Why I’m a big fan of the championship and who will win it all this year?

 

The Championship is such a hard league to predict. Form really does go out the window when you are thinking of who will win it all. Teams that have been relegated from the premiership can really struggle with the demands of this league and there are always a few surprise teams that punch above their weight. Last season it was Leeds who ran away with the title. Bielsa’s men were fantastic winning the title by 10 Points, Scoring 77 goals and conceding 35. Brentford narrowly missed out on automatic promotion and lost the Playoff Final to Fulham. With the season starting just a few weeks ago Brentford are still favorites to get promoted even with the loss of their star man Ollie Watkins to Aston Villa for a fee of 27 million. Other promotion favorites include all the premier league relegated sides Watford, Bournemouth and Norwich. However for me I think if Brentford can hold on to Benrahma they will got promoted. Watch out for Swansea and Blackburn they will definitely be in the mix for promotion. I’m looking forward to seeing how Jamal Lowe does in this team.

The championship for me has to be one of the most exciting leagues around the world. The teams play a whopping 46 games. Their bread and butter is midweek to weekend games thrown in with cup competitions along the way. Any side can make a run for the playoffs or even the automatic spots for promotion with 10 games still left to go, I don’t think any other league can offer you that type of excitement especially when the reward is the premier league. 

The Barcelona Revolution Part 1

 

It's been a crazy 10 days for Barcelona. Messi the star, the legend, announced that he wanted to leave his beloved Barcelona. This had been something that had been brewing for years. However in a massive twist it was announced just two days ago in an interview that he would be staying, what a remarkable turnaround. This was all down to Barcelona playing hard ball and being firm that the release clause in his contract was still valid.

Messi's team believed that he could leave on a free transfer. However in the interview Messi said that "the president told me that the only way to leave was to pay the €700 million clause, and that this is impossible."

Messi said that he did not want to take Barcelona to court and thus would remain for the 2020-2021 season. 

In this struggle it was not just Barcelona who agreed that the clause must stand but La Liga as well.

Back in 2017 when Messi signed a new deal, there was a clause that stated that he could leave the club for free at the end of every season should he wish. He had to inform the club in May at the end of the season and the club would then release him to leave. Due to COVID-19 the season finished in August instead of May so Barcelona believed that the clause did not stand.

Messi has been thinking of leaving for some time, over the years Barcelona have seemed to digressed. They lost out the La Liga title to Real Madrid. It's not been since the 2013-2014 season where they have missed out on the trophy. Their record in the champions league over the last couple of seasons has been poor. Their have been loses to Liverpool, Roma and then the cruising defeat to Bayern Munich. They've also been hit and miss with the managers that they have had since Pep Guardiola left. 

The new manager of Barcelona Koeman has a huge task on his hands. He has Messi for this new upcoming season but can he convince him to stay for longer than that? Can Barcelona win trophies for next season? Which players will come and go all remains to be seen.

Euro 2020 delay is England's gain

I remember writing an article in August 2016 (Check back http://simply4sports.blogspot.com/2016/08/) four years ago and I was super annoyed being a passionate England fan it was frustrating and embarrassing to be knocked out to Iceland. Full credit to Iceland they deserved there win and everyone fell in love with their thunder clap but what I could not excuse was the manner in which we played. We had been out thought and out fought in all manners of the game. We can go on and on about the stats 68% possession, 7 corners, 18 shots on goal. We deserved to get knocked out. Iceland lost to France in the quarter finals who made it all the way to the Final.

Fast forward four years on and things look completely different. Due to COVID-19 the euros have been delayed but this could be a blessing in disguise for this team.

There are so many talented youngsters who are coming in who would benefit from an extra year of first team football. Sancho has burst on to to the scene at Dortmund as well as Phil Phoden, Greenwood, Saka and Ben white (on loan at Leeds last season)

It's been a while since I've been this excited for a international competition. 

In all areas of the squad I see interesting options. If the young players can develop I believe we have a good chance of winning Euro 2021. 

Prediction for Euro 2021 minimum Quarter Finals if we fulfil our potential we are winning it for sures!

Why has this Ligue 1 been more interesting than previous years?

