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ANCELOTTI HAS FAILED HIS TEAM

On Thursday night, it was a familiar tale for Los Blancos against Atletico, Atleti were compact, defended deep and with robust physicality, took their chances and got the job done against their arch rivals. Madrid fans will point to key mistakes at important times during the game.

THE DEFENSIVE MIDFEILDER:AN ARTIST

In recent times, it is often said that the art of defending is dying in the modern game, that the obsession with free-flowing attacking football by so many managers in the game today has made defending become secondary and people forget the fact that you might score three or more goals and not win

WHATS HAPPENING AT ARSENAL: MY TAKE ON THINGS

Its been a pretty grim couple of weeks for Arsenal starting from the absolute capitulation against Anderlecht to losing our 15-month unbeaten home record to a severely weakened Manchester United team.

FINDING MARCO'S PLACE

It is no secret that Marco Reus’s contract at Dortmund is nearing it’s end. It is also no secret that a release clause in his contract will be activated in 2015. As expected the top teams in Europe will already be scrambling for his signature as he is arguably one of the best and most promising talents in the football universe at the moment.

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Friday, 6 September 2013

WHY MADRID HAD TO SELL OZIL.

I needed 5 days to calm down and write this article because at the time of the sale. I was furious at both Real Madrid & Mesut ozil. Now I see reasons with the club. Some may call this article biased & and a backlash towards Ozil but in truth majority of it is fact, while to a smaller extent its a backlash towards Ozil. Please be very free to criticise any point written here. In this article I'll be looking at how the transfer affects both Ozil & Madrid in the sporting & business aspects. It is a really long article, So brace yourself.
When Isco was presented at the Bernabeu the Madrid fans chanted "we want Gareth Bale" and later during the presentation Florentino Perez said madrid's summer business wasn't over yet. Ironically at Gareth Bale's presentation the fans chanted "don't sell Ozil" but this time the president put a finger on his lips, just the way a father will tell a little child to keep quiet.
The Ozil issue all started in January when through his father he asked Madrid to increase his contract to €10million a year and till 2019. This to me is madness. That's the same thing Cristiano earns & he his no were near the level of importance Cristiano is to Madrid. He later changed his request to €7m a year till 2019. Madrid again told him to wait and see if funds will be available for that after this summer's transfer window & Cristiano's renewal. Ozil was angry. Now moving to Arsenal he earns that fee (€7m) so on a business side you can say the deal is excellent for Ozil.
Now on the sporting side, this is were question marks will be asked mostly. Ozil was at one of the best clubs in the world at Real madrid, never had to fight for his place once (before now). He was one of the best "number 10s" in the world or the best if you listen to Mourinho. He was under the guidance of his idol Zidane and played with the best players in the world. (No offence to Arsenal here,& I mean it). Why jump ship to a club that are not sure of qualifying for the champions league? A german newspaper carried "From champions league contender to Champions league qualification struggle" Or one that the players there are not quite the same as his old teams mates in terms of talent. Here Many Madrid fans including myself feel that anger towards Ozil, as this was the only season he faced competition and he left. He could argue that he needed gaming time in order to be 1st choice in the German team, but the fact that he is a Real madrid player almost guarantees him a place in the national team just like Benzema,Arbeloa and Casillas. Then again Isco would not play all 55+ matches Madrid would play this season. As a matter of fact he(Ozil) played 2 of the opening 3 matches for Madrid,even though it was before Bale was signed. Ozil's father may have realised his son was doing the wrong thing that's why he tried to prevent the move (part of the cause for the long wait on deadline day before the move was completed).


