EPL Midweek Action: 5 Talking Points

This midweek’s action marked match day 14 of premier league action. All the big sides were in action as Tottenham took on Leicester, Liverpool battled it out with Stoke City, Arsenal hosted Huddersfield, Chelsea welcomed Swansea to the Bridge, Manchester United travelled to Watford, and league leaders, Manchester City hosted the Saints. Here are the five major talking points from the midweek games.

Young leads aesthetic United to victory: many pundits thought Watford will be too much for the Red Devils, however, two spectacular strikes (a half volley and a freekick from 25 yards out) by Ashley Young and a neat finish from Martial in the first half put United in control of the fixture. The Hornets did pull two back to make it 3-2, but any talks of a potential comeback was snuffed by Jesse Lingard’s moment of individual brilliance.

Vardy and Mahrez channels the spirit of 2016 Leicester: Leicester City put in a clinical display which was reminiscent of Claudio Ranieri’s side that pulled the shock of the century by romping to the title two seasons ago. Two heros-Vardy and Mahrez- of their title winning season produced two moments of magic to sink Spurs by two goals. Harry Kane reduced the deficit by a goal, but it couldn’t hamper the Foxes from going taking all three points.

Raheem makes it 12 in a row for sterling City: City’s winning run was under threat in the encounter against the Saints on Wednesday night. But Raheem Sterling scored a brilliant curler in the 96^th minute to ensure that Guardiola’s men maintain their 8 points lead at the top of the table.

Devastating Arsenal puts Huddersfield to the sword: the gun power Arsenal displayed at the Emirates against the Terriers was too much for the newly promoted side to handle. Lacasette, Giroud (double), Sanchez, and tormentor-in-chief Ozil were all amongst the goals as Arsenal scored five without a response.

Rooney rolls back the years: Wayne Rooney scored his first Everton hat trick against his former boss, David Moyes during Everton’s 4-0 win over West Ham. Rooney opened his account on the night when he headed in a rebound of his saved penalty. He scored the second moments later with a clean sweep in the box. However, it was his third that set tongues wagging, when he hit a spectacular strike all the way from his own half into the net, beyond a retrieving Hart.

EPL Match Week 13: Five Talking Points

The English Premier League match week 13 saw a mega clash between Liverpool and Chelsea. The Manchester duo were also in action. Leicester City made a trip to West Ham, whilst Tottenham and Southampton hosted West Brom and Everton respectively. Here are the five talking points from all the fixtures.

Unstoppable Man City at it again: Pep Guardiola’s side put in a charismatic performance to come back from a goal behind to beat Huddersfield. The victory is City’s 11 in a row in the Premier League, and at this rate, the record for the most successive premier league wins (14) is at risk. Interesting, if City wins its next two fixtures, then the record will be decided in a mouth-watering Manchester derby.

Liverpool lets Salah down: Mohamed Salah put in a brilliant performance at Anfield against his former side, Chelsea. The Egyptian, who gave a hectic time to the Blues’ defence put Liverpool ahead with a tidy finish in the second half, only for Willian to equalise with an improvised shot late in the game. The Reds inability to see out the game nullified Salah’s immense outing.

Harry Kane, the centurion: the English attacker made his 128 appearance in the premier league, and achieved a historic feat in the process. His equalizer against West Brom means Kane has been involved in 100 (87 goals and 13 assists) goals since he made his debut 6 years ago. Being the ninth fasted player to reach this mark, Kane has joined the distinguished compare of Alan Shearer, Eric Cantona, Thierry Henry, and the likes.  

Unconvincing Man United bags 3 points: the Red Devils had to dig deep in their Saturday afternoon’s clash against newly promoted Brighton and Albion. For much of the game, it looked as though the home side will experience its first defeat of the season, but a deflect Ashley Young strike game Mourinho all 3points in a laboured victory.

Everton sinks deeper: any hope that the dismissal of Ronal Koeman will resurrect Everton’s season is increasingly becoming a mirage. The Merseyside club were roundly beaten 4-1 by Southampton as they continue their shocking form this season.

EPL Match Day 12: 5 Talking Points

After the international break, the English Premier League returned for match day 12 actions. Both Manchester clubs enjoyed convincing victories, likewise Liverpool and Chelsea. The story of the weekend however is Arsenal’s master class performance in the North London derby. Here are 5 talking points from the games.

Wenger silences critics: Arsene Wenger and his side have been the source of trolling on social media this season. Leading up to the first North London derby of the season, fans and pundits alike were all of the opinion that Spurs are now the bosses of the polar end of the capital city. However, Arsenal put in a determined team effort to earn a 2-0 victory of Pochettino’s side.

United rebounds in style: prior to the international break, the Red Devils were a victim of a defeat courtesy the Blues. The encounter at Old Trafford against Newcastle afforded the right opportunity for Mourinho and his charges to provide a response, only for the 20-time English champions to fall behind within 15minutes. But United bounced back to claim a 4-1 victory through an impressive performance of star midfielder, Paul Pogba, on his return from injury. The victory extended the club’s unbeaten home run to 38 matches.

Pulis shown the red card: the aftermath of West Brom’s 4-0 defeat to Chelsea is a bitter one for Tony Pulis as he was fired by the club. West Brom are languishing at 17^th position on the table, and with early signs of relegation showing, the powers that be took the pragmatic decision and fired the manager, who was without victory in his last 10 league games.

