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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.

    Tuesday 6 August 2013

    NEW ADDITIONS TO THE TEAM

    soccerbants is meant to be an all round European soccer blog,but has rather turned into a one team/one league blog. For that reason we happily inform our readers that @uzoma_official @chikeonodugo @Emma_V2 @obokhaiose (all twitter handles), have agreed to join our wonderful blog and write on man utd, Chelsea, Arsenal amd Barcelona repectively. These four guys have been chosen because of their genuine passion and knowledge of the game, and with them we hope to achieve our aim of being the best soccer blog around and eventually become a website. We trust in them and believe you will love their articles, keep giving us your support as we fondly enjoy hearing from our readers. Thank you for the time spent in reading,your comments,your support and retweets for #soccerbants. God bless you..x



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    IS GARETH BALE WORTH £100 MILLION ???

    After a very successful season personally for Gareth Bale, he was always going to be subject to numerous transfers rumours. He had hinted on several occasions he would stay at least for another year with Spurs,but after hearing Zidane Zidane say "its now or never" to join Madrid, he has now set his sights on the Bernabeu. The deal looks set to happen, there is no doubt in his talent, but for a player who is a mirror image of Cristiano Ronaldo and is the same age as Ronaldo was when he left England,the question is to be asked,Is he worth £100 million. Is he £20milllion more than than what Ronaldo was at the time he left man utd.Is he double the player Luis suarez is?. Stefan El shaarawy had the same effect Bale had on Spurs with Milan in the 1st half of the season, had he continued till the end, would he be worth £100million? . In this article, we take a look at factors that are for and against the motion.
             FACTORS THAT ARE AGAINST THE BALE PRICE. Basically the first thing that comes to mind is that,is he a better player than Ronaldo was in 2009?. The answer is clearly NO. Ronaldo won a champions league,3 league titles,an Fa cup,2 league cups, a balon d'or,2 PFA player and young player of the year awards  and finished top scorer in both the champions league and the league at 24. Bale at that same age has won just the PFA player and young player of the year award (twice) and finished 3rd top scorer in the league this year.He may not have won the best player award this year had Van persie not run out of form mid-season and had Suarez not made a snack out of Ivanovic. Ronaldo played 290 times for united scoring 117 times,while Bale has played 203 times for spurs scoring 55 goals,although he started as a left back. Another factor is the fact that Bale has not played at the highest level for Spurs and Wales. The highest he can boast of is that sole season in 2010/2011,were ironically spurs were kocked out by Real madrid,the biggest, match he has played in would be the 2010 league cup final or a north london derby,thay cannot be compared to an El clasico or a big European night at the Bernebeu. Another factor against his price is the fact that this is his most impressive season in his career so far and hence another question can be asked,Does one season make you worth £100million?. Some will say its more than that, remember maicon,but does cleaning the san siro with the world best right-back (at the time) make you worth £100million?. Lewandowski battered Madrid in the champions league semi-final with 4 goals in one match at 24 but is he worth even £50million now? These are the factors that make Bale's price absurd.


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            FACTORS THAT COULD JUSTIFY THE BALE PRICE. First and foremost you're dealing with Daniel levy,the hardest Chairman in the world,a man that many more millions will have to be added to the real value of the player to sweeten his mind to at least start thinking of selling,worst of all,the player now happens to be the best in England and the most sought after footballer in England commercially,you know you have your cut out for you, with him "money talks,bullshit walks" and when i say money alot of money has to talk. Again Bale is British,for some reason they are over priced,examples can be seen with Andy carrol for £35million,Stuart Downing for £20million,Gareth Barry for £6million and Xabi Alonso (a bid Aston Villa foolishly rejected in 2008 to keep Barry). So being that Bale is the best British player around,also adds a few more millions to his price. Another factor is that with this season Bale is getting to his peak, and can single handedly win matches and score in the big games (man utd,man city,Arsenal) so it will be best to pay as much as possible for him to spend his peak years at Madrid and help them win the big trophies. Florentino Perez has been known to spend big and break record transfers,but has been quite for 2 summers now, in that respect,i guess its time to break the record for a fifth time and what better way to do it than, bid for Gareth Bale, a player who with the factors around him will definately break the record. He said "great players pay for themselves" which is very true as the Real brand coupled with the Bale brand will raise mind blowing revenue and also win trophies that will recover the money spent, but with that statement it means we're getting ready to see a new record fee.


