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.

Copa America 2016

What makes this Copa America Centenario different?

This Copa America Centenario is a one off tournament (It is usually held every four years) comprised of ten South America and six north America and central America teams. Copa Centenario was brought about to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of CONMEBOL which is the south America confederation. The winner of the tournament will not get an invitation to the confederations cup in 2017 as Chile have already qualified due to them winning the tournament last year. This is the first time the tournament has been held out of South America, it is being held in the united states of America.

The tournament kicked off with the hosts USA against Columbia and so far there have been two other games; Brazil vs Ecuador which ended in a draw 0-0 and Peru beating Haiti 1-0. So far the game I have enjoyed the most was definitely the tournament opener. America started off decently however, when Columbia got the first goal the game swayed in their favour and the score line could have been more if not for the bar and Brad Guzan America’s goal keeper. America did have chances and their best output seemed to come from Dempsey but for all their effort there was no end product. Their statistic of one shot on target tells the tale. The pressure is truly on Klinsmann to get out of Group A, however, if they win their next two games there is a high probability that they will go through.

Argentina are hot favourites to win the tournament with odds of 7/4 and why wouldn’t they be with an abundance of attacking talent like Di maria, Messi and Higuain but don’t rule out Brazil or current cup holders Chile. For me Columbia are the dark houses in this competition, but I reckon Argentina will win the tournament this year.

There is something special about that curry

Whenever Steph Curry steps out onto the court you can’t but think one-word Greatness! On Tuesday he won the MVP award for the 2^nd year in a row. However, he made history, becoming the first unanimous winner in the NBA. He is the 11^th player to win back to back MVP awards, joining a star studded list of players such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Lebron James and many more. His award speaks out of his overall high consistency and quality. This season wasn’t just special for Curry, but also for his team the Golden State warriors who made history by beating Michael Jordan’s Chicago bulls record of 72 victories by winning 73 games. The numbers don’t lie Curry is exceptional. It’s not just the fact that he can pretty much shoot from any angle or anywhere on the court (Half-Court shot against Utah Jazz) for me it’s his impressive ball handling skills. I love the way his coach Steve Kerr has built this team, it’s a great unit. The warriors can kill you with their 3-point shooting, especially when Curry’s splash brother Klay Thompson is in Rhythm. The two seem to just mop the floor against most teams and then there is Draymond Green who for me is one of the most underrated players in the league who is slowly getting the recognition he deserves.

If you’re not a believer in what I’m saying just let the numbers do the talking.

Lead the NBA in scoring 30.1 ppg, but also in

·        Three Pointers made (NBA record of 402)

·        Free Throw Percentage (90.8)

Averaging

·        6.7 assists

·        Career high 5.4 rebounds in 79 games

·        Shooting a career high 50.4 percent from the field

D-Day

 

Today is the day when the relegation race could finally end. Sunderland put themselves in a fantastic position when they beat Chelsea on the weekend and would seal their premiership status with a win over Everton at home which would relegate both Newcastle and Norwich. Since Sunderland’s big away win over Norwich they have taken five points from a possible nine. Rafael Benítez seems to have rallied the Toon army but it all seems a little too late. A win against already relegated villa at the weekend would have been perfect and put pressure back on Sunderland, Newcastle would have had 36 points but instead it was a bore draw and they only have 34 points, just like in 2009 when Newcastle where relegated on the last day due to a loss at villa it seems like de ja vu with a draw almost certainly putting the final nail in the coffin of Newcastle. As for Norwich how they wish they had a striker like Defoe in their camps. They have not scored in their last four games, between Naismith who cost Norwich 8 million, Mbokani and Jerome they have only managed 9 goals this season. They have truly struggled to score.

Once again it seems like Sam Allardyce is going to maintain his record of never being relegated from the Premiership, however let’s look at a couple of scenarios for tonight’s premiership fixtures.