Liverpool’s purple patch: Jurgen Klopp was under pressure after his side’s abysmal 4-1 loss to Spurs in October. But the German has masterminded a run of 3 wins in 3 games since that trouncing. Not only is Liverpool winning games, but they have kept 2 consecutive clean sheets in the home league games, something that is admirable, taking into consideration that fact the Merseyside side have had defensive issues all season.

The lion is back: Zlatan Ibrahimovic has made a spectacular recovery from a career threatening injury he suffered in April whilst playing for Manchester United in last season’s UEFA EUROPA league competition. For a footballing grandpa at the age of 36 who has suffered an injury described as “significant knee ligament damage”, one would have thought that it would be the end of an illustrious career, but Ibra had other ideas. The Swede’s quicker-than-normal recovery is a testament of his high mental strength. 

Thanks to everybody that stod by my side for the last months.Thanks to my family,coach,teammates,Mino,DarioFort,Dahan,DrFu,DrVolker,Manutd and the most important my fanz.This was not a one man work without all of you I would not be playing fotball today Thank you and I ❤️ you pic.twitter.com/XpTCWMaEIn

— Zlatan Ibrahimović (@Ibra_official) November 18, 2017

EPL Matchday 8: 5 Key Talking Points

The English Premier Leagues is back after an international break littered the with FIFA 2918 World Cup qualifiers. There was a big result for Manchester City, whilst Chelsea and Arsenal floundered. On the other side, Jose Mourinho was Mourinho at Anfield. Here are the five talking points from match day 8:

Hodgson chews up Conte: former England manager Roy Hodgson did the miraculous by leading his Crystal Palace side to a 2-1 victory over defending champions Chelsea. Even though Chelsea were lacking a couple of first 11 players, no one gave Palace, a team yet to register their first shot on target prior to the game a dog’s chance, however Hodgson and his charges defied all odds to down their London rivals.

Shakespeare shown the exit: after a 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion, Leicester manager, Craig Shakespeare has been fired by the club. The 2015/16 champions have only won a single game in the current campaign, and are already fighting relegation.

Stunning Citizens breaks the Potters: Manchester City put on a breath-taking show on Saturday to annihilate Stoke City in a 7-2 match. There was no hiding place for Stoke City as they were totally destroyed by Guardiola’s pupils, led by tormentor-in-chief, Kevin de Bruyne.

Marco Silva deflates Arsene Wenger: Wartford coach, Marco Silva masterminded a 2-1 victory over Arsenal to put Arsene Wenger under the spotlight again. The Gunners boss decided to omit 3 key players-Ozil, Ramsey, and Sanchez, with Ramsey and Sanchez entirely missing out on the match day squad-from his starting line-up, and he was left to defend his choices after another bad day in front of goal and on the pitch for his team.

Klopp the pretender: Liverpool and Man United played out a boring stalemate at Anfield during Saturday’s early kick off game. At the end of the day, Mourinho predictably received all the flake for parking the bus. However, it is his opposite number who was more hypocritical on the day. It’s a well-documented fact that Mourinho is a defensive minded coach, so his approach came as no surprise unlike Jurgen Klopp who is noted for his boom boom style. But the German was equally conservative on the day, even sacrificing his 3 artistes-Coutinho, Firmino, and Sallah-as the game drew to an end. 

EPL Match Week 6: 5 Talking Points

The 6^th round of the English Premier saw all the top 6 sides from the previous season winning. Chelsea and Manchester City swept aside Stoke City and Crystal Palace respectively, whilst Tottenham survived a last minute scare to see out West Ham. 

Manchester United dug out a hard fought victory over The Saints, and Liverpool saw out Leicester, albeit in uncomfortable circumstances. On Monday night, Arsenal got the job done over West Bromwich. Here are the 5 talking points to note from the matches:

Alvaro Morata outshines EPL’s elites: the summer recruit from Real Madrid put in a remarkable performance at the Bet 365 Stadium as the reigning champions put 4 goals past Stoke City. The Spanish forward was in tantalising form on Saturday afternoon as he scored a brilliant hatrick. In a week that Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku, Alex Lacazette, Chicarito, Jamie Vardy and Sergio Aguero were all on the score sheet, the Chelsea attacker stood tall.

5 star City plants more misery on sorry Crystal Palace: Palace’s season is not getting any better: the dismissal of Frank de Boer has not in any way changed their cause for the better. Guardiola’s side was at their ruthless best as the destroyed Palace 5 goals to 0. Palace still await their first league point and goal of the season.

Coutinho magic propels Liverpool: Philippe Coutinho stuck an amazing free kick in the 23^rd minute at the King Power Stadium as the Reds edged out Leicester in a blockbuster game. Liverpool’s defensive issues continued, as they would have twice blown a 2 goal lead in the encounter but for Simon Mignolet’s save on Vardy.

Gareth Barry the history maker: on Monday night against Arsenal, West Bromwich midfielder Gareth Barry became a Premier League record-breaker when he made his 633^rd appearance in the competition to become the league’s all-time highest appearance maker, overcoming Manchester United great, Ryan Giggs. 

👏 pic.twitter.com/N0kk4hBowp

— Everton (@Everton) September 25, 2017

Mourinho goes unscathed: Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was sent to the stand in the dying embers of his side’s hard fought 1-0 win over Southampton at the St. Marys. However, this week has been a lucky day for the enigmatic Portuguese trainer as he was spared disciplinary action by the Football Association.

