe Allen to pass their experience on to key newbies in the side, such as, Joe Rodon, Chris Mepham, Brenan Johnson and Ethan Ampadu
He sets the team up in a 3-4-3 formation. Daniel James stretches the defense off the left flank as Bale drifts narrow, exploiting the space created by forward Kieffar Moore when he holds up the ball. In midfield, Aaron Ramsey makes late runs into the box while Joe Allen serves as the protector. Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu and Chris Mepham constitute the backline, as Wayne Hennesy keeps the ball out of the net.
GROUP C:ARGENTINA, MEXICO, SAUDI ARABIA, POLAND
Argentina
: Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates after scoring his team’s fifth goal during the international friendly match between Argentina and Estonia at Estadio El Sadar on June 05, 2022 in Pamplona, Spain. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
Argentina are currently ranked 3rd in world football. Under coach Lionel Scaloni, they won the 2021 Copa America and the 2022 Finalissima against Italy.
Coach Lionel Scaloni mostly sets his side up in a 4-3-3 formation. However, based on the absence of Giovani Lo Celso, a 4-3-2-1 is possible in order to get the best of the likes of Thiago Almada and Enzo Fernandez to replace the gaping hole Giovani Lo Celso left.
This will likely see Marcos Acuna join the attack as an overlapping left back while Miguel Molina drops into the center back zones. Di Maria will maintain width off the right which will allow Messi to tuck into pockets of space that he likes to operate.Off the ball,They do not relentlessly press opponents but defend the middle third of the pitch well and pick moments to spring opponents from there.
Mexico
Mexico’s forward Raul Jimenez (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal in overtime during the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup semifinal football match between Mexico and Haiti on July 2, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Getty Images)
Mexico are ranked 13th globally.Coach, Gerardo Martino, will have to get the best out of Wolves striker Raul Jimenez, who has not been the same player since the head injury he suffered against Arsenal 2 years ago.
Martino primarily sets Mexico up in a 4-3-3 and they can build through the thirds. They use inverted wingers and overlapping full-backs, with one deeper-lying midfielder in the three. Theta are quite a direct side, using the deep midfielders to whip crossfield passes to the flanks.
This directness is because of their quality in wide areas with the likes of Jesus Corona and Iving Lozano.
By playing early into the wingers they can create more one-v-one situations against an opposition full-back.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s midfielder Salman Al-Faraj (centre L) celebrates with forward Mohannad Assiri (centre R) after forward Salem Al-Dawsari scored during the Russia 2018 World Cup Group A football match between Saudi Arabia and Egypt at the Volgograd Arena in Volgograd on June 25, 2018. (Photo by Getty Images)
The Green Falcons have qualified for the World Cup on six occasions since debuting at the 1994 tournament.
Coach, Herve Renard will be looking to get the best out of players like captain Salman Mohammed Al-Faraj who plays as a midfielder for nd also captains Al Hilal.
Typically, Saudi Arabia play a 4-2-3-1 with narrow wingers and wide, overlapping full-backs. Often they look for big switches from the back four to the wingers. At their best, Renard’s side create chances through intricate passing triangles in wide areas.
They often play short from goal kicks but against higher-quality sides, they struggle to progress through teams and are forced to play direct
Poland
Karol Linetty of Poland celebrates with team mates after scoring their side’s first goal during the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Group E match between Poland and Slovakia at the Saint Petersburg Stadium on June 14, 2021 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Photo by Anatoly Maltsev – Pool/Getty Images)
The Eagles have competed at eight World Cups, with their first appearance being in 1938, where they were eliminated by Brazil. The country’s best result was a bronze medal, which Poland won in 1974 and 1982.
Ranked 26 in world football, coach Czesław Michniewicz, who took helm at the start of the year, will be hoping to make the most out of 2 time world player of the year, top goalscorer and captain Robert Lewandowski, whose goals and all round ability will be integral in helping Poland qualify for the knockout rounds.
Players like Napoli’s Piotr Zieliński, Juventus’ Arkadiusz Milik, Sebastian Szymański of Feyenoord will serve as his supply lines. In defense, keeper Wojiciech Szczesny will be expected to inject confidence in his veins intelligence, cool demeanor, and calm composure in goal, with Kamil Glik and Jan Bednaerk forming the bedrock of the defense.
GROUP D:AUSTRALIA DENMARK FRANCE TUNISIA
France
France’s forward Antoine Griezmann (C) celebrates with France’s forward Kylian Mbappe after scoring his team’s second goal during the friendly football match between France and Wales at the Allianz Riviera Stadium in Nice, southern France on June 2, 2021 as part of the team’s preparation for the upcoming 2020-2021 Euro football tournament. (Photo by Getty Images)
World Cup holders France are far from perfect ahead of their first match.Coach Didier Deschamps has already been dealt a huge blow in the fact that Karim Benzema is set to miss out of the tournament following an injury just days after Christopher Nkunku pulled out of the camp following an accidental collision with Eduardo Camainga in Training.
Raphael Varane will not play a part in their opening game against Denmark as he continues his rehabilitation from a hamstring injury he suffered against Chelsea in October.
Deschamps will likely continue setting up with a 3-5-2 formation, although the omission of Jean Clauss from the final 26-man squad means that he may opt for the 4-2-3-1 that brought him success in 2018.
Olivier Giroud could partner Mbappe as a 2- man partnership as Antoinne Griezmann operates behind both as a shadow striker. Aulerien Tchouameni has already cemented the engine rooposition, but it is still unclear who will partner him, with Yousouf Fofana Jordan Veretout and Matteo Guendouzi battling for the right central midfield slot in Pogba’s absence. Adrien Rabiot and Eddie Camavinga will be expected to battle out for the Matuidi 2018 mezalla role,
Denmark
Players of Denmark celebrate their side’s victory in front of the fans after the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Quarter-final match between Czech Republic and Denmark at Baku Olimpiya Stadionu on July 03, 2021 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
Denmark will be taking part in their 6th world cup finals, with their best ever performance being the quarter-final finish in 1998 when they lost 3-2 to Brazil. They are ranked 10th globally.
Coach, Kasper Hjumland, will be hoping to rely on the services of stars like Andreas Christensen, Yussuf Poulsen, Michel Damsgaard, Pierre Emile Hojberg,Kasper Dolberg, Kasper Schmeichel and captain Simon Kjaer to propel his squad as far as possible.
Eriksen is the creative hub, but Hojbjerg makes them tick.
In the 4-1-4-1 he is the deepest midfielder and links defense with attack. Part of the Euro 2020 team of the tournament, he was Denmark’s top player for progressive passes, shot-creating actions, assists but also pressures and tackles plus interceptions.
Cristian Eriksen has been playing at a very high level ever since recovering from the cardiac arrest he suffered in Copenhagen 18 months ago.
He orchestrates attacking moves for his team with his distribution, creativity and vision. He will be key if Denmark are to push for glory.
Tunisia
Tunisia players pose before a past match (Photo by Getty Images)
The Eagles of Carthage will be making their 5th World Cup appearances, with their fits 1978,when it became the first African and Arab team to win a World Cup match by defeating Mexico.
Coach, Jalel Kadri, who served as assistant in 2021 before taking charge in 2022, will be hoping to be the first coach in the country’s history to get them to the knockout rounds.
Tunisia are all about being a hard side to beat.Without possession, they regularly defend the midfield third, either in a 4-1-4-1, 4-5-1 or 4-4-2, according to how the opposition build-up.
Australia
Australia players celebrate in a past match. Photo by Getty Images
The Australia national team has played at the World Cup tournament on six occasions and their best finish was the round of 16 place at the 2006 edition.
They are ranked 38th in world football. Coach, Graham Arnold, has been in charge of the team since 2018. Arnold always uses a back four but, between third-round qualifying and the play-off games, tweaked the system. He moved the wide, overlapping full-backs narrower and switched from two deep-lying playmakers to one to prevent main man Aaron Mooy from being outnumbered in case the team turned over possession.
They will also rely on setpieces to fashion chances for themselves, using center back Harry Soutar’s ability to attack the ball in the air in the opposition half.
Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal and Erik ten Hag, Manager of Manchester United look on during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal FC at Old Trafford on September 04, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
It was a fixture that was once the crème-de-la-crème of English football in the late 90’s and early 2000s’ in the hunt for the title between Arsenal and Manchester United. Now, it was just another umpteenth meeting over the last one decade in the long war to try and get back to the glory days. Manchester United managed to win this round of the fight with two sucker punch transition goals that would have made sir Alex Ferguson proud in the directors’ box.
Before I get down on the tactical breakdown, I just want to shake Cristian Eriksen’s hand. This man was fighting for his life in Copenhagen a year ago. A lot of cardiology specialists claimed he might never play again. Against all odds, he was declared fit again after having a stem implanted in his heart, but was banned from playing in Italy again given his condition. To be able to get back at the top of his game at Man United by way of Brentfrord, is remarkable. I am so happy for him. Anyway, back into business.
In the first ten minutes, United controlled the game. They passed the ball well, were interchanging superbly, were underlapping and overlapping at ease (particularly Diogo Dalot) and Arsenal were finding it difficult to contain them. However, Arsenal managed to score first against the run of play, after Odegaard tackled Erisken, won the ball, passed it to Saka who gave that delicious pass to Martinelli. The goal was disallowed by VAR due to that challenge on Eriksen that was declared a foul.
All of a sudden, Arsenal took control of the match. Zinchenko was tucking into midfield and giving Arsenal an extra man in midfield. Sambi Lokonga was being given protection. Arsenal were positionally interchanging superbly, particularly down the left-hand side with Xhaka and Martinelli always covering each other’s’ ‘zones. Scott McTominay’s positional misshapes were being exposed, and it had to take for Ten Hag to specifically instruct Eriksen to tightly mark Odegaard Franz Bekenbauer-Bobby Charlton style at the 1966 World Cup final.
Towards the end of the first half, Gabriel committed a cardinal sin of closing down a player he shouldn’t have been marking (Bruno). Instead of playing to the whistle, Arsenal stopped, with that lapse in concentration costing them big time, as it meant Antony got time and space to net his debut goal, before running down celebrating, much to the dissatisfaction of grumpy Arsenal fans. Gabriel is way too rash and careless and he has been susceptible to such mishaps on so many occasions this season, and he finally got found out yesterday.
Gabriel clumsily closes down a man he shouldn’t be marking, leaving Zinchenko having to cover for himThis creates space for Antony who draws attention away from himself by staying wider before exploiting the gap createdSaliba is forced to cover in vain. Look at Gabriel’s poor positioning
In the second half, Arsenal continued to control proceedings and finally, their patient, possession play worked, with Saka’s goal equalizing things. Shortly afterwards, United went two one up courtesy of Marcus Rasford after a sublime pass from Fernandes, reminding everyone just how dangerous they are on the transitions. This is where Arteta threw caution to the wind and gifted United the win on a plate. He panicked or got over-excited, subbing off Odegaard,Zinchenko and Sambi Lokonga for Smith Rowe, debutant Vieira and Eddie Nketiah, weakening the midfield and exposing an already Partey-less midfield and defence even further.
Ten Hag by contrast, subbed on Fred and Casemiro to close shop and make life difficult for Vieira and Smith Rowe. He kept his best passers, Bruno and Eriksen on the pitch. Ronaldo was subbed on as a twin striker for Rashford. That set up was made purposefully to destroy Arsenal on the break, and Arsenal truly obliged, conceding both transition goals in similar version.
Eriksen receives the ball from McTominay before finding Bruno who takes advantage of the large gap in Arsenal’s midfield. Sambi Lokonga is nowhere to be seen.
Bruno then gives that defence-splitting pass which gets onto Rashford’s pathRamsdale tries to make himself big invain to make in 2-1 up.Bruno looks up and notices Rashford and Eriksen are ready to exploit those channels before hitting the ball onto Eriksen’s pathEriksen finds himself 2 v1 on the goalkeeperBefore cutting it back for Rashford to score his second. Notice how Ben White tries to recover, but its too late.
Arsenal should count themselves lucky because on another day, it could have been 5-1 just from quick breaks of play. The game was fairly even though all things considered, as XG reflects it.
Arteta needs to learn from that mistake very quickly. How he reacted after going 2-1 down game-management wise was wrong. On the side of Man United, they will continue to destroy high-line, expansive teams like that, but may struggle against low block sides like Fulham, especially given Bruno cannot retain possession, takes too many risks that may catch them out on the turn over. De Gea is not good enough with his distribution. United’s experience, both in tactical decision making by the manager and amongst the playing staff ultimately won them the game.
The group stages of the 33rd edition of Africa cup of nations concluded mid-last week. The phase wasn’t predictably never going to be short on talking points. From poor officiating to wrong national anthems being played and mass brawls, there was a lot on the table. Similar to the Euros, the top two teams in each of the six groups advanced to the round of 16 automatically alongside the four best third placed losers. Here is a recap of everything that went on during the stage.
Gambia’s midfielder Musa Barrow (C) celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2021 round of 16 football match between Guinea and Gambia at Stade de Kouekong in Bafoussam on January 24, 2022. (Photo by Pius Utomi EKPEI / AFP) (Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP via Getty Images)
Group A
The hosts Cameroon asserted their dominance, displaying a run of form that portrayed their statement of intent. Marshaled by captain Aboubakar Vincent who doubles up as the competition’s top scorer, Cameroon won their first two games against Burkina Faso and Ethiopia before drawing against newcomers Cape Verde. The side looks favorite already, having scored seven goals and conceded three.
Burkina Faso and Cape Verde also advanced to round of 16 respectively. Eastern African side Ethiopia, who were making only their second appearance of the competition in 40 years finished bottom of the group, but gave a good account for themselves, especially with the narrow loss against Cape Verde where they held firm to prevent anhilliation by a larger margin after going a man down.
Group B
Despite Senegal qualifying top of their group on five points, many questions have been raised about their standards in this competition. The AFCON 2019 finalists have not been convincing at all and have been totally underwhelming considering the quality of talent they possess at their disposal. They only won their opening game against Zimbabwe thanks to a 97th minute penalty winner by Sadio Mane. They drew their remaining games against Malawi and Guinea.
Guinea finished second on four points after one win, one draw and one loss. Star captain Nabil Keita steered the squad into the round of 16 thanks to his stunning volley against Zimbabwe. Malawi qualified as the third placed team, recording similar results to Guinea. Orlando Pirates striker, Frank Mhango was the talk of the group after netting two sumptuous goals against Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe finished bottom of the group, compiling more mystery on their ongoing war with FIFA.
Group C
Morocco finished top of the group on seven points after beating Ghana, Comoros and drawing with Gabon. Despite their domestic problems, where the league has not resumed since the Covid outbreak and problems with senior players, including Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Mario Lemina, Gabon gave a good account of themselves. They finished runners-up.
Comoros had to settle for third place and actually qualified which was a magnificent achievement considering they are first-timers of the competition. They actually piled the misery on beleaguered Ghana with a 3-2 win over the West African giants. On top of that result, Ghana flattered to deceive the entire tournament. They lost their opening game against Morocco and unconvincingly forced a draw against Gabon before their players ended up erupting in a mass brawl with the Gabonese players. The brawl saw Benjamin Tettey see red in absentia for violent conduct.
Group D
Nigeria finished top of the group on 9 points, including a win over Mo Salah’s Egypt. Kelechi Ihienacho in particular, was a revelation, with his hold up play creating space for the likes of Awoniny and Sadik to get into goal scoring positions. Moses Simon and Samuel Chukuweze provided flair on the flanks with Wilfried Ndidi anchoring the team perfectly. His ball recoveries and interceptions helped nullify the opposition threat . The Pharaohs had to settle for second place after beating Sudan and Guinea Bissau. Both sides were unable to qualify for the round of 16.
Group E
Group E was arguably supposed to be relatively straightforward for both Ivory Coast and Algeria. Well, if anything, it proved that you should never write off a supposed minnow. Ivory coast topped the group despite uncertainty in their camp. They beat Equatorial Guinea 1-0 in their opening game despite being outplayed and outthought, drew 2-2 against Sierra Leone but hid their blushes with a convincing win over Algeria.
Equatorial Guinea surprised many by finishing second in their group. They pulled off one of the greatest surprises by beating Algeria 1-0 and drawing with Ivory Coast. Sierra Leone finished 3rd but were unable to qualify. The Desert Foxes didn’t even manage to win a single group stage game, ending their 33-game unbeaten streak. Self-doubt didn’t help their cause and as defending champions, it was totally unacceptable to finish in the manner that they did.
Group F
Group F witnessed a flurry of dramatic scenes of the highest order. A major refereeing mistake saw the game between Mali and Tunisia ended prematurely two separate times, first in the 85th and then the 89th minute. Tunisia had to take a 2-0 forfeit after citing that their players were already in the ice baths by the time Mali agreed to get back onto the pitch and play the remaining two minutes. We also witnessed Mauritania being forced to sing to the wrong national anthem twice before being forced to sing on their own a third time.
Anyway, Mali topped the group on seven points after also beating Mauritania and drawing with Gambia. The Gambia beat Mauritania and Tunisia and drew against Mali, also finishing second on 7 points but with an inferior goal difference. Tunisia qualified as the best Losers after struggling against Mali and Gambia but managed to win against Mauritania to book their place. Fourth placed Mauritania bid the competition farewell having lost all their games.
The African Cup of Nations is upon us and already underway, and fair to say, things have already gone as expected. Vincent Aboubakar has already helped hosts Cameroon win their opening game over Burkina Faso on Sunday in a fixture that saw penalties given away by either side. VAR has already been used to settle a controversial decision in the match between Cape Verde and Ethiopia.
Senegal managed to beat Zimbabwe despite having a large chunk of their squad decimated by COVID isolation. The depth in their squad is so thick, it’s unreal though. Anyway, let’s take a look at my predictions for this tournament. In this article, I will predict the winner, the overachievers, underachievers, the player of the tournament, the player to watch and the top goal scorer.
Winner-Tunisia
The Tunisian national footbal team during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Group G match between Belgium and Tunisia at Spartak Stadium in Moscow, Russia on June 23, 2018 (Photo by Andrew Surma/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
This is a nice way to start. I can already hear screams from fans who will disagree with the team that I think will make the final. So let me start by analyzing the favorites. The book markers have Senegal as favorites to win the tournament, and with reasonable cause. They possess a plethora of talent a lot of fellow African teams can only dream of.