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         In truth,i feel Bale is worth £50million but the factors that surround him double that amount. As said earlier in the article, his talent cannot be doubted, but his price can be. No matter the school of thought you are,be sure that a new world record fee is around the corner. We can only hope for his sake and that of Madrid that he doesn't end up like Kaka and majority of the British players that go to Spain and flop especially with the tag of being "The most expensive player in the world"



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    Sunday 4 August 2013

    WHY BALE JOINING MADRID, IS THE BEST THING FOR HIS CAREER

    Gareth Bale to Madrid was always something that was bound to happen. Florentino Perez said "he was born to play for Madrid". He has that special something that makes him a Galatico. The deal was expected to happen next summer,after helping Tottenham attempt qualification for the UCL. He made statements which seemed so. But all that has changed within the last fortnight. The people from Madrid both, the media and those associated with the club have been talking up the move, to the extent that even the Engliah media have followed them in doing so. Bale going quiet & not playing in matches have helped to increase the rumours. It is now clear that Bale will move to Madrid for what will be a world record fee.
            In everyway possible, it is the best move for Bale. Madrid is the land of fantasy,the sacred Bethlehem of football, the Mecca of glamour and glory, for any footballer on the face of the earth. Bale is no different. He has said before that it would be a dream to play for madrid ,he also recently stated that his style of play would fit perfectly to La liga.
            In terms of the glamour as already stated, it doesn't get bigger than Madrid. A celebrity club in a way. Madrid is the right place for him to do all his advertisement and make big money because, as seen with Beckham and Ronaldo, Florentino Perez knows how to utilise a celebrity footballer.With Spurs, he is already the face of FIFA 14 in the UK,and also on the cover with Messi officially.He also represents the EPL as its face with BT(The company sponsoring Tv rights in the EPL.Bale will lose this if he signs with madrid). He has also helped himself, by putting in an application to trademark his goal celebration "eleven of hearts" such as the way Ronaldo trademarked "CR7".He has done some work on his hair too (see picture below) & i'm pretty sure he'll be using Ronaldo's hair gel and stylist in Madrid. Bale has also been wise not to destroy his good boy reputation by not handing in a transfer request or ranting about his desire to move to Spain. In truth;Bale after Ronaldo, Neymar and Messi is probably 4th in terms of celebrity footballers right now, and no doubt with madrid he will go higher (he'll definately beat Messi, because let's face it, Messi is terrible at it,maybe he needs help from Xavi & Iniesta).
           In terms of improving as  a footballer,with all due respect to Andre villas boas,Bale has a better chance of improving under Ancelloti than AVB. He has Zinedane Zidane who this generation of footballers watched and wanted to be like him and win things like he did. He also said last season that he sees himself as a Ronaldo in the making. This can be seen in his courage to shot from distance regulaly, the way he takes his freekicks and dribbles. He can learn from Ronaldo face-to-face. He will also have better players in madrid to help him. No more Defoe,Lennon,Dembele,sigurdsson,with all due respect to them,they are not just in the same class with Alonso,Isco,Ozil,Ronaldo. He also doesn't have the pressure on him that he must deliver or else risk the team losing (i don't need to state how many times he saved Tottenham last seaaon). Make no mistake the pressure in madrid is the highest form of pressure in football possible,especially if you're coming with the tag of the most expensive signing in world football. But he is no longer the one who leads the team, that job belongs to a certain Portugese. The price tag pressure is something i feel Bale can cope with, besides all world record signings madrid have made have excelled (Figo,Zidane,Ronaldo) .Kaka is the only exception and his was down to injury and the impeccable form of Mesut Ozil. Bale will definately improve especially if he plays on the right wing of the attack,to enable him play with his stronger foot outside, just like the way Ronaldo does. With Mesut Ozil and also Isco giving the though balls,he'll harvest goals. His speed will be something that will be another asset to madrid's fast game. He will have to improve on his heading ability though, as for a man who has the same height as CR, he should score more from headers.
             In terms of trophies, Bale has not won a major trophy at 24. He has only won 2 PFA Player and young player of the year awards.(something which is easy,since Giggs won the the PFA best player in 2009). A player of his class deserves more and with Tottenham he can only win, maybe the FA or league cup or the fourth place trophy (Arsenal made it look as though this exists due to the way they celebrated 4th place,anyway with no trophies in 8 years its understandable). He certainly has no hopes of winning an international trophy, as Wales, in the most respectful way i can put this, are shit. When Ronaldo was 24, he had won a Champions league trophy, 1 fa cup,2 league cups,3 league titles and had been named the 1st,2nd and 3rd best player in the world. In Madrid he is assured of trophies, and maybe he may just be the missing puzzle in the La Decima jigsaw for Los Blancos. Even his dream of the being the best in the world stands a by far greater chance in Madrid and La liga playing & competing with the best than at Spurs.
           On a lighter note he can take the step and be a successful British player in Spain,something only David Beckham has managed to do, with the likes of Michael Owen,Jermaine Pennant & Jonathan Woodgate (he scored an own goal and got a red card on his debut) failing to deliver.


