Monthly Archives: July 2015

Kyriakos Papadopoulos: Promising Greek defender on the radar of Liverpool and Atletico Madrid

  By O-Posts Team | July 8, 2024 - 17:22 | , , , , , ,
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Name: Kyriakos Papadopoulos

Position: Centre-back

Age: 23

Country: Greece

Club: Bayer Leverkusen

 

It is a testament to Kyriakos Papadopoulos’ ability and reputation that Bayer Leverkusen turned his loan move into a permanent one this season, despite the player spending a large portion of his time at the BayArena on the treatment tables.

Leverkusen paid fellow Bundesliga club Schalke €6.5 million to permanently secure the services of the Greece international, who has signed a 5-year contract. In spite of his injury problems during the 2014-15 campaign, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid continued to be heavily linked with the defender.

Indeed, Papadopoulos is a known favourite of Brendan Rodgers and this is a reflection of the technical ability and intelligence the 23 year-old possesses.

Having attracted the attention of foreign clubs whilst at Olympiacos, it wasn’t long before Schalke acquired Papadopoulos and he began repaying the club’s faith immediately with a string of impressive early displays.

Quickly establishing himself as a key player at the club despite his youth, Papadopoulos made the seamless transition to UEFA Champions League football and was immense during Greece’s Euro 2012 campaign.

Unfortunately for the talented centre-back, injury ruled him out of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and slowed what has thus far been a meteoric rise.

In terms of playing style, Papadopoulos’ strength lies in his ability to combine technical competence with aggression: his bullish approach to tackling and aerial duels makes him an asset for whichever side he plays in.

Papadopoulos has also developed into a natural leader and inspiring dressing room figure by virtue of his style of play and confidence. His absence has been keenly felt during Greece’s current Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, during which the former European champions have struggled badly.

Still only 23 and having endured one of the most frustrating seasons of his career, Leverkusen have shown a great deal of faith in one of European football’s most exciting prospects. The coming campaign will be a great test of Papadopoulos’ resilience and determination.

 

Written by Chris Paraskevas

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Matteo Darmian: What can the Italian full-back offer Manchester United?

  By O-Posts Team | July 8, 2024 - 15:07 | , , , , , ,
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Earlier this week, Manchester United and Torino agreed a fee for Italy full back Matteo Darmian. It’s reported that the Serie A side Torino agreed to sell their prized defender for £12.7million (€18m). So let’s take a closer look at the Italian.

 

Background

Darmian was born in 1989 in Legnano, North West of Milan. He joined Milan’s youth ranks after breaking through with non-league side, Carcor.

His senior-team debut with Milan came in the Coppa Italia match against Brescia in November 2006. The 16-year-old, at the time, was introduced as a substitute for Kakha Kaladze.

Half a year later, Matteo got his first league start for the Rossoneri in the match against Udinese. He went on to feature one more time in the Coppa Italia in the 2007/2008 season. That year the young talent took the captain`s armband in the youth team.

In the summer of 2009, the Serie B side Padova loaned the youngster. Matteo enjoyed an excellent loan stint and played plenty of games that season – making 20 appearances and scoring the once.

The following season, the defender moved to Sicilian outfit Palermo. The size of the transfer fee the club had paid to secure Matteo Darmian was €800k.

He made a good contribution at Palermo, displaying solid defensive capabilities. The centre-half registered a total of 16 matches for Palermo in all competitions.

In the summer of 2011, Torino completed the loan of the player. A year later, Palermo sold 50 percent of Darmian’s contract to the Torino.

Coming through the ranks at International level with Italy U19 and U21’s Darmian made his senior debut in 2014. He travelled to the World Cup to Brazil and was probably the only Italian player to come out of that tournament with their head held high – he has 13 caps.

 

What can he offer Manchester United?

Matteo can offer his new club versatility; he is able to play on the left and right back positions and even central defence.

Manager Louis van Gaal is a big admirer of players able to play in various positions - this is highlighted by last summer’s acquisitions Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo. United’s squad already includes a handful of players who can play across various roles, allowing the Dutch coach to change the formation/tactic with ease.

The Italian’s arrival could lend itself to Van Gaal utilising a back three. He tried this during the early stages of last term but switched to four after United struggled to adapt. Darmian can slot into the gut-busting full-back role easily, supporting midfield from deep but also dropping to make a five-man defence when possession breaks down.