They have Edouard Mendy in goal with the capable Alfred Gomis, who actually replaced him at Rennes when he left to join Chelsea and Seny Dieng, who was forced to start their opening match given the first two were self-isolating. They have Kalidou Koulibaly and Abdou Dialo as their first-choice center backs, Bouna Sarr at right back, Fode Balo-Toure at left back, Kouyate and Gueye as midfield generals, Ismalia Sarr and Keita Balde providing flair on the flanks and the talismanic Sadio Mane upfront.
Players like Pape Gueye are also at their disposal. The pressure will be mounting on Aliou Cisse if they won’t win it this time. They are ranked 20th in World Football and top of Africa. However, they are set for another disappointing loss in the final for me. I am backing Tunisia to win this tournament. They may not have a bonafede talisman, but they are a unit.
They have decent players, including the hugely exciting Hannibal Mejbri and Wabhi Kazri. They got to the semi-finals in 2019 and just got to the Arab world cup final, so have played and formed a cohesion with each other. Another team I seriously fancy is Algeria, given they are a juggernaut on a 40-game unbeaten run, but I think they will have it cut short in the semi-finals.
Overachievers-The Gambia
I can’t help but have this sneaky feeling that the Gambia will pull off a 2019 Madagascar and shock people. The Gambia actually possesses good players like Musa Barrow of Bologna. He is a pacey striker who can cause a lot of problems and suits their approach. They are making the tournament for the first time, but they strike me as underdogs that people ate sleeping on. Given they are participating for the first time in their history, I am sure emotion, excitement and enthusiasm will drive them forward.
Underachievers-Senegal
Players of Senegal are seen upset as Algerian players celebrate victory after the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations final match between Senegal and Algeria.Photo Credit ; Getty Images
Senegal are everyone’s favorites. They are actually expected to win this tournament, like mentioned above. Even a runner up place will be considered a failure on their part. They strike me as this team that is reminiscent of England’s golden generation where the team has so many stars, but will fail to achieve as a unit. They may prove me wrong and live up to expectations, but may succumb to this ‘favorites’ pressure. Egypt is an honorable mention.
They may possess arguably the world’s best player right now, but the gulf in class and quality is like night and day, compared to the team that dominated Africa in the 2000s marshaled by players like Mohamed Aboutirika. They are vulnerable as long as opposing teams believe in themselves and impose their dominance on them while ensuring spaces are blocked so players like Salah don’t thrive off these spaces.
Player of the Tournament- Sadio Mane
Sadio Mane scores 97th minute winner for Senegal at AFCON.Photo Credit ; Planet Football
Sadio Mane is under pressure to deliver for his people in the Baggio-esque USA 94’ version. People in Senegal are frustrated that he doesn’t replicate his form at Liverpool for the Teranga lions. For a player of his skillset, he can tend to disappear while in a Senegalese shirt and fluff his lines in crucial moments, like in the final in 2019 against eventual champions Algeria, even in the group stages. In 2017, he is the one who missed the crucial penalty as they got dumped out in the quarter-finals. I have a feeling that this time round, he will live up to expectations. He already won Senegal their opening game
Player to Watch – Mo Salah
CAIRO, EGYPT – JULY 06: Mohamed Salah of Egypt during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 match between Egypt and South Africa at Cairo International Stadium on July 6, 2019 in Cairo, Egypt. (Photo by Visionhaus)
It is quite simple. Mohamed Salah is the player to watch this tournament. He is the world’s best player on the basis of current form right now. Given Egypt’s blushes, the pressure is going to be on him to deliver and there are loads of fans who will be glueing their eyes on their tv sets just to watch him play. Given the increase in the amounts of comprehensive coverage from tv companies like Sky, a wider audience will gain access, especially Liverpool fans.
Top Goalscorer-Vincent Aboubakar
Vincent Aboubakar of Cameroon during Cameroon against Burkina Faso, African Cup of Nations, at Paul Biya Stadium on January 9, 2022. (Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Vincent Aboubakar is already leading the scoring chats with his brace in the opening game of the tournament. The former FC Porto striker is a force to be reckoned with and has stepped up for his country with vital goals on so many occasions. Following in Barcelona legend Samuel Eto’o’s footsteps, he is a player who also leads by example and strikes as the type to walk on broken glass for the Indomitable Lions. I am expecting him to continue banging them in and help the host nation get as far as they can
Those are my predictions. Who do you think will win the respective categories? Let us know in the comments section below.
21/22 has been a season like no other. Unpredictable is an understatement to describe it in a nutshell. We have witnessed clubs like Arsenal go from bottom of the league to top 4 contention within the space of two months. Managers like Arteta have hung on to their jobs by the fibers of their own beards only to be crowned manager of the month.Other managers like Ole have gone from challenging for the league to having to receive their severance packages. We have seen debates spark up as to who is the league’s best full back, be it James, Cancello or Trent. West Ham have continued to defy all odds under the rejuvenated David Moyes. Here is a breakdown of everything we’ve learnt so far this season;
Nuno Espirito Santo, Daniel Farke and Dean Smith were all sacked in the first week of November
The month of October saw different teams subject their fans into misery due to dismal results. It made their positions untenable. Do not forget Watford had been the first team to part ways with their manager, Xisco, despite the fact they were relatively safe from relegation. Nuno Espirito Santo was fired by Tottenham and replaced by Antonio Conte. Steve Bruce was inevitably sacked after failing to see his team register a single win this season and replaced by Eddie Howe. Dean Smith followed suit shortly after Aston villa relieved him of his duties and replaced him with Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.
Norwich also parted company with Farke and replaced him with Smith himself. As if that was not enough, United also decided to finally sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after overseeing an unforgivable defeat to a poor Watford at Vickerage road.At the time of writing, Ralph Ragnic is set to take over as manager on an interim basis.We have seen Patrick Viera adapting well to the Premier League and getting his new look youthful Crystal Palace side to buy into his philosophy.Conor Gallagher, in particular, has been a revelation .
Chelsea under October coach of the month , Thomas Tuchel have managed to top the table on 29 points despite injuries to their first team players , Lukaku , Werner and Kovacic. They have managed to keep their momentum in the Champions League from last season going as well . Chelsea played five games in October, winning four, drawing one against Burnley. They scored 15 goals and conceded just one to Burnley.
After the international break,they tore apart Leicester and Juventus by constantly setting up a zonal pressing game and using their wide attackers, Mount, Ziyech and Hudson Odoi to constantly drop in the midfield and give them numerical superiority to fee up attackers like Havetz .The wingbacks, James and Chilwel, have been a revelation by staying high and wide to stretch play and be influential in the final third.
City and Liverpool have had good runs this season as well . City have just dropped four points all season against Crystal Palace and Liverpool . However, they have been impressive as ever all season, with Joao Cancello seriously claiming a serious stake into calling himself the best left back in the world, despite being a natural right back. His deliveries and influence in the final third has been on another level.Liverpool have been immense ever since their key players returned from injury and are scoring goals for fun. Mohammed Salah is looking like his 17/18 self after having a much-needed summer break to recharge his batteries for the first time since 2017 before he came to the club. He inspired a 5-0 at Old Trafford .His performances earned him the player of the month for October. Despite losing 3-2 to an in-form West Ham, they made amends by beating Arsenal 4-0 last week.
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 07: Head Coach Mikel Arteta of Arsenal with his players during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Watford at Emirates Stadium on November 07, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images)
Arsenal under Mikel Arteta have turned their fortunes around after a forgettable first 3 games of the season. Key players are now fit again and players like Smith Rowe are enjoying life under his management .Up until the 4-0 loss to Liverpool last week, they went on a 10 month unbeaten run. In October, they played 7 games,drawing just one and winning six. Thomas Partey has brought much needed presence in midfield, Gabriel and White have formed a good partnership.
Aaron Ramsdale has been a revelation since joining from Sheffield United. He tops the league for Post Shot Expected goals, a metric used to measure a keeper’s shot-stopping ability. He is commanding, excellent with the ball at his feet and has been vocal.In form number ten kid Emile Smith Rowe has also been in good run , shouldering the team by scoring important goals to give Gunners maximum win. Arsenal are currently in position five with 20 points just three above United.
LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 07: West Ham United’s Pablo Fornals is congratulated after scoring his sides second goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Liverpool at London Stadium on November 7, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images)
West Ham are doing well under Moyes who has learnt to play to his best players’ strengths,rather than make them a difficult side to beat and it is getting them results. The team is built around midfielder and captain Declan Rice, who has formed a telepathic relationship with box to box midfielder Thomas Souceck, who can get goals from this position. He has fullbacks who like to get to the byline and deliver crosses in Cresswell and Coufal ,with Johnson deputizing well at right back. Antonio can bring others in with his back to goal but also has the stamina to run those channels. Bowen is a left footed inverted right winger with excellent deliveries and he can cut inside to be a goal threat. Benrahma, Lanzini and Antonio are workaholic creative playmakers. In defence, they have defenders who are good in the air and know how to anticipate situations. You might argue that the Europa league campaign will burn them out, but you cannot discredit them as genuine top 4 contenders at this point.
United finally had to part ways with Ole after a bad run of form, culminating in a battering against Watford on Saturday. The 4-0 Cristiano Ronaldo homecoming win over Newcastle now looks like ages ago. Since then, the team has looked imbalanced, and calling time on his career looked only a matter of when, not if. Ralph Ragnic is about to take charge on an interim basis, which could spell good news for that club, though. He is set to take a consultancy role upon retiring and that means will have a big influence in the running of the club, especially recruitment. For a long time, players have been signed to appease the fans, rather than suit a given philosophy.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 25: Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City interacts with Thomas Tuchel, Manager of Chelsea after the Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on September 25, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty – Manchester City/Manchester City FC via Getty Images)
Champions league holders Chelsea faced Manchester City at the Bridge on Saturday in the hope that they would make it 4 wins from 4 against them since Tuchel took charge of the club. It wasn’t only about the three points in the hunt for the title, but revenge was also on the cards for Guardiola’s men.
Tuchel opted for a 3-5-2 formation while Pep went for his primary 4-3-3 formation. Chelsea went for the trio of Kante, Jorginho and Kovacic in midfield that proved to be successful against Tottenham last week with Reece James and Marcos Alonso as the wingbacks. He dropped Havertz and Mount, who had been using to take advantage of the half-spaces in favor of Timo Werner as the striker to run off the shoulder with Lukaku holding up the ball.
Pep Guardiola’s side were effective this time, making no mistake of playing without a natural defensive midfielder, Rodri, thus nullifying how lopsided they were in the Champions League final when Pep preferred an advanced playmaker like Gundogan to start there that day. Kevin De Bruyne and Benardo Silva flanked him either side. De Bruyne dictated proceedings and Benardo and Foden constantly interchanged between the lines, in efforts to destroy that mid-block by Chelsea that has made them a force to be reckoned with in Europe.
Using Gabriel Jesus as a player to hold up the ball off the right and dragging Rudiger out of position helped City always create a 4 v 3 situation in attack by creating room for an extra attacker like Grealish to get the freedom to move into channels. The Blues as a result, could not cope with the constant pressure being heaped upon them.
Chelsea couldn’t register a single shot on target throughout the full ninety minutes for the first time since Tuchel took charge. Lukaku and Werner were Isolated because there wasn’t anyone to find them. They made sure the ball didn’t get to Lukaku’s feet by all means necessary which meant he couldn’t use his ability to play with his back towards the goal to create the space for others, especially Werner to run into.
The change of instructions to certain players did not help things either. Kovacic, who is known for his ability to carry the ball and dribble past the opponent, was unusually cautious on the ball because he was having to cover Jorghino who was having a torrid time in the office. They pressed the life out of Jorginho, denying him any chance to dictate the tempo of the game.
City tried to ensure that Kante carried the ball and then force him to turnover possession which effectively meant drawing him away from positions where he would win the ball, hence forcing Jorginho to be doubled up on .Jack Grealish had a field day after James got injured, meaning Chelsea didn’t have someone to use his physicality to prevent Grealish from using his dribbling ability to run riot.
Chelsea’s reluctance to counter press and be happy to hold their shape cost them the two goals, but by the time Tuchel tried to revert to this, it was too late. The introductions of Kai Havertz and Reuben Loftus-Cheek to add a sense of mobility brought them some control and even got them a goal, albeit offside.
After the full time whistle, the Blues’ gaffer admitted the error of his judgement. line up admitting that Chelsea side was overpowered throughout the game. On the other hand, it was joy for Pep as he finally remembered how to beat Tuchel for the first time since their days in Germany.
‘Ghost’ Mulee left his role as Stars’ head coach by mutual consent. Photo credit; goal.com
On Thursday last week, the Kenyan Footballing community was shocked to hear Jacob Ghost Mulee left his role as Harambee Stars Head coach by mutual consent. Despite the fact his 5th appointment as coach had polarized public opinion, it was baffling because he still had 2 years left on his contract. Also, he hadn’t been in a football dugout ever since his 4th spell in charge of the national team where he oversaw an embarrassing Cecafa Challenge Cup group stage exit in 2010 at the hands of Tanzania in Nairobi.
Jibes of, “Kazi ya Mulee ni kupatanisha macouples wakikosana juu ya kufart kwa kitanda radio Jambo lakini haezi patanisha Harambee Stars kupata results,” had become a common theme in his one-year spell in charge. It was understandable considering he was controversially appointed days after Nick Mwendwa had been re-elected president of the Football Federation. Francis Kimanzi had been in charge for a year and was building a team, assisted by Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno, a man I feel was a capable replacement for Mulee. He did well as KCB coach this year, is a motivator and has excellent knowledge of the national pool. However, out of the blue, Kimanzi was unceremoniously sacked, statating that he didn’t understand the reasons why.
Mulee was probably hired because he is a stakeholder when it comes to voting in new presidents given his position as Liberty Academy owner. Under his spell, he oversaw an embarrassing two-legged loss at the expense of minnows, Comoros, when they had a realistic chance of making back-to- back African Cup of Nations tournaments. You might argue that most of the players were lacking in sharpness given the premier league had been halted by the ministry of sports due to covid19 protocols, and the fact there was a controversial delay in the build up to the second leg that unsettled the players, but those were lazy narratives to get him away with murder in my opinion.
He oversaw an encouraging performance against Egypt at Kasarani where we were the better side and a dead rubber win over Togo, but in September, clearly didn’t have a gameplan to beat a frankly average Uganda side at Kasarani and a mediocre Rwanda side. He 100 percent deserved not to retain this job, which he shouldn’t have gotten in the first place.
Engin Firat was appointed new Stars’ head coach on a two month contact that raised eyebrows.Photo credit; thestar.co.ke
On Sunday, Mwendwa decided to name Engin Firhat as new head-coach on a 2-month contract.This decision made me realize that this guy is trying to make his best Mikel Arteta impression of playing Russian Roulette with our Qatar 22’ chances. Basically, should we not qualify for the third round, Firhat sees the door. It is a perfect epitome of putting a square peg in a round hole. Yes, Firhat has accumulated experience in Europe and has created a decent reputation for himself, but he has limited experience in Africa, and despite saying he researched the national pool of players extensively, he hasn’t worked with them. He has practically been given an ultimatum- 4 competitive games to deliver instant results, including playing the elephant in the room, Mali.
He doesn’t even get to test his players using friendly games and come up with a tactical blueprint that suits his players. If it doesn’t work and he leaves, it will be back to square one with regards to looking for a record 7th manager in 5 odd years. Mwendwa has done a lot of things right since taking over, but stability in the dugout is something he has not managed to sort out. He needs to pray for his and the country’s sake that this appointment works, albeit under a situation as pressurizing as this one.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – AUGUST 28: Thomas Tuchel, Manager of Chelsea and Romelu Lukaku of Chelsea interact during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield on August 28, 2021 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Tuchel’s imminent success Champions League success at blues has seen us witness him set up a pentagon of fire defensively. The back 3 formation has formed a solid defensive bedrock, with Rudiger and Azpilliqueta or Chalobah stretching the backline when the wingbacks push up. They occasionally tuck into midfield to help the double pivot of Jorghino and Kante, which helps block the half-spaces the opponents can exploit. From there, Kovacic uses his dribbling ability to beat the press and create gaps in the half-spaces that Mount and Havertz can exploit and use their creativity to create goalscoring opportunities for the forwards.
The problem is, finishing has been a big achilles heel, even though they create loads of chances. Timo Wener in particular, has been a massive culprit. He can use his pace to stretch the play, but he misses so many chances because he accelerates way too fast and thus, lacks the composure to bury the chances, which has affected his confidence and now, he prefers to offer the assist by cutting it back. This is one of the reasons Lukaku had to be signed, after the club missed out on first choice target, Erling Haland.
Lukaku scored 25 goals and assisted 11 for Inter last season, whereas Chelsea scored a total of 24 goals in the 19 PL games Tuchel managed last season. It is not surprising their midfielder Jorgihno emerged as the club top scorer with 7 goals.
It is questionable to imagine whether Lukaku would ever have played for Chelsea again, considering the manner in which they treated him during his first spell at the club, where an impression was created that he wasn’t good enough, particularly under Andre Villas-Boas. Let us not forget that they desperately tried to make more experienced strikers like Fenando Torres, Demba Ba and Samuel Eto’o work under Jose Mourinho. Despite proving himself on loan at West Brom, they let him go to Everton, and brought in Costa. There was a big chance he would have returned in 2017, but they went for Morata instead, and it simply did not work before giving Tammy Abraham a chance and then signed Werner.
Olivier Giroud was always considered a back-up at Stamord Bridge. He was also not getting any younger,so he was freed so that room would be created for Lukaku. Tammy Abraham was sold to Roma for 40 million pounds, but there is a buy back clause should he do well at that club. Therefore, let us take a look at how he is going to help the club of his heart.
Lukaku’s physical presence, is a huge advantage he possesses over a lot of other forwards. Chelsea has been spending huge amount in search of a striker of a Didier Drogba-esque mould, but it hasn’t been easy. In other words, a striker who thrives off playing with his back towards goal to draw opposition defenders away and thus create space for willing runners to run into, while creating situations where he can run into channels. The only striker Chelsea have signed who fits that mould in recent times has been Diego Costa, who, as much as was a success, had off- pitch issues that had to see him force his way out of the club.