EPL MatchDay 4: 5 Talking Points

After a 10 day break, the English Premier League is back. Arsenal and Tottenham returned to winning ways, whilst Everton, Crystal Palace and Liverpool suffered high profile defeats. Also, Chelsea and Manchester City continued in winning terms, whilst Manchester United finally conceded goals for the first time in the season. Here are the five major talking points from the weekend.

Manchester City humbles Liverpool amidst controversial officiating: the Citizens smashed 5 goals past Klopp’s men in an eagerly anticipated match at the Etihad. Gabriel Jesus (2), Sergio Aguero, and Leroy Sane (2) were on scoreboard. However, referee Jon Moss was at the centre of all post match reviews for his decision to dismiss Saido Mane for a high foot on City’s ‘keeper, Ederson during a chase for a seemingly 50-50 ball, which ended in a collision between goalie and attacker. The referee’s decision no doubt had a huge impact on the final result.

Manchester United drops points: Mourinho took his charges on an away trip to Stoke, and they returned wounded. A brace from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting ensured that David de Gea has conceded for the first time this season. Goals from Rashford and Lukaku could only earn the Red Devils a draw, meaning United’s perfect record is gone.

Frank de Boer pays the price: news broke on Monday afternoon that Crystal Palace has parted way with the Dutchman after a string of poor results. The former Ajax coach has found life in England very difficult. A defeat in the hands of Burnley on Sunday condemned Crystal Palace to their fourth consecutive defeat. The dismissal marks De Boer’s second short exit in less than 18months, after he was similarly dismissed at Inter Milan after a short stint.

Harry Kane’s season finally kicks off: the Spurs attacker netted a double in his team’s win over Everton, and in the process, he has reached a century of goals in for Spurs. However, the English attacker has had to endure his perennial August hoodoo. It still remains a mystery how the two time EPL top scorer is yet to score in August, but never mind, Kane is back.

Birthday relief for Slaven Bilic: West Ham got off the mark for the new season. Bilic has been coming under increasing pressure for his team’s winless run in the first 3 games of the season. A defeat to Huddersfield Town on Monday night football would have spelt doom for the manager, but an Andre Ayew inspired performance gave the Croat his first win of the season on his birthday. 

EPL Matchweek 2: 5 Talking Points

The second round of matches in the English Premier League has come to an end. There was victories for Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Leicester, whilst Newcastle, Arsenal, West Ham and were beaten. Here are the 5 key issues that shaped the week’s actions.

Marcos Alonso inflicts more Wembley woes unto Spurs: the Spaniard has had to live through the summer with speculations of the signing of Juventus ace, Alex Sandro to unseat him. But on the day that Chelsea were missing several of their stars, Alonso came big for his side. His sweet free kick in the first half and a good finish at the depth of the game lifted the Blues to a London derby win over Spurs in Wembley (a makeshift home side that Spurs has lost 9 out of its previous 10 fixtures at)

Arsenal not good enough: the Gunners picked 3 points from their first game of the season with late winner against Leicester City, but at the Britannia Stadium, there was no salvation for Wenger and his charges. They were beaten by debutant, Jese Rodriguez’s lone goal. All Wenger has to show for the night was the avalanche possession (77.3%) they won on the night

Chicharito’s heroics overshadowed: Javier Hernandez opened his scoring account for the Hammers at the St. Mary’s on Saturday, but West Ham could not hold on for a point, as Charlie Austin stole all 3points for the Saints in injury time. Slaven Bilic’s men had to fight from a man and 2 goals down, after Marko Arnautovic earned himself a reckless red card. Chicharito pulled his side back into the game with a double, only for his efforts to be wasted in the last minute.

Mourinho and his troops continues to march: a breath-taking second half display left Swansea decimated by a rampant Manchester United side. It took a while for Mourinho’s men to break down the Welsh side, but when Bailly broke the deadline, there was no turning back. Lukaku, Pogba, and Martial added a goal apiece as United won in style. Mourinho means business

Sterling stands up to Rooney: Wayne Rooney scored his 200^th EPL goal at the Etihad on Monday Night Football. The night looked set to go in Everton’s favour after Kyle Walker was dismissed in the first half. But City fought back in the second half, and finally got an equalizer through a classy volley by Raheem Sterling.

  

Diego Costa Is Complicating Matters For Himself

Chelsea striker, Diego Costa has found himself in an unwanted situation at Chelsea. The Brazil-born Spanish attacker revealed that he received a text message of dismissal from his Chelsea boss, Antonio Conte. Conte has generally tried to shy away from the brouhaha over Costa. 

On occasions that he spoke on the subject, he suggested that Costa has been in the known since January a summer move was in the offing. Costa’s preferred destination is his former club, Atletico Madrid, who have been banned from registering a player until January, 2018. 

Even if a move to Atletico succeeds, Costa has two options. Either sit out until January, 2018 to begin playing competitive football or be loaned out for six months.

Costa has been a good servant to Chelsea since his £35m move from Atletico Madrid to the Blues in 2014. He has led the club to two EPL titles with 59 goals in 120 appearances. 

But his current status as persona non grata at the Stamford Bridge has been exacerbated by his actions. Costa has made it his prime motive to frustrate Chelsea and Conte. He has refused to return to the club after he was initially given an extended one week break from pre-season. 

The club has made it clear that their wish is for Conte to return to London, get himself match fit, and make himself available for selection, as his contract with the club prescribes. 

Yet Costa isn’t interested. He prefers to remain in Brazil and holiday around. He went to bars, restaurant, and any place go-able. Occasionally, he teases Chelsea by flirting with Atletico and Mourinho. 

