Category Archives: Features

Giovani Dos Santos: Former Barca prodigy joins LA Galaxy in the hope of finally becoming a star

  By O-Posts Team | July 20, 2024 - 19:10 | , , , , ,
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“We are committed to assembling the best roster that will compete for championships year in and year out,” were the words of the LA Galaxy president Chris Klein who last week saw Giovanni Dos Santos fill his team’s third designated player slot.

Currently side-lined with an abductor injury suffered whilst away with Mexico in the Gold Cup, Dos Santos is not due to make his debut for the Galaxy until August, but when he does he will join Robbie Keane and Steven Gerrard as Klein, together with head coach Bruce Arena, strives towards achieving his aim of repeated success.

“Giovani is a special player,” said Arena. “He has experience and success competing at the highest level and we believe he will only continue to develop. We are happy to add him to our roster and have confidence he can be an integral part of our success going forward.” Dos Santos undoubtedly possesses the talent to gratify Arena’s optimism and the 11 goals and 8 assists he managed in La Liga just two seasons ago suggests he will not look at of place alongside Keane and Gerrard.

Of course, that is if he produces the form he is widely known to be capable of on a regular basis. Too often Dos Santos has been the underwhelming anti-climactic winger who followed up that excellent year for Villarreal with just one goal and three assists from 27 games last season.

From being named the world’s 5th most exciting player by World Soccer Magazine after breaking into the Barcelona senior team in 2007 to make his debut aged 18, now to the MLS via loan spells at Galatasaray and Ipswich Town, Dos Santos has failed to settle in anywhere since switching to Spurs in 2008 and his talent has suffered for it.

Despite enjoying a successful career with Mexico since making his debut 8 years ago, his club career has simply failed to replicate the same success that won him the Gold Cups of 2009 and 2011 with his country, as well as the Olympics with the under 23s in 2012.

He is the holder of 90 caps for El Tri and scorer of the goals that beat USA in the final of the 2011 Gold Cup and threatened to dump Holland out of last year’s World Cup in the last-16 stage. Veteran of two World Cups and runner-up for the Young Player of the Tournament award in South Africa in 2010, Dos Santos’s tales of his time with the national team will be full of fulfilment and content. At club level however the 26 year old just hasn’t managed to find his way since being billed as the “new Ronaldinho.”

Maybe the sizeable task of living up to that name of having the tag of being a graduate from Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy is the main factor behind the Mexican’s failure to realise his true potential at club level, or rather it could be the misfortunate timing with his managers.

Frank Rijkaard, who integrated Dos Santos into Barca’s senior team as a teenager in 2007/08, a season that ended with a hat-trick in the 5-3 win over Real Murcia, was that summer replaced by Pep Guardiola who immediately sold the winger to Tottenham.

Juande Ramos was the Spurs coach who brought Dos Santos to White Hart Lane and by that October he was fired and in came Harry Redknapp who the Mexican said stymied his progress in London. “It was very frustrating for me because, like every footballer, I just wanted to play. I’d prepare for a game every three days, then not play.”

Dos Santos started just 11 games for Spurs, mainly in the cups as he failed to make a single start in league competition, and four years later, after unsuccessful loans to Ipswich, Galatasaray and Racing Santander, he signed for Mallorca. Despite relegation he finished top scorer with six goals and racked up seven assists, attracting newly promoted Villarreal.

His first season with the Yellow Submarine on top of his year with Mallorca hinted at a resurgence in form but his second year, spent with his brother Jonathon after he followed suit by moving from Barcelona, duly stamped that. Now, La Galaxy have offered Dos Santos the chance to turn his career around in the Americas.

Galaxy have chased Dos Santos for the past four years but have previously been restricted by the MLS guidelines that limit teams to three designated players. A change in the rules this summer allowed a down payment to be made on the contract of Omar Gonzalez, which then freed up one of the DP spots for Dos Santos.

The Mexican will add pace, flashy technique and the benefit, unlike Keane and Gerrard, of having yet to reach the peak of his talents at 26. It is also hoped that his arrival will gain the team more followers from southern California’s Mexican American community, in which it currently enjoys little presence.

