Game Plan

Clash of titans : Champions league final 2020

2020-08-23T20:16:00.001+05:45

Newbies vs The Old Guard : Battle for Europe' supremacy !

It took us a lot longer than initially planned but -- Season finale is finally here, 2019/20 is set to be concluded with a heavyweight clash between Bayern Munich and PSG. Matches don't come more enticing than this. Final between two teams that love to attack and are littered with match-winners-- it is a showdown that guarantees goals. PSG earned their spot after beating Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, and RB Leipzig. They have gradually looked more dangerous and free-flowing over the past weeks of knock-out football. Bayern Munich has been a machine, they rolled past Chelsea with ease, obliterated Barcelona in quarters and easing past Lyon in the semi-finals. It's a clash between the dominant side from their respective leagues ( France and Germany). PSG became the 41st side to reach Champions League final and, will be hoping to lift the trophy for the first time in their history. Meanwhile, Bayern reached their 11th Champions League final and is seeking to win it for the sixth time in their history.

BAYERN MUNICH

Bayern is the favorites to win this tie. They have won ten in a row scoring 42 goals. This team looks to be in a mission to win, they have been dominant no matter the opposition. Lewandowski is in the form of his career, banging in goals for fun. Bayern Munich is pretty good and is the complete team. Attack supplemented by Gnabry and Müller alongside the best player currently, that's a frightening sight. Müller himself described himself as "Raumdeuter"(it means something like an interpreter of space). He is instrumental to the way Flick sets his team up. In his idiosyncratic way, he is central to the Flick style. From midfield to defense Bayern is stacked up with world-class players. They can easily up the tempo in this game which, PSG midfield should match the tempo --if they want to be crowned champions.

PSG

PSG have Neymar, Mbappe, Icardi, and Di Maria, Yet they are the underdogs in this final. They are coming against a Bayern side that functions very well from defensive end to attacking end. They must be at their best if they want to beat Bayern Munich. Bayern plays a high line that will suit the PSG attackers. Bayern's full-back love to bomb forward and their midfielders aren't used to a player running off them. Leon Goretzka will be important but it will come down to pace. Alaba is quick, he isn't quick enough for PSG's attackers. Expect some scintillating counter-attack from PSG.

PREDICTION : PSG 3 - 2 BAYERN MUNICH

Bayern are favorite to win the tie, but PSG have enough fire power to hurt the German champions. It has to be the defence for Bayern which will be their undoing. Messi should have scored against them and was furious at himself, which then changes the format of the game. Bayern killed them in the end, but they do give away chances. Serge Gnabry looks unreal and Bayern look strong. It has been a massive effort from both of these sides and it is a treat to have them in the final. Kylian Mbappe is also on the edge of being the next superstar for a while. Winning Champions will no doubt proper him in that category. Along with brilliance of Neymar, it might be too much for Bayern to handle.

Continental Watch : Europa League final 2019/20

2020-08-21T19:48:00.003+05:45

Sevilla vs Inter Milan: Battle for Europa's Supremacy !!

Before we can get to the main event, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain battling in Lisbon for the Champions League crown, we get a hell of an undercard. The Europa League final pits the hottest team in Europe that isn't in the UCL finals (Inter Milan) against a team that treats the Europa League title game like its own personal birthright (Sevilla)

A year after the qualifying round started, Europa league final 2019/20 has arrived. A total of 213 teams have entered the competition at various stages, now we are down to the final two. Sevilla and Inter will contest Friday's showdown in Koln. Sevilla had a relatively hard route compared to Inter as they entered through the champions league, after finishing third in their group. Sevilla knocked Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United in quarter and semi-finals, Inter knocked Bayer Leverkusen and Shakhtar Donetsk to their way to the finals. This is Sevilla's competition they have it five times, more than anyone. Gary Lineker said, " in the Europa League, 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end Sevilla win". Sevilla has contested five Europa League final and won every one of them. Across all UEFA competitions, only Liverpool(six, 1973-1984) and Real Madrid(nine, 1985-2018) have won more consecutive finals. History is not on Inter's side and, looking at recent evidence.

Despite Sevilla's status as the most successful team in Europa League, Inter is slight favorites. Inter's last major European final was a decade ago, they played the current Champions League finalist Bayern Munich and won 2-0 thanks to Eder who scored both the goals. Inter won Champions League, as it was the last puzzle to their treble hopes. They remain the only Italian side to win a treble. In Serie A they finished just one point behind Juventus, With Conte tangled in a fight against the boards. It will be a fitting way to leave if they decided against it what a way to build-up for the next season.

Sevilla

La Liga outfit Sevilla booked their place in the final, by beating Manchester United they came from behind to knock the 2017 winners out. Sevilla has triumphed in eight of their last nine matches. They're one win from a sixth Europa title, but this will likely be their toughest final yet. After falling to Slavia Prague in the Europa round of 16 last year, it appears they've stocked back up on tournament mojo. Man Utd missed a lot of their chance, With Lukaku being in the form of his life. Sevilla needs to sore up their defense if they want to win their sixth Europa crown. The two semi-finals painted a pretty good picture of how this final may play out. While many thought Manchester United were unlucky to lose in the last four, Sevilla came out on top in terms of possession and do enjoy dictating play, particularly through Éver Banega in the middle of the park. Lopetegui’s side has averaged 65.1% possession in their Europa League matches this season, which is the highest in the competition by a distance. It would not be a surprise if that figure rises come Friday night, but that will suit Conte and Inter just fine.

Inter Milan

Inter’s potent front two of Lautaro Martínez and Romelu Lukaku ran riot in the second half, ending the match with two goals apiece. Sevilla may see much of the ball on Friday night but the real battle in this game will be between Inter’s attack and Sevilla’s defense. Lukaku is now on a 10-game scoring streak in the Europa League – albeit with half of those matches coming way back in 2014 when he was playing for Everton – and will come up against the in-demand center-back Diego Carlos. The Brazilian loves a physical tussle and they don’t come tougher than Lukaku. Having made a few rash challenges en route to the final, he will be in for a true test against Lukaku, who has scored 33 goals this season. Nevertheless, with Sevilla conceding just one goal in their last six matches and Inter just one in their last seven, it’s tough to foresee a high-scoring final. In truth this match is likely to suit Conte down to the ground, so don’t be surprised if Inter sucks the life and drama out of the game early on, or if Sevilla’s remarkable winning run in Europa League finals comes to an end.

Prediction: Sevilla 1-2 Inter Milan

This is a really difficult contest to predict, with both sides full of confidence and in great form. Sevilla has triumphed in eight of their last nine matches, while Inter has won five straight in European competition for the first time in a decade. A thrilling final should await and it would not be a surprise to see this tie progress through to extra-time and penalties. Lukaku has now scored in 10 successive Europa League outings and will be eager to extend that record further when it matters most.

Player Comparison : 2019/20

2020-08-20T18:25:00.002+05:45

Mane vs Salah: Who were most pivotal in Liverpool's title win?

Sadio Mane

Sadio Mane won PFA Fans' Player of the season, he won it by a massive margin. Between him and De Bruyne difference was 14 percent. Near about the same amount third place Alexander-Arnold got(17 percent). He played a massive part in Liverpool's title win, He contributed 18 goals and 7 assists as they bulldozed their way to 1st title in 30 years. His goals won Liverpool 18 points before the pandemic. Whenever Liverpool needed a hero, Mane delivered through -- Be it his header against Aston Villa or his winner at Norwich. His statistics may be less impressive than Salah's on paper, but he was the driving force behind their charge for a title. He was a standout performer overall, whether it was consistency, importance, character, or work rate. His all-round game was superior to his counterpart. He tormented defense from the left side. Despite playing 131 minutes less than the Egyptian, He ended the season with one less goal. His overall contribution is phenomenal, he won 32 tackles to 6 of Salah's. He created 10 big chances. He directly contributed to 29 percent of Liverpool's goal in 2019/20. He has been one of the most influential attacking players in 2019/20.

Mohamed Salah

Mohamed Salah has topped the goal-scoring chart for Liverpool, Since his debut. No Liverpool player has been involved in more goals Since the Egyptians made his debut. In 108 appearances he has been involved in 101 goals ( 73 goals and 28 assists). He is the first-ever Liverpool player to record double digits for both goals and assists in two different seasons (2017/18 & 2019/20). He scored 19 goals and gave out 10 assists, yet people tell it has been a disappointing season for Salah. Standards have been set high for Salah due to his previous exploits. He was in the hunt for a third consecutive golden boot. There is plenty of brilliance among these goals and assists. Some incentive play, bemusing dribbling, one-touch play, all are in the lockers. If Liverpool scores one of those goals that defines them -- the free-flowing one, lighting quick moves on the counter, or to break down a low block, Salah is usually involved. Despite all those brilliance, he can underwhelm for periods, running into troubles, or making the wrong decision. On numerous occasions, he shoots when the best option would to be pass it to his teammates. He has created a total of 13 big chances this season only Alexander-Arnold(18) has created more in this team. His 2017/18 campaign was extraordinary, almost Messi level, and marked him out as one of the best players in the world. A drop in output was expected, but even in a team that is defined by the collective rather than the individual, Salah’s output still stands out even if his performances sometimes don’t. Salah was involved in 34 percent of Liverpool's goal significantly higher than his counterpart.

Verdict

No wonder they both had outstanding campaigns in their own ways. But Mane's overall contribution has been more important to Liverpool, Then those of Salah's. Despite the statistics favoring the Egyptians, It's Senegalese who has come to Liverpool's rescue this season. Mane was more pivotal than Salah in this year's title run in for Liverpool.

Champions League Night!

2020-08-18T20:14:00.001+05:45

PREDICTION TIME: RB LEIPZIG VS PSG

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RB Leipzig vs PSG

As I would like to say Money v Money, both of the team are financially backed -- by multi-billionaire owners. But the PSG are the ones who will feel more pressure than their German counterpart. Leipzig beat Atletico to reach the semis, they tore Simeone's well-drilled team apart. Played some wonderful football, they are the underdog --With nothing on the line for them, they might fancy taking on PSG. On the other hand, PSG must be fancy themselves to reach the finals for the first time in their history. With the likes of Neymar, Mbappe, and Icardi leading the charges, without a shimmer of doubt, they fancy the chance of winning this year. For Leipzig, this is there first ever knockout experience in Europe's premier club competition. They lacked a cutting edge for the most part and had a good fortune with Adams' shot that took a massive deflection to outwit Jan Oblak. PSG was far from at their best against Atalanta, with Neymar in particular, with his shooting boot off the mark. But they possess the firepower necessary to work their way out of tricky positions.

RB Leipzig

UEFA ranking: 32

This season: P9 W6 D2 L1 F17 A9

How they got here: Group G winners, 4-0 agg Tottenham (R16), 2-1 Atlético (QF)

Last five games: WWLDW

Top scorer: Timo Werner, Marcel Sabitzer (4)

Last season: Europa League group stage

European Cup best: semi-finals (2019/20)

PSG

UEFA ranking: 7

This season: P9 W7 D1 L1 F22 A5

How they got here: Group A winners, 3-2 agg Dortmund (R16), 2-1 Atalanta (QF)

Last five games: WDWWW

Top scorer: Mauro Icardi, Kylian Mbappé (5)

Last season: round of 16

European Cup best: semi-finals (1994/95, 2019/20)

PREDICTION: RB Leipzig 1 - 2 PSG

Highly-rated Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann will no doubt be relishing the chance to tactically outwit former mentor Tuchel, but this may prove a step too far for his side as PSG look to make the final after so many high-profile failures on Europe's biggest stage.

Talk of the day!!

2020-08-17T20:12:00.001+05:45

Klopp sets his retirement date, Juve interested in another young midfielder....? Rumors, Reaction, Transfer: All in one!

