Jackson Martinez: A change back to the familiar for Simeone as Atletico sign the Porto star

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How mightily relieved Atletico Madrid must be that they tied Diego Simeone down to his new contract back in March. The coach that delivered their first title in 21 years in 2014 has seen that squad, which also lost the Champions League so narrowly to neighbours Real in Lisbon, gradually dismantled but while players can be replaced, it is hard to imagine how potentially damaging the loss of El Cholo would be to Atletico.

After selling Diego Costa, top-scorer in that La Liga winning campaign, to Chelsea along with Felipe Luis last summer, Ateltico have waved goodbye to Arda Turan, to Barcelona for £24 million, and Miranda, who joins Inter Milan on loan, this time around. Mario Mandzukic, signed from Bayern Munich as a replacement for Costa has switched to Juventus after a disappointing 12 months in the Calderon.

Simeone can still call on the likes of Gabi, Tiago Mendes, Koke, Raul Garcia and Diego Godin who formed the reliable backbone of that superb 2013-14 campaign and they are now supplemented by the fresh impetus of Raul Jimenez, Christian Rodriguez, Saul Niguez and Oliver Torres.

With David Villa and Thibaut Courtois having also both departed it is a very different squad from two years ago but one that will not lose the importance of the collective and spirit of togetherness that is drilled into them.

It is why Simeone has gone back to what he knows best this summer by dispensing with Mandzukic, the Croatian striker who never quite got to grips with Simeone’s demands of a high work-rate despite a return of 20 goals.

The spritely young Argentinean Luciano Veitto has been signed from Villarreal for £14 million and his exuberance, partnered with Antoine Griezmann building upon an impressive first season in which he scored 25 goals, will go some way to compensating for any loss of intensity their attack may have suffered last term.

The £24.8 million capture of Porto’s Jackson Martinez though has the potential to be Atletico’s most significant deal and the one that could restore them to genuine title challengers.

Griezmann’s haul made him Atletico’s top-scorer as they finished third and qualified once again automatically for the Champions League but the French winger was not initially signed to become a goal-scorer but to be the energetic link-up between midfield and attack in the void left behind by David Villa.

Costa was the rabid bundle of passion and zeal that relentlessly harassed defenders and led Atletico’s lightning counter attacks with effective power and drive, but with Mandzukic operating more as a target man some of the bite was notably missing as Simeone’s team were forced into a year of transition that involved more possession, slower and more intricate build-up and the more assertive, open style, involving advancing full-backs and a higher defensive line, cost them.

Atletico would score less, concede more and finish 16 points adrift of champions Barcelona.

However Martinez arrives with a record of 92 goals from 132 games with Porto and will bring with him his deadly eye for the net as well as a natural capacity to adapt to the high-pressure game Simeone urges.

Lethal in front of goal and full of hard-running, the Colombian is more of a natural replacement to Costa than Mandzukic and will fit perfectly into the succession of Atletico’s recent prolific South American strikers; Diego Forlan, Sergio Aguero, Radamel Falcao, Diego Costa and now Martinez.

The 28 year old, scorer of 32 goals for the Portuguese champions last season, including seven in the Champions League as Porto very nearly knocked Bayern Munich out in the quarter-finals, sees himself capable of replicating the devastating form his countryman Falcao achieved during his time in the Spanish capital.

“I hope to be another Colombian as successful as Falcao was there” says Martinez who had agreed to join AC Milan before changing his mind, “I have had a great progression, always learning, always growing, and now I’m going to Atletico where I hope to help the team and also continue to grow as a player.”

Athletic, quick and a cool finisher, so dangerous when operating on the shoulder of the defender, Martinez will be capable of playing as the central striking component of a 4-3-3 or supported by Griezmann in a 4-2-3-1 or in Simeone’s favoured 4-4-2.

The Argentine though has acknowledged that his team will have to undergo a slight shift in style in that system for this coming season as they aim to contend with another off-season of change.

Simeone has been signed up to lead a different-looking Atletico into a new era and it can be certain that none of the communal drive or ferocity in the squad will be lost. Martinez will be quick to sign up to that and will also provide a regular source of goals.

If the Colombian adjusts quickly, then Atletico will be challengers once again.

 

Written by Adam Gray

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FIFA 16: The Top 10 Highest Rated Players in the latest FIFA edition

The 2014-15 season was great for many players as they achieved new levels of greatness at individual and club level. Barcelona won the treble, Germany won the World Cup and Ronaldo scored more than 60 goals yet again.

Let’s see how our top player’s performances in the 2014/15 season has influenced their ratings in FIFA 16.

 

1. Lionel Messi

Overall rating: 94

Best attribute: 97 rating in Dribbling

Lionel Messi is the best player in FIFA 16 as he was brilliant with his club Barcelona in the 2014-15 season. He played a vital role in Barcelona’s treble which is reflected in his ratings in FIFA 16.

 

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

Overall rating: 93

Best attribute: 93 rating in Pace, Shooting and Dribbling

Ronaldo who won two consecutive FIFA Player of the Year award is the second highest rated player in FIFA 16. His second best personal record of 62 goals this season helped him close the difference between his and Messi ratings.

 

3. Arjen Robben

Overall rating: 90

Best attribute: 94 rating in Pace

The Dutch winger is again the third highest rated player in yet another FIFA game. His overall of 90 proves that the 31-year old is still brilliant for his club and country.

 

4. Luis Suarez

Overall rating: 90

Best attribute: 89 rating in Shooting and Dribbling

Luis Suarez was brilliant for his new club Barcelona despite missing out the first 15 games. He scored more than 30 goals in less than 25 games making him one of the most dangerous strikers in FIFA as well as in real life.