Timo Werner was a success at Leipzig playing alongside a withdrawn striker like Yusuf Poulsen. Poulsen would drop deep, link play and play with his back towards goal to create space for Werner to run into, and that was the system he was very successful at in his last season at the Red-Bull arena. Lukaku himself, used to have a willing runner, Lautaro Martinez, who could play on the opponent’s shoulder. That means, both strikers could potentially be a match made in heaven if Tuchel turns to a 2-man strike-force.
If played in a 3-man attack with Mount and Havertz operating in the half-spaces, as has been the case in the games against Arsenal and Liverpool so far, the wingbacks might have more space to create, Like Archraf Hakimi had last season. Last week, Mount sucked in Kieran Tierney, which created enormous spaces for Reece James to score and assist. Hudson Odoi could also benefit from this when he plays as a wide midfielder given his excellent playmaking capabilities and excellent one on one dribbling ability. Don’t forget that Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech are also options. This potentially form one of the deadliest in The Premier League and could create more goalscoring opportunities.
Since the departures of Pedro, Willian and Eden Hazard, Chelsea have not particularly been adept at being a threat from wide areas. Their change in philosophy under Mauricio Sarri and then Frank Lampard from being a team that was a fluid counter-attacking side to a more possession-based approach has meant overreliance of creation from wide areas has reduced especially since Conte’s departure. Expect to see more influence from wide areas especially with the wingbacks, as explained with Reece James above.
Lukaku is also very good at making runs off the opposition shoulder. Other than being a powerful striker, he is quite fast for a bulky guy and has an incredible left foot. Most of the goals he used to score at Everton and Man United were of such ilk. He has even gotten technically better and is fitter. He is equally very good in the air and leaner, which makes him one of the most complete strikers in the world right now. In other words, a player with the areal threat of a target man, the hold up and link up play of a deep lying forward and the ability to play on the shoulder and move into channels of an advanced forward.
It is ten years since Chelsea signed Lukaku for the first time. Despite his success elsewhere, his return sounds that he still has unfinished business at the club. At 28 he has proven he is right for Chelsea and the number 9 Chelsea have been looking for. His strength, pace, Aerial, Ball holding and finishing skills will elevate the European champions into a realistic title challenge.
Messi is unconsolable during his farewell press conference last week.Photo Credit; Getty images.
Lionel Messi has ended his ties with FC Barcelona. A club statement released on Thursday read, “Despite having reached an agreement between Barcelona and Messi and clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, it cannot be formalized due to Economic and structural obstacles. (Spanish La Liga regulations) This statement sparked mixed reactions in the football fraternity, Barcelona fans expressed their frustrations at the club’s management.
On Friday afternoon, the club President, Juan Laporta addressed a press conference. He began by acknowledging that Lionel Messi is the best player in the World and his performances at the club over the years were phenomenal. However, Lapota stated that it was impossible to keep the magician at the club due to the regulations stated by La Liga on financial fair play. The club has to free 200 million a year off the wage bill to be able to register players in La Liga for this season.
He added that after the club reviewed their audit books, they were unable to find the right balance with the wage bill too high. Lapota added that the club faced a 50-year ban from the television rights had they renewed Messi’s contract. The president stated the club focused on the long run of the club, adding that the club is bigger than the president and every player. He stated that Messi wanted to stay at the club and he was ready for a pay cut. Barcelona was hoping to get rid of Antoinne Griezmann, Phillipe Countinho and Ousmane Dembele to reduce the wage bill but it was deemed impossible. Messi leaves Barcelona having made 778 appearances,672 goals,305 assists and 35 titles.
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On November 16, 2003, a historical milestone in Barcelona’s history was set. That day a young Argentinian, 16 years old Lionel Messi, made his debut for the first team in a friendly match against Porto. In 2005 Lionel Messi scored his first competitive goal against Albacete in a La Liga match at Camp Nou. The goal was the starting point for the magician. Messi had the privilege to play alongside Ronaldinho who actually assisted that goal. Messi stayed under the Brazilian’s shadow, learning from him until 2008 when Ronaldinho left, leaving the iconic Jersey No 10 to him. He had been wearing the 19 shirts for 2 seasons.
Messi Celebrates his first goal for Barcelona.Photo Credit; Getty Images.
In the 2008-2009 season, Messi scored 43 goals sending a clear signal that he was equal to the task. His best individual season is said to be 2011-2012 where he scored over 40 La Liga goals, including a screamer free kick against Atletico Madrid.
Lionel Messi featured in 44 El clasico matches against Real Madrid, scoring 26 goals. He is the all time goal scorer in the La Liga grand fixture. His entire club career has been at Barcelona where he named Luis Enrique and Pep Guardiola as his all-time best managers. Guardiola’s prime time at the club between 2008 and 2011 saw Messi develop significantly and win 14 honors for the club. Luis Enrique’s stint in charge (2014-2017) saw Messi portray his greatness in the famed ‘MSN’ trio alongside Suarez and Neymar. The MSN was a real threat to any backline worldwide. Messi developed a good relationship with both Suarez and Neymar. Gerald Pique is also said to be a close friend of Messi for a long time at Camp Nou.
The famed ‘MSN’ trio.Photocredit; Getty images.
Lionel Messi is now a Free agent and the biggest question lingers around what his next destination is. PSG and Man City are the two clubs mentioned to be in the race for his signature. PSG look slight favorites with sources stating that they have approached his camp. PSG is hoping to use their financial ability and the closeness between him and Neymar to convince Messi to join them. Man City’s interest looks calmed after completing the signing of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for a British transfer record of 100 million pounds. Addressing a press conference on Friday Man City manager, Pep said that Messi was not one of their targets but are instead pushing for a Kane move. This gives PSG an upper hand to sign the greatest of all time Lionel Messi.
After kicking off in early June, the final of Euro 2020 is set to be played tonight with Italy and England facing each other off after successful runs to this stage, respectfully. Will football go to Rome or come home?
Italy have quashed big teams and maintained a strong momentum since Roberto Mancini took charge, losing just twice. Having shown Belgium and Spain the door, The Azzurri have become a hard nut to crack while playing as a unit. Veteran defenders, Bonnuci and Chiellini have managed to keep strikers like Lukaku and Morata at bay at the tournament, so far. Their experience, love for defending and leadership qualities will be vital at helping keep Kane and Sterling tamed, as well.
Their 4-3-3 formation emphasizes on creation from the flanks and ball retention with control from central midfield. Jorginho, Barella and Verrati have become the go-to midfield three for the knock-out stages, with Veratti displacing Locatelli, who was immense in the group stages. Jorgihno at the heart of the midfield has helped man the back four, organising his teammates and also being able to dictate the tempo. He has been the orchestrator in the team, keeping things tick.
Their wide men, Chiesa, Berardi and Insigne have been adept at cutting inside to make things happen. Chiesa or Berardi stretch the play from the right wing with Insigne cutting inside to form a goal threat. With Immobile being the most fouled player, England’s defense will have to be very careful when dealing with him as he can be a handful as a willing runner.It has to be noted, Spinazzola will be a big miss for the Italians.
His influence from left-back has created some sense of intricacy for the side. Despite being right footed, he stretches play well which draws the opposition full backs away, creating space for Insigne to cut inside. The Napoli captain’s off-the-ball movement also creates space for Spinazzola to move forward as he wishes. He unfortunately ruptured his Achilles and that means Emerson came into the side, and has yet to fully adjust to this dynamic, as seen against Spain in the semis.
Given it has been 55 years since the last time they last won an international trophy, England will want to break that duck. Gareth Southgate will probably go with the back 3 formation that proved successful against Germany and Denmark. Given the threat Italy pose as a team that always attacks with 5 men, it makes perfect sense, because one of England’s biggest strengths is their ability to defend from wide positions.
In the midfield, Rice and Kevin Philips will be tasked to cut down the dominance poised by Italy’s midfielders. Mason Mount will have to keep his Chelsea teammate, Jorgihno at bay by constantly pressing him to prevent the Italians from having a numerical advantage. There is talk of Jack Grealish possibly starting in order to provide flair and win fouls to create a set piece threat for England, but he lacks the defensive intensity Mount Brings to the table.
England will have to depend on flanks for creation of chances with Luke Shaw and Kieran Trippier needed to influence the game going forward to aid Sterling and Saka when they cut inside.Saka’s positional awareness defensively has what has been giving him the edge to start the last few games because of his versatility ,all roundedness and experience playing as a full back.
LISTEN TO THE EURO 2020 FINAL PREVIEW EXCLUSIVELEY ON THIS PODCAST
If both teams set up as predicted, there is a big chance this game will go to extra time with penalties a possibility.Barella will find it difficult to get space to make runs given how defensively aware both Phillips and Rice are.Verratti and Jorgino are capable of dictating play, but Veratti as a left sided midfielder wont make the sorts of runs Locatelli did. For England, Mount will press Jorginho and will try to make the forward passes while carrying the ball, but he will have to do more without the ball than with it. Italy are dangerous from wide and England defend well from wide.Both teams are masters at set piece defending and execution, which means, high quality chances will be hard to come by.
If the Azzurri’s momentum is anything to go by, they stand a higher chance of winning the game and we predict football will go to Rome.
It’s been a roller coaster of a match one so far at Euro 2020.All 24 teams have played their opening matches and mixed results have been witnessed. Those that made mistakes are expected to learn quickly from them and strengthen themselves in preparation for what could be a last chance to qualify. Here, I take a look at all matches played on matchday one and see how teams should set up to boost their hopes of progressing to the next round.
Manuel Locatelli celebrates scoring against Switzerland with teammate Lorenzo Insigne last night
Mancini’s men emerged top of the group after a brilliant display against Turkey. Italy were incredibly superior as their XG of 1.91 to Turkey’s 0.61 will point out and deservedly won 3-0. Italy faced Switzerland in their second match and brushed them aside as well, but more on that later. Mancini realizes that he needs to keep control of the midfield and maintain the high tempo that has won his side so many plaudits, marshaled by that very technically gifted midfield of his.
Switzerland’s profligacy has proven to be their Achilles heel. Against Wales, they created a flurry of chances throughout but failed to capitalize on them, with Serefovic in particular, not wearing his shooting boots. It eventually caught up with them as Italy made their hopes of proceeding to the knockouts slimmer.
Wales found it difficult to get Aaron Ramsey up and running against Switzerland but rectified that last night against Turkey by getting Gareth Bale to constantly see Ramsey get on the end of his through balls on a regular basis. Turkey’s low block was totally disjointed and struggled to get their pacey wingers, including Cenzing Under, going against Italy and failed to learn from that against Wales last night.
Group B
Romelu Lukaku speaks to the press ahead of their game against Denmark
Belgium topped their Group on goal-difference after an impressive display against Russia. Roberto Martinez’s side are one of the most tactically astute and settled sides in the tournament but should avoid complacency tonight against a Denmark side that will be fired up in efforts to win the points for Christian Eriksen. Denmark needs to be up for it psychologically given they were clearly affected mentally after Eriksen collapsed against Finland.
Group C
Kalvin Phillips totally stole the show against Croatia.
Leaders, England will face neighbors, Scotland on the back of getting one over Croatia at Wembley on Sunday. They actually record their 1st ever victory in an opening match in the history of the European Championships. Their win against Croatia was massive, which increased their confidence. However, they need to work on their creativity and get Harry Kane running upfront. Scotland on the other hand come to Wembley on the back of a 2.0 defeat by Czech Republic at Hampden Park. They need to hope that Kieran Tierney will be available for selection given he missed the first game through a niggle.
Czech Republic will face Croatia and will need to maintain their high pressing, tempo game against a frankly ordinary Croatia side who look completely in sixes and sevens right now. They need to cut out the chances they conceded against Scotland, though. Croatia needs to become a unit in their press and even in their lines of attack and defense, given they look totally disjointed, considering their midfield, on paper, should be able to keep things ticking more often.
Group D
Marco Arnautovic exchanges words with Macedonia’s Alioski after netting Austria’s third goal
Australia is topping group D after a 3-1 victory over North Macedonia. They will be facing Holland and need to get their lineup, spot-on. They needed the heroics of super-substitutes to seal the three points for them, including Arnautovic, who will be missing the second game due to disciplinary problems. The Dutch they need to be a better unit defensively given Frank De Boer’s vertical football is getting as many as 6 men, including 2 central midfielders, to form a 3-1-6 shape in attack which got them badly exposed on the transition, thus conceding 2 goals against Ukraine.
Ukraine will be up against North Macedonia. The two teams will massively need a win given they both lost their opening fixtures. Ukraine, who are very flexible tactically, will need to run Macedonia to the ground in a possession-based approach, that the Austrians used to finish them off but will need to keep their concentration levels up and not suffer a shock to the Macedonians. They are very capable of that, as Germany will testify, during the March international break.
Group E
Milan Skriniar shoots to score against Poland
Slovakia topped after a win over Poland. Both teams however, were frankly ordinary and the score line didn’t really reflect the outcome of the match, which should have ended in a draw, given both teams struggled to create inroads in each other’s’ halves. Sweden needs to become less pragmatic as they need to secure more points to progress to the next round. Spain has to become more clinical given they created loads of chances against Sweden but could not find the finishing touch against the Swedes. They need to be wary of Robert Lewandowski’s ability to make the most of any half chance, especially if the Poles can get him going.
Group F
Christiano Ronaldo celebrates one of his two goals against Hungray as Reuben Dias Looks on
Portugal will face Germany who lost 1-0 to France. They may have won by 3 goals to nil against Hungary, but their win was not plain-sailing, given it took them until the dying minutes of the match to get all three goals. They were incredibly conservative in their line up given Danilo Pereira and William Cavarlo started together. Danilo was having to drop into the defense to start their build up which was unnecessary given Hungary preferred to drop deep, meaning the Portuguese weren’t drawing men away.
Bruno Fernandes totally became ineffective as a result for a majority of the match and it took the introduction of Renato Sanches to increase their dynamism. The Germans will need to get their Wingbacks into the game more often and try to find a way of getting Leon Goretzka into the line up to bring more athleticism into the mix given Ilkay Gundogan was far from his best against France
France will face Hungary in the other fixture. Given they will be expected to dominate possession and not play on the break, they need to bring in an extra wide man, be it Lemar, Thuram or Kingsley Koman and drop Rabiot, who has done well to inherit the Matuidi role of dropping into midfield and wide on occasions in order to keep Mbappe high up the pitch and hit the opposition on the break using his pace. Hungary will need Peter Gulacsi to be focused throughout and try and get Dominic Szoboszlai to dictate proceedings on the break.
Italy’s Lorenzo Insigne celebrates scoring the opening goal of Euro 2020 with teammates last Friday. They won 3-0.Photo credit; skysports.com
EURO 2020 MATCH DAY ONE ROUND UP
Last Friday, the much-awaited European Championships finally kicked off with 24 hopefuls ready to participate and fight for the cup which is currently held by one of the tournament’s favorites, Portugal. Here is a round-up on how the games were played and how points have been won, shared and lost so far on the road to Wembley.
Group A
Italy vs Turkey was the fixture that set the ball rolling. It was played in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico Italy, who are seen as dark horses in this competition, brushed aside Turkey 3-0 with ease. Roberto Mancini’s men were dominant especially from the start of the second half, playing a high tempo, pressing game. Goals from Ciro immobile and Insigne (66,79) were enough to continue their 28- game unbeaten run under his helm.
Switzerland vs Wales
In a game that saw Breel Embolo work his lungs out for the course, Switzerland constantly ran Wales to the ground but were incredibly profligate.Embolo put them ahead from an inswing corner by Xedan Shaquiri in the 49th minute. Keifar Moore equalized for Wales in the 74th minute. The match ended 1-1 with Wales having to thank Dan Ward for his heroics to earn them a point.
Group B
Denmark vs Finland
It was a game every football fan will want to forget given we witnessed Christian Eriksen collapse shortly before the break. The Danish playmaker had to be rushed to hospital after suffering what was suspected to be a cardiac arrest. UEFA approved for the continuation of the game after the players agreed to carry on after confirming Christian was safe. Finland got the winning goal in the 90th from a Joel header.
Belgium vs Russia
Romelu Lukaku inspired Belgium to a routine 3-0 victory over Russia. He opened the scoring in the 10th minute and later got the winner late in the game, with Thomas Munieir’s goal sandwiching his brace. Russia’s coach, Stanislav Cherchesov admitted that the result was fair given the Red Devils were completely superior.
Belgium now tops the table with three points alongside Finland while Denmark and Russia yet to win a point.
Group C
The Netherlands vs Ukraine
The Dutch side earned a hard fought 3-2 win against Ukraine in a match that has been the most entertaining one of matchday 1, so far. PSG-bound midfielder, Widjnaldum came off the bench in the second half to put Dutch side 2-1 up. Yarmolenko had netted the first for Ukraine before his fellow teammate Yaremchuk added the second to equalize. Denzel Dumfries won the game for the hosts after getting on the end of Nathan Ake’s cross with a powerful header past a helpless Lunin to win them the crucial three points.
Austria vs North Macedonia.
Austria registered a routine 3-1 win over North Macedonia to put them on the driving seat of their group. Franco Fodas’ side went ahead through Stefan Lainer. However shambolic defending saw North Macedonia to equalize through captain Goran Pandev. Second half substitute Michael Gregoritans converted David Alaba’s cross to put them back in front before former West Ham forward Marco Arnautovic came off the bench to seal things for the Austrians before controversially celebrating by insulting Ezgjan Alioski.
Victory saw Austria leading the table on goal difference at the Netherlands’ expense both with three points.
Group D
England vs Croatia.
Gareth Southgate’s side the Lions got off to a flier with a win over 2018 World Cup finalists, Croatia, thanks to a Raheem Sterling goal in the second half. After fruitless first half, England finally broke through after Kalvin Philips glode with the ball through the right half-space to find Harry Kane who squared it onto the path of Sterling who poached it in, despite Vlsjalko frantically trying to cover the ground after he tucked inside in vain.
Czech vs Scotland
Patrick Schick’s brace was enough to see Czech Republic beat Steve Clarke’s side. The Bayer Leverkusen striker saw off a Scotland defense that missed Kieran Tierney at the back. He put them ahead just before the break after a brilliant cross from Vladimir Coufal before hitting a volley from nearly the halfway line after spotting David Marshal out of his line at the start of the second half. Victory saw them top group D with three points on goal difference at England’s expense
Group E
Spain vs Sweden
It was a game that ended goalless with Spain missing a couple of chances. Sweden also had a couple of chances but neither team could find each other’s backs of the nets in a stalemate draw.
