Andre Gomes opens up about his frustrations

The 24-year-old Portugal international joined Barcelona from Valencia in the summer of 2016 for a fee rumored to be around €35m plus add-ons that can rise to €20m. He explained how desperate he was to integrate into the Barca style of play and succeed but he acknowledges that anxiety has held him back from progress. The midfielder joined around the time when Portugal were celebrating their success at the Euros in which he had played an integral role and huge expectations were placed on the young enforcer to replicate those performances and play even better at the Camp Nou. Since then, the player has suffered psychologically after receiving tantrum from the fans who call him a flop when all he needed was time to adapt to the demands of a massive club. He now shuts himself and avoids interacting with anyone. He has lost confidence in his play. This is a cry to the fans to sometimes think about the well-being of these players and show them some love when they need him the most. Sergio Busquets has come out to back him and explain that the team is doing all they can to make life easier for Gomes. His only plea is to the fanbase to reduce the level of negativity to a player who is in a delicate situation.

What’s happening to the World’s number one keeper?

Former World’s number one shotstopper Manuel Neuer is still in recovery after breaking a bone in his foot. He has had this injury three times already and this time it is proving difficult for him to get fit to compete again at the highest level. This raises some questions to the medical department at Bayern Munich who confirmed that the player had supposedly recovered in January. Bayern coach Heynckes is hopeful that the player can return to the training pitch at the start of April so that they can have a chance to compete for the Champions League. David De Gea has since overtaken the player as World’s best goalkeeper after some consistent displays in recent months. Some suggest that even with Neuer at his best, he cannot be compared to De Gea who has raised his game and is rumored to be a target of Real Madrid once again. Whether we will be able to see Neuer back in April is something that we will wait to see but we hope that he at least recovers in time to join the German squad at the FIFA World Cup in Russia 2018. The best of luck Manuel!

The German talks about how he signed his Arsenal contract extension

The 2017/18 season started off on a bad note for Arsenal as the news came in that Alexis Sanchez almost signed for Manchester City on transfer deadline day in the summer. The player was unsettled and needed a change but the manager chose to stick with him even against his will. Mesut Ozil was another name of a player who was rumored to be on the lookout for a new club as his contract was expiring in less than a year like Sanchez and Wilshere. At one point in the season, the Arsenal faithful were tired of Sanchez and Ozil’s performances and just wanted them to leave if they continued to disrespect the badge. But Ozil has come out to say that he did not think about leaving. The player was taking his time to sign the contract extension because he wanted to get his mojo back before committing long-term in order to get the backing of the fans. And so he did. It was coincidental that his extension was announced in January around the time when the club had signed Mkhitaryan and were almost done with talks for Aubameyang. Now he looks a different animal that is rich in confidence as he has been influential in Arsenal’s recent turn in positive results. Do you think Ozil made the right decision to stay at Arsenal? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.

Champions League; Round of 16 Overview

MANU VS SEVILLA

No Pogba no problem? Manchester United are in good form recently with big win against Liverpool and will most likely be without their midfield talisman

Sevilla are a real danger. 2-2 and 3-3 results against Liverpool in the group stages means that Manchester will be wary of the away goals.

AS ROMA VS SHAKTAR

Roma will need a strong home performance to go through. The Stadio Olimpico will be key for Roma, who will feel confident after their big win at the weekend.

Shaktar have shown this CL campaign that they have goals in them. Will they make the most of their 2-1 aggregate advantage?

BESIKTAS VS BAYERN

Bayern will rotate players after a comfortable first leg victory. 

Besiktas will hope to give the home fans something to enjoy before exiting the competition.  

BARCELONA VS CHELSEA

After the Tottenham vs Juventus game, easily the most interesting tie left to be decided. 

Barcelona are in great form. Messi will be fresh after missing the game against Malaga to be their for the birth of his third son Ciro.

Chelsea’s starting XI will be interesting after almost successfully defending against Barca in the first leg. 

Potential Candidates To Replace Wenger

In the past weeks, many reports were coming from all angles about Arsenal and their difficult patch they were going through. Many believe that the time has passed for the long-serving manager to turn around this bad omen and build a team that can mount a title challenge once more. £8 million per year is too much an investment that yields no results as the team is not even competing in the Champions League. In this article, we take a look at the people that could be potential replacements for the manager who has served for 21 years whether they are like-for-like or disruptive managers with different philosophies to that of the dead horse.

Edie Howe of Bournemouth is the first name that comes up on our list. The young manager has proved that he has the guts to play football his own way despite the opposition he is facing. Much-like-Wenger, Howe is a very stubborn manager who does not change his style of play to suit the opponents’ tactics. He sticks to his philosophy of dominating the game in possession and this has brought some excitement to the Bournemouth faithful ever since he took charge back in 2012. It would not be a surprise if he was named as the successor to Wenger if the manager leaves this season because they see football in the same way and most likely would continue Wenger’s legacy of always trying to bring the game to the opponents.

