The English Premier League January 2022 transfer window opens on the 1st of January and closes on Monday, the 31st of January. The winter transfer window is approaching, and we take a look at what may happen.

In Europe, the Ligue 1 and Bundesliga winter transfer windows also open on the 1st of January, while Serie A and La Liga clubs can start trading on the 3rd of January. Like every other time, English Premier League clubs can sell and buy players as well as complete strike loan deals during thirty-one days in January.

Needless to say, this EPL winter transfer window will be extremely busy, especially for Newcastle and the club’s new owners are ready to splurge on new players. This winter transfer window is also important for Manchester United as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was replaced by Ralf Rangnick.

Ralf Rangnick will probably make some changes in the squad even though Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane, and Cristiano Ronaldo recently joined the team.

Manchester City may also make some changes. At the beginning of this season, the club invested over £100 million in signing Jack Grealish. Many fans believe City is looking for a new striker. Guardiola was interested in bringing Harry Kane to the squad. The January transfer window is deemed to be very interesting as many high-profile players are looking for new clubs since their contracts expire in several months.

Pogba’s contract with Manchester United expires the following summer, while Rudiger may leave Stamford Bridge at the end of his contract. Jesse Lingard may also leave Manchester United to potentially join West Ham where he currently plays on a loan.

Other players who may move to new clubs during the January transfer window are Nicolas Pepe, Trézéguet, Marcus Forss, Alexis Mac Allister, Jay Rodriguez, Saúl Ñíguez, Jairo Riedewald, Cenk Tosun, Joe Gelhardt, Hamza Choudhury, Nat Phillips, Cole Palmer, Jamal Lewis, Todd Cantwell, Moussa Djenepo, Dele Alli, Ken Sema, Manuel Lanzini, and Willy Boly.

Newcastle United Potential Transfers

As we all know, Newcastle United was bought for over £300 million by a group operated by the Saudi Arabian government. This move made Newcastle United the richest Premier League club, and the new owner is ready to invest in new players this winter transfer window.

Eddie Howe already revealed three players he wants to bring to the club. As of today, Newcastle is placed nineteenth with only ten points, two wins, four draws, and nine losses.

To stay in the EPL, Newcastle United hopes to sign Ousmane Dembele who currently plays for Barcelona. Even though Manchester United also joined the race to sign the Barcelona forward, Dembele is more likely to join Newcastle than United, according to most experts.

Newcastle also wants to sign Romain Faivre who currently plays for Stade Brestois. As reported, the club is also aiming for Lorenzo Insigne. Reportedly, Newcastle United also wants to bring Florian Grillitsch during this winter transfer window. Newcastle is also one of many teams hoping to sign Darwin Nunew who currently plays for Benfica.

As revealed by the club’s icon Rob Lee, Newcastle wants to sign six players in January. The club will most likely prioritize signing Kieran Trippier, James Tarkowski, and Jesse Lingard. Coached by Eddie Howe, Newcastle had its long-anticipated victory in a match against Burnley played a couple of days ago.

The team’s following matches are against Manchester United, Manchester City, and Liverpool, and it will be interesting to see what Allan Saint Maximin, Joe Willock, Callum Wilson, Miguel Almiron, and the rest of Howe’s squad can do to stay in the EPL.

Manchester United Potential Transfers

Reportedly, Ralf Rangnick wants to strengthen the Red Devils squad with Ousmane Dembele and Frenkie de Jong. If Paul Pogba leaves the team, Ralf is keen on replacing him with midfielder Frenkie de Jong who currently plays for Barcelona.

Pogba’s contract ends in the summer of 2022. He already asked the club to raise his salary, but no official agreement has been made. Alongside Newcastle, Manchester United is also interested in signing Ousmane Dembele.

Ousmane Dembele was already offered a higher salary to stay playing at the Nou Camp, but he seems ready to explore other options. Reportedly, Rob is also ready to give Timo Werner another chance to play at Old Trafford if he leaves Chelsea at the end of his contract.

Manchester United may also sign Philippe Coutinho who wants to return to England. Reportedly, United is also interested in signing Jules Kounde during the next summer transfer window. Rob is also keen on signing Franck Kessie during the next summer transfer window. This January, Aurelien Tchouameni may join the Red Devils team if Paul Pogba leaves.

The English Premier League was established in 1992. it replaced the Football League First Division that was active from 1888 until its formal dissolution in 1992. While the most successful teams competing in the English Premier League do not win the biggest European and international tournaments as often as other European teams, the English Premier League is dubbed as the best, the toughest professional football league in the world.

Teams competing in the First Division believed that some radical changes must be made. Radical restructuring of the whole English professional football scene was also needed. In July of 1991, the Football League Founder Members Agreement was signed and this agreement set the foundation for the English Premier League. Next year in February, the English Premier League was founded separately from the First Division League.

Around the same time, twenty-two teams competing in the First Division League left it to join the newly established English Premier League. The English Premier League’s inaugural season kicked off on the 15th of August 1992.

Twenty-two clubs that left the First Division competed, including Tottenham Hotspur, Sheffield United, Wimbledon, Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday, Queen Park Rangers, Oldham Athletic, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Leeds United, Everton, Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town, Coventry City, Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, and Arsenal.

What Happened During the Previous Season?

For the most part, matches of the English Premier League 2020/2021 were played without fans due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Like every other season of the biggest football league, there was no shortage of extremely exciting, very unpredictable matches. In the end, Manchester City was crowned the winner, finishing in first place with eighty-six points.

Manchester United was second-placed with seventy-four points followed by Liverpool with sixty-nine points, Chelsea with sixty-seven points, Leicester City with sixty-five points, West Ham with sixty-five points, Tottenham with sixty-two points, Arsenal with sixty-one points, Leeds United with fifty-nine points, and Everton with fifty-nine points.

One of the most exciting matches from the previous season was definitely Liverpool against Aston Villa played on the 4th of October. Before this extraordinary match, Tottenham scored six goals in a match against Manchester United.

The match between Aston Villa and Liverpool ended with Aston Villa scoring seven goals and Liverpool only two. Another great match played the previous season was between Tottenham and West Ham. Played on the 18th of October, the match ended in a tie.

When discussing the most interesting matches of the previous EPL season, we have to mention that one between Manchester United and Southampton that took place on the 2nd of February. Amazing Manchester United scored five goals in just twenty-one minutes and the match ended with United scoring a total of nine goals.

Manchester City played against Liverpool on the 7th of February. City scored four goals and won the match even though Phil Foden and Gündogan missed penalties.

Played on the 3rd of April, Chelsea clashed with West Brom. In the end, West Brom won with five goals in an unforgettable match. As already mentioned, Manchester City won its fifth EPL title last season and the team is one of the major favorites to win this season’s EPL title, alongside Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Tottenham.

Favorites to Win the 2021/2022 EPL Title

The thirtieth season of the English Premier League kicked off on the 13th of August 2021 and it will last until the 22nd of May 2022. As of the 9th of December, one hundred and forty-nine matches were played.

With thirteen goals, Mohamed Salah is the top goal scorer, followed by J. Vardy with nine goals, Diogo Jota with eight goals, Mane with seven goals, Silva with seven goals as well, Ronaldo with six goals. Son Heung-Min, Raphinha, Maupay, Dennis, Antonio, and Wilson also have six goals so far.

Manchester City is the defending champion and one of the major contenders for winning the EPL title this season. The team is in great shape, but it has a very tough competition, especially from two other major favorites for winning the title, Liverpool and Chelsea. Jack Grealish joined City at the beginning of this season. With superstars Kevin De Bruyne, Benjamin Mendy, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Bernardo Silva, and Rodrigo Hernandez, City can definitely repeat the success from the previous season.
As of the 9th of December, City is first-placed with thirty-five points thanks to eleven wins, two draws, and two losses. According to all major bookmakers, Chelsea is another favorite for winning the title.

The team signed the incredible Lukaku to play alongside Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulišić, Edouard Mendy, and Timo Werner. Chelsea is currently third-placed with thirty-three points, ten wins, three draws, and two losses.

Bookmakers are also favoring Liverpool alongside City and Chelsea. Jordan Henderson, Joe Gomez, and Virgil van Dijk are finally back in the game. The Reds also have amazing Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Harvey Elliott, Takumi Minamino, and Ibrahima Konate.
With thirty-four points, Liverpool is currently second-placed with ten wins, four draws, and one loss. Manchester United is also one of the favorites for winning the title, alongside Tottenham, Arsenal, and Leicester. Currently, United is sixth-placed with twenty-four points, Tottenham with twenty-five points is fifth-placed, and Arsenal is seventh-placed with twenty-three points.

The Red Devils lost the UEFA Super Cup final in Skopje against Real Madrid 1-2. The Jose Mourinho’s players played very well, but Los Blancos were the better team.

In the very beginning of the game, Manchester United looked better than Real Madrid. However, the Zinedine Zidane’s players managed to take the initiative and created a lot of goal-scoring chances before the end of the first half. Firstly, they hit the bar after a corner kick. Eventually the midfielder Casemiro sent the ball into de Gea’s net in the 24th minute. The goal was very controversial, because it looked like the midfielder was in an offside position.

Jose Mourinho tried a different approach in the second half, but Isco scored a nice goal after a one-two pass with Gareth Bale in the 52nd minute and probably decided the game. Just a few minutes later, the Welshman appeared on a good position in the box, but his shot reflected of the bar.

Romelu Lukaku should regret for the biggest miss in the game. The Belgian forward had the chance to find the net immediately after the second goal of Real Madrid, but his shot from several metres didn’t went into the net. Lukaku, then, scored from a similar position in the 62nd minute and brought United back in the game.

Maybe the biggest mistake of Mourinho was the decision to play Marcus Rashford. The youngster performed really bad. He missed in an one-on-one chance a few minutes after Lukaku’s goal. Then, Rashford took several free-kicks, which were more than terrible.

Cristiano Ronaldo went on the pitch for the last 7 minutes of the regular time, but the Portuguese star couldn’t score against his former team. The forward had the chance to shoot from a free-kick in the added time, but his shot went wide.

The trophy is the 4th for Real Madrid in the history of Los Blancos. That was the 3rd lost final in the competition for Manchester United.

Nemanja Matic decided to continue his career at Old Trafford. The ex-Chelsea midfielder was on of the crucial Antonio Conte’s players and had a key role in the Blues’ success last campaign. However, it looks like he prefers working with Jose Mourinho. The Special One is probably the main reason for the move of the Serbian defensive midfielder to Manchester United.

The Red Devils paid about £40 m. to Chelsea to have the two-time English champion in the squad. Nemanja Matic took part in 35 of the 38 Premier League last season, which goes to show how important he was to Antonio Conte.

The Serbian defensive midfielder has scored 7 goals for Chelsea in 155 appearances in all competitions. He won The Premier League twice (2014-15 and 2016-17), The FA Cup (2009-10) and The Capital One Cup (2014-15). He has won 32 caps for his country and has scored one goal. However, that stats can’t show how important Matic is to the team, because as a defensive midfielder he must be invisible on the pitch.

To continue with, Jose Mourinho knows very well what players need to be signed by Man United, The Red Devils to become the main contenders for the title! The Portuguese manager already signed Romelu Lukaku of Everton and Victor Lindelof of Benfica. With the signing of Matic, Mourinho has secured the needed depth in the squad and a person, who he can rely on when it’s up to defending and keeping the sheet clean.

I think that the actions of Mourinho clearly show his intention to win the title in The Premier League and to be competitive enough in The Champions League. Surely, with that type of players in the squad – this task is getting more realistic!

In conclusion, the battle for the title will be very fierce. The teams of Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur look strong enough to make an attempt to win the most competitive division in the world – The English Premier League.

The brightest talent of world football – Kylian Mbappe is going to sign for Real Madrid. The transfer fee is considered to be about €180 m! According to Marca, Los Blancos are going to pay now €160 m. now and another €20 m. as bonuses. There is also an option the amount to be separated to €150 m. and €30 m.

If the transfer comes true, this will be a new record for a transfer fee! Just a year ago Manchester United signed Paul Pogba for €105 m. However, if Paris Saint-Germain manage to buy Neymar – the amount for the Brazilian will be the new record for a transfer (€222 m.).

After the end of the previous campaign, there was a huge interest for the Frenchman from Real Madrid, PSG and Manchester City. However, it looked like Kylian Mbappe was going to stay at Monaco. He even signed a new contract, but now the young talent seems to be attracted by Los Blancos.

Mbappe impressed a lot with his performance in The Champions League. Thanks to him, Monaco made it to the semi-finals of the most prestigious European club competition. He scored 6 goals in 9 appearances in the UCL last season. Furthermore, he made it in the most important matches for his team in the 1/8 finals, quarterfinals and the semi-final. Mbappe also scored 15 goals in the French Ligue 1 and lifted the title. In addition, the Frenchman has already made his debut for his nation. Mbappe has taken part in 4 matches for France.

There are lots of comparisons between him and Thierry Henry. The 18-year-old player really reminds a lot of the legendary French forward. However, an eventual move to Real Madrid will be a huge step in his career, especially at his age. Only the time will show if he can fight for a place in the starting XI of Real Madrid, because the competition for the places there is great.

The Manchester United’s top goal-scorer from the last campaign – Zlatan Ibrahimovic can be fit within a couple of months. The 35-year-old forward suffered from a bad knee injury in April and it looked like he won’t be ready to return on the pitch until 2018. That’s why Manchester United didn’t extend his contract and released the former Swedish international forward on 1st July.

According to “The Sun”, Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s recovery goes better than the expectations and he will surely be fit again in October. The Swedish forward is one of Jose Mourinho’s favourite players and it won’t be a surprise if the Portuguese manager decides to offer Zlatan a contract, in case the player is fit within a couple of months.

The 35-year-old player managed to score 28 goals in 46 appearances in all competitions for The Red Devils last campaign and even though he received that injury, he remained the top scorer of the team for the season. I think he deserves to play at least one more season for Manchester United.

There are lots of offers for the goal-scoring machine. There are rumours, which link him with other clubs from The Premier League, clubs from the MLS and, of course, teams from China. Surely, if Ibra gets well soon, Manchester United will offer him a short-term contract until the end of the 2017/18 season.

However, it will be much more difficult for the Swedish player to find a place in the starting XI, as the club has already signed the Belgian international striker Romelu Lukaku. On the other hand, Mourinho can only be happy if he has a player like Ibrahimovic again in his squad.

At both ends, only the time will show if the Swedish forward will return to Manchester United, or he is going to try his luck in other country. The only trophy Ibrahimovic still hasn’t won is The Champions League. So, his priority will may be at least one more participation in the most prestigious European club competition.

La Roja won the semi-final match against Portugal and qualified for the final in The Confederations Cup 2017! The Chileans finished in second position of their group B, which meant they will play the Fernando Santos’ players in the semi-finals, but the Juan Antonio Pizzi’s men showed a great team spirit and eliminated the European champions from the competition.

The Portuguese players started better, pressing the opponent deeply. A few minutes from the beginning of the game Cristiano Ronaldo made a beautiful pass to his teammate Andre Silva, but the forward made a disappointing miss from several metres. Eduardo Vargas of Chile also found himself one on one with Rui Patricio, but the goalkeeper managed to keep his sheet clean.

The second half of the game was very boring, as the team of Chile had more possession of the ball, but none of the teams created good goal-scoring chances. Ronaldo was very close to score a goal, but his shot in the 75th minute deflected from a defender’s leg and went inches wide.

Portugal’s and Chile’s players looked too tired in the extra time of the game and kept playing slowly. However, in the very end of the game Arturo Vidal hit the post from outside the box and then Rodriguez tried to tap in the ball, but he also hit the woodwork, which preserved the Portugal’s ambitions for the final.

Claudio Bravo was the big hero for Chile. The goalkeeper of Manchester City saved 3 shots from the penalty spot, which secured the comfortable 3-0 victory for the Chileans after penalties. One the other hand, none of the Chile’s players missed a penalty. So, this will be Chile’s third final from a big international competition within the last 3 years! Chile won Copa America twice in a row (2015 and 2016) and now the Juan Antonio Pizzi’s men will try to add another prestigious trophy to their showcase.

The teams of Germany and Australia have always offered a great show for the football fans. This time the Germans won the game 3-2 and took their first 3 points in group B of the Confederations Cup.

The World Cup winners seemed to be very strong in the very beginning of the game and they deservedly took the lead against Australia in the 5th minute. Julian Brandt provided Lars Stindl with a wonderful assist and the attacker of Borussia Monchengladbach scored his first goal with the colours of his nation. The Australians hardly kept the ball in their possession, but shockingly found the net from their second good chance in the match. The midfielder of Celtic Tom Rogic scored with a shot from outside the box. Then, it seemed that the first half will finish with a draw, but the referee pointed the spot for a penalty just a minute before the break. The captain of Germany Julian Draxler converted the penalty into a goal and gave his team the lead for the second time in the match.

The Kangaroos played better during the second half, but they allowed an early goal, which was scored by Leon Goretzka. The midfielder made a great movement and received a superb pass by Joshua Kimmich. That was Goretzka’s first senior intrenational goal. The final score was fixed by Tomi Juric, who took advantage of a poor goalkeeping by Leverkusen’s goalkeeper Bernd Leno in the 56th minute. Juric showed a great piece of skills again 10 minutes later, but his team couldn’t equalize again. The coach of Australia subbed Tim Cahill on 5 minutes before the end of the match, but the Kangaroos’ legend couldn’t affect the outcome.

However, even though the German team was full of inexperienced players – they managed to take the three points. On the other hand, Australia still have a chance to find a place in the semi-finals, but The Kangaroos must win their next game against Cameroon.

Another unique drama in the battle between Scotland and England! The Scotsmen were a minute away from taking the three points against The Three Lions, but Harry Kane found the net in the 3rd minute of the added time. The match eventually finished with a 2-2 draw.

There were lots of goal-scoring chances during the whole game, but all the four goals were scored in the last 20 minutes of the match. Both goalkeepers were the key players until the 70th minute. Even though there wasn’t a goal in the first 70 minutes of the match – it was faraway from boring! Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain opened the score for England. The Arsenal player showed good individual skills and found the net with a shot from inside the box. However, Scotland didn’t give up. Leigh Griffiths became the hero for the hosts. The Celtic forward scored twice from a free-kick to turn things around for Scotland (87′ and 90′). The hosts couldn’t resist the pressure from their opponent in the third minute of the added time, when Harry Kane put the ball into the net.

Slovakia and Slovenia recorded victories in their matches, which means that England’s participation in the World Cup is faraway from sure. The Three Lions are lying in the first place with 14 points after 6 games, but the second-placed Slovakia are with 12 points! Slovenia have won 11 points, while Scotland are in 4th place (8 points).

The Englishmen will hardly miss the chance to qualify for The World Cup in 2018. They are to visit Malta in the next round, which means almost sure 3 points. Then, the Gareth Southgate’s players will host Slovakia and Slovenia, before the final round’s match against Lithuania. The situation for Scotland is similar, as they will play the same opponents, but Scotland mustn’t drop any more points. Otherwise, they will omit another big international tournament.

Real Madrid won their 12th Champions League title! Los Blancos beat 4-1 Juventus in the final game in Cardiff. The Zinedine Zidane’s players won the match absolutely deservedly, totally outplaying their opponent.

That was the second final between these two teams in the competition. The first one was again won by Real Madrid in 1998. Los Blancos won it 1-0 with the only goal, scored by Predrag Mijatovic in the second half. This time, the Spaniards were even more persuasive. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the score with a first-time shot from inside the box in the 20th minute after an assist by Daniel Carvajal. Then, Juve managed to equalize. Mario Mandzukic scored with bicycle kick after a header pass by Gonzalo Higuain.

Then, after the break, Real Madrid started to play much more better and scored 3 more goals. Firstly, the Brazilian defensive midfielder Casemiro scored a magnificent goal from a long distance in the 61st minute. That goal was crucial for the outcome, as Juventus started to play more offensively. Just 3 minutes later, Cristiano Ronaldo scored his second of the night, giving Buffon no chance to react. 7 minutes before the end of the game, the referee Felix Brych sent Juan Cuadrado off, which totally decided the game. Then, the substitution Marco Asensio also put the ball into the net in the last minute, to fix the final score – 4-1 in Real Madrid’s favour.

Los Blancos won The Champions League in two consecutive campaigns. They won the last year’s final against Atletico Madrid after penalty shootout. However, Cristiano Ronaldo became the only player to score in 3 final games of the competition. That was his 4th title! The Portuguese forward has now scored 600 senior goals, including his 71 goals for the national team of Portugal.

In conclusion, Real Madrid proved they are the best team in Europe at the moment. Los Blancos managed to win the title in La Liga for the first time since 2012! That was their 33rd title of Spain. Since the rename of The European Cup to The Champions League (1992) there was no team to win the competition in 2 consecutive season. Well, Real Madrid finally did it – that makes them the greatest club in Europe.

This is maybe the end of the rumours about the Antoine Griezmann’s future. The explosive French forward has decided to stay at Atletico Madrid. The Frenchman was linked with a move to the English giant – Manchester United, but maybe it’s all over with the speculations.

To continue with, Griezmann’s decision may be dictated by the prohibition of incoming transfers to Atletico Madrid for the next season. Recently, the football association has banned the club from Madrid, because Atleti have unduly signed young players. It looked like it will be a serious problem for Atletico, because they would have sold their best player – Griezmann. In addition, they have almost signed the Lyon’s striker Alexandre Lacazette. However, with Griezmann’s dedication, the sanction doesn’t seem to be that harsh now.

The forward has published his photo, on one of the social medias, with the Atletico Madrid’s shirt, writing above it that he can’t leave his current team, because Atleti need him! The Frenchman has recently said that his chance to move to Manchester United are 60%, but now everything is clear and he will keep on playing for Atletico Madrid.

Antoine Griezmann is a player of Atletico Madrid since 2014, when he signed from Real Sociedad. Since then, he has taken part in 160 matches with the colours of Los Rojiblancos and has scored 83 goals for the club in all competitions. Shortly after arriving at Atletico, Griezmann became a first choice forward in the French national team. He has now scored 15 goals in 41 appearances for France.

In conclusion, we must say that Griezmann is an integral part of Atletico Madrid and the team won’t be the same if he leaves. He gives Atleti creativity and fantasy when playing for the team. In addition, his partnership with Kevin Gameiro in attack will be even more dangerous for the opponents’ defences in the next campaign, as they have a great understanding on the pitch.

Harry Kane just can’t stop scoring goals. The Spurs’ goal-scoring machine bagged another hat-trick in Tottenham’s visit to Hull City of the last 38th round in The Premier League. The Spurs eventually recorded a smashing 7-1 victory at The KCOM Stadium.

The 23-year-old striker grabbed his first chance in the 11th minute and sent the ball into the net after a good shot with his left foot from outside the box. It took him only two minutes to double the score. Kieran Trippier provided the assist. 0-2! The Spurs didn’t stop putting Hull City under pressure and Dele Alli made the score 3-0 two minutes inside the stoppage time.

After the break, the hosts looked better on the pitch and logically Sam Clucas managed to score a goal for The Tigers. However, just 3 minutes later Victor Wanyama scored his 4th Premier League goal of the season after a good Eriksen’s cross from a free-kick. Then, Harry Kane recorded his hat-trick in the 72nd minute. The forward saw himself one-on-one with the keeper and had no problems to find the net.

The morale of the Hull City’s players dramatically dropped and Tottenham Hotspur scored two more goals until the end of the game. The Welsh defender Ben Davies scored his first of the season with a beautiful strike from outside the penalty area. The humiliation for Hull was full, as Toby Alderweireld also scored his first goal of the campaign in the 87th minute.

That was Tottenham’s 26th victory of the season in The Premiership. The Mauricio Pochettino’s players finished with 86 points, which is a record for them in The Premier League. The second place was absolutely deserved by them. They could even have fought better for the title, but Chelsea were also unstoppable.

In conclusion, we expect a strong new campaign from The Spurs, no matter they won’t be playing at White Hart Lane. They have a very good team with a lot of skillful players. So, they can make a request for the title in the next campaign.

The Gunners have recently been in an incredible form. They have won 3 consecutive Premier League matches, which brought them back in the battle for The Top 4! Moreover, the Arsene Wenger’s players must keep their best form, because they will play against the new champions Chelsea in The FA Cup final game.

Arsenal won their last 3 league games against Manchester United (at home) and vs. Southampton and Stoke City away from The Emirates Stadium. They will host Sunderland in their next league match. The Black Cats are the worst team in the league, having only won 24 points in 36 matches. In addition, they have lost 13 of 17 visits this campaign. Logically, Sunderland have already relegated to The Championship.

The Gunners have won 7 of the last 10 games against Sunderland in all competitions. Furthermore, the last time The Black Cats won an away game against Arsenal was in 1983 – 34 years ago! However, Arsenal have only lost twice at home this season and they will hardly do it again against Sunderland.

Until the end of the season in The Premier League, the Arsene Wenger’s players will face Sunderland and Everton, as both the matches will be played at The Emirates Stadium and if The Gunners win 6 points they will surely find a place in the Top 4! And I think that they are capable of doing it!

In conclusion, you should consider betting on a handicap victory for Arsenal. The Gunners will surely score a lot of goals against The Black Cats. The other reasonable bet should be over 2.5 goals.

Possible Starting XI:

Arsenal: Petr Cech; Nacho Monreal, Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi, Hector Bellerin, Rob Holding; Francis Coquelin, Mesut Ozil, Granit Xhaka, Alexis Sanchez; Olivier Giroud.

Sunderland: Jordan Pickford; John O’Shea, Billy Jones, Lamine Kone, Javier Manquillo; Darron Gibson, Sebastian Larsson, Didier Ndong, Fabio Borini; Jermain Defoe, Victor Anichebe.