·        If Sunderland where to Lose against Everton and Norwich win then the relegation battle goes down to the final game this weekend

·        If Sunderland draw and Norwich win, then the relegation battle goes down to the final game this weekend

·        If Sunderland lose and Norwich lose, Norwich will be relegated tonight

·        If Sunderland draw and Norwich draw, Norwich will be relegated

The fight against Relegation

With there being only 4-5 games of the English premier league left it was imperative for Newcastle to pick up there first premier league win since the 6^th of February (1^st win in 8 games) when they beat West Brom 1-0 thanks to a goal from Mitrovic. Strangely enough Rafa Benitez decided to not go with Mitrovic (8 premier league goals) who has been effective for him since he took over at Newcastle and opt with Cissѐ who at this point had only one premier league to his name this season. Rafa talked about how his side had shown “passion and commitment”. That was definitely on show last Saturday and they will need the same today if they are going to defeat a Manchester City side who have seemed to click since the return of Kevin De Bruyne from injury. Newcastle however tend to before better at home then away with 5 of their 7 premier league wins coming at the St James’ Park.

Beating Man city will be a hard task for the magpies but they will be full of confidence with their win against Swansea. In their last six meetings against each other Newcastle have only beaten City once and that was away in the league cup in 2014. Newcastle will need to keep it tight tonight but with their only 2^nd clean sheet in 18 games coming on Saturday, all signs point to a Manchester City win as they push to solidify a place in the top four.

Sunderland on Song

Sunderland’s win on Saturday over Norwich was a crushing and demoralising blow. The 3-0 win drags Norwich right back in to the thick of the relegation fight. If they had beaten Sunderland they could have gone seven points clear but now they are just one point ahead. Advantage Sunderland as they have a game in hand and the better goal difference (-18). Defoe is looking inspirational for Sam Allardyce. He is a natural born goal scorer, a predator, a poacher a fox in a box he will get you goals. They traded Jozy Altidore a player who had just one premier league goal to his name in two and a half seasons of English football for Defoe in the January transfer window in 2015 he got goals last season and he is doing the business again. Himself and Borini caused havoc for the Norwich defence. Out of all the sides fighting relegation Defoe has the most goals this season with 13.

And lastly it was disappointing to see Aston villa getting relegated at Man Utd but it has seemed inevitable for the last couple of seasons. My only hope is that Aston Villa’s owner Randy Leaner sells the club swiftly, as well as selling players who don’t want to be there and bringing in new additions and a manager who has vast experience of the Championship which is an extremely difficult league to get promoted out of.

The fight against Relegation

With there being only 4-5 games of the English premier league left it was imperative for Newcastle to pick up there first premier league win since the 6^th of February (1^st win in 8 games) when they beat West Brom 1-0 thanks to a goal from Mitrovic. Strangely enough Rafa Benitez decided to not go with Mitrovic (8 premier league goals) who has been effective for him since he took over at Newcastle and opt with Cissѐ who at this point had only one premier league to his name this season. Rafa talked about how his side had shown “passion and commitment”. That was definitely on show last Saturday and they will need the same today if they are going to defeat a Manchester City side who have seemed to click since the return of Kevin De Bruyne from injury. Newcastle however tend to before better at home then away with 5 of their 7 premier league wins coming at the St James’ Park.

Beating Man city will be a hard task for the magpies but they will be full of confidence with their win against Swansea. In their last six meetings against each other Newcastle have only beaten City once and that was away in the league cup in 2014. Newcastle will need to keep it tight tonight but with their only 2^nd clean sheet in 18 games coming on Saturday, all signs point to a Manchester City win as they push to solidify a place in the top four.

Sunderland on Song

Sunderland’s win on Saturday over Norwich was a crushing and demoralising blow. The 3-0 win drags Norwich right back in to the thick of the relegation fight. If they had beaten Sunderland they could have gone seven points clear but now they are just one point ahead. Advantage Sunderland as they have a game in hand and the better goal difference (-18). Defoe is looking inspirational for Sam Allardyce. He is a natural born goal scorer, a predator, a poacher a fox in a box he will get you goals. They traded Jozy Altidore a player who had just one premier league goal to his name in two and a half seasons of English football for Defoe in the January transfer window in 2015 he got goals last season and he is doing the business again. Himself and Borini caused havoc for the Norwich defence. Out of all the sides fighting relegation Defoe has the most goals this season with 13.