Achievements: Championship Promotion 2013, Premier League Promotion 2015

Carlo Ancelotti is the first big name coach that has the credentials to take over at Arsenal and bring some needed change. The Italian has been around the game for quite some time and has managed some of the biggest clubs in Chelsea, AC Milan, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. His trophy-laden career makes him an attractive option for Arsenal who needs someone to motivate the already talented squad and bring them to another level. He is well known for his man-management skills with most of his former players calling him the best coach that they have ever played under. Wenger seems to lack the ability to motivate his squad which is full of internationals and has even some amazing players come into his squad and lose confidence. This could be solved by Ancelotti. Also, he is a very attack coach as well with a preferred 4-2-3-1 formation which has been Wenger’s favorite formation in the past decade or more. Ancelotti is currently out of contract at the moment and now is the time for the club to make a move for the manager who was sacked by Bayern Munich earlier in this season.  

Achievements: UEFA Champions League 2003, 2007 & 2014, FIFA Club World Cup 2007 & 2014 among others

Joachim Low is another name that has been linked to the Arsenal post and could be next in line once Wenger resigns. The current Germany coach has been one of the bravest managers to give a chance to young and inexperienced players in the major international tournaments. This has been Wenger’s strength who has developed some of the best talents almost single-handedly before selling them off to other competitive clubs. Low has not only given them a chance but has also pushed them to deliver as most recently he won the Confederations Cup with a second fiddle squad that was full of young German players. Such is the dream for an Arsenal fan to pride in winning the Premier Leagues and Champions League with players that were not bought for hundreds of millions but are still world-class and dazzle the audience every 90 minutes. Little is known about his abilities to find success at club level but his portfolio is undeniably attractive and could be a risk worth taking.

Achievements: FIFA World Cup 2014, FIFA Confederations Cup 2017

Diego Simeone is the direct opposite to the aforementioned coaches as he is more defensive minded. This is probably down to the fact that he used to play as a central defender before he became a coach. He prioritizes defense over meaningless attacks that we have seen recently from Arsenal that have amounted to nothing. Simeone does not play attractive football but has managed to build a team capable of competing with the very best of players in the world as he sits back and waits for counterattacks in matches and successfully grinds out a win. ‘Winning ugly’ could be a new term to the Arsenal faithful but it has seen many teams lift trophies in Leicester, and Chelsea during Wenger’s tenure. That mentality to fight till the end and protect their own goal is evidently lacking considering the fact that Arsenal is the team that has already conceded 41 goals which is the highest among the top 7 teams this season. Arsenal needs to find a coach that can fix that problem at the back.

Achievements: La Liga 2014, Copa del Rey 2013, UEFA Europa League 2012,  

Finally, the last two options are Arsenal legends and have not done much in terms of gaining experience to lead such a big club but are adored by the fans which gives them a chance. The first one being Thierry Henry who is currently a SkySports pundit and an assistant manager to Roberto Martinez in the Belgium national team. He is somewhat the favorite to get the post among the rest and has even confirmed that he would not turn down the chance to help Arsenal out of their misery. Could he be next to bring in instant success with little experience like his former teammate Zidane has done for Real Madrid since he took over 2 years ago?

Apart from that, there is also a former captain of the club in Patrick Vieira who has been working with players as a coach in the MLS with Etihad’s New York City. He is known to be an outspoken person who has no problem with going hard with players if they are not in check. Could he be the manager that the players need to up their game? Don’t forget to drop your comments below! 

EPL Roundup Matchday 30

Gabonese striker, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang continues to lead the charge in the revitalised Arsenal side which had been lacking confidence recently. He scored away against Brighton in the Gunners’ 2-1 loss and added to his tally yesterday in emphatic style. The Batman, quickly latched on to Mkhitaryan’s silky pass and rounded the goalkeeper before finding the back of the net, capping off with an acrobatic celebration. He later on assisted the Armenian for Arsenal’s third goal. Elsewhere, Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez did what he does best for Leicester - assist and score goals. The Manchester City transfer saga seems to be behind him now. Riyad and Nigeria’s Kelechi Iheanacho, who scored his first EPL goal for the Foxes, were both on the scoresheet as Leicester embarrassed bottom of the table West Bromwich Albion, 4-1. Serge Aurier also grabbed a goal in Tottenham’s 4-1 win over Bournemouth together fellow Ivorian, Eric Bailly who returned to Man United’s starting line up. Bailly stopped Salah from scoring a goal for the first time in eight starts for Liverpool but couldn’t help but finish off Sadio Mane’s cross into his own net.