Newcastle takeover rumors never seem to go away, Saudi's were denied the ownership -- With so many problems being mentioned with the name Saudi. It was no surprise to see the takeover being denied. With a Singapore-backed company is in the hunt, the company boasts an astonishing 9 Billion revenues. Newcastle legend Alan Shearer is offered the job by the Singaporean cousins who are trying to buy the club.

Jurgen Klopp has said he will talk a sabbatical once his contract expires in 2024. He has also potentially hinted at retirement, Klopp said "I'll take a year off and ask myself if I miss football. If I say no, then that will be the end of coach Jurgen Klopp. If one day I am no longer a coach, there is one thing I will not miss: the brutal tension immediately before the game."

Joe hart is set to sign for Tottenham, as manager Jose Mourinho tries to solve the homegrown quota. But the formerly Man city goalkeeper is facing a pay cut on his current £ 50,000 per-week contract. With the goalkeeper set to be back up to Hugo Lloris. The 33-year old has been linked with Celtic, Leeds, Blackburn Rovers, and Derby County and had also considered options abroad.

Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany has retired from playing career, as he looks to take his managerial career to next level. He'll now take sole charge of his boyhood club Anderlecht. After a fall-out between him and co-manager Frank Vercauteren took place.

With Barcelona looking for a replacement for Setien, it looks certain that Koeman will be a successor. Koeman is one of the most decorated stars in Barcelona's history. He has never hidden his obsession with being a boss. He even has a car number plate dedicated to the club. Earlier this year he decided to move back to the city. With the Nou Camp in crisis, he must rebuild the team he adores.

Looks like everyone has a different opinion in the player of the year debate, with three different winners being announced. After Jordan Henderson and Kevin De Bruyne won the awards, now it's Sadio Mane that wins Fans' POTY. The Liverpool attacker was integral in its Premier League title success. He scored 18 goals and seven assists in the league as they finished on 99 points. But it appears fans, the media, and the Premier League all look back on 2019-20 differently with Henderson taking the award from football writers', Mane getting the fans to vote and the Premier League awarding it to Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne.

Chelsea eye loan move for Stones. It has already been reported that Chelsea are after Brighton & Hove Albion defender Lewis Dunk. Frank looks for a defender to sore up his defense as they conceded 54 goals in the 2019/20 campaign.

Bayer Leverkusen is sticking to their £90m price for midfielder Kai Havertz, reports the Evening Standard. As it seems the pandemic didn't change the price tag on their prized asset.

Real Madrid doesn't have money to spend on signings this summer, but longer-term they're keen to bring in a defender, with Diario AS reporting that RB Leipzig's Dayot Upamecano is their No. 1 target.

Juventus are keen on the idea of signing Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar, reports Calciomercato. The Old Lady still wants to sign the Frenchman, but with Lyon's asking price of €70m being out of their reach, as well as competition being offered by Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur, this move might not come off.

Edinson Cavani's future has been up in the air for some time now, but Le Parisien is reporting that he could soon complete a move to Benfica.

Portuguese outlet A Bola is suggesting that Nacho Fernandez is set to leave Real Madrid this transfer window. It claims that Benfica and Valencia are the two clubs showing the most interest.

Champions League: Preview

2020-08-16T20:15:00.002+05:45

In details : Champions League Semi-final 2019/20

What a quarter-final, we witnessed everything. Comebacks, late goals, giant-killing -- Quarter-finals lived up to the hype. In the first game of the quarter-final we nearly saw Atalanta reaching the semis they were a few minutes away, a late PSG comeback sent them packing home. The story keeps on getting better for RB Leipzig, formed a little over a decade ago, Now they are competing with big boys for the biggest club competition. Bayern Munich battered Barcelona 8-2 to reach the semi-finals. They inflicted Barcelona a hammering blow, they might need time to come back from this-- But for Bayern, they go from strength to strength. It looks like they are the favorites for the title this year. Lyon shocked the whole footballing world, no one expected them to get past Juventus. But here they are and now and they can't be taken easily.

RB Leipzig vs PSG

As I would like to say Money v Money, both of the team are financially backed -- by multi-billionaire owners. But the PSG are the ones who will feel more pressure than their German counterpart. Leipzig beat Atletico to reach the semis, they tore Simeone's well-drilled team apart. Played some wonderful football, they are the underdog --With nothing on the line for them, they might fancy taking on PSG. On the other hand, PSG must be fancy themselves to reach the finals for the first time in their history. With the likes of Neymar, Mbappe, and Icardi leading the charges, without a shimmer of doubt they fancy the chance of winning this year. For Leipzig, this is there first ever knockout experience in Europe's premier club competition. They lacked a cutting edge for the most part and had a good fortune with Adams' shot that took a massive deflection to outwit Jan Oblak. PSG was far from at their best against Atalanta, with Neymar in particular, with his shooting boot off the mark. But they possess the firepower necessary to work their way out of tricky positions.

RB Leipzig

UEFA ranking: 32

This season: P9 W6 D2 L1 F17 A9

How they got here: Group G winners, 4-0 agg Tottenham (R16), 2-1 Atlético (QF)

Last five games: WWLDW

Top scorer: Timo Werner, Marcel Sabitzer (4)

Last season: Europa League group stage

European Cup best: semi-finals (2019/20)

PSG

UEFA ranking: 7

This season: P9 W7 D1 L1 F22 A5

How they got here: Group A winners, 3-2 agg Dortmund (R16), 2-1 Atalanta (QF)

Last five games: WDWWW

Top scorer: Mauro Icardi, Kylian Mbappé (5)

Last season: round of 16

European Cup best: semi-finals (1994/95, 2019/20)

PREDICTION : RB Leipzig 1 - 2 PSG

Betting odds and tips

RB Leipzig to win: 4/1
Draw after 90 mins: Between 3/1 & 16/5
PSG to win: 4/5
Over 2.5 goals: 8/11

Bayern Munich vs Lyon

Both results Bayern and Lyon got were shocking, no one expected Lyon to win against Man City, whereas for Bayern. Everyone expected Bayern to reach the semis but -- They did it in such a way that everyone was left amazed. They didn't stop even after it was virtually impossible for Barca to comeback. Lyon hammered a blow to a Man City side that was chasing their first-ever Champions league crown. They now have knocked out two big teams Juventus and Man City. Bayern will surely be looking to reach their 12th final. This Bayern team is one the best in the world, despite their heroics against City. Bayern might be a task a little bit out of their reach. In knocking out both Juventus and City, Rudi Garcia's team have now proved themselves a highly dangerous outfit that should not be underestimated. However, it is simply impossible to pick against a team as confident and incisive as Bayern after watching that 8-2 destruction of Barcelona.

BAYERN

UEFA ranking: 2

This season: P9 W9 D0 L0 F39 A8

How they got here: Group B winners, 7-1 agg Chelsea (R16), 8-2 Barcelona (QF)

Last five games: WWWWW

Top scorer: Robert Lewandowski (14)

Last season: quarter-finals

European Cup best: winners x5 (most recently 2012/13)

LYON

UEFA ranking: 17

This season: P9 W4 D2 L3 F14 A11

How they got here: Group G runners-up, 2-2 agg Juventus (away goals, R16), 3-1 Manchester City (QF)

Last five games: WLDLL

Top scorer: Memphis Depay (6)

Last season: round of 16

European Cup best: semi-finals (2009/10, 2019/20)

PREDICTION : Lyon 1-3 Bayern Munich

The Bavarians are unbeaten in their last 19 matches across all competitions and have already scored a whopping 39 goals in just nine European outings this season, boasting considerable threats all over the pitch.Expect Lyon to produce another valiant performance, but Bayern will surely have enough to set up a final date against either domestic rivals RB Leipzig or Paris Saint-Germain next weekend at Benfica's Estadio da Luz.

Betting odds and tips

Lyon to win: Between 12/1 & 13/1
Draw after 90 mins: 7/1
Bayern to win: 1/4
Over 2.5 goals: 4/11

How Barcelona Lost Its Way

2020-08-15T19:44:00.002+05:45

Barcelona could decline and become “the new AC Milan”

Started the decade with a Champions league final, top of club football. Playing attractive football, promoting players from La Masia. Proper way a club should be administered--this Barcelona team was winning machine, year in year out -- they would produce football that would leave fans speechless and opposition manager scratching their heads to break this team down. Not even Sir Alex Ferguson nor Jose Mourinho could do it, they did manage to win against Barca but it wasn't pretty. Fast forward ten years everything has changed, buying players for hefty fees, youth player leaving for first team opportunities. Where did it go wrong for Barcelona?

Barcelona's crisis has been escalating at an alarming rate. La Liga and the Copa del Rey had become Barca's default, their domestic dominance taken for granted and then diminished by disappointment in Europe. Just over a year on from almost winning the treble, Barcelona finished without a trophy of any kind for the first time in 12 years. And yet the concern is not so much the many failures of this season but the possibility they could be just the start. The board whose leadership has left Barcelona with a team seemingly neither for the present nor the future.

Rome was bad, in 2018. Barcelona had won the first leg of that quarterfinal easily, by 4-1 at Camp Nou. Few gave Roma much of a chance in the return: a chance to restore a bit of pride, maybe. But Barcelona collapsed, losing by 3-0. Anfield was worse, in 2019. Messi had been as good as his word. Barcelona had cruised to the semifinals this time, and had dismantled Liverpool on Catalan soil. Arturo Vidal, the grizzled Chilean midfielder, had promised to make a particularly personal donation to science if Barcelona did not make the final. Trent Alexander-Arnold took a corner quickly, and Barcelona buckled and broke. But this? This was something else entirely. “The bottom,” was how Gerard Piqué, almost teary, put it. The mighty Barcelona, the Barcelona of Messi and Busquets and Piqué and Suárez, in a Champions League quarterfinal conceded eight goals. It was unthinkable, unfathomable, unbearable. It was as low as they could fall. “The bottom,” was how Gerard Piqué, almost teary, put it.

This was a brutal, ruthless, surgical exposure of all that is wrong with Barcelona. There is no need to reel through that long list — the dreadful recruitment, the total absence of planning, the boardroom infighting, the negligent squandering of a legacy — but, in the space of 90 minutes on Friday, Bayern Munich laid it all bare. This is not a team that can play as it wants to, as it is meant to. It is a team that has come to the end of its line, as even Piqué alluded to afterward, when he admitted that even he will have to leave, if that is what is best for the club. It is not a team that can compete with the finest clubs in Europe any more. It should have realized that at Anfield, really, but it cannot ignore it now. It is a team that needs to be broken up. Coutinho was supposed to replace Andrés Iniesta, just as Arthur Melo was supposed to replace Xavi. Neymar, the man who would play alongside and eventually replace Messi, should be taking the lead now. But he became impatient and Barcelona were powerless to prevent him leaving in 2017. They have become locked in a spiral of loss and nostalgia ever since, desperate to make amends to the point where they tried to bring him back again but did not have the money.

Problems dominate everything, so many they cannot fit on this page.

The current incarnation of Barcelona dates to 2003 and the election of the charismatic, ambitious outsider Joan Laporta as president. He had the air, back then, of a Catalan Kennedy. He saw a need to drag the club forward. He encouraged his subordinates to come up with ideas to increase Barcelona’s flagging revenues. He wanted the team to reflect the place: not just by building the team around the talent flowering at La Masia, the club’s academy. Barcelona has continued to act in that spirit, even as the faces in charge of the club have changed. Laporta was deposed in 2010, and his successor, his onetime protégé Rosell, resigned in disgrace after he was accused of financial crimes in 2014. But in 2017 the club started an innovation hub, with the stated aim of becoming the Silicon Valley of soccer. And in 2018 it laid claim to being the first sports team to surpass $1 billion in revenue. Barcelona, slowly, made the leap from sports team to business.