And lastly it was disappointing to see Aston villa getting relegated at Man Utd but it has seemed inevitable for the last couple of seasons. My only hope is that Aston Villa’s owner Randy Leaner sells the club swiftly, as well as selling players who don’t want to be there and bringing in new additions and a manager who has vast experience of the Championship which is an extremely difficult league to get promoted out of.

Don't hold back in the Europa league

These days winning the Europa league just isn't about adding another cup to the trophy cabinet, the UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino confirmed in May 2013 that the winners of the Europa league will be going into next year's champions league. Sevilla fc took full advantage of this route beating the Ukrainian side Dnipro 3-2 in the 2014 final. Sevilla have flourished in this competition winning back to back Europa league titles (2013,2014). In the 2015-2016 Football season Spain became the first country to have five teams in the Champions league.

Both Man Utd and Liverpool are both on this quest to try to qualify for the champions league via the Europa league. In the Premier league table Man Utd are 6 points behind Man city in four place while Liverpool are nine points but due to both there inconsistent form qualification via the league seems to be pulling further and further away even if it is still mathematically possible.

Gone are the days of rotation and playing the youngsters both Man Utd, Liverpool and Tottenham will be playing full strength sides to progress further into the competition, they cant hold back and i'm predicting all teams to win and to go through.

For me personally I think Liverpool's game is the trickiest simply because of the league cup final at Wembley against Manchester City on Sunday. I think that Klopp will play strong sides for both the game tonight and Sunday,So how refreshing was it to hear yesterday of Daniel Sturridge's pledge of commitment to Liverpool. His goal to game ratio despite his injuries is phenomenal. He's missed approximately 614 days however he has scored 45 goals in 75 appearances. He's crucial not only in terms of his finishing but his pressing up the field. 

I'm predicting a 3-1 win for Liverpool with Sturridge to score a brace!!

Arsenal vs Barcelona Preview

I found myself laughing uncontrollably when my manager told me about a church in Nigeria praying for Arsenal to beat Barcelona tonight. It's almost as though they had been watching the Sunday supplement on Sky sports over the weekend. Matt Law one of the sports journalists on the show said this "They (Arsenal) need to just pray, Barcelona are 32 games unbeaten-it's Harlem Globetrotter football we've been seeing in recent weeks." The odds seems so heavily stacked in their favour and the facts definitely support this notion. The last time Barcelona suffered a loss was way back in October last year. Meanwhile over the course of that time the famous trident MSN (Messi, Suarez, Neymar) have scored bucket-load of goals, 91 goals in all competitions to be infact. The main question is can Arsenal beat Barcelona and what would be there plan?


 If we look into the last 5 games between the two sides Arsenal have won and drawn once, losing three times,but it's not all gloom and doom the game they won was at home in 2011 thanks to goals from Van Persie and Arshavin( what happened to him??). Arsene Wenger was right in telling his players to go for it, down below is 5 keys which must be implemented in the game for Arsenal to record a famous win over Barcelona.


 1) Be patient. That's easier said then done the truth of the matter is Arsenal won't have the sort of possession they do in the premier league they will have to patient and pick their moments.

 2) Take your chances

 In the game against Hull,Arsenal had 24 shots(11 on target ), they have to be clinical because they won't be afforded many chances against Barcelona.

 3) Stay compact but break with pace

 Arsenal's defensive shape will be crucial tonight, they have to deny players like Messi and co any space in between the lines. Pressing them at the right moments,but when they win the ball back they will need to counter with pace to get right at Barcelona.

 4) Be wary of the away goal

 Conceding too many goals at the Emirates stadium tonight could end the tie prematurely. Of course MSN are in great form, but Arsenal can't afford to be giving out any free gifts on the field.

