FT French Ligue 1 Preview: PSG must win the UEFA Champions League to keep Neymar

The Brazilian sensation left Barcelona in a bid to step out of Messi’s shadow and achieve his goals of winning the Ballon d’Or at the French giants Paris-Saint Germain. He hoped that the club’s recruitment policy would give him an edge when the tournament commences and that they would be able to recruit the best players who would be able to compete at the highest level. Last season, PSG failed to make it past Real Madrid in the round-of-16. This year, they will have to do better than that if they are to stand a chance to fend off interest from the likes of Real Madrid in keeping their star player at the club. In this feature story, we look at how the club can be able to win the title.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid and Neymar of PSG embrace at half time during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg match between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain at Bernabeu on February 14, 2018 in Madrid, Spain.

(Feb. 13, 2018 - Source: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images Europe)

The recruitment of the Italian and Juventus legend, Gianluigi Buffon to beef up their goalkeeper position is nothing but a positive signing for the club. The legend brings his vast amount of experience to a squad that looked out of character when they were dispatched by Real Madrid last year. PSG needed a commanding number 1, and they have got their man who will organise his defence and hopefully prevent the best players in the world from scoring past him. Apart from that, he also brings his winning mentality. Buffon won the last 7 Serie A titles in a row with Juve and is also a 2006 FIFA World Cup winner. He has been around for a long time and knows how to compete. The UEFA Champions League title is a trophy that has eluded him, and he will be as hungry as Neymar to win it this year.

Football is a team sport. Neymar cannot win the trophy on his own. He will need his teammates to bring their A game to the table if they really want him to stay at the Parc des Princes. This means that players like Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani have to bring their World Cup form to Paris and help Neymar push for the title. The former is a teenage sensation who shined at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia but was went hiding when PSG faced Real Madrid in the 2017/18 season. He should be looking to grow from that experience and carry his form into the coming season. Cavani was also at the focal point of Uruguay’s success at the tournament before picking up an injury that kept him out of the squad that was eliminated by France. The whole team has to be at their best this season and play to Neymar’s strengths if they want him to lead them to European glory.

Neymar of Brazil reacts after a missed opportunity during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Quarter Final match between Brazil and Belguim at Kazan Arena on July 6, 2018 in Kazan, Russia.

(July 5, 2018 - Source: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images Europe)

There are rumours that PSG wants to sign N’Golo Kante from Chelsea this season. The 27-year old is a midfield destroyer who has been at the heart of successes of the best teams in recent years. He first led his club Leicester to the EPL title in 2015/16 before winning it again the following year with Chelsea. This year, he was trusted with the defensive responsibilities in the French team that lifted the 2018 FIFA World Cup trophy. N’Golo Kante is famous for stopping Messi, arguably the world’s best player, in his tracks and preventing Argentina from making it to the quarter-final stage. PSG need a player like Kante who could strike a partnership with Marco Verratti in the spine of the French team and protect the backline. Whether the club will actually get to sign him from the English side remains to be seen, but it is clear that they would stand a better chance of winning the most prized asset in European club football if they have the defensive midfielder on their books.

Sometimes a good run in the tournament requires some bit of luck. The draw did not favour the club in the previous season. PSG were unfortunate to face the defending champions in the round-of-16 in the 2017/18 season . This year, they would want to avoid the biggest teams in the tournament at the early stage as they build momentum. However, some argue that you have to beat the best teams in the competition to be called the best. What do you think that PSG has to do to keep Neymar at the club after this season?

FT World Cup 2018: Egypt's Tournament in Review

Disappointing Egypt fail to create any momentum at the World Cup

Things just didn’t work out for the Egyptians in this World Cup. It is said, “to whom much is given, much is expected”. The Pharaohs simply failed to deliver on football’s biggest stage. Kicking off their World Cup campaign without their talisman player Mohamed Salah, the North African giants never looked threatening in any of their three Group A games. They went down 1-0 to Uruguay in their opening match. The story continued in their second game where they lost 3-1 to Russia, and even the return of Salah in this game couldn’t rally the team to victory. They capped off their disappointing World Cup with a shock 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia, effectively leaving the tournament with another disappointing display. 

Egypt vs Uruguay

The first game was quite an uphill task for the Egyptians in all honesty. With the news that Mohamed Salah would not start the match due to his shoulder injury he received from the UEFA Champions League final with Liverpool, it was quite hard to imagine them grinding out a positive result in this match. The outcome of the game proved as much as they succumbed to a late Luis Suarez goal which resulted in a 1-0 victory for Uruguay. The loss was all but shocking considering that Egypt never really looked like they would break down a well oiled Uruguay defense marshaled by Diego Godin.