For Real Madrid, on the sporting side it was brilliant business. They Got his wages off the wage bill and €50m on him. So with that the only money Madrid lost this summer was money €67m. Madrid needed him to go to recoup money. Such was the keenness that Jose Angel Sanchez madrid's general manager pushed the deal to the finality because Ozil had preferred a move to Man utd ( the 2nd reason why the deal took so long to be completed).
Again on the sporting side it appears tricky here. Many people have made their comments."If I were in charge at Madrid, Ozil would be one of the last to be leaving," Sergio Ramos said. And Alvaro Arbeloa added: "He said goodbye on Sunday, but I thought he was joking. Ozil is different; there is no-one else like him in the world - it's a shame and a big loss." Former coach Jose Mourinho was also surprised Madrid allowed Ozil to leave. "He is unique," the Portuguese pondered. "The best number 10 in the world.". Isco said he was sad kaka and especially Ozil left. Madrid's main man Ronaldo said he was said, Ozil new his moves and that he is upset by the transfer.(You can get his point,Ozil assisted 21 la Liga goals(the most from one player to another this century) and 27 in all to Ronaldo), but again it doesn't always have to be about Ronaldo. Jurgen Klopp said he was surprised Madrid let Ozil go. Joachim Low(annoyingly if you ask me) Criticised Madrid for our "poor treatment" to Ozil. Here another story can come up. Did Madrid treat Ozil poorly ?or did Ozil not show the right attitude towards the club ?. Ozil said "the coach(referring to Ancelloti) didn't have 100% faith in him" so he left. Here I can say Ozil is right. Ancelloti didn't show 100% faith in Ozil because he wasn't working hard enough. Ancelloti said Casillas was on the bench because Diego Lopez was working harder in training. Casillas can easily come out & say what Ozil said. At least he has more reasons to be frustrated & worried at staying on the bench than Ozil. Ancelloti stated after the betis match "Isco and Ozil have to learn how to defend," the Italian said. "We need quality players, but they must work defensively. That's the key to the season, finding the balance with quality players.". Ozil complained thereafter that he didn't like playing on the right wing, the position he played that day. In truth he can't play there because lacks pace, cuts inside constantly and rarely tracks back. The next game he was placed in his favourite position which he didn't perform well at all,he later reacted angrily at being substituted by walking straight to the showers and boarding the coach as soon as the final whistle had been blown. In truth Ozil was bound to struggle in Madrid this season with the new signings and the change of manager. Mourinho played his counter attacking style, while Ancelloti wants "spectacular & intensive football" which Ozil wasn't responding to in training & in matches. At his brilliant best, Ozil may be - as Mourinho claims - the finest number 10 in world football. Yet too often at Madrid he would struggle with his fitness, running out of steam late in games (Mourinho himself complained about this in 2012 stating this as a reason why he always substituted Ozil at the hour mark or with 15 minutes to go). Never one of the side's strongest characters, there was also a tendency to go missing mentally in the very big matches (didn't provide a single assist in his 1st 9 Clasico's. Was average at best in the 6 UCL semi finals at Madrid scoring 1 goal (a rebound) and assisting 1. Missed a 1 on 1 against Dortmund ,2 leg) When he was at his prime both physically and mentally, he could be unplayable - but that was by no means all of the time. People say he performed in the Clasico's but he only assisted 6 of Real's 25 goals (24%)in those games 3 of which were set pieces). Di Maria was meant to leave but against Granada & Betis he showed what Ancelloti wanted and now deserves his place in Madrid. Isco, At 21, is nowhere near his peak, but all of the talent is there for him to become an ever better player than the German. Arguably, in fact, he is already there.The former Malaga man is more of an all-round player than Ozil; more athletic, quicker, stronger and able to operate in a number of different positions (Played the holding as part of the holding 2 against Granada), the Spain star also boasts brilliant vision and tremendous technique & is also a big game player. Crucially, he will score goals as well. So far, he has hit three already in just three games and also set up one of Madrid's other three strikes in 2013-14. Madrid now lack in the number 10 role but with Di Maria(he had brilliant run of games there in 2012 when Mourinho decided not to start Ozil for a long period. Assisted 3 & scored 1 against sevilla during that period), Modric & Bale who can play there if anything happens to Isco.


At the end Madrid had to let him go. It was a good price, he wasn't happy. Look at how Robinho ended up after his "awful treatment" by Madrid. Ozil wasn't forced to leave. Ancelloti wanted more from him "I'm happy Ozil is unhappy, no one should be contented with being on the bench. Give more in training and you'll start". Ozil may have felt he was giving all he could & as they say he's best was not good enough for Carlo. A german newspaper headline read "Madrid now too big a club for Ozil". It remains to be seen who regrets the move more. Madrid or Ozil. For the good of football non should happen. But my prospective is that he shouldn't have gone, his departure makes me brand him a coward looking at what the likes of Casillas, Di Maria & Kaka have fought for to stay in Madrid. After 159 games, 27 goals,71,82 or 89 assists (depending on your source) and 3 trophies in Madrid, you'll be missed bro, just hope you don't regret your choice.

Thursday, 5 September 2013

MADRID'S EXCELLENT SUMMER TRANSFER WINDOW

Florentino Perez started his summer dealings right before the season even ended by agreeing with Jose Mourinho to terminate the special one's contract. The Portuguese had issues with many of the big players at the Bernabeu and many were very happy to see his back.
The fact that Real madrid only lost €67m this transfer window despite spending big money on players can be seen to be a big gain knowing that shortly that they'll cover up that debt. With new coaches and new signings, there are always questions asked of some players in the starting XI, and with Real madrid its no different. Here we take a look at some arrivals and departures at the bernabeu and how they affect Madrid.

ARRIVALS
Dani Carjaval Madrid were clever to insert a buy-back clause in the Spanish u-21's contract when they sold him to Leverkusen a year ago. The club academy graduate was voted as the best right back in Germany last year (Philip lahm went to left back). He's good going forward and can come up with the odd goal. Arbeloa( To me Madrid's worst player last season) will be sweating to keep his place in the team and should not, although he is more defensive minded and has more experience. "http://soccerbants.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/carjaval-re-signs-for-madrid.png">

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CASMEIRO The Brazilian was signed on a permanent basis this summer from sao paulo after a loan spell last year. He was expected to continue in the castilla, but strong showings in pre-season has seen him added to the 1st team squad this season. He is a strong defensive midfielder, but he looks certain to play more for the Castilla this season than for the 1st team.