 5) My last and key plan is closing down and stifling Sergio busquets.

Since Xavi left Barcelona he is more than ever there crucial passing clog. Highly effective and supremely underrated troubling the impressive midfielder may open the door for Arsenal in the game

August premier league review

The month of August was pure perfection for Man city who recorded 4 wins out of 4. Scoring 10 goals and their defence boasting a record of 4 clean sheets to go with there impressive form. Man city spent big over the summer and for me the pick of their transfers could be Kevin De bruyne. Yes 55 million is a huge amount of money and a club record fee for City but he comes with an impressive CV in the bundesliga since he left Chelsea in January 2014. He racked up a whopping 20 assists last season for Wolfsburg equalling a league record. The so called big teams in the league have all had stuttering starts; Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, and arsenal have all looked unconvincing.

No one would of ever predicted The champions sitting 13th in the league after 4 games. Losing to both Crystal palace and Man city comprehensively, in a game in which saw Mourinho describe the outcome as a "fake result". Chelsea conceded the fewest goals (32) last season and only lost 3 times however the defence that was looking resolute and solid now looks very leaky. It would be very premature to think that Chelsea are out of the premier league race but it's vital that they win today at Everton. 

Since the season started last month I've been hugely impressed with Swansea and Leicester City and with Gomis, Mahrez and Ayew (The first two players are joint top goal scorers in the league with Callum Wilson all scoring 4 goals). Both Swansea and Leicester City remain unbeaten in the league.

Gomis has gone from strength to strength since Bony's big money move to Man City and becoming a starter in the Swansea side. In his last 8 seasons at Lyon he always scored at least 10 league goals a season. 

Man Utd vs Liverpool is always a game of great magnitude. It's a big game and Jamie redknapp was right in saying that neither side can afford to lose, both lost before the international break and a victory for either side could kick start their season. I'm hoping for a Liverpool win but realistically it will be a draw, final score 2-2. 

Big players big plays

 Thus sayeth the King, just pass me the ball. With 1.6 seconds left on the clock and with Derrick Rose levelling the game with a lay up previously Lebron took it upon himself to take the shot and win the game. His coach had called another play but that's why Lebron is called the king he scratched that and made the play, he can nail the big shots in the big pressure moments. Lebron would deffo agree his shooting wasn't completely on point last night and he did concede a lot of turnovers but his moment of magic won the game. Interestingly enough now he has the same amount of buzzer beaters in the post season as Micheal Jordan which is 3 hmmm interesting. 

Last Friday Austin Rivers was amazing really taking the game to the Rockets and cooking up a storm in the absence of Chris Paul he had a massive 25 points in the Clippers 124-99 win. Last night the Rockets had a unusual tactic fowling Deandre Jordan relentlessly forcing him to the free throw line. It was crazy Deandre Jordan set an NBA record of 28 free throw attempts in the first half!! All in all he had 34 attempts acoring only 14. Now the tactic seems reasonably considering Jordan converted only 39.7% of free throws in the regular season, Kevin Mchale said he did it to "muck up" the game and disrupt the flow of the clippers but it seems that the rockets where just truly out of it on both the offensive and defensive fronts. There punishment was a 128-95 loss and it looks now very likely that my beloved clippers will be advancing to the next round of the playoffs but never say never the Rockets could come back, if they can pull themselves together. 

Lacklustre Liverpool

To say I was annoyed last weekend is an understatement Liverpool could of closed the gap on the top four teams but instead they drew. It's all well and good having 73% of possession and 22 shots but these days Liverpool are struggling for goals massively. In fact the 22 shots on goal don't tell the true story because only 4 of those where on target the same amount that West Brom had with around half the number of shots, precisely 10 to be exact. Rodgers said Liverpool where outstanding he said ""I thought they were excellent. We didn't get the win, but our overall game was outstanding," He did admit to the goal threat being a problem, I'm not ranting in this blog just stating the facts and letting you the readers take what you want from it. 