When Sandro Rosell stepped down as Barcelona president, some fans were thrilled. It signified the beginning of an honest, organized board. But how wrong were they? It gets worse from there the board can't hide behind anything. Barcelona are falling apart, but it doesn't bother Bartomeu. Josep Maria Bartomeu asked four of his directors to resign because he didn't feel like he could trust them. Emili Rousaud was the next target, having only been appointed vice-president at the turn of the year and was originally viewed as Bartomeu's successor. There were calls for Bartomeu to resign at the Camp Nou which, luckily for the president, have been halted by football's suspension due to the coronavirus crisis. Bartomeu's aim is to stay in power until the end of his term in June 2021 and, now his distrusted directors are gone, he has the board under control.

If action's are not taken accordingly this maybe a long way for Barcelona to reach the glory days. Without proper leader at the helm, club already looks clueless in transfer-market. With no plan or strategy , they might end up like AC Milan or Manchester United.

As big as it gets: Two European powerhouse go head to head

2020-08-14T19:19:00.000+05:45

Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich: How Messi, Barca ended up Champions League underdogs, How will Champions League fixture play out tonight?

Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona in the Champions League. Has any game epitomized the elite world of football any better than a match between Die Roten and the Blaugrana? The clubs have met eight times before in the grandest stage of European football, each meeting a classic. History favors Bayern, as they have won six of these meetings while Barca has only won two. However, both teams have their fair share of accomplishments.

Why are Barcelona the underdog?

It's quite simple, really. Barca have been inconsistent since play resumed in June while Bayern have been the strongest team in the world, which obviously makes them the favorite. Forget that Bayern have won 19 games in a row -- they are actually unbeaten in their last 24 games and are conceding 0.54 goals per game while scoring 65 goals in those games. They've been dominant, have blown opponents out of the water and are arguably the strongest team left standing. While Bayern have been perfect, Barca have lost to Osasuna and drawn Celta Vigo down the stretch to concede the league title to their bitter rivals. Bayern can break you down if you play fantastic defense, but if you give them space, they will ruthlessly hurt you. Barca must be careful.

What must Barca do to beat them?

Defensively, Barca have to be very cautious because Bayern can beat you in a variety of ways. Keeping shape, staying compact defensively and tracking runners will be crucial. Just look at the positioning of Jordi Alba here in the 3-1 win over Napoli last week in the round of 16 second leg. Do that against Bayern, and they will exploit it. He's in the red circle, and the blue circle is where he should be.

But of course, you can't win if you don't score. Barca should feel confident in seeing a good bit of the ball, but it won't come easy. While Lionel Messi has the magic to turn a game on its head at any moment, chances are something else will have to give. Be it an unexpected, strong showing from Antoine Griezmann or Luis Suarez playing like it's 2016, who will step up alongside Messi? For that to even matter, the defense must come to play. It's hard to envision a Barca team having to focus on defense first, but Bayern posses more of a threat than any team Quique Setien's team has faced this season. Barca will get their chances, and they'll get forward to impose their will, but Bayern will probably get more opportunities, and Barca's defense has to be perfect. Barca have to limit mistakes and play with caution to have any chance of moving on.

PREVIEW

The only two previous winners of either the Champions League or European Cup still left in this year’s competition are Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Both have been crowned champions of Europe five times and they face off at the Estadio da Luz in Friday’s hotly-anticipated quarter-final.After a disappointing 1-1 draw with Napoli in the first leg of the last-16 tie Barcelona were able to show their class with a 3-1 win in the second leg last week, thanks to a goal and an assist from their talisman. However with a trophy-less season looming, rumours suggest that defeat to Bayern Munich on Friday could be the final nail in the coffin for Setién.

The first part of Bayern Munich’s 2019/20 season followed much of the same pattern as the Blaugrana's. The Bavarians picked up the DFB-Pokal in their last competitive game of the season with a 4-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen and are now just three matches away from the treble. Barcelona are currently the only club to have won two European trebles but Bayern could draw level with them if Flick can match the feat of Jupp Heynckes’ 2012/13 side.Central to their chances is the form of Robert Lewandowski, who was a losing Champions League finalist for Borussia Dortmund in 2013. The Polish striker is playing the best football of his life at the age of 31 and has an incredible Champions League record this campaign. He has scored 13 goals in just 7 games to leave him four short of Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2013/14 record for most goals in a single Champions League season. With three goals and four assists against Chelsea in the last round he was involved in all seven of Bayern’s goals and he has looked unplayable at times this year.

The two sides with most European pedigree come head-to-head on Friday and history suggests that the winner has a good chance of being crowned champions of Europe again. They met in the quarter-finals in 2008/09 and in the semi-finals in 2012/13 and 2014/15. On each of those occasions, the victor has gone on to lift the trophy.

Injuries and suspensions

Barcelona

Barcelona were without midfielders Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal for their second leg match against Napoli but both should be available for selection against Bayern, with the former very likely to start. Samuel Umtiti has definitely been ruled out due to a knee injury while Ousmane Dembele faces a race against time to be fit enough for a place on the bench. Martin Braithwaite was left out of Setién’s Champions League squad list so will not feature.

Barcelona Champions League form: W-W-W-L-W-W

Barcelona form (all competitions): W-D-W-W-D-W

Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich have been boosted by the return to training of Kingsley Coman and Jerome Boateng, who both missed last weekend’s win over Chelsea. Boateng will almost certainly return to the heart of the defence alongside David Alaba, while Coman will compete with Ivan Perisic for a place on the left of Bayern’s attack. Benjamin Pavard is out of this game due to a ligament injury but Bayern hope to have him fit to play some part in their Champions League campaign, should they progress past Barcelona.

Bayern Munich Champions League form: W-W-W-W-W-W

Bayern Munich form (all competitions): W-W-W-W-W-W

Prediction : Barcelona 1-2 Bayern Munich

This is an incredibly difficult match to call for a number of reasons, and a lot will depend on how both teams cope with the newly-structured competition. Both managers will feel that they can cause problems in the final third, but Bayern's form is staggering - unbeaten in all competitions since early December and I am finding it difficult to back against Hansi Flick's side, ultimately backing them to record a 2-1 success. Lionel Messi has proved too much for Bayern to handle in the past but it is an enormous ask for him to turn the tie in Barcelona’s favour. Bayern remain the logical choice, but with Messi there is always a chance.

VAR(Video assistant referee) explained

2020-08-13T19:42:00.000+05:45

Is Football Getting Slower and More Fair?

The video assistant referee (VAR) is an assistant referee in association football who reviews decisions made by the head referee with the use of video footage and headset for communication.Following extensive trialling in a number of major competitions, VAR was first written into the Laws of the Game by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in 2018. Operating under the philosophy of "minimal interference, maximum benefit", the VAR system seeks to provide a way for "clear and obvious errors" and "serious missed incidents" to be corrected. FIFA officially approved the use of VAR for the 2018 FIFA World Cup during the FIFA Council meeting on 16 March 2018 in Bogotá. This tournament became the first competition to use VAR in full (at all matches and in all venues).

When is VAR used?

GOALS

The role of the VAR is to assist the referee to determine whether there was an infringement that means a goal should not be awarded. As the ball has crossed the line, play is interrupted so there is no direct impact on the game.

PENALTY DECISIONS

The role of the VAR is to ensure that no clearly wrong decisions are made in conjunction with the award or non-award of a penalty kick.

RED CARD INCIDENTS

The role of the VAR is to ensure that no clearly wrong decisions are made in conjunction with sending off or not sending off a player.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

The referee cautions or sends off the wrong player, or is unsure which player should be sanctioned. The VAR will inform the referee so that the correct player can be disciplined.

These stats were gathered by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) across a study of almost 972 games that took place in 20 different national authorities worldwide.Interestingly, across matches covered in the study, the system was only called into action in just third of the games. Approximately two-thirds of games did not revert to VAR at all, even though the facility was ready and waiting to be used. The breakdown is as follows:

69.1% of matches covered did not need VAR replays
Only 5.5% of games where VAR was brought into play needed more than one review
57.4% of VAR incidents related to penalty decisions and goals scored
42.1% were in connection with red card situations
Mistaken identity calls were negligible

In terms of the average VAR intervention time in a single match, it is approximately 55 seconds. This pales into insignificance with other match events such as:

Corner kicks - 3 mins 57 secs
Free kicks - 8 mins 51 secs
Goal kicks - 5 mins 46 secs
Making substitutions - 2 mins 57 secs
Throw-ins - 7 mins 2 secs

With so many questionable decision made by VAR. Many fans and pundits were left baffled by VAR. Everyone believes in VAR but work is needed on implementation. VAR will not achieve 100 per cent accuracy, but will positively influence decision-making and lead to more correct, and fairer, judgments. In July 2020, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) transferred the responsibility of VAR to FIFA. IFAB will continue to work closely with FIFA, especially in terms of the VAR protocol, related Laws and qualification requirements. With two different sets of referee being involved in decision making and review. Mostly the decision made initially by field referee's are not changed. The VAR may advise the referee to change his decision, but the final call must always be the referee's. With increased use of the RRA(Referee Review Area), which will be used for subjective decisions in the three key areas -goals, red cards and penalty kicks. Decision made by referees won't be full of mistakes as compared to past season.

Who is in the VAR room?

There will be a lead official, who will make judgements on all reviews. There will also be an assistant official, who continues to watch the live game while the lead handles a review. The third person is the Hawk-eye operative, who controls the technology and is independent of the decision-making process.

Verdict

It's not perfect and there's been a few mistakes or perceived errors.Anything new that's brought into the game, there's going to be teething problems.A lot of the decisions are still subjective calls.So there's still a 50-50 on which way people go. Given time it'll come good, despite the criticism players and fans have now become more accustomed to it.

Player Comparison : 2019/20

2020-08-12T20:07:00.002+05:45

Record breakers : King of assists Kevin De Bruyne vs Thomas Müller

There are three players with 20+ assists in 2019/20 season, other being Messi. Here we are only comparing two of them ( De Bruyne & Müller), Messi is Messi : So, he isn't here on the list. With Lionel Messi (Barcelona, 21 assists) along with Thomas Müller (Bayern München, 21 assists) leading the assists charts in top 5 leagues closely followed by Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, 21 assists).

Thomas Müller

What a season for the fan favorite at Allianz Arena, Muller struggled to perform ; regularly finding himself on the bench. He made just three starts under then manager Niko Kovac. He recorded four assists and failed to find the back of the net in eleven appearances. However, the appointment of Hansi Flick in September appears to have flicked a magic wand in Muller’s direction. The German has been on a non-stop sensational form; so far he has contributed eight goals and seventeen assists in 24 games under Flick. Flick has allowed Müller the creative freedom he needs to dictate the game in midfield, finding space to bring teammates into threatening positions. Müller has created a whopping 2.9 chances per game, and has created a total of 26 big chances. Thomas Muller has a pass completion rate of 75.92 % and a rate of 60% for passes into the box.He's excepted assists are at 12.7, The expected assists (xA) metric measures the underlying creativity of a player’s passes. He has created 96 chances this season.Unlike xG, a player having more assists than their xA does not necessarily mean they’re overperforming individually because the conversion of their passes into goals is dependent on the players receiving these passes.

Kevin De Bruyne

De Bruyne can count himself unlucky to have not overtaken Thierry Henry's Premier League record for the most assists in a single season, instead drawing level with his tally of 20.But De Bruyne actually believes that he did indeed break Henry's record, opining in his post-match interview that the Premier League robbed him of two assists against Arsenal. De Bruyne remarked: "I have got two more. You guys took two away from me. I’m still claiming that one. For me I was already there.” Simultaneously he saw his own Bundesliga record of 20 assists, set while playing for Wolfsburg in 2014/15,surpassed by his German rival. Kevin De Bruyne has created 33 big chances. While creating 3.8 chances per game.Kevin de Bruyne has a pass completion rate of 76.95% and a rate of 50 % for passes into the box. He has created a whopping 136 chances in Premier league, his closest rival Grealish has created only 91 chances. De Bruyne became the quickest player to reach 50 assists, the only to reach 15+ assists in three successive seasons. Henry said that De Bruyne foreshadowed his name standing next to his : “In the Belgium national team we used to joke about the assists record and I always used to say: ‘You were not far this year,’ and he would always say: ‘I’ll get you one day’.” No wonder he’s not too bothered about sharing the record.