In a spectacular style, Costa visited a local circus in Brazil and was invited to take part. He obliged, took to stage and performed alongside a clown. What is a professional footballer doing in Brazil partying whilst the season has begun?

Conte’s decision to dismiss his star man over a text message is totally unacceptable, but Costa also has a contractual responsibility to conduct himself in a professional manner. 

Kofi Annan Thinks African Leaders Are Not Enlightened, And I Agree

Former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan delivered a lecture on leadership and public service dubbed “an afternoon with Kofi Annan. During his speech, the international icon touched on various issues pertaining to democracy and leadership in Africa.

One particular statement that keeps reverberating in my heart is his standpoint on leaders in Africa: “unfortunately, Africa has had too few enlightened people of this kind”, in reference to “true democratic leaders who understand that they are at the service of the citizens, and not the other way around. Leadership is a service. Leaders must understand that they hold power in trust of the people, and it can also be taken away”.

Even though the statesman may have been speaking in pure terms of democracy with respect to transfer of power, I cannot help but apply Mr. Annan’s assertion on a wider scale.

Firstly, his expression, “…Africa has had too few enlightened people [leaders]…” gives an unequivocal understanding that majority of African leaders are unenlightened, they are ignorant.

I wish to continue from where Mr. Annan left off. Africa leaders are not only unenlightened on matters of democracy, but they are uneducated on the concept of leadership-political-as well.

To African leaders, leadership is all about occupying power, and harnessing state resources to the benefit of their political affiliates.

African leaders do not understand the challenges of poverty, huge infrastructural deficit, high rates of illiteracy, ballooning unemployment, weak public institutions, and so on and so forth.

My fear is that it is not only for lack of understanding of our problems that African leaders are victims of, but also, they are actually clueless on how to solve these problems.

The only thing the African leader is enlightened on is how to resonate with the unsuspecting populace and climb to reign. In instances where they lose their ability to deceive majority of the citizenry, they take to force, and impose themselves on the people against the people’s will.

Thank you, Your Excellency Kofi Annan, for reminding us of the awful reality. Nothing may change, but at least African citizens will grow to accept day by day that the continent is been governed by incompetent hands.   

EPL MatchDay 1: 5 Takeaways

 The English Premier League is back. The league kicked off in typical pulsating style on Friday night with a 7 goal thriller between Arsenal and Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium. Saturday saw defending champions Chelsea, and this season’s favourite Machester City in action amongst five other fixtures. The weekend fixtures ended on Sunday with two heavyweights, Tottenham Hotspurs and Manchester United in action. Here are 5 key talking points from the league’s first round of matches.

Burnley swallows Conte and his boys: Chelsea came second best to Burnley in their first game of the season. A first half collapse at Stamford Bridge left Chelsea 3 goals and a man (Cahill) down by half time. Even though Conte was able to rally his charges to set up a thrilling second half, a late red card to Fabregas worsened matters for the champions. The only bright spot though was Morata’s goal and assist on his debut. 

Déjà vu for Arsenal and Liverpool: Arsene Wenger watched on hopelessly as his side sailed in 3 goals against Leicester City on opening day. Less than 24 hours later, Jurgen Klopp was also on the receiving side of 3 goals from Watford. To both coaches, it feels like the same old story. Arsenal leaking goals in abundance, and Liverpool dropping points against lower ranked teams. Wenger would surely be the happier of the two managers though, as his side secured a late winner.

Guardiola gets the job done: City is one side that has been heavily tipped to win to league this season, mainly due to the massive investments the club has made during the summer transfer window. On Saturday, Pep led his charges against newly promoted Brighton and Hove Albion, and successfully came out with 3 points and a clean sheet. It was a laboured win, but it’s a winning start to the season.

Huddersfield brings memory of Leicester: newly promoted side, Huddersfield Town brought premier league seniors, Crystal Palace unto its knees in a 3-0 humbling game. No one would have predicted this result, and it brings a timely reminder of Leicester City’s fairy tale title win two seasons ago.

Mourinho sends title warning: during the late afternoon kick off on Sunday, Mourinho and his men sent an emphatic message to fellow title contenders by making light work out of West Ham at the Theatre of Dreams. 

Majestic Matic! 🙌

The stats behind Nemanja's Man of the Match display: https://t.co/d9xIHJhXeO pic.twitter.com/PkX1sU9yJH

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 13, 2017

From the first blast of the whistle to the last, United were relentless, as they laid siege to the Hammers goals. The aggression, tactical discipline, and clinical finishing United put on display is a clear message of what the club wish to achieve this season; win the league. 

9 Premier League Golden Boot Contenders

The English Premier League (EPL) is back. Arsenal and Leicester City set the tone for the season with a 7 goal thriller at the Emirates Stadium, in which a late goal by Olivier Giroud gave Arsenal the first 3 points of the season. Just like any other season, the big name forwards will be competing amongst themselves for the honour as the top scorer. Here are my nine (in no particular order) picks for the golden boot award.

Harry Kane: the Tottenham hitman has won the golden boot in the previous two campaigns, and he is seeking to make it three in a row. Kane has become one of the most feared forward in England. His ever improving attributes make him one of the fore runners for the prize of top scorer.

Romelu Lukaku: the man closest to Kane last season in the race to become top scorer will be at it again this season. At Manchester United, he gets to play with better players, and that means more chances to score. One problem Mourinho’s side faced last season was their inability to kill off lesser fancied teams. In Lukaku, United has the man to get them the goods.