In recent seasons in french football PSG have dominated the league since their change of ownership and influx of money and football stars. There hasn’t been this level of domination in the League since the period of 2001-2010 with Lyon but this season the predictable script has been ripped up. At the present moment it is Monaco who is leading the way having scored 82 goals and on 65 points, both PSG and surprise contenders Nice are behind with 62 points however PSG is in second place due to their superior goal difference. The emergence of both Monaco and Nice this season show us that money doesn’t necessarily mean you will win the league year after year.

Since the 2012-2013 season and beyond PSG have won the league title, last season it was their fourth consecutive title winning it with 8 games to spare and by a whopping 31 points their highest distance. Ligue 1 felt less competitive, however, things have changed this season Ibrahimović left Paris for Manchester which was a huge loss. PSG have already lost twice as many times as they did last season (2). Monaco are now among the challengers for the title their attacking style has been brilliant they have scored the most league goals in Europe, Falcao has been reborn as he leads Monaco’s goal tally with 16 goals this season however the goals have been shared amongst the side. Both Bernardo Silva and Thomas Lemar have been in fine form contributing with 13 goals and 12 assists between them, Silva is 22 years old and Lemar is 21 years old they both will improve significantly if they achieve their potentials. Their operation on the wings has been impressive such was on show last weekend with their 4 nil thumping of Nantes.

I’ve yet to mention Kylian Mbappe he got a brace that game and played magnificently, his play this season has seen even Arsene Wenger compare him to Henry a bold statement to say, the raw talent is obviously there. I hope he doesn’t get pried away by a big move in the summer it would be better for him to get consistent playing time then warm the bench of a big side in Europe.

The run in for the title is sure to be interesting. With 10 games left for Monaco the league title is theirs to lose.  

New Era

On Monday 27^th June 2016 England suffered their worst humiliation since 1950 when they were knocked out of the 1950 World Cup by USA when they lost to Iceland. The writing was on the wall. England had lost in the first round of 16. They had been outfought and out thought in a game which many of the fans expected to win comfortably. After the game Hodgson fell on his sword and announced his resignation from the England manager job. Ever since Sam Allardyce (Big Sam) got the England job many have been wondering if he would bring in some of the players in which he has managed. He has kept the core of the squad the same and brought in some “old faces” back into the squad but the biggest inclusion and story was definitely Michail Gregory Antonio.

In the England press conference on Monday Allardyce spoke confidently about Antonio he mentioned three key parts of his game his attacking flair, crossing ability and goal record. Antonio’s football journey is captivating similar to Jamie Vardy his rise from Non-league team Tooting and Mitcham United to West Ham is amazing. Last season Antonio scored 8 goals in 26 appearances. His goals are a big part of his game and since August 2015 no English midfielder has scored more premier league goals then him (10), as well as his fantastic ability in the air with 8 of his 10 goals for West Ham being headers. He will bring something different to the England Squad.

It’s a breath of fresh air to see Drinkwater in the squad who probably should have gone to Euro 2016 and Luke Shaw, who has now fully recovered from his horrific double leg fracture and now is form. Theo Walcott’s form and injuries caused him to miss out on Euro 2016 and he is now back in.

When Allardyce was asked if Rooney being selected as a midfielder was a reflection of where he sees him playing he replied by indicating That he would play in a position similar to where he plays at Man Utd. He will probably play as an attacking midfielder or possibly a striker. The captaincy will be announced on Tuesday 30^th August 2016.

As for Rashford Allardyce said that if he had been playing regularly and performing for Man Utd he would be in his squad, although he scored the winner at Hull on the weekend he has only been picked for Man Utd as a substitute. Allardyce believes it will be better for him to be part of the U21 side.

It has been 11 weeks since England played Slovakia that and that ended 0-0. Allardyce had this to say about his first game:

“We analysed the game in the Euros in particular but I think their tactics will be different out in Slovakia. In the Euros, we all knew one point was enough for them and they made a solid defensive unit that was difficult to break down, because they weren't interested in playing any type of attacking football. I think we have to plan for them playing on their own turf this time."

Everybody will be eager to see how this England side play’s on Sunday 4^th September. New squad, New era.