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            As i said earlier in this article,Bale has everything it takes to be one of the best in the world and succeed in Madrid, better coaches,better teammates,  a bigger club. The only problems he will face is the pressure of playing for Madrid with the price tag as the most expensive player in the world and also the language barrier. These are issues that i believe he will deal with in time. Tottenham fans will be sad their hero is going, but madrid fans will welcome and adore their new Galatico (remember at Illaramendi's presentation when they were chanting "we want Gareth Bale") . Madrid fans will be fantasising about Ronaldo and Bale on both wings and how they will terrorise Europe and possibly win La Decima. They can now enter into an argument of "Ronaldo y Bale vs Messi y Neymar" , something La liga will definately enjoy as the top 4 celebrity footballers are in their league drawing interest (to my personal satisfaction, further away from the EPL), and will have possibly the 4 best footballers on the planet in the near future (in my opinion this will happen within the next 2 years). Exciting times for the media,Madrid and La liga, but the most excited and optimistic person here would be the man in question. Gareth Bale
         



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    Thursday 27 June 2013

    HOW ANCELLOTI'S MADRID COULD AND SHOULD LINE UP

    Carlo Ancelloti has finally been appointed as Real madrid,as if we didn't know that was going to happen since the end of May.On the 1st of July he'll take charge of his 1st training session at Real,although not everyone will be present as some of the players are at the confederations cup.However,Ancelloti by now will know that this Madrid squad is built around a 4-2-3-1,and knowing that he is a man who doesn't just change things to please him,i'm pretty sure he'll stick with it at least for the first season and maybe change it later,although he'll change some things tactically in order for Madrid to play the "spectacular football".So all those thinking about him using some of his previous formations like a 4-3-3 system(which madrid fans will hate because Barca use it), 4-4-2, 4-3-2-1, and even a 3-man defence,should not worry,the Italian is smart enough not to change just yet.People should also not expect "tiki-taka",Madrid fans hate it because it's what Barcelona do,that they refer to as boring,expect them to play like,Dortmund,a very attacking team,who will not nessicarily get 70% ball possession,but will demolish teams.Ancelloti will however have to make room for new players and make some changes to the individuals in the starting XI.This article takes into consideration of the players that could possibly join and possibly leave.
                 Here is the analysis of how Madrid could line up next season.In goal,Iker Casillas,will be back.Although Ancelloti said that he would have to fight for his place,we all know that Casillas is the favourite madrid and possibly favourite Spanish son,we all know the dropping of Casillas was one of Mourinho's problems,and dropping Casillas,would be the continuation of problems,something Ancelloti will want to avoid.The sad thing is that,for all  the efforts of Diego Lopez last season,he will now be on the bench,but i'm sure he'll get games in the Copa del Rey as the the "cup keeper",and dead-rubber UCL matches and maybe sometimes in the league to give Casillas a rest.At the back,Arbeloa kind of lost his place last season with a string of poor performances,mistakes and foolish things(asking the referee if he was alright against Galatasary and getting sent off),and with Dani Carjaval returning to the club with a string of good performances in Germany(entering the team of the year and by statistics the 5th best right back in Europe),i for one would love to see him replace Arbeloa,but i think Ancelloti will keep Arbeloa,just like the way Del Bosque is keeping him for Spain,and for the sole reason of the experience he has.In the heart of the defence Sergio Ramos,will definitely be there (to me only Thiago Silva can argue that he is a better centre defender than Ramos).Pepe would have been the obvious partner for Ramos 12 months ago,but not now,Raphael Varane has proved to be more thoughtful,less rash,faster,have greater goal threat, and has even been better in Pepe's job of marking Messi.He also proved to have a better understanding with Ramos than Pepe ever did.On the left,although Marcelo,had a poor season with injuries,weight issues and poor displays,he to most Madrid fans is a typical Madrid player and excites more than Coentrao.Although he is not the best defensively,he surely makes up for it