Sergio Aguero: the Argentine striker had a mixed season in 2016/17. Problems with injuries, and lack of trust by his manager prohibited him from reaching his true potentials. Some even thought he would be offloaded by Guardiola. However, Kun Aguero is still at Manchester City, and with the amount of quality that will be playing behind him in the likes of De Bruyne, the two Silva, Gundogan, Sane, Sterling and others, Aguero will certainly not be starved of chances, provided he can fend off competition from Gabriel Jesus and be Guardiola’s first choice.

Alexis Sanchez: Arsenal’s wantaway attacker had his most prolific season in front of goal last season with 24 goals. And he is set for bigger impact, if he remains at the club. Arsene Wenger insists the Chilean is going nowhere, and Sanchez may have to play out the final year of his contract. He will do so as a contender for goal king.

Alvaro Morata: the EPL newcomer is set for a major challenge this season. He is not only expected to lead the line efficiently for the defending champions, he is also expected to prove himself as a worthy successor of fan favourite, Diego Costa. But Morata has seen it all on the big stage. If he can adapt quickly to his new environment, and banish the demons of the number 9 on his back, he will be a success.

Jamie Vardy: the English striker has already opened his account for the new season, with two goals. And more is expected from him. When he is on a good run, he is an absolute nightmare for defenders. Two well taken goals on Friday Night Football against Arsenal is a depiction of what V9 is capable of doing.

Javier Hernandez: Chicharito is back to the EPL. And he is back with a mission to accomplish-prove that he can be the main man of his side. After playing the role of a bit part player for Manchester United under Fergie, Chicharito has gone to Germany to learn the act of being the main man, and he is back to England to do just that with the Hammers.

Wayne Rooney: he may be on the decline, but his knack for goal hasn’t eluded him. The England and Manchester United legend has returned to his boyhood club, Everton, and he has the opportunity to win that one trophy he has not won in his illustrious career, the EPL golden boot.

Alexander Lacazette: having finally made his much awaited move to London, things got off to a merry start for the French forward. He buried a glancing header less than 5 minutes into his debut, and helped his team edged out Leicester. If the former Lyon attacker continues with his swift adaptation to the EPL, his name will be amongst the top of the scoring chart come May, 2018.

EPL 2017/18 Predictions: Manchester United To Win League As Arsenal, Liverpool and Everton Miss Out On Top 4

By now, you may already be aware that the EPL is back. The world’s best brand of league football returned in style on Friday night with an entertaining game between former champions Arsenal and Leicester, an encounter in which Arsenal edged out 4-3 winners courtesy Olivier Giroud. Here are my predictions for the new season: the champions and top four teams.

Title winners

Predicting a league like the EPL is an arduous task. Moreso, in this season where things promise to be the most competitive in recent memory. I am inclined to think that the title will go to Manchester. Pep Guardiola has shown to make the best of recruits thus far in the summer window, making them huge favourites for the title. 

Mourinho’s impeccable record of winning the league in his second seasons means he can not be ruled out, couple with some purposive signings he has made so far. I do not see Chelsea retaining the title, because their oppositions are much stronger (as compared to last season), and Chelsea will be further occupied due to European football. Also, the fact that no team has successfully retained the title since 2009 makes it less likely for Chelsea to do so. 

Tottenham, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Everton will all put up a fight for the title, but they are just not strong enough to come top after 38 rounds of matches. Spurs have not made any significant investments so far, and it looks likely that their story for this season will be like that of the previous two. 

Arsenal, Arsenal, Arsenal, is going to be the same old Arsenal. They are just too inconsistent to win the EPL at this stage. Liverpool and Everton will give it a shot, but they lack the firepower and winning habit to remain top at the end of the season. My verdict is falls in favour of Manchester United. Jose just doesn’t miss in his second season. And track record of winning the EPL will make him succeed at the expense of Pep Guardiola and other fellow contenders.

Top four

The race of the top four is going to be heated. Very heated. All the seven title contenders will be in the mix. But I see United, City, Chelsea, and Spurs making the cut, placing first, second, third, and forth respectively. These four sides look much more concrete than their peers. 

On the case of Liverpool, the imminent move of Coutinho to Barcelona will leave a hole too big in the Merseyside club to fill. Also, Klopp’s side would need some major investments in defence and midfield to become a team to beat, not forgetting their goalkeeping problems. 

Whilst for Arsenal and Everton, their sides are relatively weaker compared to the sides of their top four rivals.  

UEFA SuperCup: 5 Talking Points

Credit: twitter/ChampionsLeague

The UEFA Champions League winner, Real Madrid and the EUFA Europa League winners battled out in the heat of Skopje for the bragging right as Europe’s champions of champions. Zidane’s charges ended the night with another silverware. Here are the five major talking points from the encounter.

Huge gap between Real Madrid and Manchester United: these two clubs are arguably the most prestigious teams in their respective countries, both in rich history and major sporting honours. However, the night in Macedonia is a good demonstration of the enormous gap currently between Real and United. United’s players were playing catch up in the entire first half, by the time they woke up, the game was almost dead.

Matic a major coup: one United player who came out of the encounter with his head held up high is Nemanja Matic. The Serb put in a commanding performance at the heart of midfield against Madrid’s world class performers in Isco, Modric, Kroos, Casemiro, even though he has been with the squad for barely a week. Why Chelsea let him go remains a puzzle to be solved.