Liverpool then lost 1-0 to hull midweek on the Tuesday. Everton had done Liverpool a favour by beating Man Utd 3-0 on Sunday a win over Hull would have cut the points difference between Man Utd and Liverpool to 4 points however Liverpool lost and with that a place in the champions league seems to have eluded them. Again it was the same old story, like a broken record large amount of possession (69%) shots on goal 12 (9 on target) but no goals. Second successive game with Liverpool not scoring. It almost seems like the back to back losses of Man Utd and Arsenal back in the March and April period knocked the stuffing out of the reds and they truly haven't recovered. 

When Liverpool had conceded the opening goal of the game i wasn't surprised that it would lead to a defeat. During this season Liverpool's ability to equalise has been very poor. According to soccerstats its at 18%. Yes goals have been a problem everyone could see that when Suarez has left but other strikers have not be fancied. Funnily enough the combined forces of Balotelli, Borini and Lambert have the same number of goals as Origi who Liverpool bought and loaned this is abysmal. On Tuesday night Messi, Suarez and Neymar took their tally to over 100 goals for the season. Liverpool couldn't manage any against hull.  

I'm not angry or upset I've accepted my fate as a Liverpool supporter for this season no champions league which was the minimum aim. I'm just mind boggled Rodgers knew Suarez was leaving and unless I'm mistaken and this isn't a huge kept secret but Sturridge is very injury prone. He is a quality striker but he gets injured far to much, however this season has been like a freak nightmare. Rodgers knew this and gambled massively, yes squad players where needed for a this season where Liverpool took part in the champions league but Liverpool needed proven quality not young talent. Everyone knew they where in for Sanchez but after that didn't work they should have pushed for other top strikers and proven stars. Sturridge was put on a pedestal to be some sort of saviour but that has flopped and his understudies have been poor. 

206.5m spent on transfers since the summer of 2012 and only 2 have been hugely fruitful is again mind boggling. This summer will be crucial for Liverpool if they have a poor start again I can see Rodgers getting sacked I don't want that to happen but there are huge demands at a top club like Liverpool and we all know how cut-throat the world of management can be!

Midweek Sports review and preview

Sports review and preview

Away goals are worth their weight in Gold. With Suarez’ scintillating brace and Neymar’s goal in the first leg Barcelona already had one foot in the semi final. In fact such was the display of Suarez in the first leg I wandered as a passionate Liverpool fan of what may have been in the FA cup semi final against Aston villa if he had played (A guy can dream right). The 2^nd leg for Barcelona was a formality with a brace by Neymar jnr already confirming what we already knew. In the other game it seemed like Bayern Munich had a sizeable task ahead of them, 3-1 down from the first game in which some of their defending had been questionable and sloppy. Thiago scored that night and he began the revival as Bayern were bashful and brutal scoring 5 goals in a period of 26 minutes to effectively end the tie. The game ended 6-1 (7-4 agg)

Tonight are the other two quarter final games I think the Juventus vs. Monaco game will be straightforward 2-1 win. The Madrid derby is anything but a mystery, last season’s champions where minutes way from losing that final if not for a Sergio Ramos header.  Diego Simone’s side showed so much grit, determination and hard work ethic that night and it will be the same again tonight. They do no not fear the Bernabéu. Since that final,Atletico Madrid have not lost to Real Madrid with their biggest win the 4-0 thrashing in their home league game on the 7^th February.  Real Madrid know that they have to be on their guard. It’s not all doom and gloom for Real Madrid are undefeated in their last 14 home games. Although they won’t have 2 thirds of the BBC (Bale and Benzema) Cristiano Ronaldo is more than formidable to score the goals that they need. He has scored a whopping 50 goals in all competitions this season!!

I can see this game going the full length extra time and penalties. Scoring the first goal in this game is important but not crucial however the timing of the goal is everything for both sides. If I have to pick a side I will pick Real Madrid to go through on penalties.