“He has the individual flair that sometimes we lack in the final third of the field,” Arena said. “His running off the ball’s good. He can go by people. He has an excellent first touch. He’s a finisher. He can pass. “He’s got all those great little qualities in and around the penalty area.”

They are qualities apparent to many familiar with Dos Santos since he broke onto the scene with Barcelona. Now he is back in the west, he has a great chance to deliver consistently on the vast billing he has never quite realised.

 

Written by Adam Gray

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Arturo Vidal: Bayern’s man to replace Schweini may pose more questions than answers

  By O-Posts Team | July 18, 2024 - 15:41 | , , , , , , ,
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Bayern Munich’s chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummennigge wasn’t at the launch of his club’s new kit to hear the jeers from a number of supporters, but he did say he expected it. “I don’t know if they were booing Bayern Munich or just the transfer itself” he told Bild, referring to the exit of Bastian Schweinsteiger to Manchester United.

The midfielder who had won everything with Bayern over 13 years and the friendly face who drank in the local pub and played with friends in the park, Schweini as he is endearingly known to Bayern loyalists, was suddenly leaving Bavaria, where he holds a saint-like status, behind.

Rummennigge, who himself served the German giants for a decade, would have empathised with Bayern’s supporters and would have braced himself for the reaction. He would be aware Schweinsteiger would have been extremely difficult to replace, if not for his expertise on the pitch but for the admiration and worship he received off it.

Juventus’ 28 year old Arturo Vidal may have been identified as the on-field replacement however, in a move that at first glance is most unlike Pep Guardiola. Analyse it to more detail however and it takes on greater levels of curiosity.

Anathema to the graceful ball-movers that the Spaniard usually prefers, Vidal will bring with him tenacity and the raw aggression that earned him 49 bookings in his four years in Italy. Guardiola may be directing Bayern to a shift in style, but with the 44 year old entering the last year of his contract at the Allianz Arena those fond of a conspiracy theory may query if it is Bayern preparing for life without the coach.

If Guardiola is to bow out at the end of his three year deal his time will be unfulfilled if he fails, at the third attempt, to secure the Champions League that Jupp Heynckes discovered couldn’t prevent him from being shuffled aside to make way for the Catalan.

The box of league supremacy has been ticked emphatically, but humbling defeats to Spanish opposition on the continent has left a sour taste in the mouths of the hierarchy who may have even handed Guardiola a show of strength by sanctioning the sale of Schweinsteiger. The politics may be uncertain, but this coming season is undoubtedly pivotal for Guardiola.

The €30 million signing of Brazilian attacking midfielder Douglas Costa from Shakhtar Donetsk suggests he is looking for an injection of pace and he would also get that in abundance from Vidal who operated as the legs for Andrea Pirlo at Juventus.

With Schweinsteiger the one to be offloaded from glut of Bayern midfielders who all appear so similar; Phillip Lahm, Thiago Alcantara, Javi Martinez and Xabi Alonso, Vidal will offer much-needed bite and steel. Guardiola may envisage the Chilean, supported by Alcantara, doing the same dogged shielding job he did for Pirlo at Juve with Alonso.

Given his senior Chile debut by the revolutionary Marcelo Bielsa and a vital cog in the exciting teams of the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, the latter under Jorge Sampaoli which eliminated Spain and nearly did for Brazil, Vidal’s education in the persistent pressing game will appeal to Guardiola who coached it so effectively at Barcelona.

He attempted the most tackles (134) at Juventus last season and won the ball back through challenges and interceptions at a rate of 4.7 per game, stats that will be alluring to Bayern’s studious coach.

Vidal also won this year’s Copa America under Sampaoli’s tutelage, earning himself a place in the team of the tournament, a consolation prize for the failure to secure a Champions League for Juventus under Massimiliano Allegri whose focus on relentless hard-work secured a league and cup double.

