The Biggest English Clubs in the History of the Premier League

Football is the world’s most popular sport with approximately 250 million players playing it in over 200 countries. Within the top 5 European men’s league the Premier League definitely stands out as it is the most-watched sports league in the world. The Premier League has a very rich history, starting out as the Football League in 1888 to making around $42 billion in 2019-20. With the commemoration of the new 2021-22 season, I wanted to rewind time a little and speak about who I think are the biggest English clubs in domestic history. I have tried to look at this as objectively as possible and have also mentioned the greatest and most memorable moments from their history.

5. Tottenham Hotspurs FC

During their colourful lifespan, Tottenham Hotspur were mostly known as cup specialists. Tottenham Hotspur FC was founded in 1882, by a group of grammar-school boys from All Hallows Church. At first, the club was simply named Hotspur; in order to avoid confusion with an older club named Hotspur FC, the name was soon changed to Tottenham Hotspur.

I would like to talk about the successful years under Bill Nicholson which I feel were their best period in their history. Appointed in 1958, Nicholson’s 16 years with the Tottenham brought the club a League title (1961), three FA Cups (1961, 1962, 1967), two League Cups (1971, 1973), one Cup Winners’ Cup (1963) and the inaugural UEFA Cup (1972). In fact, Nicholson’s departure in 1974 left an immediate impact on the club, which was relegated not long afterwards.

Like Arsenal, I do feel the quality of the Spurs side has gone down from the glory they had and are now an average team. With key players like Harry Kane wanting to leave the club, I personally do not see them as title contenders in the near future. This does not change the fact that they have had a glorious past when they actually used to win trophies 🙂

4. Liverpool FC

Since they were founded in 1892, the Liverpool Football Club name was synonymous with fame and glory. Following the moving of Everton to Goodison Park in 1892, the club’s then-president John Houlding suddenly found himself with the rights to Anfield stadium and no team to play on it. Always a practical man, Houlding quickly decided to circumvent this problem by forming his own club – Liverpool.

The Billy Shankly era is a greatly overlooked time during Liverpool’s history. When Bill Shankly was hired as manager, the first thing he did was release the whole first-team roster. He then transformed the club’s storage room into the renowned “Boot Room,” which would become the coaches’ secret gathering spot for the next three decades. Shankly’s unconventional methods paid off quickly. Liverpool won the League two years after regaining their place in the First Division in 1962. They won a further two League titles (1966, 1973), two FA Cups (1965, 1974), and their first European trophy – the 1973 UEFA Cup – during Shankly’s term as manager.

People do not talk much about Liverpool’s history but they are in fact the most successful British club of all time in international tournaments. With 19 Premier League trophies, 7 FA Cups, 8 League Cups, 5 Champions League, and 3 UEFA Cups Liverpool are extremely underrated. I believe Klopp’s tenure with Liverpool will also be quite historical as he brought the club out of a stagnancy of sorts by winning the Champions League and the Premier League in a span of 5 years.

3. Chelsea FC

While Chelsea was a reasonably consistent club for most of their history, people nowadays usually associate them with the football juggernaut they’ve become at the turn of the century; not much of a surprise, considering the club won the majority of their silverware in that period. Chelsea was founded in 1905 by Gus Mears, an English businessman who had earlier bought the Stamford Bridge athletics stadium with the plan of transforming it into a football ground. His original idea was to rent it to an existing club, but after a deal with Fulham FC was halted, he got the idea to start a new club.

Chelsea was always an average club up until 2003 when Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought the club. This forever changed Chelsea’s landscape. The new owner instantly put Chelsea on a path to financial stability, paying off the majority of the club’s debts and spending an amount of money on star additions that was unprecedented at the time. Even yet, it wasn’t until José Mourinho’s arrival that all the pieces fell into place; Chelsea won back-to-back Premier League trophies in 2005 and 2006, as well as two League Cups in 2005 and 2007, and an FA Cup in 2007. This truly was the golden era of the club and even after Mourinho left the club Chelsea continued to be a dominant force in English football.

In recent years Chelsea are still extremely threatening and have a bright future up ahead.

2. Arsenal FC

As one of the most successful and beloved clubs in England, Arsenal Football Club has always been a magnet for the public. Arsenal FC started life as a works team named Dial Square in 1886 – the workers were blacksmith’s that built cannons, which is the reason for the club being known as the Gunners. Shortly thereafter, the club turned professional and changed its name to Woolwich Arsenal, becoming a full-fledged member of the Football League in 1893 (the first club from the south parts of the country).

I feel Arsenal had 2 major turning points in their history, the first being their rise to prominence in the Chapman era. The club hired Herbert Chapman as manager in 1925. He modernized the club completely by improving training regimen and making changes to the club’s formation. After signing a couple of star players he gave Arsenal their first major trophy in 1930. This proved to be the beginning of a fruitful period for the club; during the 30s, they claimed five league titles and another FA Cup trophy. Following WWII, the team continued to prosper, winning two more League titles (1948, 1953) as well as an FA Cup (1950).

The second turning point was of course the Wenger era. The club was transformed into a goal-scoring giant almost instantly by the then-unknown French manager, thanks in part to the successful import of French players like as Robert Pirés, Patrick Vieira, and Thierry Henry. As the team’s attack lace, Henry was highly effective. Arsenal won three Premier League titles and three FA Cups between 1996 and 2004, with the 2003–2004 season standing out since the club did not lose a single game in the league. That team, led by Henry’s 30 goals in 37 games, was dubbed “The Invincibles” later on.

Arsenal has been a perennial bridesmaid in recent years. While the team was always a favourite to win the league, a spate of catastrophic injuries and/or dismal losses would inevitably cause them to fall behind in the standings. Things only seem to be going down from Wenger’s departure in 2018 but their 3 Premier League titles, and 14 FA Cups serve a reminder to everyone of how great they once were.

1. Manchester United FC

Manchester United is one of the most prestigious football clubs and has always maintained a distinguished tradition, a record of consistent success, and a great history. The club that later would be named Manchester United FC was initially founded in the year 1878, named as Newton Heath L&YR Football Club. L&YR as in Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company, which were the company the team’s players worked

The greatest period of this club was definitely the Alex Ferguson era. The club appointed Alex Ferguson as manager in the year 1986. Although Ferguson’s first 4 years were extremely difficult, their FA Cup win in 1990 changed everything. The team won at least 25 major trophies during the next two decades, including about eleven League titles. In the year 1994, Manchester United became the first team to win both the Premier League and the FA Cup. The team then went on to win the FA Cup, Premier League, and UEFA Champions League all at the same time in 1998-1999, making it the first English club to do it. The team maintained its incredible run by defeating Palmeiras to win the club world championship.