Masterful Isco is back: disco Isco is how social media calls him these days, and it is easy to see why. His composure in possession, sleek touches, jaw dropping skills, exquisite movement are all a sight to behold. The Spanish midfielder was at his typical best, as he tormented United’s defence all night long. He capped off his brilliant display with a sweet finish.

Business as usual for Zidane: within a period of 18months in the job as a coach, the French icon has moulded himself into one of the most feared managers in the game. After taking over from Rafael Benitez, Zidane has swept every major trophy on offer. He made history by being the first manager to lead a team win the ULC back-to-back in its current format, an achievement he complemented with a la liga trophy for the Los Blancos in 5 years. And now, he has added a second Super Cup to his trophy cabinet. Zidane is a serial winner.

United’s finishing headache continues: one situation that United fans have come to dread so much is the sight of seeing their side in a dangerous situation, and failing to punish their opponents. Twice in the first half, poor decision making in the final third cost Mourinho’s side. Pogba had the chance to pick either one of two dangerous passes, yet he opted to go solo. Also, instead of Lukaku running into the box for a tap in, he decided to give the advantage to the Blancos by interfering with play from an offside position when an interception on Kroos fell nicely in Herrera’s path. In the second half, both Rashford and Lukaku missed glorious chances.

  

Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid: 5 Talking Points

Real Madrid has drawn first blood in the UEFA Champions League quarter final encounter against Bayern Munich. A brace from Cristiano Ronaldo crushed Arturo Vidal’s opener. Here are the main talking points from the game played at the Allianz Arena.

Ronaldo resurrects: Cristiano Ronaldo has not scored a Champions League goal since September 2016. To the Los Blancos all-time top scorer, the situation was an unfamiliar territory. However, he has put to bed all questions over his form by notching a brace. Cr7 didn’t just nailed the Germans, he did so in a historic style-by being the first ever player to reach of century of goals European clubs competitions. The legend lives on.

Vidal nullifies himself: Arturo Vidal was at this usual combative best in the encounter. He opened the scoring with a powerful header, only to miss a crucial penalty at the stroke of half time when a poor refereeing decision gave the Bavarians the opportunity to steer clear in the tier.

Bayern’s Spanish nemesis: according to Opta “since lifting the trophy in 2013, Bayer lost 6 of their 21 knockout games in the UCL-5 of them against Spanish opponents”.  All the big three Spanish clubs of enjoyed victory over Bayern in the knock out games of the UCL since 2013. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico and now Real Madrid (again) constantly keep haunting the German giants since Bavarians triumphed over Dortmund in Wembley.

Martinez puts Ancelotti in a tight corner: within a period of 173seconds, Javi Martinez got booked twice, thus receiving his marching orders. The Spanish player’s indiscretion has cost his team dearly and left his coach in a precarious state. Ancelotti’s success at Bayern would definitely be judged based on his progression in the UCL, as his club enjoys monopoly in the Bundesliga. Ancelotti returns to his former club, knowing very well that he has to go all out against a club with devastating counterattacking arsenals.

Zidane in a comfortable lead: the mentee over staged the mentor. The French icon continues to shame his critics. Many thought he was appointed as a Real coach merely on his pedigree as a club legend but not for his managerial prowess. But over one year in the job, Zidane may just be the man to lead a club to retain the UCL for the first time.

Barcelona v Manchester City: Key Talking Points

credit: getty

Pep Guardiola had a night to forget on his second return to the Camp Nou. A clinical Lionel Messi hat trick put the citizens to the sword and maintained Barca’s 100% record in Europe’s premier competition. Here are the five key points in my post match commentary:

Man City at the Messi of Barca: Leo was at his quintessential best during City’s visit. The Barcelona legend scored his 37^th career hat trick and his team’s first three goals of the night. He also won a penalty-which Neymar missed- and assisted the Brazilian’s goal a few minutes later. Even though the Catalans were not at their imperious best, the diminutive Argentine took matters into his own hands: City fans will be grateful that he elected against taking the spot kick.  

Unrepentant Guardiola punished: the tactician opted for philosophy over effectiveness which saw him pick Kevin De Bruyne over Sergio Aguero to lead the line of the Blues attack. It was a ruse purposefully aimed at dominating ball possession. To the contrary, Barca were more interested in what will earn them the three points instead of a ceremonious display.

Bravo’s petulance: the Chilean is one of the very experienced champions between the sticks, and for a goalie of his standing, his decision to handle the ball outside his area could best be described as cantankerous. It is more so confusing when one gets to know that Bravo knew that his action could only lead to one thing-a sending off.

Greater Barcelona squad depth: both Alba and Pique were taken off early in the encounter due to injuries, but Barca did not have to worry much as there were Lucas Digne and Jeremy Mathieu as substitutes. Bearing in mind that Sergio Roberta, the first choice Barca right back was also on the treatment table, a victory and clean sheet (which was partly down to the efforts of Ter Stegen) is a very good sign. More importantly, Luis Enrique will not be saddled with the same problems he faced in the previous season, where his players were fatigued at the business end of the season. 