His attacking ability is just a good as his defensive. At Torino, he was the man who would be first to receive the ball as the opposition move broke down, his dynamism and creativity after this proved essential for the team.

It must be noted that the £12.7m fee is very cheap. Had Darmian been English or Spanish, I think he would have gone for at least double that figure.

With right back options Rafael and Antonio Valencia not working out for Manchester United, the fans will hope Darmian’s Torino form continues at Old Trafford – if it does, he will turn out to be an excellent signing.

 

Written by Serie A Writer

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German Bundesliga: Can you name the players who have scored at least 100 league goals?

  By O-Posts Team | July 7, 2024 - 21:52 | , , , ,
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Jasper Cillessen: Is he an ideal successor to the possibly departing De Gea?

  By O-Posts Team | July 7, 2024 - 19:10 | , , , , , , ,
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Well, for the people who have followed my articles on O-Posts (if so, thank you), you will know I have had an article on Anwar El Ghazi and whether he was ready for the step up and another concerning the Sergio Ramos to Man United rumors. This article is a mix of those two.

Because today I will be looking to see if Jasper Cillessen, Ajax’s number one keeper, is a suitable replacement for the rumoured to be departing David De Gea.

But first let’s have a look at his career thus far.

Career thus far

Cillessen was born and raised in Nijmegen and was later scouted and signed by NEC Nijmegen’s own football club at the age of 12.

He made his debut in 2010 and impressively won the man of the match award in that match vs Heerenveen. He stayed between the sticks from that match onwards and also ended up winning Gelderse Player of the Year (Gelderland is a big part of Holland).

At the start of the 2011/12 season, Cillessen left for Ajax for an estimated fee of 3 million Euros — something which now can be seen as a very good piece of business by the Amsterdammers.

For the first few seasons, he was a backup keeper behind Kenneth Vermeer and it was not until the 2013/14 season, where Vermeer went through a very bad spell, that Cillessen became the club’s first-choice keeper.

That summer he was also first-choice keeper of Louis Van Gaal’s Holland side that reached the semi-finals of the World Cup tournament in Brazil and where he was remembered for that iconic moment when Van Gaal replaced him right before the penalty shootout against Costa Rica for Tim Krul.

Strengths

Before I proceed, a big thank you to Rowdy Sibrandi and Rowan Nahar — two people who have helped me with this and the Anwar El Ghazi article.

Just as with my Anwar El Ghazi piece I spoke with a few of my friends, who are Ajax season ticket holders, to see what they thought of Cillessen and his strengths and weak points.

And on this occasion, they were more positive remarks about Cillessen than the views in regards to El Ghazi.

From what I have heard and seen, Cillessen’s main strength is that he is very calm on the ball and a reliable outlet to pass back to as a last-man defender. He also has very strong reflexes and is excellent in dealing with crosses.

 

Weaknesses

The main weakness, which has been well-documented, is that Jasper Cillessen has NEVER saved a penalty. Hence, the reason Louis Van Gaal substituted him in ‘’that’’ quarter final vs Costa Rica.

This weakness may have also been noticeable in the semi-final shootout vs Argentina, where 2 penalty’s were saveable in my opinion.

He also is quite inconsistent with his kicking, but that’s only a concern when he takes goal kicks not when the ball is in play as previously mentioned.

Ready for United?

Yes, I do foresee a David De Gea-esque start if he were to be thrown into the line up straight away but with Victor Valdes there I do not see this happening.

But the question for me is: Is this a smart step for Jasper Cillessen himself?

With Victor Valdes and Man Utd, it would be very hard to break through into the first team and a long spell on the bench could be disastrous for Cillessen’s development.

Is Cillessen ready for the Premier League and a step up from the Eredivisie? Yes. Are Man United ready for Cillessen? No.

 

Written by Jamie De Geir

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FIFA 16: Three Major Changes in the latest FIFA Installment

  By O-Posts Team | July 7, 2024 - 17:18 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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We expect big changes from the new FIFA 16 as EA has promised a better game after the failure of FIFA 15.