It was Vidal’s fourth successive league title in Italy and a £28 million move, with Juve looking to recoup funds after renovating their squad with Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic, Simone Zaza and Roberto Pereyra in a spree which has exceeded £60 million, will see him join a side who enjoy a similar level of domestic dominance. It will be on the continent that will provide the true test of his pedigree and mettle.

It will not always be pretty; Vidal is a persistent fouler and will too often walk the tightrope between the yellow and a second red card, but perhaps for once the idealist in Guardiola isn’t searching for aesthetics.

He will be asking Vidal to prowl fiercely around his midfield to allow his possession-artists to operate, and to drive an irrepressible will to win, the same kind that got Carlos Zambrano of Peru sent-off in the Copa America semi-final. With Vidal in it, Bayern won’t have the same team that bowed with a whimper to both Real Madrid and Barcelona over the course of the past two seasons.

For a reasonable fee in this current market, Vidal will provide a satisfactory replacement for Schweinsteiger and is three years the German’s junior. Though regardless of how much of a fighter he is on the field or how much he work he ploughs through in his midfield station, replacing Schweinsteiger’s Bavarian void will be way beyond him.

 

Written by Adam Gray

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The Gay Sports Report: Why aren’t there more gay men in tennis?

  By O-Posts Team | July 18, 2024 - 15:09 | , ,
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Top 50 tennis professional Sergiy Stakhovsky from Serbia has claimed that there are no gay men on the professional tennis tour but that “every other player is a lesbian” in women’s tennis, and for that reason he wouldn’t let his daughter play tennis.

Putting aside the aggressive homophobia and misogyny of his comments about women’s tennis, unsettlingly Stakhovsky does make a valid point: Women’s tennis seems to be much more accepting of diversity than men’s tennis.

It’s easy to point to women who are lesbians that have had phenomenally successful careers in tennis – Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova are among the most famous; Amélie Mauresmo (now Andy Murray’s coach) has recently announced that she is pregnant and expecting a baby with her female partner. No one bats an eyelid.

Can you name a gay player in the men’s top 100? Can you name a gay player who has ever been a successful tennis player? Maybe Stakhovsky is right and there simply aren’t any, or maybe his homophobia is one of the factors forcing gay tennis players to conceal their sexuality.

Predictably, both the Women’s Tennis Association and the ATP (the men’s association) have publicly condemned Stakhovsky’s comments as unacceptable. Navratilova took to Twitter to confront Stakhovsky directly.

But what are the ATP doing to address the obvious homophobia within their ranks? What are they doing to promote diversity and support gay players? On the face of it, nothing.

We know from research around the world that there are a range of complex factors that prevent gay men from participating and excelling in sports. The research indicates that steps that can be taken to help make sport accessible for gay men is high-profile role models at the elite level, as well as grassroots support at the local level to provide an environment that is welcoming of all athletes regardless of sexuality.

It seems that the ATP are a long way behind other sports organisations, saying the right things publicly (when forced into a corner by rampant homophobes like Stakhovsky), but not taking any action to make men’s tennis a safe and supportive space for players who are gay.

Tennis is a fantastic sport. A sport that provides opportunities for individual excellence as well as teamwork. It seems a shame that it is a sport that gay men are being excluded from.

Sergiy Stakhovsky may not speak for the ATP, but if in any way he represents the culture within men’s tennis then we will have a long time to wait before we see an openly gay man playing at the elite level.

Ultimately, tennis is the loser here.

 

Written by Gareth Johnson

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Bastian Schweinsteiger: Three Reasons Why He’s Van Gaal’s Most Important Signing

  By O-Posts Team | July 16, 2024 - 16:41 | , , , ,
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Following Bastian Schweinsteiger’s £14.4 million move to Manchester United, we take a look at three reasons why the German international is Louis Van Gaal’s most important signing since he took over the English club.

 

1. Training

One of Louis Van Gaal’s defining traits as a manager is the emphasis he places on training: the Dutchman is meticulous and intense with his conditioning and preparation.

As he grew older, Sir Alex Ferguson gradually favoured a less hands-on approach on the training pitch and this might explain the culture shock that some United players experienced last season under Van Gaal, who himself admitted his more demanding methods were taking their toll.