Liverpool-Manchester United: 5 Talking Points

The eagerly anticipated match ended in a stalemate in an encounter that was nicknamed #RedMonday. Here are the 5 impressions the game left on me

1. United frustrate Liverpool: at the end of the game, Liverpool only had 9 attempts, something which is incongruous to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. Indeed the 2 shots by Liverpool in the first half was the club’s lowest in a home game in over a decade. All these were due to the solid defensive set up by Mourinho to limit the strengths of Liverpool
2. Referee comes through unscathed: the media was all over the FA for appointing Anthony Taylor to officiate this game, looking at his Manchester roots. However, the ref was able to perform creditably under huge pressure. Even though the Old Trafford faithfuls would feel aggrieved by certain penalisation of their players, the official’s performance was certainly devoid of any controversies.
3. Under par Pogba and Ibrahimovic: the Red Devil’s two big stars were expected to come to the party, however, things didn’t go exactly as they would have loved. Pogba was largely anonymous in the game, even in his prefer role as an attacking midfielder. Meanwhile, Ibrahimovic contrived to miss United’s best opening of the game: worked by Pogba.
4. Imperious Herrera: Ander Herrera was in a superb form on Monday evening. The Spaniard was all over the pitch with a high intensity performance. You can call him the Kante of last season. His efforts- including a season high interceptions of 11, according to opta- were rewarded with a befitting man of the match award.
5. Sturridge subdued as De Gea steals show: the Liverpool marksman could not get a shot on target during an hour of play, which eventually led to his substitution. In real fact, the former Chelsea man had only one touch in the opposition’s box. To the contrary the man Sturridge was expected to keep busy, De Gea was on top of his game with two fine saves, first a low dive to his right to deny Can and a fantastic right handed stop to deny Coutinho a wonder-winning-goal.

5 Things Zidane Must Do

Zinedine Zidane is one of the popular figures, a legend in the world of football, probably not for his coaching prowess but for his success as a player. The Los Blancos coach succeeded the sloppy Benitez and went on to win the most coveted accolade in the history of club football to create a huge euphoria amongst the Madridismo and his followers. 

For the past weeks, ZZ’s tactics came in for heavy criticism as his team managed only four points from as many games in all competitions, posing a cascading conundrum over the longevity of his reign at the Spanish capital. I take you through a short expedition of the five essential factors that the Whites’ boss must adhere to in order to maintain his position the Real Madrid hot-seat.

Manage the pressure positively: in an effort to ameliorate what the press has tagged “crisis”, the boss must be able to be wield both internal and external influences escalationg from the club and the media respectively, by not allowing himself to be pushed to the breaking point. He must be firm and assertive in his day-to-day decisions aimed at getting good results to win the club’s love.

Play with an identity: Real Madrid is in no doubt one of the best and biggest clubs in the history of the beautiful game with an identify, but that is not the case in their current state due to the consistent and persistent dismissal of coaches. The style of play has even deteriorated under the auspices of Zidane. The condition provides ZZ a rare chance to convince the Real Madrid hierarchy of his quality through the means of tactical formula of high intensity but attacking football with is befitting of the status of a club like Real Madrid.

Avoid a trophyless season: despite the fact that Los Merengues are playing badly, they are still in pole position to challenge for major honours this season in all fronts- Copa del Rey, club world cup, la liga, UEFA champions league. A critical scrutiny of Real Madrid suggest that ZZ could be sacked if Real end the season without a major trophy as it was in the case of Carlo Ancelotti, after winning the UEFA champions league and Copa del Rey but failed in the following season.

Control over the dressing room: the failure to manage the dugout appropriately led to the firing of a good number of coaches in the club’s history. In recent years, the Special One, Jose Mourinho (2013), Raphael Benitez (2015) all fell prey to the threat of fallout with senior players in the squad. Zidane, with his experience as a player must do well to avoid the aforementioned fracas if he is to be successful and ultimately last long in the job

Signing and offloading players: Real Madrid, especially in the reign of current president Florentino Perez are known for signing world class and high profile players for the continuity of success which has failed to yield results on some occasions. If ZZ loves his job, then I vehemently suggest that he puts aside stubbornness and sign as well as release existing players if necessary. It is crystal clear that Real’s main Achilles heel is in the defensive midfield position. Statistically, Los Vikings conceded and dropped more points since anchorman, Casemiro has gone to the treatment table vs Villarreal. The situation could have been different if Madrid had hired the services of a defensive shield eg Mousa Sissoko as speculated in the media throughout the summer. With the pending transfer ban on the capital club, this objective might be far from reach.

If all the above measure are incorporated into the boss’ dispensation of his duties, success is not far from reach and he shall cement his job

This article is the thoughts of life time Real Madrid fan, Albert "Stranger" Dzodzegbe

Arsenal vs Chelsea: 5 Talking Points

Arsenal put in a virtuoso display to destroy Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium yesterday. With the help of Albert Dzodzegbe, l take a look at the five talking points of the encounter.

First half blitz: Sanchez, Walcott and Ozil all scored for Arsenal before the interval in what was an amazing performance by the home side. After the break, it was all about damage limitation on the side of Chelsea: this was highly unexpected in such a high profile game.

Superb Arsenal defending: one of the hallmark’s we have come to know of Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal is their ball possession ability, but this game showed us a new facet of Arsenal’s play. They recovered the ball really well to nullify any threat posed by Chelsea, and therefore limited the Blue’s attacking prowess.

Anaemic Chelsea: right from the word go, Chelsea lacked any intensity and inspiration. Their play was insipid. Whilst they could not keep Arsenal’s forward of speedsters at bay. The lack of aggression on the part of Chelsea made the ever superb N’golo Kante looked very poor throughout the game, especially the first period.

Sweet retribution for Wenger: it has been 5 years since Arsenal has beat Chelsea, so Wenger came into this game with a lot of pressure on his shoulders. 3 goals at the break is more than what any gunner would have dreamt of, but it is a really sweet way for premier league millennial to get his revenge on his London rivals.