We do not know all the changes that EA has done to improve the game, but we know some of the major changes that we will see in the upcoming new sensation (according to EA at the E3 conference).

 

Women’s Football

Women’s Football is the one big change we are going to see in FIFA 16. EA has announced that they have added twelve women’s national teams in the game and has focused on the female gameplay to make it more accurate as possible.

This is a milestone for FIFA as well as Women’s Football. There are only a very few people who completely follow Women’s Football, but after this everyone buying the game will have a chance to explore it.

Also, it has been reported that EA are planning on making a separate FIFA game for females only from next year. It will only be a great success for the future if the initial Women’s Football in FIFA 16 is as good as the EA claims.

 

New Tactical Defense with Improved Goalkeeping

When EA initially released the first gameplay trailer we were worried that again they were only focusing on adding new features, not fixing previous errors. But then they released the second trailer suggesting they have made some serious changes in the interference engine of the game. These improvements includes a new tactical defending and a more realistic goalkeeping.

The Tactical Defending includes more animatic moves like diving clearance and triangle traps giving the video game simulation a more real life like feel. There are not much changes in goalkeeping, however they have fixed previous bugs like air ball glitch.

 

More Animations and Graphics

We have already talked about more animatic moves in previous section but that is not all there is. The developers have added new stadiums, celebrations, skill moves, interactive crowds, and many other new graphics and animations to make the game compatible with the new interactive engine.

Other graphics includes new menus and modes, which have not been revealed yet.

 

Written by Charchit Dahal

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Nigel Pearson: The Leicester manager sacked for failing to toe the party line

  By O-Posts Team | July 7, 2024 - 15:03 | , , ,
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Perhaps it should not come as a shock that Leicester City are reportedly lining up Guus Hiddink to succeed Nigel Pearson as manager. It has been the ambitions of their Thai owners that have previously seen them hire Sven Goran Eriksson and now in the market for a similarly high-profile name, the 68 year old Hiddink could be set for a return to England for the latest stop on a managerial odyssey that has taken in places such as Australia, South Korea, Fenerbahce and most recently Anzhi Makhachkala of Russia, and his home country.

The Dutchman guided the Netherlands to fourth place in the 1998 World Cup before he equalled the same performance four years later with South Korea and while trophies have been scarce outside his native homeland where he won 6 Eredivisie titles, 4 Dutch cups and the 1988 European Cup with PSV Eindhoven, Hiddink has enjoyed a career with marked distinction.

The FA Cup he lifted with Chelsea in 2009 remains the only trophy besides the Intercontinental Cup with Real Madrid in 1998 that he has won outside of Holland and there is a feeling of unfinished business hanging over from his short time in the Premier League.

Rescuing a campaign that was slipping to a disaster under Luiz Felipe Scolari, Hiddink would lose only 1 of his 23 matches in charge at Chelsea and saw a refereeing performance of extreme incompetence cost his team a place in the Champions League final. There, he would have faced Manchester United and he voiced his regret about not getting the opportunity to take on the then-champions as he bid farewell on the Wembley pitch.

Despite considering Burnley’s Sean Dyche and their former midfielder Neil Lennon of Bolton Wanderers, Hiddink may now get the chance to finally lock horns with the Red Devils as he emerges as front-runner to take over from Pearson who was sacked for “fundamental differences in perspective” with the board. The club’s billionaire owners, chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and son Aiyawatt, have set their target high in the search for a name that will bring with it experience and glitz in order to repair some of the damage done by Pearson’s abrasive reign.

Leicester’s run of 7 wins from their last 9 games, a sequence in which the only defeat came to champions Chelsea, to rise from the foot of the table and avoid relegation was deserving of high praise but it was not enough for Pearson to survive the turmoil created by the role of his son in a sex and racism scandal during a post-season good-will tour of the owner’s home country. Caught on film, Leicester had no choice but to sack James Pearson as well as the two other youth players involved and it has been seen by many as the prologue to the exit of Pearson senior.

Things all looked to be running smoothly as Leicester prepared for their 2nd year in the top-flight by signing Robert Huth, instrumental in their season-saving run, on a permanent £3 million deal from Stoke as well as adding the Schalke left-back Christian Fuchs on a free deal. Shinji Okazaki, who scored 14 times last season for Mainz in Germany, has also arrived for £7 million and the new arrivals may have been as shocked as the majority of onlookers as they learned that pre-season will be spent under someone other than Pearson.

