Robin van Persie: From Hero to Zero in Two Years

In his first season at Old Trafford, Robin van Persie fired Manchester United to their 13th Premier League title. Few could have predicted that he just two summers later he would be forced out the gates by fellow Dutchman Louis van Gaal.

As van Persie arrived from Arsenal in 2012, he became an instant hit with the Stretford Enders. In his first season he scored 26 goals, including a hat-trick in the title-winning match at home to Aston Villa.

Following Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure, van Persie was never the same. He was devastated, something he and former Manchester United teammates have clearly expressed afterwards.

The season under David Moyes showed a player who had lost his spark. He never took to the new manager, mostly due to the fact that he just as much signed for Ferguson as for Manchester United. He was heartbroken when the Scotsman retired.

 

Uplift under van Gaal

During the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, van Persie thrived again. He enjoyed his football, scored one of the goals of the tournament with the spectacular header against Spain and he seemed happy. After the Spain goal he celebrated in great fashion with his then new Manchester United manager van Gaal. His career seemed to have recovered already.

But despite playing for a manager he trusted and one that trusted him, van Persie never hit the heights of his first season. A lack of goals and an injury setback in February became the end of him at Old Trafford less than two years after he had won Manchester United the title.

He bowed out with his tail between his legs and a bittersweet three years in the red half of Manchester.

 

Final move of his career?

There is reason to believe that his move to Fenerbahce this summer will be his last transfer, at least within Europe. The Dutchman had two options this summer, with the first one being to stay at Old Trafford and wait for his chance, jeopardising his chances of a place in Netherland’s 2016 Euros team. The other option was to move on when Fenerbahce came calling.

In Turkey, he will play week-in week-out. Similar to when he arrived at United he will be the leading frontman at Fenerbahce. On top of that, he will keep the £240,000-a-week wages he acquired at United.

Robin van Persie was unwanted at Manchester United, but his move there was not a failed one. He got the Premier League title he had always wanted and he got to play under a manager he truly admired.

His time at Old Trafford may have been cut short, but the fairytale that is van Persie’s career will go on to live on happily ever after in Turkey in the coming three seasons.

 

Written by Lars H. Thomesen

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Javier Manquillo: Ex-Liverpool loanee set for another loan sojourn at Marseille

Javier Manquillo was headed on loan to Marseille a year back. But Premier League sides Arsenal and Liverpool came in the fray for the youngster and soon after, news broke that the Reds had agreed a deal for a two year loan for the Atletico Madrid right back.

Not much was expected from the youngster initially, mainly because he was fairly unheard of. However, Manquillo was used by Rodgers regularly at the start of the season and he performed strikingly, surprising a lot of people. There were times last season when Manquillo was the only player performing consistently for the side, especially in the tempestuous opening half of the season.

But ironically, Rodgers shifted the formation to a three man back-line to get the best out of the remainder of the team and Manquillo became redundant as he couldn’t be used as a right wing-back. Many would argue that he wasn’t given much of a chance to prove whether or not he could, but when he was used, like he didn’t have that much attacking instinct in him to do justice to that role.

The Spaniard spent the remainder of the season on the bench and recently had the second year of his loan with Liverpool scrapped out.

Things aren’t so bad for the youngster though, as he is now reportedly headed to Marseille (there was significant interest from AS Roma as well), and under the tutelage of Marcelo Bielsa, who was said to be keen to acquire his services a year back as well.

Bielsa is getting a fine young player to work with as Manquillo has shown the qualities to become a solid right back.

What is especially incredible about the 21-year-old  is the fact that his defensive abilities are pretty good, especially good in a day and age for the “modern full-back” where there is more focus on attack than on defence.

In the 10 games he played in the Premier League (started all), he averaged 3.8 successful tackles per 90 minutes in an average attempt of 4.5 tackles per 90 minutes. He also averaged 2.6 successful interceptions every 90 minutes. That is incredible for a full-back in today’s time because so much importance is given to the offensive side.

Brice Dja Djédjé, who primarily played as a right back for Bielsa last season, averaged 1.8 successful tackles every 90 minutes. These numbers can be misleading because Dja Djédjé played in the midfield in some games, as well as played 23 games more than Manquillo, but we can still form a vague picture of what Manquillo brings to a team.