Slovakia vs Poland
Juventus’ shot stopper Wojciech Szczęsny became the first goalkeeper to score an own goal in the competition. However, Karol levelled up for Poland but defender Milan Skriniar put them back in front late in the game to break a Robert Lewandoski-inspired side heart-broken.
Slovakia became leaders of the table on three points, with Spain and Sweden tied for a point. Poland is the only side yet to register a point.
Group F
In a group that has been widely anticipated by many across the globe, Portugal lead on 3 points after beating minnows Hungary with three late goals. Rafael Guereirro put them in front in the 84th minute before Cristiano Ronaldo netted a brace that saw the take home three points.
Germany vs France
A Mats Hummels own goal in the 20th minute on his first competitive start after his return to the national fold gave France all three points to give them a winning start to the competition. France also had two goals by Mbappe and Benzema disallowed because of offside. Hummels squared Lucas Hernandez’s cross into his own net after France constructed a well-timed move on the break, as they set up to punish the Germans using their exceptionally quick players like Mbappe.
Portugal and France are leading on three points, with Germany and Hungary third and fourth respectively.
Last night, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City brushed aside Paris Saint Germain with ease, which meant they all but confirmed their place in Istanbul for this year’s final. The use of false nines has proven successful for Manchester City, who have been drawing Centre backs away with ease and making people like Riyard Mahrez get into goal scoring positions and cause damage from wide positions. With the second slot for the final up for grabs, we take a look and find out if Chelsea will make it a second all-English final for the second time in three seasons or if Real Madrid will net that one vital goal to see them through.
The blues have had an incredible start of life since Thomas Tuchel took over as Chelsea coach. The German has made the team make incredible strides by moving the team from ninth to fourth place and got them to a second, consecutive, FA cup final by knocking out City . The team’s form has seen them win ten of their last twelve champions league games this season, drawing one and losing one recently against Porto .
Their scintillating form has been marshalled, starting in goal with Edouard Mendy providing a good upgrade on Kepa Arizabalaga. In defence, a back 3 of Rudiger, Thiago Silva and Cesar Azplicueta has created many shutouts, with Christensen and Zouma occasionally coming into the side and also doing well.Christensen has played in the middle of the three and recently on the right side of the defence with Azpiliqueta playing as a right wing back. Before last week, the last time Blues faced Los Blancos was in 1998.They have a good record against them, winning two and drawing the other two.
Matteo Kovacic is back after missing the first game through suspension. Kovacic and Jojinho have formed a very solid pivot together that has seen the team retain possession efficiently and give the side control, but Kante’s performance last week will give Tuchel selection problems. Real Madrid’s defense will have to closely monitor Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic as they gave them problems last week.
Tuchel might opt to start Kai Havertz who has been lethal Infront of goal at the expense of Timo Werner who, for all his direct running and provision of assists, missed crucial chances that may come back to haunt them.Tuchel has never lost to a Spanish side in his career Chelsea fans will hope he will keep the record going.
Real Madrid, who have the trophy three times in a row before under Zidane have been tipped hot favorites again, this year. Thibaut Cortouis and Eden Hazard will be going back to Stamford Bridge for the first time since they each left. After knocking out Liverpool in quarters, they barely managed to scrap a draw at home last week because their back 3 system was suspect.Varane didn’t have the ball playing ability to provide Madrid with an extra man during the build up phase. Zidane may have been forced to revert to that system because Marcelo can’t defend in a back 4 following the injury to Fernand Mendy.
However, there is good as Mendy, Sergio Ramos and Federico Valverde are fit and available for this match. Toni Kroos and Luka Modric will play with Casemiro behind them. Karim Benzema, whose goal was top class last season, will provide his quality yet again and Vinicius Junior should be able to target Chelsea’s right hand side of the defense in his favored left wing role, after he was played in an unconventional two man strike force last week. Real Madrid lost twice against City last season but will hope to dot the Is and cross the Ts tonight. We think
Predicted Chelsea XI; Mendy,Christensen,Silva,Rudiger,Azpiliquetta,Kante,Jorginho,Chilwell,Pulisic,Haverz,Ziyech
Real Madrid XI; Coutois,Carvajal,Ramos,Varane,Mendy,Casemiro,Kroos,Modric,Benzema,Valverde,Vinicius jr.
All at stake for the semifinals;image courtesy,the Guardian
There has been an interesting turn of events that have gone on already so far in European football this week, especially with the Champions League semifinal ties already decided. We’ve seen things that quite frankly have made the littlest of sense, like in the tie between Bayern and PSG, where the better team lost in each leg. Bayern were incredibly superior in the first leg in Bavaria as XG would even point out, but lost by 3 goals to 2. Upon going to Paris, they were completely ran ragged by PSG, with Neymar practically uncontainable, yet they left as winners, even though they got knocked out on away goals after a 3-3 aggregate draw.
We saw Emre Can showing his daftness once more, making a mistake leading to goal by needlessly giving away a penalty against City which made them capitulate.Chelsea hanged on in the second leg to manage to see off relentless Porto and Madrid managed to see things through against Liverpool last night.
Enough about that, let’s focus about today, the much bantered, less fancied Europa league. Interesting results were recorded in the first leg. Villarreal rose to have one foot into the semis, United saw off Granada, Roma were incredibly lucky to win against Ajax and Arsenal bottled a lead in stoppage time against Prague. We take a look at what to expect going into today’s games.
Manchester United already have a good foot in into the semifinals, having beaten Granada away from home last week 2-0 with goals from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford. United took full advantage of the gaps Granada were always going to leave behind in their quest to get into the attacking third, as the team with the joint-worst defensive record in La Liga. Rashford controlled a well-executed long ball from Victor Lindelolf and kept his nerve to drive past Rui Silva for the opener and Bruno converted a spot kick after winning a penalty for being shoved in the face by a Granada player after an Alex Telles cross caused confusion in their penalty box area.
United are clear favorites going into this leg because they already brushed aside Copa del Rey winners Real Sociedad in a similar version in the round of 32. Given Ole is still in the hunt for a first ever trophy as United manager,he is not going to want to take any chances and will still field a strong line up to see things through at Old Trafford. It is unlikely Diego Martinez will want to compromise his principles.Domingos Duarte will try to bring the ball out of defense to help link up with the midfielders who will try isolate United and spread the ball out to wide areas to try and use the wingers’ pace to get into opposition areas and cause damage.
Last week, Harry Maguire in particular was very adventurous and that is a gap Granada might try to exploit by having Luis Javier Suarez use his pace to exploit him, rather than the relatively slower target man, Roberto Soldado.However, things already look nice and comfortable for United and as long as they don’t get complacent, look stamped and approved as semifinalists.
Roma vs Ajax
Roma might argue that they were under significant pressure from Ajax because they played away from home, winning by 2 goals to 1.They had Pau Lopez to thank for making a string of fine saves that denied the Ajax attack. They enjoyed only 35 percent possession and attempted only 7 shots with 4 on target, compared to Ajax’s 15, with 9 on target.
Paulo Fonesca is under pressure however, to get champions league football or risk losing his job , even though his 3-4-3 formation has given them a decent platform and identity to try and get positive results. Ajax have players however, that could cause damage and if they improve their finishing, will go through. Their midfield marshalled by Ryan Gravenberch is capable of dominating Amadou Diawara and Jordan Veretout out of the game.
Tadic’s all roundedness might give them an edge and Brazilian duo of Anthony and David Neres will cause anyone damage on their day with direct running. Ajax might be good enough to pull off a comeback and sail into the semis.
Villarreal vs GNK Dinamo Zagreb
Villareal were brave enough to see off Zagreb last week through a penalty by Gerard Moreno. Both teams matched each other off relatively for attempts at goal, with 14 shots with 3 on target to Zagreb’s 11 with 4 on target.
Villareal are a typical Spanish side that dominate possession with short, crisp passes.They also happen to have the so called Europa league specialist, Unai Emery. Zagreb however, saw off Tottenham in the round of sixteen, coming from behind 2-0 to win 3-2 on aggregate and so, should not be written off.
Villareal however will feel they will have a home advantage that could be enough to see the Croatian Giant’s fairytale come to an end. It Won’t be an easy one but I predict that Emery’s men will scrap a one all draw to seal a place against one of Prague or Emery’s former employers, Arsenal.
Slavia Prague vs Arsenal
This is arguably Mikel Arteta’s biggest ever match. With hopes of Champions League qualification through the league looking slim, he has to win this tournament or burst . The fans have been growing impatient recently about how the team has stagnated in mid-table. In the first leg, they were frankly ordinary but still created better chances against the Czech champions. Lacazette hit the bar and frankly below par in recent weeks , Aubameyang missed a one on one sitter seconds after coming on.
Even though Nicolas Pepe gave them a lead, they gave it away in stoppage time after makeshift left back Cedric put Gabriel under unnecessary pressure with a backwards pass that led to a corner which was ultimately converted after poor marking by Cedric himself.Prague will fancy their chances. They are unbeaten for a lengthy period of time in the league and have seen off Leicester and Rangers in the past knockout rounds. They will feel that their home advantage will pay dividends and wont overthink stuff because they aren’t the team under pressure.
If Arsenal are to harbor ambitions of sailing through, they need to set up exactly the same way they did at Bramall lane on Sunday except Ceballos will have to be replaced by the returning Smith Rowe.Xhaka as left back to bring a sense of balance, Saka dominating proceedings in central positions and Martinelli’s directness and infectious work rate to unsettle their defense. I’m predicting a 2 all draw with the Gunners managing to sail through on away goals.
United will set up a date against Ajax in the semifinals with Villarreal and Arsenal facing each other off to decide who will go to Gdansk to contest for the trophy. Both Fonesca and Arteta’s jobs are on the line and they have to find a way of going as far as they can. Hope we witness our predictions being proven right, though. Give us your predictions in the comments’ section below and don’t forget to check the widgets below for more content. Keep subscribing if you are new.
It has been the first time in 16 years the Champions League quarterfinals have taken place without two of greatest players of all time, Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo, whose teams were knocked out by PSG and Fc Porto, respectively. However, their apparent new rivalry replacements, Haland and Mbappe, managed to gun their teams into the quarters. We saw Mbappe hit a brace against Bayern away from home in their 3-2-win last week and Håland have his team actually unlucky not to win against Man City.
However, the return legs will take place this week, with Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool and PSG already having an early advantage and all look to have a foot into the semifinals. In this article, we take a look at the second leg ties, the interesting tactical battles that took place in the first legs and see who will sail through by Wednesday night.
Liverpool vs Real Madrid
The Los Blancos brushed aside Liverpool last week, 3-1, with a brace from Vinicius Junior either side of a Marco Asensio goal. Mohammed Salah got that one vital away goal for the Reds which may turn out to be valuable at Anfield this week. The two teams have faced each other off seven times before, with Liverpool only winning twice and Madrid winning the other five. Before last week, they had last met in the final in 2018 that is famously remembered for the two goalkeeping howlers Loris Karius made.
Zidane went for the same midfield three of Kroos, Modric and Casemiro that won him those three consecutive champions league titles. Despite missing Sergio Ramos and Rafael Varane at the back, Eder Militao and Nacho Fenandes deputized superbly, although questions had been raised with regards to their abilities in the air given Liverpool like pinning lots of early float crosses from deep using their fullbacks to try and unsettle the opposition defense. The Madrid front three was top drawer. Vinicius gave Trent Alexander a torrid night with his direct running and taking him on and even got two goals after getting himself into good scoring positions. They beat Barcelona over the weekend and so will be full of confidence going into the second leg match.
Meanwhile, the Reds are currently seventh in the Premier league. Their season has not been easy since so many of their key players have been ruled out with big injuries which have damaged the intricacy about their gegenpressing system. Recently, they’ve looked quite solid, with Fabinho returning to midfield and Nathaniel Phillip and Ozan Kabak developing a good understanding at the back. However, Klopp made a mistake by starting an unfit Naby Keita to try and help protect Trent’s positional woes and double up on Vinicius Junior which did not work.
After bringing on Thiago Alcantara at half time however, they started controlling the play. It was interesting to note that Sadio Mane, who has been in a slump all season with just 3 goals in 23 league games, was dropped for the game against Aston Villa which they won 2-1.However,Kloop Should try and play all four of Firminho, Jota, Salah and Mane and play a pivot of Fabinho and Alcantara because he needs two goals to sail through like he did against Arsenal a fortnight ago. However, it looks like Madrid are increasingly likely to get into the semifinals against Chelsea.
Dortmund Vs Manchester City
The teams have met thrice now in champions league history, with the Cityzens winning two and drawing one. City who currently are at the top of the premier league table remain in the hunt for a historic quadruple this season. They have won eight of their champions league games. Their unbeaten run however, was brought to an abrupt end after Leeds beat them at home over the weekend even though they had rotated the squad and rested a couple of key players.
Borussia Dortmund are in a bad run of form domestically but showed they are still capable of producing brilliant moments on their day. Last week, some controversial decisions by the referee counted them unlucky because they were very good on the night, marshalled by Jude Bellingham in midfield. Erling Håland demonstrated his all rounded prowess, dropping deep and providing the assist for Marco Reus. Man City have the advantage, but Dortmund need only a solitary goal to sail through. City have had tough lucks in the Champions League especially at this stage. They’ve only ever gotten to the semis once since the Sheikh Mansour take over and even last year, were knocked out by a frankly ordinary Lyon. Things may not be plain sailing but they may edge through this time.
Fc Porto vs Chelsea
Porto’s unlikely historic win of the crown in 2004 remains fresh in football memories as underdogs under Mourinho 17 years ago. The Dragons pulled a surprise as they buoyed past Juventus in the round 16 to seal their place in the quarter finals. They have met nine times with Chelsea, winning only two and drawing one. Sergio Oliviera has netted 5 en route to their appearance at this stage.
Meanwhile Chelsea under the helm of Thomas Tuchel, look sharp as they enjoy a superb record of 16 unbeaten in 17 games. With players like Ziyech, Giroud, Havertz, Werner, Jorginho and Kante revived, they have confidence flowing . Having won five of their last encounters against Porto, they will welcome back veteran defender Thiago Silva, Mason Mount and Jorgihno who were absent in the last game. The Dragons will have Oliviera back after missing the first leg through suspension. Chelsea are the favorites to sail into the semifinals after beating them 2-0 away.
PSG vs Bayern Munich
This has arguably been the biggest clash of this stage of the competition so far. Last year’s finalists facing each other this season. PSG actually won the first leg, 2-3 with a brace from Kylian Mbappe managing to galvanize them from the Bavarian snow last week. Bayern were clearly missing talisman Robert Lewandowski even though deputy, Chupo-Moting got on the scoresheet. Bayern have a lot of work to do going into the second leg as they hope that they will have to score two goals, unanswered against the Perusians who will be hoping Marco Veratti will be back from his Covid layoff.
He has been incredibly integral as a number 10 in Pochetinno’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation though Neymar was immense in that position last week, taking men on and even giving defense-splitting passes that gave Bayern problems all night. The Bavarians will be happy, though, that Lewandowski is back in full training and his elite finishing may prove helpful in Paris, this week. Bayern may have enough to turn the leg around because PSG may become naïve, like they were against Barcelona in the second leg at home and poor finishing cost the Catalan club.
Tottenham Hotspur has been blowing hot and cold since the arrival of Jose Mourinho in November 2019. We have witnessed his side get very good results against the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal in December and also some very questionable ones against other teams like Everton on the opening weekend of this season and Dynamo Zagreb in the Europa league three weeks ago.Lately,there has been a lot of talk about divisions in the dressing room as Hugo Lloris pointed it out in his post-match interview after that match in Croatia. We therefore attempt to demystify the underlying problems that face this club.
Spurs is also reported to have some kind of go- slow as some key players like Dele Alli have been thrown under the bus completely by Jose after the Amazon documentary revealed he wast a good trainer in general. Other players who have not been playing a lot like Harry Winks have also tended to side by him,which has created the divisions Lloris was talking about.
Despite losing the first game of the season to Carlo Ancelotti’s new look Everton side, the 2020/21 started on a good note for the Lilly Whites with Son and Kane’s telepathy in particular,instrumental to their juggernaut-esque momentum.For a team managed by a pragmatic coach, they were actually scoring goals for fun, including 1 6-1 demolition of Manchester United at Old Trafford and a 5-2 win over Southampton.This had them highly considered by the bookmakers as favourites for the league title considering the long awaited return of Gareth Bale into the starting line up made things look even more exciting,attacking wise.
Despite the fact that Spurs was on form, Jose’s critics felt that he was winning based on luck,even judging on the expected goals per 90 metric.Spurs momentum was cut short at Anfield after that 2-1 defeat. Mourinho plans were disoriented after losing some key players to injuries like Toby Alderweierld .Losing him hit the team particularly hard because the replacements, Davidson Sanchez and new signing, were prone to error and very new in the team, respectively.Alderweireld and Dier had formed a very good partnership and understanding that calmed down things at the back.
It is safe to say, that Gareth Bale’s motivation in general has highly been questionable, let alone his fitness problems.Jose usually wants his wingers to track back and help his wing backs without the ball Bale has been relatively been putting his right back under enormous pressure whenever he plays, like particularly in the north London derby defeat when he wasn’t helping Doherty and Emile Smith Rowe and Kieran Tierney were constantly ganging up on him. Also,he doesn’t get on the end of Kane’s passes when he drops deep to link play because he no longer makes his trademark explosive runs in behind anymore.
With the exception of Hojberg, all his signings have been completely inconveniencing and the players he found were more suited to playing expansively under Mauricio Pochettino. To rub salt in the wounds, You might argue that the mixed results at Spurs as a result of immense pressure in the hunt for a title and which thus had ripple effects on the other competitions including the Europa league.This has, thus, generated a lot of rumors that Kane could be on the move in the summer if they don’t at least get Champions League football for next season.