When properly scrutinised however the decision should not have been so unexpected. The escape from relegation was a triumphant conclusion to a season where Pearson immersed himself in controversy and did his best to alienate both his fans, in an unsavoury incident following a defeat to Liverpool in December, as well as journalists, to whom he called one a “pr*ck” and one an “ostrich” after receiving appraisal for his team’s valiant loss to Chelsea in April.

Vichai had decided to dismiss Pearson after he grabbed Crystal Palace’s James McArthur by the throat during a 0-1 home defeat in February, only to be persuaded by his son Aiyawatt that stability was the best course. With an extending charge sheet of toxic behaviour and a relationship soured by the actions of his son out in Thailand, for Leicester’s image-conscious King Power owners Pearson could simply go no further.

Only last summer was the club’s owner identifying a top-five Premier League finish as a realistic goal for the club within the next three years and a positive set of financial results which were posted in May will increase optimism that the desired spending figure, £180 million is the figure mentioned by Vichai, is not all pie in the sky. With the ambition still burning and qualification for Europe the next achievable aim, the King Power group have the resources and structure in place to provide Hiddink with an attractive proposition.

The Srivaddhanaprabhs and director of football John Rudkin have drawn together a shortlist on which Hiddink is believed to be top, but little else is being allowed to stream out by a board who are typically cagey and guarded with their affairs.

Nigel Pearson was the opposite and that ultimately proved fatal, with Leicester now set to embark on an exciting future without him.

 

Written by Adam Gray

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Manuel Neuer: An Illustration of the Bayern star protecting his goal in typical Neuer fashion

  By O-Posts Team | July 6, 2024 - 21:24 | ,
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Raheem Sterling: Could Real Madrid be the right move for the Liverpool star?

  By O-Posts Team | July 6, 2024 - 19:14 | , , , , ,
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Raheem Sterling will report back to pre-season training with Liverpool this week with his future still undecided. And while Manchester City are still keen on securing the services of the England international, a move overseas is still not out of the question. So what would be the ideal destination for the highly-rated forward player?

The Liverpool board have a firm bid on the table from the Manchester club but are not interested in selling to a direct rival unless they receive an offer in the region of £50m. There has been talk of a move to Real Madrid and Liverpool may actually be willing to accept a lower offer if the player were to move abroad.

A move to Madrid could be beneficial to both parties as the Merseyside club would not be strengthening a direct rival in the league, and the player would get the opportunity to team up with the Coach who originally took him to Anfield.

Rafael Benitez persuaded the youngster to sign for the reds in February 2010 when he was just 15-years-old. At the time he was a Queens Park Rangers academy player and on the radar of several top Premier League clubs. However, it was the Spanish coach who convinced Sterling and his family that Liverpool was the best place to develop his talents.

Unfortunately, the relationship between Sterling and Benitez was short-lived as ongoing behind-the-scenes turmoil at the club, and a poor finish to the 2009/10 season saw the Spaniard axed from his role in June 2010.

A move to Real Madrid would certainly give the player the high profile role that he craves, and he would also be joining a team that has genuine Champions League pedigree. It would also close the circle on his relationship with Benitez as the pair would finally get the opportunity to work together.

The biggest question is whether Sterling has the ability to walk into a team of Madrid’s quality. Brendan Rodgers has made it clear that the player still has plenty of room to develop and that staying at Liverpool would give him the breathing space to do that.

If he were to move to the Spanish capital, patience is not a luxury that he would be afforded and his performances would be intensely scrutinised from day one. It would certainly pose a challenge for both the player and the new Madrid boss.

Liverpool are due to fly to Thailand on Sunday to begin their pre-season tour and as things stand, Sterling will also be making the journey. It is thought that Brendan Rodgers may try to persuade the 20-year-old to remain at the club where he would be handed a pivotal role next season. However, if City do come in with an improved offer, or if Madrid express further interest, the Reds may be tempted to cash-in.

Looking at things logically, there is a strong case to suggest that the Jamaican-born attacker may be better staying put and developing his game on familiar ground. But if he is determined to move on, then maybe Rafael Benitez would be the right man to help him succeed at the next level.