in the attacking front.Coentrao is a really good player,make no mistake about it( remember his perfomance against man utd and at the Euros),but i feel Marcelo will get the nod.In midfield.Xabi Alonso will take his place back and will be fresher after not competiting in the Confed. cup.He after Ronaldo and maybe Ozil is the most important Madrid player on the field.He is the pace setter(only Xavi and Pirlo can argue that they are better pace setters).Mourinho only used him for important matches last season because of an injury he had,that is fixed now and hopefully he'll play more this season.Sami Khedira should bring the defensive steel Madrid need,but to me this steel is not needed,as only a few sides really have the attacking threat to burder Madrid.So i feel Luka Modric should partner Alonso,he had a slow start to life at Madrid but turned out to be an important player for Madrid last season.He will add flair to that of Alonso and help Ancelloti bring about the "Spectacular" football Madrid want to play.Although this means Alonso and indeed Modric will have to work on their defensive side to give the team some kind of balance.Khedira,however should be called-in,in matches were a natural defensive steel is needed.On the Right hand side of the attacking trio,Gareth Bale will certainly play there "IF",and that's a big IF,he comes.The Tottenham man has openly said that he wants to play with Cristiano Ronaldo and be like him,and also play in his dream club,Real (everyone seems to say this nowadays).The thing is,he doesn't want to force his way out of spurs and also wants to give on more go at helping Tottenham qualify for the champions league.Tottenham's chairman,Daniel Levy is said to be prepared to decline all bids including a €100million bid,which will make Bale the most expensive player of all time.Florentino Perez,seems more than happy to pay that price "big players pay for themselves",and has made Bale his number 1 target,reportedly wanting to handle this one like the Figo transfer to Madrid.The Spanish media and Real players have certainly been seducing Bale and his agent recently claimed that Bale hadn't signed a new contract,giving Real more hope.Real themselves have left the number 11 jersey vacant,suspicious?.I hope he comes,but i feel its going to happen next summer.Again what Perez wants he gets.That aside,if Bale doesn't come Angel Di Maria,will gladly take his place back,although the new kid Isco,could play there if Di Maria showed the inconsistency he showed last year.Mesut Ozil should retain his place in the centre of the attacking trio,although he tends not to start seasons well and always seems to carry on the summer vacation into the actually season and comes alive in middle or late November,his assists stats,although very high (had the most assists in Europe in all competitions in his first 2 seasons at Real) have been reducing in arithmetic order since his first season.Isco could go in there if such holiday form is shown at the beginning of next season,but Ozil will eventually take his place.Isco will be coming on as a sub mostly,for one of the 3 attacking midfielders.On the left we have Cristiano Ronaldo,arguably the best player in the world.His goals and talent will make him the first name in any team sheet.He is the most important Madrid player. In attack its one of Suarez/Cavani/Benzema.The thing is if Tottenham push the price for Bale,Madrid will have limited resources to land either Suarez or Cavani.If they however sell fringe players(Like Cajellon,Adan and sadly Kaka) like the way they have already sold Pedro Leon and some youth players (although with a sensible buy-back clause) ,they can raise funds.Madrid need a striker,as Higuain's departure leaves them with just one recognised striker although Jese and Morata are set to be added to the first team.Madrid however need a proven goal scorer,General manager Jose Angel Sanchez,said the club will add two strikers to the squad,one expected to be a youth player and one a proven scorer.Suarez is the cheaper and easier option to get but the transfer could carry on for the whole summer as Liverpool will hold out for a large sum,i feel this will go through,but in the same way the Alonso and Modric transfers went through ( a transfer request by the player and very late in august). I also feel Suarez is more suited to madrid,as the flair and flow he will provide with Ozil,Ronaldo and whoever ends up on the right will be devastating + the fact he  scores goals,although not up to Cavani (For their clubs though).Ancelloti will probably use him and Benzema just as the way Mourinho used Benzema and Higuain,the only difference is that Suarez will play more just as Benzema played more under Mourinho.