Unfortunately, the post-Ferguson from 1986-2013 was a period of decline. None of David Moyes, Ryan Giggs, and the reputable Louis van Gaal, in the manager role, could repeat the successful Ferguson formula

No matter how hard it is to say for me, Manchester United definitely deserve the number one spot on this list for their consistent domestic success with a few ups and downs. Winning 13 Premier League titles, 7 Football League trophies, 12 FA Cups, and 5 League Cups indeed makes them the most successful English club. The current squad has big shoes to fill in if they want to remain on top

Final List

  1. Manchester United FC
  2. Arsenal FC
  3. Chelsea FC
  4. Liverpool FC
  5. Tottenham Hotspur FC
  6. Manchester City FC
  7. Everton FC
  8. Newcastle United
  9. Aston Villa FC
  10. West Ham United FC

Here are my top 5 biggest clubs in England. All of these clubs had extremely memorable golden periods and it was very fun researching on them and learning more about the history of clubs especially in the mid-1900s. That being said, all of these clubs have big big shoes to fill in to match the quality of football their fans expect them to play, especially when clubs like Manchester City are rising extremely quickly. I hope you enjoyed reading and let me know in the comments if you feel a club has not been given the recognition you think it does.

The Best Players at the Euros

With Italy beating England in the Euro finals on 12th July 2021, they officially claimed their second Euro title and it was very well deserved. Italy have had an amazing comeback from not qualifying for the 2018 World Cup to winning the Euro 2020. From incredible comebacks to nerve wracking penalties, these Euros were very entertaining. Today, I will be sharing with you all who I felt were the best players at the tournament at each position – goalkeeper, defense, midfielder and attack.

Goalkeeper – Jordan Pickford (ENG)

Jordan Pickford had an incredible tournament with England, coming second and at the same time silencing all the critics who were unsure of his place in the tournament. Southgate did play a naturally defensive lineup with the English squad, normally playing a 4-2-3-1 formation with Rice and Phillips as defensive midfielders and this showed with England not conceding a single goal until the quarter finals. Many people would say because of the formation and mindset of the team goals were not scored, but the fact is that Pickford also had the most saves in the tournament (16) followed by Thibaut Courtois and Gianluigi Donnarumma. At the same time, Pickford had the most clean sheets (5) and the least goals conceded (2). Pickford has proved himself to be a top-notch goalkeeper and has rightfully won the Euro 2020 Golden Glove by topping every defensive chart.

Honorable Mentions

  1. Thibaut Courtois (BEL)
  2. Gianluigi Donnarumma (ITA)
  3. Yann Sommer (SWI)

Defender – Luke Shaw (ENG)

Luke Shaw was an impeccable player on the attack as well as defense this year for England. Southgate played Shaw as a wingback/LM and he fitted the position so very well. With the most assists in the tournament as well as scoring a goal, Shaw was one of the most successful defenders on the attack side with great decision making and I felt he utilized his speed very well to get past players. On the defensive side as well, Shaw was like a brick wall and he made 9 tackles and 8 clearances. This showed in England’s defense where they only conceded 2 goals throughout the whole tournament. All in all, Shaw was a great player and has proved himself to be a key player to the English side for the next few years. If England had won the Euros, I might have even gone far enough to call him the best player of the tournament.

Honorable Mentions

  1. Harry Maguire (ENG)
  2. Joakim Maehle (DEN)
  3. Leonardo Bonucci (ITA)

Midfielder – Marco Verratti (ITA)

Marco Verratti is the definition of a midfielder. He was an integral part of the Azzurri and even after missing out on the first 2 games of the tournament, he made his presence felt immediately by becoming one of the most creative playmakers on the field. A midfielder helps the team retain possession and set up wingers with great passes. This is exactly what Verratti did. With an incredible 93% passing accuracy (401/425 passes), Verratti gave way for wingers like Insigne and Chiesa to go up the wing and attack effectively. At the same time, he assisted thrice for Italy showing great vision and maturity on the field by finding space for good plays. Defensively as well Verratti was of great help by making 30 tackles and recovering 32 balls. Tackling is so important for a midfielder because it can change the pace of the game immediately and give great chances for counter attacks. Overall, I felt that Verratti played an extremely composed game and, in my opinion, be the best player at the tournament for the sheer effort he put in the attack as well as defense.

Honorable Mentions

  1. Jorginho (ITA)
  2. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (DEN)
  3. Steven Zuber (SWI)

Forward – Patrik Schick (CZE)

For me, Patrik Schick was by far the most underrated player in the tournament. From scoring arguably the greatest goal in Euro history to beating the Netherlands in the round of 16, Czech Republic and Patrik Schick have had a historic tournament. The 25-year-old striker from Bayer Leverkusen was the joint top scorer of the tournament along with Cristiano Ronaldo. Unfortunately, Ronaldo has been given the Golden Boot of the tournament which I feel Schick should have been given since 3 of Ronaldo’s 5 goals were penalties *sad Bruno Fernandes noises*. Nevertheless, Schick was an integral part of Czech Republic’s success having some role in 83% of all of the country’s goals which is really impressive. He also had the most shots on target in the tournament. I felt he was very effective in aerial duels and his natural style of play leaned toward quick, short passes. Seeing him in the games I saw that he was very productive in doing layoffs, flick ons and short passes. This style really increased the pace of the game and also confused the defense a lot. Schick has a very bright future ahead of him and maybe should lean towards going to a team which plays more tiki taka since it suits his style.

Honorable Mentions

  1. Cristiano Ronaldo (POR)
  2. Harry Kane (ENG)
  3. Raheem Sterling (ENG)

Thank you for reading! Please let me know down in the comments who your best player was.

Euro Group of Death Predictions

As the Euros come closer, everyone is keen to see how Group F, or nicknamed the Group of DEATH, pans out. The group consists of France, Germany, Hungary, and Portugal. The group consists of World Ranking #2 (France), World Ranking #5 (Portugal), and World Ranking #12 (Germany) all going against each other. It is going to be the most entertaining group. Here are my predictions, and I must say they are quite controversial. I have also included playing 11s that I would play.

