REFORMING ARSENAL

Here we go again, arsenal once again in the spotlight. It is no news that they have been a mid table side in recent years to say the least and the earlier they realize that they are no longer a force to be reckoned the better. It is one thing to know you have a problem then another ball game entirely to actually fix that problem. I hope the insiders do realize that there is a big problem. They have been absent in the champions league in recent years, missing out on the money and the ability to attract big players to the club. That is abysmal of a club of this stature and if they continue to miss out then they have completely fallen off. Analyzing the current team, a whole lot of changes needs to be made if they are to return to the pinnacle of football.

Luckily for them, they already have one of the best strikers in the world in their hands though he is yet to sign a new contract with his current deal set to expire by the end of the season. I would suggest the club let him move on and cut their losses as the damage has been done already. Once again a big player has not been managed correctly. Ramsey, wilshere to name a few are among the players that the club has let their contract run down and ended up getting nothing from their transfer with the former leaving for turin as recently as last season. 

They really need to break the bank if they are to return to the top. I see no reason they should not go for someone like halaand. I know that seems like a far cry but making a statement signing of a player in that mold will show how ambitious they are and other players would want to join the club. Some alternatives to halaand could be strikers like belloti, jovic,oshimen are also good fits. While on the wings, there are guys like dembele, coman, james, coutinho, draxler. Most of theses players are currently unsettled in their current teams and would entertain a move to a club like arsenal which would be a perfect marriage as they both are hoping to hit top form. Getting at least two of the names mentioned above would be brilliant. Ever since Ramsey left, they lacked a good ball carrier in the team. Van de beek ticks all the boxes for me and arsenal should be fighting for him or maybe isco. Thomas partey has said he wants to join the club according to whispers. He is exactly what arsenal needs in that DM position and is an upgrade in what they currently have.
Getting someone like Madison or grealish who already knows the league should also be a priority. The right back position should be addressed as well. There is pavard, zest or even cancelo who is currently unsettled at city and would welcome a move. I strongly think they should get in a world class defender like demiral or someone like koulibaly. There are brilliant youngsters in the team with huge potentials and if they keep them and can get some of the players mentioned above then arsenal can get back to former heights or even greater. Funds are limited yes, due to the effect of the corona virus. Most of the players in the current team are simply not good enough for arsenal and needs to be moved on to generate income for the new signings. Nevertheless, the current dilemma now is securing a spot in the top four and arteta needs to find a way to do that with just 10 games remaining. 

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HOW GOOD IS LIVERPOOL?

You remember the fearsome duo of Sturridge and Suarez 

right? And how close they were to lifting the league title 

before bottling it at the very end. Fast forward to few years and they are in the Europa league  final without Suarez this time but guess what? They bottled it again where it mattered.

 They also lost to man city as well in a domestic cup final that same year. 

A much changed team got to the champions league final in 2018. On a cold night in Kiev against a Real Madrid side looking to make it 3 champions league trophies in a row. They were unfortunate on the night with their star man Salah brutally taken out prematurely by Ramos and familiar problems resurfaced again and they bottled yet another final. 

So it is safe to say this have always been a good team over the years but just lacked that character and a little bit of substance to cross the finish line. They were good yes, but not just good enough to complete the job. The forward line has always been top notch over the years, the midfield not by any means the worst, but that defense which is made up of a back 4 and the goalkeeper is where the fault is and it laid bare for everyone to see.  Robertson and van dijk were added and Arnold came through the ranks as well to improve the porous defense. Allison Becker came in as well from Roma. There were also some additions across other areas of the team that proved vital. This is the team in focus today.  Spearheaded by a 3 man front line of the selfless Firminho as the number 9, explosive Salah on the right, ever reliable mane on the left. A midfield trio of Henderson at the base with Fabinho and Wijnaldum on either side. A back line formed by the marauding fullbacks of Arnold and Robertson that have the best long distance relationship in football with the duo exchanging cross field passes on a regular bases. The center back partnership of van Dijk and Matip together with the assured Allison Becker between the sticks. This is the team they have yearned for years.  This team have been nothing short of magnificent pushing man city all the way to the last game of the previous season but missed out on the trophy despite losing just once but who cares anyway as they went on to claim the champions league in May. Their journey was so impressive and it included arguably the best comeback in the competition’s history as they turned a 3-0 deficit into 4-3 against Barcelona at Anfield in the return leg of the semi-finals. “Corner taken quickly”, origi!!!