               REAL MADRID  POSSIBLE XI FOR NEXT SEASON:                                                                                                     


    CASILLAS


    CARJAVAL SERGIO RAMOS VARANE MARCELO



    MODRIC ALONSO





    BALE OZIL RONALDO







    SUAREZ



    If you think this is frightening,look at a possible second XI with Diego lopez---Arbeloa---Raul Albiol---Pepe---Coentrao---Casmeiro---Khedira---Kaka/Cajellon/Jese---Isco----Di maria---Benzema/Morata/Jese. .If Florentino Perez can assemble this squad,Carlo Ancelloti will have the most expensive and arguably the most talented squad in world football.With this squad any coach who fails to produce should be sacked and Florentino is definitely not one afraid to sack anyone.What ever happens in the transfer window though,Ancelloti has no doubt inherited a talented squad and will succeed at Madrid,but the thing is,will he turn them into the best many in the club feel they are?.That remains to be seen,but this squad is the kind many have in video games and win without trouble,now Ancelloti has to win in reality,so world football,get ready,Real are assembling their Galaticos once more,expect this one to be better and hungrier,they are coming for world domination.




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    Wednesday 26 June 2013

    CARLO ANCELLOTI :THE NEW BOSS

    I begin this article by saying that as a Real supporter,i would probably have preferred Andre Villas Boas or Michael Laudrup for there successes at there previous and current clubs,but some people will say,they don't have that much champions league experience,but,then again i would have fancied them for the long term.Now back to the man Carlo Ancelloti,the new manager of madrid was finally announced after a month of speculation and seduction.It had been 27 days since madrid last had a manager the longest manager drought in the Perez era(the previous time was 3 days) and indeed the longest in Madrid's history.
           Ancelloti has won trophies in everywhere he has gone to,2 champions league winners medal,a the cup competitions in England and Italy,as well as the league titles in those countries along with the league trophy he won with PSG.Ancelloti however has some weak points,i'll like to comment on here.First of all Carlo is a quiet character,who does not get involved with things like mind games,like Mourinho,but at times,these mind games are actually needed,a good example here can be seen with Sir Alex Ferguson,i may not have been a big fan of the man,but i surely did respect and fear his mind games.He won titles with it (Newcastle 1995,Liverpool 2009).Ancelloti may need that at some point and that is not in his arsenal.Also he may have won trophies in many clubs,but he's Seasons to trophies ratio is not that good for Real standard.He has won 10 trophies in 14 years as a coach,the 10 include 3 league trophies,2 champions league trophies ,2 cup trophies,2 season curtain raisers(super coppa,community shield) and the club world cup.Coincidentally Madrid's longest serving manager Miguel Munoz,spent 14 years at the bernabeu.If Ancelloti should have the same record in the next 14 years,as he has achieved in his first 14 as a manger,would he be regarded as a success at Real? The answer sadly is NO.For a club like Real they target all 3(possibly 4) trophies every season and would hope to achieve the treble at least thrice in such amount of time.They will be aiming to win like 25 trophies or more in that period of time.He also has the tendency to Fail at some point.Infact at Reggiana(he's first job),is the only place he succeded fully,gaining promotion in his first season and staying up in his second season.At parma,he took the team to 2nd place in his first season and 5th in his next season.At Milan,he won just 1 serie a finishing 2nd in 05 & 06.Even the 2 champions league successes,should have been 3,Istanbul should have been the 2nd,Liverpool should never have come back.Jose Mourinho rightly pointed out in 2010 "Ancelloti is a great manager,but i will never be on the losing side,after going into half time 3-0 up in a champions league final". That kind of thing at Madrid will definitely warrant the sack.He also failed to win anything in his last 2 years at Milan.At Chelsea he failed to win anything in his 2nd season and ended up 9 points behind champions man utd in that same 2nd season(it is fait to say he recovered from a 15-point gap and reduced it to 3 with 3 games to go).He also failed to go beyond the quarter-final of the champions league in both seasons at Chelsea.At PSG,he took over in Decemeber 2011 and at the time he took charge,PSG were 3 points clear in the league,but ended up,3 points behind shocking Champions Montpellier.
            So,i know most people would think,i hate my own,but i don't,i always like to look at where to criticize them,in order to see how good they actually are.Now for Mr Ancelloti's strong points.First of all Ancelloti is one who builds his squad on what he has at his disposal and not based on what he wants.He has used different tactics were ever he has gone,playing defensive and attacking.At madrid he has already spoken of how "the most prestigious club in world football needs to win,playing spectacular football,because the history and tradition of this club is to play offensively,spectacularly,and we are going to work hard to play football that will give happiness to the fans".That will definitely go down well with the madrid supporters who complained that Mourinho's madrid sometimes won games,with an inspired goal by Ronaldo,a lovely assist from Ozil,a Fantastic sliding tackle from Ramos or Varane or with a top class save from Iker Casillas.Sergio Ramos did complain about this criticising Mourinho for his inability to be on top,in terms of tactics,because he never played the game.Such thing cannot be said about senor Ancelloti,he was part of the famous Milan squad of the early 90s.During that time he learnt a lot from renowed mangers like Capello,Sacchi and Co.He also has the ability to handle big name players and know that some players are just part pf the club(something Mourinho failed to understand with the sales of Raul,Guti and harsh treatment and spats with Casillas and Sergio Ramos).Ancelloti has managed big names and hot heads,players like Zidane,Stam,Nesta,Lampard,Lavezzi and most of all Zlatan Ibrahimovic.Hence he will fit the bill for madrid.He is a fantastic man-manager as he is the type that will put his arm round a player,and has this father figure status.He also gets repect from the owners he has worked with examples of this Silvio Berlusconi,who crticised him of being too defensive,he also gained respect from Roman Abramovich and Nasser Al-Khelaifi.Also the fact that Zinedane Zidane is going to be part of his coaching staff and is also the sporting director,he will be involved in the two sides of footabll which will help Ancelloti very well,in terms of transfers.Ancelloti also has the tendency to bring out the best in players.He started the work on Zidane,he changed Andrea Pirlo from an attacking midfielder to the pace setter we now know and respect him as,we saw the best of Andrey Shevchencko and Ricardo Kaka whilst he was under Ancelloti,we also saw the best goal scoring records for Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard,under Ancelloti. Who knows maybe we haven't yet seen the best of Ronaldo and maybe there is still something left in Kaka.Madrid supporters will certainly be hoping for that.


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    Florentino Perez and all madridistas will be hoping the 'Italian Del Bosque" will be the "peace maker" and the man who restores all that the club symbolises and finally end the club's drought for La Decima.So get ready madridistas,a new era is upon us,we should get behind our manager and the players and wrestle back what many in the club feel is there's in the champions league from Bayern and La liga from Barcelona.Spain and Europe,be prepared,Real are a wounded animal and are coming for World domination. HALA MADRID !!!



