Spurs began the season in a transition of sorts. Andre Villas Boas was brought in to replace Harry Redknapp, while star players Luka Modric and Rafael Van Der Vaart both left the club for pastures new. It is fair to say that many Spurs fan had their doubts about AVB given his troubles during his
AS Monaco mean business. Having just secured their return to Ligue 1 after a two-year absence, they have immediately launched their bid to drown out the competition by means of big spending with the help of their oligarch owner, Russian Dmitry Rybovlev. Paris St Germain and their Qatari billionaires marched to the title last season
Surprise package: Galatasaray Many looked at Galatasaray’s team at the start of the Champions League season thinking they were a team with a few decent players, but nothing that would create any real waves in Europe’s elite club competition. In reality, they surprised many after a disappointing start where they only had one point
Even before the season began, Real Madrid were being hyped as potential treble contenders and by looking at their squad and the special man sat on the bench, it would be foolish not to believe that they had a genuine chance at ending the Barca era. The intensity at which Real Madrid ended their 2011-2012
All good things inevitably come to an end. The world was treated to an electrifying season finale of the Premier League. Arsenal had a fairly glorious season. With the trophy drought still the elephant in the room, they however concluded the season in a joyous mood having secured a Champions League spot in the expense
When Bayern Munich dismantled Barcelona, the world became aware that a new super power has emerged. Jupp Henyckes has steadily turned the Reds of Bavaria into the heavy weights of European Football. However, to make it stick at least for the time being, Dortmund (again) stand in the way of FC HOLLYWOOD. The very same
In the December of 2010, Rafa Benitez was removed from his position of Inter Milan manager barely six months into his reign. He had fallen out with club president and owner Massimo Moratti over transfer policy and once you land on the bad side of Moratti, you are only going one way; out of the
Everton’s season started with a magnificent Marouane Fellaini-inspired victory over Man Utd and ended meaninglessly with defeat to Chelsea to confirm an unwanted sixth place and David Moyes’ exit. A year that proved Moyes’ last offered some of the most genuine hope seen at Goodison for years, yet ultimately yielded routine feelings of frustration and
Incredible team spirit, hunger, determination and hard work are qualities usually associated with British football. But the highly regarded Jürgen Klopp married these attributes up with high tempo pressing, great movement, superb one touch and first time passing and interplay to make Dortmund not only pleasing on the eye, but also a formidable team of
After the curtain fell on the 2012/2013 Serie A season, it also fell signified the final act of Walter Mazzari at Napoli, revealing in the aftermath of a 2-1 defeat to AS Roma that suspicions he would end his four year spell at the San Paolo were true. The 51 year old coach will quit
Goalkeeper- Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid) The 21 year old Belgian still belongs to Chelsea, but he has provided the solid backbone to Atletico’s qualification to Champions League qualification. Superb shot-stopping and solid command of his defence has ensured he has conceded just 30 goals this season, giving Simeone’s men the best defensive record in La
The World Cup playoff game between the United States and Costa Rica on March 22, 2024 was especially memorable. Played in the middle of a storm in Colorado, the game was the closest thing to blizzard soccer fans had seen in awhile. For 90 minutes, players had to contend with an increasingly torrential downpour of wet,
The argument over how much footballers are paid in the modern era has been going on for years now and shows no sign of stopping. Some of the world’s biggest names are now playing with wage packets that let them take home more in a week than many of us will make in our lifetimes,
It’s been coming; we were just too afraid to admit it. After Wigan’s cup heroics at the weekend, there was a possibility that they could perform the ‘Great Escape’ that they have managed on countless occasions, and in fashionable style, too. It looked like survival was on the cards after some impressive wins and vital
“Old Time, the greatest and longest established spinner of all!.. his factory is a secret place, his work is noiseless, and his hands are mutes” said Charles Dickens, referring to the commodity of age as an almost haunting process. There is definitely a chill about the air in 2013, the defining generation of the Premier
Perhaps the most startling aspect of Roberto Mancini’s sacking as Manchester City manager on Monday evening was the speed of it, coming just over 48 hours after the Qatari owners watch their side produce a sluggish display in defeat to Wigan in the FA Cup final. Rumours that the Eastlands hierarchy held a lack of
It is no coincidence that my 50th article of 2013 is on the Ginger Maestro. It is fitting that we revere and sendoff the great Paul Scholes in the grandest of styles. He may have retired before, but his comeback was even more phenomenal. After seven months out of the game, the pass King returned
In recent years, Arsenal have been lucky enough to have a line of very good right backs in their ranks. From the English bite of Lee Dixon to the undying passion of Lauren to the total commitment of Bacary Sagna, the right side of defence has not been a problematic position for Arsenal for quite
The sacking of Roberto Mancini has raised many an eyebrow these past 24 hours as to why exactly he was sacked. Are we the new Chelsea or Real Madrid? Do our owners know nothing about football? Of course not. The reasoning behind the Mancini departure expressed by the club is that they needed to develop
It may be the biggest country on Earth, but one of the most, if not the most, controversial. Russia has a long and dark association with corruption, and issue that is not showing any signs of going away. From Vladimir Putin’s blatant rigging of public elections, to being one of the few capitalist countries with