Verdict

No wonder both of them had a wonderful season, but for me personally De Bruyne had a better season than his German counterpart. He was creating chances for fun, had they finished off their chances. De Bruyne would hold the record(most assists in premier league season). At some point in the season he was in Ballon d'Or conversation. So, for me De Bruyne had the better season out of this two.

PFA Player of the season : Preview

2020-08-11T00:01:00.001+05:45

Player of the season focus : Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson Vs king of the assists Kevin De Bruyne

Some of the biggest names in the professional game are in the hunt for the Players' Player of the Year award, after the PFA confirmed the shortlist for the prestigious accolade. With the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Jordan Henderson, Sadio Mane, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Danny Ings, Nick Pope, Jamie Vardy being up for the coveted award. Here we look into the two favorites Kevin De Bruyne and Jordan Henderson.

Kevin De Bruyne

Kevin De Bruyne is leading the race for this season’s PFA Player of the Year award.Despite Man City’s failure to win a third successive Premier League title due to Liverpool’s dominance, De Bruyne has enjoyed a fine campaign.The Belgium playmaker has scored 13 goals and recorded an impressive 20 assists in 35 league appearances this term.He equaled the record for most assists in a single Premier League season (20), which was set by Thierry Henry in the 2002/03 campaign.The 29-year-old Belgian has been ubiquitous on the score sheet for City since joining the club in 2015, and he's showing no signs of slowing down. De Bruyne has created 33 big chances, compared to that of Liverpool's midfield they have created 16 big chances in TOTAL ( Henderson 9, Keita 5, Fabinho 2, Wijnaldum 0). Liverpool's front three are widely considered to be best in the world by many pundits and fans alike, their front three has created same amount of big chances as De Bruyne has (33) : Salah 13, Mane 10 , Firmino 10.Liverpool were a juggernaut in the league but it's tough to say one of their players stood head and shoulders above the rest, while De Bruyne did. De Bruyne has been head and shoulders above any other player in the league, with the consistency of his performances, how dangerous he is and how he dictates games with his quality.

Jordan Henderson

While Jordan Henderson has not come close to reaching De Bruyne’s stats this term, his influence on and off the pitch for Liverpool has been vital in their first top-flight triumph in 30 years.When Henderson first signed for Liverpool from Sunderland in June 2011, much doubt surrounded his ability and whether he would be good enough to play for the Reds.But Henderson overcame that and, eventually being named captain in June 2015.Arguably the most important player in Liverpool’s title-winning side.When Henderson is on the pitch, Liverpool look a more complete team.Injured for the final game of the season, Henderson will end the 2019/20 Premier League campaign with 30 appearances, 26 of which have been starts. Of those 30 games, Liverpool have won 27, only drawing with Manchester United and Everton, and losing to Manchester City after the title was confirmed. That’s 90% of games won with Henderson on the pitch, and 83 points from a possible 90 gained.Henderson may not have the individual numbers of De Bruyne, scoring just four goals and recording five assists, but once again the importance of his contributions cannot be understated. With FWA Footballer of the year already secured , he'll no doubt be eyeing up PFA Player of the year.

Verdict

No doubt Henderson has been important for this Liverpool team , he's also lead them well both on and off the field. Helped to raise funds for NHS during this pandemic. But it feels like this belongs to De Bruyne for what he has achieved this season. Normally PFA Player of the season are given to those players that has had an outstanding season, so it's intriguing to see who'll win.

Odds

De Bruyne had been backed into 1.22, when the market was suspended, while Henderson was 3.00.

La Liga season review

2020-08-10T19:26:00.000+05:45

In review: The 2019/20 LaLiga Santander season

And in the end, the race ends, the marathon reaches its finish line and the curtains close easily. After 38 matchdays in La Liga, the final curtains were closed in style and left people wanting craving more action.The best league in the world for many fans finished on July 19, 2020 with emphatic wins, a close relegation battle and a surprising race for Europe. It is true, the title was sealed on the penultimate matchday, but the title race was exciting and the two clubs in it, Barcelona and Real Madrid, made the league enjoyable enough to keep both sets of fans watching the two clubs religiously. Los Blancos overcoming their rivals with a game to spare, ultimately finishing with 87 points five more than FC Barcelona’s 82.The three-month hiatus of competition because of the coronavirus pandemic is the first event that springs to mind, but there was so much more.Barcelona were top of LaLiga Santander when Ernesto Valverde was sacked as head coach on January 13.The decision was made after the defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana, with Quique Setien coming in to replace him.Just not much from the season’s three most expensive signings, João Félix, Antoine Griezmann and Eden Hazard. And even less from Luka Jovic, the fourth. Talking of Europe, this year’s race was sensational, but after the COVID–19 outbreak, some teams lost pace in the race and fell off. So, in a deep review of this La Liga season, the following part will be a summary of the best and the worst of the 2019/20.

The sentencing of Catalan politicians caused tensions to rise so high in and around Barcelona that the first Clasico of the season was postponed.Real Madrid's trip to the Camp Nou on October 26 was pushed back until December 18 in an unprecedented move.

After beating Barcelona 2-0 in El Clasico in early March, Los Blancos appeared to be in the driving seat for this season’s league title. However, their 1-2 defeat at the hands of Real Betis gave the Blaugrana a two-point lead, which they couldn’t hold on to. Quique Setien’s men failed to overcome the likes of Sevilla, Celta Vigo and Atletico Madrid, games which cost them points and handed the advantage back to Real Madrid.For their part, Zinedine Zidane’s team embarked on a 10-game winning streak, often picking up points by narrow 1-0 victories. Despite claims of VAR coming to their rescue, the All Whites didn’t let their critics distract them one bit.For Real Madrid, this was their first title since 2016/17 and a record 34th in club history. It’ll have made Zinedine Zidane especially happy as the French coach has consistently spoken about how he believes LaLiga Santander is the most difficult league in the world and about how there is so much value in being the best team over a 38-match competition. As he said after mathematically securing the title: “the Champions League is the Champions League, but this title makes me happier because LaLiga is what it’s all about.”

After all these years, we didn’t think Lionel Messi could do anything we haven’t seen from him before. And we were wrong.For the first time ever, the Argentina racked up over 20 goals AND over 20 assists in a LaLiga season. No player in Spain’s top flight even came close to his tally of 25 goals or his 21 assists.Now 33, even Messi’s heroics can’t make Barcelona the most feared team on the planet. But that doesn’t make his performances less impressive.This Barcelona team is old. Really old.Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez are 33 and were the only players to score more than nine LaLiga goals this season. In fact, only 29 of Barcelona’s 86 league goals in 2019/20 were scored by players under the age of 30 and nine of those were from 29-year-old Antoine Griezmann. Adding Miralem Pjanić, 30, for Arthur, 23, seems an odd deal from the outside.Where is the next generation? What will Barcelona look like two years from now? If they’re not careful, this could just be the start of a long decline.

Atletico Madrid won seven of their 11 games after the league’s restart to rise up to third on the table, a far cry from the sixth place, where they were before the break. Sevilla FC love the Europa League and have won it more times than any other club in history (5). Even so, this season they’ve managed to displace Valencia – who’d finished fourth in the last two seasons – and nab the fourth and final Champions League spot for next season.In the first season back for sporting director Monchi and a debut season for coach Julen Lopetegui, they’ve ensured they’ll join Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid in UEFA’s elite competition in 2020/21.

Having won just five matches all season, Espanyol became the first team to get relegated from La Liga after securing European football the season before. They changed four coached throughout the campaign and will have to reinvent themselves in the second tier now. Elsewhere, Real Mallorca will also bid adieu to La Liga, after having secured promotion in the 2018-19 season. But they failed to make any sort of impact upon their return to top-flight. Leganes, meanwhile, became the third and final side to be relegated to the Segunda Division, having won just eight matches, and a staggering 12 draws, falling just one point short of safety.

For the first time in their 89-year history, Granada have qualified for Europe and will now enter the second qualifying round of the Europa League. Their achievement becomes all the more impressive when taking into account the fact that they achieved promotion to La Liga in 2018-19 season itself, and finished higher than Osasuna this term, who had won the Segunda Division last season.

Champions League Setback : Will Champions League be disrupted?

2020-08-10T12:51:00.000+05:45

Atletico Madrid confirm two positive coronavirus tests ahead of Champions League clash

Spanish football side Atletico Madrid on Sunday reported two positive coronavirus tests, just four days before they face RB Leipzig in Portugal for a place in the Champions League semi-finals."On Saturday, all members of the first team and the club's party to Lisbon underwent tests as required by UEFA protocols to participate in the quarter-finals of the Champions League," said a club statement. "Among the results known today, two positives have appeared and they are self-isolating in their respective homes."Atletico Madrid said UEFA as well as the Spanish and Portuguese football and health authorities have been informed and that a fresh round of tests will be carried out on the squad and support team.

The club did not disclose the names of those infected.It said in a statement that the entire group that was set to go to Lisbon will be tested again before the team can travel, and that the team's schedule is being altered to allow the new tests.

Earlier this week Atletico had to cancel a friendly of their women's team after a positive test within the group. Atletico Madrid is now experiencing the consequences. What remains to be seen is how serious those consequences will be.Isolation, and canceled training sessions, would put them at a competitive disadvantage against RB Leipzig. Business as usual, however, could leave them susceptible to the St. Louis Cardinals or Miami Marlins scenario, where one case quickly became four, and eventually became 20 baseball players and coaches who’d contracted COVID-19. A similar outbreak, of course, would end Atleti’s season.

They will have to test all 93 people in their group again on Monday, which was supposed to be the day they make their way across the border to Lisbon for the concluding stages of Europe’s premier club tournament.It’s possible that Diego Simeone’s side will have to wait for the next batch of results to come back before they are cleared to travel.Should more tests come back positive, it will leave Los Rojiblancos and UEFA with some difficult decisions to make.

Transfer talk : Premier league edition

2020-08-09T19:54:00.001+05:45

How the 'Big Six' Are Approaching the Summer Window

How Arsenal Should Approach Its First Summer With Arteta

Mikel Arteta has an energy and a sense of direction that suggests a plan is in place and has a chance of succeeding. Victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup semifinal represented as good a performance and result in a major game as Arsenal has enjoyed in years.There is a crop of exciting young players who have played at least semi-regularly this season. Bukayo Saka is probably the pick of them, but Eddie Nketiah, Joe Willock, Gabriel Martinelli, Reiss Nelson and William Saliba all offer hope for the future.

PRIORITY AREAS

A commanding central midfielder

Granit Xhaka has improved as the season went on and seems to relish life under Arteta, but there have been too many off days for him to be entirely trusted. Atletico’s Thomas Partey would be available if Arsenal can match his €50 million release clause, but if that is too much, then Porto’s Danilo Pereira is a cut-price option.

A right-sided forward

It’s a squad that’s already top-heavy with forwards, so why would Arsenal need another one? Because the present crop of forwards simply doesn’t fit together. Willian looks almost certain to leave Chelsea on a free transfer, is experienced, hard-working, is used to playing a pressing game and he can actually play wide. If either Lacazette or Aubameyang leave, the Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard has been linked as a inexpensive alternative.

A center back who can defend

Good David Luiz is very good, Bad David Luiz is not, and his concession of five penalties this season is a league record. Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis have rarely looked good enough. Malang Sarr of Rennes is out of contract this summer, which perhaps makes him a more likely target than Matthias Ginter, who is entering the last year of his present deal at Borussia Monchengladbach.

Tottenham, Jose Mourinho Must Rebuild on a Budget.