ASIER ILLARAMENDI. The basque born player is the heir to Xabi Alonso. "Illara" as he is fondly called has the potential to be better than Alonso. To me his qualities are a combination of Alonso's vision,passing range & calmness as well as Busquests defensive qualities. He is a hybrid. This season will be too big for him,adjusting to the pressure in madrid & to a high price tag(€32m actually. Buy-out clause,tax law made it €38). He will eventually prove to be worth every penny and the a real star for both Madrid & Spain. ="alignnone size-full" src="http://soccerbants.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/illaramendi-signs-for-madrid.png" alt="" title="illaramendi-signs-for-Madrid.png" width="480" height="360" />

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FRANISCO ALCARON--ISCO . I saw this guy play last year for Malaga. Watched him at the euro u-21. I knew this guy would be a perfect fit to Madrid. He has pace,dribbles,scores,versatile and he's a big game player. He has shown maturity beyond his years in Madrid with scintillating performances as though he had been here for ages. He has been madrid's best player so far this season and already showing why Madrid fans should forget Ozil.

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GARETH BALE. Ah the longest transfer saga of the summer. To me we bought a future Balon d'or winner. As a matter of fact we bought the symbol & best player in the EPL last season. He's a mirror image of Cristiano Ronaldo and I have no doubt that he will succeed at Madrid. People have said things about the price. Some like Tata Martino or Oliver Kahn have said disrespectful things about it. But the fact is haters keep hating. The fact that the 2 names above represent our nearest rivals in the Europe, I'll call them jealous & fearful haters. We bought him, deal with it. http://soccerbants.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/madridista-bale.jpg">

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DEPARTURES

MICHAEL ESSIEN. Returned to Chelsea with Mourinho. Had a couple of few games at the club.

RICARDO CARVALHO. He left on a free. A decent defender but well past his best. Best time at the club was his 1st season. After that he was 4th & eventually 5th choice at the back. Not a big loss. But a gain due to his wages are off the list.

RAUL ALBIOL. The former Valencia man left for €12m. He like Carvalho had his best time in madrid in his 1st season. He became 4th choice centre back at his departue. Good lad. But with him gone we just hope we don't have our 3 centre backs injured or suspended at the same time, although Nacho is a fair enough replacement.

JOSE MARIA CAJELLON. A Madrid boy to core. Very effective player from the bench. He will be missed. It was best he left with the signings of this summer.


GONZALO HIGUAIN. I couldn't just understand this guy leaving although I was happy. He complained he wasn't playing enough, at a time Mourinho used a rotation policy for the forwards. Out of 6 UCL semi finals he started 3 (which I don't understand when he hardly ever scores getting 1 assist in the process while Benzema scored 1 & assisted 1 in 2 starts). To me I like the fact he left. The young shall grow in Jese & Morata. "http://soccerbants.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/napoli-madridistas.png">



MESUT OZIL. This guy is the person I don't get the most. He blamed Ancelloti for not having faith in him when he wasn't playing well. He wasn't ready to fight for a place if you ask me. Truth be told Ozil is talented but Real Madrid hid many of his flaws, which I'm going to write about in my next article. For those Madrid fans still sad, look he was our player maker and did we win much? NO !!. Isco is playing well, let's trust him. He may be they key to La decima.

RICARDO KAKA. People call him a flop, but to me, he did his best. Injuries and Ozil's form kept him out. He played well in most games, but could not leave up to the expectations on a regular basis. A perfect example of a true gentle man. Fought for his place till the end,didn't blame anyone for his misfortunes & has even decided to come back for a goodbye. You'll be missed Ricky. Just as a Jibe to those Catalans. Kaka had a better season than Iniesta statistically (8 goals 15 assists compared to 5 goals 17 assists).Good thing for all parties involved,although I'm surprised Madrid allowed him go for free. Financially we didn't lose that much in the deal considering how famous Kaka is in the Asian market.




Madrid fans should be grateful to the President as this has been a well planned transfer window, in which he has brought in fantastic talent all under the age of 24. Have faith in this team. This might be our year. Hala Madrid !!!