4. Hungary

Seeing the group, it is quite clear why I am putting Hungary in the bottom of the table. They are a good team but just compared to other teams in the group, I do not think they will make it. Lots of players have been in quite good forms. I feel their attack is quite impressive. Janos Han, the striker from Paksi FC has scored 24 goals and given 5 assists in his 31 appearances and the Nemanja Nikolicks playing for Fehérvár has scored 22 goals and made 5 assists in his 40 appearances. Attack is solid and they have a lot of great options as well. For the center forward position there is Filip Holender, Nemanja Nikolicks, Adam Szalai, and Janos Hahn; for left wing you have Kevin Varga, Szabolcs Schon, and Tamas Cseri; and for right wing you have Roland Sallai and Roland Varga. They are all in relatively good forms and this range of attacking options gives various ways to play up forward

On the other hand, I do feel their defense is lacking a little bit with less variety. In fact, I do not even see a playable left back in the squad so I think Rossi will be playing a more attacking side with 3 in the back maybe. This may not be the most viable option against the other teams’ strong attack. The main reason I see for this team not prospering in the group is the simple fact that the quality of players is not nearly there as teams such as Germany, Portugal and France. There are only a few player coming in from the top leagues in Europe like the Bundesliga and Premier League and so we have not really see all the player play against opponents in these top leagues

3. France

This is a very controversial opinion but yes, I feel France will be finishing third in this group due to the very fact of their midfield. Yes, I know their midfield looks amazing. Kanté has just won the Champion’s League, United have had a good season with Pogba playing a vital role, and Rabiot has also had a decent season. But I just don’t see it. Pogba and Kanté are going to be a definite key in the squad but the third midfielder will be tricky to choose. The remaining options are Rabiot, Tolisso, and Sissoko. Lemar has been included in the squad but he has a muscle injury and his return is unknown and this is a big blow to the midfield because I think he would have been the perfect fit as an attacking midfielder in a more defensive setting. I know stats are not everything but if you take a look at them, Kanté only has 3 assists and no goals in his 48 appearances for the club. Of course, being a defensive midfielder, he played insanely well talking in tackling percentage and honestly, I think he is a serious Ballon D’or contender. Pogba also has 6 goals and 9 assists in his 42 appearances for United which is good but we all know his potential.

Other than the midfield the rest of the squad is looking really good and I am especially excited to see the attack. Benzema looks like he has gone back to his prime scoring 30 goals and 9 assists in his 46 appearances. Mbappe as usual has been playing extremely well with 42 goals and 11 assists in his 46 appearances for the club. I honestly feel he is the best player on the squad right now and has to start every game. There are some very underrated players that I would like to see being played like Jules Koundé from Sevilla playing in the back but with the options of Varane, Kimpembe, Zouma and Lenglet I really do not think he will get a chance. The defense is very strong in my opinion and for each position you have at least 2 top notch players. Another player who I would want to see being played is Marcus Thuram, the Left Winger from Borussia Mönchengladbach. In the left, I see either him or Kingsley Coman playing and both have had similar stats throughout the season but Thuram does not have as much experience as Coman which is why I would want to see him being played

2. Germany

Probably one of the most controversial choices, but yes, I have predicted Germany to be runners up in this group of death mainly due to their midfield options. I feel midfield is the most important part of a squad since they allow for creating and controlling the tempo of the game and are in charge of creating chances and starting crucial possessions. This is the main reason why I have put them on top of France because there is no point of having a very strong attack when your midfield cannot create the chances for the attack to perform.

Just look at the midfield of Germany, as a defensive midfielder there is Kimmich who is playing so so well this season and is in the top 2 best defensive midfielders in the world right now in my opinion. Kai Havertz has been in good form this season and has just won the Champion’s League for Chelsea. His youth and experience provide so much opportunity for a wide range of tactics for Flick to deploy. At the same time, to complement his youth, you have the experience of the likes of Toni Kroos with over 100 appearances for the country. A very underrated player on the squad is Ilkay Gundogan who has had a very good season with Manchester City, winning the Premier League with 17 goals and 5 assists in his 46 appearances for his club which is amazing for a midfielder. Along with these players you have the likes of Emre Can, Jamal Musiala (who I am very excited to see), and Neuhas as options. This variety makes them a very strong side. Unfortunately Leon Goretzka has been injured and his date of return is unknown and this may be a blow to the midfield

On the other hand, I feel that the attack of Germany is a little weak compared to the other teams in the group. Although they have a lot of great options, I feel Flick is going to play only 2 up front and I feel Werner should be up there. Werner has had a decent season with 12 goals and 15 assists for Chelsea in 52 appearances which is quite good but not the best. I am not very sure who the second striker would be but I have a feeling it would be Gnabry who’s not had the greatest of seasons with 11 goals and 7 assists in 38 appearances but they do have options like Muller, Sané, Hofmann, and Volland. I do think Kevin Volland should be given a chance since he has played well with 18 goals and 8 assists for Monaco in 40 appearances but let us see what Hansi Flick decides to do.

1. Portugal

This was a very tough choice but yes, I feel that Portugal will come out on top of the group and I honestly feel they have high chances of winning the tournament too (P.S. I am not a Ronaldo fanboy, I’m supporting Spain in the Euros 😊 don’t come @ me haha) The amount of depth along with the quality of players is just unmatchable. At the same time, they have combinations of youth and the experienced with the likes of young gems like Joao Félix and Pedro Goncalves getting the chance to play with great experienced players such as Cristiano Ronaldo. He will only make them better. Starting from the attack, this side has so many options who have been playing well such as Diogo Jota, the Liverpool winger who has scored 13 goals and given an assist in only 30 appearances for the club. Andre Silva, the forward from Frankfurt has also been having a great season and can always play as a substitute for Ronaldo. I feel it is a must for Félix to play since under the mentorship of one of the greatest players to play he will truly shine. Speaking of this great player, Cristiano Ronaldo has had an incredible season with Juventus scoring 36 goals and assisting 4 times in just 44 appearances. At the age of 36, stats like these are truly remarkable

The midfield is no less impressive with a very deadly combination of attacking midfielders of Bruno Fernandes who has scored 28 goals and assisted 17 times in 58 appearances and Bernardo Silva who has the quality to play very well although his stats are less impressive with 5 goals and 9 assists in 45 appearances for Manchester City. I still do feel he played a key role in their success. This combination is going to provide so many chances for the attack and also set a very fast paced tempo, since there will be more focus on attack. Along with these key players, Portugal have so many options to play in the midfield ranging from defensive midfielders like Rúben Neves, Danilo Pereira, Joao Palhinha (who is another person I am excited to see), and William Carvalho to center midfielders like Renato Sanches, Sérgio Oliveira, Joao Moutinho, and Rafa Silva. Fernando Santos really needs to play his cards right in choosing 3-4 midfielders to play since he has been given a gold mine of midfielders

Portugal’s defense is also looking strong with Rúben Dias looking to head it. He has had such a good first season with Manchester City, winning the Premier League Player of the Year and has really upped the defense of Manchester City. I look forward to seeing him do the same for his country. At the same time, I feel the other 2 options for center backs – Fonte and Pepe – are quite old but experienced but let us see if they can keep up with the fast-paced attitude Portugal hope to keep. I would like to see Nuno Mendes, the 18-year-old left back from Sporting CP, play as well since he really looks like he has a bright future

These are my Euro predictions for Group F. This group has so many quality teams, anything can happen and the tournament looks to be very interesting with such groups and match ups. Please let me know down in the comments what your predictions are and how they are different from mine. Thank you for reading!