Crunch time in the NBA and NHL

The playoffs have already kicked off in these two prestigious leagues.  I'm still fairly new to American sport in general but I am definitely a fan. I've been supporting the LA clippers for 3 years now and getting the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of playoff seemed cruel but we won 107-92 with Chris Paul scoring 32 points and 6 assists and Blake Griffin (My favourite player) 26 points and 6 assists. My only hope is that the Clippers bench will last the series and provide big points when needed. San Antonio definitely have the playoff experience but I'm hoping my team will win tonight to go 2-0 into the 3^rd playoff game.  The NHL is truly something special I focus on the 2 New York teams the islanders and the rangers. This part of the season is crunch time you have to leave everything on the floor and the ice no regrets!!!  If you've never seen a game of ice hockey or basketball please do check it out. It took me a little while but they are both exhilarating sports to view. 

Midweek review, Liverpool's late charge

All of the top seven sides in the Barclay's Premiership recorded wins. Chelsea beat West Ham to maintain there title bid and they still have a game in hand over Man City. The fight for the four champions league places still rages on. I was over the moon with Liverpool's 2-0 win over Burnley continuing there excellent form. They are the form team of the year in 2015 with 7 premier league wins out of 9, collecting 23 points out of a possible 27 with no lose. Liverpool are on the charge!
Further down the table Stoke's 2-0 win was a highlight as it was there third successive win in the league and it saw them rise from 10th to 8th place. Mark Hughes is doing a fantastic job there.
As for Everton Martinez there boss was right to say no when asked if Everton where too good to go down. Everton have not win since the 31st of January when they beat Crystal Palace 1-0 thanks to a Lukaku goal. They definitely need a good run of form to take them away from the relegation battle.
The biggest win personally of the mid week premiership games was Aston villa's 2-1 win over West Brom. What Foster was doing in the final moments of the game no one knows, he basically gifted the penalty to Aston Villa. However it seemed as though Benteke had ice running in his veins when he took the penalty in the dying moments of the game. That goal was Benteke's 3 goal in the league and the first in 2015, the last time he scored was against Man utd way way back on the 20th of December 2014. To be fair he recently came back from an Achilles injury and his form has been patchy of late. Neither Agbonlahor or Weimann have come up with the goods between them they have 8 goals this season and goals around other areas of the team have dried up. The fact that Villa have only scored 15 goals this season in the league is a real worry but hopefully there first win over west brom and the injection of enthusiasm from Tim Sherwood can propel them up the table.   

Midweek sports review

 

Apologies everyone I got my fixtures mixed up with the Rugby it wasn't France vs. Ireland but more about the rugby in another post. I remember when the premiership season was just freshly upon us and Liverpool had Tottenham away I was a little nervous it was Balotelli’s debut in fact I remember in the first half of that game  he could of scored with his first touch of the game (Let’s not bring up his season stats for goals or attempts at goal, cue hide face emoji). Back then Liverpool where still trying to shrug of the SUAREZ question (Can Liverpool cope without the goals of Suarez?) and yes we have struggled but at the time sterling was playing at the top of the diamond 4-1-2-1-2 now he has been converted to a striker and that has helped. I remember that game Gerrard scored his 43^rd penalty setting a new club record, there where goals and Liverpool kept a clean sheet. Fast forward a little and the first part of this season has been dreadful but Rodgers has adapted, changed the formation and is seeming to cope without Suarez. Liverpool are in a fierce battle for the top 4.

The battle for the top 4 is what makes this game so interesting Tottenham are four points ahead of Liverpool and really hitting there stride. There derby win against Arsenal was fantastic and just like I said in my previous blog post having a striker in form like Kane is essential for there push towards a champions league spot. I’m even wandering where Liverpool would have been if they had some of his calibre to rely on while Sturridge has been out injured. I’m not knocking Lambert or borini or Balotelli but none of them have been as prolific as Kane this season.

I’m hoping and predicting that Liverpool win this 2-1 however Tottenham are on a good run of form so it could be 2-2.

In the other midweek fixtures I’m predicting wins for Arsenal, Chelsea, Man utd, Man city, Sunderland however the rest of the fixtures will be draws.