So much has happened in the last 14 months that it feels vaguely incredible that Tottenham was in the Champions League final only last season. Pochettino is a progressive coach who wanted his team to press. Mourinho is more concerned with shape and mentality, his Manchester United side had the lowest distance-run stats in the league. That would suggest the need for a major overhaul of personnel, which for two decades has been the Mourinho way. Since Porto, he has not been a manager who has built on a budget. Yet clearly here that is what he will have to do.

PRIORITY AREAS

Central midfield

A lot of the problems in the Tottenham midfield were caused by the departure of Dembele. Ndombele hasn’t yet shown the consistency of positional discipline to take his place, while Moussa Sissoko is a more forward-minded presence.Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is entering the final year of his contract at Southampton and so would presumably be available reasonably priced, and he seems to have the right sort of profile.

Right-back

Jose Mourinho will almost certainly look to strengthen at right-back in the summer, and he may also be open to adding another left-back to his squad. Atalanta fullback Timothy Castagne, who tends to operate on the right but can also offer cover on the left. Castagne is a versatile operator who usually plays a wing-back for Atalanta, but he also has experience playing in a deeper role in a four-man defence.

A backup center forward

Although Harry Kane remains Tottenham’s biggest star, one of the problems the club has faced in recent years is that when he is hurt or otherwise not available, his replacements are often a very different type of player. Callum Wilson scored eight goals for Bournemouth in a difficult campaign and reportedly has a $13 million relegation release clause. He has regularly been Kane’s backup for England and could be for Spurs.

For Manchester United, Sancho a Top Target, High-Level Depth Is a Must

Things are headed in the right direction at Old Trafford, but in order to return to the top of the ladder, a deeper squad and some high-end reinforcements are necessary.But there are also concerns. United didn’t actually play well in any of its last five matches, even if the only defeat was the FA Cup semifinal against Chelsea. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had gambled on essentially picking the same players game after game–and given the performance in that FA Cup semifinal when he did make changes, perhaps with good reason–but the result was that his side was exhausted by the final couple of weeks of the league campaign. Clearly, he needs to have a deeper squad that he trusts if United is to thrive next season.

PRIORITY AREAS

Right wing

United’s forward line is arguably the strongest area of the squad, but that's not stopping the club from targeting Jadon Sancho, the 20-year-old former Manchester City youth product who had 17 goals and 16 assists this past season for Borussia Dortmund.Sancho’s quality is clear, and his pace and trickery fit the style of football Solskjaer favors.

Central Defender

Harry Maguire has improved United without having a sterling season, Victor Lindelof has average season, Axel Tuanzebe is becoming as injury-prone as Eric Bailly, Phil Jones is an irrelevance, and Chris Smalling is enjoying Rome so much he would like to stay there.Villarreal’s Torres has now also been identified as a potential partner for Harry Maguire at the heart of United’s defence although the 23-year-old Spaniard has also caught the eye of Barcelona.

Central midfield

Highly impressive as the Fernandes-Pogba axis is, it is not enough. They cannot play every game, and Fred has shown only flashes of quality. Aston Villa's Jack Grealish is also an option, although he is a far more attacking presence.The issue, though, is whether United would be willing to meet a fee expected to be in the region of $90 million.

Manchester City and Its Specific Needs to Correct a Glaring Weakness

Pep Guardiola likes to play a certain way, and he needs more of the talent capable of carrying that out if he's to avoid another season that includes some sensational highs but a significant number of setbacks.It’s been a strange season for Manchester City. On one hand, it's been one of significant disappointment domestically. On the other, it could still end in Champions League glory, which has, after all, been the target from the start–whatever its fans may think of UEFA.

PRIORITY AREAS

Center back

Ake already signed city do need a world class defender to partner Laporte. Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli is an obvious option who has been linked with the club repeatedly in the past, while there has been talk of Slovakia international Milan Skriniar arriving from Inter.The fact it is reportedly being discussed perhaps suggests some of the other reshaping of his squad that Guardiola may undertake.

Holding midfield

Fernandinho is 35 and has only one year left on his contract. He spent most of last season covering in defense, which exposed Rodri in midfield perhaps more than was ideal. The 24-year-old was in no sense a disaster, but neither did he entirely convince– and besides, City will need cover for when Fernandinho leaves. AC Milan’s 22-year-old Algeria international, Ismael Bennacer, is understood to be a player who has caught Guardiola's eye.

What Liverpool Can Do to Sustain Its Success

Achieving the heights Liverpool has in the last couple of seasons is difficult, but maintaining it could prove to be harder, which is why refreshing the squad and restocking the cabinet in a few areas should be the priority for Jurgen Klopp this summer.Its end to the season was rather less impressive: four defeats in six games before play was suspended that saw it go out of the Champions League and the FA Cup and lose its unbeaten league record (at Watford, of all places); then five wins in nine to round the season off, meaning it missed out on 100 points and the single-season record tally. Not that many in Liverpool seemed to care: winning the title after 30 years was all that mattered–and doing so with an 18-point gap over Manchester City and a 33-point gap over Man United and Chelsea certainly requires no further credentials.

PRIORITY AREAS

Center back depth

The one area where Liverpool’s squad does perhaps look deficient is in central defense. Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez, of course, are all fine players, but if two of them were unavailable, there was a clear drop-off. Dejan Lovren has moved to Zenit Saint Petersburg. Sevilla's Diego Carlos is reportedly a target, although he is also believed to be of interest to Manchester City, as well. It’s been a reported, meanwhile, that a $12 million bid has already been made for Real Betis’s Aissa Mandi, a right back who can also operate in the center.

Central midfield

It’s been a couple of weeks now since reports first emerged linking Liverpool with Thiago Alcantara, who has told Bayern he wants to leave. He has the benefit of being used to a pressing game, and he would add a more cerebral passing aspect to a Liverpool midfield that remains focused on energy.

Left back

As Milner ages, it’s not reasonable to expect him to provide cover in midfield and both fullback positions. Left back is a particular issue given the lack of other cover for Andy Robertson, which perhaps explains the link with Olympiakos’s 24-year-old Konstantinos Tsimikas, who is believed to be available for around $9 million.

Chelsea Going All In After Riding Out Its Ban With Success

While others may be pulling back on the spending, Chelsea has maneuvered for a big splash after riding out the wave of its transfer ban and witnessing the growth of some young, in-house talents. Hakim Ziyech (Ajax) and Timo Werner (RB Leipzig) have already been signed, which, with Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham, means a formidable young forward line is already in place. Lampard has made it fairly clear that he is not impressed by either of the first-choice left backs in the squad.After the transfer ban and several seasons of relative austerity before that, it looks as though Chelsea is prepared this summer to buck the orthodoxy, assume football’s economy will soon recover after the COVID-19 downturn and spend big–which perhaps also indicates it believes that FFP regulations are now essentially unenforceable.

PRIORITY AREAS

Goalkeeper

Kepa is the biggest personnel issue for Lampard to resolve. The manager's lack of faith in his high-priced keeper was seen on the final day of the season, as he left Kepa out for Willy Caballero, but it’s hard to see how the 25-year-old Spaniard could be offloaded at anything other than an enormous loss. Andre Onana of Ajax and Nick Pope of Burnley are cheaper options, although only the former has much experience of playing behind a high line.

Right-sided attacking midfield

It’s hard to see why he's a priority given the riches already available to Chelsea, but it remains the strong favorite to land Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen. Space is being opened up by the departure.Quite how everything fits together is unclear, and it seems inevitable that one or two players may find themselves under-utilized , but it’s undeniably exciting.

Left back

Chelsea could also do with new faces in the center, but it’s left back that appears to be the most pressing issue for Lampard. It’s understood Leicester City is prepared to let one big name leave this summer, and after James Maddison signed a new contract, that probably means Ben Chilwell, although a price tag of around $105 million may be prohibitive. Chelsea has reportedly asked him to make a formal transfer request.

Champions League Night!

2020-08-08T21:02:00.001+05:45

Prediction time : Round of 16

As smooth as it gets, Spectacular gameplay from Europe's elite. Man city and Real Madrid played wonderful game, likewise Juventus and Lyon also played out a enthralling game of football. With all quarter-finals game decided bar one, which will be decided tonight. Barcelona have an away goal advantage over Napoli, Frank Lampard's side trail 3-0 against the German giants. It's only inevitable that Bavarian giants progress to next round.

Barcelona vs Napoli

Barcelona welcome Napoli to Camp Nou on Saturday evening as Quique Setien's men aim to salvage their season by progressing to the Champions League quarter-finals. Success in Europe looks a long-shot given the current state of the club both on and off the pitch, yet a team with so many talented players can never be completely written off. Napoli, for their part, won the Coppa Italia but finished in a disappointing seventh in Serie A and so head to Catalonia with little to lose and everything to gain. Talisman Lionel Messi, widely considered to be the greatest player of all time, has been the glue that has held the Catalan club together. Yet this season especially, an aging team without an apparent identity has seen performances and results fall apart, regardless of Messi's exploits. Barcelona welcomes a rejuvenated Napoli to the Camp Nou for their round of 16 second leg, with the scores delicately poised after the 1-1 draw in Naples. Defeat would undoubtedly be a disaster and would present Barcelona with its first trophy-less season since 2007-08.Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suarez are likely to lead the line, though, and it's expected that he'll set out with a 4-3-1-2 formation.On the other side of things, all eyes are on Lorenzo Insigne as his participation is in doubt, his fitness is a concern and he may not be ready to play.Whatever happens with their captain, Napoli know they need to score to have any chance of progressing.

Barcelona Outs & Doubts: Sergio Busquets, Arturo Vidal, Ousmane Dembélé, Samuel Umtiti, Martin Braithwaite, Arthur (out)

Napoli Outs & Doubts: Nikola Maksimovic (out), Lorenzo Insigne (doubt)

Barcelona form guide: W-W-W-L-W

Napoli form guide: W-L-W-L-W

Prediction: Barcelona 2-1 Napoli

All things considered, one should expect a closely contested fixture which is expected to go right down to the wire. Barcelona, though, should be able to come out on top, if only just, due to the Messi factor.Barcelona’s run of 35 home Champions League games without defeat (W31 D4) is the second-longest in the history of the European Cup/Champions League, behind Bayern Munich’s 43-game run between 1969 and 1991.

Barcelona vs Napoli Latest Odds

The 1-1 score-line from the first leg in Italy means the job is far from done for Barca, yet they remain overwhelming favourites, priced at 9/25 (1.36) with bet365 to qualify for the last eight and at 61/100 (1.61) to win in 90 minutes.
Napoli are unbeaten away from home in the Champions League this term, drawing in Genk and Liverpool while recording a win in Salzburg. Gennaro Gattuso's men are offered at 17/4 (5.25) with the draw at 16/5 (4.20).

Bayern Munich vs Chelsea

Bayern Munich return to action after a month long break against Frank Lampard’s Chelsea in the Round of 16. Even though Hansi Flick’s men lead 3-0 from the first leg of the tie, the Bavarians will be wary of slip ups against a depleted Blues side that have nothing to lose. Chelsea will be hoping to pull off a miraculous Champions League comeback when they travel to the Allianz Arena to take on Bayern Munich. Frank Lampard’s men went down 3-0 at Stamford Bridge in the first leg way back in February, a home deficit that no team has ever overcome in Champions League history.When you consider Bayern have not lost since January and are on a 23-game unbeaten streak with 17 straight wins, it almost seems like mission impossible. Don't expect the Bavarian side to rest many key players, rather put this one away early and then make some changes. This is a strong a talented side, and with Chelsea's injury issues, this one might already be over. This just feels like a game where the Blues will need a bit of good fortune, maybe even more. An own goal, a penalty kick, or for Bayern to have a nightmare performance perhaps even a combination. The Blues have the quality to get into the tie, but the defensive issues and goalkeeper woes make it seem unlikely.