Friday, 16 August 2013

BLOGGERS PREDICTIONS FOR THE 2013/2014 LA LIGA SEASON

Here our bloggers get together & predict the upcoming season in Spain

Champions
@Emma_V2: Barcelona
@ChikeOnodugo: Real Madrid
@Obokhaiose: Barcelona
@Ajuyah_tuale: Real madrid

Champions league
@Emma_V2: Real madrid, Valencia, Athletico Madrid
@ChikeOnodugo: Barcelona, Athletico Madrid
@Obokhaiose: Real madrid,Athletico Madrid, Valencia
@Ajuyah_tuale: Barcelona,Athletico Madrid, Valencia

Europa league
@Emma_V2: Malaga, Sevilla, Real betis
@ChikeOnodugo
@obokhaiose: Sociedad,Betis, Athletic Bilbao
@Ajuyah_tuale: Real sociedad, Real betis, Atheltic Bilbao

Relegated teams
@Emma_V2: Elche, Almeira, Athletic Bilbao
@ChikeOnodugo
@obokhaiose: Elche, Almeira, Rayo Vallacano
@Ajuyah_tuale: Elche, Almeira, Osasuna

Top scorer
@Emma_V2: Lionel Messi
@ChikeOnodugo
@obokhaiose: Lionel Messi
@Ajuyah_tuale: Cristiano Ronaldo & Lionel Messi

Best player
@Emma_V2: Lionel Messi
@ChikeOnodugo: Cristiano Ronaldo
@obokhaiose: Lionel Messi
@Ajuyah_tuale: Cristiano Ronaldo

Best young player
@Emma_V2: Isco
@ChikeOnodugo: Neymar
@obokhaiose: Raphael Varane
@Ajuyah_tuale: Dani Carjaval

Best Coach
@Emma_V2: Diego Simeone
@ChikeOnodugo
@obokhaiose: Diego Simone
@Ajuyah_tuale: Carlo Ancelloti

Best signing
@Emma_V2: Neymar
@ChikeOnodugo: Neymar
@obokhaiose: Neymar
@Ajuyah_tuale: Helder Postiga

Worst signing
@Emma_V2: Asier Illaramendi
@ChikeOnodugo:
@obokhaiose: Bale (If he joins madrid)
@Ajuyah_tuale: Piti/Riki

UNANIMOUS PREDICTIONS
*All bloggers believe Elche & Almeira will be relegated
*All bloggers believe Lionel Messi will win the golden boot (in @Ajuyah_tuale's case share it with Cristiano Ronaldo)

*@ChikeOnodugo couldn't complete his predictions due to some certain reasons

Monday, 12 August 2013

PREDICTIONS FOR THE 2013/2014 LA LIGA SEASON

The league action is about to start again and this promises to be one of the most intriguing in recent years. The league has lost some big talent over the course of the summer due to the financial situation but those clubs have bought smartly & astutely to keep the League as the best it is. New coaches are also in charge for many clubs so its going to be a great battle for honours & meeting with objectives. Enough has been said let's begin with the predictions.