The Liverpool faithful would never forget that moment. They lifted the trophy in an all English final against spurs in Madrid.  Liverpool are 25 points clear at the top of the table with the league trophy already in their hands. You can feel the energy from the stands to the manager down to all the players. They simply do not know how to lose even on their worst days with rival fans branding them liVARpool as they claim the VAR has favored them most times. They are certainly the best team in England and definitely among the elite clubs in Europe if not the best. 

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NEYMAR THE THIRD EYE

      

Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar in that order. It was in that order, 

should still be in that order, but is it still in that order? Ever since Neymar left Barcelona in a €222 million  mega deal to Paris, it has not really turned out how he would have expected it to. It is fair to say he has not reached the heights that was expected of him or even matched his previous heights in Barcelona. This is a move that has not been favorable to all parties involved. Barcelona have sorely missed him as all the replacements have failed to replicate what Neymar did at the capital. Messi even told the board to go all out and do everything possible to bring him back. Psg are yet to win the champions league and Neymar has not gone close to winning the Ballon d’or so it has not been a good deal. 

When Neymar was at Barcelona alongside Messi and Suarez, they formed arguably the best attack in world football. He scored 105 goals in 186 matches for Barcelona. He was a 2 time Spanish champion, and also won the treble in the 14/15 season. He scored 3 goals in the quarter-finals against his current team Psg, 3 goals against Bayern Munich in the semi-finals and scored the killer goal against Juventus in the finals. That was how instrumental he was in the Champions league for Barcelona and finished third for the Fifa Ballon d’or award.

Yes the Ballon d’or, the reason he left Barcelona for Psg where he would be the main man and lead them to Champions league glory which would give him more chances of finishing first for the Fifa Ballon d’or. Injuries and lots off-field antics have plagued his Psg’s career so far with criticism from former players and even current players questioning his attitude. Some people believe Mbappe is currently more important to the team than Neymar. For a player that was considered as the third best footballer, that is a step back in all respect to Mbappe’s brilliance. During his time at Psg, Messi has picked up 2 more Ballon d’or while Ronaldo grabbed 2 as well and even Modric got his hands on the prestigious individual award. That should have been his chance as he was thought to be the only player to break the duo dominance. He might have collected the award by now if he stayed back at Barcelona but sadly that did not happen. The player has made his intent of returning to the Spanish club to be reunited with Messi and Suarez. 

A love story he ended prematurely when he decided to 
switch clubs. Currently, he is not considered to be the third eye anymore and for a player that had the tag 5 years back, he should even be the second best by now if not the best footballer in the world.

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MODRIC HANDS THE BALLON D'OR TO MESSI AND CONGRATULATES HIM ON SOCIAL MEDIA

The real Madrid midfielder handed the prestigious individual award to Messi and took to social media to congratulate his rival. Modric won the award after a stellar year that saw Croatia get to the world cup final after winning the champions league for a third successive season with real Madrid. He ended Messi's and Ronaldo's 10 year dominance of the trophy.


Messi won his sixth ballon d'Or after scoring 41 goals in 44 games for club across a calendar year. He also guided Barcelona to the Laliga trophy and was the top scorer in the competition at the end of the 2018-2019 season.

Modirc said- "sports and football are not just about winning, they're also about respect for your teammates and rivals".


virgil vandijk of Liverpool was the runner up and closest competitor of for the trophy. The defender had a stellar season himself and would have been the first defender to lift the trophy since cannavaro pulled it off in 2006 but messi's magic was the difference on Monday night. 

The Netherlands defender won the 2019 champions league with Liverpool as they brushed messi's Barcelona easily in the second leg of the semi-final and Liverpool finished second domestically despite having 97 points and losing just one game to eventual winners Manchester city.


The ballon d'Or has now been won by a laliga player in the past 11 years after messi's latest feat. still only 32 years there might be more for the mercurial forward who just clocked 700 appearances for Barcelona not long ago.

The numbers are astonishing, 614 goals for Barcelona, 34 trophies in total which includes 10 laliga cups and 4 European cups.

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MIRACLE IN WALES

The media in Spain have called Bale's return the "miracle in wales". The Real forward was called up despite not playing since oct5. 