The Spaniard has certain areas to improve, namely his offensive side. His crossing is not very good and for a full-back, it is essential.

At Marseille and under Bielsa, he will have the perfect opportunity to do the same. He will perhaps be a squad option initially, but the Argentinean is likely to give him enough opportunity to impress and he should look to nail down a starting spot in the team. Marseille have plenty of games with Europa League and cup competitions to play besides the league.

If the Spaniard wants to go back and play regularly for Atletico Madrid and get into the senior Spain side, he will need to do well on loan this season.

 

Written by Aakriti Mehrotra

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Beach Soccer World Cup: Portugal Win Thrilling Final as Event Gains New Fans

The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Finals in Portugal exceeded everyone’s expectations. Not just in the sheer scale and popularity of the event, but also with the level of skill on display.

Sunday’s final - held at Espinho just south of Porto - was made all the more exciting by the fact that host national Portugal had made it to the final where they had to take on the tournament’s surprise package Tahiti. Eager fans started queuing for tickets more than 20 hours before kick-off and by 3:00pm on Sunday afternoon, a line of over 3 km had formed.

Only a third of those people were lucky enough to get seats in the stadium while the rest had to make do with watching the game along with thousands others on a giant screen located in the fans zone. Anyone walking into the area would have been forgiven for thinking that the Portugal national team were playing in the traditional Football World Cup final; such was the enthusiasm for the event.

After a week of thrilling entertainment that helped Beach Soccer gain many new fans, the final did not disappoint. The Tahiti team, known as the “Tiki Toa”, had generated much neutral support after becoming the first team from Oceania to make it to a World Cup final. Having finished fourth when they hosted the tournament two years ago, the team had already proved their acumen in this sport. However, they were unable to beat a Portuguese side that were in irresistible form.

With an understandably biased crowd on their side, Portugal wasted no time in attacking the Tahitian goal and opened the scoring through star player Madjer after just 3 seconds. The goal was the fastest of the tournament and set the tone for the rest of the game. By the end of the first period, the lead had been doubled by Belchior and the hosts looked in total control. When Coimbra made it 3-0 after 16 minutes, the game looked well and truly over but the Tahitian team were not finished just yet.

An immediate reply from Labaste and a stunning strike from Li Fung Kuee just two minutes later stunned the home crowd and brought the underdogs right back into the game. A ridiculous long distance free-kick from Novo restored the two-goal advantage with just 12 minutes to go before Fung Kuee struck again to reduce the gap to 4-3. The same player really should have levelled the scores, but somehow missed an open goal from just a couple of yards out. The sense of relief amongst the crowd was palpable.

With just 48 seconds to go, a chipped effort from Alan put the scores beyond the Pacific Islanders much to the delight of the jubilant crowd. Frenzied scenes followed as the Portuguese fans spilled onto the beach to celebrate.

The event was a big hit with TV fans and the best moments were distributed to a worldwide audience via social media. With a host of new fans on board and a much higher profile, the tournament will now move on to the Bahamas for the 2017 event.

 

Written by Neil Morris

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Nhlakanipho Ntuli: The Future of South African Football

One of the most exciting talents to emerge from South Africa in recent years is Nhlakanipho Ntuli, the nineteen year old currently plying his trade in Netherlands at FC Twente. A product of the Orlando Pirates development system, ‘Nanana’ moved to the Netherlands the moment he turned eighteen, having signed a pre-contract a year earlier.

 

QUICK FACTS:

Name: Nhlakanipho ’Nanana’ Ntuli

Age: 19

Position: Attacking Midfielder

Club: FC Twente

Ntuli came through the Orlando Pirates system, under the guidance of of former Peruvian international Augusto Palacios, who described ‘Nanana’ as the “future of South African football” when he was just sixteen. Having agreed to join FC Twente when he was eighteen, Ntuli spent the year before joining officially training in both South Africa and Holland.

 

Key Strengths

A creative playmaker, Ntuli’s key strengths are his vision, passing ability and dribbling skills. Ntuli’s ‘silky skills’ while playing for national age group teams won him fans across South Africa, with many comparing him to South African legends of past.