Champions In La liga it is basically a 2 horse race due to the fact that these Real madrid & Barcelona are arguably the among the top 3 teams in the world & also have more financial power than the rest. My bet this year goes to Real madrid. They have bought well, bought in places that needed strengthening & could still add well *a certain Welshman*, their new coach Ancelloti is a well respected man & knows how to keep the calm & unity in the squad. He thought well by brining Zidane as his assistant,he is a source of motivation for many. Another smart act by Ancelloti so far has been his attitude towards the teams best player Ronaldo. He makes him feel specia,happy & wanting to prove a point, we all know what happens when CR is pumped up. Barcelona will fight madrid to the end,but their inability to find the centre defender that suits their style is still puts the title race in Madrid's favour. Question marks remain about the abilities of the new coach Gerardo Martino & new man Neymar to perform in Europe. Xavi is not getting younger, but although they have Fabregas,He's no Xavi,yet. Messi would be the goal machine he is & Iniesta will keep doind his magic but those will not be enough.
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Champions league Athletico Madrid are easy pickings for me for the 3rd place. They have only lost Falcao & have replaced him with 2 good players in David Villa & Leo baptistao. Both will score goals and can be able to fill the void left by the columbian. The fourth place is going to be a fight between Valencia & Sociedad again but this time I'm going for the Los che. They have lost just their star player in Roberto Soldado but the signing of Helder Postiga is a good buy. He proved that he can score goals last season after scoring 14 goals for a toothless Zaragoza side. It should be noted that he scored those goals without taking a single penalty. Club legend Djukic has taken over and his appearance in the dugout is a breath of fresh air to Valencia supporters.
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Europa league Sociedad will finish one place below last season. They have lost 2 major components of last season's team in
  • Coach Philipe Montanier & Asier Illaramendi. Sociedad have done well by replacing Montanier from inside the club, by promoting Assistant Jagoba Arrasate to head coach (Funny enough Tata Martino rejected the sociedad post to continue as Newells old boys coach,but look at him now) & also replacing Illaramendi from inside the club with Ruben Pardo(so says their pre-season). The truth is,both will do well but they cannot completely fill the void left by the 2 men who left. That plus the troubles of Europe will cost them in the league. Again this is an easy one for me. Its Real Betis, they were strong last season with their direct,aggressive & counter attacking play and I expect them to continue so under the ever impressive Pepe Mel. To me this man is among the top 5 coaches in the league. They may have lost Benat but have also bought *added*wisely as Juan Verdu as added to the squad on a free transfer. He may not be a like for like replacement but he suits Betis style & will link up well with Ruben Castro who it must be said betis did well to keep. Next on my list is Athletic Bilbao, this may seem surprising especially after what happened last season. But the truth is that the players in the squad are good enough,it was just Marcelo Bielsa's stubbornness & fight with almost everyone at the club that cost them. Llorente may have gone this summer,but to me he left last summer. He hardly got a game due to his clash of egos with Bielsa. Luckily for the Basque club,Aduriz scored the goals that Llorente would have scored,even though a little less than that. With the new addition of Benat they now have a creator to provide assist,something that was missing last year & made their stat as the 3rd best team in terms of ball possession (56.6) look like a joke.
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    Relegationfirst name here Elche. They waited 24 years to get to this level & after a season expect them to go back after a blip in the 24 years. A decent team but not decent enough for La liga. Again Almeira are the yoyo team of La liga,the sale of Charles their top scorer does not even help matters,relegation for them looks a sorry truth. They may have gotten a coup in brining in suso on loan,but it is not enough. The last team to get relegated in my opinion is between Levante,Osasuna & Celta Vigo. The latter 2 toiled with relegation last season & the former have built a team on free agents & loans. They also have the oldest age average in the division. I feel maybe next season they will go down,this year seems to early. Celta have lost Iago Aspas their top scorer & have replaced him with charles from Almeira who scored 27 league goals & 5 in the play-offs. The appointment of Luis Enrique will breath new life into the club,I see them scaling through. Osasuna on the other hand depended on home form to keep them up last season, but this season may not be the same as Pamplona may be a fearful place to go to, but any mistake on it would prove costly & as a result I see Osasuna ending up on the wrong side of the relegation zone.
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    Best player This is a relatively a 2-hourse race between Cristiano Ronaldo & Lionel Messi. Irrespective of what Neymar & possibly Gareth Bale do the former 2 are the 2 best players in the world. This award though goes to Cristiano Ronaldo for the fact that I expect madrid to win the league & hence the best player award.
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    Best young player I would have gone for Neymar,Isco,Varane,Griezmann,Canales or Muniain but I'm going for someone who will add immensely to his club & someone who people still doubt in the shape of Dani Carjaval. He proved to be a revelation in the bundesliga & has proved his class during pre-season & will bounce Arbeloa from the starting XI. A tricky prediction but I'm sure of it.
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    Best coach Again I would have gone for Diego Simeone or Pepe Mel. But I'm going for the Italian Carlo Ancelloti. He will repair all the damages left behind by Mourinho & regain the league title lost last year,in his first year whilst playing the spectacular football he promised
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    Pichichi This is the most difficult prediction I had to make. The 2 major betting firms in spain have gone separately for Cristiano Ronaldo & Lionel Messi. Ronaldo is happy & out with a point to prove. Messi is also wants to win the award for the 3rd year in a row. Both may possibly have players who will share a little bit of their spot light but Expect both to be the top players for their clubs & also push each other to greater heights. I can't choose between the 2 so I'm going for both to have the same number of goals.
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    Best signing I could easily give this award to Neymar,Jese (if he joins Malaga on loan) Carjaval or Isco,but I'm going for someone who people doubt again, but will prove the doubters wrong. Helder Postiga. The Portuguese is mostly remembered for his bad time at spurs when he was just 22. But last season almost saved Zaragoza from relegation. As already said before he scored 14 goals for a toothless Zaragoza side, without taking a single spot kick. With the creativity of Ever Banega, Sergio Canales, Piatti & Jonas he will score goals and loads of them.
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    Worst Signing I couldn't really choose between 2 players. The duo have been bought for the same amount *free transfer* both are together in the same team. Its the duo of Piti & Riki. Together they have a combined age of 64 and also a combined amount of league goals totalling 31. On paper it looks like good business. But something doesn't seem right. Getting 2 strikers doesn't really go down well as Granada already have the impressive Youssef El-Arabi and one of them is bound to flop
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    No matter what happens before the end of the transfer window though, we can be assured that the spanish league will deliver beautiful & scintillating football. We are also assured of the best players in the world are in the league. Despite the economic situation La liga is still ready to thrill & entertain with these players. These features and many others makes it "arguably" the best in the world
  • Friday, 9 August 2013

    BLOGGERS PREDICTIONS FOR THE 2013/2014 EPL SEASON

    Our bloggers @Emma_V2 @uzoma_official @ChikeOnodugo @obokhaiose and @Ajuyah_tuale look into the season and make their predictions.