The Citizens will play Crystal Palace in a game of the Premier League at The Etihad Stadium. Manchester City need to win the 3 points if Pep Guardiola’s players want to take part in The Champions League next campaign. To continue with, Crystal Palace have almost secured their place in The Premier League for the next season. So, the pressure is off for The Eagles. However, Sam Allardyce will play his best players against The Citizens.

Manchester City are on a run of 12 consecutive home matches without a defeat in all competitions. On the other hand, The Eagles have only failed to score once in their last 6 Premier League games. They have won 4 of these matches! Two of these victories were against Chelsea and Liverpool.

The Citizens have an advantage in the Head to Head battle between these two teams. The Pep Guardiola’s team has won 29 matches, while The Eagles have recorded 15 victories. There have been 12 draws. 16 of the 29 wins for Man City have been recorded at home. Palace have only won 5 away games.

Man City have recently been dominant against Crystal Palace. The Citizens have won 12 of the last 13 games between these two teams. This will be the third match of the season between The Citizens and The Eagles. Manchester City recorded 2 victories at Selhurst Park earlier this campaign – 1 in The Premier League and 1 in The FA Cup.

David Silva and John Stones are expected to return to the pitch against Crystal Palace. Sergio Aguero will also be included in the squad. The Argentine received a groin injury in the match against Middlesbrough, but he is now fit. Claudio Bravo will miss the match for The Citizens, so Caballero will be among the starting XI.

Sam Allardyce has a lot of problems with injured players, especially he feels the lack of his key defenders. Mamadou Sakho, James Tomkins and Scott Dann are sidelined. The other omission for Crystal Palace is Connor Wickham. Yohan Cabaye will probably be ready to play against Manchester City.

Two of the best teams in Italy – Fiorentina and Inter were involved in an incredibly entertaining match of the 33rd round in the Serie A. The Purple Ones managed to win the three points after a 5-4 victory at Stadio Artemio Franchi. The game was full of turnarounds and drama, but eventually the winner was Fiorentina.

The hosts were more active in the opening minutes of the game, but they managed to find the net for the first time in the 23rd minute. Vecino was the goal-scorer. Ivan Perisic equalized just 5 minutes later, after a great attack by Inter.

The Black and Blues turned things around in the 34th minute, when Joao Mario made an assist to Icardi, who found the net to give Inter the lead.

Shortly after the break, the referee awarded Fiorentina with a penalty after a foul in the box against Babacar. Samir Handanovic saved the penalty, which was taken by Bernardeschi and kept Inter’s advantage. However, the goalkeeper could do nothing about the Astori’s header in the 62nd minute. 2-2!

2 minutes later, Vecino made a one-two with Borja Valero and scored his second of the match, to turn things around for the second time in the game. Matias Vecino was unstoppable. The Uruguayan midfielder provided an assist to Babacar, who bagged the fourth goal for Fiorentina against Inter in the 70th minute.

The Senegalese forward scored his second of the game 9 minutes later and it seemed that The Violet Ones will easily take the three points, but Icardi didn’t think so. The striker showed a masterclass, turning with the ball in his feet and making a precise shot, which deflected in the post and went into the net. Then, Mauro Icardi scored his hat-trick, in the 1st minute of the added time, after great shot with his header from a corner kick.

However, the visitors couldn’t equalize in the 3 remaining minutes of the stoppage time, but they must receive congratulations, because they kept fighting until the very last minute of the game.

Jamie Vardy, who is one of the key Leicester City’s players, has been very close to retire from the professional football after his first season at Leicester City. The forward wasn’t happy with his 4 goals in 26 matches in The Championship, observing how his career has no perspective. So, Jamie had almost decided to work as a party organizer in Ibiza.

However, the manager Nigel Pearson has persuaded the player to continue with his career as a football player. About 5 years later, Vardy became the champion of The English Premier League, scoring 24 goals. He has also recorded 6 goals in 16 appearances for the national team. Vardy also took part in the Euro 2016.

“I remember that situation very well. Jamie had a bad period at the club. Nigel, Steve and I talked to him and told him that he has great skills and he is capable of doing great things. We even told him that he will become an England international player. Fortunately, he decided not to go to Ibiza and continued his football career. Sometimes the players doubt in their own skills. Our work is to support them,” Craig Shakespeare, the current manager of Leicester City, said in an interview.

Jamie Vardy had a difficult start of the current campaign, but he started to perform better from the second part of the season. He has now scored 9 goals in The Premier League. Moreover, the striker recently scored his first Champions League goal against Sevilla, helping his team knock the Europa League winners out of the most commercial European club competition. Now, he again looks like the player, who broke van Nistelrooy’s record, finding the net in 11 consecutive matches.

In conclusion, we must say that Vardy’s decision not to retire from the professional football in 2012 has been crucial for the future of the English international forward.

The legend of the Dutch football – Danny Blind was sacked from the position of Holland’s national team manager. The Holland football federation took the decision after the unpersuasive performance by the team. The ex-Ajax defender spent almost 2 years as a manager of the Dutch international team, but couldn’t impress with his coaching abilities.

Holland played 18 matches with Blind in charge, but won only 8, lost 7 and finished with a draw on 3 occasions. His last game was against Bulgaria in a World Cup qualifier a couple of days ago. Holland lost 0-2 in Sofia and almost lost their chance to take part in the biggest international football tournament.

As you remember, Holland couldn’t qualify for The Euro 2016 a year ago, leaving in the 4th position of their group with only 13 points won from 10 games. Now, The Flying Dutchmen started the qualifying campaign better, recording 2 victories, a draw and a defeat in the first 4 matches of Group A. However, the performance against Bulgaria was more than awful!

The Bulgarians totally outplayed the Dutchmen. Spas Delev scored his first goals for the national team to secure the three points for his nation. Even though the stars like Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder took part in the game, they couldn’t show anything against the strong Bulgarian defence. Moreover, the Sporting Lisbon’s goal-scoring machine Bas Dost, who has scored 24 goals in 23 league matches this season, couldn’t do anything to be remembered with.

The football analyzers have criticized a lot Danny Blind for his choice of a central defender. The legend decided to play the 17-year-old Ajax player Matthijs de Ligt, who made two crucial errors in defence to allow Delev score twice. Blind realized he had made a mistake and subbed him off at the halftime, but it was too late.

In conclusion, Holland are now lying in 4th position in Group A with just 7 points won after 5 games. In comparison, France are unbeaten with 13 points at the top of the table, while Sweden is second with 10 p. and Bulgaria – third with 9 points.

This surname sounds pretty familiar! Yes, that’s right! Justin Kluivert is the Patrick Kluivert’s son. Justin is only 17 years old, but he has already made 9 appearances in The Eredivisie. He scored his first goal for the Ajax senior team last weekend, in his team’s 1-1 draw against Excelsior. Kluivert equalized the score in the 32nd minute of the game.

To continue with, the football experts are predicting a bright future in front of the young striker. He has been a part of all the youth Dutch formations. Justin Kluivert has recorded over 20 matches for the U15, U16, U17 and U18 teams of Holland.

The talented forward started his professional career in the beginning of the current season. He was a part of the Ajax II in the Dutch second division. Kluivert scored twice in 8 appearances for the team and won himself a place in the first team of the Lancers. Justin made his debut in the Eredivisie on 15th January 2017 in the 3-1 away victory against PEC Zwolle. It took him 9 matches to score his first goal for the senior team of Ajax, but the goal secured a point for his team against Excelsior. That was his third start for Ajax from the beginning of the campaign.

Justin Kluivert scored his first senior goal 10 years and 1 day after his father’s last professional goal.

However, Justin has a long way to go, to be compared with his father. Patrick Kluivert scored 200 goals in his professional career for teams like Ajax, Milan, Barcelona, Newcastle United, Valencia, PSV Eindhoven and Lille. He also bagged 40 goals in 79 appearances for the Dutch national team, being a part of the team in 3 major international competitions. Patrick Kluivert won the Golden Boot in 2000 for the top goal-scorer of the Euro 2000. Can Justin surpass his father?

Bournemouth hosted West Ham United last weekend in a game of the 28th round in The Premier League. The match turned into a spectacular show with a lot of goals and dangerous situations in front of both goals. Eventually, The Cherries won the three points, but it’s more interesting how they did it, because the game can be reckoned with the classic matches in English football.

The hosts were better from the beginning and just 9 minutes after the kick-off they had the right to take a penalty kick for a Feghouli’s foul against Charlie Daniels in the box. Joshua King, who scored the first ever Bournemouth’s goal against Manchester United last week, stepped to take the penalty, but his shot went well wide.

A few seconds after King’s miss from the spot, West Ham United saw themselves in front with a beautiful goal, scored by Michail Antonio. However, Bournemouth managed to equalize before the half time. Joshua King made a great flip, leaving a West Ham’s defender behind him and put the ball into the net with a good half-volley shot. 1-1!

Just 6 minutes after the equalizer, Bournemouth received another penalty. This time Marc Pugh was brought down in the box by Jose Fonte and the referee had no choice, but to point the spot for the second time in the match. Unfortunately, Benik Afobe’s shot was saved by the goalkeeper Darren Randolph.

Shortly after the break, Joshua King found himself unmarked in the box after a dangerous free-kick for Bournemouth and gave The Cherries the lead with a good finish from the six-yard box. It looked like Bournemouth will have no problems to win the three points until the end of the match, but in the 83rd minute, the substitute player Andre Ayew scored an equalizer! 2-2!

In the very last seconds of the stoppage time, Joshua King scored his hat-trick after a very good Bournemouth’s attack. That was the forward’s first ever hat-trick for the club, but how important it was! He is now Bournemouth’s top goal-scorer in The Premier League with 11 goals.

“We must turn things around and avoid relegation,” David Moyes said in an interview after his team’s another defeat in The Premier League. This time The Black Cats lost to Manchester City at home and left in the last 20th position in the standings of the most competitive division in the world.

Usually, Sunderland manages to avoid relegation in the very last rounds of The Premier League, but with the more rounds have passed this time the task looks much more difficult… The team lost 3 consecutive matches and the David Moyes’ players are now 6 points down from the 17th-placed Crystal Palace. Moreover, the schedule isn’t easy at all for Sunderland.

To continue with, there are 3 games I am sure The Black Cats won’t take any point from – against Man United, Arsenal and Chelsea. They will also have to visit Middlesbrough, Watford, Leicester City and Hull City – and you know The Black Cats have lost 10 of 13 visits this season, so don’t expect them to record more than 1 away victory until the end of the campaign.

So, the opportunity for Sunderland to win the crucial points is from the home games against Burnley, Swansea City, West Ham United and AFC Bournemouth. However, I don’t think they will win all of these games either. They have already lost 8 of 14 matches at The Stadium of Light, which is 57% of the games, which means they will eventually win once, draw once and lose 2 of these home games.

At both ends, Sunderland have now 19 points, which combined with the possible 8 points I think they will earn by the end of the season, means they will finish with 27 points, probably at the bottom of the table. So, if Moyes wants to see his team in The Premier League next season, he must do something extraordinary.

He shoots, he scores. This sentence can perfectly describe Edin Dzeko’s recent form. The Bosnian forward just can’t stop scoring goals! He is the main reason for AS Roma’s good form and consistency in Serie A. The Wolves have won all of their home league matches this season, mainly because of their good performance in attack.

Edin Dzeko has scored 19 league goals in 25 matches from the beginning of the season, as he is topping the goal-scorers’ list (alongside with Higuain) in the Italian Serie A. The forward has a total record of 29 goals in all competitions this campaign and he will probably set a new personal record if he keeps going like that. So far, Dzeko’s best goal-scoring stats date back to 2008/09, when he found the net on 36 occasions, winning the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg’s colours.

The Bosnian striker scored 11 goals in Roma’s last 8 games in all competitions. Dzeko bagged a hat-trick against Villarreal in The Europa League, as The Wolves won 4-0 away from home. Even though he is now 30 years old, Edin Dzeko is on the top of his form!

Dzeko is also Bosnia and Herzegovina’s top goal-scorer of all time with 49 goals in 83 caps. He took part in the World Cup 2014, when he even managed to find the net once against Iran, becoming the Man of The Match. He will now strive to help his country find a place at The World Cup in 2018.

However, the Dzeko’s main task at the moment is to help Roma finally win the Serie A, which is going to be extremely difficult, but not impossible. For the purpose, he will need to keep scoring goals. Moreover, Roma’s team seems strong enough also to compete for the trophy in The Europa League. We will see how far The Wolves will reach at the end of the campaign.

UEFA is going to replace the European international friendly matches and make them competitive! The decision has been made and since 2018 all the 55 UEFA national teams will take part in a competition, called the UEFA Nations League. It will be made of 4 divisions (A, B, C and D).

The higher rated UEFA teams will be seeded in the upper divisions, as the A division will be the highest. In addition, there will be 4 groups in each division. The winners of the 4 groups in each of the divisions will take part in the playoffs and eventually in a final game. The winners of the finals of each division will qualify for the Euro 2020! If the winners in each group have already qualified for the final tournament through the regular qualifiers, it will be replaced in the playoffs by the second-ranked in the group.

This competition will affect the qualifications. There will be 10 groups, as usual, from which the best two teams will find a place in the final tournament. This time, there won’t be playoffs for the third-placed teams in the regular groups. The last 4 participants in the Euro 2020 will be determined from the UEFA Nations League!

Moreover, the winners of each of the lower divisions’ groups will promote to a higher division and the last teams in their groups will be relegated. This will make the qualifiers even more interesting, as it will reduce the number of friendly matches.

Another important thing is that the tournament will start in September 2018 (before the regular qualifiers) and the group stage of the Nations League will last until November 2018. The beginning of the regular qualifying campaign will be in March 2019.

In conclusion, it now sounds a little bit complicated, but once started, I am sure you will be very passionate about it!

After the end of the January transfer window, we can see a new spending record in The Premier League. This time the record was for the total amount spent by all the clubs. How does it sound £1.4 Billion spent during the two transfer windows?

I would say that the amount goes to show the incredible financial power of the English clubs, but my brain still can’t realize how much money that is! Moreover, you became spectators of football’s victory over the money during the previous season, when Leicester City won the title. I think the expenses of most of the clubs were unnecessary, as Chelsea have almost won the title!

So, after all these expensive purchases, the only manager who has surely done his job accurately is Antonio Conte. The results are obvious, as Chelsea have no real competition for the title. All the others – Josep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Jose Mourinho, Mauricio Pochettino and Arsene Wenger can be questioned about all the spent money.

To begin with, Guardiola found it really difficult in The Premier League, as everyone expected. The Spanish manager bought Stones, Sane, Gabriel Jesus, Gundogan, Nolito and so on, spending £181.05 m. However, Jose Mourinho spent £89.25 m. on only one player (Paul Pogba). The Portuguese also bought Mkhitaryan (£35.7 m.) and Eric Bailly (£32.3 m.).

Arsene Wenger, as always, made silly transfers. The French manager bought Xhaka, giving Borussia M’gladbach £38.25 m. for the player with the most red cards in the European top leagues for the past two seasons.

Jurgen Klopp spent £5.27 m. on a goalkeeper, who can’t even catch the bus… The only quality signing – Sadio Mane went to the Africa’s Cup of Nations and Liverpool lost on 3 consecutive occasions (being eliminated of The FA Cup and The Capital One Cup).

In comparison, Leicester City spent only £42.42 during the last season, when they won the Premier League title. However, no one is interested in saving money, as even the last team in the standings will receive £100 m. from the TV rights!

Even at the age of 40, Francesco Totti is still one of the best football players in the world! The Italian attacking midfielder started his professional career in 1992 and just a year later he made his debut for The Wolves against Brescia at the age of 16!

Since then, Francesco Totti has become one of the Roma’s legends! He has scored 307 goals (250 in Seria A) in 773 matches for The Wolves in all competitions and keeps going! The midfielder is among the most loyal football players, staying at Roma during his whole career!

The Roma’s captain managed to win the Italian Seria A only once in 2001, finishing in 2nd position on 8 occasions. However, I am sure that if he was in another team, he would have done it many more times, but his heart belongs to Rome. In addition, Totti has lifted the Coppa Italia twice (2007 and 2008) and Suppercoppa Italiana (2001 and 2007).

He was an integral part of the Italian national team, which won the FIFA World Cup in 2006. Totti scored the winning goal against Australia in the Round of 16. Furthermore, the attacking midfielder took part in UEFA Euro 2000, when Italy became the runners-up. The attacking midfielder scored 9 goals in 58 participations for the Italian national team.

Francesco Totti scored his most recent goal for Roma yesterday. He converted a penalty into a goal against Cesena in a match from the Coppa Italia, sending his team into the semi-finals of the competition!

At both ends, Francesco Totti can decide every single game with just one pass! He had a great impact on his team in the defeat against Sampdoria last week. However, I am happy that I can still watch such a world class player taking part in top flight matches. I wish he stays for another season.

Southampton achieved a great victory at Anfield against Liverpool in the second leg of the Capital One Cup semi-finals, winning 2-0 on aggregate. Shane Long, who came in as a substitution, scored the only goal of the game in the added time of the second half. The assist was made by the youngster Joshua Sims, who crossed the whole pitch to pass the ball to the Irish striker.

It looked like Liverpool will win the match, as The Reds have an average possession of the ball about 70%. The Merseysiders also created some good goal-scoring chances, while The Saints missed two clear chances during the first half. The best chance for Liverpool came in the 53rd minute, when the Saints’ goalkeeper Forster made a silly mistake, but he managed to clear the ball from the line, keeping his sheet clean. 5 minutes later, Daniel Sturridge was unmarked in the box, but his shot went high above the woodwork. In the end, Southampton organized very fast counter-attack and put the ball into the Liverpool’s net, qualifying for the final.

The last time Southampton took part in a cup final was in 2003 when The Saints lost the FA Cup final to Arsenal 1-0. However, they have never won the League Cup, as the only time Southampton reached the final was in 1979, when they lost to Nottingham Forest.

Tonight, Southampton will find out who will meet in the final. Surely, the second finalist will be Manchester United, as The Red Devils have an advantage of 2-0 after the first match against Hull City. The Saints will be hoping to play against The Tigers, because The Red Devils have always been among the toughest opponents for Southampton. Manchester United have won 62 matches against The Saints, while there have been 29 draws and 28 victories for Southampton.

Tonight, we will become spectators of the replays of the 3rd round in The FA Cup. 6 games today and 3 more tomorrow. So, here is the list of the matches with a short preview and a prediction:

Burnley vs. Sunderland

Sunderland were smashed by Burnley at Turf Moor earlier this season. I think something very similar will happen! Even though The Black Cats kept a clean sheet in the first match between these two teams of The FA Cup, they have recently been very weak in defence. On the other hand, Burnley have won 8 of their 12 home matches in The Premier League. So, you can give it a try on Burnley’s victory against Sunderland.

AFC Wimbledon vs. Sutton United

The team, which is in the lowest position of the remaining teams in the FA Cup – Sutton United shocked everyone, making it to the replays of the 3rd round of the tournament! They finished with a 0-0 draw at home against Wimbledon. The League 1 side will probably win the game, but we must admit the 5th-tier club that they achieved a great thing in the tournament so far!

Crystal Palace vs. Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers are good in defence, but I don’t think The Trotters can surprise Sam Allardyce! Crystal Palace will surely have no problems winning the game. The finalist of the previous edition of the cup struggled to score at The Macron Stadium. However, they can fix this in the replay.

Lincoln City vs. Ipswich Town

The 5th-tier club Lincoln City achieved a 2-2 draw against Ipswich away from home about a week ago. However, now The Imps will be the hosts, and when they are playing at home – they have only recorded 2 defeats this campaign! The Imps have won 3 games, while there have been 3 draws and 5 victories for The Tractor Boys. I expect that this will be the surprise of the 3rd round, as Lincoln will find a place in the 4th round!

Newcastle United vs. Birmingham City

The Magpies are way more classy than Birmingham! They are topping the table in The Championship, while The Blues are lying in 12th place. In addition, Newcastle United have won more than 50% of their home games against Birmingham. Moreover, the last match between these two teams at St. James’ Park finished with a 4-0 victory for The Magpies! The first FA cup match between these two teams ended with a 1-1 draw 10 days ago, but this time Newcastle will take the victory!

Plymouth Argyle vs. Liverpool

Liverpool won’t make a second mistake against 4th-tier Plymouth Argyle! The Green Army achieved an amazing result at Anfield (0-0), and proved they are a good team, but this time Jurgen Klopp knows what to expect from them and will surely rely on his first-choice starting line-up. It’s interesting that Plymouth have won twice against The Reds! There have also been 4 draws and 5 wins for Liverpool.

Barnsley vs. Blackpool 1X

Fleetwood Town vs. Bristol City 1

Southampton vs. Norwich City 1

The Red Devils have almost reached the final in The Capital One Cup, after they beat Hull City 2-0 at Old Trafford. Manchester United have finally brought back their familiar face and they can’t now stop winning matches!

After 9 consecutive victories in all competitions, the Jose Mourinho’s players look strong enough to fight for all the trophies they are competing for. Actually, they are not so far away from the first place in The Premier League, even though they are lying in 6th position in the standings. The difference between The Red Devils and Chelsea is 10 points, which is not impossible to be melted!

However, Manchester United recorded another good victory, after bagging two goals in the Tigers’ net. The Red Devils created lots of goal-scoring chances, but they managed to open the score in the 56th minute, when Juan Mata found the net. Then, a few minutes before the final whistle Marouane Fellaini doubled the score, securing the victory for Man United.

The last time The Red Devils won The Capital One Cup was in 2010, when they beat Aston Villa 2-1 in the final match. Manchester United have won this competition on 4 occasions, as they have only lost the final 4 times. So, if they reach the final it is not sure they will lift the trophy. In the previous campaign, Manchester United were eliminated in the 4th round of the cup – losing to Middlesbrough after penalty shootouts.

The second semi-final match between Manchester United and Hull City will be held on 26th January, but The Red Devils currently look too strong for The Tigers and they will surely have no difficulties in finding a place in the final. However, the other semi-final between Liverpool and Southampton seems to be more unpredictable and Manchester United were quite lucky to be drawn against The Tigers.

Sunderland put on a display a wonderful performance against Liverpool. The match at The Stadium of Light finished with a 2-2 draw after a lot of drama in the end of it. However, The Black Cats kept on showing lots of weaknesses in defence, as they allowed their opponent to create a lot of goal-scoring opportunities. The goalkeeper Mannone must be proud of his performance after saving several difficult shots towards his goal.

To begin with, Liverpool opened the score in the 19th minute after a corner kick. Daniel Sturridge put the ball into the net with his head after Lovren’s assist. Then, The Black Cats organized several good attacks and they were awarded with a penalty, which was converted into a goal by Jermaine Defoe in the 25th minute of the game.

Sadio Mane managed to score again for The Reds after the break. He took advantage of the poor marking by the Sunderland defenders and put the ball into the net from about 3 metres. However, just 12 minutes later Mane blocked the ball with his hand in the box and gave Defoe the chance to score again from the spot. The Englishman scored his 11th goal of the season to get Sunderland back on level terms.

At both ends, the season for Sunderland so far looks exactly the same as the previous one! In comparison, The Black Cats had 15 points after the first 20 matches in the last campaign, the same number as their record this season! Their first victory of the campaign in the league was approximately at the same period, as in the last season. Do you remember what happened in the end of the 2015/16 season? Sunderland avoided relegation! The task will be difficult again, but there are no easy matches in The Premiership! You can give it a try, betting on it, because the traditions matter in England! Sunderland NOT to relegate – 2.75!

We will become spectators of wonderful matches in The Champions League and The Europa League in 2017. It’s really interesting that there were lots of the favourites, who couldn’t win their groups, and that’s why they were quite lucky to avoid the strongest opponents in the next stage of the competition.

The 11-time winners of The Champions League – Real Madrid will play against Napoli in the Round of 16. Los Blancos recorded a 2-2 draw against Borussia Dortmund, which costed them the 1st place in the group. However, Real Madrid avoided teams like Bayern Munich, PSG, and as you know they couldn’t be drawn against Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. So, we can say Los Blancos were quite lucky when finishing in the second position of their group!

To continue with, Arsenal will again face Bayern Munich! What a nightmare for The Gunners… The last time these two teams met in The Champions League was a year ago, when they were drawn in the group stage of the competition. Both teams won at home, but Bayern did it by 5-1! The German team has won 5 of 10 games. There have also been 2 draws and 3 victories for The Gunners.

The 2-2 draw against Ludogorets, costed Paris Saint-Germain the first place in their group, which eventually decided their future in the tournament. The Parisians will play Barcelona, which is maybe the toughest opponent in the competition. The Catalans eliminated Paris Saint-Germain in 2015 5-1 on aggregate. On the other hand, the French team achieved a very prestigious victory against Barcelona in 2014 – 3-2! The match will be very interesting, for sure!

In the other matches: Porto will play Juventus; Bayer Leverkusen vs. Atletico Madrid; Manchester City vs. Monaco; Benfica vs. Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla vs. Leicester City.

The Champions League:

• Manchester City vs. Monaco
• Real Madrid vs. Napoli
• Benfica vs. Borussia Dortmund
• Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal
• Porto vs. Juventus
• Bayer Leverkusen vs. Atletico Madrid
• PSG vs. Barcelona
• Sevilla vs. Leicester City

There are also interesting battles in the Europa League, where Manchester United will play against Saint-Etienne, while Tottenham have been drawn against the Belgian team Gent. Here are all the matches of the second best clubs tournament in Europe:

Athletic Bilbao vs. APOEL Nicosia; Legia Warsaw vs. Ajax; Anderlecht vs. Zenit; Astra vs. Genk; Man United vs. St. Etienne; Villarreal vs. Roma; Ludogorets vs. Copenhagen; Celta vs. Shakhtar Donetsk; Olympiakos vs. Osmalispor; Gent vs. Tottenham; Rostov vs. Sparta Prague; Krasnodar vs. Fenerbahce; Monchengladbach vs. Fiorentina; AZ vs. Lyon; Hapoel Beer Sheva vs. Besiktas; PAOK vs. Schalke 04.