Euro Predictions: Group A

As you all know, the UEFA Euros are set to start soon from 11th June and this tournament is arguably the most prestigious international tournament after the FIFA World Cup for European countries. It provides an opportunity for nations to show their worth against opposing teams and also experiment with younger players and tactics in order to prepare for future games. Group A consists of Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, and Wales. I have also decided to add playing 11s for each country that I think will be their best squad in my opinion

4. Wales

It may be a surprise putting such a promising team dead last but I honestly feel the lack of experience in the squad may be their bane. The squad is quite young with most players playing around 10-15 games. Experienced players in the squad such as Chris Gunter’s performance have relatively declined and players in good form are too inexperienced. This sort of imbalance would not be very fruitful for them. Furthermore, key players of the team such as Ben Davies and Joe Allen are injured with a shinbone injury and hamstring injury respectively. The return of these players is uncertain and is a big blow to the team.

At the same time, few players are in very good form and I am quite interested in seeing how this young and old mixed attacking squad will play together. I really want to see how Tyler Roberts, the young Leeds striker plays with Bale on the right and Daniel James on the left. Harry Wilson is also in great form and I would love to see Giggs play him. The pace on the wing is incredible and the team is indeed very exciting but compared to other experienced teams such as Italy and Switzerland I think they won’t be able to succeed.

A Welsh squad which I want to see being played

3. Turkey

So I have been reading in a lot of places and Turkey seem to be the dark horse of the tournament with many gems in the squad and I completely agree. Soyuncu has been in incredible form, winning the FA Cup recently with Leicester and in my opinion the best player on the squad right now. The midfield trio of Calhanoglu, Kokcu and Tufan also look very dangerous and they have all been playing consistently well.

I think their weakness lies in the attack. With the likes of Akturkoglu, Under, Akbunar, Yazici, Unal, Dervisoglu, Yilmaz and Karaman I feel they have too many strikers playing really well and as the saying goes ‘Too many cooks spoil the broth’ I have a feeling that Turkey will play too much of an attacking team and that will backfire against them. I may be completely wrong but I have a gut feeling. Furthermore, I am certain that Turkey will play Under because of all the hype around him right now and Leicester’s success but he has been having a really poor season with 19 appearances for the club in all competitions and only 2 goals and 3 assists. I would really want to see Halil Akbunar, the winger from Goztepe, play instead of Under since he has been having a great season with 10 goals and 14 assists in his 42 appearances for the club. Unfortunately I do not think he will be getting the minutes he deserves. This placing has completely been done over gut feeling and I really want to see Turkey prove me wrong.

A Turkish squad which I think will play the best

2. Switzerland

I believe Switzerland will have a fruitful result out of this group mainly due to the experience on the side. Switzerland has much more chemistry than most of the teams on the group with the likes of Shaqiri, Sommer, Schar, Ricardo Rodriguez, Xhaka, Mehmedi, and Seferovic playing over 50 games representing the country. The chemistry between the players is, in my opinion, the best by far in Group A. Furthemore, the likes of Kevin Mbabu, Remo Freuler, Manuel Akanji and Seferovic have been having great seasons at VfL Wolfsburg, Atalanta BC, Borrusia Dortmund and SL Benfica respectively. This team is not to be messed with.

However, most players have been having really poor seasons and in fact, while making the team it was really tough since I could find very less players who were playing comparatively well. The experienced players as I mentioned like Yann Sommer, Fabian Schar, and Xherdan Shaqiri did not play well this past season yet due to their importance on the team, they will have to be played. Take Shaqiri for example; Liverpool have not had the greatest season and even worse, Shaqiri has only scored 1 goal and given 4 assists in his 22 appearances for the team. Players like this really need to roll up their socks due to their importance in the squad

My Swiss 11

1. Italy

Surprise, Surprise who would have thought 🙂 Italy are the favourites to top the group and I completely agree. The quality of players in the squad are just insane and the range of options they have for each position is top notch. Bastoni, Di Lorenzo, Barella and Pellegrini are just some of the players who have been in great form through the season. The team has a great mix of experienced players as well as new comers which provides a range of tactics for Mancini to deploy. You have players like Chiellini and Bonucci who have more than 100 caps each for Italy, you have Immobile, Insigne, Verratti and Florenzi who have around 40 appearances for the country, and then you have young talents like Chiesa, Bastoni and Locatelli who are new to the squad. This combination is a dream. The range of players for each position is absolutely amazing. Take right wing position for example. You have Chiesa, Berardi, Politano, and Bernadeschi all available to play. 4 quality players in one position is incredible and I am really interested to see how Mancini is going to make use of all these players and who is going to shine

I do feel Italy are lacking a bit on the attack side. Striker-wise Italy only have Immobile and Belotti who have not been having the greatest season so far. Belotti has only scored 13 goals and given 7 assists in his 36 appearances for Torino FC. Immobile has played decent but we all know he can play so much better. A big blow to the squad is also Verratti’s knee injury. Sources say he will be able to return by June 21 which basically means he will miss the group stage completely. This is a big blow to the midfield but I think they have enough options to replace him

An Italian squad I would love to see (What no Bonucci or Chiellini!)

So these are my predictions for Group A. Please let me know down in the comments what your predictions are for this group and how they differ. I will try to upload all my group predictions before the Euros start. Thank you for reading!

FAN BATTLE 1: MANCHESTER DERBY!

Manchester derby on Sky Sports: Who will land the knockout blow ...

Manchester City versus Manchester United. One of the fiercest rivalry in the history of the Premier League with a history of over 130 years and more than 180 matches against each other. As of now Manchester United has had the lead in victories with 76 wins and City only with 54, but with the acquisition of City by Sheikh Mansour in 2008 there has been quite a turnaround in the squads development and City have been seen to make a turnaround with a total of 11 wins out of the 23 games played after the acquisition. As of now you can say these teams are perceived differently by different people, and that is what today’s post is about. I have bought together 1 fan from each team to share their perspectives of the derby and their club fighting it out with the other fans. This is the first of the series known as Fan Battle where we bring out fans to prove which team has the advantage in what terms.