    Champions
    @Emma_V2 : Manchester City
    @Uzoma_official : Chelsea
    @ChikeOnodugo: Manchester City
    @obokhaiose : Chelsea
    @Ajuyah_tuale: Chelsea

    Champions League
    @Emma_V2: Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal
    @Uzoma_official:Manchester City, Manchester united, Tottenham
    @ChikeOnodugo: Chelsea, Manchester united, Arsenal
    @obokhaiose: Manchster City, Manchester united, Arsenal
    @Ajuyah_tuale: Machester city,Manchester united,Tottenham

    Europa League
    @Emma_V2: Tottenham, Liverpool, Swansea
    @Uzoma_official: Arsenal, Liverpool, Swansea
    @ChikeOnoduogo: Tottenham, Liverpool, Sunderland
    @obokhaiose: Tottenham,Liverpool, Newcastle
    @Ajuyah_tuale: Arsenal,Liverpool,Swansea

    Relegated Teams
    @Emma_V2: Hull city, Crystal palace, Norwich
    @Uzoma_official: Crystal palace, Hull city, Stoke city
    @ChikeOnodugo: Crystal palace, Aston Villa, Norwich
    @obokhaiose:Crystal Palace, Hull city, Cardiff city
    @Ajuyah_tuale: Crystal palace,Hull city, Stoke city

    Best Player
    @Emma_V2: David Silva/ Gareth Bale(if he stays)
    @Uzoma_official: Robin Van Persie/Gareth Bale (if he stays)/Fernandinho/ Eden Hazard
    @ChikeOnodugo: Juan Mata/ Robin Van persie
    @obokhaiose: Luis Suarez
    @Ajuyah_tuale: Eden Hazard

    Best young player
    @Emma_V2 : Wilfred Zaha
    @uzoma_official:Wilfred Zaha/Phillipe Coutinho/kevin De Bruyne/ Romelu Lukaku
    @ChikeOnodugo: Eden Hazard
    @obokhaiose: Eden Hazard
    @Ajuyah_tuale: Philippe Coutinho

    Top Scorer
    @Emma_V2: Luis Suarez
    @uzoma_official: Robin Van Persie
    @ChikeOnodugo: Robin Van Persie
    @obokhaiose: Robin Van persie
    @Ajuyah_tuale: Sergio Aguero

    Best Coach
    @Emma_V2: Manuel Pellegrini or Michael Laudrup
    @Uzoma_official: Malcky Mackay/ Fabricio Pochettino/ Jose Mourinho
    @ChikeOnodugo: Paolo Di Canio
    @obokhaiose: Jose Mourinho
    @Ajuyah_tuale: Andre Villas-Boas

    Best signing
    @Emma_V2: Jesus Navas or Wilfred Bony
    @Uzoma_official: Jovetic/Victor Wanyama/Paulinho
    @ChikeOnodugo: Roberto Soldado
    @obokhaiose: Roberto Soldado
    @Ajuyah_tuale: Wayne Rooney *if he joins Chelsea*/Paulinho

    Worst signing
    @Emma_V2: Etienne Capoue
    @Uzoma_official:Nicklas Helenius/Alvaro Negredo
    @ChikeOnodugo: Yaya Sanogo
    @obokhaiose: Yaya Sanogo
    @Ajuyah_tuale:Deulofeu




    UNANIMOUS PREDICTIONS

    *All bloggers believe Manchester united will not retain the title
    *All bloggers believe Liverpool will improve amd finish 6th
    *All bloggers also believe Crystal Palace will go down

    Thursday, 8 August 2013

    PREDICTIONS FOR THE NEW SEASON IN 2013/2014 EPL SEASON

    After a summer of holidays, controversy, unsolved problems, new players,new coaches,new friends back,new kits and for some new owners. The fun is about to end with some old faces not returning to the action either on the pitch or on the bench. For some,it is the beginning of an era. This season is massively important to the players,as this is a season leading to a world cup,where you have to put good performances to be able to represent your country in Brazil. In this article we make some predictions ahead of season.

    Where else to start than our prediction for who will claim the title as Champions. Really you can look no further than the 2 manchester clubs and Chelsea. But I feel Chelsea will just get there ahead of Manchester City,for the reason that Mourinho has come back with no pressure as he has done it before,and his squad is already impressive. I see them beating city marginally,but if they can buy a certain Wayne Rooney to cover up the weak point in their side,then betting for them to be champions is a safe bet. City have made impressive signings, but the aura of Mourinho & possibly Rooney will be too much for Pellegrini. Man utd sadly for Moyes,will have to settle for 3rd. At this point they haven't still solved the centre midfield problem, and if Rooney goes,it only helps to limit there chances of retaining their title,tuff for Moyes,but its the harsh reality.




    Fourth place, this is a tight one. Which in truth is basically between the north london due of Tottenham & Arsenal. But I feel Tottenham will finally,at long last pip the gunners to 4th place. With or without Gareth Bale. They have bought well in Paulinho,Soldado,Capoue & Chadli. AVB's vision is clear for all to see, and with Bale it will be too far for Arsenal to compete with, but without him it makes it harder,but they will still get there. Paulinho will offer that Box-to-Box midfielder they've lacked,and Soldado will score loads of goals. Lewis holtby, & Chadli will add pace & excitement to the forward line. All they need, is a left-back (Fabio coentrao ??),and maybe a another big player to cover the Bale void. Arsenal meanwhile, have failed to do anything to solve their own problems,and in fact have only added french u-20 internation Yaya Sanogo. So much was promised to the Arsenal fans but nothing has happen, the addition of Luis Suarez,could make things tighter,but Liverpool are very adamant that they will not sell.