OGC Nice have made a sensational start of their season! The Eagles are topping the table of the French Ligue 1 after 16 rounds. Moreover, Lucien Favre’s players have won 12 of these 16 matches (the best in the league). With only 1 defeat, Nice have collected 39 points – 3 more than Monaco and 4 in front of the biggest favourites for winning the title – Paris Saint-Germain.

The Eagles smashed Toulouse 3-0 last night. That was their 7th home victory in 9 games! Alassane Plea opened the score in the 23rd minute. Just 3 minutes later, Belhanda doubled the score. Both goals were after Dante’s assists! Jean Michael Seri scored the third goal of the night in the 65th minute, securing the 3 points for his team. Plea has now become Nice’s top goal-scorer in the league this campaign with 9 goals!

Even though Mario Balotelli hasn’t appeared on the pitch since 6th November, The Eagles seem even stronger without their biggest star! Nice have only conceded 2 goals in their last 5 league matches!

To continue with, The Eagles have recorded victories against the strongest teams in the division. They smashed Monaco 4-0 two months ago! Furthermore, they beat Lyon 2-0 and Saint-Etienne 1-0.

It looks like OGC Nice will have no problems to qualify for The Champions League, but can they fight for the title? The Eagles have kept a clean sheet on 8 occasions this campaign. However, their most important match will be after a week – against the champions Paris Saint-Germain and if Nice win it, they will have serious chances of lifting the trophy!

In conclusion, the season is extremely interesting – not only in the French Ligue 1. We can also see Leipzig fighting for the title in Germany, and Feyenoord topping the table in Holland! All these teams have chances to repeat Leicester City’s fairy tail.

The semi-finals in The English League Cup are determined now! Manchester United were lucky to see themselves against Hull City, while Liverpool are facing Southampton.

Let’s see how these 4 teams reached this stage of the competition. The Red Devils had no problems against West Ham United. Manchester United smashed The Hammers 4-1 at Old Trafford. Jose Mourinho showed he has the real intention of winning the League Cup, after he picked his first-choice players against West Ham United. The Portuguese manager can be very glad of the performance, as Anthony Martial scored twice. Henrikh Mkhitaryan put on display the best he can on the pitch! However, the most surprising thing was the appearance of Bastian Schweinsteiger, who came on from the bench in the 86th minute.

The Tigers had a difficult task in the quarterfinals against Newcastle United. Both teams had to play an extra time to determine the winner. Hull City left with 10 men in the last minute of the regular time, after Mbokani was sent off. Then, Newcastle logically took the lead in the 98th minute, but seconds later, Robert Snodgrass equalized and sent the match into penalties. The hero for Hull City was the goalkeeper Jakupovic, who allowed Newcastle score only once from the spot!

Liverpool eliminated Leeds United, to reach the semi-finals of The League Cup. The Reds recorded a 2-0 victory at Anfield, but they managed to score their goals in the last quarter hour of the match. Divock Origi and the youngster Benjamin Woodburn found the net for The Merseysiders.

The most impressive victory in the quarterfinals was for Southampton. The Saints beat Arsenal 2-0 at The Emirates Stadium! Jordy Clasie opened the score in the 13th minute. After the break Ryan Bertrand found the net, sending The Saints into the next stage of the competition. Even though Arsene Wenger picked his reserve players, we mustn’t underestimate Southampton’s good performance.

The managers’ decision always changes the run of the matches. But some errors are more than crucial. The match between Newcastle United and Chelsea from the Round of 16 of The FA Cup in 2005 is a bright example of what you shouldn’t do if you are a football manager…

The weather was very cold and snowy. The staff at the St. James’ Park twice cleared the pitch from the snow before the start of the match. The home side looked very strong in attack, as Graeme Souness picked Alan Shearer and Patrick Kluivert up front and Kieron Dyer and Laurent Robert down the wings. Jose Mourinho decided to play with a little more defensive approach, picking Smertin, Geremi, Tiago and Jarosik in midfield and Joe Cole as an attacking midfielder, behind the only forward Kezman. Makelele, Drogba and John Terry were given a break by the Portuguese manager.

The hosts needed only 4 minutes to open the score. Patrick Kluivert scored a magnificent goal with his head, after a wonderful cross by Laurent Robert – 1-0! Then the forward Kezman hit the bar and Chelsea couldn’t equalize. Nothing more interesting happened until the end of the first half. After the break Jose Mourinho took a huge risk, using all his 3 substitutions at once! That was a very silly decision, because when the weather is bad and the pitch is not in excellent condition – injuries happen. However, Mourinho brought Lampard, Gudjohnsen and Damien Duff in. Shortly after the triple substitution, Wayne Bridge went out injured after a straight-out tackle by Shearer and Chelsea left with 10 men on the pitch.

With Chelsea’s new more attacking approach and the injury of Bridge, there was a lot of space in front of Newcastle United’s fast wingers, who made life really difficult for the Blues’ defence. Damien Duff also received an injury, but was forced to play injured. In the last minute of the regular time, the goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini was sent off, because he committed a foul outside his box against Shola Ameobi. The defender Glen Johnson had to take the goalkeeper’s position. The right fullback immediately made a wonderful save against Laurent Robert, who made a powerful shot from the free-kick.

At both ends, Newcastle United won the match 1-0 and made it to the quarterfinals of The FA Cup, where the team beat Tottenham 1-0, again with a Kluivert’s early goal. However The Magpies were knocked out in the semi-finals after a 1-4 defeat to Manchester United.

The Frenchman – Laurent Robert first showed his qualities at Montpellier, where he started his professional career in 1994. He was a typical left winger, who was showing great speed and pace, easily outrunning the defender. But, there was something special in that boy. He was able to score goals from any distance! He was also a free-kick master, making the goalkeepers helpless.

The French giants Paris Saint-Germain were watching at the talented winger and bought him in 1999. In the same year, Robert made his debut for the French national team (on 18th August against Northern Ireland). Eventually the winger recorded 1 goal (against Turkey in 2000) in 9 appearances for France. However, Laurent Robert stayed in Paris for only two seasons, before Newcastle pay £9.5 m. for the Frenchman!

Laurent Robert had a serious impact on The Magpies. He became one of the key players in the team. The Frenchman spent 4 seasons at St. James’ Park and was an integral part of the Newcastle’s starting eleven. He scored 32 goals with the Magpies’ colours. In his 4 years at Newcastle, Robert scored 4 goals against Arsenal, 3 against Liverpool and once against Manchester United. Most of his goals were from direct free-kicks.

It’s interesting that Robert’s goal from a free-kick against Liverpool in 2005, which was crucial for Newcastle to qualify for the Champions League was used in the film “Goal!” To continue with, Robert then played on loan at Portsmouth, before moving to Benfica in 2006. But, why did he leave Newcastle United? He had problems with the new manager Graeme Souness, because Robert criticized him publicly. Moreover, the Frenchman also criticized all the Newcastle squad and the management of the team decided to get rid of one of the best left wingers in The Premier League.

In the last years of his career, Laurent Robert switched several clubs – Levante, Derby County, Toronto FC and Larissa, before retiring in 2009.

England smashed Scotland 3-0 in the fourth round of the European qualifying campaign for the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia. That was the 113th match between these two teams! It’s interesting that all the goals in the match were scored with headers. And that was the biggest victory for England from the beginning of the qualifying campaign.

The captain Wayne Rooney returned to the England’s starting line-up, to record his 119th appearance with the Three Lions’ shirt. He has recently been in a good shape and deserved to be included in the squad! And his performance proved Gareth Southgate has taken the right decision. To continue with, the Torino on-loan goalkeeper Joe Hart and the defenders Rose, Stones, Cahill and Walker gave Scotland forwards no chance in front of goal. Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson and Wayne Rooney pulled the strings in midfield. Raheem Sterling and Adam Lallana were the wingers and Daniel Sturridge played up front.

England was the better team during the whole match. The Three Lions had the possession of the ball in 61 % of the time! However, they managed to open the score in the 23rd minute, when Daniel Sturridge tucked the ball away with a header after a great delivery by Kyle Walker, who was involved in the attack.

Gareth Southgate’s players couldn’t score more goals before the break. But, they started to play even better after the half time. The second goal of the game was scored by Adam Lallana just 5 minutes into the second half, after a good cross by Danny Rose. 10 minutes later, Gary Cahill converted a Wayne Rooney’s cross from a corner kick into a goal, to fix the final score – 3-0!

That was maybe one of the best performances for England for 2016. With the victory, The Three Lions collected 10 points and they are topping the table. Scotland have won 4 points so far (5th place in the standings).

Legia (Warsaw) and Real Madrid finished with a sensational draw (3-3) in the 2nd match of the group stage between these two teams. The Spaniards totally dominated and took a 2-0 lead during the first half. Gareth Bale opened the score with a magnificent volley from outside the box. Karim Benzema doubled the score in the 35th minute of the match. Meanwhile, Los Blancos missed a lot of chances, including a clearance from the goal line. However, the host team managed to score a goal just before the end of the first half. Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe became the goal-scorer for Legia Warsaw.

The miracle was a fact in the second half, when the experienced midfielder Miroslav Radovic equalized in the 58th minute. That’s his second goal against Los Blancos, as Radovic found the net in the first game between these two teams. It looked like the match will finish with the score of 2-2, but the home team took advantage of a great attack and Thibault Moulin gave Legia the lead for the first time in the game with just 7 minutes to go.

Then, Real Madrid started to attack even more aggressively. Just 2 minutes after Zinedine Zidane’s players conceded the 3rd goal, they managed to equalize after Mateo Kovacic’s good shot – 3-3! In the last minutes of the game Lucas Vazquez could even win the match for real Madrid, but the Spaniard saw his shot hit the bar.

Los Blancos are on a run of 27 consecutive games without a defeat in all competitions, but after this draw the team left in second position in the standings of Group F, after Borussia Dortmund won their match against Sporting Lisbon. The Polish team earned its first point in this year’s edition of the most prestigious European club tournament. With the point they won, Legia could even dream about the 3rd place in the group, but they will have to beat Sporting Lisbon in the last match of the group stage!

Real Madrid smashed Deportivo Alaves 4-1 away from home and kept their first position in the standings of the Primera Division. Ronaldo again showed his great goal-scoring abilities and found the net on three occasions. Los Blancos are still unbeaten from the beginning of the season in all competitions and have collected 24 points in the Spanish league.

There was obviously nothing special about the match, but when Alaves went in front with Deyverson’s goal in the 7th minute, a few minutes later Real Madrid received the chance to take a penalty. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up and what did he see… A crazy fan of Deportivo Alaves, who was showing his genitals metres away from Ronaldo’s face. However, The Portuguese goal-scoring machine didn’t distract and scored the equalizer.

If you see the replays from the game, you can also see some fans showing the lowest part of the back to the Real Madrid players. Maybe this is the unadulterated way of support from Deportivo Alaves’ fans, but in that case it didn’t work, because the visitors bagged 4 goals in total, but it may helped during the second penalty, taken by Ronaldo, which was missed by the forward.

On the other hand, Deportivo Alaves are lying in 15th place in the standings of Primera Division and the team will surely be involved in the relegation battle this season. But don’t forget that Alaves managed to win their away match against Barcelona, so it is most likely they remain in the top flight of the Spanish football.

At both ends, I am not sure whether the Alaves fans have tried to distract Lionel Messi and the other Barcelona stars, but they, for sure, will be remembered by Cristiano Ronaldo, who will have just one picture in his mind in the next few weeks after this match.

I have recently been wondering why Pep Guardiola decided to send Joe Hart to Torino on loan and buy Claudio Bravo. And, I just can’t find the answer. Yes, the Chilean is a good goalkeeper, but he has performed awfully since his arrival at the Etihad Stadium. Bravo made two terrible errors on his debut against Manchester United, which didn’t cost him much. However, he continued with the unpersuasive performance and in the last City’s match in The Champions League the goalkeeper made an incredible gift to Barcelona’s forwards, being sent off in the 53rd minute.

Moreover, Joe Hart has saved The Citizens a million times. The English international goalkeeper was the key reason for Manchester City’s performance in the Champions League last season, when The Citizens reached the semi-finals of the competition. Now, Joe Hart is in a good shape. He has only lost once since he has arrived in Torino! It’s always sad when such a loyal player come across such a situation, but Hart has acted really smart, agreeing gently with his manager and not saying something he would regret further.

It’s not a normal thing, when you say you have no problems with a player, to send him “in exile” and sign a player who isn’t better than him. Such things may cost the manager even his job. In Guardiola’s case this will hardly happen, but his actions were very stupid…

In conclusion, Pep Guardiola will soon realize he has made a mistake. But, I am not sure whether he is going to admit it. If we see Willy Caballero among the starting eleven – it will be a tacit admission for the mistake! However, Josep Guardiola must recall Hart as soon as possible, because with Claudio Bravo, who has a lack of confidence, The Citizens are not going to win anything this season!

The football coach Harry Redknapp has almost killed his wife Sandra in a tragic accident in Westbury (Bournemouth) on Tuesday, revealed “the Sun”. The 69-year-old manager has parked his car next to a shop, where his wife was on shopping. However, Redknapp’s wife’ jacket has been pinched by the door of the coach’s car. Harry has been so stray, that he has dragged his wife a lot before seeing that she actually hasn’t been inside the car, but outside it… So, Harry has dragged his wife several metres, but that has been enough to cause her a severe wound to her feet. Witnesses say that there has been of a lot of blood.

After the accident, Sandra has immediately been taken to a hospital, where the doctors have made an operation. At both ends, she is now okay: “She is okay, she will be fine,” a close friend of the family said. Sandra, who is also 69 years old, has a twin sister – Patricia, who is Frank Lampard’s mother.

Now, when the situation is in the past, Harry Redknapp can feel relief. Everyone is okay and the manager should be the happiest person in the world, because I’m not sure if he could forgive himself if something else has happened.

However, let’s say a few words about Harry Redknapp’s career, which has recently been sluggish. The last time he worked as a coach, was earlier this year when he was appointed as the national team manager of Jordan, but he has left the position after only 2 matches (8-0 victory against Bangladesh and 5-1 defeat to Australia). In his long and successful career, Harry Redknapp has been a football manager at Bournemouth, West Ham United, Portsmouth, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers. It will be really interesting if Harry returns to The Premier League (there are teams, which can be changing their managers soon).

Born in 1999, Alexander Isak is the name of maybe the most talented Swedish youngster nowadays. He has been observed by the big fishes in the football world. The talent has recently turned 17 years. He is a prodigy for his age as he shows a great set of qualities. The comparisons with Zlatan Ibrahimovic are not accidental!

The young talent is a product of the AIK football academy, as he is a part of the youth team from the distant 2005. On 28th February this year Isak made his debut for AIK. The forward came as a substitute in a match of the Swedish cup and immediately scored his first goal! Several months later, he is selected for his team’s match against Ostersunds. Alexander Isak then scored his first league goal to secure the 2-0 victory! He became the youngest goal-scorer in AIK’s history, finding the net at the age of 16 years and 199 days. He received his first professional contract shortly after this. Since then, the youngster has scored 8 goals in the league and has found the net on 3 occasions in cup matches! His teammate Chinedu Obasi has compared Isak to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and I think he is very close to the truth!

The young Swedish forward has a great physique, but this is only a small part of the qualities we can see in him. Alexander is a very fast player with a great vision. He has good finishing skills. In addition, he can play one-touch football! The thing Isak must improve is his performance in a defensive aspect. However, he has the time and the basics to build on and if he keeps going like that, he will be the next Zlatan Ibrahimovic!

So, I don’t wonder why Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool and Juventus are among the teams, which has declared their interest for the player. Moreover, Alexander Isak has already made his debut for Sweden U21, even though he is 17! The forward has also scored twice in 6 matches for Sweden U17. Now we must wait and see whether Alexander Isak can improve and see his name in a bigger club.

It’s been now 20 years since the start of the career of one of the greatest midfielders in the history of football – Andres Iniesta. The Spaniard began his youth career on 6th October 1996, appearing on the pitch just 20 days after joining Barcelona’s academy “La Masia”. The midfielder has spent his entire career at Barcelona. Moreover, he (alongside with Lionel Messi) is the player to win the most trophies with the club (29 so far). Iniesta is one of Barcelona’s legends and he still has what to show on the pitch.

To continue with, the player made his debut for the senior team of Barcelona on 29th October 2002 in a Champions League match against Club Brugge in Belgium. His first goal for the club came against Levante in a Copa Del Rey match, just 3 minutes after he appeared on the pitch. Another memorable moment for the midfielder is his first Champions League trophy in 2006, when he appeared on the pitch in the final game at the halftime. He was the key reason for Barcelona to turn things around against Arsenal, setting up the equalizing goal.

But, Andres Iniesta is also very successful at international level. The first trophy he lifted with the Spanish national shirt was the UEFA European U17 Championship in 2001, then a year later, he was a part of the team, which won the Euro U19 Championship. Iniesta played for Spain U21 until 2006, when he made his first appearance for Spain. He was surprisingly included in Spain’s squad for the World Cup 2006. However, he only took part in one match – against Saudi Arabia (1-0 victory).

Then, Iniesta was a crucial part of Spain’s biggest successes at international stage. He lifted the European Championship twice (2008 and 2012) and the World Cup in 2010. Andres Iniesta scored the most important goal of his career in the final of the WC against Holland in the 116th minute, bringing the trophy to La Furia Roja.

The Spanish champions Barcelona missed the chance to take the leadership position in La Liga, after losing to Celta 3-4 in their visit to Vigo in a game of the seventh round. The Catalans were shocked, after they conceded 3 goals before the break.

As you know, Lionel Messi is still injured and he couldn’t take part in the game. However, Barcelona have enough classy players, who can replace the Argentinian magician, but it this case they weren’t at their usual level.

Luis Enrique’s players conceded all the Celta’s goals because of huge errors in defence. Barcelona weren’t concentrated enough and the logical thing happened in the 22nd minute of the game, when Sisto took advantage of a poor clearance and found Barcelona’s net. 1-0! Then, just 10 minutes later Iago Aspas scored after a great counter attack. Just 2 minutes after the second goal for Celta Vigo, the French international defender Jeremy Mathieu scored an own goal after unsuccessful tackle. So, the home team punished Barcelona’s poor performance in defence with 3 goals in just 12 minutes.

The captain of Barcelona Andres Iniesta replaced Rafinha at the break. That was the 600th match for the Spanish international midfielder with Barcelona’s shirt. And the result was obvious after the inclusion of the experienced midfielder. Gerard Pique started to play more often in attack for the champions and the defender scored a cancellation with a header in the 58th minute after Iniesta’s great cross in the box.

6 minutes later, the Brazilian superstar Neymar bagged another goal for Barcelona. This time, he scored from the penalty spot. 3-2! But, the lack of concentration again costed too much to Barcelona. The goalkeeper ter Stegen kicked the ball in the head of Hernandez in the 77th minute and the ball was in the Barcelona’s net for the 4th time in the match. The Catalans didn’t stop chasing the point until the final whistle of the match, even though they were losing 4-2.

Gerard Pique scored another goal 3 minutes before the end of the regular time, but that was the last goal in the match and Barcelona couldn’t take the 1st place in the league, leaving at 4th position after the teams of Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Sevilla.

Nobody can actually say an exact date for the beginning of football. The game has its origins from 200 years BC, when there had been a form of the game, played in China. There had been many peoples, who had had their own versions of the ancient football. For example, Romans and Greeks had also played such a game.

To continue with, football in Britain had started to be played in the early Middle Ages, when the Anglo-Saxons had repelled an attack by the Danes. It had been a kind of a celebration for the people. But, it had been way too different than nowadays’ football. All the villages had taken part in the game, which had been a massive one.

During the years, many monarchs had tried to ban the newly invented game, but people had been so passionate about football, that nobody could stop them playing it!

The first real attempt for changing football to the game we are familiar with now, had been the draw up of the rules in 1848 at Cambridge University (Cambridge Rules – the basis of the FA rules). A few years later (1855) Sheffield FC had become the first football club in the world. It had been formed by the members of the local cricket club.

After those crucial events, there had been formed lots of new clubs in The UK. I am only going to mention a few of the oldest football clubs. As we said Sheffield FC is the oldest club (1855), the next to appear as a football club had been Notts County of Nottingham in 1862; Sheffield Wednesday in 1867; Aston Villa in 1874; Domingo FC (Everton) and Newton Heat (Manchester United) – 1878; Stanley FC (Newcastle United) – 1881; Arsenal – 1886 and so on.

Here are other important events, which had changed the game a lot: it had been determined that a team should consist of 11 players (1870); Wanderers had won the first edition of the FA Cup (1872); England 0-0 Scotland had been the first English international match (1872); introduction of the crossbar (1875); two-handed throw-ins (1883); the football professionalism had been legalized (1885); Preston North End had become the first champions of England (1889); the goal net had been introduced and the introduction of the penalty kick (1891) and many, many other events had transformed football to the game we all know!

So, that’s the first chapter of the football game. Later, we will take a closer look to other historical events, connected with the English football.

Sam Allardyce has been involved in a huge scandal. The new English national team manager has been investigated by “Telegraph” journalists about giving advices how to sidestep the FA regulations for the football transfers. The manager has received £400,000 for his advices!

Even before he held his first practice as an English national coach, Allardyce has negotiated the deal with people who are representing the company in the Far East, which is hoping to win a lot of money from the transfer market in the UK. As a result, The FA has immediately launched an investigation of the case.

The ‘Big’ Sam has agreed to travel to Singapore and Hong Kong as an ambassador of football and has explained to the business people how to circumvent the rules of the Football Association, which prohibits “third party” companies to possess the rights of a player.

To continue with, Sam Allardyce hasn’t understood that the businessmen were actually undercover journalists. They have secretly filmed him.

The two meetings between Allardyce and the “businessmen” have lasted four hours. The manager explained to them that there is no problem to circumvent the rules laid down by his own employers – FA. Allardyce has even said that he knows of agents who do this “all the time” and has added: “Here are the big money!” The ‘Big’ Sam has also criticized his predecessor Roy Hodgson, calling him a “Woy”.

“There is a psychological barrier for the English players. That’s why they underperform… The players, who don’t play regularly for their clubs mustn’t be called up… The FA decision for Wembley was silly…” Sam Allardyce has said to the undercover journalists.

The FA have banned the “third party” participation in the footballers’ rights (called modern slavery) in 2008.

On the other hand, Sam Allardyce’s salary is big enough. The manager has signed a contract for £3 m. per season. But, obviously, he doesn’t reject any “bonuses”. However, the manager’s actions are a possible conflict of interest, because he can take benefits from selecting a concrete football player in the squad.

“Telegraph” has tried to ask Allardyce a few questions before publishing the article, but the manager has refused to talk about it. The FA has also started an investigation and has requested all the details.

Asier Garitano has shown he is a great football coach. The 46-year-old Spaniard has been in charge of Leganes since 2013. Garitano led Leganes to a historical first participation in La Liga, as the team won promotion last season, after becoming second in the Segunda Division.

But what is special about the coach? He and his footballers are not afraid of the big names in the league! They recorded an impressive victory in the first round of La Liga away against Celta Vigo 1-0! Then, they won a point against one of the favourites in the division – Atletico Madrid (0-0). And after 4 rounds, the newly promoted team has collected 4 points, which is an impressive performance for a team, which has never played in the first tier of the football leagues in the country.

If you only see the numbers of the last match of the team against Barcelona (1-5) you can think that Leganes are weak, but this is not true! The newly promoted team was the better team during the first half of the game, pressing deeply the Catalans, being not afraid of playing football against one of the best teams in the world. However, Leganes were unlucky to concede a goal in the 15th minute of the match. Yes, Luis Enrique looked scared before his team’s first goal! Then, the masterclass of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar decided the game.

Moreover, Asier Garitano uses different tactics against the different teams in the division, which is a very important thing for a team, which main target is avoiding relegation! The coach knows what he has in the squad and uses all his players’ strengths, in order to win points. And be sure that Leganes are going to take more points and confuse some of the biggest Spanish teams. In my opinion, the team will eventually avoid relegation!

Benfica made a terrible mistake! Not on the pitch, but with one of their transfers. The Portuguese club loaned out the Brazilian forward Talisca to Besiktas for 1+1 years. The Turkish team only paid €2 m. and the salary of the player. But, believe me, it’s worth!

The forward very rapidly proved he is a very good player. He scored against his former team in the 3rd minute of the added time, to win a priceless point for his current team! And he did it after a brilliant free-kick.

It was obvious that Talisca is a classy forward. With the very few chances he had to play for Benfica, the Brazilian managed to score against Bayern Munich and Zenit in the Champions League last season. The 22-year-old forward also 12 goals in 2 seasons for Benfica in the Portuguese league, but he was mostly used as a substitute.

But, it is not only about his goals. Talisca has a great technique and can keep the ball for his team. He is also a very fast player. The forward has already been a part of the Brazilian national team, which goes to show that I am not the only man, who thinks the forward is a great talent.

To continue with, in such a situation for the Brazilian national team, I won’t be surprised if Tite calls Talisca for international duty again. Yes, Brazil has lots of good players, but they are not from the range of Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho, except Neymar. So, I think Talisca will soon become a regular first team player for Brazil.

At both ends, Besiktas can be very happy that Talisca is in their squad. The Turkish club has made a really good selection and no wonders if they retain their title in Turkey and proceed to the knockout stage of The Champions League!