The midfielder confirms when he will hang his boots

One of Fergie’s servants has finally come to terms with reality and has decided to hang his boots at the end of the current campaign. Michael Carrick has been a midfield enforcer in the Manchester United team under five different managers including Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes, Ryan Giggs, Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho. He is well known and respect for his basic play that slows down the pace of the team and allows them to dominate possession with his quick short passes and rare long balls to the wing. The 36 year-old would have probably wanted to continue playing but has been given little opportunities ever since Mourinho took over and the chances of him playing this season were shuttered by the emergence of McTominay who is younger and fresher than the experienced defensive midfielder. A health problem also contributed to that decision as he has undergone a procedure to correct his heart rhythm. This problem started in the Burton game and also happened in training. We wish him all the best in his last year and hopefully he can lift one more trophy before he retires.

SkySports pundit suspended for unacceptable reaction

Former Liverpool captain and current SkySports pundit Jamie Carragher, pictured on the left, has been suspended after a video surfaced on the internet after Liverpool lost 2-1 to Manchester United. He was recorded spitting out from his car at a young girl who was driving with her father. The two were caught off guard as the former player rolled down the window of his car and spat in the direction of the fans. This behavior is unacceptable coming from a player who used to be a leader in his team and is a TV Personality that people look up to. He has since apologized to the family and has been suspended from his duties at SkySports who denounced his actions. Do you think a suspension is too harsh a punishment for the pundit who was goaded by many fans several times before this incident? Let us know your thoughts below in the comment section.

Mourinho hits back at Frank De Boer

Manchester United boss has hit back at Former Crystal Palace boss Frank de Boer about his recent comments on how Jose Mourinho has been handling Marcus Rashford. De Boer praised the young forward’s impact in the Liverpool match as he scored a brace in a tough match. He went on to say that it is a ‘pity’ that Rashford is playing under Mourinho presumably because he is not allowing the player to progress by playing a lot of games. This might be due to the fact there are many players in front of him in the pecking order including the January signing Alexis Sanchez. However, de Boer’s comments brought about a fiery comment from Mourinho who is quoted to having said that Frank is the worst Premier League manager in history. He managed only 7 matches in the EPL with all of them defeats and scoring none in the process before facing the sack. Mourinho turned the conversation from the player to his record and ambition for winning. He stipulated that Rashford would be a failure if he was coached by the former Palace boss because that is what Frank knows how to do. Do you think Mourinho’s reaction is justifiable? Drop your comments below.

The cycle continues at Southampton

Mauricio Pellegrino is the latest Premier League manager to face the sack after a chain of disappointing results. It is recorded that the average Premier League manager does not last longer than 1 year and 3 months. The Southampton manager has been let go after a run of one win in the last 17 games. He confirmed on Saturday that his players looked like they had given up when they lost 3-0 to newly promoted Newcastle. The club have now decided that new management is the solution for the team that has been playing some entertaining football in the past few years. Assistant manager Carlos Compagnucci and first-team coach Xavier Tamarit have also parted company with the club. Do you think that this culture of sacking managers in the Premier League is the only way to guarantee success?

Is China becoming a Dream Destination for African Footballers?

The Chinese Super League has become notorious for snatching big name players under the very noses of the most established clubs. What does this all mean? Are witnessing a revolution in professional football? Should we start picking our favorite teams in the CSL and wear their t-shirts? Honestly, why China? Let us see how my mind tries to answer this question in the next few lines.

A fortnight ago, Cedric Bakambu became the most expensive African player in history after completing his move to Beijing Guaon from the La Liga’s yellow submarine, Villarreal. The Chinese side forked out 65 million pounds eclipsing the 35 million pounds that Liverpool paid for Mohamed Salah or what they might pay for Naby Keita in the summer. The DRC forward is not the typical, aging player wrapping up his career in Asia, he is well in his prime at the age of 26. Even though he had attracted interest from a host of other European giants after rubbing shoulders with Lionel Messi in the scoring charts, he opted for the Chinese club. It is not only Cedric, there are many more.

In the same period, we also witnessed Cameroonian captain, Benjamin Moukandjo switching one CSL club for another and Ghanaian Richmond Boakye joining Coach Fabio Capello at Jiangsu Suning. Honestly, it is mainly because these Chinese sides have become the highest bidders in their spending spree to attract big names to boost the support for the local game. The Nigerian international, Odion Ighalo shared in an interview with Sky Sports that EPL side Watford released him to Changchun Yatai F.C because they were prepared to pay more. Even, the Belgium midfielder, Alex Witsel at 20 years of age, turned down Juventus for Tianjin Quanjian revealing that the Chinese side presented a more lucrative offer for his family.