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    Saturday 15 June 2013

    THE FIFA CONFEDERATIONS CUP:THE VERDICT

    Well with the group analysis done and dusted,i guess its time i give my personal verdict on the whole tournament.I begin in Group A,the group consists of hosts Brazil,Italy,Mexico and Japan.This group has been called the group of death.The teams are not too far from each other in standard.The first match of the tournament and the group between Brazil and Japan,is going to be a tough one which Brazil will just win,with a score like 3-1.If this was the Mexican team that went to the World cup,i'll say they'll draw against Brazil,but it isn't,its going to be a close game with the Mexicans outstanding defence.A 1-0 victory will settle it.I fancy Italy to take the maximum 9 points.The match against Brazil will be a close one.A game between Neymar and Balotelli and as i said in the Italian article,Balotelli is a big game player and Neymar isn't.Italy would win that game by a score of 2-1,and hence top the group.So at the end its Italy to top,Brazil second.Mexico last because i feel Japan will beat them.In Group B Spain like the Italians will breeze through the group collecting the full 9 points as they did in 2009.It will be difficult but they'll do it.Tahiti sadly will do what i'm expecting Spain to do,but in the opposite manner,they will lose all 3 games,although i'm hoping for an upset from them.The second spot would be fought between Nigeria and Uruguay.Its going to be based on three things,1st who scores more goals against Tahiti,which Nigeria are at a disadvantage because they'll have one day to train before the match especially after a long and tiring trip to Brazil,also without 2 key goal threats Emenike and Moses.Uruguay on the other had have 3 deadly forwards who will want to use this match to win the golden boot.2ndly who concedes fewer goals against Spain and finally who wins there group match which i feel will be a tough draw.Like 2-2.I'm picking Spain to top as already said,then Uruguay to come 2nd because of their 3 front men who will score more than the Nigerians against Tahiti.Then,with what i said we will now have a semi final of Brazil-Spain,Uruguay-Italy.In the first one,its going to be a tough match which Spain will win,they'll hold on to possession as they normally do and render the likes of Neymar useless.The main threats to Spain will be Lucas Moura or Hulk,Moura for speed and dribbling ability,Hulk for power and Speed,Pique tends to get bullied by strong defenders eg Drogba.If Brazil are not having the ball Neymar will be ineffective,a good example of this can be seen in the  Barcelona vs Santos match in 2012.In the 2nd match its going to be very tuff.Italy vs Uruguay,that match will be decided by an error,a big decision from the ref, a piece of individual brilliance or even penalties.But i feel Italy will prevail.Now its a 3rd place match between Uruguay and Brazil,again both sides may want to play fringe players for the game and if that happens,Brazil will win,but if it doesn't,another tight game which Brazil may be lucky to win.The final,will be a repeat of the Euro 2012,final and like last year,Spain will prevail,but this time with difficulty this time,Italy will want revenge,Spain will want to have the honour of holding the World Cup,European championship and the confederations cup, + are still hurting from the last edition.I expect them to pass the ball around alot and as with most of there tuff matches end up winning 1-0.So come June 30th Spain will be Confederations cup champions ending Brazil's run of 2 successive victories in the tournament.


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    Top scorer in the tournament is a difficult one with many top strikers on show,players Like Hulk,Neymar,Balotelli,El shaarawy,Forlan,Chicharito.These guys score goals but i'm giving this one to one of Suarez or Cavani.They play Tahiti and are both auctioning themselves for clubs.They will look at Tahiti at a match to score like 3 goals or more + the others they will score during the tournament.However i'm going for Suarez,he is the one with the more desire to leave his club, than and will want to use a golden boot award to add to his CV plus he is also more selfish than Cavani


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    Best goalkeeper i expect it to be Iker Casillas,he has had his troubles this season,but i expect him to start for Spain and lead them to Glory.He has conceded just 3 goals in Spain's last 2 tournaments and i don't see him conceding many more.


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    Best Player....many people will be expecting Neymar,but no.I doubt this is his tournament,it is definitely going to be Balotelli's tournament.But i'm going for the man who won the best player award at last year's Euros.Andreas Iniesta is that man.As said in my article on Spain.He is the only one of the forward starters who maintained his forn during the past season,and he will be the one to pull the strings for La Roja and together with Casillas will led them to glory


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    No matter what happens in Brazil,we are definitely going to have a feast of  samba football and hell of fun,with the colourful brazilians and there beautiful ladies,we are going to have a lot to feed our eyes on.If the tournament is up to half the fun we experienced in South Africa 2009,then get ready to love football even more.The Confederations Cup is upon us,lets go out and support our teams.Good luck!