 

Written by Neil Morris

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Arsenal: Do the Gunners really need another midfielder?

  By O-Posts Team | July 6, 2024 - 16:59 | , , ,
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According to some, Arsenal are only a few players away from having a title winning side. Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Petr Cech have all been seen as a real statement – but, do Arsenal need another midfielder?

The debate embroils itself across the red half of North London this summer with the surprise redemption of Francis Coquelin.

Coquelin has added an extra balance within the Arsenal midfield, giving the Arsenal side a different mentality off the ball, probably best shown in the FA Cup tie against Manchester United.

With the likes Morgan Schneiderlin available after reportedly being promised a transfer this summer, he would greatly improve Arsenal defensively and also going forward - being able to effectively pass the ball forward to let the likes of Alexis Sanchez to tear through the oppositions defence.

His undoubted quality would also go far in the Champions League, a competition that seemed to side to the team that has composure and quality on the ball – two qualities that Schneiderlin possesses in abundance.

If Arsenal are also wanting to compete in all competitions, they’ll also want to have some depth in the side. It’s imperative that they get quality in for starters, and then look at adding depth if they want to be successful and a combination between the two (Coquelin and Schneiderlin) being used in rotation throughout a season would be great, even better if both can have injury free seasons.

Arsene Wenger is a meticulous manager, always thinking and planning ahead – it is a shame that a player like Sami Khedira wasn’t snapped up by Arsenal as his experience would of came in a treat, but the youth and rigour of Schneiderlin would make the top of most Premier League shopping lists.

Games are won and lost in midfield – a strong defence wins you titles. Let’s hope that Arsenal midfield can push on, making for a really interesting season.

 

Written by James Clark

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Idrissa Gueye: Lille’s energetic midfielder an ideal target for Aston Villa

  By O-Posts Team | July 6, 2024 - 15:06 | , , , ,
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Aston Villa are closing in on the signing of Lille’s Idrissa Gueye. At the reported £9m, Gueye would become Villa’s biggest signing since they got Charles N’Zogbia from Wigan.

Marseille, the club in distress at the moment, had reportedly come very close to signing the player for £7.5m, but the player was keen on a move to the Premier League.

The Villains were battling relegation at one point last season but after Tim Sherwood took over, the side did well to ensure top flight safety along with reaching the FA Cup final. Sherwood is hoping he can do much better with his side this season and perhaps finish in the top half of the table and reach the latter stages of the domestic cups. He has already started building for it by signing Micah Richards and Scott Sinclair and Gueye could follow the duo.

Gueye joined Lille from the renowned Diambars academy in his native Senegal in 2008 as an 18 year-old. The defensive midfielder has firmly established his place in the club’s side and has made over 130 appearances for Lille.

He was part of the French outfit when they won the title in 2011. The departure of Yohan Cabaye, Eden Hazard and later Dimitri Payet meant Gueye’s role for Lille became even more instrumental over the course of time, and over the last two seasons, he has shown constant maturity and improvement.

The 25 year-old is a strong defensive midfielder who focuses on his primary job of shielding the defence and ensuring dominance in the heart of the pitch. He has been deployed in a slightly more attacking role at times, which he has done well, but his main strength comes out when he is playing as a defensive midfielder.

His wonderful ability to read the game, as well as the strength he shows despite his lanky built, stand out the most. He averaged 2.8 interceptions a game, which illustrate his ability to read the game. He can effectively break up play, track opposite attackers and his high energy provides a reassuring presence to the defenders he is shielding slightly ahead. As expected from a holding midfielder, he can tackle with efficiency and averaged 3.1 tackles per game in the league last seasons.

As he has grown older, he has started moving up-front and taking part in the attacking side of the game more. He can hold on to the ball when in possession, which helps his attacking side of the game. He scored 4 goals and got 2 assists in the league last season, which are indicative of the fact that he has started getting more involved in the attacks.

The Villa fans and the manager will not miss Tom Cleverley’s energy and enthusiasm in the middle of the pitch with Gueye around. His style of play looks ideal for the English Premier League and one can expect the player to make an immediate impact for Villa and at the sum he is being brought in for, nothing less should be expected.

 

Written by Aakriti Mehrotra

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