MEET THE FANS

  • Samarth Bhirani

Samarth is a 15 year old student from Bangalore who has been a supporter of Manchester United for about 5 years now. His interest in United sparked when he got a United jersey for his 8th birthday, got curious and watched a game. From that point he never looked back. His hobbies include playing football and is also on the school team

  • Saarthak Shukla

Saarthak is a 10th grader from Bangalore who as been a supporter of Manchester City due to his admiration of the team’s determination to win. An example being City Vs QPR where, “they didn’t give up, and they had the fighting spirit to win” said by Saarthak. He also loves playing video games and watching sports.

COMPARING THE PLAYERS

Both these teams have a long history and with multiple winning squads, choosing one which you love really tells a lot about the team.

Starting of with United, Samarth says, “Well obviously our treble ’99 team comes to mind. With a solid defense of Schmeichel, the Neville brothers and Irwin, midfield class with Beckham and Scholes, and clinical finishing provided by Yorke and Nistelrooy, it was arguably one of the best teams in history. Honorable mention to ’08 Ronaldo side and the Busby babes of the 50’s”. On the other hand, Saarthak feels the 2012 team of City was their best with Kompany and David Silva in their prime with Aguero in his brilliant opening season of 23 goals in the Prem and who can forget that banger against QPR. If we were to do a player to player comparison, I am assuming United’s starting lineup would be Schmeichel at goal, Neville, Irwin, Johnsen, and Stam playing behind, Beckham, Scholes, Keane, and Giggs at mid. Finally Cole and Dwight Yorke in the front, keeping a 4-4-2 formation as they were seen playing most of the times

Manchester United 1999 vs Manchester City 2019: Which starting XI ...
Most common formation used by the team

Regarding City, their most used lineup was Joe Hart at goal, Clichy, Lescott, Kompany, and Richards in the back. In the center field, Yaya and de Jong are seen as the DMs. As the LM is Samir Nasri and the RM is David Silva. I have put Aguero as the CAM/CF and Dzeko as the CF.

2011-12 Season XIs: Manchester City - Ros54s

GOALKEEPER

Now to show what team is ‘better’, I am only going to compare player’s stats of that season and then rule out the weaker player at that position. Following that I will compare the teams overall stats. Starting with the keepers, Hart vs Schmeichel. Now these 2 had a very good season. Joe Hart kept the most clean sheets in the season with 17 and a save percentage of 76.98%! He only conceded 29 goals in the season in his 3420 minutes of playing averaging 1 goal every 118 minutes only. That’s almost per 1.3 games. In the Prem, Schmeichel had 11 clean sheets out of 34 games with a save percentage of 74%. He conceded 34 goals in his 34 matches played which is a goal per match. Now take in mind this only accounts for his saves in the Premier League. Statistic wise his Champions League was a little disappointing with 16 goals being conceded in 11 games but had 2 clean sheets. All in all you can decide who you think had the upper hand but remember that Schmeichel also captained that treble team so that gives him extra points

DEFENCE

Now it is quite obvious that City’s defence was extremely weak compared to United’s. Although I believe that there is one defender who maybe showed his worth as one of the better defenders than United. That is Vincent Kompany. In the 2011/12 season he was named Player of the Season with a 78% tackle success and especially in one on one duels where he successfully won 118 duels out of 176. Compared to Jaap Stam, these stats competely overrule his. The fact still remains that the other defenders had a better overall role. Special props to Clichy though as he had a 65% tackle percentage and made a 100 clearances in the season. Lescott also played extremely well with a tackle % of 91%. I think you can put Lescott up with Johnsen, but Irwin clearly overrules Clichy.

MIDFIELD

This is going to be quite interesting now as both these teams had an extremely effective midfield that were integral to their plays. First up, Ryan Giggs against Samir Nasri. So both of them were LMs and I will be comparing their goals, crosses and cross accuracy too. Throughout the season, Nsri played a total of 46 matches in all competitions and only scored 6 goals with 9 assists. This could be considered quite disappointing. He did only create 10 big chances and missed 3 out of them. On the other hand, Giggs played a total of 41 matches and scored 10 goals with 4 assists. We can see that Giggs played a more attacking role than Nasri who played the orthodox midfielder. These 2 were very close to each other in terms of stats and I think we can call this a tie. Now, David Silva versus David Beckham. Beckham played 55 matches overall with 17 assists and 9 goals. Now this is a true midfielder! Astonishingly, David Silva racked up 21 assists and 8 goals in his 49 games with 14 big chances created and a 70% tackle success. You may call me unfair, but I think Silva rules Beckham out on this one. Yaya Toure vs Roy Keane. Out of 42 matches played, Yaya scored 9 goals and made 11 assists which is average but he really made up for it in his defensive side with a 73% defence success and that is why you can mainly see him as a DM. Roy Keane though only scored 5 goals in his 55 matches without any assists which is really disappointing. It is quite obvious that Scholes would beat Nigel de Jong who did not make a valuable contribution to the team, while on the other hand Paul Scholes racked up 11 goals and 11 assists in his 55 games and clearly proved himself as the most successful midfielders of the United lot.

ATTACK

So there are 2 main attackers on each side. I will use the same rules to compare them. I will start of with Dzeko and Yorke. Edin Dzeko scored 19 goals in 43 matches with 9 assists as well. Yorke clearly beats him with 29 goals in 52 matches and with 20 assists as well. Thats more than a 50% shot accuracy! Aguero and Cole. Aguero scored 30 goals in his 48 matches that too on his debut season. you have go to give him props for that. Along side that, he made 12 assists. He clearly beats Andy Cole who scored 24 goals in his 50 matches with 7 assists.

THE DREAM TEAM

Here is my version of the dream team. Although I am quite confused between Giggs/Nasri. Let me know down in the comments who should I have put and why :). You can build your own and send them to me too using the website at the bottom of the picture or using this link: https://www.buildlineup.com/

TEAM STAT COMPARISON

Overall, each team played really well. But I am going to just compare their win % throughout the season. Man City had a 69% win by winning 39 games out of 56 in all competitions. Man Utd on the other hand had a 63% win %, winning 39 games out of 62. But you have to give extra credit to United for winning the treble which is really tough while also playing more games against top teams in the UCL when City could not qualify for the Round of 16.

I hope you guys enjoyed this and I aim to make more of these. So, wait for some El Clasico and some Der Klassiker battles from the fans. If you have any other opinion feel free to comment or have any tips on how to improve my content. Big shoutout to https://www.transfermarkt.co.in/ as most of my stats were taken from here and check them out if you want to see more. This has been Ishaan and stay home and stay safe.

NEW RULES INTRODUCED?!?!