It could be difficult to for other clubs to sign Kane for upwards of 120 million pounds upfront considering the pandemic,but time is running out if he is ever to harbor hopes of winning big trophies,which a player of his caliber deserves.He might want to emulate Alan Shearer by scoring goals for his boyhood club,break the all time goal scoring record and have his statue erected outside their stadium,but Shearer at least won a league title while at Blackburn. Mourinho is a serial winner,but he must get his act together and convince him that it is very possible to win trophies at Tottenham,else he will consider moving on.
Thomas Tuchel’s side cemented their victory over Atletico Madrid after thrashing them 2-0 and completing 3-0 aggregate win to book their place against Porto in the quarter finals . It is the first time the blues have reached this stage of the competition for seven years and are yet to lose in 14 matches under the German tactician
Chelsea put up a spirited fight in the first half , with Ngolo Kante orchestrating the play alongside Mateo Kovacic to exploit the wide spaces Atleti’s mid block would leave, finding Timo Werner to use his pace to run them ragged. This tactic bore fruit as they scored their first of the night. Havertz, who was instructed to play as a false nine and use his passing range to exploit these wide areas and release Werner and Ziyech, found his fellow German who cut it back for Ziyech to score.
The back 3 of Zouma, Rudiger and Azpilicueta made life difficult for Atleti’s two forwards, Felix and Suarez who were not being supported by their midfield when they pressed up the pitch, leaving the blues with constant numerical advantage, usually a 2 v 3 or a 4 v 2 when Kante dropped deep to recycle possession.The three c,who have issues defending large spaces seemed to find it very easy on the night.In the 82nd minute, Simeone and his men’s night went from bad to worse after Felix’s miss was followed by a red card to Stefan Slavic for elbowing Rudiger who went down in pain.
Chelsea added their second goal through Emerson who was brought on at stoppage time to help Chelsea confirm their place against Porto in the quarter finals.Meanwhile Bayern won 2-1 against Lazio and went through, 6-2 on aggregate with Flick’s side sailing also to quarters to meet fellow finalists last season, PSG.
CITY AND MADRID STROLL INTO CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTER FINALS
The hunt for the so called quadruple by Pep Guardiola’s men continued as they comfortably walked past Borussia Mochengladbach 4-0 on aggregate to set up a date with Marco Rose’s future employers Dortmund in the quarter finals.The Citytizens, who had to see Reuben Dias stretched off with a head injury,showed why they are the strongest team in Europe at the moment with a string of neatly connected and crisp vertical passes that Gladbach found too difficult to contain.
Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan were both on the scoresheet with Gundogan in particular continuing to show his prowess infront of goal this season. Zinedine Zidane’s men also booked their ticket to quarter finals against Liverpool after beating the hard nut to crack, Atalanta 3-1 with goals from Karim Benzema ,Sergio Ramos and Marco Asensio.
In the much anticipated match played on Tuesday night, the 22 year-old French international scored a hat trick to steal the show as PSG yet again sank Barcelona. Despite Neymar and Di Maria missing out the clash through injuries, PSG looked unbothered with their absence as they produced a great performance to edge closer to the quarterfinals.
Lionel Messi scored from the spot to give Barcelona the lead on the 27th minute after what looked like a really soft clip by Larwyn Kurzawa on Frenkir De Jong before Kylian Mbappe pulled back to level the matters 5 minutes later. Mbappe added his 2nd in the 65th minute. Moise Keane took advantage of Barcelona’s poor marking to head in the 3rd in the 70th minute. Mbappe completed his hatrick in the 85th minute to become the 1st visiting player to net 3 at Camp Nou since Andriy Shevchenko in 1997.
Defensive Errors See RB Leipzig Stumble to Liverpool.
Dayot Upamecano who was recently announced will be joining rivals Bayern Munich at the end of the season was at the centre stage of Tuesday’s 2-0 loss to Liverpool. Despite being the better side in the first half, the 22-yr old was caught out of position as Salah ran in behind to slot past former goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, handing Liverpool the lead in 53rd minute.
Upamecano’s untimed challenge five minutes later allowed Mane to give Liverpool a 2-0 advantage to take back to Anfield. Liverpool had been on a 3-game loosing streak and a win over the Germans boosted their confidence . RB Leipzing will now need a miracle to overturn the lead in the 2nd leg to sail through to the quarter finals.
Porto Pull Surprise 2-1 Win Over Old Lady of Turin
Juventus were on Wednesday night handed yet another defeat by Porto after falling short aganist Napoli at the weekend . Juventus fell behind just after 63 seconds after Mehdi Taremi slot in to give the hosts a 1-0 lead after a defensive mix-up. Moussa Marega then netted the 2nd just 19 seconds into the 2nd half before Federico Chiesa pulled one back in the 82nd minute to reduce the deficit.
Ronaldo was relatively quiet on the night and will need his form back in the 2nd leg to help his team sail through to the the quarterfinals.
Halaand Strikes Twice to Hand Dortmund Early Advantage
Elsewhere, Earling Halaand seemed motivated by the prospect of seeing his fellow wonderkid Kylian Mbappe net aganist Barcelona the day before as he continued his fine goalscoring streak. It inspired struggling Dortmund to come from behind to edge past Sevilla in a 3-2 victory. The hosts took the lead through Suso before Dahoud leveled the matters and Halaand strucking the second and third to give the visitors an edge over the Spanish Champions.
Ni Klabu ambayo kwa sasa mpinzani yeyote lazima ajipange anapokuwa na ratiba ya kucheza nayo,hasa kutokana na kikosi chao mahiri na pia bila kusahau mkufunzi mwenye tajriba ya hali ya juu anayeitia makali timu hii.
Naizungumzia Klabu ya Liverpool na vile vile mkufunzi Jurgen Klopp anayeinoa klabu hii, Liverpool ambayo inajivunia kuweka kikapuni vikombe 19 vya ligi kuu nchini Uingereza,cha punde zaidi kikiwa kile cha msimu uliopita wa mwaka 2019/20,walipomaliza nafasi ya kwanza kwenye jedwali kwa alama 99 mbele ya mahasimu wao Manchester City waliomaliza nafasi ya pili kwa alama 81.
Liverpool, ambao kwa sasa ndio bingwa wtetezi wa ligi kuu Uingereza, apo Jumapili walikuwa na kibarua kigumu nyumbani,Anfield,walipowaalika Manchester City yake mkufunzi Pep Guardiola kwa mtanange wa ligi kuu Nchini Uingereza.
Mtanange huo ambao ulig’oa nanga mwendo wa saa moja na nusu usiku saa za Afrika ya Mashariki,ulikuwa na vifijo na mbwembwe za aina yake.Manchester City ambayo ilikuwa haijapata ushindi Anfield tangia mwaka wa elfu 2003,waliweza kuuduwaza ulimwengu wa soka,kwa kumwadhibu bingwa mtetezi huyu mabao 4-1,na kuvunja historia hiyo ya kutoshinda Anfield kwa miaka kumi na minane.
Kipigo hiki cha Liverpool kimezua gumzo mitandao na Klabuni humo,kwani Jurgen Klopp, alionyesha kusikitishwa na matokeo haya.Klopp anasema kuwa,kipigo hiki kilitokana na makosa ya kipa wao raia wa Brazil , Allison Becker,ambaye alitoa pasi mbili ambazo zilikosa kuwapata mabeki wa Liverpool na kuangukia miguuni mwa Wachezaji wa Manchester City ambao walitumia fursa hii kuwaadhibu vijana hao wa Anfield.
Liverpool wamepata taabu tangu Virgil Van Dijk aweze kulipata geraha
Kwa upande wake, nahodha, Jordan Henderson raia wa Uingereza,anasema kuwa,makosa waliofanya uwanjani ndio yaliyowapelekea kuadhibiwa, huku akisisitiza kuwa lazima kama timu wajifunze kutokana na makosa haya ili kujiandaa ipasavyo kwa mechi zinazowasubiri.Vile vile, Henderson anadai kuwa, hawapaswi kufa moyo kwa nafasi waliopo kwenye jedwali bali kujituma zaidi.
Pep Guardiola kwa upande wake anadai kuwa,walipaswa kutoka na ushindi huo Anfield kwani vijana wake walijituma ipasavyo na kuonyesha mchezo mzuri hasa kipindi cha lala salama cha mtanange huo.Guardiola anadokeza kuwa siri kubwa aliyonayo na kikosi chake ni motisha.Hata baada ya mchezaji wake raia wa Ujerumani kukosa mkwaju wa penalti katika kipindi cha kwanza cha mechi hiyo, Guardiola alionekana akimpa motisha mchezaji huyo wa kuendelea kujituma,hali iliyozalisha matunda kipindi cha pili kwani Gundogan alijikwamua na kuifungia Manchester City magoli mawili,kunako dakika ya 49 na 73 mtawalia.Mabao mengine ya City yalifungwa naye Raheem Sterling katika dakika ya 76,alafu bamdogo Phil Foden raia wa Uingereza akikamilisha idadi ya mabao hayo kuwa manne dakika ya 83,wakati alipochenga mabeki takriban wawili wa Liverpool kutoka winga ya kulia na kuachia shuti la kushutukiza,lilojaza wavu kwa mara ya nne,na kumwacha Allison akiduwaa.Huku Liverpool wakipata bao lao la kufutia machozi kutoka kwa tuta la penalti kupitia mshambulizi wao matata Salah,kunako dakika ya 63.
Liverpool walipoteza mechi yao ya tatu mfululizo nyumbani musimu huu baada ya kuchapwa na Burnley na Brighton bao moja kwa nunge mtawalia hali ambayo ilitokea mwisho mwaka wa 1963, ambayo ni miaka 63 iliyopita.Kokosekana kwa wachezaji mahiri wa kiungo cha kujilinda cha Liverpool kama Virgil Van Dijk, Gomez na Joel Matip, kunaonekana kuiponza Liverpool msimu huu kwani wachezaji hawa ambao wana majeraha kwa sasa Wana ubunifu mkubwa kikosini humu.
Ushindi huu wa Manchester City umewafanya kufungua mwanya wa alama tano jedwalini,kwani mahasimu wao ambao wanawafuata kwa karibu Manchester United wana alama 45,baada ya kutoka sare ya mabao 3-3 dhidi vijana wa Everton mnamo siku ya Jumamosi.
Swali ni jee, Liverpool wataweza kumaliza nne bora msimu huu?
Vigogo walioichezea Liverpool wameonekana kutoa maoni yao mitandaoni haswa wa punde zaidi ni Jamie Carrager ambaye anasema kuwa asilimia ya Liverpool kucheza ligi ya Mabingwa barani Ulaya msimu ujao ni finyu mno, Carrager anasistiza kuwa timu nyingi Uingereza zinang’ang’ania nafasi hiyo kwa hivyo sio rahisi kwa Liverpool msimu huu.
Kipigo hiki cha tatu mfululizo kwa Liverpool kinazua tumbo joto hasa kwa hatma ya Kocha Jurgen Klopp Klabuni humo,kwani msururu wa matokeo mabovu huenda kukapelekea kibarua cha Jurgen Klopp, kuendelea kuinoa Liverpool kuwa cha ati ati.
Liverpool ambao wapo nafasi ya nne kwa sasa,wanakibarua Jumamosi ijayo dhidi ya vijana wa Brendan Rodgers Leceister City ambaye Klopp alirithi mikoba yake ya Ukufunzi mnamo mwaka wa 2015 kama Mkufunzi wa Liverpool,baada ya Brendan Rodgers kufurushwa Klabuni humo.
Amesaidia timu ya taifa ya Ujerumani kushinda kombe la dunia mwaka wa elfu 2014, akicheza kama mchezaji kiugo mshambuliaji,lakini mchezaji huyu ana uwezo wa kucheza kama kinda wa kulia,akitumia mguu wake wa kushoto kutengenezea wenzake nafasi za kuyafunga magoli.
Huyu alianza kucheza soka lake kwa mara ya kwanza katika klabu ya Schalke 04 inayokipiga na miamba ya Ujerumani mwaka wa 2008 akiwa na umri wa miaka 19.
Baadaye mchezaji huyu alihamia klabu ya Real Madrid mwaka wa 2010, kutokana na weledi wake uwanjani.Hii Ni baada ya kuishindia klabu yake ya Werder Bremen, (ambayo alioihamia baada ya Shalke kutokuwa na fedha za kutosha za kumueka katika klabu ile) taji,linalojulikana kwa kijerumani, DFB-Porkal,na kufika fainali ya bara Ulaya ya Europa.
Akiwa Real Madrid,mchezaji huyu alisaidia timu hii kubeba kombe la Laliga, na vile vile,kuteuliwa kama mchezaji aliyezalisha mabao mengi, kwa misimu mitatu mtawalia.
Namzungumzia Mesut Ozil, mzaliwa wa tarehe kumi na tano mwezi wa Oktoba mwaka wa 1988, mwenye miaka 32 kwa Sasa.
Alipokuwa Real Madrid, timu mbalimbali zilivutiwa na usakataji wake soka, lakini Timu ya Arsenal iliweza kufaulu kumsajili mwaka wa 2013, chini ya Kocha Arsene Wenger aliyekuwa akiwanoa washikabunduki hao,kwa kima cha pauni milioni 50.Hii ilikuwa baada ya Madrid kukataa kumpa kandarasi mpya ambayo alitaka aweze kulipwa peni kama zile za kinda matata Cristiano Ronaldo.Kutokana na fomu amabyo Angel Di Maria alikuwa nayo,Kinda mpya Isco na kuwasili kwa fowadi Gareth Bale kutoka timu ya Tottenham hotspur,Ancelotti aliona kwamba hakuhitaji huduma zake Ozil tena.
Ozil hakujua kuwa , kwenda Arsenal ndiko kumgekuwa chanzo cha kudidimia kwa soka lake.Ozil alipata nafasi nyingi za kucheza chini ya Kocha Arsene Wenger na kuonyesha weledi wake katiaka kuaimarisha kiungo cha kati cha timu hiyo,pamoja na kutoa pasi nyingi za kuzalisha mabao haswa mnamo msimu wa 15/16 ambapo aliweza kuzipata pasi za kuzalisha mabao 19.Aliposahihisha mkataba mpya mwaka wa 2018 January,ilisemekana kuwa alikuwa anaweza kuzichagua mechi ambazo alitaka acheze chini ya Arsene.
Masaibu yake Uwanjani yalianza wakati Arsenal walipomteua Unai Emery , kama kocha wao mkuu kutoka klabu ya Paris Saint-Germain.
Chini ya Unai Emery,mchezaji huyu mwenye haiba ya juu alianza kukalishwa nje ya uwanja,kwa kisingizio kuwa alikuwa hayuko sawa kucheza kutokana na upungufu wa mazoezi.Hali hii ilisababisha mashabiki wa Arsenal kuandamana na wengine kutoa lalama zao mitandao, wakishangaa Ni sababu gani inayofanya mchezaji mwenye haiba ya juu kama Ozil kuachwa nje ya kikosi cha kwanza.
Sio mashabiki tu,bali hata wachezaji wenziwe walilalamika Uwanjani walipomkosa Uwanjani kutokana na kiangazi cha mabao,kilichosababishwa na ukosefu wa mchezaji wa kutengeneza nafasi za kufunga mabao kama Ozil.
Hiki ndicho kilichokuwa chanzo cha Ozil kutoonekana Uwanjani sana sana.Hata baada ya Unai Emery kutimuliwa Klabuni humo,na kuteuliwa aliyekuwa mchezaji wa zamani wa kalbu hiyo Mikel Arteta kama mkufunzi mkuu,Ozil bado analalamikia nafsi yakucheza Uwanjani,kwani hata katika vikosi vilivyotanjwa kushiriki ligi za Europa na ligi kuu Nchini Uingereza bado hajajumuishwa.
Hali hii inakuchorea taswira ya jinsi mchezaji mwenye haiba ya juu kama Ozil anavyozidi kurudi chini kimchezo.Ozil ameonyesha kuipenda klabu ya Arsenal ya kukataa kuondoka Klabuni humo hata baada ya kukosa nafasi ya kucheza.
Ozil ambaye amshinda mataji matatu ya FA cup na Arsenal,kwa masaibu yamekuwa mengi Klabuni humo,huku ripoti zikidokeza kuwa amekubaliana na klabu ya Fernerbahche iliyooko Nchini Turkey kwenda kusakata soka.
Ozil alidhibitisha hili kupitia mtandao wake wa Twitter akisema kuwa,yuko na furaha kwenda kukipiga Fernerbahche kwani anasema yeye ni shabiki mkubwa wa timu hiyo na anaipenda sana.
Vile vile kulingana na ripoti,Ozil anasemekana kuwaaga wachezaji wenziwe wa Arsenal na kusafiri kutumia ndege ya kibinafsi kuelekea Nchini Turkey.
Swali ni jee,hatua ya Ozil kuamua kuhamia klabu nyengine hasara kwa nani?
Ozil ambaye ni miongoni mwa wachezaji wanaolipwa pesa nyingi Arsenal,akipokea takriban pauni milioni 350,000 kwa wiki,bado mchezaji huyu wamekubaliana na viongozi wa timu ya Arsenal kumlipa pesa walizoahidiana kumlipa hadi mwisho wa kandarasi yake hata baada ya kukatiza kandarasi hiyo ghafla.
Ingali makubaliano hayo yakiendelea kujadiliwa,mawakala wake pia wamedhibitisha uwezekano wa Ozil kuhamia Turkey,japo wanasema bado kuna vigezo muhimu ambavyo lazima vizingatiwe kufanikisha safari ya Mjerumani huyo kwenda kuichezea Fenerbahce.
An original version of this post appeared in January 2021
The recent sacking of former Harambee Stars tactician Francis Kimanzi got many football fans shell shocked. A letter from the Football Kenya Federation signed by CEO Barry Otieno said they had come to a mutual agreement to relieve the now Wazito FC head coach together with his backroom staff of their duties. This came a few days after the FKF presidential elections which saw Nick Mwenda retain the President of the federation.
This is not new in the country as hardly does a coach reign for more than two years before he gets the sack. Since Nick Mwendwa took charge of the federation, he has appointed 5 different coaches over the space of 4 years, which leaves an average time in the dugout for any manager at roughly just 9 months. Comoros, by contrast, who are currently top of the qualifying group and outclassed the country in the last international break, have had their manager being at the helm since 2014.In that period, he has managed to rebuild the team from the ground up, established a system where players have since bought into and is now reaping rewards. Topping the group on 8 points, they are now on course to make a maiden AFCON appearance in 2022.