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    Friday 14 June 2013

    THE FIFA CONFEDERATIONS CUP:GROUP BY GROUP ANALYSIS

    GROUP B
    NIGERIA
         The Super Eagles of Nigeria are the reigning AFCON champions and are making their second appearance at the tournament after finishing fourth in 1995.Nigerian football had seen its standard drop a little bit especially after failure to qualify for the 2012 AFCON.They did qualify for the 2013 tournament and won it,and are therefore fortunate to play in the tournament,because if it wasn't for CAF's decision to prevent AFCONs from being played in World Cup years,Zambia would be the ones making the trip to Brazil and representing Africa.The Nigerian players threatened not to participate in the Confederations cup after getting half of the bonuses they are meant to get from World cup qualifiers drawn or won.That issue was sorted out,as they were now paid their remaining money.The team will therefore now get to Brazil on saturday,meaning they have one day to train before they play Tahiti,which would be music to the ears of the Islanders.The Nigerian team is coached by Stephen Keshi,he is a former player of the super eagles and became the 2nd man to win the AFCON as player and coach when he guided Nigeria to the 2013 AFCON glory.He famously handed in a resignation letter after wining the competition,after rumour came out that he would be sacked after the tournament.Neither thing happened and he remained on board.Nigeria seat top of the first phase of their qualifying table with 9 points two clear of nearest rivals Malawi who they play in the group decider in September.The team play a 4-3-3 system.The system is going to be the same as the AFCON winning system.Enyeama in goal.Efe Ambrose-Oboabona-Omeruo-Echijiele in defence from right to left.In midfield Onazi will be the holding midfielder,although he has an injury and is out for the game against Tahiti,he will be replaced by Fegor Ogude in that match or when ever he gets back.Mikel Obi the controller and pace setter while Sunday Mba as the most forward player of the 3 midfielders.In attack comes the real problem for Stephen Keshi.The 3 forward players of the AFCON winning team were Brown Ideye,Emmanuel Emenike and Victor Moses.The last two along with Mikel,Mba and Efe Ambrose were to me Nigeria's best performers at the Nations Cup.The aforementioned Moses and Emenike gave them real attacking energy and impetus and these two are out injured.So what to do for Stephen Keshi? In the Nations cup final Emenike was also out injured.He was replaced on that day by Ike Uche,he didn't make the squad for the Confederations cup.Going with his selections at the recent World cup qualifiers,he is not sure which 2 of 3(Nnamdi Uduamadi,Anthony Ujah and Ahmed Musa) he should go with.I personally will go for the first 2,they will be eager to really prove themselves and will want to take their chances when given.Musa on the other hand has been given many chances on the field which he somehow manages to miss time and time again.I've seen this guy play for both Nigeria amd CKSA Moscow and he tends to miss chances,take on a defender when its not nessecary, give the wrong pass and even when he gives the right pass,it is either missed placed,too early or too late.Don't get me wrong,he has the potential and also has incredible pace but he really needs to work on the problems i mentioned above.Players to watch for the Super Eagles,i'll say,the two strikers Stephen Keshi picks to replace Emenike and Moses,they'll have big boots to fill and many people in the West African country will be looking to see what they do.They have to impress and put in a good show or risk being left in the dark for later events.The Midfield trio of Mba,Mikel and Onazi were excelllent at the Nations cup and will need to be at that again especially when they come against World champions Spain.Sunday Mba has proven to be one who scores important goals,as he scored the Nations Cup winner against Burkina faso and also the winner against Cote D'voire in the quarter final,both goals happened to be scored on a sunday strangely enough,So beware Spain(they play Nigeria on a sunday) and opponents of Nigeria in the 3rd place or Final(both matches will take place on a sunday) if they get there.Onazi had a fantastic season winning the Coppa Italia with Lazio and also had the habit for scoring breath taking goals,Nigerians will hope he recovers in time to face Uruguay and Spain.Mikel is the most famous player for the Nigerian squad and probably the best player in the squad too.He tends to play a more pace setting game for Nigeria rather than the holding one he plays for Chelsea.He did that well at the Nations cup and will also do well to produce an even better performance in Brazil.Another player people should watch out for is the Celtic defender Efe Ambrose,he impressed me alot at the AFCON with his dribbling ability and forrays forward,all the more impressive is the fact that he is a centre back for his club side,Celtic.


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    One thing i love about African football is that,the other countries tend to support their neighbours.The Nigerian players not only carry the hopes of their country but also the hopes of a continent.I'm a big fan of the Nigerian band they always carry about to all their matches and can't wait to hear their drums and trumpets.All the talk that Stephen Keshi carried 8 home based players and hence Nigeria won't take the tournament serious is nonsense.They will go to Brazil and give it a real good go as they always do and maybe,come June 30th we all will be more surprised than we were when Nigeria won the AFCON,if the Super Eagles emergence victorious in Brazil.