Egypt vs Russia

This was a game that was highly anticipated by most Egyptian fans as it marked the return of Mohammed Salah after recovering from his shoulder injury. Ahmed Fathi’s bizarre own goal seemed to have paved way for more goals as Russia became rampant thereafter, adding two goals in quick succession, courtesy of Denis Cheryshev and Artem Dzyuba to kill the game off. Though Salah did pull a goal back for the Egyptians 20 minutes from time with a coolly struck penalty, the damage was already done and Egypt found it hard to break down a resolute Russian defense in search for a comeback. An early exit for Egypt was confirmed at the end of this game after two losses on the trot.

Egypt vs Saudi Arabia

Many expected Egypt to salvage some pride here by beating Saudi Arabia, but that was not to be. Salah put the Pharaohs ahead with a nice lob over the Saudi Arabian keeper, but Salman Al Faraj sent Essam El-Haddary the wrong way to level matters after Saudi Arabia was awarded a penalty. The Saudis then put the last nail in the coffin for Egypt right at the stroke of full-time courtesy of Salem Al Dawsari's close-range finish, defeating the Egyptians 2-1. This marked the end of The Pharaohs’ short World Cup spell which was thoroughly disappointing, to say the least.

Lessons Learned

• Defense is the best form of attack, Egypt was poor defensively hence they also failed to provide a threat going forward.

• Not relying on one man to drive the team.

• Play for the jersey and show hunger.

Evaluation

Heavy reliance on one man can be a recipe for disaster. Egypt simply did not offer much going forward especially during Salah’s absence. It is safe to say the North African giants never got the ball rolling.

Critical Issue

They need to ramp up their defense which proved to be the weakest link of the team. With the departure of El Hadary, the team also needs more leaders to step up and motivate the players all around the pitch.

FT World Cup 2018: Round of 16 Preview [Portugal vs Uruguay]

The Portugal vs Uruguay could easily be the most testy fixture of the Round of 16 as it will be a La Liga reunion for Cristiano as the Real Madrid forward battles against rival Atletico defenders Diego Godin and Jose Giminez. Similar for Luis Suarez on the opposite side who will undoubtedly end of up in a pissing match with Pepe. Portugal will be looking to provide better offensive support for Cristiano, as he has scored all of their goals in the tournament so far. Bernardo Silva, Gelson Martins, and Goncalo Guedes have been largely unimpactful in Russia and will need to step up if Uruguay’s back 4 are to be tested.

Portugal

"SIIIIIII." Cristiano Ronaldo

Say what you want about Ronaldo’s impact in build up play this tournament so far, Portugal obviously could care less. They have a clear team strategy that has proven very effective for them in recent international competitions, and ultimately was the major factor in them winning Euro 2016 (at least getting to the finals). Even when his finishing lets him down every now and then, Cristiano is much too potent of a scoring threat, simply because of his range. And I don’t mean shooting range, even thought that’d be more than applicable here. I mean his range and ability to score with variety. Real Madrid’s star man is an extremely dangerous threat from 30 yards out on either foot, is a dead ball specialist and is very strong using his head. This makes him a threat on any corner kick or cross into the oppositions box. Having already scored in Russia through each of the avenues I have just described, Ronaldo will be looking to add to his 4 goals and lead Portugal into the Quarter Finals.

William Carvalho

The holding or defensive midfield position in football is similar to the Corner Back position in American football in the fact that at times, the player occupying the position may be doing his or her best work when no one is mentioning them during the match. Carvalho has easily been one of the best midfielders so far this tournament, due to his ability to read the game, cover ground, and completely alter the oppositions playing style at times in Russia. Not only is he very strong in the tackle, but does the running of two men for Portugal. As Uruguay are a team that pride themselves in their grit and an industry, Carvalho will be a key player for Portugal as he will have to help keep track of Edison Cavani and Luis Suarez as they both drop deep to find the ball at times on Saturday.

Experience

Euro 2016 marked the tournament for me where Portugal can no longer be seen as anything other than contenders in major international competitions. Before winning the 2016 European Championship, they may have had an early exit in World Cup 2014, but prior to that, they made it to the Semi Finals in Euro 2012, the Quarter Finals in Euro 2008, and the Finals of Euro 2004. They also made it to the Semi Finals of World Cup 2006. Cristiano Ronaldo captains the current Portugal side and is the most familiar with his team’s recent successes, as he has seen his nations growth and establishment on the international stage. Portugal should be confident and have proven to themselves time and time again that they have the fight needed to progress at this stage.