Bayern Munich Injuries/suspensions: Kingsley Coman ,Benjamin Pavard

Chelsea Injuries/suspensions: Christian Pulisic , Cesar Azpilicueta , Pedro, Willian (nobody knows), Jorginho , Marcos Alonso

Bayern Munich form :W-W-W-W-W-W

Chelsea form : L-W-W-L-W-L

Prediction : Bayern Munich 3-1 Chelsea

Although Chelsea's players are mentally tough individuals, it's too hard to look beyond a Bayern Munich victory. It may have been a different scenario had the likes of Pulisic been available, but it seems impossible for Chelsea's defence to not concede and smash three-four goals at the same time against the German powerhouse. Adding the fact Bayern are unbeaten against Chelsea in their last 5 games winning 3 and drawing 2.

Bayern Munich vs Chelsea Latest Odds

Having lost four of their last six away matches in all competitions, they are 13/2 (7.50) outsiders with bet365 to at least reduce that deficit by pulling off a shock win.

Champions League night!

2020-08-07T19:57:00.000+05:45

Prediction time : Round of 16

Champions league returns tonight with Man City against Real Madrid, where City hold 2-1 advantage over Los Blancos. Other fixture kicking off simultaneously is Juventus against Lyon, Bianconeri trail against the side from Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes who hold 1-0 lead against the home side.

Manchester City Vs Real Madrid

This two have meet 5 times in champions league where Madrid have won 2 games and drawn 2 times. Man city recorded their first victory against the Los Blancos in the reverse fixture at Santiago Bernabéu. Last time these two met in the knockout was back in 2015/16, where they played out a draw (0-0) at Etihad. While Madrid went on to win the home leg with an goal from Fernando. They did play exhilarating match back at Bernabéu in group stage of 2012/13 season where 3 goals came after 84 minutes. Late goals from Benzema and Ronaldo sealed the victory. While this is a blockbluster of clash between two power house, Expect goals from this game as Man city have one of the best attacking force in whole of Europe. Los Blancos will no doubt miss their captain Ramos who is suspended for this tie, it did look like he prevented a third away goal with Jesus through on goal. They lost Ramos, but maybe have Hazard back for this tie. With Agüero(injury) and Mendy(suspended) unavailable for selection, Guardiola has a fully fit squad at his disposal. Guardiola has faced team from Madrid 17 times in his career, where he has lost only twice against Los blancos at home soil. With one of those loss coming at 2013/14 season where his side suffered a huge 4-0 defeat against Ancelotti's team. That score might be rare in this game.

Prediction : Manchester City 2 - 2 Real Madrid

Ramos will be a huge loss for Madrid, with Hazard expected to be back at the helm expect Madrid to be dangerous going forward. Combined with City's defensive woes, Guardiola maybe tempted to go with a back four of Cancelo, Laporte, Fernandinho and Walker. Battle maybe won or lost at midfield with De Bruyne playing, Zidane might be tempted to go with both Casemiro and Valverde to combat the threat of De Bruyne.

Manchester City vs Real Madrid Latest Odds

The Blues are clear favorites at 7/10 (1.70) with bet365 to win in 90 minutes and at 1/8 (1.12) to qualify.

Madrid are available at 31/10 (4.10) to claim a victory without extra time, while the 13-time European champions are offered at 5/1 (6.00) to make it through to the quarter-finals.

Juventus vs Lyon

Juventus return to Champions League action needing to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit if they are to knock out Lyon and advance to the quarter-finals. But Juve face a tall order after being well beaten by Lyon 1-0 in the first leg in France and an away goal for Rudi Garcia's side would make things very difficult for Cristiano Ronaldo & co. Old Lady have been knocked out at the quarter-final stage in the last two seasons. They have met 3 times in Champions where both team have won a game piece, Where Lyon got their victory in the reverse fixture at Groupama Stadium. With Juve loosing just once in home game all season, Garcia's side have a huge task ahead of themselves to reach quarter finals.While both Mattia Di Sciglio and Douglas Costa have been ruled out due to injury, Matthijs de Ligt is hoping to return to the side, at the expense of Daniele Rugani. The Dutchman is set to partner Leonardo Bonucci, at the heart of Juventus’ four-man backline. Gonzalo Higuain is a favorite to spearhead the Juventus attack as Paulo Dybala is still nursing a knock. It remains to be seen whether the Argentine can return to full fitness, although Sarri did confirm that he is training with the medical staff.The return of Memphis Depay has served as a boon for Olympique Lyon head coach Rudi Garcia. The Dutchman performed well in the French league cup final against PSG and is poised for another start.With Dybala a massive doubt heading into this clash, the onus will be on Ronaldo to provide the spark in the final third as Juventus look to overcome the one-goal deficit.However, the attacker’s true quality is often showcased in the UEFA Champions League. He notably scored the hat-trick in Juventus’ sensational comeback victory over Atletico Madrid last season. And the Juve fans will be hoping for a similar performance this time out.

Prediction : Juventus 3 - 1 Lyon

Juventus are the undisputed favourites heading into this game.But, it is needless to point out that they haven’t played to their full potential under Sarri this season and their weaknesses could be exploited by Lyon. While Lyon got the better of Juve in the first leg, games like this are where Ronaldo shines. The Bianconeri should get the victory needed to reach the last eight. With Lyon recording just one away victory this season against RB Leipzig. This might be a task too big for them. Well scoring three might be little optimistic for Juve despite having Ronaldo due to Bianconeri's form. Don't be surprised if Lyon grab an away goal and progress to next round.

Juventus vs Lyon Latest Odds

Juventus are clear 4/9 (1.44) favourites with bet365 to return to bounce back by coming out on top on home turf.

Last Friday’s Coupe de la Ligue final penalty shootout defeat against PSG was Les Gones’ first competitive match since March, and they are 13/2 (7.50) outsiders to blow off the cobwebs with a shock win here.

The visitors claimed a creditable 1-1 draw in their last visit to this stadium back in 2016, and you can get odds of 7/2 (4.50) on them booking a place in the quarter-finals by holding out for a stalemate once again.

Farewell Iker!

2020-08-07T11:11:00.000+05:45

Iker Casillas : Boy with a dream

There are many ways to celebrate the career of Iker Casillas, who retired Tuesday aged 39, some 21 seasons after making his top-flight debut for Real Madrid at 18. The goalkeeper captained Spain to their first ever World Cup and won two European Championships and 167 caps along the way. He won five league titles, two Copa del Rey and three Champions League crowns for Real Madrid. Only one man has made more appearances for the club in its illustrious history.

His fortune changed dramatically as a 16-year-old when he was summoned from the classroom to sit on the bench for Real Madrid, improved further when he replaced the injured César Sánchez during a Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen and began bordering on the outrageous when he earned his place in Spain’s 2002 World Cup side.

At 20, Casillas is the goalkeeper of the first iteration of the Galacticos, with Luis Figo, Raul and Zinedine Zidane. The launch angle to his career is nearly vertical at that point and yet, in the second half of the 2001-02 season, the wheels come off. He has some poor performances, struggles in the way young keepers do and is dropped in the spring. Suddenly, he is too small. Too young. Too attached to the club colors to be cool under pressure.

On the bench for the 2001-02 Champions League final in Glasgow, watching Real Madrid take a 2-1 lead over Bayer Leverkusen thanks to Zidane's epic long-range wonder goal. And then, with 22 minutes to go, Cesar Sanchez, who had supplanted him as Madrid's No. 1, falls hard on the Hampden turf and signals for a change. Casillas comes on and makes a string of stops, two of them spectacular kick-saves, to preserve the victory. A few months later he is again Madrid's starting keeper, a job he would retain for the next decade.

Fast-forward 10 years. It's the 2012-13 season, Jose Mourinho is in charge and the rivalry with Barcelona is as poisonous as ever. So too is the atmosphere at Real Madrid. Mourinho suspects there's a rat in the dressing room, airing the club's dirty laundry. As the club struggles, threatening to implode, fans are split between Mourinho-backers and Mourinho-haters. Casillas becomes a scapegoat, blamed for being the dressing room mole. He's dropped for backup Antonio Adan, and to reinforce the point, Mourinho buys another keeper, Diego Lopez, halfway through the season.

Perez unceremoniously shows Casillas the door. He's 34, by no means old for a keeper, but when you leave Real Madrid, especially when you've been there since the age of 9, the only way is down.There were rumours that Casillas would retire; instead, he signs for Porto as a free agent. A smaller league in Portugal, and less money, but a chance to play. And, more important, to get back up. He plays for four seasons, enduring both the thrills of another league title as well as a sustained period on the bench in his third year, followed by a return to the lineup. It's a microcosm of his career: another fall, another rise.

Casillas has not played since a heart attack in 2019 and in February announced his intention to run for president of the Spanish Football Federation before withdrawing his candidacy because of the coronavirus. Apparently determined to swap his uniform of garish short-sleeved shirt for a blazer, in a comical and slightly sad development he is reported to be in advanced talks regarding a return to Madrid to work as a special adviser to the president widely considered responsible for his ignominious exit.Announcing his retirement on Twitter, Casillas said: "The important thing is the path you travel and the people who accompany you, not the destination to which it takes you."I think I can say, without hesitation, that it has been the path and the dream destination."

Continental football

2020-08-06T20:27:00.000+05:45

Underrated players in each remaining teams in Champions league

With Champions league being fortnight away, excitement around footballs biggest cup competition is getting real. After a five months of Europe's premiere competition being on a hold, we will have a winner of 65th champions by the end of August. It's already been a year since champions league started as the qualifying rounds began from 25th June 2019. Already four teams have qualified for quarter finals, holders Liverpool being knocked out by Atletico Madrid. RB Leipzig knocking Tottenham hotspur out, while PSG knocked out Håland and dortmund. Newcomer Atalanta knocked Valencia out. With both of the finalist being knocked out in round of 16, there are still big teams left in the competition. Real Madrid most successful club in the history of Champions league being at disadvantage against Manchester City. For whom winning a Champions league looks real possibility. Bayern have a 3 goal advantage against Chelsea, that tie looks almost over. Juventus are goal down against Lyon, Depay is available for Lyon who is undoubtedly raring to go after missing much of the campaign due to serious injury. Barcelona and Napoli have all too play for , as Barcelona has a slight advantage over the side from Naples due to away goal rule.

Real Madrid

Raphaël Varane

He’s consistently putting in great performances, saves the team defensively a lot of the time and is one of the leaders in defense in the absence of Sergio Ramos.While Varane has been world-class this season, the reason he hasn’t got much appreciation for it simply comes down to one man. Sergio Ramos. With the captain legend at his side, Varane doesn’t get as much credit as he should simply because he gets overshadowed.This season Varane has been better than Ramos in most of the games they’ve played. He’s been more consistent than the Captain this season too but his performances have been completely slept upon. He’s been colossal defensively this season. He is Real Madrid’s best defender and one of the best in the world.

Barcelona

Sergio Busquets

Sergio Busquets, one of the most subtle and one of the smartest footballers to ever grace the game.The Octopus of Badia, as he is called, is one of the most important players in whichever team he plays. For Barcelona and for Spain, he has been a crucial part of these sides. He’s like a small cog in the system, hardly noticeable unless you actively watch him, but without him the entire team would fall apart.He dictates the tempo perfectly.Knowing when to pass laterally, when to break the lines and when to pass backwards is very difficult. You have to be aware of the layout and current positions of both teams to make this decision. The fact that Busquets has been doing this consistently for a decade is ridiculous. Because of him, his team can sustain attacking play with him ready to recycle possession in the final third.

Paris Saint-Germain

Idrissa Gueye

Whenever someone talks about PSG, most of the attention will always be on their enterprising attack.While Marco Verratti possesses world-class pedigree, the French outfit didn't seem to have a rigid defensive midfielder to shield the defense.During his time at Goodison Park, Gueye proved to be an immovable force in the middle.He compensates for his lack of involvement in the attack with sturdy and reliable defensive contributions. He handles the opposition's press with ease by holding the ball close to him. Gueye's addition to the starting XI gives Verratti the license to push upfront regularly. Tuchel's side can now transition from defence to attack without worrying about leaving spaces at the back. Gueye's ball retention capability gives him more opportunities to win fouls when under pressure.