Kimanzi who was building a project that had signs of promise. attacking and pressing football.in the 5 games he took charge, he drew 3, lost one and won one. However, the performance of the team was encouraging. Let’s not forget that 3 of the 5 games were friendlies. The two competitive games he took charge of was a draw against both Togo and Egypt in November last year. Against Egypt away, the team was actually unlucky not to get away with a win as they were the better side in Alexandria. Given he only took charge for 5 games, it is evident he was not given time.
Jacob Mulee took charge of the third and fourth fixtures against Comoros. Bringing a new coach who had been out of coaching duties for 10 years proved to be a bad move given the short-term goal was to instantly qualify for AFCON 22’. He selected practically the same players Kimanzi had been calling up, but his tactics were stale and extremely predictable, like he was just letting them take a football and play on their own during training sessions with no drills or patterns of play whatsoever.
It didn’t help that the players looked rusty given football in the country had been halted following the COVID 19 pandemic and the fact some players like Masoud Juma and Ayub Masika were unattached, hence limited match sharpness. However, the way Mulee managed that team tactically and how he was motivating them left a lot to be desired. The man just stood by the touchline, barely uttering a word in his large overcoat in a misty first leg night at Kasarani. Even away from home, he just stood there, hoping someone like Cliff Nyakeya would produce a moment of magic to get the team out of trouble. It inevitably led to a draw at home to Comoros and later being thrashed away.
This made Harambee stars hopes of qualifying dimmer given the tough task. They must win their last two games against Togo away from home and Egypt which boasts Premier League regular talents in People like Mohammed(s) Salah and Elneny.
The appointing and sacking narrative has also seen FKF owe different tacticians like Adel Amrouche, Bobby Williamson and Sebastien Migne millions of shillings which they have failed to pay thereby finding themselves at the wrong side of court. Kenya was staring at a looming ban from the upcoming AFCON as they failed to comply with the FIFA regulations of paying Amrouche the amount owed to him. Sebastian Migne was also relieved of his duties under unclear circumstances after the AFCON tournament in Egypt.
Origi made an unconvincing return between the sticks
Despite boasting decent talents like Michael Olunga who recently won the J-League golden boot and most valuable player award and Joseph Okumu who was part of the Swedish league team of the Season, Harambee stars has remained stagnant, recording mixed results. Claims of poor team selection in favour of some players has also halted the growth of the team (Like the decision to recall a past it Arnold Origi). The influence of some people in selecting players and corruption scandals have vastly contributed to the current state of the team.
John Avire
Prior to the 2019 AFCON in Egypt, eyebrows were raised when John Avire received a call up. There is no doubting the talent the boy possesses, but there are other players who had been performing better in the league that season like veteran Allan Wanga. Shortly after the tournament, he moved to Tanta, a move which has proven to be like eating sour grapes over the last one and a half years.it took him 6 months to finally kick a ball as Sofapaka claimed the deal was sanctioned illegally and fueled by one of the FKF executives who was forced to resign following the scandal
Kenyans’ spirit of watching their national team play and boosting their morale is fading away slowly. In the near future, fans may totally not turn out to watch their team play. Much needs to be done if we are to go back to our glory with the talents Kenya boasts. Good strategies need to be in place to make the team even qualify for the World Cup because of the potential the team has. Whether consistency in terms of trusting coaches and the development and investment of grassroots football for the future will remain to be seen.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin heads at goal during Spurs’ opening defeat to Everton.Image Courtesy;Everton FC
The day is 13th September, a day regarded by many as the unluckiest day of the year. Spurs are playing their opening game of the season against a Carlo Ancelotti led Everton with a newly assembled midfield of Abdoulaye Doucoure, Allan and the cherry on the cake, James Rodriguez. The team is so well balanced, Tottenham look out of sorts handling it and it looked destined for a long season ahead, especially with the tight Europa league fixture congestion that facing them in the next couple of weeks .Fast forward to nearly three months later and Tottenham are actually starting to look like genuine title challengers at a time when the league looks more up for grabs than it has been in the last couple of seasons.
Tottenham are currently enjoying their best run of form in quite a while, holding to the fact that they are at the top of the table with 21 points and with the best goal difference. In comparison to that opening game when new signing Matt Doherty looked out of sorts in a back 4 formation , Pierre Emile Hojberg looked out of his depth already and Dele Alli looked like a passenger who had to be dropped off in the middle of nowhere in a long journey given he was even hooked off at half time, they now look like an organised unit.
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Upfront,You’ve got Kane,who has shown the completeness of his game in recent weeks in the fact that he is the league’s top assister,dropping deep to link up the play and using his passing range to get Son Heung-Min in behind and another runner,be it Bergwin,Lucas Moura or even Gareth Bale who is being slowly re-integrated back into the team following a lengthy injury.
Kane has also not sacrificed the goal scoring side of his game,having registered goals so far this season.Son Heung-Min is proving himself to be a quality finisher given he already has 9 league goals from an XG of just 3.86. In midfield, Sissokho and Hojiberg have developed a telepathic understanding that has become reminiscent of the Wanyama-Dembele partnership of the 16/17 season.Sissokho has been tasked with being the player that carries the ball as a box to box player with Hojberg doing the screening role where in possession,you will see him dropping between the centre backs to collect the ball which draws space from the opposition,giving Cissokho and Ndombele a numerical advantage
Son Heung-Min is showing what a quality finisher he is.Image Courtesy; Understat
Out of possession,you will see Cissokho occasionally dropping between Alderweireld and the right back,hence forming a back 5 without the ball, like against Chelsea. In front of the 2 midfielders, Tanguay Ndobele has finally fought his way back into contention after originally not being in Jose’s plans and taking long to adapt to a new country,new way of playing and a new league.He brings the ball forward and turns a defensive action into an attacking one in an instant and drifts between the lines,hence providing some bit of creativity.Giovani Lo celso,who has often been used in tandem with him especially as a substitute has provided a sense of competition for that role.
In defence, Eric Dier has reinvented himself into a centre back and has formed a formidable partnership with Toby Aldeweierld.It is a pairing that has drawn comparisons to the Terry-Cahill pairing of 14/15 that won Jose his third league title in the country. In the fullback positions, the arrival of Sergio Regulon who is arguably the most coveted full back on the planet right now has complemented their left flank to new heights.Finally,there is good competition for Ben Davies,which has also kept Danny Rose out of the sie completely.Serge Aurier has taken good advantage of the arrival of Matt Doherty,who has struggled to make an impression in a back 4 just yet which has made Serge step up.
They have strength in quality depth in almost every position on the pitch. Mourinho’s side had arguably the most successful transfer window this summer in the league.Many Spurs’ fans will be hoping that this is the year the trophy drought comes to an end .Jose was brought in to help the club get to the next level of winning trophies,to just give them that sense of belief.If the squad he has got is anything to go by,adding to the fact he has found a good balance for the side, winning things this year is finally going to be something realistic.
Watching Arsenal’s game against Leeds United yesterday gave me sudden flashbacks of Arsene Wenger’s last days in charge of the club, where there was a certain stubbornness in the manager’s unwillingness to make changes to the side and tweak his tactics after the team had started to become predictable and stale .It is early days and Arteta is still learning on the job, but a lot of questions need to be asked.In the 10 months he has been in charge of Arsenal, there have been some promising signs that he can be the man to lead the club forward and other very worrying signs both on and off the pitch.In this article, I take a look at four major worrying signs and give my opinions on what needs to be done.
1.Handling Ill discipline
One of the most worrying signs that I’ve noticed of Arteta’s regime is that he has not been consistent when it has come to the handling of team discipline.I will start by addressing the elephant in the room,Willian.At a time when the UK is in a state of national lockdown,It was baffling to see him doing Salt Bae interviews in Dubai.Lockdown rules clearly state that you can only leave if you are going to do something substantial, like players reporting for trainings,match days and international duty.
Willian has not been part of the Brazil setup since he helped Brazil win the copa America last season.To make things worse, he has not been performing particularly well ever since his incredible opening day display against Fulham back in September when he gave 3 assists.Fans, pundits and critics alike have been calling for him to be dropped.It was therefore shocking to see him start against Leeds and even though he performed slightly better than he has over the past couple of weeks,he still got hacked off at half time.
Questions have to be asked of his situation because he has been starting too much even when he has been anonymous.Maybe there is a clause in his contract that says he has to start a given amount of games.A Lot of people feel he is holding the development of Reis Nelson back.Moving on, Dani Ceballos and new dad David Luiz reportedly had an incidence in training last week after Luiz reportedly hit back at Ceballos for a rash challenge on him.Not the first time it has happened with Dani given only 2 months ago,he was involved in a similar spat with Eddie Nketiah in a warm up before the Fulham game.Nicholas Pepe got sent off last night for violent conduct after Allioski trapped him into headbutting him following provocation from two minutes prior to the incidence.Even after getting sent off, he looked like he couldn’t care less.
He has not been starting of late and even did an interview with Canal + saying that he needed to start more.The fact that he had only started one premier league game before last night this season shows you that the manager is not totally convinced by him.The one opportunity he was given to prove a point to arteta,he fluffed his lines. Arteta came out and threw him under the baus completely,saying that what he did was a let down and ‘’unacceptable’’. I feel he needs to find a way dealing with team discipline better because players of late have looked sort of disenchanted.The so called non-negotiables that he wanted to instill at the club don’t look like they are working.
2.Tactical Predictability
Since Arteta took the reigns,he has worked with 3 major formations,4-2-3-1,that was predominantly used pre-pandemic,4-3-3 that has been used sparingly on paper and 3-4-3,which is a formation that was very integral to the cup and charity shield wins in August.Before lockdown,4-2-3-1,which became 2-3-5 in possession was wired to cover for the limitations of players like Mesut Ozil,who can only play as a 10 and not an 8.he would form a 5 in attack alongside Aubameyang who would drift inside to take goal scoring positions,Lacazette,Pepe and Breakthrough star Bukayo Saka from left back,where Xhaka would drift across to form a back 3 alongside David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi to cover for Saka when he pushed up.it racked the team points,with only City and Liverpool registering more points than the gunners.
After lock down,Arsenal lost the first two games against City and Brighton,prompting Arteta to switch to a 3 with Luiz between either Holding or Mustafi and Kieran Tierney.One of Maitland Niles,(who became integral as we won the cup) and Bukayo Saka would drift from left wing back to CM in possession,forming a 4-3-3.Aubameyang and Pepe would cut in from wide positions to provide a goal scoring threat and Lacazette would hold up the ball.It is a dynamic that worked well until this season when Willian came in to replace Pepe.he has been underwhelming and there have been calls to drop him.Gabriel also came in and he has done very well alongside Rob Holding.Thomas Partey’s athleticism has also been integral and he has formed a good partnership alongside the rejuvenated Mohammed Elneny but unfortunately,there isn’t enough ball progression especially when you take Davd Luiz out of the side.the team lacks a player that is capable of drifting between the lines and we lack someone with any real craft on the ball.
The club is 19th in the league after Newcastle for progressive passes into the final third.Yes,fans wanted Joe Willoock back in the team after doing well in the Europa league games,but in my opinion,he is better suited to being an 8 rather than a 10.He is not suited to being a player that sees 4 moves ahead between the lines.It makes the Ozilm ostracization more questionable and even if he isn’t the player he once was,you can’t justify the fact that he still isn’t good enough.Also,I have no idea why Emile Smith Rowe is being held back when he had a fruitful loan spell at Huddersfield creative wise and creating chances,with 2.2 key passes a match.He has done well for the u23 side this season,scoring 3 goals from 3 appearances.Arteta reverted to the 4-2-3-1 last night and this looks like the perfect time to draft him in especially given we are out of sorts creative wise.Thursday night is a good opportunity to start him and show what he can do.
3.Squad Management
Arteta has made a lot of questionable decisions with regards to squad management.They Claim Ozil was left out for footballing reasons which is partly true because teams want to press and counter press and he is not the type of player to work his socks off, but justifying that he is not good enough to be part of a 25 man PL squad that features 5 goalkeepers is questionable.Suggesting William Saliba is still not ready to play when his former teammate and fellow teenager Wesley Fofana is taking to the PL like a duck to water is questionable.Sokratis was reportedly subject of PSG interest yet he was not sold,which makes him not being registered as well even more questionable.I know he has his limitations,but if he wasn’t part of the plan,he should just have been let go of.
4.Actions not Being Louder than Words
Arteta has been known to speak about non negotiables,about being 120 percent committed to the cause.Yes,he has shown his ruthless streak with players who aren’t showing why they should be playing,but at the same time, he has also been overly loyal to players that have not been good enough for a hot minute.Perfect example being Willian.He has said that young players like Reis Nelson and Joe Willock need to earn the right to start yet they have been performing consistently at a very high level in the Europa league.He even mentioned that they are training like animals.Why then,are they still not starting.I know Willock finally started last night,but it should have been a long time coming,and not circumstantial but rather more merit oriented.
It’s still early days for Arteta,and a lot can change in football in weeks, let alone months, but he needs to take a look in the mirror and rectify these mistakes.It is his first job and he is learning on it and I’m all for giving him time as long as there is a tangible process, but he needs to show it in his actions now.
Since Paul Pogba made his desire of playing for Real Madrid publicly while on international duty in October, he has been a perpetual talking point among media outlets. Pogba happens to be one of the key players for Manchester United and earns extemporaneous wages. Preciseley, he earns around £290,000 per week.He is the fifth year of his contract with the option of a one year trigger extension until the summer of 2022.His agent, Mino Raiola, who is notoriously known for being a very difficult person to work with,doesn’t seem to be going eye to eye with the club on various things,with Alex Ferguson even claiming he’d never work with him at all while he was still manager.It begs the question,is it time to let Pogba leave?
While talking at France’s Clairefontaine training base , he said that all footballers would like to play for Real Madrid and that it would be ‘’a dream’’ for him to join Los Blancos. Raiola also said last December that the re-appointment of Zidane as Real coach would be an added advantage in fuelling Pogba’s desire to play for Madrid.
Pogba has always been a divisive figure among Man United Fans and critics alike. He clearly has the talent that prompted the club to swallow their pride and have to spend 89 million pounds to take back their former academy graduate. However,he has never really lived up to the form and consistency that saw him heavily celebrated whilist at Juventus. When at his best the Frenchman is one of football’s standout midfielders.His form when Ole Gunnar Solsjaer first took reigns as intereem manager in December 2018 saw him produce some of his best individual moments in a United shirt today which even saw him make that season’s PFA team of the season.
He is able to mesh invention on the ball and technical ability thanks to his added physical gifts making him a difficult player to contain when in full flight.In my eyes, I don’t think there is a more complete central midfielder in world football.He has that ability to play as a mezzala,an advanced playmaker,a box to box player and a deep lying playmaker with relative ease. He is not without limitations, like having the tendency of over-dwelling on the ball, thus, slowing down the tempo, or his defensive work often leaving a lot to be desired.
In my opinion,I think his head is not turned on right now at the club due to talks over his future. If you watched his performance against Portugal last Saturday,the way he was controlling the tempo of the match alongside Ng’olo Kante and Adrien Rabiot.He was playing with the happiness of kid who had finally gotten the popsicle his parents had refused to buy for him earlier at the park after crying his lungs out.He came out and said playing for Les Bleus this season was like ‘’a breath of fresh air’’.
Regardless of his inconsistent performances, it would be a challenge to replace him if he were to be sold. I’m all for the opinion that ,if a player no longer wants to be at aclub he should be released . United have been stuck in constant transitions ,and he has been part of the exprriment that just hasn’t produced the desired results. Keeping a player who is keen to leave may not be in their remit, especially if a significant fee can be obtained to reinvest elsewhere.
On 30th September this year, Football Kenya Federation signed a 7-year deal with Chinese broadcaster, StarTimes worth an estimated 1.1 million dollars annually. The Chinese based TV channel will air all FKF Premier League matches starting with the 2020-21 season, 30 live matches in the National Super League for the next three seasons – 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022-23, and also broadcast the Kenya Super Cup. Other matches that will be screened live include the play-off between position 16 teams in the FKF Premier League and third-placed side in the NSL to determine which team earn promotion to the top-flight, at least show four matches annually for the national team Harambee Stars during the Fifa calendar and also the FKF Women’s national team matches.
After signing the deal, the FKF president Nick Mwendwa had this to say,
“This is a major boost in solving the sponsorship challenge that is revolving around our football,’’
Over the last 2 years, league matches have not been aired live after Supersport pulled the plug on its rights to air KPL matches which meant that the league was cash-strapped.To add salt into the wound,Sportpesa pulled its sponsorship deal away from the league following a government directory about taxation of revenue gathered.The unprecedented events brought forth by the Covid-19 pandemic made things even worse because all sporting activity had to be halted globally .The league had to be brought to a close which left footballers with little to no pay.
Lest we forget,FKF have also launched an official partnership with Milele FM,which means matches will also be broadcasted live on the channel,and given radio has and always will be the most popular mode of communication especially in a second to third world country,it means more revenue generation from there.
There are lots of advantages that will come with these league partnerships.Local talent will be scouted more given prospective suitors will be able to view what players from various teams have to offer.Furthermore,we have seen how,in the Premier league,for example,TV revenue has become the main source of income,especially with this pandemic at a time when fans are not allowed to watch games in the stadia anymore.income generated means players will be able to be paid their dues since clubs will cease being cash strapped(As we’ve seen countless times with 2 of the country’s most iconic clubs in Gor Mahia and AFC leopards and the administrative dissolvement of clubs like Chemelil Sugar)
Football lovers outside the country will be able to explore the talent in the country and this will be an avenue for our local players to expose themselves to the world and turn professional globally as other talents to rise to fill the gaps left.
The partnership will also be an avenue to bring in more sponsors to clubs and the league in general, which already also has an official association to Betking.That company has already acquired naming rights for the league.Broadcasting of the league also means that the league will become more competitive given clubs will draw enough inspiration to challenge for continental places and league wins which will attract prospective sponsors to make partnerships with them.
However, FKF should not be content to the deal with star times only. They also need to look for ways of looking and striking deals with more broadcasting companies in order to reach a larger audience for purposes of marketing.In as much as Startimes has got over 20 million OTT subscribers, 13 million DVB users and operates in 30 countries,it’s still not enough audience.Rome wasn’t built in a day,but under the tutulege of the FKF,things look like they are headed in the right direction.