 

Uruguay

They have the best defense in the tournament

Even though they will be looking at their star striker pairing of Suarez and Cavani to score against Portugal, both have perhaps been a bit overshadowed by the sheer might of Uruguay’s defensive prowess. “The holy grail of football is the word “balance”” Uruguayan coach Oscar Tabarez told reporters after his side’s 3-0 win against Russia. The Atletico Madrid defensive pairing of Diego Godin and Jose Giminez has seen Uruguay keep a shutout in each of their 3 group stage matches. Portugal will have a tall test come Saturday.

Suarez and Cavani Partnership

In their biggest defensive test thus far (spain) they yielded 3 goals. They have a potent offense in Suarez and Cavani who so far have 3 goals combined in Russia and are heating up a just the right time. Pepe and Fonte have good chemistry but will have a tough time keep up with the relentless movement of both of Uruguay’s talismanic strikers on Saturday.

Set Pieces

World Cup 2018 has been a tournament of set pieces, and Uruguay will know this more than anyone having scored all 5 of their group stage goals from set pieces. Portugal have already given up 2 goals from dead ball situations in Russia, and Uruguay will be looking to win this game by any means necessary

FT World Cup 2018: The Hopes of Africa Must Soar with the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia

The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia has been nothing short of exciting. We have enjoyed bitter losses, heroic efforts, controversial decisions by the match officials among other dramatic moments that can be expected in such a prestigious tournament. The latter is still yet to catch up with the African teams as 3 of 5 teams have already played their first matches and have already tasted defeat.

First up, it was Egypt. A justifiable reason for their loss was the injured Mohamed Salah, who failed to make it onto to the pitch and wow the fans with his dazzling sprints and his calm and collected goal-scoring ability. The Pharaohs fell to a narrow 1-0 loss at the hands of fellow Group A members Uruguay on matchday 2. This saddened not only the helpless Salah, who was watching from the bench but also the whole continent of Africa who has high expectations on all of the teams participating in this year’s competition.

Morocco’s case was no different. They succumbed to a 1-0 defeat thanks to the well-organized defending of the Iranian team. This might come as a surprise to someone who knows what Benatia’s teammates are capable of. Morocco really had it all in one basket from kick-off. They came to play, and play they did. They dominated the match and barely gave Iran any chance until late on.  What broke the hearts of the hundreds of millions of fans watching the game was the way in which the match slipped out of their hands. An own goal by Bouhaddouz in the 95th minute sealed the victory for a very fortunate Iranian side. At this kind of tournament, you cannot afford to lift your foot off the gas. They were made to pay for their lapse in concentration, and the result will paint a bad picture in the minds and hearts of the fans. That is a lesson learned for them.

Nigeria came in on the third try. They took on Luka Modric’s Croatian side, but their fate was sealed in less than five mins into the match. Playing an opening match can be nerve-wracking, as was the case for Nigeria who looked nothing like the team that put up a fight against England in the friendlies not so long ago. Nigeria looked uncomfortable, unprepared and it was just a matter of time before the Croatians would humble them. Like Morocco, Nigeria conceded an own goal on the 32nd minute before Luka Modric scored a penalty to make it 2-0 to Croatia. Why is it that they lost, you may ask. Because of three main reasons, i.e. nerves, the tactical approach to the match, and a poor performance from the leaders of the team. The coach failed to prepare the team for the game and made some questionable substitutions throughout the 90 minutes. A lot more could be offered by the likes of Mikel, Iwobi, Moses, and Ndidi. Surely, this humbling experience should work as a learning curve for Nigeria and the other two African nations that are still yet to play.

Things are not looking good for Africa thus far at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. Not all hope is lost though, with Tunisia and Senegal still yet to play. It piles more pressure on them to do better than the teams mentioned above. Tunisia and Senegal have seen it all by this stage and should be prepared to battle with their lives like Morocco did but cannot afford to drop their concentration levels. Managers have to do their part and select their best players and make sure that they set up in a formation that allows them to contribute to the best of their abilities. Star players have to lead by example and influence the games into their favor. Defenders cannot afford to make costly errors like own-goals in the remaining matches. A big question mark is on how Tunisia will fare without their best player, Msakni, who is missing from the game due to injury. Will they respond to this loss the same way Egypt did without Salah or will they take ownership of the performance and make sure that they will be leading by the time the referee blows the whistle at the end of 90 minutes.