With the onset of the deadly virus, Corona Virus, all major leagues were suspended until further notice. As time progressed and the conditions eased, some football leagues have returned and matches are being played. With the return of the Bundesliga on the 16th of May, when a total of 6 matches were played throughout Germany, the football leagues are expected to return within the next month or so. The Premier League is set to return by June 19, Serie A is expected to return by June 13, and the Ligue 1 is resuming its season on June 17. The return of football has given hope and joy to all fans but the return of football does not mean everything will go back to normal. Due to current conditions new rules have and will be implemented keeping social distancing and hygiene in mind for the safety of all staff and players present in the stadium. This blog will cover most of the major new rules that are being planned to be implemented in all leagues and their impacts.

  • 5 SUBSTITUTIONS TO BE MADE
Five of football's strangest ever substitution stories - 32Red Blog

The Bundesliga has seen a change in the number of player substitutions to increase from 3 players to 5 players. This was done to keep the player’s safety and fatigue in mind as games will be played more frequently to catch up with the projected estimate of the season and finish it on the estimated finish date. The change may have a heavy impact on the game. It will allow managers to change the whole dynamic of the team as he can replace almost 50% of the whole team. A predominantly aggressive and attacking squad can be converted into defensive based on the conditions of the match. For Example: A team is in the lead by 1 goal and there are 10 minutes left. The manager can sub off most forwards, strikers, and attacking midfielders with defensive midfielders and full backs. This would effectively change an aggressive formation such as 4 – 3 – 3 to relatively more defensive formation such as 4 – 5 – 1, keeping 1 CAM and 1 CF. Hence by allowing so many player swaps, a whole team dynamic can be altered making it unfair in some perspectives as it would be overwhelming for the opponent’s team as their whole strategy may go for a toss.

  • SLOTS FOR SUBSTITUTIONS
Coronavirus: LaLiga to propose five substitutions on season's ...

Instead of the previous rule of substitutions being made at any time of the manager’s discretion, substitutions will be made only during 3 slots, one being halftime itself. This was done to ensure a smooth game and so that it can get over quickly. I personally believe this has a lot of negative impacts on how managers will have to think as now they will have to predict how the match may lay out and make changes which may prove risky for the team. Substitutions are usually made to offer a change in tactics for the forseeable future, so that the team is given a tactical boost with the introduction of a new healthy player and new instructions for the squad. They are usually made at times when the manager sees fit and when the change can make the most impact. With the introduction of this new rule, the process of sending in subs will become much more complicated as there will be innumerable variables to take into account and no second chances will be given to correct tactical mistakes. Obviously some advantages of this would be time would not be wasted during last minutes making it more fair. From a fan’s perspective it will keep the tension of the game high during critical times. I don’t know about you guys but when subs are made to waste time the game really loses its intensity.

  • MORE FREQUENT GAMES
England fans celebrate with massive party in France after Euro ...
Good News for fans, Bad news for Players

It can be assumed that after this unfortunate break, games will be played more frequently. It can already be seen int he Bundesliga where there will be 2 matchdays in a week rather than 1. This means teams will have to play 2 games in a week. The rule was implemented so the season could move much faster and catch up with the expected season. It essentially is a medium so that this far too much stretched season of 2019/20 will end quickly and allow the new season of 2020/21 to start faster. Although it seems like wonderful news for fans getting to see their favourite teams play more often and also the chance to see more matches, it will be incredibly taxing on players. This is because the new routine will involve more travelling, less training time, and less time for them to recover. Playing football is extremely tiring as it is a high intensity game for essentially 90 minutes non-stop, with only a 15 minute break in between. The daily routine of a player during the season includes 2 – 3 days of rest with light training during the rest of the days. Most of the vigorous training is done during pre-season. If the gaps between 2 matches is reduced, it would mean less rest for the players increasing the scope of injury and fatigue. This would be quite harmful to them.

So, these are the 3 major new changes that are being implemented that I feel would make a big impact on the game. Some minor changes are that no celebrations are allowed after a goal is scored and matches will be held in closed doors. These would obviously be a little disappointing for the fans as the game is not the same without them, but it is extremely good news that football will be on track once again and we can watch it. Keep seeing this space for more posts. Stay home and Stay safe.

QUARANTINE TRAINING

Hello Everyone, I know it has been a long time since I posted a blog but now I will try to write more often. Due to the current conditions around the world almost everyone is stuck at home or not allowed to leave their places of residence. During this time, it is essential to maintain your physical fitness and remain fit as it will help you all continue your sports journey coming out of quarantine or lockdown. For this article, I will mention a few key skills a sportsman should maintain or improve while at home and hopefully you all will try to focus on these.

Key Concepts in Preparing for Agility and Change of Direction ...
  • AGILITY
    • What is it?
      • Agility essentially means the ability to move quickly and easily and is extremely important while playing football or any other sport for that matter as it decreases your reaction time, helps your coordination, increases focus, and will also help your speed.
    • How can it help you?
      • It can help you in football by helping you change direction quickly, hence aiding you in switching from defense to offense immediately or vice versa. This will help in counter attacks and also judgement whether you are a forward or a defender by helping you cope up with your opposing player, thus allowing effective tackles or key possessions.
    • Drills
      • Some drills for agility at home are quick ins and outs, front and back. Ladders are also effective so ladder drills will also help. Acceleration and deceleration drills will increase agility, so sprints and reaction deceleration drills should be attempted.
      • At home this will be tough but doing things like rotations around a cone in one spot while random stimuli cause you to change direction from clockwise to anti-clockwise will help your agility. Please be free to make creative agility drills at home and let me know.