The biggest Brazilian talent – Neymar, has received an extraordinary offer from one of the richest clubs in the world – Paris Saint-Germain. Just before, he decided to stay at Barcelona, the Brazilian has been offered with a €40 m. annual salary, which was €15 m. more than Neymar’s salary at Barcelona. The French club has just needed the agreement of the forward, before activating the €190 m. buyout clause.

However, money is not everything for the 24-year-old forward, and he made his decision to stay at Barcelona. Furthermore, Neymar signed a new contract with his current team.

“Even though he is going to receive less at Barcelona, Neymar has decided to stay at the club,” Wagner Ribeiro, the Neymar’s agent said in an interview.

The new contract of the 24-year-old Brazil international player will expire in 2021, and the releasing clause is considered to be €200 m. in the beginning of the contract and €250 m. at the end of it. However, money is not a problem for clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, but it’s not everything for players like Neymar.

The Brazilian has become even more successive after the past two seasons, as he won La Liga (twice), Copa Del Rey (twice), the Spanish Supercup, The Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup. He also won the Olympic football tournament with Brazil a month ago. So, the only thing he is interested in now, is winning more trophies!

At both ends, if you receive €25 m. per year, will you be interested in increasing it. I think it’s a good enough salary. Yes, you are going to say – the bigger, the better, which is true. But, Neymar is not playing anymore for money – he is enjoying his partnership with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez and he wants to win more trophies, which is very likely to happen while he is at Barcelona. So, I think he has made the right decision!

We rarely see something like this in the international qualifying games for the World Cup. In a breathtaking match, Bulgaria beat Luxembourg 4-3 at home.

To begin with, there are no players like Hristo Stoichkov, Krasimir Balakov and Yordan Lechkov, who were part from the golden generation of the Bulgarian football (4th place at the World Cup 1994). That’s why the Bulgarians have such problems now against teams like Luxembourg. They just don’t have enough classy players.

But, we mustn’t underestimate Luxembourg, who scored 3 away goals for the first time in their history! They looked really good on the pitch and showed a great discipline against the favourites in the game.

The first half started with an early goal, scored by Dimitar Rangelov, after a shot from a long distance. And nobody then expected something like this to happen. Nothing interesting until the end of the first half – 1-0. A few minutes after the break, Joachim equalized after a big error in the Bulgarian defence. Just a couple of minutes later, Joachim shocked the home team again – 1-2!

The joy of the Luxembourg team lasted only 3 minutes, when Marcelinho found the net for Bulgaria after a corner kick. It looked like the home team couldn’t win the three points until the 80th minute, when Ivelin Popov of Spartak Moscow converted a free-kick into a goal – 3-2!

And it can’t be even more dramatic – in the first minute of the added time, the 18-year-old Florian Bohnert equalized, scoring his first ever international goal in his second appearance! The teenager took advantage of his speed and scored with a great volley – 3-3!

And when it looked like it will be a draw, the substitute player Aleksandar Tonev scored after a great long-distance shot, just a few seconds after the equalizing goal. So, Bulgaria took the 3 points in their first qualifying game and the situation in the group is really interesting, as Belarus and France finished with a 0-0 draw, while Sweden and Netherlands also recorded a draw (1-1).

As you all know the biggest amount of football transfers happen in the last day, which is called the “Deadline day”. Now, the transfer window slams shut and everything is clear – who will play where! Here is the list with all the last-minute transfers with the Premier League clubs involved.

• 23:13 David Luiz [Paris St-Germain – Chelsea] £34m

That was absolutely the most interesting transfer – 2 years ago Luiz was sold to PSG for about £50 m. Now, the most expensive defender in the world returned to his former club Chelsea and will try to regain the fans’ love.

• 23:02 Moussa Sissoko [Newcastle United – Tottenham] £30m.

The participant in the Euro 2016 was just too good for the Championship side Newcastle and logically he made a move to a Premier League club. However, he was close to sign for Everton, but Tottenham’s contract offer was better than Toffees’.

• 21:14 Islam Slimani [Sporting Lisbon – Leicester City] Reported £29m

The Algerian goal-scoring machine became the last Ranieri’s signing this summer. The forward will be very helpful to The Foxes, as he is expected to build a great partnership with the English striker Jamie Vardy.

• 20:52 Alvaro Arbeloa [Real Madrid – West Ham] Free

A really good signing for Slaven Bilic! Alvaro Arbeloa has proven he is a world class defender and he can only boost the Hammers’ performance in defence. And as we can see there is no transfer amount for the Spaniard, so that was a really good move by the Croatian manager!

• Jack Wilshere [Arsenal – Bournemouth] Loan
• 20:38 Mario Balotelli [Liverpool – Nice] Free

The Italian international forward saw himself needless at Anfield. His future was really unclear until the very last second of the transfer window. Now, the striker will try to bring back his best form in Nice.

• 18:23 Georges-Kevin Nkoudou [Marseille – Tottenham] £9m
• 17:02 Eliaquim Mangala [Manchester City – Valencia] Loan

With the signing of John Stones, Eliaquim Mangala had no more place in the team of Manchester City. So, Pep Guardiola sent the defender on loan, which solved the problem.

• 16:54 Marcos Alonso [Fiorentina – Chelsea] Reported £23m

Alonso was part of Real Madrid’s academy. He even recorded one match for Los Blancos. Then, the left fullback played for Bolton Wanderers, Fiorentina and Sunderland (on loan). This, for sure, is the biggest step in his senior career!

• 16:01 Jeff Hendrick [Derby – Burnley] £10.5m
• 15:36 Didier Ndong [Lorient – Sunderland] £13.6m

This is a transfer record for Sunderland. Moyes knows well that he needs lots of quality players to secure the team’s place in The Premier League for at least one more season. That’s why the Scottish manager didn’t think about the prices when spending!

• 14:14 Samir Nasri [Manchester City – Sevilla] Loan

The agony of Samir Nasri at Manchester City will finally come to an end. The Frenchman has lost his place in the starting eleven long time ago and has been used mostly when someone had been injured. However, we will see whether his spell at Sevilla will be successful, as this is only a loan transfer.

• 13:00 Wilfried Bony [Manchester City – Stoke] Loan
• 12:01 Joe Hart [Manchester City – Torino] Loan
• 00:04 Markus Henriksen [AZ Alkmaar – Hull City] Loan
• 23:16 Hal Robson-Kanu [Reading – West Brom] Free
• 22:56 Enner Valencia [West Ham – Everton] Loan
• 22:55 Rickie Lambert [West Brom – Cardiff City] Undisclosed
• 22:55 Andre Wright [West Brom – Coventry] Loan
• 22:50 Ikechi Anya [Watford – Derby] Undisclosed
• 22:45 Dieumerci Mbokani [Dynamo Kiev – Hull City] Loan

Hull City desperately needed fresh players! Mbokani has enough experience in The Premier League, as he was a part from Norwich City last season. He showed he is a good striker, scoring 7 goals in 29 matches.

• 22:40 Marvin Emnes [Swansea – Blackburn] Loan
• 22:30 Christian Atsu [Chelsea – Newcastle] Loan
• 22:00 Keshi Anderson [Crystal Palace – Bolton] Loan
• 22:00 Lucas Piazon [Chelsea – Fulham] Loan
• 22:00 Jason Denayer [Manchester City – Sunderland] Loan
• 21:34 Aiden McGeady [Everton – Preston] Loan

The failure of the determined as one of the most talented Irish football players ever continues. McGeady will now play for the Championship side Preston North End.

• 21:30 Dael Fry [Middlesbrough – Rotherham] Loan
• 21:00 Adam Reach [Middlesbrough – Sheffield Wednesday] Undisclosed
• 21:00 Baily Cargill [Bournemouth – Gillingham] Loan
• 21:00 James Weir [Man Utd – Hull City] Undisclosed
• 20:30 Glen Kamara [Arsenal – Colchester] Loan
• 20:15 Allan Nyom [Watford – West Brom] Undisclosed
• 20:00 Alex Baptiste [Middlesbrough – Preston] Loan
• 20:00 Marnick Vermijl [Sheffield Wednesday – Preston] Undisclosed
• 19:45 Ryan Inniss [Crystal Palace – Southend] Loan
• 19:45 Alex Jakubiak [Watford – Fleetwood] Loan
• 19:30 Pau Lopez [Espanyol – Tottenham] Loan
• 19:15 Eunan O’Kane [Bournemouth – Leeds] Undisclosed
• 19:00 Nathan Oduwa [Tottenham – Peterborough] Loan
• 19:00 Luke McGee [Tottenham – Peterborough] Loan
• 19:00 Jake Clarke-Salter [Chelsea – Bristol Rovers] Loan
• 19:00 Charlie Colkett [Chelsea – Bristol Rovers] Loan
• 18:30 Kean Bryan [Manchester City – Bury] Loan
• 18:23 Clinton Njie [Tottenham – Marseille] Loan
• 18:00 Andre Wisdom [Liverpool – Red Bull Salzburg] Loan
• 17:49 Sean Murray [Watford – Swindon] Free
• 17:46 Juan Cuadrado [Chelsea – Juventus] Loan

The loan costed Juventus £4.2 m. And if they want to keep the Colombian international after the end of the season, they will have to pay another £16.8 m.

• 17:22 Cameron McJannett [Luton – Stoke] Undisclosed
• 17:15 Dean Henderson [Manchester United – Grimsby] Loan
• 17:05 Philipp Wollscheid [Stoke – Wolfsburg] Loan
• 17:03 Sullay Kaikai [Crystal Palace – Brentford] Loan
• 17:00 Hiram Boateng [Crystal Palace – Bristol Rovers] Loan
• 16:35 Luis Alberto [Liverpool – Lazio] £4.3m
• 16:20 Albert Adomah [Middlesbrough – Aston Villa] Undisclosed
• 16:03 Adama Traore [Aston Villa – Middlesbrough] Undisclosed
• 16:00 Shay Facey [Manchester City – Heerenveen] Loan
• 15:45 Jonny Williams [Crystal Palace – Ipswich] Loan
• 14:47 Serge Gnabry [Arsenal – Werder Bremen] Undisclosed

I think this is another transfer mistake by Arsene Wenger! Serge Gnabry is a very talented player. He was a part of the Germany U23 team at the Olympics. Gnabry even became the top goal-scorer of the competition with 6 goals in 6 matches.

• 13:35 Cristian Cuevas [Chelsea – Sint-Truidense] Loan
• 13:30 Rhoys Wiggins [Bournemouth – Birmingham] Loan
• 13:00 Mustapha Carayol [Middlesbrough – Nottingham Forest] Free
• 11:16 Lee Grant [Derby – Stoke] Loan
• 10:59 Luke Croll [Crystal Palace – Exeter] Loan
• 10:53 Kenneth Omeruo [Chelsea – Alanyaspor] Loan

The former German international footballer Bastian Schweinsteiger has always shown how professional he is! And this case makes no exception. The midfielder has announced that no matter how many times he will be involved with the first team, he will stay at Old Trafford. Schweinsteiger has said that Manchester United will be his last club in Europe.

The midfielder had a long and successful era at Bayern Munich and the German national team, but he decided to move to Manchester United a year ago. However, he was unlucky to be injured in most of the time during the last season, which almost costed him the participation at the Euro 2016 in France. Then, after the tournament Bastian Schweinsteiger announced his retirement from international football.

Now, with the arrival of Jose Mourinho, the midfielder found himself useless for the team and was even sent to practice with the youngsters. And even though the new Portuguese manager of Man United showed such disrespect to his star player, the German midfielder proved he is a great professional and will stay loyal to The Red Devils.

Who knows – the season is long enough and Schweinsteiger may be a good option for The Special One in midfield if any of his first choice midfielder receive an injury. Moreover, Manchester United are going to take part in 4 competitions, so there is still a chance for Bastian Schweinsteiger to be involved with the first team football.

“Manchester United will be my last club in Europe. I respect all the other teams, but The Red Devils were the only team, which could make me leave my favourite Bayern Munich. I will be ready to help my team, my teammates and my coach if they need me. This is all about my current situation at the club. I just want to thank all the fans for their incredible support during the last few weeks,” Bastian Schweinsteiger posted in one of the social media sites.

In conclusion, Jose Mourinho is one of the smartest managers and he knows best what he needs, to lift trophies. He knows that Schweinsteiger is not in his best condition and the manager can use such a trick to make the midfielder improve his form. For sure, Schweinsteiger can also be very useful outside the pitch, because he is very experienced and classy footballer. Will we see Schweinsteiger in action for Manchester United this season – we will find out very soon!

After 9 seasons at Manchester City, Joe Hart realized he has no more place in his favourite team. The English national team goalkeeper was unused substitution in the 3 official matches for The Citizens from the beginning of the new season and Pep Guardiola has clearly shown that he won’t rely on Manchester City’s first choice goalkeeper for the last 9 years.

The Spanish manager has told Joe Hart that he is free to look for a new team abroad. The Toffees had the opportunity to sign the goalkeeper on loan for a year, but they eventually refused, because the salary of Joe Hart is too high for them (£135 K. per week). So, all the loan cost would have been about £7 m. with the salary included, which is too high for a player, who can stay for only one season!

I think Joe Hart is a player, who doesn’t deserve to be a substitute. Moreover, he had a very good season last year, helping his team reach the semi-finals of The Champions League for the first time in the history of Manchester City. So, Hart will surely leave The Citizens until the end of the summer transfer window.

Wilfredo Caballero was the second choice goalkeeper for Manchester City in the last 2 years and only recorded 6 league matches in 2 seasons. But, he proved he is a very good goalkeeper and now the Argentinian has impressed his new head coach, who will surely rely on Caballero at least until the end of the campaign.

At both ends, everyone thinks Hart will easily find a new team because of his undeniable qualities, but think about his salary and count the teams, which are ready to pay such a salary for a goalkeeper! In addition, Joe Hart doesn’t have much time to find his new team. He will desperately look for a new challenge, because if he wants to remain England’s first choice in goal, he inevitably must play!

The Royal club won the UEFA Super Cup after a very dramatic victory against Sevilla. Real Madrid won 3-2 after extra time. This is the third Super Cup for Los Blancos and the fourth lost final for Sevilla. Los Rojiblancos lost their 3^rd final match for The European Super Cup in 3 years!

Zinedine Zidane couldn’t rely on Cristiano Ronaldo, who received an injury in the final of the Euro 2016. Toni Kroos, Pepe and Gareth Bale were also sidelined, while Luka Modric, James Rodriguez and Karim Benzema started from the bench.

However, Real Madrid pressured Sevilla very high in the beginning of the game, which led to a goal for the Royal club. The young talent Marco Asensio scored a magnificent goal from a long distance in the 21^st minute. But, Sevilla played better during the first half and logically equalized 4 minutes before the end of the first half. The new signing Franco Vazquez was the goal-scorer.

Sevilla managed to turn things around during the second half, when the referee gave a controversial penalty, which was scored by Yevhen Konoplyanka in the 72^nd minute. Zinedine Zidane, of course, immediately played his first-choice players Modric, Benzema and James Rodriguez. Real Madrid were lucky to equalize in the very last minute of the game. Again, Sergio Ramos became the hero for Los Blancos, scoring the equalizer in the added time.

The Champions League winners were simply better in the extra time and missed several good goal-scoring chances. Just 2 minutes before the final whistle of the match, Daniel Carvajal dribbled past several Sevilla’s players and scored a terrific goal with a good shot, to bring the trophy to Real Madrid. That was the fourth ever goal for Carvajal with Real Madrid’s colours, but how important it was!

In conclusion, Real Madrid put on display a really good performance and even though they were without a big part of their key players, the Royal club lifted another trophy! Sevilla also showed they are a big club, but were unlucky again.

There are players, who doesn’t care about the loyalty, but only about money and glory. Nicolas Anelka was just one of these players. But, the point is that he was an extraordinary striker. The Frenchman had a really good sense of how to score goals. He was fast and technically gifted. That’s why he had a long career and he was a part of the greatest football clubs in the world.

As a youngster, Anelka signed his first professional contract with Paris Saint-Germain in 1996 at the age of 16! He was so gifted, that after just 10 games with the Parisians Arsenal bought him for a fee of £500,000, when he was just 17 years old. After 3 very successful seasons in London, the French striker was signed by Real Madrid! But, his spell with Los Blancos lasted just 1 season and eventually he returned to his first team Paris Saint-Germain.

Nicolas Anelka played for 12 different teams during his long career. But, the most interesting about it is that he didn’t care about whether these teams’ fans hate each other. So, at different stages of his career, Nicolas Anelka was a part of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion!

But, actually, money is not everything for Anelka. Because of his temperament, he suffered the anger of his coaches, and that’s why he moved from team to team so frequently. However, now the French striker can say that he has played for the best teams in the world. In addition, he had a great international career. The forward was a part of The Blues’ selection in 2000, when France won the European championship! Anelka scored 14 goals in 69 matches for France.

In conclusion, the striker bagged more than 200 goals at a club level. He has won the Champions League, when he was at Real Madrid (2000). So, even though he changed so many teams, Anelka is still one of the best strikers in the world!

The Brazilian team U23 was very unimpressive in its first game at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The match was held in Estadio Nacional de Brasilia. The host nation finished with a 0-0 draw against South Africa and recorded only a point after its first game in the competition. Neymar was also disappointed, even though he tried his best to find the Africans’ net. However, the big hero for the visiting team was the goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, who made 8 saves in the match.

Moreover, Brazil played against 10 men for more than 30 minutes, because Mothobi Mvala was sent off for collecting 2 yellow cards in the 59th minute. The new signing of Manchester City – Gabriel Jesus made the biggest miss in the match, when in the second half, he hit the post from about 2 metres. Neymar tried two good long range shots, but Khune made fantastic saves.
The next two matches from the group stage for Brazil are against Iraq and Denmark. These two teams also finished with a 0-0 draw, so there are no goals in the group A yet. In the next round Brazil are going to meet Iraq on 8th August, while Denmark will play against South Africa.

Meanwhile, Oribe Peralta is playing his second Olympic games for Mexico. He won a golden medal with his nation in 2012 and now he is motivated to retain the trophy. Peralta score one of the goals for Mexico against Germany (2-2). To continue with, one of the favourites – Argentina lost 0-2 to Portugal, which was very disappointing for Albiceleste.

Here are the other matches from the first round of the group stage of the Olympic football tournament in Rio de Janeiro 2016:

Group A: Brazil 0-0 South Africa; Iraq 0-0 Denmark;
Group B: Sweden 2-2 Colombia; Nigeria 5-4 Japan;
Group C: Mexico 2-2 Germany; Fiji 0-8 South Korea;
Group D: Honduras 3-2 Algeria; Portugal 2-0 Argentina;

Which is the sweetest way to proceed to the next round of the Champions League? The dramatic one! Something extraordinary happened in the 3^rd qualifying round of the most prestigious European club competition. Have you thought about how many goals can score a team in the added time of a match?

APOEL Nicosia made a miracle in the second match of the 3^rd qualifying round of the Champions League against Rosenborg (Norway). The Norwegian team won the first leg 2-1, so the Cypriots needed a victory at home, to proceed to the next round of the competition.

The home team started very well, but they were unlucky to miss lots of chances in front of Rosenborg’s goal. APOEL’s players even hit the bar twice. And it looked like the Norwegian side will find its place in the next round of the tournament.

And here is the answer of the question “how many goals can you score in the added time of a match”. The fourth official showed 6 minutes of added time. APOEL started to cross the ball in the Rosenborg’s penalty area and they were lucky to find the net in the 92^nd minute of the game. 1-0! Giannis Gianniotas was the goal-scorer for his team. But, that wasn’t enough for the Cypriots! Just 4 minutes later, the Brazilian Vander bagged the second goal for APOEL in the match. Happy with the score, the footballers of the home team organized one more attack and Tomas De Vincenti took advantage of a mistake by Rosenborg’s goalkeeper and tucked the ball away for the classic score of 3-0 in APOEL’s favour. That was the last goal of the game and it was scored in the 98^th minute (2 minutes after the official added time ended).

There were also lots of interesting matches on Tuesday. You must also check how the Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad smashed 4-2 Crvena Zvezda of Serbia after extra time. It’s really a rare case, two legs to finish with a 2-2 draw each!

In conclusion, we have to say that a team needs about 7 seconds to organize a dangerous attack, which can lead to a goal. So, no wonder how APOEL scored 3 goals in the added time of their most important match of the season!

The debutants Wales smashed Russia 3-0 after a sensational performance in the final match of the Group B. The Dragons finished with 6 points and won the group, leaving the teams of England (5 pts.) and Slovakia (4 pts.) behind them. The Russians became the second team to leave the championship, after collecting only 1 point in 3 games. The victory for Wales means that the team is going to play against one of the third-placed teams of group A (Albania), C (Poland or Northern Ireland) or D (Croatia or Czech Republic). The Three Lions are going to face the second best team in group F (all the teams of this group are still involved in the battle for this place). To continue with, Slovakia are surely going to find their place in the Round of 16, even though they left in the 3rd place of their group.

The Fans at the stadium in Toulouse saw one of the most brilliant matches in the history of Welsh football. Aaron Ramsey opened the score in the 11th minute. Just nine minutes later Neil Taylor doubled, and in the 67th minute Bale, himself, also sent the ball into the net. He managed to set a new record, scoring the biggest number of goals for his country at a major tournament.

The head coach of Russia, Leonid Slutsky replaced all of his three central midfielders, betting on Denis Glushakov, Pavel Mamayev and Roman Shirokov. Dmitri Kombarov started as a left fullback. Sam Vokes was the only change in Wales’ starting eleven.

Real Madrid’s superstar Gareth Bale could open the score in the first minute of the game, when advanced into the penalty area and took a shot with his left foot, but Igor Akinfeev saved. Then, the Russians tried pressing higher and that worked for about 10 minutes, but in the 11th minute Joe Allen assisted brilliantly to Aaron Ramsey, who left one-on-one with the keeper and lobbed him, to score the first goal of the game. 1-0 in Wales’ favour!

The Russians seemed to be very confused after the goal and The Dragons took advantage of the situation. In the 20th minute, Gareth Bale dribbled the ball through the centre of the pitch, a Russian defender touched it and unfortunately for his team found the left fullback Neil Taylor of Swansea City, who had no problems to score the second goal of the game.

However, Wales was simply better than their opponents and created many goal-scoring chances (mainly on counter attacks). During the second half, Bale had the chance to shoot from a free-kick, but he couldn’t repeat his attempts from the first two games (against Slovakia and England). The forward eventually found the net in the 67th minute. Aaron Ramsey made a great pass, Sam Vokes was in offside position but he didn’t play with the ball. Gareth Bale ran on the left flank, took the ball and scored with the outside part of his left foot. 3-0!

France 1960

The first ever European championship has been held in France in 1960. Only 4 teams have taken part in the tournament and it has started directly from the semi-finals. All the other stages of the competition have been a part of the qualifying campaign. The 4 semi-finalists were Czechoslovakia, France (hosts), the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. The rules of the qualifiers have also been different. There has been a preliminary round, in which Czechoslovakia have won 4-2 on aggregate against Republic of Ireland. The next stage has been called “1^st round”, followed by the quarterfinals. The most interesting fact is the qualification of the Soviet Union. They have secured their place at the Euro 1960, because the Spaniards have refused to travel to the Soviet Union. However, The Red Army have eventually become the first ever European champions after a 3-0 victory against Czechoslovakia in the semi-finals and a 2-1 victory against Yugoslavia in the final match after extra time. Viktor Ponedelnik has scored the winning goal in the 113^th minute of the final match. It’s interesting that his last name means “Monday”. The third place has been won by Czechoslovakia

1. Soviet Union
2. Yugoslavia
3. Czechoslovakia

Spain 1964

The rules of the Euro 1964 have been the same as in 1960. So, again only 4 teams have taken part in the finals. The biggest surprise of the qualifying campaign has been the team of Luxembourg, which has reached the quarterfinals after a draw and a victory against Holland. Then, The Red Lions have played a playoff against Denmark after 2 draws against The Red Dynamite, but Luxembourg have lost it 0-1 and that’s how Denmark have reached the semi-finals. The Soviet Union’s team has been among the best in the world at that time. The Red Army have reached the final on second consecutive occasion, but this time the host nation Spain has won the final.

1. Spain
2. Soviet Union
3. Hungary

Italy 1968

This time the qualifying system was different (8 groups and the winners of them play at the quarterfinals). This time 2 new teams reached the finals. The Euro 1968 is the first European championship for England. The Three Lions won qualifying group 8, leaving behind them the teams of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Then, England beat twice Spain to find their place in the semi-finals of the competition. Unfortunately, England lost to Yugoslavia 0-1, but won the third place after a victory against the Soviet Union. Geoff Hurst and Bobby Charlton found the Soviet Union’s net in the 3^rd place playoff. But what is more interesting? Italy, who eventually became the European champions were close to be eliminated in the quarterfinals, where they lost the first leg to Bulgaria 2-3. The Italians won the second leg 2-0 and found their place in the semi-finals. Then, Italy had a huge luck again. The match against the Soviet Union finished with a 0-0 draw. And the winner was decided by a coin toss.

“I went up with the Russian captain. We went down to the dressing rooms together, accompanied by two administrators from the two teams. The referee pulled out an old coin and I called tails. It was the right call and Italy were through to the final. I went racing upstairs as the stadium was still full and about 70,000 fans were waiting to hear the result. My celebrations told them that they could celebrate an Italian victory,” Facchetti said. That’s how Italy reached the final match against Yugolavia, which they won after a replay (with luck again). They equalized to 1-1 in the 80^th minute of the final and won the replay 2-0.