Chelsea lost the first match of 2020/21 season against Liverpool at home on Sunday afternoon .A first half red card for Christensen culminating from a last man professional foul following a communication mishap to Sadio Mane paved way for Chelsea woes .A barren first half seemed to appease the home team after their new men Timo Werner Werner and Kai Havertz seemed to miss that cutting edge to take apart a liverpool defence featuring Fabinho at centre back.
A second half header from Sadio Mane secured the away team’s lead with a minutes later following a distribution howler from Kepa Arrizabalaga gifting Mane a brace.Jorginho failed to convert a spot kick after Allison Becker showed his uncrackable nut side with a fantastic flex to deny him a goal which became the Italian’s first penalty to miss at the Bridge.The penalty had been won by Timo Werner who showed his prowess through cutting inside from left inside forward. Havertz, who has lately been making headlines over his questionable start to life at Chelsea displayed yet another unsatisfying performance as a false 9,a position he was relatively very good at for Bayer Leverkusen.
Havertz played as an right advanced playmaker against Brighton and now played him at false nine on Sunday,which is unadvisable for a new player still trying to gel into the team. Lampard seems to have bought him with no idea on how to capitalize on the player’s talent.Fans are suggesting that he should be given a chance as a right sided 8 which can allow him to play better with his front to the goal so that he can score like he is capable of.
Kepa Arrizabalaga portrayed yet another evidence of his out of depthness as a regular or a top six side goalKeeper by carelessly squandering possession away as Chelsea were trying to play out from the back,gifting Mane a simple goal.Frank Lampard has already confirmed than Edouard Mendy was having a medical at the club and that the deal would be completed soon .However Chelsea still had some positives in the match with a great improvement in their rear guard detectable with the likes of Reece James and Kurt Zouma maintaining their opening day match form
Frank Lampard is still insistent that his new players will have to be given time to adapt and player gel, which seems to buy him some more time to correct his mistakes. Questions are still asked on why he still has not integrated the experienced ex-PSG defender Thiago Silva and Malang’ Sarr into the squad.The unpredictable patterns of play Lampard seems to have adapted lately purely indicates his trial and error plan by putting them together and hoping they are going to work out. Lampard has also urged Chelsea fans to be patient and go easy on players for failure to deliver as per their expectations.
The Premier League is now two game weeks in and there have been questions about some players’ ability to play for certain clubs.It is of vital importance that they prove their worth to the team and show why the clubs were right to sign them or promote them to the team in the first place.Let’s take a look at every club and find out which player has a point to prove.(Before we go on,do not forget to subscribe to the YouTube channel below and also have a look in the descriptions for more info)
Arsenal -Mo Elneny
Mohammed Elneny is the player at Arsenal with the biggest point to prove.He was seen as surplus to requirements by former head coach Unai Emery after failing to cement a permanent slot in the squad because he had been a squad player for a majority of his career at the club.He spent last season on loan at Besiktas where he did well to be fair and came back. He was apparently seen as a man who was part of those made available for sale under Arteta according to the media. However,In the 3 televised matches he has played so far including the Community shield against Liverpool,he has done well to be fair,showing calmness under pressure when passing the ball and doing all the simple things right.He might turn out to be useful for the season.
Aston Villa-Emi Martinez
Emiliano Martininez is finally going to get a chance to become first choice at Aston Villa, a club who has signed 8 keepers over the last 5 years and have never really gotten to solve that problem.His performances post- lock down following the injury to Bernd Leno were so spectacular that people around the world have been left wondering whether Arsenal got rid of the right keeper.After 10 years at the club he says is in his heart,he decided to seek a fresh challenge at Villa side that has capable understudies like Jed Steer and Tom Heaton to push him.
Brighton and Hove Albion-Ben White
Ben White was one of the Championship’s best performers last season, being integral to Leeds United’s promotion league win.This season,Leeds have been good going forward but shaky at the back because they have missed his calmness and assurance and his ball playing ability from the back badly.He has started both of Brighton’s games this season,keeping new Dutch international signing Joel Veltman on the bench so far and in the win over Newcastle showed his ball-playing ability as shown in the tweet down below.
He is going to be one of the talks of the season alongside Tareeq Lamptey,who is already showing us why Chelsea were wrong to let go of him.
Burnley- Jimmy Dunne
Left-sided defender Jimmy Dunne was impressive last night against Leicester despite the fact they lost by 4 goals to 2 in the absence of James Tarkowski and Ben Mee.However,since joining Burnley in 2016 as an 18 year old,he has been sent out on a couple of loan spells including as recently as last season at ligue 1 side Fleetwood town,therefore,jumping straight into the deep end without even ever playing in the Championship is somewhat being thrown into the deep end.Let’s see if Dyche’s faith in him will pay off this season.
Chelsea-Kepa Arrizabalaga
Kepa Arrizabaraga is the biggest player with a point to prove this season.Frank Lampard said in a recent post match interview that he still has full faith in Kepa.However,the goals he has conceded so far this season must have Frank feel like executing him at dawn, given the fact that Edouard Mendy is reportedly close to agreeing a deal to join the club.His performances last season saw him come across a lot of criticism from the fans and pundits alike.Mendy’s arrival might back kepa to finally back his ideas up.
Crystal Palace-Wilfried Zaha
Wilfred Zaha has started brightly so far this season in a centre forward role, scoring 3 goals including a brace at old Trafford on Saturday.Zaha has really been polarizing the fans opinions since being unable to seal a move to Arsenal in the summer of 219,which affected his performances and consistency on the pitch.This season, however, it appears as if he wants to give all he can by giving top drawer performances that will earn him a move to a bigger club at the end of it all, like Van Persie at Arsenal in the 11/12 season.He wants to prove a point that he is a Champions League calibre player and not the type to be contesting relegation battles every single season.
Everton -James Rodriguez
James Rodriguez to Everton is one of the biggest coups in PL history given he just joined on a free to join Ancelottyi,the man he has worked with now for 3 different clubs and knows how to get the best out of an enganche/shadow striker like James.In 2014,he was the planet’s most hyped player following that unforgettable 6 goal run as his country reached the quarter finals of the world cup.Nailing down a permanent spot under Zidane at Madrid has been a problem.Bayern were unwilling to make his loan stay permanent when he joined,even though his numbers under Carlo were impressive.Joining Everton is a perfect move for him in my eyes because the supporting cast around him in the middle and the firepower up top could allow him to express himself more. I’ll admit that I have my doubts about him in terms of versatility and workrate,but he needs to prove to people that he has that all roundedness in him.
Fulham-Aboubakar Kamara
Aboubakar Kamara is the epitome of a footballing sigh.His performances for Fulham in 18/19 were shocking and Claudio Ranieri even had to send him out on loan when he joined to try and save the club from relegation. Scott parker opted to give a clean slate to him when he took over,showing you the mediocrity he is having to work with in a guy who netted 4 in the championship all season.Of course, Mitrovic is his preferred option because he is an actual quality player but Aboubaker Camara needs to show that he is a worthy back up and not a player who will be out of his depth like he has already shown so far this season
Leeds United-Patrick Bamford
There’s 2 options i’ll go with.One is Rodriguo who,as much as is technical, knows how to hold the play and link his teammates up like Bielsa likes, is not prolific in front of goal,except for that fluke season when he scored 16 goals for Valencia just before the world cup. Spending 30 million pounds on a guy with 22 goals in 135 La Liga appearances for Valencia is risking.He conceded a penalty on his debut and dragged out at half-time against Fulham.However,I’ll go for Patrick Bamford,a guy who netted only one goal in 27 PL appearances for Burnley in 2016 after having torn the Championship to tears in the 114/15 season on loan from Chelsea.He netted 16 for Leeds last season but as per XG,he should have netted 24,which goes to show you his tendency to miss a lot of sitters.He has scored 2 and assisted one in the PL so far,but the league has 36 games left,he might turn out to be out of his depth in the top flight as the season progresses.Needs to prove people wrong.
Leicester City-James Justin
James Justin is a 21 year old fullback that has been tasked to fill the boots of Ben Chilwel.A capable versatile player who is adept at using both feet,he needs to show everyone that he is responsible enough to fill the boots of a man who just left for 50 million pounds.He is a right back naturally but needs to show us that he can perform in a relatively unnatural position to him.To be fair,he has been playing there even for the England u21 squad and already has a goal and an assist this season.
Liverpool-Naby Keita
Naby Keita has sparingly been used by Klopp since arriving jue to his injury problems which have made him not live up to the 55 million pounds price tag they paid for him.The midfielder last season did not manage to show his full potential and Klopp has often preferred to use the likes of Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita ahead of him.Thearrival of Thiago Alcantara will also be a problem because it gives them more options and reduced gametime for Keita due to the fact he needs to be carefully managed.He can score goals and is adept at drifting between the lines but he needs to show everyone he is capable of being fit otherwise his days at Anfield will be numbered,in as much the same way as Jack Wilshere when he was at Arsenal.
Manchester City -Nathan Ake
There seems to be some obsession with Nathan Ake that sees him linked with big clubs every single transfer window. Ake has never looked like a £40m centre-back.The only thing he has in him is the ability to play left back as well,his pace and the fact he is left footed.He has also been part of a team that’s conceded 198 league goals across the last three full seasons yet Bournemouth were putting a 70 million pounds price tag on his head last season.
Manchester United-Bruno Fernandes
A lot of United players have a point to prove.Luke Shaw needs to show the world he can do it over a season without his knees being held together by sticky tape.Pogba needs to show United fans what they would be missing out on if he left.However,Bruno Fenandes is the one in the spotlight here .He joined the club in January last season and he brought in much energy at the club.He has brought in a lot of creativity and also shown his prowess when taking penalties and freekicks.However,some of his performances against opposition like Coppenhagen were questionable and fans have even labeled him,’Penandez’ because that’s the only way he is scoring of late.
Newcastle United-Joelinton
Where do we start with Joelinton? For a club that is shrewd when it comes to spending large chunks of money on one player,Joelinton was a risk not worth taking.He was unproven in terms of consistency at Hoffenheim under the tutelage of Julien Nagelsmann.Last season,he netted 2 goals in the league all season. 2.Yes, Steve Bruce is using hmm as a target man which he isn’t,but for a striker,that is a sorry return given the price tag a club like Newcastle under mike Ashley paid for his services.Even he knows he can do better.
Sheffield United-Aaron Ramsdale
England u21 international Aaron Ramsdale polarised opinion of neutral fans last season.Some people say the eye test show that he is promising and in a better team with a better defensive structure he can concede less goals, but others claim he was statistically pone of the worst keepers in the league last season which is true. Filling the boots of a certain Dean Henderson is not going to be easy and,given they just spent money on a keeper with only one season of top flight experience to his name,it is a gamble that might fail terribly.Needs to show everyone that Sheffield can do without Dean Henderson.
Southampton-Che Adams
It’s obvious,isn’t it? Che Adams has to be in the spotlight for this one.Having joined for 15 million pounds from Birmingham after netting 22 league goals the season before,he looked out of his depth in the top flight until after lockdown when he scored his first goal for the club against city with a screamer from the halfway line before netting 2 on the final day of the season against Sheffield united.Yes,danny ings is ahead of him in the pecking order,but 4 goals from 30 premier league games is a bad return for a centre forward.he needs to show people he is more than just a one month wonder.
Tottenham Hotspur-Tanguay Ndombele
Ndombele has not lived up to the 55 million pounds price tag paid for him by Spurs after he had emerged as one of the best players of the 2018/19 season in Ligue 1 for lyon.He was also part of the France set up.However,injuries and bad form in his first season meant he was consistently in and out of the starting line up especially der jose Mourinho. Due to his poor form, after a 1–1 draw against Burnley in March,Mourinho criticised Ndombele’s performance and his perceived unprofessionalism saying “He’s a player with great talent. He has to know he has to do much better and know I cannot keep giving him opportunities to play because the team is much more important.”
West Bromwich Albion-Grady Diagana
The 20-year-old was one of the Championship’s standout stars on loan with the Baggies last season and captain Mark Noble and Jack Wilshere were some of many to criticise the club’s decision to sell.Diangana showed his talent with a stunning goal for West Brom at Everton on Saturday, charging from his own half before fizzing one past Jordan Pickford.He is already proving why West Ham were wrong not to reintegrate him into the first team given the fact he had been in and out of the side since breaking into the fold in 2016 alongside a number of other talents like Reece Oxford and Ngakia.
West Ham United -Jack Wilshere
What happened to Jack Wilshere’s career? What a shame. A decade ago,he was one of the shining lights for Arsenal as he won the young player of the year and earned his first England cap aged just 18 years.He was also running riot from midfield against a Barcelona side that had the likes of Xavi and Iniesta in midfield.His injuries have drained his potential to the ground and it must be difficult to be him from a mental point of view.He has shown countless times what he can do when he is fully fit.He is already out with an injury that has made him miss the start of the season and has made just 16 appearances since joining them on a free.However,he is one of the most technically gifted English players when he is fully fit and can make things happen for the club.He needs to be managed properly every 5 minutes to keep his ankles and knees in shape.
Wolves-Daniel Podence
Following the sale OF Diogo Jota to wolves,the responsibility now lies on Fabio Silva and Daniel Podence to replace his goal threat and ability to create from out wide.Podence made his full debut for Wolves in a 3–0 home victory against Everton On 12 July 2020, in which he drew the foul in the penalty box that resulted in the penalty) that put Wolves 1–0 up at the end of the first half.He was made Man of the Match for his performance in the game. Podence scored his debut Wolves goal with a header to open the scoring against Crystal Palace in 2–0 home win.His opportunities will be more now and given he is part of the Portuguese set up already,that could do his confidence a world of good.Fabio silva is an FM legend but paying 40 million pounds for him is a risk given his first team experience is very limited.He needs tosh wo the world what he is capable of as well.
Throughout the season, Arrizabalaga has struggled to stay in form, eventually being benched in favor of Willy Caballero in late January 2020 in a cup match against Hull City. Arrizabalaga was further not selected to the starting squad during the next four league matches and Champions League match aganist Bayern Munich at Stamford Bridge,where they lost 3-1.He regained his starting spot on 4 March during the FA Cup 5th round against Liverpool Chelsea went on to win the match 2–0.His performances in a Chelsea shirt then went from bad to worse after lock down which then saw him relegated to the bench for blues final EPL match against Wolves,the FA cup final against Arsenal and the UCL 2nd leg match against Bayern.
The 25-year old currently sits on -9.2 expected goals or 11 according to opta stats.Essentially, he has conceded 9 more goals than he should have compared to the shots he has faced last season.That number was the worst in the 2019-20 season by more than 3.The second worst on the EPL list is Southampton keeper Angus Gunn(-6.0) who hasn’t played since conceding 9 against Leicester city in October and was replaced by Alex MacCarthy.18th in the list is Jordan Pickford (-4.1) who continues to face huge criticism from both Everton and England fans.
Kepa’s record is equally bad if you compare to other keppers in Europe’s top five leagues (The EPL,La Liga,Serie A,The Bundesliga and League 1 of France).Just 3 keepers ,Timo Horn of Cologne (-12.7),Jiri Pavlenka of Werder Bremen (-12.3) and Saint Ettien’s Stephanie Ruffier (-9.8) have fared worse than the Chelsea keeper. Those three clubs are definitely not in the current level of UCL-chasing Chelsea.Saint Ettien and Cologne have been fighting relegation all season and Werder Bremen only kept their place in the Bundesliga after a play off win.All this shows how high Kepa’s bad record stands currently with only 12 keepers out of 98 that qualified having recorded worse than -6.0 expected goalss conceeded..
The trio below Kepa also cost far less that the world record £71.6m Chelsea paid for him, their combined transfers throughout their careers amounting to just £5.8m which makes the Chelsea number 1 the most expensive keeper ever but is playing nowhere close to that level.The Spaniard is performing way below the level expected of an average mid-table stopper let alone the world’s most expensive goalie.Kepa’s fans only have Chelsea’s awful back line to blame for his misfortunes since he have been exposed throughout the season and Frank Lampard’s defensive coaching on the training ground.
The advanced stats show that Chelsea gave away the easiest chances of any club in Europe’s top five leagues alongside Eibar,Paderborn and Getafe .Inconsistent,out of form and rotating defenders and Lampard’s attacking and open style clearly gets Kepa on the edge.This is the reason he conceded 47 goals in 33 matches he featured for Chelsea last season with a 54.5% save percentage.In the UCL, Kepa’s save percentage is actually worse 50%, rating him the Iowest ranked keeper in the competition last season.
Chelsea are warned against letting Kepa go by football analysts who have criticized Chelsea’s rear guard for lacking the sort of leader that a goalkeeper would excel playing behind.Kepa should have another year with a better defence in front of him .It could be a similar scenario to Man-united’s De Gea who took a while to adapt to things in the PL when he first arrived at the club.Kepa is capable of living to the 72 million price tag that Chelsea put on his head if he is given more time.However,as the stats suggest,it really could be asking too much from him.Remember,he was a panic buy after Thibaut Coutois completed his move to Real Madrid after refusing to take part in training.
Atletico’s Oblak has been mentioned but goes for a price range of £110 to £130 which Chelsea might not afford due to their attempt to rebuild the team in other positions too.Oblak also plays in a system where he does not use his feet alot which could be risky if he moved to London,where they seek to play expansiveley.My pick would be Andre Onana.He has been ranked first in the CL for post shot expected goals aganist value.He is not the best in the world in terms of decision making with the ball at his feet but that could only get better with time.He is good at commanding his area and is available for less than half the value that was placed on Kepa’s head when they priced him out of Bilbao.
Wembley was all blue on an overcast Sunday afternoon as the red Manchester United Colour was finally absorbed for the first time this season in a dramatic showdown where Chelsea won 3-1 and secured a ticket to proceed to FA final against Arsenal.
Chelsea players dispensed enough energy to showcase the dominance of their color despite Ngolo Kante and Christian Pulisic not being part of the squad.Manager, Frank Lampard risked playing a back 3 to hold down the crazy Man-united attack while Jorginho controlled the midfield and Olivier Giroud led the attack with the help of Mason Mount and Willian. Giroud handed Chelsea a smart opener in the extra minutes of the first half after a calamitous display from goalkeeper, David De Gea though the extension had been longer due to Eric Bailey’s head injury which seemed serious.