Strong Shoulders: The 5 Best Shoulder Strengthening Exercises
  • STRENGTHENING
    • The most obvious sort of workout people think of at home is strengthening and it is quite true.
    • How will it help you?
      • Working on different body parts will strengthen them and give you a more physical advantage over players. Developing muscles will also make you less prone to injuries helping you play more consistently.
    • Drills
      • While working out you have to make sure you are working on your whole body and not focusing on only a single part like your legs. Every muscle is essential while playing, even the most unexpected ones.
      • Every day pick one muscle and work on it vigorously. Using weights and dumbbells will increase the effectiveness of drills. There are multiple exercises to strain each muscle online so you can search some up.
What Is Flexibility? | The Science of Flexibility for Yogis - Yoga ...
  • FLEXIBILITY AND BALANCE
    • What is it?
      • Although these qualities may seem minor they play a bigger role while playing than expected. People I have seen who are very stiff are not able to play to their full potential.
    • How will it help you?
      • Being more flexible has multiple benefits like making you less prone to injuries, giving you less pain, and enhancing your performance.
      • Balance on the other hand helps your coordination and ability to react to sudden changes of direction, both of which can help in agility and ball movement.
      • These help while playing football as it will provide more balance while heading or receiving the ball while flexibility will improve tackling, hence giving you an advantage over players
    • Drills
      • Flexibility can be increased by intensive stretching or even doing certain styles of yoga such as the Yin or Hatha style. Yin Yoga is a slow-paced style of yoga as exercise, incorporating principles of traditional Chinese medicine, with asanas (postures) that are held for longer periods of time than in other styles (as written in Wikipedia) while Hatha Yoga is also similar. Other means include Pilates and Tai Chi too.
      • Increasing balance can be done by increasing core strength and also by Tai Chi which is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training, its health benefits and meditation (as written in Wikipedia).
Do not forget to rest after hard work! #quote #development ...
  • REST AND RELAX
    • This time does not mean you have to exhaust yourself everyday. You should consider this time to rest, relax, and recharge your batteries. Rest is always important as it helps you recover from fatigue and other health problems
    • Take 1-2 days of rest a week and treat yourself to a cheat meal too. It is essential to slow down and rejuvenate so that you can be completely ready once this lockdown and quarantine is over.

I hope you all have enjoyed reading this and I hope this blog has given you a sense and direction to adding fitness in your daily routine during these scary times. Alongside this you can take up a constricted diet so that you do not consume too many calories and carbohydrates. These tips are not only restricted to one sport but are applicable to any sport one wants to pursue, so my request to all of you is to share this article within your own athletic community and spread this as much as possible. Please check up daily because I will try to be writing much more often. Be free to write any creative drills you have created down in the comments. Stay safe and until next time, goodbye!

RECAP OF FOOTBALL SEASON 2018/19

This football season has had it all. Sackings, amazing goals, shocking comebacks and high use on the newly featured VAR. It also marks the end of some great careers and the beginning of new ones. Small clubs have made it to the top and top clubs have disappointed. Here are 7 of the key results of the 2018/19 season.

  1. Ajax Shows It’s Worth
    The Amsterdam based club had absolutely shocked everyone by reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League and beating top clubs like Juventus and Real Madrid in the process. Their abundance of young talent like Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt, Hakim Ziyech, David Neres, Dusan Tadic and Donny van de Beek provide a perfect flexibility of midfield and strike which gives them a really unstoppable attack and midfield, and allows them penetrate defences.
    Looking at the changes they did over the previous season by making Erik Ten Hag their manager, has changed the playing style of Ajax from their traditional 4-3-3 to a flexible 4-2-3-1 with a wide range of midfield space for attack and defence. It also gives huge space and freedom to the wingers, Tadic and Ziyech to move the ball around and play it inside where the forward, Neres spearheads the attack with 2 wingbacks, Noussair Mazraoui and Nicolás Tagliafico also helping the ball get into the middle. These young players play with a modern outlook and do not rely on the old-school tactics like Park the Bus.
Image result for ajax beat juventus

  1. Players have sparked the interest of top clubs like FC Barcelona who have started negotiating for them. I feel this is the problem with the club. Whenever Ajax plays a good season, big clubs are always there to take away the young talent and teach them a new style of play, preventing them to mature in the classic Dutch style. Frenkie de Jong has been bought by Barca for 67.5 million Euros and de Ligt is reportedly in contact with Barca too. Ajax have a bright future if they are willing to retain their players.
  2. Introduction and use of Video Assistant Referee (VAR)
    The VAR technology joined all other football technologies (such as Goal-line technology) in the FIFA World Cup 2018 on 16 March in Bogota marking a big change in the making of decisions when any uncertainty would be cleared by it. Big decisions of the game were made using it changing the course of the match.
    In the Premier League, it is being introduced from the next season but in the La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, and MLS it has been introduced from this season. A total of 271 referee mistakes have been overturned by VAR. Penalties, red cards, fouls and disallowed goals have all been overturned because of it.
    Personally, I feel VAR is the right step for the future of football technology, correcting mistakes and leaving no scope for human error (so that incidents like the ‘Hand of God’ don’t happen again) and making the game of football fair again.Yet, there are instances where VAR is not used and the decision is wrong like in La Liga’s Seville versus Real Betis where the former lost 1-0 to Betis where a penalty should have been given but VAR was not used and they lost. This loss could have been avoided and a point could have been given for the draw.
  3. Fourmidable City
    What an absolutely amazing season Manchester City has had! (Being a city fan, forgive me for being so biased:) ) They have made history by winning the domestic treble (FA Cup, EPL, and Carabao Cup (+FA Community Shield)). The all-star team under the leadership of the mastermind Pep Guardiola won every English title possible but disappointed in European competitions when they crashed out of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals against the Tottenham Hotspurs.
    Pep’s tactics are unlike any manager. He uses the standard 4-3-3 but pushes the wing-backs – Walker and Mendy/Zinchenko, in the middle (inverted wing-backs) so that the focus is on the middle and suddenly the ball goes to the left wing (Sane) or right (Mahrez/Sterling). The speed of the wing is just too fast for the defence to recover and they put it into the middle for Aguero to finish. The key role of thisis to pass among the midfield, to put pressure on the defence so that they try to pressurize the midfield and that is when they attack. This is shown by their pass % averaging at 89.1%.
    These tactics have absolutely baffled other teams which is the reason for their large wins such as 6-0 against Watford in the FA Cup finals, 6-0 against Chelsea, 6-1 against Huddersfield, 4-1 against Brighton,7-0 against Schalke, 5-0 against Burnley, and 9-0 against Burton Albion.
    These players have adapted to Pep’s tactics quickly when he joined after the dismissal of Manuel Pellegrini and the consistency is shown as they are the first tem in around 50 years (pretty sure it’s not precise) to retain the EPL for 2 consecutive years. Most may say this is because of the money they have (which is kind of true) but it’s about their mindset too.
Image result for fourmidables man city
  1. Disappointment from Real Madrid and Manchester United
    Often, clubs hit a rough patch in which they do not perform to the expectations of everyone. This was the case for 2 big clubs – Manchester United and Real Madrid, who finished at 6th place and 3rd place respectively. This may not look bad but the stats show the reality. Madrid lost 15 matches out of their 44 matches which is only an approximate 63.63 win % which is quite bad. Man Utd lost 12 out of their 44 matches which is also not the greatest having a win % of 72.27%.
    I think where Madrid messed up is the incompleteness of the team’s forward due to Cristiano Ronaldo leaving to Juventus. The team has desperately tried to fill the gap with the likes of Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema but it is clear that it is not working. Ronaldo is kind of irreplacable for Real Madrid. His stats in Real show it. 451 goals in 438 appearances and he is also Madrid’s all time leading goal scorer. Many forwards such as Eden Hazard, Kylian Mbappe, Mohammed Salah and Neymar have been linked up with a move to this club but nothing has finalized yet. Bale and Isco have also played in this position but not fitted in it.
    The main reason, I think for this is Zinedine Zidane leaving Real as their manager and Julen Lopetegui replacing him. Lopetegui did not do well at all and he was also replaced by Santiago Solari who tried to stabilize Real’s fall, but the damaged was done. I think what they did wrong was not use the young talent and focused the play on the more experienced players. Although Zidane is back as manager, Real’s ship has already sunk and he should utilise the summer to rebuild the team and get some new players in.
    Manchester United stumbled in many aspects. Firstly, the manager for around half their season, Jose Mourinho was not making his players play upto the expectation. Although a decent manager for Chelsea, he relied mostly on old tactics like Park the Bus. Going to classic tactics is not bad but there should be a mixup between modern ones and old ones. Another mistake Jose did was keeping a bad relationship with the players. This was seen with his relationship with Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial. His removal from the team and the entering of Ole Gunnar Solskjær gave a bit of hope but it was already too late. United also gave less playing time to academy-graduates and instead sent them on loan to other clubs. The likes of Timothy-Fosu-Mensah, Andries Pereira and Alex Tuanzebe could be good for them. Mainly where they stumbled was the lack of good transfer signings. Players like Alexis Sanchez have failed to replicate their past performances with the Old Trafford Club.
    These teams better pull up their socks, cause they’ll have to play much better next season.
  2. Close Race to the Trophy
    2 leagues had an extremely intense race to the trophy with the deciders being on the last game. These were the EPL and Bundesliga. In both leagues the winners were down by a large margin, but caught up and won in the end
    EPL: In the season of 2018/19, 2 top clubs fought till the end to win the league with one prevailing easily in the end. They were Liverpool and Manchester City, City winning the cup. From the start itself, both teams looked strong, City having a 14 match unbeaten streak in the start and Liverpool having a 20 match unbeaten streak. There was a small stumble for City though, around Christmas time where they faced consecutive losses to Crystal Palace and Leicester City while Liverpool kept on winning. By the end of January, Liverpool were up by 10 points and everyone thought the Prem was theirs. But it happened again….. They choked again (cough Steven Gerrard slip cough) . Liverpool did not lose to many teams, but drew to them while City just kept on winning. On the final day of the Prem, City played Brighton while they were a point up and Liverpool played Wolves. If City were to draw or lose while Liverpool would win then they would have won, but City won and won the Prem with 98 points with Liverpool just losing with 97 points. It was really a nail-biting last day but City kept their cool and won.
Image result for man city winning premier league