1. Italy
2. Yugoslavia
3. England

Belgium 1972

That was the fourth consecutive European championship for the Soviet Union. However, the Russians could never repeat their results from 1960. Belgium and West Germany made their debuts at the European championships in 1972 and the Germans made a remarkable performance, winning their first European title, after 2-1 victory against the host nation Belgium in the semi-finals and a smashing 3-0 victory against the Soviet Union in the final match. We have to say that England were very close to qualify, but lost 1-3 on aggregate to the then-champions West Germany.

1. West Germany
2. Soviet Union
3. Belgium

Yugoslavia 1976

The first hat-trick in the European championship’s history was scored at the Euro 1976. Dieter Muller of West Germany was his author in German’s victory at the semi-finals against Yugoslavia. However, West Germany eventually lost the final to Czechoslovakia on penalties, after finishing with a 2-2 draw. This result is one of the biggest surprises at the European championships ever. The glorious victory for Czechoslovakia came after Panenka took his cheeky penalty, which secured the title. The Euro 1976 was the first European championship, in which the Soviet Union couldn’t qualify. The Russians were defeated in the quarterfinals from the then-champions Czechoslovakia (4-2 on aggregate).

1. Czechoslovakia
2. West Germany
3. Holland

Italy 1980

The Euro 1980 was the first extended European championship, as the number of the qualified teams doubled to 8. That was also the first occasion when the host nation qualified automatically, without taking part in the qualifiers. Except the host nation, the winners in the 7 qualifying groups found their places in the Euro 1980.

However, the rules of the final tournament were again very different from nowadays’ regulations. There were 2 groups, as the winner of which played in the final match. The second best teams in both groups took part in the 3^rd place playoff. Another different thing is the pointing system, which was giving 2 points for a victory and 1 point for a draw. England recorded 2^nd appearance at the European championships, but The Three Lions couldn’t make it to the final. After a 1-1 draw against Belgium, England lost 0-1 to the host nation Italy. In the third game, The Three Lions beat Spain 2-1.

The final was a repetition of the semi-final match of the Euro 1972. West Germany beat Belgium 2-1 with a great strike by Hrubesch in the last minutes of the game. It’s interesting that the 27 goals of the tournament were scored by 22 different players.

1. West Germany
2. Belgium
3. Czechoslovakia

France 1984

The rules were changed again, as the best two teams of the two groups proceeded to the semi-finals. There was also no match for the third place.

To continue, this European championship will be remembered with the incredible performance of the former UEFA president – Michel Platini. The forward scored in France’s every single game of the tournament. In addition, he bagged two hat-tricks and became the top goal-scorer of the Euro 1984 with 9 goals. France were simply the best team at this tournament. The Blues beat Denmark (1-0), Belgium (5-0), Yugoslavia (3-2), Portugal (3-2) and Spain (2-0 in the final).

1. France
2. Spain

Losing semi-finalists: Denmark and Portugal

West Germany 1988

The first and only European title for Holland, won by the Dutchman at the Olympiastadion in Munich. A remarkable performance by Ruud Gullit and the star forward Marco van Basten, who scored a classic volley in the final match against the Soviet Union. The other hero for Holland was the goalkeeper Hans van Breukelen, who saved Igor Belanov’s shot from the penalty spot. Marco van Basten became the top goal-scorer of the tournament, netting 5 goals. Van Basten scored 3 of his goals in England’s net. However, The Three Lions finished on the bottom of their group with 0 points, which was a complete disappointment for the nation.

On the other hand, the Soviet Union became the country with the biggest number of lost finals. After the success in 1960, The Red Army lost 3 final matches.

1. Holland
2. Soviet Union

Losing semi-finalists: Italy and West Germany

Sweden 1992

UEFA Euro 1992 in Sweden had one of the most surprising denouements in history of football. The whole story began when UEFA disqualified Yugoslavia, because of the breakup of the country and the war at that time. Denmark, which team finished in 2^nd place in the qualifying group took the place of Yugoslavia. No one has expected anything of the Danish team. The head coach Richard Møller Nielsen has urgently selected the players, who have already been on a vacation. By the way, Nielsen has been criticized a lot before the start of the European championship.

However, Denmark started with a 0-0 draw against England and again at this stage no one could believe what are the Danish players going to achieve. Then, the host nation Sweden recorded a minimal 1-0 victory against The Red Dynamite and it looked like Denmark will head for home after the third match of their group against the favourites France. But, as a joke, Denmark recorded an incredible 2-1 victory against France and took the second place of their group, as England lost 2-1 to Sweden.

The next heroic moment for Nielsen’s players was in the semi-finals against the defending champions Holland. At the end of the match the score was 2-2, so both teams needed to take penalties, in order to decide who goes to the final. Surprisingly, Marco van Basten missed from the penalty spot and sent Denmark in the final for the first and only time in their history.

Surprise after surprise at the Euro 1992… In the final match, John Jensen, who had scored less than 15 goals in his overall career, opened the score. The defensive midfielder found the net with a clinical finish from about 20 metres. Vifort scored the second goal for Denmark against Germany, 12 minutes before the final whistle. But the real hero for the Red Dynamite was the legendary goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, who made over 10 saves against Klinsmann and co.

1. Denmark
2. Germany

Losing semi-finalists: Sweden and Holland

England 1996

The first European championship in England in 1996 was one of the most glorious for The Three Lions. There was a new rule, which included 8 more teams in the final tournament, so the total number of the teams became 16. England had a very strong team. Alan Shearer (who became the top goal-scorer with 5 goals), Paul Gascoigne, Paul Ince and Teddy Sheringham were part of the English squad at the Euro 1996.

England recorded a draw against Switzerland (1-1) on the opening day. But, then The Three Lions showed really good performance and smashed Scotland and Holland, to find their place at the quarterfinals. In the knockout stage, the task was far from easy. But, England beat Spain on penalties after 0-0 draw in the regular time. But, we all know that England are always unlucky against the Germans, and Germany beat The Three Lions on penalties to find their place in the final.

Surprisingly, the other finalist was the Czech Republic, but they had a very good team and reaching the final for them wasn’t accidentally. Karel Poborsky scored one of the most amazing goals in the tournament in the 1-0 victory against Portugal after a great lob shot from about 20 metres. Other key players in Czech Republic’s team were Pavel Nedved, Patrik Berger, Kadlec and many other quality footballers.

The Czech Republic were about to make another surprise at the European championship after Patrik Berger scored from the penalty spot against Germany in the 59^th minute of the final match. Then, the German head coach Berti Vogts played Oliver Bierhoff. The forward equalized just 4 minutes after he came from the bench and led the match to extra time. In the 95^th minute, Bierhoff again took a shot towards Kouba’s goal and the goalkeeper made a terrible mistake, allowing the striker to find his net again. There was the rule for “golden goal”, which meant Germany won the game after their goal in the extra time.

1. Germany
2. Czech Republic

Losing semi-finalists: England and France

Belgium & Holland 2000

UEFA Euro 2000 was the first European championship, which was held in two countries. Both, Belgium and Holland, qualified as co-hosts. England also find their place at the tournament, after a 2-0 victory in the playoffs against Scotland with 2 goals, scored by Paul Scholes.

England led by 2-0 against Portugal in the first match of the group stage, but eventually lost 2-3. However, Alan Shearer secured a 1-0 victory against the defending European champions Germany, which meant that The Three Lions need just 1 point against the underdogs Romania. But Phil Neville made a stupid foul in the box which was crucial for the final score of 3-2 in Romania’s favour. Another huge disappointment for The Three Lions…

France become the champions of Europe for the second time in their history, but they were so lucky to do it with 2 golden goals (in the semi-final against Portugal and in the final match against Italy). The Frenchmen were about to lose the final against Italy, when, in the 3^rd minute of the added time of the game Wiltord found Toldo’s net. Then, David Trezeguet scored an incredible golden goal and secured the second European title for the French team. Zinedine Zidane became the best player of the tournament.

1. France
2. Italy

Losing semi-finalists: Holland and Portugal

Portugal 2004

Even more surprising than the Euro 1992, UEFA Euro 2004 was full of unexpected results. As an outcome, the total underdogs Greece lifted the trophy in their second ever participation at the European championships for everyone’s amusement. The Greeks started with a victory in the opening match against the host nation Portugal (2-1). Then, Greece surprised Spain, finishing with a 1-1, which was enough for them to go through the knockout stage. In the final game of the group stage, they lost 1-2 to Russia. However, Charisteas, then scored the only goal in the quarterfinal match against France. Otto Rehhagel’s players eliminated Czech Republic in the semi-finals, after Traianos Dellas goal in the extra time of the game.

The final match was a repetition of the first match of the group stage – Portugal against Greece. No one has expected that the Greeks can repeat their performance from the first match against the Portuguese team, in which there were names like Luis Figo, Deco, Pauleta, Rui Costa and Cristiano Ronaldo. But, Charisteas made the whole host nation cry, after he found the net in the 57^th minute.

1. Greece
2. Portugal

Losing semi-finalists: Czech Republic and Holland

Austria and Switzerland 2008

UEFA Euro 2008 was the beginning of Spain’s domination at international level. The Spaniards won their second major international tournament in 2008. La Furia Roja went unbeaten in their group, winning all of their 3 matches (against Russia, Sweden and Greece). Then, Spain beat Italy (on penalties), Russia (in the semi-finals) and Germany (1-0 in the final), before they lifted the most prestigious trophy in Europe.

However, the biggest surprise at the tournament were the teams of Russia and Turkey. The Russians beat Sweden and Greece in the group stage. Then, they won against Holland 3-1, with two goals, scored in the extra time of the match, before losing in the semi-finals against the then-champions Spain. The Turkish team was very close to reach the final, but lost at the semi-finals to Germany with Lahm’s goal in the very last minute of the match.

In conclusion, the Spaniards were just better than every other team in the competition. They scored 12 goals in 6 games. David Villa became the top goal-scorer with 4 goals.

1. Spain
2. Germany

Losing semi-finalists: Russia and Turkey

Poland & Ukraine 2012

That was the second consecutive European title for Spain, and the 3^rd for La Furia Roja. Their remarkable performance unimpeded lead them to the final match against Italy, won by the Spaniards with the smashing 4-0.

Holland were the disappointment of the tournament, finishing in 4^th position of their group, losing all of their matches. Another big surprise in the tournament was that Italy found their place in the final match after a 2-1 victory against the favourites of Germany. Balotelli found the German net twice, before Ozil scored from the penalty spot in the last minute of the game.

Deservedly, Andres Iniesta became the best player of the tournament. The playmaker of Barcelona was simply unstoppable, after he had already boosted his confidence after winning the World Cup in 2010.

1. Spain
2. Italy

Losing semi-finalists: Portugal and Germany

In my opinion, Roy Hodgson made some crucial tactical errors. The Three Lions were better than the Russians and deserved to win the match, but sometimes the coaches make some stupid decisions, which cost the team the victory.

Joe Hart (GK)

Manchester City’s goalkeeper could have done better in the last minute, when the Russians found his net. He made only 1 save, but there were not many attempts towards his goal.

Kyle Walker (RB)

Walker was the best England’s player during the first half. His pace and skills created several goal-scoring chances for The Three Lions. Tottenham’s fullback also performed well in defence. He is in his best form and is very likely to start in the second match for England against Wales.

Chris Smalling (CB)

Smalling’s performance was perfect until the very last minute of the game, when he wasn’t well positioned and couldn’t help Hart keep his sheet clean. However, Smalling was good in the air and left the Russian forwards no chance until the added time of the match.

Gary Cahill (CB)

Cahill shouldn’t be blamed for Russia’s goal. He had a good night in Marseille. Cahill received a yellow card in the 62^nd minute of the game. Chelsea’s centre back was brilliant in defence.

Danny Rose (LB)

The left fullback was more active during the second half, when England organized more attacks from the left flank. Rose made a great delivery to Rooney, who hit the bar in the second half. However, he let Berezutski score with a header in the 92^nd minute, but Rose impressed with his performance at all.

Wayne Rooney (MC)

Rooney showed he can play everywhere on the pitch. He again proved he is a world class player. His playing style against Russia was very similar to Paul Scholes’ role at Manchester United. Rooney’s passing was at top level. He had an accuracy of more than 90 %. In addition, Rooney was close to score during the second half, when he hit the bar.

Eric Dier (MC)

Eric Dier’s performance against Russia was very impressive. Tottenham’s player scored England’s only goal of the game from a free-kick in the 73^rd minute. He also had some key passes during the match. An excellent match for Dier.

Dele Alli (MC)

Most of the time Alli was invisible on the pitch. He needs improvement if he wants to be again in the starting eleven. Alli had an attempt on goal in the first minutes of the match, but his shot went wide.

Adam Lallana (RW)

Lallana of Liverpool can be blamed that England couldn’t score in the first half. He missed two clear chances for goal, created after great Walker’s dribbles. And even though Lallana was in an offside position after Rooney’s shot on bar, Adam couldn’t find the net again, hitting the post. It’s very strange why Hodgson left him on the field 90 minutes.

Raheem Sterling (LW)

Sterling showed he had a great desire to help his team win the match. Tireless, as usual, the winger ran after every ball. He was better during the first half and was substituted after the break. Not bad performance by Raheem Sterling.

Harry Kane (SC)

Harry Kane was not at his usual level. He could have done better. That’s why Hodgson should have given Vardy a chance to replace Kane during the second half. Oh, I almost forgot, why the hell Kane took all the corners – almost all his corners skipped all the players in the box…

Jack Wilshere (Substitution)

Wilshere has fantasy, but, in my opinion, he is still not ready to play on such a stage. Hodgson must have kept Rooney on the pitch until the final whistle.

James Milner (Substitution)

Milner was brought in to help England keep their lead. However, it happened completely the opposite, but Milner shouldn’t be blamed about anything.

In conclusion, players like Vardy, Barkley and Sturridge were given no chance to show their qualities. They deserve more than Wilshere to be brought in. When it’s obvious your striker can’t do something significant, then try Vardy… It will be extremely stupid if Hodgson not make any chances for the next game against Wales.

England: Hart, Johnson, Jagielka, Cahill, Baines, Gerrard, Henderson, Sterling, Rooney, Welbeck, Sturridge.
Uruguay: Muslera, Cáceres, Giménez, Godín, Pereira, Álvaro González, Ríos, Lodeiro, Rodríguez, Cavani, Suárez.
Estadio Arena Corinthians de Sao Paulo, Brazil
Fifa Worldcup 2014[/caption]Uruguay lost their second match in the group stage of the Copa America to Venezuela (0-1) and The Sky Blues have already been eliminated from the tournament. Oscar Tabarez’s players created lots of goal-scoring chances, but couldn’t find the net against Venezuela. The main sinner for the defeat is, of course, Edinson Cavani. He has the ability to miss from impossible situations! Cavani had the chance to score at least a hat-trick against the Venezuelans, but he didn’t score a single goal! Tabarez, if I were you I would pick Cavani as a fullback! In my opinion, it’s better Uruguay to play with 10 men, instead of waiting Cavani to score. Even though, the forward has scored such a big number of goals, he is quite lucky. The correct word, which describes him best is “lame”, when he is in clear position. If I were his boss, wouldn’t pay him a penny!

However, Cavani is not the only player, who should be blamed for the defeat. All the Uruguayan players didn’t perform at their usual level. They conceded a very comical goal after Muslera’s positioning mistake and then all the players of Uruguay threw into attacks, but they could even have lost by more goals, because their playing style left to Venezuelans lots of free spaces, but Rafael Dudamel’s players didn’t take advantage of their good counter-attacks.

The superstar of the Uruguayan team – Luis Suarez was sent to warm up, but just 15 minutes later Tabarez told Suarez, he is not going to use him. The forward still has a hamstring problem, but he was ready to help his teammates. However, Luis Suarez was so angry, that he threw his shirt after arguing with his coach. And maybe Suarez was right, he could be very helpful to his team, even though he was injured… Tabarez’s excuse was that he won’t play someone who isn’t 100% fit, but sometimes you need to take risks. Okay then, just go home now!

Now, Uruguay will face Jamaica in their third game of the group stage, but they don’t have the chance to go through to the quarterfinals. So, The Sky Blues will have to focus on their performance in the qualifiers for the World Cup 2018. They are lying in 1st place with 13 points collected in 6 matches (4 victories, 1 draw and just 1 defeat).

FIFA has decided to make 95 changes in the football rules. The idea is the regulations to be updated, in order to be improved the quality of the games. So far in the history of football, there hasn’t been such major changes of the rules at once. The decision was taken by the FIFA’s board, which consists of 8 men. These changes will be tested next year, and FIFA will then decide which of them will remain permanently in the game. Also, the video replays will be tested in the next two seasons.
Most of the upcoming changes seem to be minor, but some of them will have a serious impact on how modern football looks.
Here are some of the most interesting upcoming changes in football rules:

1. If a player, who takes the penalty spots, and then continue again, he will be punished with a yellow card, and his opponent will be given a free-kick. Hesitation is permitted, but not completely stopping.

2. The referee will have the choice how to punish a team (it won’t be necessary to be applied the triple punishment for a foul in the box – a penalty, a red card and subsequent suspension of the rights of the player. Referees will have the opportunity to decide whether there is an intention in defender’s actions.

3. The referees will have the right to send off a player even before the match has started. In case they have noticed unsportsmanlike behaviour during the warm-up, they can send off the player immediately after the start of the match.

4. When providing medical assistance if within 20 seconds doctor and masseurs are able to raise the injured player, it will not be necessary the player to leave the pitch.

5. When kick-off, so far the players were obliged to kick the ball forward. They will be allowed to do so backwards that will only allow one player to take the kick-off.

6. Attacking team’s players won’t be able to be included in the wall when there is a free-kick.

7. Pauses for drinking water in hot weather should be included in the stoppage time of the game.

8. When there is a throw-in, the ball must be held equally firmly with both hands.

9. If a footballer’s shoe drop, he can continue to play without it until the game is stopped. The game will no longer be stopped immediately until the player put his shoe.

10. The players’ underwear should be with the same colour as his kit.

11. The referees can use the video replays in situations with red cards and penalties. But, the refs won’t use them when it’s up to offsides. The replays will be tested in a period of two years.

12. The teams will be allowed to make a fourth substitution, but only in games with extra time.

Vincent Janssen was born on 15th June 1994 in Heesch, Holland. At the age of 15 he made the first big step in his development as a footballer. Janssen moved from NEC Nijmegen’s academy to Feyenoord U17. It’s very difficult to understand, how Feyenoord let such talented striker go. They just released the player. Almere City (2nd level of Dutch football) took advantage of the situation and got the forward for free in 2013.

The striker very quickly managed to win his place in the starting eleven of his new team and became a crucial part of Almere City’s attack. In his first season in professional football, Janssen bagged 10 goals in 35 league matches, being among the starting eleven in 25 of the games. The next season (2014/2015) was even more successful for the youngster. Vincent found the net on 19 occasions in 34 league games, helping Almere City finish in 11th position in the standings of Eerste Divisie. On 11th April 2015 Janssen scored the first hat-trick in his career, securing a 3-2 victory against Sparta Rotterdam. He also scored twice in the remarkable victory against ADO Den Haag for the Dutch Cup.

Immediately after his great performance for his club, Janssen was called in Holland’s U22 squad. He made 3 appearances, scoring twice.

That was enough for AZ Alkmaar to sign the talented striker. The Cheeseheads paid €400 K. for Vincent Janssen, which has recently become their most successful transfer. The forward scored 27 goals in 34 matches in the Eredivisie, becoming the top goal-scorer of the championship. He bagged a hat-trick against his former club Feyenoord, making them regret for letting him go. Then, Janssen made even more impressive performance against PEC Zwolle, scoring 4 goals in the match.

Vincent Janssen also took part in 10 matches in The Europa League for AZ Alkmaar and scored on 3 occasions. His remarkable performance won him a place in Holland’s U21 squad, where he bagged 6 goals in 5 games.

So, there were no other option, but a call-up for the Dutch national team. And Vincent Janssen showed that this was not a mistake. In his second game for the country, he found the net against England at Wembley! He has scored 2 goals in 4 games for Holland and is looking forward for more!

He has a great positioning and good finishing skills. The youngster is now a complete striker with over 70 goals in official games in his career so far.

Janssen is currently valued at €6 m. and it won’t be a surprise if one of the biggest teams pays AZ Alkmaar to sign the striker.

The former Argentine international defender Walter Samuel put an end to his professional football career. In the last match of the 38-year-old player Basel lost 0-1 to Grasshoppers. However, Basel once again won the title in Switzerland.

Walter Samuel started his career at the age of 18 in Newell’s Old Boys (Argentina) in 1996. He immediately became a key part of the first team with his great positioning and heading skills. The defender recorded 42 appearances for the club in 1996, which won him a transfer to the Argentine grand Boca Juniors.

The centre back played for The Blue and Gold until 2000. Samuel scored 5 goals in 103 matches for Boca Juniors. At the club, he won 1998 Apertura and 1999 Clasura. Moreover, he lifted the most prestigious South American trophy – Copa Libertadores in 2000.

Then, Italian club Roma sign him for about €20 m. He was one of the best centre backs and helped his new club win Seria A and Supercoppa Italiana in 2001. Walter Samuel spent 4 seasons in Roma – until 2004, when he moved to Real Madrid.

The Argentinian played for Real Madrid only one season. He scored 2 goals in 40 games for Los Blancos. But the defender couldn’t win any trophy with the Spanish team. Just a year later he was sold to Inter Milano, where he spent his most successful seasons.

Samuel won Seria A on 5 occasions and the Italian cup (3 times) with Internazionale. Moreover, after Mourinho’s arrival, they lifted the Champions league trophy in 2010. The Argentinian defender spent the last two seasons of his career at Swiss club Basel, where he again won the championship twice.

Even though Walter Samuel was one of the best centre backs ever, he couldn’t achieve anything significant with the Argentinian national team. His best performance was in 2005, when Argentina became runners-up in The Confederations Cup. Samuel was also part of Argentina’s squad at 3 more major international tournaments. Samuel took part in Copa America 1999, but Argentina lost in the quarterfinals. Then, in 2002 Samuel played in all the 3 matches from the group stage of The World Cup in Korea and Japan, but his team was eliminated from the tournament. His last major international competition was the World Cup 2010. Samuel left injured in the 23rd minute of the second game and couldn’t help Argentina record something significant in the tournament (the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals). Samuel scored 5 goals in 56 matches for the national team of Argentina.

However, the name of Walter Samuel is a synonym of strong defensive play. He was good at heading and marking. Even though Samuel wasn’t the fastest defender, he had a great positioning. Samuel also scored lots of important goals in his long career. The young defenders should watch videos of him playing and learn from him!

The French midfielder N’Golo Kante is among the team’s key players this season. 25-year-old player has appeared in 30 of 31 matches so far. He has scored only 1 goal, but his role is not scoring goals. He plays as a defensive midfielder, but also likes organizing team’s attacks.

The first time Kante made a big impression was when he played for Caen. In 2014 he won a promotion for The Ligue 1 with the team. Then, he was a key part of the first team and Leicester City paid €8 m. for The Frenchman.

The biggest strength in the playing style of Kante is regaining the ball. He is the football player with the best stat for stealing the ball.

N’Golo Kante has recently made his debut for the French national team. He scored his first goal for France in the friendly against Russia (4-2) a couple of days ago.

Let’s see deeply what are the main strengths of Kante. His tackling is world class. The midfielder is very good at passing through balls. In addition, the Frenchman is great dribbler. He can take the ball from his own half and can dribble with it a very long distance. And maybe Kante’s best quality is the ball interception (he is in 1st place in The Premier League for intercepted balls).

N’Golo Kante’s only weakness is the area duels, but that’s because of his height (1,69 m.). However, the Frenchman is a complete footballer and seems to be ready for the biggest football stage.

The midfielder scored a really important goal for Leicester City against Watford. His team won the match 2-1 and gained another 3 points. In addition, Kante has made 3 assists in The Premier League, so he has a great vision and passing skills. N’Golo has become the Man of the Match on 3 occasions this season.

25-year-old midfielder is one of the reasons for the magnificent Leicester City’s performance in The Premier League. The truth is that Claudio Ranieri has assembled a really good team, with players who have adjusted to each other.

However, it will be really difficult for Leicester City’s owners keep their key players in the squad for the next season. Especially, Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante will be wanted by many clubs.

To conclude; Kante is a great football player. He is a hard-worker. He is energetic and fast. He can intercept the ball and then dribble with it. For sure, you will remember his name!

There are not so many goalkeepers, who can say ‘I have kept my sheet clean against Cristiano Ronaldo and his team’. Moreover, there are only 3 goalkeepers in the world, which have saved 2 penalties, Ronaldo has taken.

Vladislav Stoyanov – the goalkeeper of Bulgaria and Ludogorets Razgrad showed a magnificent performance and managed to keep his sheet clean in the friendly match between Portugal and Bulgaria in Leiria last week. You could see Ronaldo’s desperation after the match, as he left the pitch as fast as he could. Cristiano had about 9 goal-scoring chances (including a penalty and 2 free-kicks), but Stoyanov saved all of them.

The Bulgarian goalkeeper made 4 saves within the first 5 minutes of the game. In the 2nd minute of the match, Nani went one on one against Stoyanov, but the Bulgarian showed a great reflexes and punched the ball away into a corner. After 20 minutes, Ronaldo had the chance to shoot from a free-kick, but Vladislav Stoyanov tipped the ball away again. Meanwhile, the Bulgarians found the Portugal’s net and put Portuguese under pressure.

After the break, Real Madrid’s star had another opportunity to shoot from a free-kick, but there was something very similar to a brick wall at the Bulgarian’s goal – that was Stoyanov, who denied Ronaldo again. In the 60th minute of the game, the Portuguese was awarded a penalty and that was the clearest chance for the hosts. But can you believe that? Stoyanov made a one-handed save and made Ronaldo look sad. A couple of minutes later, the forward had another chance to score, but the angle was tight and Stoyanov made another save.