Injuries and loss of form to key men stole momentum from United’s campaign and the signing of Schweinsteiger is a direct reaction to this. Under Van Gaal at Bayern Munich, the Germany international was famously converted from a wide midfielder his now-favoured holding role.

“Schweinsteiger never played there, so after two weeks of training sessions and two matches, he felt he could do more than ever,” Van Gaal told FIFA.com in 2013.

In other words, Schweinsteiger trusts Van Gaal’s methods and knows what will be expected in pre-season and in between big matches. His faith in the philosophy should inspire other players, young and old, and he will no doubt be one of Van Gaal’s lieutenants in this regard.

After all, Schweinsteiger’s career enjoyed a meteoric rise after being converted by Van Gaal, as Bayern immediately won a league and cup double and narrowly missed out on the UEFA Champions League that season.

 

2. Control

Ultimately, Schweinsteiger’s time at Manchester United will be judged on his performances on the pitch: this is a club where expectations of players are especially high, given the calibre of recent greats (David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Eric Cantona, to name a few).

Schweinsteiger differs from many of his midfield predecessors in his style of play, offering control and rhythm rather than innovation or audacity. He appears to be a replacement for his ageing, English equivalent, Michael Carrick.

This fascinating comparison between the former Bayern Munich lynchpin and Spanish great Xavi provides great insight into the qualities he will bring to United. It is also no coincidence that Van Gaal has previously mentioned both Xavi (whom he handed his Barcelona debut when in charge of the Catalan club) and Schweinsteiger in the same breath, as players he has fostered and developed.

Indeed, United experienced considerable trouble controlling games in midfield and dictating tempo last season, with a number of personnel and combinations attempted in midfield.

Schweinsteiger might not be quite the metronome that Xavi is, but he is one of the Spaniard’s closest contemporaries.

It is ironic then, that Schweinsteiger never flourished under Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich, who implemented a philosophy in which Xavi had previously thrived. The truth – as shown in the above link – is that Schweinsteiger favours a slightly more direct flavour to his midfield play.

Van Gaal is a manager who is slightly more pragmatic than Guardiola and will foster a style of play that is slightly less focused on ball retention.

This will suit Schweinsteiger perfectly, allowing him the freedom to shoot and get forward without compromising his main job: helping United to keep the ball more effectively.

 

3. Leadership

“Basti is an absolute leader and world-class player who can put his stamp on any team, including of course Manchester United,” Germany coach Joachim Low said on www.dfb.de recently.

“He knows Louis van Gaal, who wanted him unconditionally.

“He will approach his new challenge in England like we all know him - with edication and highly-motivated.”

A glowing endorsement from his national team coach and pretty much everyone who has cared to comment on the transfer says it all about Schweinsteiger: he is universally respected for both his achievements on the pitch and the manner in which he conducts himself off it.

Until this point he has been a one-club man and all of the quotes attributed to the 30-year old thus far reflect his professionalism.

Leadership is an area where Manchester United have struggled since Ferguson’s retirement, with Wayne Rooney shouldering much of that burden.

Schweinsteiger’s immense experience – at both international and domestic level – will not only relieve that burden but also bring an added air of confidence and direction to every aspect of the club’s running.

 

Written by Chris Paraskevas

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Morgan Schneiderlin: The latest signing in a window that allows United fans to forget about Glazer

  By O-Posts Team | July 13, 2024 - 20:49 | , , , ,
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It is slightly over a decade since the Glazer family purchased a controlling stake in Manchester United from J.P McManus and John Magnier, before a month later completing the takeover and loading the club with debts in excess of £500 million which they have spent the next ten years servicing.

Over £700 million has so far been spent on bank charges and interest fees whilst United fans have paid for it with gradual ticket price rises and the controversial mandatory purchase scheme for cup matches.

Behind that unsavoury takeover, the catalyst for the protest club FC United and years of chronic under-investment that eventually led to Sir Alex Ferguson’s exit and a malaise under David Moyes, was a certain Ed Woodward, who in 2005 was a banker who facilitated the high-interest hedge-fund loans that allowed the Glazers to gain control.