His last match  was against Croatia while on international duty. The forward trained without complains and even said he's excited to play for wales. "i definitely have more excitement playing for wales, I've been with the older players since we were in the u17s". "it's like playing with your mates down the park on a Sunday it's normal. "with wales, i'm speaking my own language and feel more comfortable but it doesn't change what i do on the pitch "i always give 100% wherever i am, that's what i always strive to do." 

The player has been criticized by some Madrid legends who believe he isn't giving enough to the team and questioned his commitment. Even some players within the locker room expressed their disappointment with bale's decision to play for wales despite being unavailable for selection due a so-called injury. 

when asked about the Spanish media's criticism, bale responded "I find it hilarious to be honest especially some of the pictures and stuff my friends send me".


 "on one it said triple bogey and I've never had a triple bogey! At least give me an albatross! it's funny. "some of the things i have seen, people don't understand and don't know what they're on about so i find it quite funny.

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MANCITY LOOKING AT EVANS AND SOYUNCU

The premier league champions are said to be considering the duo along with a number of other options according to reports.

Leicester have the best defensive record in the league so it's no surprise their defenders who have been instrumental are wanted. City failure to sign a center back have come back to haunt them.

Their former captain and defensive rock kompany left at the end of last season and there has been an obvious void left to be filled. City are 4th after 12 games and are 9 points behind current table toppers Liverpool. City themselves saw a number of bids for Evans turned down before he eventually joined Leicester. They also saw Maguire slip from their hands having not submitting a bid for the English defender and he eventually joined rivals united.

Since losing Laporte to injury, the Backline has been shaky. Guardiola has initially said the club won't go looking for defenders in January but with recent showings they do need to get a top defender if they are to retain the championship by the end of may.  

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NABIL KEITA WANTS TO BE REDS FAVORITE PLAYER

The reds midfielder has seen his chances limited by injuries and is keen to stake a claim. 
keita has joked that he wants to be a favorite like his compatriots salah or mane.



"If I can get to the level of Mo and Sadio maybe I will be his favorite one day," Keita

"I don't think he [Klopp] has any particular favorites or he has picked anyone out for a special mention, he communicates very freely and openly with all the players. 

"He likes to laugh and joke around, he has a very light relationship with all the players."

"Well, it's England, all you can say is that all the matches are important," he added.

"You can't say this one or that one is going to be the decisive moment because the next one is always the most important game. Only after that can we prepare for Manchester City."

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WHAT IS WRONG WITH UNITED?

                                    

Despite spending a fortune in the transfer market, there are signs that the issues troubling the squad has not been addressed yet. 


Their failure to sign a creative midfielder and a striker has haunted them this season as they struggle in front of goal. Letting Lukaku and Sanchez leave was in fairness to ole the right thing to do as they both failed to make the desired impact in Old trafford. 


At the beginning of the season he announced that martial will play as a number 9 but injuries have plagued him so far and Rashford is misfiring. His decision not to bring in a striker is hunting them.

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BELLERIN AND TIERNEY COULD BE THE BEST FULLBACKS IN THE LEAGUE

There is a great sense of optimism within the fans that the return of Bellerin from a lengthy injury spell and new summer signing Tierney who arrived injured as well will be a major boost to the team. Accessing the current gunners fullbacks Niles and Kolasinac, the incoming fullbacks are both upgrades to what the gunners currently have and one can understand why the fans cannot wait for their return. 

Both are said to return to training ahead of schedule this month precisely which was previously said to be October. Bellerin is the only natural right back in the squad as Niles is naturally  a midfielder and is being played out of position. The attacking attributes of Bellerin has never been in question is his defensive abilities with question marks that even Niles himself has not answered. Though Bellerin was exceptional before his unfortunate injury which also coincident-ed with the team's poor form he is expected to slot straight right back into the team.

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EUROPE'S LONGEST WINNING STREAK

With Chelsea a win away from equaling the highest winning run from any team in England a record held by arsenal, wetake a look at the longest winning run in Europe.

Bordeaux(champions)2008/2009-Former psg coach Laurent blanc was the hero when Bordeaux embarked on a remarkable 11 game winning run that eventually led them to the ligue 1 title finishing  3 points ahead of Marseille. The best run in Ligue1 till date.

Chelsea(pending)2016/2017-After a 3-0 loss to arsenal, pressure was mounting on newly appointed coach Antonio conte with speculation that the Italian was going to be sacked with less than seven months into the job. a return to his favored 3-4-3 formation which has been the trademark of the Italians success in his managerial career saw Chelsea keep 5 clean sheets in a row and  scoring more than 15 goals in the process and are currently on a 12 game winning run.