 

5. Eden Hazard

Overall rating: 89

Best attribute: 92 rating in Dribbling

Hazard helped Chelsea win the English Premier League this season. There was hardly any game where the Belgian play-maker did not influence the game. This has resulted in his stats to boost up in FIFA 16.

 

6. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Overall rating: 89

Best attribute: 90 rating in Shooting

Despite being out of form in his opening matches for PSG, Ibrahimovic was still a useful outlet for the Ligue 1 champions with 19 league goals in just 23 matches last season. This has helped benefit his shooting stat in FIFA 16.

 

7. Manuel Neuer

Overall rating: 89

Best attribute: 92 rating in Kicking

The World Cup winning goalkeeper has the most clean sheets in Europe making him the best goalkeeper in the world. He has an overall of 89 in FIFA 16 because of that record.

 

8. Neymar Jr

Overall rating: 88

Best attribute: 93 rating in Dribbling

Another FC Barcelona player to make it as one of the best players in FIFA 16. The 22-year old helped his side win the treble scoring 38 goals this season. He is going to be one of the most transferred players in FIFA 16 as he is young and dynamic.

 

9. Phillip Lahm

Overall rating: 88

Best attribute: 88 rating in Defending

The German veteran is an all-rounder who can play in various part of the pitch. This special trait has made him one of the most versatile player in the world. With his 88 overall ranking, Lahm is definitely going to be one of the most popular players in the game.

 

10. Gareth Bale

Overall rating: 88

Best attribute: 93 rating in Pace

Last but not least, the world’s most expensive player, Gareth Bale is the tenth best player in FIFA 16. His overall ranking of 88 makes him one of the most dangerous sprinters in the game.

 

 

Written by Charchit Dahal

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Son Heung-Min: South Korean star linked with the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham

Throughout the spring there have been rumours about Son Heung-Min moving to Anfield, and there are plenty of European clubs keeping a close eye on Son this summer.

The twenty-three year old had a phenomenal season for Bayer Leverkusen scoring eleven goals in the Bundesliga, and seventeen in total, as he helped Leverkusen finish fourth in the league, putting them into the qualifying rounds of the Champions’ League.

Son’s performances this season led to FourFourTwo magazine declaring him Asia’s number one footballer. Son Heung-Min started his career at Hamburg, having joined them at the age of sixteen. He played for Hamburg for three seasons, scoring twenty goals in that time, with his 12 goals in the 2012-3 season attracting the attention of Bayer Leverkusen who shelled out a reported 10 million Euros to sign the South Korean.

He has been impressive in his two seasons at the club, with his hat-trick against Wolfsburg this February being a particular highlight. Two things stand in the way of him moving to another club. The first one is that he already is in the starting line-up of a Champions League club (assuming that Bayer Leverkusen get through the qualifying play-off).

Many of the clubs interested in Son are either not in the Champions League (like Liverpool) or may not be able to offer him a place in the starting line-up.

Despite dreaming of playing in the English Premier League, Son Heung-Min will be wise to remember the fate of Shinji Kagawa at Manchester United, and Andre Schurrle, the man who Son Heung-Min was signed by Leverkusen to replace, at Chelsea. Both players have returned to the Bundesliga after being under-appreciated in England.

Another stumbling block to any move is the matter of Son’s military service. All South Koreans are required to undertake military service, and although most of the South Korean national team earned an exemption from military duty by either winning a gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games or a bronze medal at the London Olympics, they managed these two feats without Son Heung-Min who turned down the chance to play in London 2012, and was refused leave by Leverkusen for the Asian Games.

As a result of this, the prospect of two years playing in the military team (currently in South Korea’s second tier) threatens to derail Son’s career and is certainly a consideration for any teams considering making a bid for South Korea’s latest superstar.

 

Written by Steven Price

Check out more of his work on everything South Korean football at the excellent K-League Footy

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Paul Pogba: Barcelona move on hold — or is it?

The proposed move of Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba to Spanish giants Barcelona looks set to be the on-off transfer saga of the summer.

After confirming that he was a “leading target” only three weeks ago, Barca President Josep Bartomeu has now claimed that the player will not be joining the club - at least for the time being.

The Catalan club has been active in the transfer market despite operating under a FIFA-imposed embargo that prevents them from fielding any new signings until January of next year. Arda Turan is the latest player to have joined the Blaugrana ranks after making the €34m switch from Atletico. However, the deal still needs to be ratified by the incoming President once the ongoing elections have been concluded at the Camp Nou.

It was thought that the €80m offered by the Catalonians to the Italian league champions and Champions League finalists would be enough to convince them to sell Pogba, but the team from Turin has so far rejected any advances. The French international player would certainly make a formidable addition to a midfield that will be without the services of Xavi Hernandez for the first time since 1998.

Presidential candidate, Joan Laporta has criticised the current incumbent’s failure to land the player with the French international looking set to become a pawn in the club’s imminent election campaign. Laporta has wisely fallen short of promising the 22-year-old to the fans - a mistake he made in his 2003 campaign when he falsely declared that he would bring David Beckham to the Camp Nou - however, he has taken the opportunity to use the failed negotiations as a stick with which to beat his rival.

It could be that Bartomeu and Juventus are calling each other’s bluff over the deal, with each hoping that the other will blink first in negotiations. Or perhaps the Barca chief will make an improved offer once the heat of the election campaign starts to build.

In the meantime, other interested parties will be monitoring the situation with a keen eye.

 

Written by Neil Morris

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