In the 90th minute of the match, Cristiano Ronaldo outjumped a Bulgarian defender and headed the ball towards the goal, but the goalkeeper showed again a real world class, tipping the ball away. And that was the last action in the match.

The most important thing is that this is the not first penalty, Stoyanov has saved when being against Ronaldo. The Portuguese forward missed a penalty in The Champions League against the Bulgarian champion Ludogorets two years ago. And guess who was the goalkeeper. Of course, Stoyanov.

At both ends, Stoyanov is not the only goalkeeper to save 2 penalties, taken by Ronaldo. Carlos Kameni of Malaga and Diego Alves of Valencia have also done such thing. Kameni did it on 18th April 2015 and on 21st February 2016, while Alves made his first save against Ronaldo 6 years ago when he played for Almeria.

When you choose your betting predictions – you must be reasonable. Now, I am going to show you how I am analysing the leagues and what are my arguments. But first, choose your preferred bookie at onlinesportsbettingsites.co.uk.

First of all, don’t rush into making your predictions before the start of the season (That was my first mistake.)! You can wait until the very last few rounds of the competitions. Meanwhile, you must take a closer look at the leagues you are going to bet on. I think the middle of March is the right time to place your long-term bets. Firstly, you will have to wait for only 2 months and last, but not least there will be no further transfers and you will know what the teams’ strengths are!

When you are picking your predictions be aware of the form of the teams, injured players, the tactics they are using. Another important thing is the programme of the teams! You should also have in mind whether a team is still participating in the different cups. I don’t recommend placing a bet on a cup winner (nobody knows who will win The FA Cup, for example)!

So, let’s get started with the predictions. You can visit your favourite site for stats and see The Premier League.

English Premier League:

Liverpool – Top 4 (Top 6) – 6.50 (1.57)

Why I chose Liverpool to be in Top 4? Well, the team needed time to get on with Jurgen Klopp’s style, and now this time is up. All the Liverpool players are fit and in very good form. They have collected 44 points and have played one match less than 4th-placed Man City (51 points). The Merseysiders will have to play 4 very difficult games until the end of the season (vs. Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Chelsea), but I think they can handle with the situation. If you are scared of the high odd, you can also try Liverpool in Top 6 (1.57), which is like a gift for you!

Chelsea – Top 6 – 6.00

The worst season for Chelsea in the era of Roman Abramovich. But, you can easily see that The Blues have improved a lot since the appointing of Guus Hiddink. The Dutch manager have still not tasted the favour of the defeat in The Premier League! In addition, Chelsea are just 7 points down from 6th-placed Manchester United and 9 down from West Ham United. Furthermore, Chelsea are to host The Hammers on Saturday and if they win, the odds will drop dramatically!

Norwich – To Be Relegated – 1.36

The Canaries started well, but now they are on a run of 11 games without a victory. Moreover, they lost 9 of these 11 matches. They are already in the relegation zone and will hardly see themselves out of there!

Newcastle United – NOT to be relegated – 2.25

What’s the crucial thing here? Of course – Rafael Benitez. It took a lot of time McClaren to be sacked, but it finally happened. So, now Magpies’ chances are much more than a week ago! And even though they lost their last match, they played really well against Leicester City at The King Power Stadium in the last round. Moreover, Newcastle United were the team, which spent the biggest amount of money during the transfer window!

English Championship:

Cardiff City – Top 6 – 4.50 (risky)

When we take a look at the standings in The Championship, we can see easy to predict things, such as Burnley to be promoted and Bolton Wanderers to be relegated. But the real master class of predicting is to find out who will reach the 6th position! In my opinion, Cardiff City have really good chances of achieving that and the odds are pretty high (4.50). The Bluebirds have collected 58 points and are lying in the 7th position, just 1 point below the 6th-placed Sheffield Wednesday and 3 down from Derby County! Cardiff City won 1-0 their last match against Ipswich Town (one of their main competitors) and are going to host Derby County two weeks later. They will also play against Sheffield Wednesday at a later stage. So, I feel they are really underestimated.

English League 1:

Gillingham – Top 6 – 1.25

With 10 matches to go, Gillingham are lying in the 4th position of the standings in The League 1. The Gills have collected 62 points and are 7 above the 7th in the table – Coventry City. Moreover, The Gills are to host Coventry after two weeks, so this match can decide everything, but even if they lose it – it’s not fatal! That’s why I love ante-post betting – it gives you many many chances!

Bradford City – Top 6 – 1.80

Bradford City are 3 points in front of Coventry City. The Bantams beat 2-0 the strongest team in The League One – Burton Albion. In addition, Bradford have so-called ‘easy’ programme.

English League 2:

Plymouth Argyle – To Be Promoted – 1.72

As you know, there are 4 teams, which will promote at the end of the season. The first 3 will promote directly, while from 4th to 7th-placed teams will take part in the playoffs. Plymouth Argyle are lying in the 3rd place, 3 points in front of 4th-placed Bristol Rovers. The Green Army have the best defence in the league (32 goals conceded in 36 games). In addition, they have won 19 matches this season! So, even if they fall down to 4th position I think they will be the best among the teams to take part in the playoffs!

Leyton Orient – Top 7 – 1.61

What a turnover for Leyton Orient after Kevin Nolan’s arrival at the club! It’s been 10 matches, but everyone can feel the positive change. The ex-West Ham’s midfielder won 6, finished with a draw once and lost only 3 games since he’s at the club. Moreover, Orient recorded an incredible 1-0 away victory over Oxford (2nd place) in the last round of the competition.

English National League:

Forest Green Rovers – To Be Promoted – 2.10

Rovers are lying in the second place in The National League and are the team with the highest number of victories this season (25 of 38 matches). They are just 2 points behind the leaders – Cheltenham Town. And even if Forest Green don’t win the 1st place, I think they will have no problems in the playoffs!

Italy:

Juventus – Seria A Winners – 1.44

Juventus proved they are the most quality team in The Italian Seria A. Moreover, The Old Lady were knocked out of The Champions League and now they will be concentrated only on their performance in the league. Furthermore, they are lying in the 1st place, 3 points in front of Napoli. Gianluigi Buffon is 4 minutes away from a record in The Seria A (the biggest number of minutes without conceding a goal). The Italian goalkeeper has kept a clean sheet in the last 10 Juventus’ Searia A matches!

Roma – Top 3 – 1.30

Quite predictable! But, if you need to multiply an odd of 1.30 to your accumulator bet, you can be sure Roma won’t let you down! The Wolves are lying in the third place 9 matches before the end of the season. They are 5 points in front of Fiorentina and Inter Milano, so they can afford a defeat. Roma are to host Internazionale in the next round and if they win the game their task will become quite easier. The Wolves are on a run of 8 consecutive victories in The Seria A and they look strong enough to become even the runners-up this season.

Carpi – To Be Relegated – 1.40

Even though The White-and-Reds haven’t recorded a defeat for a month, their position in the standings is quite unpleasant. They are lying in the 19th position and will hardly outrun Palermo. Carpi will have very difficult last three games of the season (against Juventus, Lazio and Udinese) and this will be crucial for The White-and-Reds.

Germany:

Hertha Berlin – Top 4 – 1.61

Hertha Berlin have shown really good performance against Schalke 04 in the last round of The Bundesliga. The Blue-Whites smashed their main opponents in the battle for The Top 4 and they now will hardly be displaced of their position. Hertha rely on their home games. They have won 8 of their 13 matches at home this season and have lost only once at The Olympic Stadium.

France:

Monaco – Top 3 – 1.20

Obviously, Monaco is the second best team in France. The Reds and Whites are lying in the second position and they are almost sure about their place in The Champions League for the next season. The worst scenario for Monaco could be the third position!

Lyon – Top 3 – 1.66

Olympique Lyonnais is the only team to beat Paris Saint-Germain in The French Ligue 1. Lyon had a bad start in the league, but they have recently improved a lot! The Kids won 5 of their last 7 matches in The Ligue 1, scoring 19 goals! In addition, their programme is not that bad. In my opinion, their main competitors Nice, Rennes and Nantes won’t handle the pressure until the end of the season.

Spain:

Sevilla – Top 4 – 3.50 (risky)

Too good at home, but the poorest when playing away. Sevilla have won 13 of their 15 home matches in Primera Division this season. They even beat Real Madrid and Barcelona at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, but Sevilla still haven’t won a single away match this season! Then, why to choose them? The difference between them and 4th-placed Villareal is only 5 points. That’s because of the Head to Head match, which was won by Sevilla (4-2). I think Sevilla have enough quality players and they are to improve their away performance. So, you can take the risk and bet on Sevilla in The Top 4!

Getafe – To Be Relegated – 2.25

Getafe are the team with the hardest programme in Primera Division. El Geta are already in the relegation zone and will have to play against Villareal, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Valencia and Deportivo until the end of the season. Furthermore, they are in very poor form. Getafe have lost 8 of their last 9 league matches. So, it sounds very reasonable to bet on Getafe to be relegated at the end of the season.

Portugal:

Benfica – Champions – 1.57

After so many rounds Sporting being at the top of the league, Benfica beat The Lions and are now lying in the first place in the league. The Eagles look quality enough to win the title again. They have won 21 of 26 matches, having scored 70 goals (league’s best)! Moreover, their most difficult game is against Sporting Braga.

Holland:

PSV Eindhoven – Champions – 1.53

Just 1 point is separating PSV Eindhoven and Ajax Amsterdam at the top of The Eredivisie. But, PSV have more quality players in their squad and if they don’t lose against Ajax in the next round, they will probably become champions!

Denmark:

Midtjylland – Top 3 – 1.50

The champions, Mydtjylland, are lying in the third position in the standings of The Danish Superliga and they are able to fight even for the title (10 points down from Kobenhavn). No surprises are expected here, so you can easily trust The Wolves, who managed to record a victory against Manchester United this season (2-1).

Russia:

CSKA Moscow – Champions – 1.50

CSKA Moscow are the favourites for winning the title in Russia. The Militarians have collected 40 points so far and they seem to have a very strong team. Rostov, Lokomotiv Moscow, Krasnodar and Zenit just don’t look they are ready to become champions. There are 10 games until the end of the season, so hurry up and bet on CSKA Moscow – you won’t feel sorry.

Turkey:

Fenerbahce – Champions – 1.80

They are just one point behind the leaders Besiktas. All their best players are fit. Fenerbahce’s bench is long enough. The manager Vitor Pereira can rely on superstars like Robin van Persie, Nani, Fernandao, Raul Meireles and so on. Moreover, Fenerbahce won the direct match against Besiktas. The Yellow Canaries are now out of The Europa League and they will be concentrated only on their performance in the league.

European tournaments knockout stage:

PSG vs. Manchester City – PSG to eliminate The Citizens – 1.57

Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid – Barcelona to eliminate Atletico – 1.40

Sporting Braga vs. Shakhtar – Shakhtar to eliminate Braga – 1.57

Villareal vs. Sparta Prague – Villareal to go through – 1.50

Athletic Bilbao vs. Sevilla – Sevilla to qualify – 1.61

Borussia Dortmund vs. Liverpool – Dortmund to reach the semi-finals – 1.44

At both ends, you can easily place good accumulator bets, using the piece of advice I gave you. Of course, you are free not to share my opinion, but the thing I am sure you have agreed with me is that it’s worth placing long-term bets. Also, if you are a problem gambler you can try making your predictions for the ante-post events and don’t place any bets on week-to-week matches. I hope I was useful to you!

Johan Cruyff passed away on 24th March 2016 at the age of 68, after suffering from lung cancer. But he will always be remembered with his great abilities on the pitch and his good heart!

The Dutch legend was born on 25th April 1947 in Amsterdam. He spent all his free time playing football with the other kids, when he was a little boy. His father died when he was 12 and then he had to realize that such things happen in life…

At the age of 17 he was selected for the first time in the Ajax Amsterdam’s first team. He scored 4 goals in 9 appearances in his first season for the club (1964/65). Then he became an integral part of Ajax’s staring eleven. He won The Eredivisie on 6 occasions until 1973. But the most impressive achievement for Cruyff and his teammates was winning The European Cup 3 times in a row! Such record seems really difficult to be achieved at the moment.

The legendary Dutchman then played for Barcelona and was the key for Barca to lift the La Liga trophy in 1974. The most memorable moment for Cruyff in Barcelona was the 5-0 victory over Real Madrid at The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in 1974.

The Dutch national team, of which was Johan Cruyff a part, became famous for the ‘Total Football’ they played. The explanation is – any outfield can take the position of his teammate. You can see defenders attacking and midfielders coming at their places and so on.

However, Holland were unable to beat the host nation – West Germany in the final of 1974 FIFA World Cup. And that was the last World Cup for Johan Cruyff.

After 5 seasons at Barcelona, Johan Cruyff moved to the USA, where he played for the Aztecas and the Diplomats. He stayed in the United States only 2 years and then he felt it’s time to go back in Europe.

Cruyff was close to sign for Leicester City in 1981, but instead of this he moved to the Segunda Division side – Levante, but because of injuries and other problems Cruyff scored only 2 goals in 10 appearances for Levante.

Then Johan Cruyff returned to his favourite Ajax Amsterdam, where he won The Eredivisie two more times. In the last year of his professional career, Cruyff was signed by Feyenoord and it’s interesting that he managed to score a goal against Ajax in his last season. The legendary Dutchman won The Eredivisie and The Dutch Cup again and that was the end of his glorious career.

As a manager of Barcelona, he won La Liga on 4 occasions and The European Cup.

Johan Cruyff was one of the best football players ever and he had maybe the best understanding about the game! And he proved this, achieving such great things in football!

Both the Saints and Redmen were in good league positions ahead of this game on Sunday, so it was unlikely that they were going to make many changes. For the Saints, only the one with Jose Fonte back from suspension and coming in for Matt Targett.

The Southampton manager, Ronald Koeman were adamant that his team take home the victory. As he said prior to the game “It’s a tough one, a huge game to play and also an important one”. “We knew our situation before the Stoke City game. It was a must-win game and I think the same is for this weekend, because we know the position in the table, we know the points and if we’re still fighting for Europe I think we have to win.”.

Meanwhile, Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp said in his press conference, “Hopefully we have a good squad, a good line-up for Southampton because it was intensive against Manchester United, so we’ll figure out who will be available, who is in the best shape and who can play the Southampton game.”

Which is why it was slightly unfortunate that the Redmen had to make three necessary changes with Jon Flanagan coming in for the suspended James Milner and Joe Allen for the not 100% fit Jordan Henderson. The other necessary change was Divock Origi, who came in for the injured Roberto Firmino.

During the first half, Liverpool were straight out of the blocks, like a Greyhound chasing a rabbit at the races, with both Phillipe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge scoring within a five-minute period. Coutinho turned on his magic once again when he scored a long range effort from outside the penalty box to put the Redmen 1-0 up in the 17th minute. Then a few minutes later, Sturridge, ever the player for the big games and this were surely one of them, doubled the Redmen’s lead in the 22nd minute. He managed to curl one past two Southampton players and Fraser Forster, the Saints goalkeeper, to put them 2-0 up before the break.

But 2-0 really is the most dangerous lead to have as it didn’t take Southampton long before they were back in the game. With the introduction of Victor Wanyama and Sadio Mané after the start of the 2nd half, the game was completely turned on its head when Mané managed to pull one back in the 64th minute. Two further goals from the Saints came in the 83rd and 86th minutes when Graziano Pelle and Mané both scored.

This were the 2nd time since the start of this year, that the Redmen have been 2-0 up against Premier League opposition at half time and then thrown it away in the 2nd half to draw or lose the game. Which is why their hopes of a top-four Champions League spot have been dented with this dramatic victory by the Saints at St Mary’s.

Southampton remain 7th, 4 points off the top 4 with Liverpool 2 places lower and 7 points off the top 4.

Well what a difference a week makes and what a performance that were from The Red Devils last Thursday night but it was all to no avail as The Redmen struck just before the halftime whistle to make it 1-1. With this being only the 2nd European meeting between these two historic rivals, in the space of 7 days, it didn’t disappoint.

As expected, both teams made starting line-up changes to the previous Thursdays encounter at Anfield. For the Red Devil’s, Michael Carrick and Jesse Lingard were exchanged for Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay. These changes were made due to Carrick only just returning from injury and Lingard being suspended for the previous leg at Anfield. They were also made to add some experience and pace to the Man Utd midfield. As Louis van Gaal put it before the game “It’s a big challenge and we have to believe in it and it starts with the players but it also starts with the fans, they also have to believe.”.

For The Redmen, there were only one change made which were to bring in James Milner, for Alberto Moreno who pulled up complaining of hamstring pain during Wednesday night’s training session at Old Trafford. Other than this necessary change, the team were just the same. Jürgen Klopp were looking to see the same amount of dedication and effort from all his players as before. He said before the game “We knew that we had to come here to play, so we can ignore the first result. It’s not important for us today. We are here to win the game again. That’s what we shall try. That’s all we have thought about. We are looking forward to it, we are excited, everything is good! We are not a low-rhythm team.” He’s were then asked by BT Sport’s Des Kelly if scoring first would burst United’s bubble. He said “Yes, but that’s always what you should try, isn’t it?” Sounds like common sense all day long, wouldn’t you say?

Liverpool went into the game in a commanding position with a 2-0 lead from the first leg but an Anthony Martial penalty in the first half brought Manchester United right back into the tie with a bang. With this goal and preceding under-performance at Anfield, United could not be accused of failing to understand the importance of the fixture this time around. Which is why you would have expected them go on and score another before the break. They did try to when Marcos Rojo attempted to convert a close-range effort that would have made it 2-2 on aggregate but he fluffed his lines and after that it didn’t seem to be their night anymore.

Moments before the break, Philippe Coutinho produced a moment of brilliance when he decided to create an individual goal from nowhere and give his team an all-important away goal. David De Gea had shown beforehand that it was going to take something special to beat him and, despite the difficult angle, Coutinho duly provided it with an audacious and beautifully weighted up-and-under finish. This moment of brilliance meant United needed three more to progress.

Into the second half and a few more attempts but no goals by both sides didn’t manage to change anything. The score stayed level at one a piece until the end, which is why it weren’t surprising to see large numbers of fans not being able to grin and bear it. This were very disappointing that they decided to up and leave which is why it might be some time before those early-leavers have shaken this latest disappointment from their system.

There are still 8 top-class teams left in The Champions League season 2015/2016 but, of course, there will be the only 1 champion. In the next few rows we will take a closer look to the key advantages, which can lead a team to the most prestigious title at club level.

1. The most important thing is the team spirit! A team should perform like a single unit. Every single player should know how to cooperate with his teammates, in order to win matches. That’s why there are lots of examples of smaller teams, beating European ‘giants’.

2. Of course, you must have quality players in your squad! You must have players, who are able to decide the final score of a game. For example, Lionel Messi have won The Champions League on 4 occasions with 3 different managers.

3. The third important detail is being concentrated only on your performance in The Champions League! For example, if you must fight for the title in your country until the very last round of the competition, this will surely affect negatively your performance in The Champions League. Especially if you fight for even more trophies…

When we take a look at the 8 teams, which are still in the competition, we should stand out not only Barcelona, but also Paris Saint-Germain. The Parisians are absolutely capable of winning The Champions League! They are meeting all the criteria. They have already won The French Ligue 1! In addition, Laurent Blac could rely on players like Ibrahimovic, Cavani, Matuidi, Lucas Moura and so on. Moreover, the team has shown an incredible performance in defence, conceding only 15 goals in 30 matches in the French league and only 3 goals in 8 games in The Champions League! So, I am looking for, but I can’t find any weaknesses in Paris Saint-Germain!

Real Madrid don’t have the needed balance in their squad. They depend too much on Cristiano Ronaldo, who is not showing his best this season. And despite the arguments about PSG, Barcelona and Bayern Munich remain the favourites for winning The Champions League. But when you take a closer look at Barcelona you can see that they rely only on their clinical trio in attack, while Bayern Munich have serious problems when their opponents don’t play on counterattacks.

Teams like Manchester City, Wolfsburg and Benfica don’t look strong enough for such a big success. Even though Atletico Madrid have shown consistency in their performance, the Spaniards were very lucky to progress after a victory on penalties against PSV Eindhoven. The Citizens have a too short bench, while Wolfsburg are weak in defence. The best team among the underdogs seems to be Benfica.

Of course, we will have to wait for the draw at first stage, because the underdogs can meet each other and eventually one of them can possibly reach the final.

Well as a proud Kopite myself, I think I’m more than qualified to tell you about them and me.

Liverpool FC are one of the most supported clubs around the world and the term “Kopites” is the name given to the supporters of Liverpool Football Club. Some say that it refers only to the fans who once stood, and now sit, on the Kop at Anfield but I tend to disagree with this definition slightly. I say it refers to all those fans and more, from all around the world, no matter whether they live in Liverpool, Halifax, New York or New South Wales. If you can show a true love for the club and the team, then you can say you’re a Kopite. It’s not only that, it’s also down how you see your relationship with club, its team and your fellow Kopites.

Do you live, breathe and love Liverpool FC?

A Kopite does all this and more! He or she has known disappointment by experiencing the bad times but not loved the club one degree less. A Kopite will spend up to 30 minutes a day, sometimes more, thinking about their club. They will be able to explain to the satisfaction of other fans why they support the club they do and finally they’ll be able to name the entire first team squad and be able to discuss the relative strengths and weaknesses of their team.

Of course, it is true that the likes of some of the world’s top clubs get a huge boost in their supporters ranks after some of the success they’ve enjoyed.

Myself, I’ve watched the Redmen of Liverpool FC since I was around 10 years old, after returning home to England from living in South Africa for 5-6 years. One of my fondest memories is of my Uncle, a true Kopite to say the least, he was over the moon when the Redmen beat Sunderland 2-0 in the 1992 FA Cup Final. My Grandma, as she were from Sunderland, weren’t best pleased at the result but she forgave us in the end.

This bug continued to grow the more live games I watched with my Uncle, his enthusiasm for this team in red, whom I had no idea played only 62miles down the M62 Motorway from where we lived in Halifax, were infectious. From then on, I requested Liverpool football shirts and scarfs for birthdays etc. and I haven’t looked back since. I’d say 30 years of support makes me a Kopite although it has been more than difficult on and off since we won that FA Cup Final in ‘92.

Just because I didn’t and still don’t live in Liverpool doesn’t make me any less of a Kopite. I still have to explain myself to this day why I support them and not another team. I may only go to a few games a season, Anfield makes the hair on my neck stand up! But I still watch every game I possible can, either on TV or the internet. I Eat, Sleep and Breath Liverpool. I will always be a true Kopite.

Paris Saint-Germain are simply unstoppable! The French side has recorded just 2 defeats during the season so far! In addition, Laurent Blanc’s players have won 38 of 46 matches in all tournaments! Of course, PSG are lying in the first place in The French Ligue 1, having won 74 points – 23 more than the second-placed Monaco!

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has found the net on 23 occasions in 23 league matches, which is a great record for the 34 years old Swedish forward. The attacker was the key player for The Parisians against Chelsea in the Champions League 1/8-finals. But, Ibrahimovic is not the only superstar in PSG’s squad. Javier Pastore, Edinson Cavani, Angel Di Maria, Blaise Matuidi and the youngster Adrien Rabiot have also shown classy performance.

Moreover, Paris Saint-Germain are not afraid of playing against quality teams. They enjoy outplaying a very strong team. The Parisians are not just winning their games – they are totally smashing their opponents! For example, Laurent Blanc’s players outplayed Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in their last match. The Parisians had the possession in 60% of the time. And despite Chelsea created more goal-scoring chances, PSG were very clinical in attack and took advantage of the two positioning mistakes, made by Chelsea’s fullbacks.

On the other hand, The Parisians can now concentrate only on their performance in The Champions League, because they have an amazing advantage in The French Ligue 1. In comparison, there is no other team in Europe with such a record this season. Even Bayern Munich are leading by just 5 points! That’s why Paris Saint-Germain are now among the favourites for winning the most prestigious European tournament.

To continue, The Parisians have never won The Champions League. Their best record in the most prestigious European tournament is reaching the semi-finals in 1995. PSG have reached the quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive season and now we can see a real improvement in their performance. All the players of PSG seem to be more mature and exactly that makes them one of the favourites.

Laurent Blanc can enjoy watching lots of passes when The Parisians are attacking. In that aspect, they can get close to the Barcelona’s playing style. But this is not a copy of their style. When the team is leading, the players look calm and it seems that they know what they need to do to keep their advantage. PSG’s players can take advantage of every single error in the opposition’s defence. For example, Kenedy wasn’t in the right position when Chelsea conceded the first goal and that was enough for Ibrahimovic to get the ball in the empty area and pass it to Rabiot, who took advantage of his pace.

In conclusion, Paris Saint-Germain are playing like a real champion! They have the needed confidence and class. They know what to do on the pitch in every single moment of their matches! They have too many superstar players. I think The Parisians winning The Champions League would be a logical end of the season!

The Redmen took full control and played at full throttle throughout their Europa League last-16 performance against The Red Devils last Thursday night, when they produced a self-assured 2-0 first-leg victory at Anfield.

Ahead of kick-off, both teams made changes to their previous games starting line-ups. For The Redmen, the most notable changes being the resurgent Sturridge and the Magician, Philippe Coutinho. They both returned, along with Nathaniel Clyne, to inject some fresh energy and effort at looking to end United’s run of four straight wins over them.

For the Red Devil’s, Varela, Schneiderlin, Fellaini and Depay were brought in for Darmian, Carrick, Herrera and the suspended Lingard. These four changes were an attempt at increasing that four straight wins to five because as Louis van Gaal put it “When I beat teams like Liverpool, then the appreciation of the fans is higher and bigger.”.