Conte under the spotlight: after success with Juventus, and the Italian national team at the Euros 2016, Conte’s qualities are not in doubt. But his inability to counter the play of Arsenal from a tactically viewpoint left many wondering. Much can be said of how unsuitable this Chelsea team is to Conte’s style, but the Italian knew this before accepting the job. The former Juventus boss has to tactically respond to the damage caused. 

Five Talking Points Of Chelsea v Liverpool

Liverpool put up a scintillating first half performance to inflict Chelsea with their first defeat of the season. Here are my five talking points.

Magical Henderson: the Liverpool captain curled a beautiful goal in from 30 yards out to make the scores 2-0 which effectively put his side into firm control. The goal is reminisce of ex-captain, Steven Gerrard. Liverpool may have just found Captain Fantastic 2.0. His performance is a way of silencing his doubters.

Klopp’s Stamford Bridge joy: for the second away game in row at Chelsea, Klopp has come out victorious. The German will go into his next trip to Stamford Bridge with even more confidence as he seeks to continue his dominance over Chelsea’s home turf.

Chelsea defence needs leadership: the Blues fielded a very experience defence on Friday night. However, the know-how of the defenders has not translated into any leadership qualities in the absence of John Terry. David Luiz has never been a leader, and it does not look like he will be anytime soon. With a good leader to organise Chelsea’s defence, Lovren would not have been left alone for Liverpool’s opener.

Hazard subdued: much of the pre-game talks has been of the Belgian’s renaissance under Conte. But in this game, where he was supposed to provide further evidence that he is really back to his best, Hazard was found wanting. His performance was not one to write home about.

Klopp effect: counter attacking and pressing are two flagships of a Jurgen Klopp team. In this game against Chelsea, the Liverpool players’ played like typical Klopp apprentices. Starting from the attackers, Liverpool always went looking for the ball whenever they lost it. Klopp will certainly be happy with what he saw.

10 Things Jose Mourinho Must Do At Manchester United

Jose Mourinho is a serial winner, one of the main reasons Manchester United employed him: to bring trophies to Old Trafford. In order to achieve the club’s and his personal goals, I have pen down ten things Mourinho should pay attention to.

1. Mould a playing style: throughout his career, Mourinho has be known for building his teams in a defensively solid and attackingly devastating manner. He is neither a Guardiola nor a Van Gaal with a possession philosophy, but he has a 3-points-winning-style of play, and he must quickly drum his way into the heads of his players.
2. Play to Pogba’s strength: one good thing Mourinho has done so far is to grant Pogba freedom on the pitch. But to maximise the potentials of the world’s most expensive player, he would have to tinker his tactics: drive Pogba like the ferrari he is, not like a fiat.
3. Revive Anthony Martial: Martial was a bright spot in United’s sorry campaign during last season. However, he has not find his feet in the new season. Mourinho needs to spark Martial back to life: the talent and threat of Martial will bolster United’s attacking authority.
4. Make a decision on Rooney: Rooney is no longer the Wazza of old. He has lost his pace and ability to torment defences, which effectively rules out the option of him playing as a winger. Also, Mourinho has stated he will not play his captain deep in midfield. And now with better options available to play in that no 10 role, it may be time for Rooney to get a seat on the bench.
5. Establish a long term centre-back pairing: Eric Bailly is proving to be a shrewd acquisition for United. Blind’s physical deficiencies make him a suspect, and as club legend Paul Scholes put it, we are all waiting for Blind to be found out. Mourinho must avoid instances like the one during the Manchester derby whereby Blind was left in De Bruyne’s shadow in the build-up to City’s first goal. The Bailly-Smalling partnership United fans dream of is on the horizon.
6. Provide reliable cover fullback positions: United needs cover for full backs at her disposal. Darmian and Rojo look like natural choices, but reports of a break in relationship between Mourinho and Darmian brings a lot of uncertainty about who can fill in the boots of Valencia. This may yet be the opportunity for the teenage Timothy Fosu-Mensah
7. Keep Rashford satisfied: Marcus Rashford is not only a future star but also, he is a player for the moment, as evident in last season and against Hull City. But Rashy will not get as much game time as he would have wished due to the imposing presence of Ibrahimovic. Mourinho must now adopt measures to sustain the happiness of the teenage sensation, even with a bit-part role
8. Slot in Mkhitaryan: Mkhi was purchased with loads of expectations. However, he has found life in Manchester difficult. There is no doubt about the range of qualities he brings to the table, and the Special One must suitably fit Herinkh into his squad, even if it is at the expense of his captain.
9. Play a traditional defensive midfielder: Mourihno and a defensive midfielder are like Romeo and Juliet. Jose does not do without one. All through his tenure thus far, he has had to make do with Fellaini, who has been very good. But the derby against City has reminded us of Fellaini’s vulnerability in that position, and it is time Mourihno opts for a typical anchor-man. Schneiderlin, Blind and Timothy Fosu-Mensah are good options for the Portuguese to consider.
10. Follow United’s youth policy: Mourinho has jettisoned-and rightly so-a vast number of youth products since his arrival. But to cement his status as a post-Fergie legend, Mourihno has to follow tradition. United’s academy has some really good players, and Mourinho must graciously blend them into the first team, starting with Tuanzebe and Fosu-Mensah. In addition, Man United provides Mourinho with a good opportunity to banish his poor youth development demons.