Woodward was given the role of executive vice chairman after David Gill’s exit in 2012 and, after supporters called for his sacking following a disastrous 2013 transfer market under the guise of Moyes, has now been promoted to flavour of the month for directing an off-season that has seen United sign Memphis Depay, Matteo Darmian, Bastian Schweinsteiger and most recently Morgan Schneiderlin.

With the chequebook being waved about, it is currently impossible to find any trace of the anti-Glazer sentiment that trended on Twitter for two days after the defeat to Swansea on the opening day of last season, with the huge debts and risky talk of financial reorganisation firmly on the back-burner.

Woodward and the Glazer’s marketing team deserve immense credit for the series of sponsorship deals that has boosted the club’s annual revenue to £433 million, positioning them as Europe’s third richest club according to Forbes, but the 14% drop they announced for May’s third quarter financial results has seemingly sparked the club, with the record-shattering £1.1 billion deal with Adidas in pocket, into action as they aim to once again mount genuine challenges on all fronts next season.

Following Moyes’s embarrassing failure to land Ander Herrera and the eventually panic-driven £27 million move for Marouane Fellaini two years ago, Woodward and United have acted with a conviction that delivered Juan Mata for £37 million from Chelsea, Moyes’s last signing at Old Trafford, while his successor Louis Van Gaal’s spending has now surpassed £200 million in just over a year. With both Edinson Cavani and Nicolas Otamendi being linked, there could still be more for United’s fans to get giddy about.

Last year’s acquisition of Angel Di Maria and now the recent capture of Schweinsteiger shows how United have returned to shopping for elite players while the arrival of the German, as well as the combative Schneiderlin from Southampton, has brought long-overdue maintenance to a midfield department that had been left to decay in the six years between Owen Hargreaves’s signing in 2007 and Fellaini’s move in 2013.

The announcement of both deals on the same day, for a total of £35 million, is anathema to the dithering under Moyes that led to the shambolic deadline day signing of Fellaini for £4 million more than what the Belgian would have cost earlier that window. United and Van Gaal now fly to the USA for a pre-season tour with Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger on board after another ominous flexing of their financial muscle and the appeal of their ambitions.

Schweinsteiger will bring with him near-unparalleled experience of recent Bundesliga domination with Bayern Munich and a World Cup triumph with Germany, while Schneiderlin will also provide the nous gained by seven years with Southampton, three of which were in the Premier League.

Having signed for the Saints as an 18 year old in 2008 for £1.2 million from Strasbourg, the French midfielder stuck with the club through relegation from the Championship in his first season and the subsequent administration to lead them back up to last year’s brilliant seventh place finish. With 260 appearances to his name on the south coast, few at St Mary’s will begrudge the 25 year old the chance “to play with better players and the best manager in the world.”

Only Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic won more tackles than Schneiderlin in the top flight last term while with 2.42 interceptions per game the French international was rated above the likes of Sergio Busquets. He will add much-required bite and discipline to United’s midfield and he is also an underrated distributor of the ball, tallying 52.9 passes per game last term and finding a teammate once every 95 seconds.

Already established as one of the best holding midfielders in England, last season was the continuation of the form that saw him complete the most tackles and make the most interceptions in the 2012/13 Premier League season as he picked up both fans’ player of the year and player’s player of the year awards.

There was always a feeling that amidst Southampton’s exodus of last summer, Schneiderlin was the one who had the potential to cause most damage should he too be sold. After reportedly being close to a move to Spurs last July, Ronald Koeman kept hold of his player and would see him thrive, though the Dutchman was forced to admit this week “every player has a price” after the midfielder missed Southampton’s first day of pre-season training.

Koeman looks set to bring in PSV Eindhoven’s Jordy Clasie as a replacement but unlike those who had departed St Mary’s before him, Schneiderlin’s exit could deal a fatal blow.