    Europa League excluding qualification via the FA cup or League cup, I expect Arsenal as said earlier to finish 5th, Liverpool will make it to 6th this time, they have added to their squad considerably well with the new signings fitting in to the squad without problems,Brenden Rodgers has said he still wants to add to the squad,so with and without Suarez,I expect them to come good,especially after the way the team played when they finally adapted to Rodgers' system towards the end of last season. Swansea are the team to finish 7th, they look the real deal, and just like Liverpool have bought well with new players settling in well. Michu says behind Bony is his best position and seeing what he did last season playing out of position, his partnership with Bony will be devastating. To me they have a better squad than Liverpool, but the fact that individually Liverpool have better players & don't have the distraction of Europe,puts them ahead of the swans. Everton would come close but not close enough.




    Relegated teams This is usually a tight one, but I'm going for Hull city tigers,for the fact that they looked shaky in the tale end of last season & only needed a goal keeping error by the 3rd choice keeper of Brighton to get promoted. They've bought in quantity but quality is still lacking.The name change to HULL TIGERS doesn't help matters. Crystal palace will also go,failure to keep Wilfried Zaha could prove costly, and 40 year-old Kevin Philips isn't the answer. The final spot to be goes down between Cardiff,Newcastle & Stoke. I'm going for stoke here because, Tony pulis left because the club was tired of "rugby style" football and sincerely Mark Hughes doesn't serve as the best to add class to the club and with 3 squad players bought,and Hughes' attempts to add style to a "rugby team". It only has to end in a epic fail. Newcastle would be lucky to escape,Joe kinnear's arrival didn't go down well with the Geordie faithful as well as the players,and with just Loic Remy bought & Cisse's shirt sponsor issues,arguably there best player,Yohan Cabaye could still leave. Its going to be a problematic season for them. Cardiff will just scale through,they have a good squad & will be a good addition to the league.




    Best player If Gareth Bale stays I will go with him winning the award again but that seems unlikely,Rooney if a chelsea player, would be crucial for the chase for the title,But I'm going for Eden Hazard. Mourinho's style suits him,and with this his 2nd season,he may finally improve into the player he is ment to be.




    Best young player This will go to Hazard again because of age, but really looking at youngsters(u-21) I'd go for Philipe Coutinho. He has a big season and judging by his pre-season & his performances last year,would be absolutely fantastic this season.




    Top scorer This is also going to be a tuff one again. Rooney, RVP,Suarez(if he remains in England),Benteke,Michu & even the new guys Negredo,Soldado & Bony have a shout. But I'm taking a big gamble on going for a player who has gone under the radar due to injury but on his day is a top talent. Sergio Kun Aguero. If he plays as the main striker and stays fit this season. I expect him to win the award.




    Best manager This award to be will be tight between Laudrup,Mourinho & AVB. But I'm giving the younger Portuguese, for the way his spurs team will play & qualify for Europe & how they managed it without Gareth Bale.




    Best signing I would love to give this award to Paulinho or Roberto Soldado because I see them being fantastic this season, but if Wayne Rooney's transfer goes through, it will be him,he will be out to prove a point to Utd & with Mourinho adding fire to his head, it will be devastating for the EPL & I expect him to be the best signing.




    Worst signing A difficult one as no one wants to be seen as a mistake, but I feel Gerard Deulofeu will have that title. I watched him at the u-20 world cup. He looked like one who has the talent but can't produce the goods. Indecision, numerous misses and going quiet in big matches is what Deulofeu could provide for spain in that tournament and doing that on a weekly basis could put an end to Everton's hopes of Europe.




    In all its set to be a good season, we all expect big from our clubs but some of our teams can't do all. Anyway you can have your say in the comments column :)

    Wednesday, 7 August 2013

    ARSENAL 2013/2014: IS THERE STILL HOPE ??