Arsenal(champions)-The 2001/2002 season was one to remember for arsenal fans as they did the double. they went on a 13 game winning run which included a 1-0 against united in the last game of the season and followed it up with an fa cup final victory against chelsea.

Barcelona(champions)2010/2011-Pep Guardiola was the man in charge as Barcelona went on an unstoppable 16 game winning run. the Spaniard set up his team in a way which they dominated the ball and pressed higher up the pitch whenever they lost it with xavi integral to the system. The tikitaka was given life by guardiola and many suspect that was the reason Spain became world champions and won the euros in succession as guardiola had already laid the blueprint for Vicente Del bosque to work with.

Inter Milan(champions)2006/2007-Inter Milan won the Serie a title under former man city coach Roberto Mancini, losing just once in the process. Luis Figo was integral to the inter Milan setup. A 17 game winning run was too much for other title contenders to meet up.They won the league by 22 points.

Bayern Munich(champions)2013/2014-For the second time in this list Pep guardiola has featured but this time in Bavarian colors. Bayern Munich became champions in incredible fashion as they won the league with 7 games remaining with a 19 point margin. They looked invisible and a 19 game winning run was a beauty to behold which is the highest ever winning run in European history.

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THE TITLE RACE

Arsenal 

After spending over 80m in a busy transfer market, reinforcing their defence with mustafi, holding, midfield with xhaka, attack with lucas and a young lad takumo asano who was sent out loan to stuttgart, for the first time in a long while they actually look like they can compete for the title. But their is always this fear that in between the crisp and wonderfully orchestrated football they play, their is still a psychological loop hole and anxiety that sets in when expected to deliver. until that is rectified, wenger's men still has some way to go to claim the most prestigious prize in english football which has eluded them for 12 years.


                                   Chelsea

After the sacking of jose mourinho in a season which turned out to be highly anonymous culminated with the worst defence of a pl title they won just 18 months ago, antonio conte was brought in amidst a spectacular euros though he was already appointed before then. The Italian was assigned a herculean task of restoring the confidence of the players and in particular their best players such as hazard, costa and co.The defense was also an area looked into but more surprisingly this is a team which is known for its defensive prowess which has been the bedrock of its success in recent years but after shipping in more goals in 10 matches than they did in the entirety of their title winning season something had to be done fast. The signing of kante, alonso and the surprising return of luiz was a welcome development but most importantly is the fighting spirit conte is expected to bring with him whether is enough to win them the title is left to see.

Liverpool

You can score goals but we gonna outscore you seems to be the reds trademark these days. Suarez papered over their cracks when they mounted a genuine title challenge only to be let down by a gerrard's slip and a disappointing 4-3 loss to alan parsew's then crystal palace at seilhurst park.Having said that despite all of their attacking brilliance no team  has ever carried the premier league with a weak defence. A lot of 4-3 wins can't do the job rather the hard fought 1-0s. If they can change their approach in that sense then their will be a sense of optimism that this could be their year.

Manchester city

The arrival of pep guardiola was said to be the final piece of the jigsaw after their underwhelming season was blamed on departed manager pellegrini. He(guardiola) is expected to bring charisma with him while coming to Manchester. The bookers have already declared them as runaway champions but with their squad and a hugely successful manger if not the best presently we can't argue can we? either way we shall wait till the end of the season o see their standing be it at the top of the pile or wherever will depend mainly on guardiola no doubt.

Manchester united

The special one was appointed after the united hierarchy dismissed lvg in what was a dismal season as united missed out on the champions league. Some may say he left with pride after their fa cup exploits. Whichever, they were simply below substandard and were branded boring by the united faithful. The appointment of jose mourinho was seen as a welcome development.The Portuguese himself had gone through a tumultuous year with Chelsea which saw him eventually axed. rumour has it that he was given a 200m warchest during the transfer window. Ibrahimovic,mikitaryan, balily and pogba were brought in with the later returning to old trafford after leaving in 2012 with reports he was overlooked by the then manager sir Alex. He (pogba) is presently the monalisa of football after being signed of an astronomical reported figure of 105m. How mourinho is going to select his team is what for me will decide if they will lift the title.There are some damming stats of last season united became famous with such as keeping more of the ball but creating lesser chances and scoring fewer goals than each of their fellow title contenders. mikitaryan and zlatan were brought in to change that with the former having recording more assists than any player in Europe top five leagues. Baily will be expected to shore things up defensively. If they can stick to what the manager wants, then they certainly would be title challengers.