That is the club he leaves behind however and Schneiderlin will now prepare for his “new adventure” as the deepest-lying midfielder in the 4-3-3 system that Van Gaal is likely to introduce. He will provide the willing legs for Schweinsteiger, protection for Herrera and Juan Mata and competition for the ageing Michael Carrick as United’s midfield now looks capable of laying the foundation of a proper title challenge.

If that comes true, expect the history of the Glazers and Woodward to be further glossed over with the tide of goodwill and fickle admiration.

 

Written by Adam Gray

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Yohan Cabaye: An Incredibly Surprising and Astute Signing for Crystal Palace

  By O-Posts Team | July 10, 2024 - 17:53 | , , , , , , , , , ,
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It’s not everyday you hear Crystal Palace sign a player who was playing Champions League football just a season before. But the Premier League side have made an incredibly smart and astute signing by landing Yohan Cabaye from French champions Paris St-Germain. They have done the same for a club-record transfer fee of £10m.

Of course, it is a bit surprising. Why would Cabaye leave one of the most ambitious European side for a mid-table English club? Well, after a dream move to PSG, the Frenchman spent more time on the bench than on the pitch. He made just 13 Ligue 1 starts for the Parisian club last season and only once did he finish the match after starting it. Cabaye, who signed for PSG in the winter of 2014, but he has found chances extremely limited.

As opposed to his stint at Newcastle United, where he was one of the key players in the side and basically indispensable, he was a luxury commodity at PSG and if he wished to play next year’s Euro’s that France are hosting, he needed to play every week and impress Deschamps. Cabaye is aware that there are plenty of young Frenchman who are waiting to gobble up a spot the national squad.

There were some links with Arsenal and Liverpool at one point of time. He also attracted interest from West Ham United, who could offer the player Europa League football this season, and Roma and Atlético Madrid, who would be playing the Champions League. But it was Palace he decided to opt for.

Alan Pardew was the one of the main factors in landing the 29 year-old. Cabaye and Pardew maintained an extremely healthy relationship at Newcastle. Pardew did a fantastic job at Palace after taking over mid-season and helped the club finish in the 10th place, an incredible achievement for a side battling relegation for some time last season. The Eagles look like they’re ready to step up their game and push for a top half finish this season.

Cabaye has apparently also sought reassurances about the club’s ambition and the fact that “he will not be the only major signing this summer”. The Eagles have been linked with QPR’s Charlie Austin and Swansea’s Ashley Williams and will to step up their pursuit of the player.

Cabaye’s arrival will only help the team further. More importantly, it could prove to be detrimental in their case to persuade existing players like Bolasie and Gayle, who have been linked with a move away from the club, to stay at the club.

Cabaye is certainly the next building block for Palace, who look like an ambitious side trying to build on the success of last season and ensure it isn’t a one-off thing. It will be interesting to see who makes way for him- Joe Ledley, James McArthur, Mile Jedinak or Jason Puncheon- and it will be further interesting to see whether he operates in a more attacking role, or plays a deeper role, trying to orchestrate things from the centre of the pitch.

Cabaye has done well playing the deep-lying playmaker role, and it will probably be the way to go for Pardew who could then use the Frenchman as well as Puncheon in the same eleven.

This is definitely just a start, but Palace fans can dream about the side pushing for a European spot next season. However, more signings of the same or close to the same level need to be made for that to happen.

Stoke City have been linked with Xherdan Shaqiri while West Ham United have landed Dimitri Payet. Hence, teams in the same category, more or less, are also strengthening considerably.

Cabaye is an extremely smart investment, nonetheless, and one which can have a big impact on Crystal Palace’s future.

 

Written by Aakriti Mehrotra

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

  By O-Posts Team | July 9, 2024 - 22:06 | , , , , , ,
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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

  By O-Posts Team | July 9, 2024 - 19:16 | , , , , , ,
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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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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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Abou Diaby: The sad case of the Frenchman and Arsenal

  By O-Posts Team | July 4, 2024 - 14:06 | , , ,
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2nd September 2012 and Abou Diaby is man of the match as Arsenal win 0-2 away at Liverpool. The Frenchman’s performance is described by London 24 as “imperious” among marked optimism that Diaby could finally shake his injury troubles to fill the void left by Alex Song’s move to Barcelona.