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    Thursday 13 June 2013

    THE FIFA CONFEDERATIONS CUP:TEAM BY TEAM ANALYSIS

    GROUP B
    URUGUAY 
                Uruguay come into this tournament after very successful and convincing World Cup and Copa America tournaments.They along with Spain and Italy are aiming to win the tournament to join Argentina and France as the teams that have won all FIFA tournaments.The Celeste,have had an indifferent world cup qualifying process.They have played 12,lost,drawn and won 4 times each,and have picked up 5 points from 21 avaliable.This leaves them with 16 points and 5 points behind Chile in the final automatic qualifying spot,although they have a game in hand.They have the 2nd worst record defensively conceding 21 whilst scoing 18.The team is coached by Oscar Tabarez.He has been at the helm since 2006,after previously been head coach from 1988-1990.As said he has been largely successful with Uruguay,taking a team that had failed to qualify for 3 out of the previous 4 world cups,to 4th place in the Copa America of 2007 and then 4th place in the World cup in 2010 and the Copa America of 2011.Uruguay are blessed with some of the best players in the world with the likes of Fernando Muslera,Alvaro and Maxi pereira,Diego Lugano,Christian Rodrguez,Nicholas Lodeiro,Gaston Ramirez,Luis Suarez,Diego Forlan and Edison Cavani.The Uruguains have sometimes played a 3-4-3 or a 4-4-2 formation in qualifying but i expect them to play a 4-3-3 system which they look more comfortabke with.Their full backs attack with pace from the back and they use a midfield of 1 holding midfielder ,1 controlling the midfielder and 1 attacking midfielder.Their 3 strikers,Suarez,Cavani and Forlan to me are as deadly as it can get.All 3 know each others game well and can interchange at anytime,knowing where to be,when to move.They are very dynamic and together they have various devastating traits that would dismantle any team in the world.Their centre back pairing at the Copa America of Lugano and Coates may not be the same as Diego Godin has had a by far better season than both and,both made 10 and 12 appearances respectively for there clubs all season.Players to watch for the initial world cup winners has to be the front trio of Suarez,Cavani and Forlan.Enough has been said about how they play already,looking at stats Cavani has 17 goals in 55 appearances,Forlan 33 goals in 98 appearances and Suarez 32 goals in 64 appearances.I personally feel Suarez will overtake Forlan in this tournamentas Uruguay's all-time top scorer,especially with a team like Tahiti in their group(no offence to them).Suarez may,also be playing for a move,I said may? Scratch that,Suarez is playing for a move seeing as how he has now been moulded into the Most hated player in England by the English media,he is desperate to leave amd has been giving Real madrid open invitations to come and take him ever since he joined up with the squad.Cavani is also another man who with a good performance may increase his suitors,as he is already pursued by the world's biggest clubs.Forlan will want to prove that he is stil the image of Uruguain football and will not want to leave the crown of all-time top scorer that easily.Other players like Gaston Ramirez and Christian Rodriguez will want to make amends for a slighlty below par season by their standards


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    Uruguay will be looking at this tournament as a means of sending a message to everyone that they still have the spark of 2010 & 2011 and are definitely one of the favourites.They will want to do better than their last appearance in this tournament when they finished 4th,especially since it is on South American soil.Their 3 forward men are also players out to prove a point in Brazil and with their deadly finishing don't bet against them delivering a deadly blow to the 7 other teams by winning the tournament.



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    THE FIFA CONFEDERATIONS CUP:TEAM BY TEAM ANALYSIS

    GROUP B
    TAHITI
         Honestly,before i saw the groupings for this Confederations cup,i had never heard of a nation called Tahiti.Intially i thought it was Haiti wrongly spelt ,but then i realised Haiti technically belonged to North America and they already had Mexico.So i had to do a lot of research on them to find out about them and what to write about them.This is the hardest article i have to write in this Confed Cup series.It took a lot from me.Enough said now to the main business.Tahiti became the first team other than Australia and New Zealand to win the OFC Nations cup.They did so with a 1-0 win over New Caledonia,in a match they were expected to lose as New Caledonia had already beaten tournament favourites New zealand 2-0 in another suprising result.This although is not the first time Team Fenua have qualified for a FIFA tournament.They qualified for the 2009 FIFA u-20 world cup in Egypt were they met Nigeria,Spain and Venezuela.They lost those games 5-0,8-0,8-0 respectively.The coach of Tahiti a former player of the National team Eddy Etaeta knows that they won't win the tournament and possibly may not pick up a point too in the tournament but he is just proud that they are going to Brazil "The people of Tahiti will be happy that we are going to play against Spain and Brazil,it is amazing and we shall enjoy these moments".They are currently ranked 135th in the world. They will not have the opportunity to particpate in Brazil next year as they have failed to qualify for the world cup,so this is there world cup.They played a 4-4-2 system in the final of the OFC Nations cup Final,but in all honestly i expect them to play a10-0-0 formation in this tournament,trying to play on the counter.Players to watch for the Islanders would be primarily 2 players.1st of all,we look at the man who actually brought them to Brazil,Steevy Chong Hue,he scored the winner in the OFC Nations cup final,the winger has scored 11 goals in 22 appearances for his country.He is the 2nd player in the squad that has played outside the country,with spells in the Belgian 2nd division.The second player to look out for and the most experienced is Marama Vahirua.The striker,yet to be capped,has played for Nancy,Liorent,Nantes and Nice.He is now plying his trade in the Greek top division for Panthrakikos.The hopes,although very little of a nation rest chiefly on these two


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    Tahitians are not hoping for anything big,they are going to Brazil to have fun and enjoy the moment.Any goal scored will be celebrated like they won the World Cup.A 1-0 or 2-0 defeat would be awesome.To say a defeat would be awesome tells you how much an underdog they are.They are without doubt the biggest underdogs in the tournaments history.They may have just 1 professional footballer in there entire squad with the rest,teachers,fishermen,salesmen,but one thing i do know, is that Tahiti have spirit and with this spirit  plus happiness and excitement that they are in a major tournament,i'm expecting them to give the other teams a real good run for their money.So Spain,Nigeria,Uruguay watchout...Tahiti will be no pushovers



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