Mason Mount later asserted his presence with a scintillating shot which forced De Gea to punch the ball inside the net on the opening minutes in the second half.A 2-0 lead made Chelsea squad gain confidence, giving them a chance to play easy ball with accurate passes which culminated into the third goal,an own goal from Harry Maguire who out of pressure from Antonio Rudiger put the ball past his own goalkeeper.David Degea seemed unsettled throughout the match which made him conceede easy goals compared to his opponent Willy Caballero who’s concentration saved Chelsea on several occasions.
Machester United later benefited from a penalty after Hudson Odoi, a substitute, made a reckless tackle in the dangerous area giving Bruno Fernandes a chance to drive the spot-kick past Caballero which was more of a consolation goal for the devils.Chelsea will face Arsenal in the FA final next month after they beat Manchester City 2-0 on Saturday.
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Hello and welcome to a brand new edition of the FKF PL Weekly Reviews which will be focusing on the performance of various FKF Premier league clubs at the end of each matchweek.
City Stars 1 Sofapaka 1
Nicholas Muyoti’s City Stars were unable to free themselves from the shackles of a relegation battle after being held to a 1-1 draw by Sofapaka.
City Stars found the breakthrough hardly two minutes after restart through Samuel Kapen who struck from close range to take his tally in the season to five goals.
The forward volleyed a loose ball in the box, beating keeper Simon Masaka’s net after trying in vain to make a second save, having parried an initial shot from Andrew Kisilu onto Kapen’s path .
Despite scoring, it was Sofapaka looked stronger and more organised as the fresh legs introduced caused the City Stars backline all sorts of trouble.
Sofapaka’s quest for the leveler paid off in the 74th minute when Rody Manga rose high to head home a sublime cross delivered by Ben Stanley Omondi.
The Congolese forward flicked the ball into the top corner, catching City Stars custodian Jacob Osano who had bailed his side earlier on, flat-footed.
Posta Rangers 1 Ulinzi Stars 0
In a mid-table PL clash held at the Kasarani Annex on Sunday afternoon, Posta Rangers needed a solitary strike from Timothy Otieno in the 30th minute to give them all three points.
After starting the match brightly, pushing high and forcing turnovers from Ulinzi, they got rewarded for their perseverance with the experienced Otieno Timothy Otieno, beating the offside trap mounted by the defense to head home a sublime floated pass from Bernard Ondiek, who was afforded plenty of space to cut inside and hit that cross.
In the second half, Posta put men behind the ball making it difficult for Ulinzi stars to create real inroads. They tried playing for setpieces, trying to use Boniface Muchiri’s excellent ability to win fouls and also expertly make deliveries, but could not find a way past Ricks Omondi’s net.
Ulinzi Stars boss, Benard Mwalala insisted that there was nothing to panic about despite the loss, describing it as “ just a bad day in the office”.
“Today was a bad day at the office. It is the first time I have seen my team fail to turn up. It is normal in football, “ he said.
Posta Rangers boss, John Kamau, was pleased with the discipline his boys showed to prevent Ulinzi from creating inroads.
“It was evident they (Ulinzi) would play direct balls in the second half based on the last five minutes of the first half, that is why we decided to set up that way, and it worked.”
Wazito 0 Vihiga Bullets 0
The match played at Muhoroni Stadium on Sunday afternoon was dull and ended in a scoreless draw, with both teams failing to impress. Wazito looked slightly better, creating a couple of clear-cut chances that went begging, including an inviting header by Muhammad Yusuf that hit the crossbar.
Vihaga’s notable goal moment landed on Masango Daniel, who fired inches wide from close range.
Bandari 1 Nzoia Sugar 0
Joe Waithira came off the bench to score the all-important goal as the Dockers beat Nzoia Sugar 1-0 at the Mbaraki Sports Club.
It was the new signing’s first goal for Bandari which subsequently helped them recover from midweek loss to Tusker FC.
Wazito 0 Vihiga Bullets 0
Gor Mahia 1 Bidco United 0
Benson Omalla scored his 19th goal of the season as Gor Mahia opened a five-point gap at the helm of the FKF Premier League after defeating Bidco United 1-0 at Nyayo Stadium on Sunday.
The goal came after Thomas Wainana dealt poorly with an overhit Geoffrey Ochieng’ cross into the area.
Having tried to clear the ball albeit haphazardly, the ball fell directly into Omala’s path who made an instinctive swivel turn before firing into the bottom corner.
The lead now means Gor Mahia have collected 41 points from 19 games.
Tusker 1 Talanta 1
FC Talanta managed to hold reigning FKF PL champions Tusker to a 1 all draw in a match held at the Ruaraka grounds on Saturday afternoon.
After Talanta had gone ahead through Charles Momanyi in the 26th minute, Tusker needed a late Charles Momanyi equalizer to spare their blushes and dent their hopes in the quest to win a third straight title.
Mathare United 1 AFC Leopards 0
Mathare United continued their trend of upstaging big opponents , beating defending champions AFC Leopards 1-0 in an FKF Premier League match held at the Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani on Sunday afternoon.
Ingwe were missing key players like Kayci Odhiambo, Musa Oundo, and Lewis Bandi allowing ruthless Mathare to take advantage.
AFC Leopards attempted to secure an early breakthrough, trying to attack down the left flank using Jaffari Owiti’s excellent 1 v 1 ability against Fidel Otieno.
After withstanding the early pressure, Mathare United gradually grew into the game and began to show some good work going forward. In the 18th minute, Curtis Wekesa beat a couple of players, but his shot cum cross hit the roof of the net.
The winger made a similar move three minutes later, and this time his effort was cleared off the line by Robert Mudenyu.
AFC Leopards were fortunate to have both Boniface Mukheke and Eugine Mukangula staying on the pitch after both committed second bookable offenses while on yellow cards but got away with them.
The second half was relatively evenly contested, with both sides cushioning decent opportunities for themselves. It had to take until the 72nd minute for Mathare to break the deadlock, after Wekesa’s brilliant work down the right flank created a chance that substitute Chris Owino took with both hands, to give the slumboys all three points.
Kariobangi Sharks 2 KCB 1
Kariobangi Sharks were able to wither KCB’s attempts to get back into the game in the second half and hold on to their 2-1 lead over second placed KCB.
After scoring two goals courtesy of Julius Masaba in the first half and Fortune Omoto early in the second half, KCB boss, Zedekiah Otieno was forced to make early changes to his side in efforts to turn around his team’s fortunes
One of the changes was center forward Francis Kahiru, whose hold up and link up play managed to create space for the wide wingers to get to the byline and hit crosses which were giving the Sharks defense problems to deal with.
Kahiru managed to reduce the deficit to one goal after getting on the end of John Mwangi’s cross from cross range. However, they could not find an equalising goal, which may prove to be a shot in the foot in their quest to challenge leaders Gor Mahia for the Premier League title.
Sharks coach, William Muluya applauded his team’s performance but remains wary of his side’s inability to shut out the goals.
“The first leg ended in a similar scoreline and it feels good that, we have emerged victorious in the second leg. We played well although we could have scored more goals,”
“We have been playing well but sadly, we keep conceding. It’s an area that, concerns me,” he added.
Morocco and Croatia, two outstanding group F sides that beat all odds to get to the semi-finals of this year’s edition of the world cup will be meeting today at the Khalifa international stadium with an eye on winning the third place spot.
The Atlas Lion, who held Croatia to a 0-0 draw on Tuesday were outsmarted by reigning champions France 2-0.Although they kept France on the back foot, the extra quality from the French players knocked them out, as epitomized by the second goal they conceded.
The side however, will be lacking the services of their captain Roman Saiss who had been patched up since the game against Spain. His center back partner in crime, Nayef Aguerd will also miss the clash.
Croatia, who suffered 3-0 against Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina, side managed to get to the semi finals despite withering the storm, particularly against Brazil in the quarter finals where they lost against the run of play. Their midfield of Marcelo Brozovic, Luka Modric and Marcelo Brozovic were key to this success, as their excellent ball retention set the tone for the rest of the side to surpass expectations tactically.
Croatia, who were 2018 runners up, will be hoping to produce a emphatic and give Luca Modric a good reason to bow out in style.However the side is sweating over the fitness of the hugely exciting, left footed center back, Josko Gvadiol, as well as midfield general Marcelo Brozovic and right back, Jusip Juranovic .
During the group stages, both sides were largely carried by their respective keepers, Yacine Bounou and Dominik Livakovic at Al Bayt stadium as their saves kept the match goalless. Both keepers have been superb throughout the tournament and will be the players to watch tonight.
Aliou Cissé’s Senegal faced Ecuador in their group A encounter knowing that nothing but victory would have been enough to seal a round of 16 place, while Ecuador only needed a draw.
Ismaila Sarr’s first half penalty conversation and a Koulibaly finish in second half was enough to send Ecuador packing.
In the second half, Moise Caicedo nearly shocked Senegalese hearts after flicking a ball past Eduard Mendy, which momentarily put Ecuador second.
However in the 70th minute, the Lions of Terenga won a free kick. They took full advantage, as Koulibaly scored to put Senegal back into the lead.
Cisse opted to close shop by adding some defensive steel to secure the lead, with substitute Bamba Dieg in particular, dealing with all aerial threats that came his way.
On other group A match, Louis Van Gaal’s men did a good job as they cemented first position in the table thanks to goals from Cody Gakpo and Frankie De Jong.
While Qatar were setting yet another record of becoming first host nation to take part in their own tournament without winning a single point, they never showed they were capable of living up to the task.
Just before halftime, Cody Gakpo put Holland ahead after converting Daley Blind’s cut back.
In second half, it didn’t take long for Netherlands to add their second goal, as Frankie De jong took advantage of a rebound after goalkeeper Barshman parries Memphis Depay’s shot.
Later, substitutes Steven Berghis and Vincent Jassen combined for a tap was ruled offside by the referee after the review indicated Gakpo had handballed in the build up.
Is football a scripted art? What fans were expecting in group F didn’t go as they thought as Costa Rica stunned Japan 1-0 to halt Japan’s early dream of making the round of 16.
After being humiliated by Spain in a 7-0 loss, Costa Rica switched to a compact low block 5-3-2 formation in order to prevent Japan from using their speedy players to exploit large gaps.
Keysher Fuller’s 81st minute effort which was Costa Rica first shot on target was enough to give the side an important 3 points, keeping Group E open ahead of matchday 3.
On other hand, Spain failed to continue with their win as they were held a 1-1 draw and had to depend to VAR to rescue them against early onslaught by Germany.
The battle of the wit at Al Bayt stadium saw both sides’ substitutes come to their respective team’s rescue as Alvaro Morata and Niclas Fullkrug both bagged goals.
Spain had plenty of the ball while Germany tried to take advantage of transitions in a high quality game where both sides were relativeley even. Spain dominated proceedings in the first half while Germany did in the second.
Dani Olmo’s shot cannoned off the crossbar in the 7th minute which was their biggest chance missed. back of the net rom a free kick was cancelled for an offside.
In second half, Enrique introduced Alvaro Morata , and the decision paid dividends as he converted a low cross from Jordi Alba to send Spain ahead. However, one of Flick’s substitutes, Niklas Fullkrag equalised for the Germans to hand them a lifeline ahead of matchday 3.
The Atlas lions produced a superb performance against Roberto Martinez’s side on match day two of group F with a 2-1 win to dim the the 2018 second runners up’s chances of making it into round of sixteen. The win meant they became a second African team to register a win, after Senegal against Qatar two days earlier.
Thibaut Courtois had VAR to thank in the first half after failing to save a Roman Saiss effort that was ruled offside. This didn’t deter Morocco, who continued putting a spirited fight against a complacent Belgium.
In second half, Morocco intensified their attack against Belgium and their efforts finally paid off as Abdelhamid Sabiri bagged home an unstoppable volley past Courtois in the 74th minute to break the deadlock.
The nail in the Red Devils’ coffin was hit when Morocco doubled their lead when Hakim Ziyech cut it back to Zakaria Aboukhlal who got on the end of it first time to slot past helpless Courtois’ near post
Belgium now have an uphill task in their last game against Croatia to stand a chance of progression
In the other match of group F, Croatia trumped Canada 4-1 to strengthen their chances of getting to the knockout stages while sending Canada packing in the process.
Although Alphonso Davies put the Canadians ahead after just 68 seconds, Canada could not match Croatia’s midfield brilliance, as Luca Modric, Matteo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic put their telepathic understanding to good use, setting the tone for a comprehensive victory.
Croatia head coach Djadco Zalic’s decision to play Andre Kramaric on the right paid off, as centre foward Marko Livaja who played as a false nine to help overcrowd the midfield, created space for him to thrive, and he scored the first of his two goals in the 36th minute . It opened the flood gates as they turned things around as Livaja added second goal for Croatia.
In second half, Canada had little to do as they were outpaced by Croatia, cementing their lead in the 70th minute with Kramaric scoring a brace before substitute Lovro Majer made it four.
One minute, the quarter-final draw was being held in mid-March, the next, we are now anticipating the semi-finals of this year’s edition of the Champions League. We witnessed surprising outcomes, such as Unai Emery’s men ousting Bayern Munich Manchester City being forced to sit back and protect a one nil first leg win, ironically against the hands of the masters of pragmatism, Atletico Madrid. Benzema proved why he is arguably the world’s best player this season with his dominant display against Chelsea and Liverpool managed to live up to expectations by knocking out Benfica. Here is a review of what happened over the fortnight.
Karim Benzema of Real Madrid CF celebrates his goal during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg Two match between Real Madrid and Chelsea FC at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on April 12, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Alvaro Medranda/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Real Madrid vs Chelsea
Karim Benzema of Real Madrid CF celebrates his goal during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg Two match between Real Madrid and Chelsea FC at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on April 12, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Alvaro Medranda/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
The first leg performance by Real Madrid gave them an upper hand heading into the second leg Infront of their fans at Bernabeu. Karim Benzema ran those channels all night and earned a hat-trick for his efforts. The left hand side channel was particularly exploited to perfection given Christensen was being drawn away from his position by Vinicius’ pace and ability to stretch the play. He looked in complete disarray as he threw his concentration down the window. Things went from bad to worse for Chelsea as Edouard Mendy’s ineptitude with the ball at his feet was exposed further. A hospital pass aimed for Antonio Rudiger was intercepted by Benzema, whose smile after netting the third goal said it all about how thankful he was.
In the second leg, Chelsea huffed and puffed, with their dominant display against Southampton the weekend before clearly inspiring them right infront of their hosts. Mason Mount’s first half belter was the start of a comeback that wasn’t turning out to be a comeback after all. In the second half Marcos Alonso was denied a solo goal for seemingly handling the ball before shooting on his weaker right foot. Rudiger’s towering header and a rejuvenated Werner’s goal helped restore aggregate parity.
However individual errors cost Chelsea dear, where Karim Benzema and Vinicius junior scored twice to dent Chelsea’s hope of winning back-to-back Champions League titles.
Villarreal vs Bayern Munchen
Samuel Chukweze of Villarreal celebrates his goal during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg Two match between Bayern München and Villarreal CF at Football Arena Munich on April 12, 2022 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Villareal managed to pull off one of the biggest surprises of the competition’s recent history by brushing aside Bayern Munich 2-1 on aggregate. Villareal have been practically indomitable in Europe ever since Unai Emery’s appointment in 2020. They won the Europa League last season and have transcended that form into the Champions League this season. They had their tricky wingers to thank, given they exposed Bayern’s’ fullbacks over both legs and sailed through.
In the first leg in Spain, they created a lot of chances and could have scored more. Francis Coquelin’s disallowed goal could have put them in a more comfortable position. Ex-Bournemouth winger Danjuma’s finish was enough to begin setting their status in stone after the first leg.
In the second leg at the Allianz Arena, Villarreal were more methodical in their approach, deciding to play on the break by overloading one flank before freeing up a man on the other. Lewandowski’s well drilled goal in the second half looked like the opening of floodgates for goals by the hosts, but they couldn’t find a way through. In the dying minutes of the match, substitute Samuel Chukwueze got on the end of Giovanni Lo Celso’s pass to break Bavarian hearts.
Liverpool vs Benfica
Jurgen Klopp acknowledges the fans after the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg Two match between Liverpool FC and SL Benfica at Anfield on April 13, 2022 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Despite leading 3-1 in the first leg, the Reds had to do more to secure their spot in the semifinals. The second leg saw the gutsy Portugal side give the scousers a run for their money, with the second leg ending 3-all. Liverpool had heavily rotated their squad before the match. Ibrahima Konate opened the scoring before Benfica pulled one back through Goncalso Ramos. In the second half, Roberto Firminho bagged a brace to put Liverpool in a state of over the hills and far away. However, Benfica tried to pull back through Roman Yaremchuk and Nunez Darwin’s goals, bringing the tally to 3-3 and an aggregate score of 6-4. You have to give credit to Benfica, who bowed out with a fight despite having a calamitous season themselves.
Atletico Madrid vs Man City
Ilkay Gundogan of Manchester City looks on as team mate John Stones intervenes as Stefan Savic of Atletico Madrid pulls on Jack Grealish’s hair in a heated finale to the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg Two match between Atlético Madrid and Manchester City at Estadio Metropolitano on April 13, 2022 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)
For once, Pep Guardiola didn’t overthink the prospect of facing a mid-to low block well drilled back five side like he has been doing over the last couple of seasons, which tended to jeopardize City’s chances of success in Europe. Atletico Madrid had proven difficult to break down in the first leg and it had to take a moment of Phil Foden’s magic off the bench to create some spark that finally saw Kevin De Bruyne put them a goal up.
At the Wanda Metropolitano, City were forced sideways and backwards, as they couldn’t find a way past Simeone’s men. In the second half, Atletico pulled a performance atypical of them by dominating the game on the ball and pinning City back. As frustration started to creep in, Felipe was sent off for fouling Phil Foden, who had been targeted all night by the Atleti players. That incident sparked a mass brawl that carried on into the tunnels after the match. The Metropolitano was roaring all night, as Diego Simeone has successfully managed to turn it into a cathedral of textbook “shithousery”.
City will now face Real Madrid on Tuesday night while Liverpool face Villareal on Wednesday.
The Touchline Maniacs 