Initially, van Gaal seemed to have got it right when young Marcus Rashford kneed Depay’s cross wide in the opening seconds. This came about due to an Alberto Moreno error when he underestimated the flight of the ball.

After that early scare, Liverpool reacted well by playing their natural passing and pressing game. They did this by getting themselves into numerous attacking positions, this made the thousands of Kopites, within Anfield, rise to their feet and produce an awe inspiring interpretation of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’. This managed to spur the team to attack even more, something that hasn’t been seen at Anfield for some time.

After this positive reaction from the Redmen, the Devils looked as though they might find a way back into the game until a contentious 20th-minute foul by Memphis Depay on Nathaniel Clyne were noticed by both referee Carlos Velasco Carballo and his assistant. As expected, Daniel Sturridge converted the penalty, sending the ball into the bottom left-corner despite De Gea nearly saving it.

This may have decided the direction the Redmen were going to play but David De Gea had other ideas. He decided to pull off a number of top class saves over the next twenty minutes, until half-time, when attempts on goal were made namely by Daniel Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson.

Roberto Firmino finally doubled Liverpool’s lead in the 2nd half on the 73rd minute, this broke the camel’s back which at the time, handed the Merseysiders the possibility of travelling to the so-called “Theatre of Dreams” with a mouth-watering two-goal lead.

This were an historic 1st European clash of titans’ match for two of Europe’s most-decorated clubs which is why I’d like to point out that this tie is far from over. You may think that by Liverpool being 2-0 up, they have managed to completely extinguish any thoughts United had of winning this last sixteen tie over the two legs and you’d be half right. It has left the Devils needing to score a minimum of three goals at Old Trafford which is not impossible to accomplish but it will need something special from all the United players to carry it out.

Anyway, let’s wait and see if Manchester United can turn it around this Thursday at 8pm GMT.

The Foxes are about to make history, winning The Premier League title for the first time. But, can Leicester City handle the pressure? There are still 9 rounds until the end of the season and The Foxes are lying in the first place, having collected 60 points – 5 more than second-placed Tottenham Hotspur. Claudio Ranieri’s players are showing the needed consistency, but they will surely feel tired in the last few rounds of the competition.

Leicester City have performed really well so far. They won 17 of their 29 league matches and have lost on only 3 occasions. And the most unbelievable thing about their record is the fact that they have almost been relegated in the previous season. In addition to the fact that the Foxes’ players have pulled together, they are showing great discipline and give 100% in every single game until the very last seconds of the matches.

Despite their bench isn’t as ‘long’ as it should be, Claudio Ranieri can be happy his key player avoided injuries all season long. The Italian manager uses a consistent starting eleven, which is helpful for developing the style of the team and if his key players prevent from injuries until the end of the season, The Foxes are capable of becoming the new champions! Furthermore, Leicester City didn’t sell their stars during the winter transfer window, which was again key for their further results.

Another important fact is that everyone is helping in defence. You can see the top goal-scorer Jamie Vardy, who bagged 19 goals in The Premier League, taking the ball from his own box and organizing a fast counter-attack. The Foxes are very clinical in attack. They are very good at finishing their goal-scoring chances. But, they are relying too much on the individual skills of Riyad Mahrez and the fast pace of Jamie Vardy.

However, the programme of The Foxes until the end of the season looks very difficult. They will host Newcastle United, Southampton, West Ham United, Swansea City and Everton, and will have to visit Crystal Palace, Sunderland, Manchester United and Chelsea in the final round. So, Claudio Ranieri’s players will have to take advantage of their games at The King Power Stadium and win as many points as possible.

All the people talk about the amazing performance of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, but the other key players for the success are Robert Huth, Wes Morgan and tireless N’Golo Kante. The German defender Huth scored 3 very important goals for The Foxes, securing 6 points against the main opponents Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City. Wes Morgan is one of the best defenders in the league and exactly because of him, Leicester City have conceded only 31 goals so far.

To continue, despite N’Golo Kante is at the age of 24, the Frenchman has been showing great consistency in his performance. All of his moves on the pitch look mature. Kante is a real hard-worker. We can usually see him making a tackle, then giving an accurate pass, which qualities are among the most important things in football.

At both ends, Leicester City must keep going and think only about the upcoming match. If Ranieri starts calculating points, they won’t lift the trophy…

A game between two of the oldest football rivals in the world is going to be played out tonight. Also known as the “The North-West Derby”, this game has been played so many times, I’ve lost count many moons ago. No seriously, this game has been played a 194 times since April 1894 with the Redmen’s greatest victory coming one year later in October 1895. They beat the Red Devils, known back then as “Newton Heath Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway F.C.”, a whopping 7-1 in the old Second Division of the time.

More recently, over the last 2 seasons, the Devils have beaten the Redmen 4 times on the trot, these being 0-1(Away), 3-1(Home), 2-1(Away) & 3-0(Home). But that could all be about to change as the Redmen, with the exception of the League Cup Final against Manchester City, are unbeaten in their last 6 fixtures, these being 1-2(Away v Crystal Palace, Premier League), 3-0(Home v Manchester City, Premier League), 1-1(At Wembley v Manchester City(3-1 to Man City after extra-time & penalties in the League Cup Final), 1-0(Home v Augsburg, Europa League), 0-0(Away v Augsburg, Europa League) and 0-6(Away v Aston Villa, Premier League).

Liverpool’s predicted starting line-up is excepted to consist of Goalkeeper: Simon Mignolet, Defence: Alberto Moreno, Mamadou Sakho, Dejan Lovren and Nathaniel Clyne. Midfield: Emre Can, Jordan Henderson, Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Adam Lallana. Forward: Daniel Sturridge.

One of Liverpool’s main weaknesses this season has been in defence and it is good news for them that Mamadou Sakho & Dejan Lovren, two of their three main centre backs, are fit and likely to continue their run of games this evening. Since local lad, Jon Flanagan hasn’t been selected to play in the Europa League, it is likely that Nathaniel Clyne will come in for him at Right Back and Alberto Moreno will play at Left Back.

Moving on into Midfield, I predict that Emre Can and Captain Jordan Henderson will start in the centre with Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino on either side of Adam Lallana who will act as the playmaker(the Number 10 role) behind the resurgent Daniel Sturridge.

Manchester United’s predicted starting line-up is excepted to consist of Goalkeeper: David De Gea, Defence: Chris Smalling, Matteo Darmian, Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind. Midfield: Juan Mata, Morgan Schneiderlin, Michael Carrick, Memphis Depay and Ander Herrera. Forward: Anthony Martial.

It is much the same with Manchester, regarding their defence, as they have found it difficult this season to defend counter attacks and aerial duels with both Matteo Darmian and Daley Blind found wanting in their defeat to West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Among the back four, only Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo appeared to display any real effort when it came to defending.

With the Red Devil’s midfield, I’m predicting Morgan Schneiderlin and Michael Carrick to start in front of the back four as central defensive midfielders. In front of them, I expect Juan Mata, Ander Herrera and Memphis Depay to be a trio which have caused and will continue to cause opposing teams a few problems this season. This is due to Mata’s ability to run straight down the middle with both Herrera and Depay supporting him on his right and his left respectively. Up front, I expect Anthony Martial to start as the team’s main point of attack with Marouane Fellaini starting instead if he is fit as he is more likely to cause more problems for Liverpool in the air from free kicks & corners than Anthony Martial will.

Well, there you have it, a breakdown of tonight’s match between The Redmen vs The Red Devils, one of the oldest football team rivalries in the world.

Newcastle United have really good players in their squad, but The Magpies are lying in the 19th position in The Premier League. One of the reasons for the poor performance is the lack of key players because of injuries. But, The Magpies spent the biggest amount during the transfer window in January and there is still no improvement in the results.
The Magpies have serious problems when playing away from St. James’ Park. They lost 6 consecutive away league matches. In addition, Newcastle United have recorded 29 defeats in their last 40 Premier League games away from St. James’ Park. They have won only 2 of 14 away games this season and that’s the other reason for the bad position of the team.
However, The Magpies are now just 1 point down from the 17th place and they have big chances to avoid relegation, but they will need to change something in their performance, especially in defence! Newcastle have conceded 53 goals in 28 matches. Only Aston Villa, Sunderland and Norwich have conceded more goals.
On the other hand, The Magpies are showing nice football when they are playing at home, but just playing good is not the key to success. The points are the most important thing! That’s why Steve McClaren is close to being sacked. Rafael Benitez, Brendan Rodgers and David Moyes are linked to the club, but there is still no information about hiring someone of them.
Newcastle United have kept a clean sheet on only 5 occasions this season, which again shows that the main Magpies’ weakness is the defence.
Of course, there is still time. There are still 10 games before the end of the season. And Newcastle United have great potential in their squad. The new signings Jonjo Shelvey and Andros Townsend have just adapted to their new team and if they show their best on the pitch, they can help The Magpies avoid relegation. But, their main opponents – Norwich and Sunderland won’t make it easier for Newcastle. That’s why The Magpies must show good concentration in defence and start winning points. Otherwise, they will repeat the scenario from season 2008/2009, when they finished in 18th position and head to The Championship.
Furthermore, Newcastle United will have to play against their main opponents for staying in The Premier League in the next few rounds. The games against Sunderland (home), Norwich City (away), Swansea City (home) and Aston Villa (away) will be crucial for The Magpies’ future. In addition, Newcastle will host Crystal Palace and Tottenham in the last rounds and The Magpies can take advantage of the home ground in their battle for staying in the most competitive league in the world.
However, there are too many questions… Will Steve McClaren stay? Can Newcastle improve their away performance? Can the team avoid relegation? We will find the answers at the end of the season.

Manchester City won 3-1 at the NSC Olimpiyskiy against Dynamo Kiyv in the first leg of the 1/8-finals in The Champions League and are about to make a historical participation in the quarterfinals of the tournament. City’s top goal-scorer Sergio Aguero gave The Citizens the lead after 15 minutes. Then, David Silva doubled from a close distance just 5 minutes before the end of the first half. Despite Buyalskyy scored for the Ukrainian team, Yaya Toure found the net in the 90th minute and secured a comfortable lead for Manchester City before the second leg in England. The Citizens could have even won by more goals, but Toure missed a great opportunity, sending the ball just wide after a great attack in the 82nd minute. So, there will be no pressure for The Citizens before the second leg and they can gain some extra confidence before the crucial battles of the season.

The Citizens were unlucky to meet Barcelona twice in a row at the same stage of the tournament and that’s why they were leaving the Champions League so early in the season. Now, they had to play against one of the ‘easiest’ opponents in the Round of 16 and Manchester City won’t miss their greatest chance to proceed to the quarterfinals for the first time in their history.

Furthermore, The Citizens look more mature and have improved a lot since their participation in The Champions League last season. Despite their temporary bad form in The Premier League, the team still has its chances for winning 3 trophies this season. They are just 6 points behind the leaders Leicester City in The Premier League (12 matches to go), and have already qualified for The Capital One Cup’s final, where they will meet The Merseysiders.

Manchester City’s greatest success in the European tournaments is winning The European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1970, beating 2-1 Polish Gornik Zabrze in the final. Since then, The Citizens have reached the semi-finals of the same tournament once (1971). As I mentioned their best performance in The Champions League is reaching the 1/8-finals (Round of 16). This is their 6th participation in the most prestigious European club tournament and it looks like they are going to set a new record in their history.

If Manchester City are lucky to avoid some of the best teams in the next round, they can even go further. They have the needed quality! The questions are: Are they competitive enough to eliminate Barcelona or Real Madrid? Can Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany lead The Citizens to the glory? Can Pellegrini motivate his players? If the answers are “yes”, then they can even win The Champions League!

The legendary striker Miroslav Klose, who became Germany’s top goal-scorer ever is now 37 years old, but is still shows his world class. He is currently playing for Lazio, but is mostly coming on from the bench this season.
However, let’s take a look back in the most successful years of Miroslav Klose’s career. The first big club in the striker’s professional career was Kaiserslautern. The forward made his debut in The Bundesliga in April 2000. Just two years later he made his first real impact, scoring 16 goals for Kaiserslautern and becoming the second best top scorer for season 2001/2002. Meanwhile he was called for the first time in the German national team and made his debut on 24th March 2001 in a friendly game against Albania. He was eventually selected in the squad for The World Cup 2002 in Korea and Japan. Klose became the second best goal-scorer at the World Cup with 5 goals (all of them were with headers).
Two years later, the striker moved to Werder Bremen, where he lifted the DFB-Ligapokal in 2006. During the season 2005/2006 Klose scored 25 goals in 26 matches. But his biggest successes at club level came when he moved to Bayern Munich. Miroslav Klose won the Bundesliga twice, the DFB-Pokal twice, DFB-Ligapokal and DFB-Supercup. The striker was also in the squad when Bayern Munich became the runners-up in the Champions League (2009/2010).
At Lazio, Miroslav Klose won the Coppa Italia in season 2012/2013. He has scored 57 goals in 161 matches for The Eagles, but he is used mostly as a substitute.
Klose’s biggest success in football was in 2014 when he won The FIFA World Cup with Germany. He became the top World Cups’ goal-scorer with 16 goals in 4 consecutive tournaments. His goal against Brazil in the semi-final made him the greatest scorer in World Cups. He is also Germany’s all-time top goal-scorer with 71 goals in 137 appearances. Klose has also won 1 silver and 2 bronze medals from the other 3 World Cup’s he took part in.
The striker will be remembered with his goal-scoring instinct and great positioning. His header shots were crucial for Germany’s biggest recent successes. Klose also became the Man of the Match in World Cup games on 4 occasions. He was World Cup’s top goal-scorer in 2006. Klose was selected twice in the World Cup All-Star Team (2002 and 2006). Now, the forward can help his club team Lazio win The Europa League in maybe his final season as a professional football player.

It can sound a little bit harsh to Alex Neil. But, man have you lost your mind? Why not using Kyle Lafferty? Why you signed Mbokani when you have player like Lafferty in your squad? I won’t be wondering if Norwich be relegated after the end of the season. In fact, I expect that this will happen.

Kyle Lafferty appeared for just 14 minutes in a match of The Capital One Cup and managed to score against West Bromwich! He has enough qualities to be among the starting eleven every single week! Instead of that, he took part in only 1 Premier League match and stayed on the pitch for only 13 minutes.

The Northern Ireland international knows best how to win titles. He has become a Scottish Premiership champion with Rangers on 3 occasions. In addition, he has won The Scottish Cup and The Scottish League Cup twice.

But, Lafferty made his biggest impression at a big stage, helping Northern Ireland qualify for The UEFA Euro 2016. The striker scored 7 goals for his country in 9 games. Thanks to his efforts, Northern Ireland won their group and will take part in a major tournament for the first time since The World Cup 1986. This will be the first European championship for The Norn Iron.

Kyle Lafferty became the second best goal-scorer in Northern Ireland’s history with 16 goals in 46 appearances. So, I think Lafferty deserves at least a chance to prove his goal-scoring abilities in Norwich City. It is understandable why the striker declined a loan offer during the winter transfer window. If he leaves for a club of a lower division he will make a step back.

Actually I am not a Lafferty’s fan, but I hate seeing people being underestimated. And I am still not sure about the qualities of Mbokani, despite his stats. It is not just about scoring goals – it’s about making an impact on the pitch and winning games. And, in my opinion, Kyle Lafferty is doing a great job, but is advisedly neglected by the manager. However, Alex Neil and Lafferty could have argued and that’s why the striker is not playing…

In conclusion, I will be very happy if Lafferty shows his great potential at The Euro 2016 and help Northern Ireland achieve some good results. For now, just do not give up Kyle – you are better than the half of the strikers in The Premier League!

The Cottagers have a great history, but they have never won a major trophy. They are now lying in the 17th position in The Championship, but just 6 years ago The Cottagers had a great squad, which made significant things in The Europa League.

Roy Hodgson’s players weren’t so impressive in The Premier League (season 2009/2010), finishing 12th in the standings, but showed they can beat every single team. Fulham started their participation in The Europa League from the third qualifying round, where they had to play against Lithuanian side Vetra. The Londoners had no problems, winning 3-0 twice.

Then, they had to meet the Russian side Amkar Perm in the play-off round. Fulham played really well in the first leg and won 3-1 at Craven Cottage. Andrew Johnson, Clint Dempsey and Bobby Zamora scored for The Londoners. In the second leg, Fulham played bravely in defence and lost only 0-1 to the Russian team, which led The Cottagers to the group stage of the tournament.

The Cottagers were placed in Group ‘E’ with Basel, Roma and CSKA Sofia. Fulham started with a visit to Sofia and a 1-1 draw. They were lucky to equalize with Diomansy Kamara’s goal in the 65th minute (that was one of their very few goal-scoring chances in the match). Then, Fulham showed a real improvement and beat 1-0 Basel at Craven Cottage with Danny Murphy’s goal in the 57th minute.

The third match in the group was against the favourites – Roma, at home. Hangeland opened for Fulham in the first half. Mark Schwarzer saved a penalty and made a couple of great saves, before Roma equalized in the added time of the match. Logically, Fulham lost their visit to Italy, but they still had chances for going through.

The crucial match was against Basel, when Fulham won 3-2 in Switzerland. Then, The Cottagers eliminated Shakhtar Donetsk, before playing against Juventus.

The Old Lady smashed Fulham at The Juventus Stadium in the first leg, but won only 3-1. The Italian side led 1-0 in the second leg at Craven Cottage after just 2 minutes and it looked that Roy Hodgson’s players will be eliminated from the tournament. But Bobby Zamora managed to score very quickly after Trezeguet’s opener and brought Fulham back in the game. The 27th minute was the crucial one, because Juve remained with 10 men on the pitch after a red card. 5 minutes before the final whistle for the first half Gera turned thing around for Fulham (2-1).

Just 4 minutes after the break Zoltan Gera scored his second goal, equalizing the aggregate score. It seemed like the match will go to the extra time, but Clint Dempsey showed how genius he is. He flipped the ball over Chimenti from outside the box and found the net for 4-1!

Then, Fulham eliminated Wolfsbourg and Hamburg. In the second leg of the battle against Hamburg, The Cottagers again turned the score in their favour.

But not each fairy-tale has a happy end. Fulham were so close from winning The Europa League trophy, but a Diego Forlan’s goal in the 115th minute sent the cup to Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona humiliated Valencia in the first semi-final of the Copa del Rey. Los Blaugranas smashed 7-0 their opponent. All the goals were scored by Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi. The Uruguayan scored 4 in Valencia’s net, while the Argentinian finished with a hat-trick. In fact, the result could have been more impressive if Neymar had scored his chance from the penalty spot.

The main reason for the humiliating result is the Shkodran Mustafi’s red card at the end of the first half, which led to the penalty, missed by Brazilian star Neymar.

The failure of Valencia will surely lead to the sack of the manager Gary Neville. Under his leadership, Valencia haven’t recorded a single victory in Primera Division and The Bats are lying in the 12th place in the standings. It is now clear that The Bats won’t reach the final of the cup, which was their chance for saving the season.

Barcelona are on a run of 27 matches unbeaten in all competitions. Luis Enrique’s players lost for the last time to Sevilla 1-2 in October.

The home side pressured its visitors from the very beginning of the game. Barcelona needed 7 minutes to go in front. Neymar made a great assist to Luis Suarez, who easily found the net 1-0. The Uruguayan doubled the score just five minutes later.

Barcelona kept making a great show for the spectators at Camp Nou. The minute was 29th and Iniesta passed to Neymar, who made a great back heel pass. Suarez missed the ball to Messi, who calmly found the net.

The lack of confidence in Valencia’s players, made them only defending and looking forward to the final whistle. After the fast three goals Lionel Messi hit the bar. Then, in the 42nd minute Mustafi made a foul against Messi in the box and the referee showed him a red card, which was the most crucial moment in the match.

Barcelona’s show continued during the second half of the game. In the 59th minute Luis Suarez found Messi in the box with a brilliant back heel pass and the Argentinian magician went through two defenders to make himself a shooting space. The rest was easy and the result was increased to 4-0.

Several minutes after his second goal of the game, Messi managed to score his hat-trick. That was his 37th in his brilliant career. But that was not all! Suarez found the net again 7 minutes to go. A great cross by Adriano Correia and an excellent header by Suarez 6-0. But that was not enough for the Uruguayan forward. In the 88th minute he received a great pass from Arda and scored for 7-0.

Former Barcelona attacker Hristo Stoichkov is organizing a match for his 50th birthday (20 May 2016). The event is called “50 years N:8” and will be held at The Vasil Levski Stadium in Sofia. The legendary Bulgarian attacker has invited a big number of football stars. Among them are Diego Maradona, Carlos Valderrama, Romario, Roberto Baggio and many other football stars.

Hristo Stoichkov made his first major impact in CSKA Sofia. He played at top level and was showing speed and clinical finishes with his left foot. In 1988/89 season he reached the semi-finals of The European Cup Winner’s Cup with his team and the quarter finals of the European Cup (Champions League) in the next season. It was clear that he had to play for a bigger team and in 1990 Barcelona bought him. Then, he lifted the European Cup in 1992.

For the Bulgarian national team, the attacker scored 38 goals in 84 appearances. He was a part of the team, which won the fourth place at The World Cup 1994 in the USA. He scored 6 goals in the tournament and won The Golden Shoe. Stoichkov won the Ballon d’Or too in 1994. In his career Hristo has also played for Parma, Al-Nassr, Kashiwa Reysol, Chicago Fire and DC United.

After retiring from the professional football, Hristo Stoichkov became a manager. He was a head coach of the Bulgarian national team for the period between 15th July 2004 and 10th April 2007. Then he was at Celta Vigo, Mamelodi Sundowns and Litex Lovech.

Now, he is one of the football legends and is going to make a great show for the people in the Balkans. You still have time to buy a ticket, but hurry up because you may never see again all these great players at the same time, at the same place. The ticket prices are from 18,88 – 88,88 BGN (£7,40 – £34,60).

Here is the full list of players (who have accepted the invitation so far) to take part in the match: Hristo Stoichkov, Diego Maradona, Carlos Valderrama, Romario, Jose Luis Chilavert, Georghe Hagi, Gica Popescu, Jorge Campos, Daniele Massaro, Ivan Zamorano, Gianfranco Zola, Antonio Benarrivo, Davor Suker, Zvonimir Boban, Nasko Sirakov, Yordan Letchkov, Lyuboslav Penev, Emil Kostadinov, Krassimir Balakov, Roberto Baggio, Juan Roman Riquelme, Jean-Pierre Papin.

Former Bolton, Newcastle and West Ham midfielder Kevin Nolan has accepted Leyton Orient’s offer to become their player-manager. The experienced midfielder is well-known for his passion and great skills, so he will surely be helpful in Orient’s battle for a place in The League 1.

33-year-old Nolan has a great goal-scoring instinct. He has scored 99 league goals in 522 appearances. He won The Championship title with Newcastle in 2010 and also won a promotion with West Ham in 2012. Kevin Nolan became famous for his performance in Bolton Wanderers. The midfielder started his professional career in 1999 and took part in 4 matches in his very first Premier League season.

Nolan was a part of Bolton’s team, which qualified for The UEFA Cup for the first time in the history of the club. He played in the historical draw 2-2 against Bayern Munich. The midfielder showed a great technique and assisted to Davies, who equalized 5 minutes before the final whistle.

Leyton Orient are lying in the 11th place of The League Two after 26 rounds. Orient are just 3 points down from the 7th place which provides playoff participation. Kevin Nolan will try to qualify his new team for the playoffs, which will be a real challenge in such a competitive division. Leyton Orient started the season well, but the team has won one of its last 10 matches in the league. Kevin Nolan will make his debut on 23rd January when Orient is visiting one of their main competitors Wycombe Wanderers (currently lying in the 7th position). The ex West Ham midfielder has signed a contract for two and a half years.

Nolan has never played for the English national team. He has only made two appearances for the U21 English team. It’s so sad that such a talented player has never won a major trophy, but he has taken part in fantastic matches for Bolton, Newcastle and West Ham in The Premier League. He was a captain in all the teams he played. His leadership skills and his passion will lead him to a very successful coaching career. But first, he has to inspire his new teammates to achieve something special and qualify for The League 1.

In conclusion, it’s always good when you have a player like Kevin Nolan in your squad, because you know that he can decide every single game. He can score, he can assist, or he can make the crucial tackle to keep your sheet clean!

The group stage matches have ended and now we are about to watch 1/8 final of the most prestigious European clubs tournament – The Champions League. There has been really big surprises in this campaign. Many of the smaller clubs played very well against the favourites and showed why this is the most interesting and entertaining game in the world.

Teams like Manchester United, Sevilla, Galatasaray, Bayer Leverkusen, Porto, Valencia and Olimpique Lyonnais are out of the tournament. Instead of these teams, many unassuming teams qualified, such as Gent and Wolfsburg, for example.

One of the most interesting battles in the round of 1/8 finals is Arsenal against Barcelona. Can The Gunners finally make something special in The Champions League? I think they are able to beat Barca. The Spanish champion has very short squad and if some of the key players are injured, Arsene Wenger’s team has very big chances to go through! In addition, The Gunners are performing really well this season and they made impossible things to qualify for this stage of the tournament.

Another interesting match is between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. The French team has already shocked The Blues, who are not in their best form. But, there is still a lot of time to pass and I am sure that Jose Mourinho will do his best to motivate his team against the multi-million selection of PSG.

Of course, there are matches that look easy to predict. At first glance I can tell you that Wolfsburg and Manchester City are going to continue to the quarter finals of The Champions League. In my opinion, The Citizens are just too good for Gent, without underestimating the Belgian side. But, City’s luck will finish after these two games, because then they will have to play against very strong team.

In conclusion, the main favourites for winning the title in The Champions League are again Barcelona. Another team, who has very good chances is Bayern Munich. Then, we have to say Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Juventus are also good enough this season, but will have serious problems when playing against Barcelona or Bayern Munich. These two teams are simply better than the others. But, eventually nobody knows what will happen. I will give you an example – in 2004 the final match was between Porto and Monaco and the Portuguese side eventually won the title, so everything is possible in The Champions League!