At 1.80 metres tall, and still growing, Ntuli is also a lot bigger than many of his South African compatriots, and uses his height to his advantage.

 

Stats

Ntuli’s first taste of ‘senior’ football came in the 2014/2015 season, playing for Twente II in the Dutch Eerste Divisie. He made 27 appearances during the season. Before that he caught the eye playing for South Africa’s U20 national team as he played a major role in the team winning the All Africa Games in 2012 and 2013 Cosafa U20 Championship, as well during the qualifiers for 2015 CAF U20 Championship.

Ntuli was a regular goalscorer for ‘Amajita’, as the young South Africans are known.

 

Interested clubs

Having only joined FC Twente a year ago, when Steve McClaren was in charge, Ntuli’s short-term future remains with the Dutch club, but the South African midfielder has been linked with a number of clubs since he started making waves. In fact before Twente won the race, Ntuli spent some time as a teenager training at both Ajax Amsterdam and PSV Eindhoven.

He is also caught the eye of a number of other clubs when he captained the Orlando Pirates youth team at the Manchester United Premier Cup, where the South Africans lost in the final to Mexico’s Pachuco at Old Trafford a few years ago.

“I want to see myself in England one day. Premier League football is exciting and I want to be one of the South Africa players to have played in such a magnificent league. Any team in England will suit my style of play because almost every club there plays an attacking style of football,” Ntuli said in an interview with Tribal Football.

“Benni McCarthy has been giving me advice on how to improve my game and how to handle myself in Netherlands. The other player who I chat to is Steven Pienaar. I think I will learn a lot from him as he plays in the position I play in and he had a successful stay in the Netherlands, which made him to be the kind of a player he is today.”

 

Written by Rob Delport

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

Who are the top Gunners that have the best attributes in EA’s latest FIFA installment, FIFA 16? Let’s find out.

 

Danny Welbeck – 80

The England international was not the major success everyone expected him to be, but he showed real class in many games scoring vital goals. He has an increase in his FIFA rating from 79 to 80.

 

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 81

The young sprinter did not get enough starts for Arsenal despite being fit the whole season. His attributes are just as brilliant, though, especially his pace which is one of the highest in the game.

 

Petr Cech – 83

Cech is ageing, but his potential has not changed at all. He still remains one of the most talented goalkeepers in the English Premier League. The former Chelsea man is still a fan favourite and this might be the reason he is going to be traded a lot on FIFA’s career mode.

 

Theo Walcott – 83

Another sprinter in Arsenal’s squad, who has scored as many goals as starts last season. He got injured a lot last season thus his stats did not climb as expected. However, he is still popular among English players.

 

Laurent Koscielny – 84   

Koscienly has been Arsenal’s main man in defence after the departure of Vermaelen. His defending attributes has increased in FIFA 16 as he showed game changing displays last season.

 

Jack Wilshere – 84

Once a 91 potential player in FIFA series, Jack Wilshere’s rating is decreasing year by year. The young English man was out injured for the most part, but was still blazing in the games he played. He is going to be popular among English FIFA 16 players.

 

Aaron Ramsey – 85

The Welshman did not enjoy this season like the last one, but has definitely advanced in his career scoring many crucial goals. He still has a role in Arsene Wenger’s plans for next season and he possesses tons of potential. Thus, his FIFA stats are the same as before.

 

Santi Cazorla – 86

The tiny playmaker was once again vital for Arsenal finishing in a Champions League position. Ability to make extreme and precise passes and through balls has made him one of the most dangerous player in the side. Despite his short height, he is very popular among FIFA players desiring a fast game play.

 

Mesut Ozil -86

Assists, Assists and Assists. Mesut Ozil was brilliant for Arsenal last term making numerous assists and key passes leading to game changing goals. His form for the Gunners last season exceeded his debut season’s, but his FIFA rating remains the same.

 

Alexis Sanchez - 88

Sanchez is the best Arsenal player in FIFA 16 and rightfully so. He was Arsenal’s top man last season scoring and assisting loads. His FIFA stats have boosted from 85 to an outstanding 88. He is definitely going to be one of the most traded players in FUT.

 

Written by Charchit Dahal

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