Manchester City

Riyad Mahrez

The City attacker has reached a point whereby he's an incredibly dangerous threat from the perspective of opposing players. He dribbles, shoots and contributes creative passing to a degree that others struggle to match.Offensive players tend to contribute in one or two of those areas, but all three are rarely provided by one player. Mahrez's xA per 90 is bettered by only De Bruyne in the Premier League, and only Thomas Muller and Angel Di Maria in Europe's top five leagues.Ultimately, he may not yet be considered as a definite starter in the eyes of many but based on his performances and what he's adding on the pitch this season, he's one of the Manchester club's biggest threats. With 5 goals involvement in 6 appearances for Mahrez in just 538 minutes , with a average of 108 min per goal involvement. He definitely deserves a starting berth at Manchester city.

Atletico Madrid

Thomas Partey

With Diego Simeone's side being one the most defensive and well drilled side in League as well as Champions league. It's no surprise that Partey has been one of the best player in the side, after loosing Rodri to Man city in the summer. Partey stood up to the challenge he averages 3.6 tackles per game and 1.5 interception per game. With a average passes of 62 per game with 85% completion rate. Partey also plays 1.6 key passes per game along with 5 long balls. His numbers are there up with the very best in his position.

RB Leipzig

Emil Forsberg

Forsberg is the hub of Leipzig's creativity. He is capable of making intricate interplay with the likes of Werner(Currently at Chelsea) and Yussuf Poulsen, and can split the defence with a well-timed through ball. He can also free the wingers by providing a long-ball over the mid or low block by switching play.He averaged a staggering 3.1 key passes per game.. Furthermore, with an aggregate of 2.8 dribbles and 1.6 shots per game, he proved to be a complete midfielder.

Atalanta

Marten de Roon

His defensive prowess was essential for Gian Piero Gasperini's side to get an edge over the opposition. De Roon functions as the controller, meaning he is responsible for the transitions from defence to attack. He is capable of winning the ball back with ease, and also has an eye for the forward pass.He averaged 2.9 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.3 dribbles per game, making him an integral part of Atalanta's defensive unit.

Olympique Lyon

Houssem Aouar

Despite having a relatively small frame, Aouar holds the ball exceptionally. He tracks back whenever he is dispossessed and can also tackle bravely. His defensive contributions require special appreciation, as in the modern football world, players as creative as Aouar tend to neglect their defensive duties and focus on advancing upfront. He averaged 2.4 tackles, 2.6 dribbles, 1.4 key passes and 1.2 long balls per game. The Algeria-born French midfielder has exceptional dribbling expertise and has been fantastic in the number 8 role.

Juventus

Rodrigo Bentancur

With Ronaldo, Dybala , Higuain and Costa they have enough firepower to hurt any team on a given day, the problem lies in the midfield. With Pjanic and Matuidi not getting any younger and new signings Ramsey and Rabiot struggling. It's no doubt there is weakness in the middle of the park for the old lady. Despite little playing time Bentancur has same number of assists as Pjanic(7 assists). He is also key in build play as he has 6 key passes which is only bettered by Pjanic. He wins possession 3.9 times per game only topped by Cuadrado.

Bayern Munich

Benjamin Pavard

Considering how good they have been it's genuinely hard to find underrated player. First season with the Bavarian giants he has been near flawless, with only Kimmich and Neuer featuring more than Pavard. He is still yet to miss a minute of Champions league action, providing two assists from right back in Europe. He has directly contributed to 8 goals same amount as the electric Alphonso Davies. He's been solid defensively too, winning 76% of his tackles.

Chelsea

Mateo Kovačić

At the base of the Blues' midfield, Kovačić has been utterly superb all season. The Croatian has ran the show for Frank Lampard's side, keeping things ticking and driving Chelsea forward with terrifying ease.With a pass completion rate of close to 90%, Kovačić has been as reliable as they come, but his control and dribbling have set him apart from the rest. Trying to get the ball off him has proven to be impossible.Without his creativity and drive in midfield, Chelsea would have been far weaker. He has been so valuable to the Blues.

Napoli

Dries Mertens

The diminutive forward is excellent with the ball at his feet and possesses an impressive core strength, allowing him to fend off tackles from even the strongest defenders.The striker still possesses the flair and creativity of the winger he once was, and whilst some converted wide men only focus on the goalscoring aspect of their game, Mertens has embraced his unpredictable streak, producing some sublime and daring assists from outrageous positions for his grateful teammates. Whilst the rest of Europe was still sleeping, Italy was beginning to realise that Mertens was developing into one of the very best in the business. Perhaps the Napoli forward is overlooked because of his advancing years, it's not as trendy to wax lyrical about a man approaching the twilight of his career when you can overhype a youngster who has impressed in his first couple of months of professional football.

Continental Football

2020-08-06T13:55:00.000+05:45

Two favorites reach quarter finals!!

As the business end of the season is upon us, with the fixtures coming thick and fast. Clubs have little time to prepare for, with the Europa league beginning just a weeks after domestic campaign had ended. Both the teams did not start as excepted, as it was their opponents that were the ones looking threatening.

Inter did get a first half goal through former Manchester United striker Lukaku, The goal from Lukaku came on a ball over the top that was defended well towards the end, but positioning allowed the Belgian striker to get a solid look on frame. The big striker bodied his defender, didn't touch the ball before the strike and put home a ball that only few goalkeepers could stop. It was an effort that shows just how much quality he has when things are clicking, and that big moment was crucial.

Getafe didn't outplay Inter, but it came close. Far from effective, the club still had 17 shots to Inter's 10, but only two were put on frame. But it all came down to mistakes. There wasn't much that could be done on the first goal other than holding a deeper line potentially, but that's easy to say looking back. But the missed penalty kick by Jorge Molina was the nail in the coffin, Combine that with the gift from Djene to Eriksen. Substitute Eriksen was on the pitch for barely a minute before punishing Djene Dakonam's poor clearance late on. Inter will face either Bayer Leverkusen or Rangers in the final eight, with the German side leading 3-1 on aggregate.The match was played as a one-off tie in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, after the first leg was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Manchester United came from behind to beat Austrian side LASK at Old Trafford, advancing to the quarter-finals of the Europa League 7-1 on aggregate.It was tough luck on the Austrians, who were the better side in the first half, despite trailing 5-0 from their home game in March.When skipper Philipp Wiesinger curled an excellent shot into the top corner after 55 minutes, it looked like they were heading for a famous victory.But Lingard replied two minutes later and Solskjaer could even give 18-year-old defender Teden Mengi his debut as the clock ticked down to the final whistle.Anthony Martial came off the bench to score the winner four minutes from time, collecting Juan Mata's precise through ball before finishing off his 23rd goal of the season from 10 yards.

Having already secured a place in next season's Champions League, United will now play Danish side FC Copenhagen in Cologne in the quarter-finals of the 'Final 8' tournament on 10 August.The 'Final 8' is taking place in Germany, with the final itself being held in Cologne on 21 August.The draw for the remainder of the competition has already taken place. Wolves are potential semi-final opponents, so there cannot be an all-English final.Inter Milan, with three former United players - Romelu Lukaku, Ashley Young and Alexis Sanchez - are potential final opponents.

Europa League winner odds

Manchester United @ 17/10

Inter Milan @ 9/2

Bayer Leverkusen @ 6/1

Sevilla @ 7/1

Wolves @ 15/2

Roma @ 14/1

All odds provided by Paddy Power are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

"England's right back dilemma"

2020-08-05T22:00:00.000+05:45

Two of the best young fullbacks!

England are blessed with two of the most skillful player in a position. Trent Alexander Arnold and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are two of the best player at their respective position , in the league as well as in Europe. Both have different and unique skill set to that of other , Arnold might excel at the at attacking likewise wan-bissaka excels at defensive duties. Stats speaks for themselves Trent had the most assists out of defender , whereas Wan-Bissaka completed most tackles in Europe's top 5 league. Each great at others expense, still young (21 and 22 years ) they have plenty of time to improve . Both of them are regular starters at their clubs , playing week in week out have help them to improve certain aspects of their game, still there remains question mark over who will start for England in the upcoming UEFA Euro 2020. Trent alexander arnold has been starting for England for couple of times since his debut back in 2018. While Aaron wan-bissaka is still to represent his country he was close to getting his debut back in September. With Southgate preferring the younger duos over the experienced duo of Walker and Trippier , he still has dilemma over picking one over other. At international level Trent alexander arnold wont't get the same defensive solidity he gets at Liverpool, while Aaron wan-bissaka brings in the defensive might that his counterpart lacks. Leaving either one of them in bench will no doubt harm England in one way or other. As Jamie Carragher said "it's like having Kevin de Bruyne at right back" , Trent finished only behind de Bruyne for assists provided in the premier league. He broke his own record which he set in the previous campaign (2018/19), each passing game Trent looks like a playmaker playing at right back . Likewise Jamie did praise wan-bissaka by quoting " he might be the best one on one defender in the world " as portrait-ed by Carragher or just ask "Raheem Sterling(wink emoji)" .England might miss the other one left in the bench. Many have hinted at Trent playing in midfield as for now he's a vital cog in Jurgen klopp's all conquering Liverpool. Southgate can play three at back with wan-bissaka playing at right center back with trent playing in right wing back position , this seems to be the best system to utilize both of their talents simultaneously. Let's leave the decision making to the manager..

Passing and attacking

Full-backs used to be judged first and foremost on their defending, but in the modern game they have to place far more emphasis on their attacking play.

Wan-Bissaka (79.9%) and Alexander-Arnold (75.8%) not much of a difference.

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool team attack down the wide areas and Alexander-Arnold makes an incredible 7.5 crosses per 90 minutes in the league, not including corners.

But Wan-Bissaka’s attacking game still leaves a lot to be desired and the 22-year-old is averaging just 2.86 crosses per 90 minutes.

Unsurprisingly, Alexander-Arnold also comes out on top for chances created (2.6 per 90 minutes)with Wan-Bissaka creating (0.7)

Wan-Bissaka has 1.7 successful dribbles per 90 at a completion rate of 68.0% but Alexander-Arnold finds himself behind. (0.6 at 37.4%).

Defensive actions

Defending is the one area of Alexander-Arnold’s game that has come under some scrutiny this season.

Liverpool have been dominated most Premier League games in 2019-20 so Alexander-Arnold averages 1.6 successful tackles per 90 minutes and has a success rate of 53.3%.

However, Wan-Bissaka is miles ahead in this department as the United defender averages an incredible 3.8 successful tackles per 90 with an 82.6% success rate.

In terms of interceptions, Wan-Bissaka leads the way once again with 2.0 per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season.

That is followed by the Liverpool defender who has made 1.3 interceptions per 90 in the

league so far.

Conclusion

So, what’s the conclusion?

Well, we’ll let the user reveal all.

"Both full-backs are excellent in their own way. Trent Alexander Arnold is an attacking full-back that excels when playing higher up the pitch , played a vital part in ending the title drought . Aaron Wan-Bissaka is a defensive beast, putting up great defensive numbers which have contributed to United qualifying to the Champions League this season."

European football back on cards!

2020-08-05T13:31:00.000+05:45

Back after a long hiatus!

Five months after the Champions League and Europa League were halted, European football's premiere club competition are back. Atletico Madrid's dramatic extra-time win at Anfield seems ages ago, as does Manchester United's 5-0 thrashing of LASK, with those results two of the final matches to occur before the coronavirus pandemic suspended the season.Now, with those domestic leagues and cup competitions that did return having finished, the focus is solely on Europe's elite.