What’s happening in The Premier League after almost half of the season has passed? Well, this is maybe the most competitive season ever. Teams like Leicester, Watford and Bournemouth are able to surprise all the biggest teams in the division. What to say about West Ham? Well, The Hammers beat all the best teams and lost to the weakest.

To begin with, Leicester City are the leaders! These words were impossible to be used in a sentence before the start of the season. But, all The Foxes’ players are showing great consistency and are performing at top level. Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez are clinical; Vardy even set a new record for most goals in consecutive matches. The Englishman scored in 11 consecutive games.

Then, Chelsea, who are the current champions, will fight for avoiding relegation!? The Blues lost 9 of 16 matches so far! That’s another thing that if I had told you before the start of the season you wouldn’t have believed me. In addition, Chelsea have won only 4 matches. One of the best managers ever, Mourinho, is about to be sacked…

But that’s not all! Aston Villa have recorded only 6 points and if they don’t do something to improve, The Lions are going to relegate… They can improve a negative record for the biggest number of defeats in The Premier League, set by Derby County in 2007/2008 season. The Villains are the team with the worst attack and the worst defence so far in the league.

Sunderland are also endangered of relegation. The Black Cats need to perform at top level in the matches till the end of the season if they want to keep their place among the best teams in England.

To continue; the newly promoted Watford are doing sensational things. Their great efforts have led to 7 victories and 4 draws in the first 16 league games. Their duo in attack – Deeney and Ighalo are scoring goal after goal. The Hornets are just 10 points behind the first team in the standings and Watford are not worried about their place in the league in the next season!

The teams from 1st to 13th place in the standings are separated by only 15 points! The differences are really small. The strengths are really levelled and everything is possible this campaign. It all depends on the current form of the teams and the injury problems.

In conclusion, this is maybe the hardest competition for predicting. But, also is the most interesting in the world. We will see what will happen to Leicester, Chelsea, Man United, Man City and Arsenal.The best is yet to come!

Manchester United lost 3-2 to Wolfsburg on Tuesday and finished in third place in Group B of The Champions League. A month ago, it seemed almost impossible such a failure for The Red Devils. But, they proved they struggle when it goes to scoring goals. They have scored only 9 goals in their last 11 games. In addition, Manchester United have failed to score in 5 of these matches. Moreover, United lost on penalties against Middlesbrough and were eliminated of The Capital One Cup. The Red Devils’ fans, obviously don’t like the current playing style of the team.

On the other hand, United don’t concede lots of goals in their net, but the team has always performed outstandingly in attack. The Red Devils showed a real infirmity against West Ham, finishing with a 0-0 draw. Then, despite scoring two goals against Wolfsburg, the second one was quite accidental. The fans are blaming mainly Fellaini for the defeat, whose haircut is bigger than his head…

To continue; another reason for the inconsistency in the performance of Manchester United is the wrong transfer policy. ‘Rafael, Nemanja Vidic, Johny Evans, Patrice Evra, Nani, Kagawa, Robin van Persie, Javier Hernandez, Januzaj and Danny Welbeck should have never left the squad,’ said the former Liverpool and Manchester United striker Michael Owen.

Despite his goals, Anthony Martial is not ready to take the whole responsibility for United’s performance in attack. In addition, Wayne Rooney has performed at an average level from the beginning of the season. Furthermore, there are no other options in United’s attack, expect for Wilson, who is still not ready to play at such level.

The Red Devils’ legend Paul Scholes was even more cruel and attacked the United’s manager van Gaal. ‘Manchester United look like an average team with an average performance. They spent £250 m. and are unable to pass this shockingly weak group,’ added Scholsey. This is the second time, the ex midfielder attacks van Gaal. The Englishman criticized Martial a month ago and he might have been right in the situation.

Another ex Manchester United player, Rio Ferdinand, is very disappointed with the recent poor results and the third place in The Champions League Group B. ‘This is disappointing. I was in the squad when we played in the Europa League and this is really a big disappointment. People look at you and say they’re not good enough, questioning your skills. However, this is a team that has not passed the group stage,’ the ex defender said.

However, Louis van Gaal is a great football manager, but maybe this is not the right club for him. His preferred playing style is not supported by the vast majority of The Red Devils’ fans. Of course, we have to admit that he took the club in a very difficult situation after the disastrous management of David Moyes. The Dutchman stabilized the performance of the team in defence and proved he is a great expert. But, is he flexible enough to change the style of the team and win the sympathy of the fans again?

Arsenal did something quite significant, after completing a perfect way the “Mission Impossible” to win with more than one goal difference over the Greek champion Olympiakos and qualified for the phase of direct eliminations in The Champions League. Arsene Wenger was in a very difficult situation, because he could not rely on a big number of his star players as Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshire, Francis Coquelin and many others. However, The Gunners showed a great motivation, played perfectly and eventually won with the classic 3-0 to qualify for the 16th consecutive time for the 1/8 finals of The Champions League. Olivier Giroud was the hero for Arsenal. He scored three goals for The Gunners and overtook by goals in Europe one of the greatest players in the history of Arsenal – Dennis Bergkamp.

Giroud opened the score in the 29th minute of the match after a cross from Aaron Ramsey. He doubled his team’s advance four minutes into the second half. Frenchman scored his hat-trick in the 67th minute from the penalty spot.

The match began with a massive domestic pressure. Even though guests were those who needed goals, Olympiakos played better in the first quarter of the game and created several interesting moments in front of Petr Cech’s goal. The most dangerous situation for the host team was an Ideye’s shot, which went wide.

However, after 24 minutes, The Gunners missed a great clear goal-scoring chance. Arsenal created an excellent combination in the penalty area, but Flamini’s shot reflected off the crossbar. Just five minutes later, The Gunners opened the score. Olivier Giroud finished with a header a good cross of his teammate Aaron Ramsey. Mesut Özil was “the engine” of this attack with an excellent through ball to Ramsey.

After the break the visitors were lucky to reach the second goal very quickly. Its author was again Olivier Giroud, who scored in the 49th minute. The main contribution of his goals had Joel Campbell, who showed a great technique and passed a through ball in the Olympiakos’ box, which found unmarked Giroud, who had no troubles and scored with just one touch 0-2! With this goal Giroud passed one of the legends of Arsenal – Dennis Bergkamp by goals in The Champions League.

In the 67th minute everything collapsed for the hosts, after a defender stopped a cross with a hand in the box and the referee Nicola Rizzoli awarded Arsenal with a penalty kick. Olivier Giroud scored from the penalty spot his third goal in the Roberto’s net and made the task in front of the Greeks impossible.

Welcome to the world of the most competitive football league – Premiership. This is the place, where nothing is sure, where the weakest teams beat the strongest. This is the most interesting division with the best players in the world.

There are a lot of different records in The Premier League. To start with, the team with the biggest number of titles is Manchester United. The Red Devils also hold the record for the most consecutive title wins and the biggest winning margin.

Another interesting record is held by Chelsea. The Blues are the team with the biggest number of wins in a season (29 of 38) and they did it twice – in 2004/05 and 2005/06. They also have recorded the biggest number of home victories per season (18 of 19), alongside with Manchester United and Manchester City. Chelsea had also scored 103 goals in season 2009/10, which is the best goal-scoring record in the history of The Premier League. The Blues also hold the record for the best defence, keeping a clean sheet on 25 occasions in 2004/05 season.

Arsenal are the only unbeaten team in a campaign (2003/04). The Gunners are the team with the longest winning run (14 games) between 10th Feb. 2002 and 24th Aug. They have also been unbeaten for 49 games, which is the longest run in The Premier League.

Alongside with the positive records, there are lots of shameful stats. For example, Derby County have recorded only 1 home victory of 19 matches in season 2007/08. And that was their only victory for the season. How bad should be your performance, in order to win once in 38 matches?

On the other hand, one of the current participants in The Premier League, Sunderland, holds another negative record. The Black Cats have recorded 20 consecutive defeats not on 1 occasion, but twice! In fact, in season 2005/06 Sunderland lost 29 matches in total. Derby County have the same record at 2007/08.

The best forward of The Premier League remains Alan Shearer, who has scored 260 goals in 441 matches. This means he has scored 0,59 goals per match. The only player, who currently plays in The Premiership and is close to him in the chart is Wayne Rooney. The Manchester United’s player has scored 187 and will hardly reach the Shearer’s record. Ex Blackburn and Newcastle striker hold another record – the biggest number of goals in a season (34), (joint record with Andrew Cole).

Petr Cech is the current best goalkeeper in The Premier League. The Arsenal’s player has kept a clean sheet on 172 occasions. And he is still improving his record.

The biggest win in The Premier League is Manchester United’s victory over Ipswich Town (9-0) on 4th March 1995. The Red Devils hold another record – for the biggest away win (8-1 vs. Nottingham Forest in 1999).

In conclusion, The Premier League is now more interesting than ever. This season is maybe one of the most competitive and nobody knows what will happen in the end. So, we can expect some records to be broken.

Let me tell you a story about a boy, who was born in Sheffield and who has always wanted to become a professional footballer. His name is Jamie Richard Vardy. Jamie started his development in the Sheffield Wednesday’s academy, but was released at the age of 16, because was set to has no prospects in football.

Then, Vardy joined Stocksbridge Park Steels, where he scored 66 goals in 107 matches in The Northern Premier League Division One. He continued to be a semi-professional footballer after joining Halifax and then playing for Fleetwood. Before turning professional, Jamie Vardy worked as a technician, making medical splints. Vardy made a big impression for the first time in 2011/12 campaign when he scored 3 goals in 6 games for Fleetwood in The FA Cup.

Eventually Leicester City signed the striker and he became an essential part of The Foxes’ first team. Now, at the age of 28, Vardy is the current top goal-scorer in The English Premier League and has recently received his first international call-up. In the last round of the Premiership, Vardy scored against Newcastle and equalised van Nistelrooy’s record of scoring in 10 consecutive league matches.

Now, Leicester City’s clinical striker Jamie Vardy is observed by all the major European clubs. His speed and finishing skills makes me compare him to Michael Owen, who also was taking advantage of his sprint speed. I hope Vardy won’t make the same mistake, Owen did, replacing the Premiership with Primera Division. The question is can Vardy help his current team reach historical participation in The Champions League? Only the time can answer to this question. If he preserves himself of injuries and keep scoring, there is a big chance of achieving such thing.

The most important thing in his character is that except for his qualities on the pitch, he has a very good confidence. In addition, he has intended a clause in his contract with Leicester that includes bonuses if he is invited in the English national squad.

If Jamie Vardy continue showing such a performance, he will surely be called up in the English squad for UEFA Euro 2016 in France, which will be great for his further career. But we shouldn’t underestimate his teammates’ efforts, because primarily this is a team sport and Vardy is shinning that bright because of his understanding with the other Leicester City’s players. Unfortunately, he had to wait until the age of 26 to take part in his first Premier League match, but it is better late than never.

At both ends, Jamie Vardy is undoubtedly a very talented striker and if he keeps scoring and playing on top level, he can become a world-class attacker. Now, everyone is going to follow his development. We wish him all the best!

Whatever happens, no matter which team appoint Benitez and no matter which one is playing for the club he is manager at, the Spanish coach will always remain a potty in the profession. Of course, this is my opinion and now I will tell you why I think so.

To begin; we have to admit that Benitez’s effort at Liverpool was amazing when The Merseysiders won The Champions League. He also has won several major trophies, but if you take a closer look at his philosophy, you will see he is a very weak manager.

You just cannot be a head coach at Real Madrid and want your players to play on counter-attacks against Sporting Gijon, for example. When you are a manager at a club of such range and such classy players are in your squad, you will have to smash teams like Sporting Gijon and Malaga, not ending with 0-0 draws. In my opinion, it is better to try earning 3 points or nothing, instead of collecting just 1 and fall behind Barcelona.

Furthermore, you simply mustn’t let Paris Saint Germain overplay you at Santiago Bernabeu! No matter Real Madrid won 1-0, Los Blancos deserved to lose by several goals. I don’t think PSG have better players than Real, but they definitely have a better head coach! So, if Rafa Benitez stays, the club won’t win anything this season.

In addition, Real Madrid should be discarded of the Copa del Rey, because Benitez used a suspended player. How forgetful you have to be, doing such a stupid thing. So, my question is why they pay him. I also want to receive millions for doing nothing. If you tell Ronaldo to make the line up, I am sure he will do it better than Benitez!

Oh, I almost forget about the match against Barcelona. Even Roma who lose 1-6 to Barca played more brave than Real Madrid. This result (0-4) is a pure humiliation. I am wondering is Benitez a man of the pride? If he was, he would have left his position, hasn’t he?

Now I am asking, how he managed to win so many trophies and I can’t find the answer. Maybe he is very very lucky… So, I am telling you – no matter who you are and how much you understand about football, you would have done better than Rafa Benitez.

To conclude, I am not a Real Madrid fan. I just hate watching bunglers. I suggest Benitez retire for the good of football!

Is this possible? The most reasonable response to this question is ‘money talks’! Manchester City will try to make the biggest transfer in the football history. According to the British tabloid ‘Sun’, The Citizens will do everything possible to convince the Barcelona star Lionel Messi to change his beloved club with Man City. For the purpose The City’s owner is going to make a mind-boggling offer of £800k per week to the Argentinian ‘magician’, which with the bonuses can reach nearly 40 million pounds per year. Messi’s representatives have already met with City’s chiefs and heard the proposal of the English club. The first reaction from the Messi’s camp was positive.

Currently, 28-year-old Messi gets about 500k pounds a week at Barcelona. Manchester City have prepared another ace in their attempt to persuade Leo to make the big step. This will be the possible appointment of Josep Guardiola, who can eventually leave Bayern (Munich) and take exactly Manchester City.

But we mustn’t forget about the amount Barcelona have to receive in order to sell their best player. The release clause in the contract of Messi is the amount of £250 m., but Manchester City have decided to start their offensive with a proposal of £120 m.

Until now, Kevin De Bruyne is the most expensive Manchester City’s transfer. The amount paid for him is about £54-58m. The Belgian international is the most expensive player, purchased by an English team. The world football transfer record at the moment is the transfer of Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid. The Welsh international costed £85.3 m., which amount is about £5 m. more than the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Opposite to these colossal sums, I will mention the cheapest transfer in the modern era of football, excluding the free transfers. Have you heard of Tony Cascarino? Crockenhill sold their young striker Cascarino to Gillingham in 1981 for only £180. The irony is that he scored 78 goals in 219 games and 6 years later was sold for about £200k to Millwall. Cascarino even became an Irish international in 1985 and scored 19 goals in 88 matches for his country. So, please, Man City’s bosses, don’t cause this to football. Give a chance to your youngsters. Among them could be the next Messi.

In conclusion, if Manchester City buy Leo Messi, football will continue to be ‘inflated financial bubble’, which will be cracked some day. Because it is not normal a player to cost £250 m. and to take £40 m. per year. And that’s why the English national team won’t win a major trophy soon – because the managers don’t give a chance to the young English talents and buy million-pounds players!

Jose Mourinho has proved he is one of the best managers in the world, having won everything possible in his club career, but Chelsea’s recent performance is not persuasive enough. This is the reason, the football analysts in England to start talking about eventual sacking of ‘The Special One’.

The manager answered to the question whether he is going to resign with the words: ‘I won’t resign. I won’t give up unless they sack me!’ We all know that the Portuguese is perfectionist and this comes to show that Mourinho is motivated to prove he is the best, but he also thinks that there is a conspiracy against him and the referees are helping Chelsea’s opponents.

It is said that the Portuguese manager has received an ultimatum. The team must win the next three consecutive games against Liverpool, Dynamo Kyiv (in The Champions League) and Stoke City. And even if Chelsea win in these three matches it is not sure that Mourinho will stay at The Stamford Bridge.

Besides the poor results, there is no sign of the team’s performance from the last season, when The Blues won The Premier League and The Capital One Cup. Now, Chelsea are out of The League Cup and 11 points away from the first place in The Premiership after 10 rounds passed. The Blues succeeded in just 5 of 15 competitive matches so far this season.

Mourinho has proved that he can get out of difficult situations. But he is not the only squad member, who is guilty for the Chelsea’s performance drop. His scandal with the team’s doctor Eva Carneiro affected negatively to the team. Last but not least, some of the Chelsea’s key players are totally out of form. For example, Hazard, who was one of the most effective Blues’ player in the last season, is now invisible on the pitch.

The manager was also blamed by the fans for his transfers politics this summer. Abdul Rahman Baba, who was signed from Augsburg can’t still adapt to The Premier League. Except for Pedro and Falcao, there were no other major transfers in the Blues’ squad. The Colombian continues with his poor performance in The Premier League after his unsuccessful period in Manchester United.

On the other hand, there are still chances Mourinho to save the season for Chelsea. Just the team will have to start winning matches. And if Chelsea win these three consecutive games, everything will look different. Also, the players will sooner or later find their best form, because we all know that all the Chelsea’s footballers are classy.

In conclusion, only the time will show what will happen to Jose Mourinho and his career in Chelsea. I don’t think it will be right if the manager is sacked, because he has a great understanding for the game and has proven he is the best, choosing the tactics for every single match.

One of the biggest favourites in the battle for The Capital One Cup – Manchester United was eliminated in the 1/8-final stage of the competition, after a shocking loss 1: 3 (on penalties) to Middlesbrough at Old Trafford. Both teams failed to score in the regular time, as the guests were more active. A Daley Blind’s own goal was disallowed due to Quique’s offside and Jesse Lingard shot hit the post. At the extra time, both teams missed opportunities and when the game went on penalties, the most experienced in the selection of Louis van Gaal – Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Ashley Young missed and eventually Middlesbrough triumphed 3-1.

Surprisingly, the guests who were supported by 10,000 supporters at Old Trafford, missed the first goal chance, which opened in the 16th minute. United’s defence failed to clear after a corner kick and the ball was back in the box where Emilio Nsue tried a bicycle shot and passed to George Friend who missed from a close distance.

41 minutes into the match, United managed to create their first clear goal-scoring chance. Fellaini controlled the ball well and shot with his right foot from inside the box, but Friend blocked in the decisive moment. Immediately after that, Romero had to save his team for the second time, punching a great Stuart Downing’s shot.

At the beginning of the second half, Depay shoot from a big distance and Middlesbrough’s goalkeeper Mejias dropped the ball for a moment, but then he managed to catch it before the line. Five minutes after that, the ball was in the Romero’s net. Quique fired, the ball bounced off the post, then Blind in a very comical way put it in the net. But the goal was annulled because of offside. In the 66th minute United’s defence went to new ridiculous situation. Blind passed back to Romero, who clumsily missed the ball and only the luck saved his sheet clean.

In the final minutes, both teams missed several chances for goal. Lingard’s first shot hit the post. Then Leadbitter and Downing created two great opportunities for Middlesbrough, but Romero was at the right place to save his team.

In the last minute of the extra time, Martial and Fellaini missed two great opportunities to score in Borough’s net, but their header shots went so close, both not accurate. This led to the shootout.

Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Ashley Young missed for the hosts. The only United’s player, who scored from the penalty spot was the youngster Andreas Pereira. For Middlesbrough, Leadbitter, Downing and Gibson were accurate. David Nugent only missed the target, but that was not fatal for the guests, who continue to the quarter finals where they will play against Everton.

Manchester United: Romero; Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Rojo (61′ – Young); Carrick, Fellaini, Pereira, Lingard, Wilson (46′ – Rooney); Depay (71′ – Martial).

Middlesbrough: Mejias; Kalas, Ayala, Gibson, Stephens (114′ – Clayton); Friend, Downing, Leadbitter, Nsue, De Pena (79′ – Zuculini); Kike (84′ – Nugent).

Trying to find the best bookmaker for Brits could turn out to be quite the challenge, but if your criteria revolves around one sport to bet on, it’s easier to make the right choice. Even if that sport is football, which I don’t need to tell you it’s the most popular sport in the UK – to watch, to drink a pint for, to bet on; you name it, we do it!

Having said that, let’s get down to business and see which bookie does best in offering certain kind of football bets, tips, predictions and more. If, on the other hand, you don’t care much for my writing and are eager to take a punt with one of the front runners, check the top 5 betting sites from onlinebookies.info.

And speaking of betting, here is where things get a little bit more complicated, because you have to choose a bookie that can satisfy your hunger for betting on the most important events and not only. Because you know that while some people simply settle for betting on one team or the other to win, draws or final score, others like to take a punt on everything, from corners, mobile in-play betting and live streaming and all the way to whether or not a player will take his shirt off after scoring a goal.

The latest statistics provided by the local regulatory and licensing body show that the non-remote betting market in the UK is dominated by 4 major sports betting operators – William Hill, Ladbrokes, Gala Coral Group and Betfred, which 86% of all land-based betting shops. With this in mind, it comes as no surprise that these bookies also reign in the online betting market thanks to their huge experience in the field which helps them to know exactly what punters want.

Let’s take Ladbrokes, for example. Aside from the regular bets like Asian handicap betting, first goalscorer, wincast and half-time and full-time scores, this bookie extends Match Specials that will make every punter drool, yours truly included. I managed to be quids in with these Specials more often than with the standard bets and given the huge odds that they offer, no wonder. I mean, for the Tottenham vs Liverpool match, on Saturday, you can get 50 to 1 odds on Jurgen Klopp to use all 3 substitutes at half time. I mean I know it’s kind of a stretch, but it is possible and that’s all I need to know. Jurgen Klopp to be sent to the stands also offers pretty juicy odds of 20 to 1, so pray he goes bonkers over something and your bet will sound as a pound.

Of course, it’s not all about the types of bets they feature. A good football bookie knows that punters also need a capital boost, so free bets and risk-free offers are must-have perks. Paddy Power does pretty well in this category, extending numerous free bets for pre-match and in-play events. Presently, if you place a bet pre-match, you will receive half of that amount for free to make in-play wagers. I wouldn’t pass on that and I suggest you don’t, either. So, my friends, I gave you a few pointers and suggestions as to who the top bookies for football betting are. Although my advice is usually ‘stick with a bookie that’s been around for a long time’, if you find a fresh operator with good odds, please let me know.

The English Premier League is the most competitive division in the world. But why when it comes to participation in European tournaments, English clubs look very weak and defeat from modest teams, teams without serious title ambitions…

The example I am going to give you is the first two rounds of The Champions League group stage. Four English teams are playing in the most prestigious European tournament: Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City.

To begin; Arsenal is the brightest example for the English crash in Europe. The Gunners lost twice in their first two games. The more shocking thing was that they did it against Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos. So, Arsenal’s chances to take place in the 1/8 finals don’t look as good as they did a month ago. It is obvious that Arsene Wenger’s team have serious problems in defense and it will be a pure miracle if The Gunners take something from their matches against Bayern Munich. The Bavarians seem to be

Chelsea started well, beating 4-0 Maccabi Tel Aviv, but when they visited to Portuguese Porto, Chelsea’s weakness in defense was shown as they lost 1-2. Dynamo Kyiv is a good team and The Blues can have difficulties when playing against the Ukrainian club. However, I think The Londoners will hardly miss the next phase of The Champions League but this match deepened The Blues’ crisis and it can affect on which team they will meet in the 1/8 finals.

The Red Devils lost 1-2 to PSV Eindhoven in their first group stage match; then they won 2-1 vs Wolfsburg but they definitely didn’t deserve the three points as they gave the initiative to their opponents who just had a lack of luck in front of goal. The participation in four tournaments can finally leave Manchester United without a single trophy this season if they don’t improve their performance away from home and finally keep their lead when they are in front. Van Gaal realizes that; as the manager said that The Red Devils need to improve in order to win a tournaments or a cup this season.

What to say about Manchester City? The lost 1-2 to Juventus proved The Citizens are still not ready to fight for The Champions League trophy. This defeat led to another one in The Premiership which showed the lack of confidence in Pellegrini’s players. In the second round Man City won 2-1 vs Borussia M’gladbach but it wasn’t a persuasive performance. Aguero saved again Citizens’ ambitions, scoring in the last minute of the game.

In summary, the English teams struggle against teams without traditions, without too many quality players; which comes to show all the English clubs aren’t good enough to compete with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich for example. So it won’t be surprising if there are no English clubs in the quarter finals of the tournament. What can be done? Underestimating must be forgotten by all the English clubs because they are showing ‘haughtily behavior’ on the pitch when playing against teams like Olympiakos for example.

How did I decide to start blogging?

Well, as a big football fan I felt I need to share my thoughts with other football fans. I have been looking for weeks to find a similar blog where I could share my football knowledge but finally I took the decision to make my own blog.

What you can expect from me?

I love writing and most of all I adore football. So, what you think you can find here… I am going to post different football news, analyses, reviews, sports betting news, tips and so on. Everything you need to know about The Premiership, The Champions League, The European Qualifiers and many other competitions you will find them here. By the way, forgot to tell you that my other passion is betting on sports. I think I will be helpful to you when you decide to pick your bets. Oh, wait a second, totally forgot to introduce myself. You can simply call me Scholesy. If you are a real football fan you will understand why I picked this nickname.

What you will hear from me?

Most of the bloggers keep secrets from their readers. Well, I don’t have any… I have always shared everything with everyone. All the things I know about football; about the game itself; about best ways of betting; about actual football news and interesting stories I know; everything will be shared with you, my friends! And If you have any questions to me you can be sure that I will be glad to answer them.

What is my promise to you?

I will sound a little bit like a politician but If you join me I just can promise to you that I will post regularly news and share my opinion with you. In addition, I think I can afford criticizing players and managers; I am not shy to tell if someone is not playing okay; so I think you are going to like my style.