Tottenham

The north Londoners are still in hunt of a title they last won as far back as 1961. They were closest to win the league last season as they chased Leicester city but ultimately coming short. A run of poor results and eventually the 2-2 draw against Chelsea a  match were sparks flew ultimately confirmed them out of the title race and Leicester as champions. They have a good squad to compete and i think defensively they are the best in the league. The main question is do they have the quality to cope when harry Kane their chief goalscorer is not available? well i think they don't. Players were brought in during the transfer window such as wanyama, sissoko and Jansen to mention a few. They are all expected to improve the existing squad and Jansen in particular to fill into the big shoes of harry Kane. If pochettino can cool the players as discipline is not their watchword, they might as well put up a challenge or even claim the title. If Leicester can do it, hell yes they can.


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REJUVENATED PEDRO A REVELATION

I don't know the psychology behind it but whenever a player is happy it transcends in his performances on the pitch. In the premier league currently, i don't know too many players who are happier than Pedro Rodriguez at the moment. He looked a sad man at the euros and even complained of being left out of the starting eleven. Seeing him play with a huge grin against Bournemouth was a joy to behold. 

He defended from the front, hassling and harrying their defense with tireless running and did not give them a moment of peace. According to opta only one player made more sprints than him which was willian. Whenever he received the ball he looked to break with pace and looked absolutely unplayable to Bournemouth players. His first goal was sheer class after the ball was perfectly worked onto his feet by fabregas while his second was a combination of strong running and great technique. He has become an important figure in this present Chelsea team and his absence is going to be missed after picking up his 4th yellow card of the season. 


With the imminent return of costa and kante after both missed out on suspensions of their own together with the regained confidence of fabregas, i can't help but think that this Chelsea team absolutely look the real deal and i wouldn't be surprised if conte picked up his first

premier league title in what would be an outstanding debut season for the enthusiastic Italian. 
Furthermore, if Pedro continues with performances of this sort then the pfa player of the season wouldn't be a far cry.

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GIROUD DESERVES HIS PLACE

The french man was targeted and blamed as one of the major reasons arsenal title challenge wilted. The talk of bringing in a new striker who could score 20 goals in the league was what supporters wanted as pressure mounted on arsene wenger to sign a striker heightened. Giroud was part of the France squad that went to the euros final and was even booed as fans thought he was not good enough to replace benzema. He eventually had a good euros scoring three goals and starting the final but on returning to arsenal he had lost his place to Sanchez as the clubs no 1 striker. 

There were speculations that he was looking to move away from the emirates in a cash plus swap deal with higuain but a move never really materialised as higuain eventually joined juventus in a mammoth deal. Injuries has also played its own part in the giroud saga but the outstanding performance of sanchez in the central role has ensured he still remained on the sidelines. 


However he made a case for himself after scoring the equaliser against united with a thumping header and showed his frustration by not celebrating the goal. in truth that was their only shot on target in the whole game and should have lost if not for giroud who salvaged a crucial point for the gunners in what was a hugely anonymous evening. The french man has created a knack for scoring after being introduced in a game and now holds the record of scoring the most goals as a substitute in an arsenal shirt. He started his first game this season against west brom and rewarded wenger's faith with a goal in the dying stages of the match. Personally, i think he and sanchez can play together. 

He has different attributes to sanchez which can benefit arsenal. He holds the ball well up the pitch and can bring in other attacking players into play with his slick touches and layoffs. The sooner wenger starts playing giroud the better for arsenal.

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IS RONALDO THE GREATEST EUROPEAN FOOTBALLER OF ALL TIME?

Questions have been asked after the Portuguese picked up his 4th ballond'or on Monday evening.

One thing is for certain for sure though which is that he deserved it. He scored 48 goals in 52 appearances. He led the Los Blancos to the champion league trophy and became himself an European cup winner. 
He now has more ballond'or than platini(2) Cyruff(3), vanbasten(2) who are considered as the best players in the European world.The stats are there for all to see that Ronaldo is the best European football presently. As for all time is still a water under the bridge till he retires. 

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