  1. Bundesliga: The 2 top clubs of the German Championship had an extremely close race to the title win. Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich have one of the best rival-history in the Bundesliga. Bayern did mot have a good start in the beginning of the season losing suprisingly to the likes of Hertha, Monchengladbach and also losing in the first Der Klassiker of the season, but during the second half of the season they got back, losing just 2 matches. Dortmund on the other hand had a dreamy start of the season, having a 26 match unbeaten streak!! This streak was filled with draws though. In fact the whole season was filled with draws while both, Bayern and Dortmund having the same number of losses. Both the teams were going at the same pace, but Dortmund stumbled in their second last match against Schalke where they lost. This put Bayern 2 points up and they won.
Image result for bayern winning bundesliga 2018/19
  1. Amazing Comeback
    This season has had some brilliant comebacks from teams, the most notable being Liverpool against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final, and Tottenham versus Ajax also in the UCL semis.
    The 2 legs of the UCL knockout rounds really can make changes in the teams game. The home and away environment in the stadium makes a difference. This happened in Liverpool and Barca. The first leg in Camp Nou was quite shocking for all fans when the home team beat the away one by a quite large margin(3-0). Everyone thought this would be a comfortable win for Barca as Firmino and Salah didn’t play too, but Liverpool didn’t. They completely swept Barca at home (4-0) not letting the away team even score! Origi and Wijnaldum putting the ball into the net twice each. I think what changed was their attitude. Instead of relying on their defence and long-ball, they went all-out attack (they were desperate too). Barcas defence was just poor, Pique was a waste of a player that day.
    Tottenham also made a great comeback against Ajax making it to the finals. In the first leg Ajax beat Tottenham by just a goal, with just van de Beek scoring away. In the second leg though, Ajax went up by 2 goals by the 35th minute. This means Tottenham were down by 3 goals and had around 55 minutes left. Lucas Moura just went into beast mode and scored a jaw-hanging hat-trick scoring in the 55th, 59th and 96th minute. I personally feel this comeback was better than Liverpool’s as they had to score 3 or more goals in just 55 minutes and they did it!!
  2. Beginning and ends of careers
    Such newfound talent has been found and legends have retired. Clubs and fans will forever be grateful for these new and old players.
    Speaking of the youngsters who amazed everyone, the first name would be the French footballer Kylian Mbappe. At the age of 20, he won the World Cup, the Ligue 1, and came second in the Golden Boot race with Messi first. His speed and ball control are just too good. Another young star would be Matthijs de Ligt, the 19 year old Dutch centre back. Captaining the young side of Ajax he has done a brilliant job as captain and defender. These upcoming years will really showcase his talent. A really special talent was seen this season who was Jadon Sancho. The 18 year old midfielder for Dortmund has really shown everyone his talent. He is averaging an assist every 30 minutes for his club. Other talents include the likes of Gianluigi Donnarumma, Lucas Hernandez, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Frenkie de Jong, Lucas Torreira, Marcus Rashford and many more.
    Many greats have finished of their football careers this season or left clubs they have played for after many years. The lead center back of Manchester City, Vincent Kompany will be leaving to his home club Anderlecht becoming a player-manager. He will be leaving after 11 years playing 360 matches. Antonio Valencia of Manchester United will also be leaving the club mostly to MLS’ DC United, once again playing with his teammate Wayne Rooney. Valencia had a 10 year career with Man Utd making 339 appearances. A Chelsea great Gary Cahill will also be leaving his club making 290 appearances in his 7 year career with Chelsea. Daniele de Rossi will be leaving Roma after 18 years making 619 appearances, Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery will be leaving Bayern Munich after making 303 and 429 appearances respectively. This marks an end to a dangerous duo. Diego Godin, Andrea Barzagli, Robin van Persie, Adrien Rabiot, Ander Herrera and Igniazio Abate are just some of the legends who are retiring.