    Hey, first off, I’m really happy to join the soccerbants team to represent Arsenal, hope you guys enjoy reading my work.
    Now, to the topic at hand, with the clock winding down on the current summer transfer window and with Yaya Sanogo being the only senior signing at the Emirates, it’s safe to say that it is panic season again at the Emirates as there have been no incoming quality players this far into the window. At this moment, every Gooner is tasked with the questions, is there still hope for trophies in the coming season? , Can We still improve our squad or is Wenger settling for what he has at his disposal keeping in mind that the team has lost a number of backup players which include Denilson, Arshavin, Squillaci, Santos, Djourou, Coquelin and most recently Yao Kouassi (Gervinho) none of which have been replaced so I think it’s safe to say what we have at our disposal right now is not good enough which means our only source of hope is the transfer market.
    Talking about Arsenal in the transfer market, it all started a few months back when it became clear that Gunners boss Arsene Wenger had a warchest of a minimum of 70 million pounds to spend (some even believe that figure should be closer to the 100m pound region because of the new sponsorship deal with Puma). After that announcement came the rumours and links, Arsenal over the course of this summer have been linked with nothing less than 50 different professional football players (Yes, fifty times more than the number they have available in the nation of Tahiti :p) but the most prominent of these were:
    Gonzalo Higuain: This deal appeared to be on the cards for a long period of time then there was a stumbling block upon the transfer fee and today he is a Napoli player
    Marouane Fellaini: There were rumours that Arsenal activated the Afro-giant’s release clause but the two parties couldn’t agree on the salary and since then the release clause has expired and Fellaini is still an Everton player
    Ashley Williams: This one has been a bit of a “zigzag”, at first talks went on well, Goal reported that a fee had been agreed but all that changed as Swansea seemed to raise their valuation but there are still reports that Wenger is considering going back in to make a swift deal for the Welsh captain due to the recent injury to Arsenal’s own captain Thomas Vermaelen who on his own looked out of sorts in so many ways last season but watch this space.
    Now to Arsenal in the transfer market at the moment and you have to say there’s just one name on the lips of Gooners all over the world for a lot of reasons and that name is Luis Suarez.
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    The Uruguayan in more ways than one embodies the marquee signing Arsenal have been crying out for all summer with his strong character and immaculate breathtaking technical ability when he is at his best or anywhere near it. Recently though, he has looked quite lacklustre in pre season for Liverpool amidst the interest from Arsenal which has been furthered with two bids so far and his desire to move on and play in the UEFA Champions League and with reports last night indicating that Suarez is ready to take legal action against Liverpool for going against what was known as “a gentleman agreement” between Suarez and the club that he should be allowed to leave to any Champions league club that offers above 40 million pounds for his services (which Arsenal did, be it by the skin of a pound) and this morning on Talksport, it was mentioned that Suarez has approached the PFA for help and he is said to be “injured” at the moment along with Wayne Rooney and Gareth Bale (hmm…I wonder what they all have in common) so we have to watch this space but there is said to be interest from Real Madrid which is reportedly Suarez’ preferred option but they are currently focusing on hunting down a certain Welsh wizard for what reportedly should be a world record transfer fee.
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    So now say Arsenal do get Suarez for a figure of about 50 million pounds, is it enough? Well to be honest, it isn’t, there still is that lack of bite and muscle in the middle of the park. Now from what I’ve gathered, Wenger has identified three players to help with this problem, Borrussia Dortmund’s Ilkay Gundogan, Bayern Munchen’s Luis Gustavo and Bayer Laverkusen’s Lars Bender. Now, Arsenal have already had a bid in the region of 20 million pounds rejected for Lars Bender earlier in the summer and Football fancast reported last night that Wenger plans on signing Suarez before making an offer in the region of 27 million pounds for Gundogan using the arrival of Suarez to prove the ambition of the club to the current Dortmund midfielder as a means of convincing him to make the switch to North London. Personally, I believe Gundogan is in fact the best of the three players yet seriously doubt the possibility of him arriving at the Emirates. In my opinion, I would prefer Arsenal moving for the Brazilian Luis Gustavo who had an amazing outing at the Confederations Cup and is basically surplus to requirement at the Allianz Arena due to the additions of Mario Gotze and Thiago Alcantara to an already star-studded midfield. The 26 year old is valued at 15 million pounds and is said to be looking for a club where he can play regular football with the upcoming world cup in mind. Gustavo will be able to bring in the physical prowess lacking in the lightweight Arsenal midfield and provide the insurance policy the adventurous players such as Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky need to be able to focus fully on attacking while also bringing along with him an impressive pass completion rate. He should be able to compliment Arteta in central midfield and a give the team a good platform.
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    Now, another position that needs strengthening is the goalkeeping position with Vito Mannone leaving and with neither Sczezsny or Fabianski fully looking the part last season, there have been calls for a new pair of experienced gloves at the club and up steps Julio Cesar who represents the perfect deal at the moment with QPR looking to offload him after their relegation, the Brazilian looking to hold his place as the no. 1 for the Selecao for the upcoming world cup and with QPR reportedly asking for just 1.5million pounds, it seems the perfect deal. There was said to be competition from Napoli but they have signed Pepe Reina now (I’m sure all the other Serie-A teams will be happy about this) so that has ended their interest in Cesar. Cesar represents an experienced role model for Sczezsny to help the Pole raise his game and at the same time not deter his development as Cesar is already coming towards the end of his career to be honest.
    All in all, I think for Arsenal to be successful in the coming season, they need to sign Luis Suarez as he will be the key to attracting the other players we need such as Gustavo, Cesar and possibly Williams in view of the current injury to Vermaelen and lack of squad depth in that area but as always it’s all in Wenger’s hands and the best we can do is support him. I believe there’s still hope and that’s my view but remember that your views are welcome in the comments section below. C’mon Wenger, Come On You Gunners!! #COYG.