 

England’s Euro 2016 Review

England crashed out of the tournament with possibly their worst performance in their history, losing to Iceland 2-1. Despite taking the lead in the sixth minute they conceded 120 seconds later from a throw in (Something in which they should have expected). 12 minutes later Iceland had their second goal, they were allowed time to pass the ball around and Sigthorsson’s shot was let in by Joe Hart. If the first half was poor the second half seemed to get worse for England, they looked shell shocked, clueless and lacked any ideas or creativity to break down the stubborn and superb Icelandic defence.

The problem for England in this whole tournament was their difficulty in trying to break down teams and their defensive lapses. Roy Hodgson the England manager has to take a portion of the blame, when he was appointed four years ago many people were on the fence about the decision. At the time, many England supporters would have chosen Harry Redknapp his style of football was much more creative and attractive.

During Hodgson’s first interview as England boss four years ago, he said, “What I'll do is try to make sure the team is well prepared for the challenge ahead. I'm really looking forward to it." Emphasis on the word prepared. England thought that topping their group in France would be straightforward, but there seemed to be no plan B at the tournament. 2-1 down to Iceland and the England players looked utterly lost.

For all the possession and high attempts at goal England ultimately failed at the Euros.

 

England’s long Road to redemption

Roy Hodgson resigning after the Iceland game was the right thing to do but the manner in which he did it and his refusal to answer any questions was baffling and to top it off his comment of “I don’t really know what I’m doing here” summed up England’s performance in Monday’s game. However, all is not lost although England are at an all-time low they can take careful lessons for the nation’s other top sports such as Rugby and Cricket which have thrived massively and moved on from disastrous times. There are three things which England needs to do in order to get on the long road to redemption.

1. Admit that they're not as good as they think they are

The Iceland game should prove as a point of humility.  England needs to improve drastically and be better. They're not at an Elite level.

2. Pick players on form and fitness regardless of the clubs they play for.  Carrying half fit players because of past performances should be utterly scrapped.

3. Find a true sense of identity. Yes, England are looking for a new manager but a new way of thinking and playing needs to be implemented.

England vs Iceland Preview

England vs Iceland Preview

It always feels a little strange when there is a gap between the group stages and knockout rounds but fear no more. The round of 16 fixtures begins today. Euro 2016 starts now. After reflecting on the group stages no team has been head and shoulders over the rest, however in my opinion both Italy and Hungary have impressed. Here are a few interesting stats about the group stages:

·        Álvaro Morata and Gareth Bale lead the Adidas Golden Boot table with three goals each

·        Spain's 2-1 loss to Croatia was their first defeat in 15 EURO finals fixtures, since a 1-0 reverse against Portugal on 20 June 2004

·        Four of the five EURO finals debutants – Iceland, Northern Ireland, Slovakia and Wales – qualified for the round of 16

·        England have fielded the youngest team so far, with an average age of 26 years, 59 days

·        69 goals have been scored so far, a rate of 1.92 per game, the lowest average for a group phase at the European Championships since 1992 (1.75).

One thing everyone has learnt from this tournament is to always keep watching until the very very end. 65% of the goals in the group stages were scored in the second-half. A massive 27.5% of the goals came after the 80th minute. One of those goals was Sturridge’s late winner in the 91^st for England against Wales, which brought about the wild celebrations on the sideline with the rest of the squad.

However, in their last group game against Slovakia there was no rousing jubilation only more questions and frustration. One of the main questions constantly being asked was for all the possession England had why we could they not convert their chances. 15 attempts against Russia, 20 attempts against Wales and 29 attempts against Slovakia could only muster three goals.

Against Iceland the format of the game will probably be the same like the previous group games for England, they will have a large majority of the possession and Iceland will try and hit them on the counter or use their set piece specialist Sigurdsson or use the threat of Gunnarsson’s long throw.  

3 Key points for beating Iceland

1.       Be clinical. England are embarrassed with a host of riches in the striker department when you compare them to Iceland. Every chance has to be taken because as the game goes on and it stays 0-0 the more the balance of the game will swing in the favour of Iceland

2.       Remain Patient- It can get frustrating when 11 players are all behind the ball. England need to keep continuing probing with their passing and seeking out opportunities in any forms

3.       ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK- The relentless and tenacious wave after wave of attack will see the Iceland goal breached!

The last time England played Iceland was way back in 2004 the final score was 6-1 and I’m predicting on Monday that it will be a high scoring game I think England will win 3-0.