PREVIOUSLY ON... THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE AND EUROPA LEAGUE

Both the Europa League and the Champions League are at the last-16 stage, but while all 16 teams remain in the Europa League, Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund, Valencia and Tottenham are all out of Europe's premier club competition.Their conquerors - Atletico, Paris Saint-Germain, Atalanta and RB Leipzig - all won across two legs prior to pause being pressed on the campaign.Only six of the eight first legs in the Europa League happened, with four away teams - United, Bayer Leverkusen, Shakhtar Donetsk and Basel claiming advantages, while Istanbul Basaksehir beat Copenhagen 1-0 in Turkey and Wolves drew 1-1 at Olympiacos.

Let's deal with the Champions League first.

PSG and Atalanta can put their feet up knowing their quarter-final begins on August 12, the day before Leipzig face Atletico Madrid.Four last-16 ties remain and the quartet of home teams in the second leg - Manchester City, Juventus, Barcelona and Bayern Munich - will respectively host Real Madrid, Lyon, Napoli and Chelsea in their own stadiums without fans present.

That is also the case in the Europa League, though Sevilla's clash with Roma, and Inter's encounter with Getafe will now be one-off fixtures at neutral venues in Germany. Those second legs will still be played at clubs’ home stadiums before the winners head to Germany for a new knockout tournament format. All games will be played without spectators.

2019/20 UEFA Europa League schedule

5–6 August: Round of 16 (second legs at home teams’ stadiums; single-leg ties in Germany)
10–11 August: Quarter-finals (Cologne, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Gelsenkirchen)
16–17 August: Semi-finals (German venues to be confirmed)
21 August: Final (Cologne)

2019/20 UEFA Champions League schedule

7-8 August: Round of 16 second legs (home teams' stadiums)

12-15 August: Quarter-finals (Lisbon)

18-19 August: Semi-finals (Lisbon)

23 August: Final (Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Lisbon)

Format

This year the quarter-finals and semi-finals will be a one-off fixture and it is being played at a neutral venue

Substitution rule

The teams can now make five substitutions in the match. However, the substitution will only be allowed at three points during the match. These three occasions do not include changes at half-time, between the end of normal playing time and extra time, and at half-time during extra time. One additional substitution will also be allowed during extra time.

The number of players will also increase from 18 to 23. Earlier this was allowed just for the finals.

Premier league season review 2019/20!

2020-08-04T15:34:00.011+05:45

Premier league season review 2019/20!

After an 11-month season during which the biggest news was that off the pitch, Liverpool claimed the 2019/20 Premier League title. Liverpool had the championship wrapped up with seven games to play, but the chase for European places and battle to avoid relegation went right up until the final day.Since March, the season has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.On 10 March, the match between Manchester City and Arsenal, due to be played the next day after being rescheduled due to City's participation in the 2020 EFL Cup Final, was postponed. A number of Arsenal players had made close contact with Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis, who had tested positive for infection with the corona-virus, when the two teams had met in the Europa League 13 days earlier.It is the first football season in England to be halted since the 1939–40 season was abandoned after only three games following the outbreak of the Second World War.On 13 March, following an emergency meeting between the Premier League, The Football Association (FA), the English Football League and the FA Women's Super League, it was unanimously decided to suspend professional football in England until at least 4 April 2020.On 19 March, the suspension was extended to at least 30 April 2020.At the same time the FA agreed to extend the season indefinitely, past the scheduled end date of 1 June.On 28 May, clubs agreed that the season would restart on 17 June,with the two games in hand of Manchester City vs Arsenal and Aston Villa vs Sheffield United with the first full round of fixtures since March to be played on the weekend of 19–21 June, with all matches played behind closed doors. On 4 June, the Premier League announced that teams would be allowed to name nine substitutes per match, instead of the usual seven, and that teams could use five substitutes per match instead of three.Financial services company Deloitte estimated that Premier League clubs would face a £1 billion loss of revenue for the 2019–20 season, £500 million being accounted for in rebates to broadcasters and loss of match day revenue.

You can’t talk about 2019/20 without talking about how Liverpool just beat the hell out of everyone for basically the entire season,it took a global pandemic to stop them just straight-up setting all the records.Obviously teams have started fast before but Liverpool came out at such velocity it was like someone had shot them out of a cannon. The Reds won their first eight games, were held 1-1 by Manchester United, then proceeded to win their next 18 straight games before finally losing.unbeaten runs happen, but there’s usually at least a handful of draws in their as sides dice with defeat. Liverpool drew once. They won 26 games "Twenty six". For reference: the last time the Reds won the league title they won 23 times in the entire god damn season. This time they won 26 before March.The Reds were comfortably the best team in the country and deservedly lifted their first league trophy for 30 years.
A strange season for Manchester City by the recent standards they have set. Whether it’s judged as a success or not will depend on the Champions League. Winning the Carabao Cup again was great, but nine league losses is unforgivable for this City team.The decision not to sign a replacement for Kompany last summer was a huge error. It couldn’t manage three in a row and nine defeats was the undoing. But it still managed 102 goals. No doubt, they will come firing all cylinders in the upcoming campaign.
As for Manchester United.It’s been a good season, some real progress made. That seemed highly unlikely back in the dark, cold days of January, particularly after the 2-0 loss at home to Burnley, but it’s been a different team since Bruno Fernandes arrived. Third in the league, semi-finals in both domestics cups, a shot at winning the Europa League it all points to even better to come. With youthful exuberance the side from old trafford will no doubt want to challenge for title in the upcoming season. As they wait for a title since Sir Alex Ferguson retirement, as it goes into a 8th season title drought.
After nearly 12 months of ups and downs, with Frank Lampard managing a team broadly comprised of academy players, Chelsea have secured Champions League football for next season.Chelsea lost Eden Hazard and replaced him with a bunch of 19-, 20-, and 21-year-old. It was a good season for the side from London, with a transfer ban and loosing their best player. This season turned out to be good for blues , with already the addition of Werner , Ziyech and possibly Havertz. It looks a title challenge might be underway with a couple of defensive addition.
Leicester were unstoppable through Autumn. Jamie Vardy scored 16 goals in 16, excelling in a stripped-down role that - by staying higher and more central. Since Christmas Vardy form took a dive not long before the team went on a poor run of form. They won 3 games from last 14 games and which ultimately cost them a place in next season's Champions league. Finishing 5th was not all doom and gloom for the foxes. As they have an alternate route to Champions league for next season.
Reaching Champions league final was some achievement for the side from north London. Hopes were high for this season, but the only thing they gave was disappointment.After a disappointing start, which resulted in parting company with head coach Mauricio Pochettino His replacement Jose Mourinho oversaw improvement but not enough to secure a fifth consecutive top four finish. In the end they did seal a Europa league, but will have to go through qualifying rounds.
Wolves again won plenty of fans for its exciting brand of soccer. The club was close to challenging for a Champions League place and finishing 7th, the same as last season, is a decent result. With a few extra players, a top-four place next season is far from impossible.
A season to forget for the Gunners, which finishes in its lowest league position for 25 years. There are signs though that Mikel Arteta, who took charge in December, has a plan for the team, and an FA Cup win soften the blow of a poor league campaign.
Sheffield united were the favorites for the relegation, instead they went on to finish in the top half of the table. Blades were around for the champions league places until March, but hopes were dashed after the restart.
15th place in the previous season and flirting with relegation. Many tipped them for another scrappy finish in the league. They finished mid-table comfortably, with outstanding results at Anfield and Old trafford.
In October, when Southampton lost 9-0 at home to Leicester City to leave them 18th in the table, a relegation battle looked certain. Instead, the board kept faith with manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, who engineered a remarkable turnaround. The Saints finish a respectable 11th.
Another disappointing season for Everton, which has now not finished in the top six since 2013/14.Manager Carlo Ancelotti, who arrived in December, will be eyeing signings in the transfer window.
Newcastle looked a club in crisis at the start of season. Many tipped it for relegation and there was skepticism over manager Steve Bruce. Despite an unbalanced squad though, Bruce steered the team to safety and a 13th-place finish.
Palace probably should have been fighting for a top-half finish, but, with safety virtually secured after the restart, it lost seven in a row.This season has shown little progress on last season, when Palace finished 12th, but it at least lives to fight another season in the Premier League.
Brighton’s aim at the start of the season would have been survival and the Seagulls just about managed it. That was enough for manager Graham Potter’s first season in charge and it will be intriguing to see what ideas he has for a higher finish next season.
West Ham finished 10th last season and would have hoped to push on during this campaign. But it was a season of struggle and the 39 points it won is the lowest total since the club finished bottom, in 2010/11. There will be relief at avoiding relegation.
In the end, it was a single point that secured survival on the final day of the season for Aston Villa. It will be a big relief for the club, which spent heavily on new signings last summer. There are plenty of issues to address before next season, but the most important thing for now is the club ha survived in the Premier League.
One of the Premier League’s smallest clubs, which drops into the Championship after five years in the top flight. Eddie Howe’s side remained committed to its ethos of easy-on-the-eye football but ultimately failed and faces a big fight to return to English football's top table.
Watford will also play in the Championship next season after a disastrous season which saw the club go through three managers. A 3-0 win over champions Liverpool in February lifted Watford out of the relegation zone but it couldn’t stay there. The gamble to sack Nigel Pearson with two matches of the season remaining has badly backfired on the club hierarchy.
Like Bournemouth, Norwich played an attractive brand of football which, unfortunately for them, did not help the club pick up enough points. Norwich won plenty of fans and should be among the challenges to come back up next season with plenty of young talents on their hand. The table doesn’t lie though, and 21 points is far from good enough.

Top Scorers

RK	NAME	TEAM	P	G
1	Jamie Vardy	Leicester City	35	23
2	Danny Ings	Southampton	38	22
	Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang	Arsenal	36	22
4	Raheem Sterling	Manchester City	33	20
5	Mohamed Salah	Liverpool	34	19
6	Sadio Mané	Liverpool	35	18
	Harry Kane	Tottenham Hotspur	29	18
8	Raúl Jiménez	Wolverhampton Wanderers	38	17
	Anthony Martial	Manchester United	32	17
	Marcus Rashford	Manchester United	31	17

Top Assists

RK	NAME	TEAM	P	A
1	Kevin De Bruyne	Manchester City	35	20
2	Trent Alexander-Arnold	Liverpool	38	13
3	Andy Robertson	Liverpool	36	12
4	Mohamed Salah	Liverpool	34	10
	Son Heung-Min	Tottenham Hotspur	30	10
	David Silva	Manchester City	27	10
7	Adama Traoré	Wolverhampton Wanderers	37	9
	Riyad Mahrez	Manchester City	33	9
9	Roberto Firmino	Liverpool	38	8
	Harvey Barnes	Leicester City	36	8

RANK
TEAM
GP
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
PTS
1
LIVERPOOL
38
32
3
3
85
33
52
99
2
MANCHESTER CITY
38
26
3
9
102
35
67
81
3
MANCHESTER UNITED
38
18
12
8
66
36
30
66
4
CHELSEA
38
20
6
12
69
54
15
66
5
LEICESTER CITY
38
18
8
12
67
41
26
62
6
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
38
16
11
11
61
47
14
59
7
WOLVERHAMPTON
38
15
14
9
51
40
11
59
8
ARSENAL
38
14
14
10
56
48
8
56
9
SHEFFIELD UNITED
38
14
12
12
39
39
0
54
10
BURNLEY
38
15
9
14
43
50
-7
54
11
SOUTHAMPTON
38
15
7
16
51
60
-9
52
12
EVERTON
38
13
10
15
44
56
-12
49
13
NEWCASTLE UNITED
38
11
11
16
38
58
-20
44
14
CRYSTAL PALACE
38
11
10
17
31
50
-19
43
15
BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION
38
9
14
15
39
54
-15
41
16
WEST HAM UNITED
38
10
9
19
49
62
-13
39
17
ASTON VILLA
38
9
8
21
41
67
-26
35
18
BOURNEMOUTH
38
9
7
22
40
65
-25
34
19
WATFORD
38
8
10
20
36
64
-28
34
20
NORWICH CITy
38
5
6
27
26
75
-49
21