However in a game against Chelsea at the end of that same month, Diaby would suffer an injury to his thigh, ruling him out until January. After returning, the midfielder would only make a further nine appearances that season.

It is the perfect anecdote to sum up Diaby’s 10 year Arsenal career, ended this summer as Arsene Wenger eventually lost patience with the player who suffered an injury setback every 80 days on average. He managed just 122 starts for Arsenal over a decade that has been marred by dodgy thighs, calf muscles, hamstrings and ankles that have all consistently recurred to play their part, along with a variety of other ailments, to form a scarcely believable record of 42 injuries.

In total, Diaby spent 222 weeks of his spell at Arsenal sidelined with injury and Wenger, who saw the player as the heir to Patrick Vieira as he held off Chelsea to bring him to north London for £2 million from Auxerre in 2006, has now concluded he is no longer worth the admirable persistence the manager has invested in the Frenchman over the years.

The game at Liverpool in 2012 showcased the player Wenger always believed he could be, hence the faith entrusted by the long-term contract handed to him in 2010 and how his manager has toyed with the idea of offering Diaby a new deal this year right to the point of deciding to cut him loose. With many European clubs unwilling to risk adding the Frenchman to the wage-bill given his well-documented toil with injuries, talks have commenced over a move to MLS with FC Dallas, but Wenger’s loyalty to the player is such that he has offered Diaby the chance to train with Arsenal whilst he rebuilds his fitness.

In the 2013-14 season Diaby only managed a single 16 minute appearance as a substitute while over this last campaign he was on the pitch for just 67 minutes of a League Cup tie. Yet Wenger, much to widespread incredulity, refused to rule him out, saying “he had a decision to make” and maintaining that “he would be given a new contract if he was fully fit”. Wenger, known for his economic astuteness, came to realise a fresh deal for a player he could field just 22 times over the last 4 seasons was unviable, but it was incredible faith he held in the player that prevented him from reaching that decision sooner.

Ex-Arsenal defender Martin Keown has said how excited Wenger was when he signed Diaby and how he, together with the Arsenal coaching team, subjected him to extra-training as they geared him towards becoming a long-term solution to the loss of Vieira. It paints a picture of a loyalty that travelled both ways, a manager who gave his player every chance and the player who did everything to get fit enough to take one.

Diaby was never content to take advantage of his long contract by sitting on the sidelines and taking his money, he repeatedly launched bids to return to full fitness and was determined not to buckle despite his stream of setbacks. The idea of retirement was mulled over in 2013 but he declared his love for the game was “too big” for him to go through with it. With that considered, Diaby’s case is a sad one, a player who has been denied the opportunity to forge a worthwhile career in the sport he enjoys so much because of a flow of injuries.

The Frenchman, according to his former manager at Auxerre Jacques Santini, was injury-prone before even moving to London, but it is inarguable that the terrible challenge he suffered at the hands of Sunderland’s Dan Smith, which caused him, then at 20 years old, to miss the 2006 Champions League final as well as the under-21 European Championship, was the pivotal moment. Doctors warned that the incident was potentially career-ending yet he managed to recover enough to once again take to the field, although he was never the same from then on.

No matter how much the knocks gnawed away at his fitness, the determination and the talent, on show on that superb Sunday afternoon at Anfield three years ago, never ebbed away. It is why Wenger continued to keep Diaby in mind whenever he was faced with fans demanding to see a much-needed defensive midfielder come through the door. However last season saw Francis Coquelin emerge and with Wenger needing to free one of his 17 non-homegrown squad places, it was logical to finally call time on the midfielder.

Now just turned 29, Diaby is supposed to be entering the peak of his career but instead he is entering into the wilderness looking for a club to show enough willing to take a chance on him in the hope of clearing up his desperate fitness issues. If his next chapter is successful however, few would begrudge Diaby his long-awaited chance to shine.

 

Written by Adam Gray

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