Other African players who switched to China include Ivory Coast captain, Gervinho, Demba Ba, Asamoah Gyan, Didier Drogba, Stephane Mbia, Nigeria’s John Obi Mikel, Barcelona’s Seydou Keita, Obafemi Martins only to mention but a few. These players have also mingled with talent from other regions in the form of the Brazilian Oscar who moved from Chelsea to Shanghai SIPG, Hulk, Carlos Tevez, Ramires, Yannick Carrasco, Alexandre Pato and most recently Javier Mascherano who left Barcelona. These big money captures by Chinese clubs have undoubtedly justified the means by giving the league an image and its competitiveness will only increase.

The recent capture of Bakambu and the big money sell of Paulinho to Barcelona in the summer, who has been phenomenal for the Catalans by the way, continue to provide more evidence that the CSL can outbid any club and most importantly produce world-class players. More so because of the influence of great managers like Manuel Pellegrini, Fabio Capello and Fabio Cannavaro. The CSL may as well have become the top destination for any African player because of the prospects cash influx and career growth without being overshadowed by the likes of Messi and Ronaldo.

CSL runs from March to November every year and limits the number of foreign players to five per team, including a player from the Asian Football Confederation countries. We might all need to consider learning how to pronounce the CSL’s team names. They are here to stay.

Per Mertesacker: The effects of football on a professional player

Current Arsenal captain Per Metersacker opened up on the challenges faced by professional players before the game. The 33-year-old centre-back revealed that he suffers from anxiety attacks and sometimes feels like vomiting if he turns his stomach. The player goes to extremes of chocking himself violently in order to avoid that from happening. Imagine what everyone else goes through if the captain of the team struggles like this. No wonder the Arsenal team often shows lack of fight and bravery when it matters the most. The soon-to-retire player also reflected on the match between Germany and Italy which was played in 2006 when he was still 21 years old. He talked about how he could not wait for the match to end because it was a burden both physically and mentally. It seems that there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes before the matches start. Let us wait to hear other confessions of players when they are about to retire.

Dortmund Snatched a Late Win Over Frankfurt

Chelsea loanee Michy Batshuayi has stepped in to fill Aubameyang’s shoes and has not disappointed. The striker has been on fine goalscoring form since his move as he has registered 7 goals and 1 assist in just 8 appearances in both the Bundesliga and the Europa League. 2 of those goals came in today’s match against Eintracht Frankfurt which his team won 3-2. Typical rollercoaster it was as Reus’ own goal was canceled out by Jovic in the 75th minute. Batshuayi then scored two minutes later and gave the advantage to Dortmund. When Blum scored in the 91st minute, everyone thought that they had rescued a point for their team only for Batshuayi to go behind the Frankfurt defense and score the 94th-minute winner past Lukas Hradecky. This means that Borrusia Dortmund (3rd place) are only just a point behind Schalke 04 in the league. The race for UEFA Champions League qualification continues.

Allegri: Madrid Are the Team to Beat

Juventus coach Allegri believes that Real Madrid are once again the title favorites after eliminating PSG. The Spanish club had been struggling in form this season as they are currently sitting in 3rd place with just a point ahead of Valencia in fourth. Allegri feels that Madrid are the team to beat and he is keen to avoid them in the quarterfinal round. “This is because their focus is solely on that competition and also that there is nobody else that deals with games in this competition like they do,” said Allegri. He said the same about Barcelona who are hungry for the title which has eluded them in the past two seasons when Real Madrid were dominating. Barcelona host Chelsea on Wednesday for the final clash between the two. Many celebrations will come from the qualifying teams if another big club in Barcelona falls at this early round. Let us wait and see who gets to pack their bags this round because this tournament never disappoints.

Arsenal Win 3-0 Against Watford

Arsenal are seemingly beginning to bounce back after a long difficult spell. Arsene Wenger’s side dispatched Watford by 3 goals to nil in the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. This is their first win in after losing 3 games straight before this match. Mustafi scored the opener from a Mesut Ozil cross before Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang scored the second thanks to a Mkhitaryan assist on 59 minutes. It was a delight to see the striker celebrate with his traditional summersault which is very familiar to those that followed him during his days in Germany. The pair combined once again like they did in Dortmund as this time the striker turned provider to Mkhitaryan’s goal in the 77th minute. It is also worth mentioning that Petr Cech saved Troy Deeney’s penalty and went on to secure his record 200th clean sheet in the Premier League. The keeper got the man of the match award after making some fine saves in the match. Mesut Ozil’s assist makes him the fastest player to reach 50 Premier League assists in 141 matches. What a day to remember for the record-breaking duo!

Is Ligue 1 Enough Of A Challenge For Neymar?

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague of SkySports gave his views on the rumors surrounding Neymar after his team was eliminated from the UEFA Champions League by Real Madrid. It is said that the Brazilian star is disappointed by his team’s lack of hunger to be competitive in the tournament which he hoped to win again in different colors to those of Barcelona. The player was in red hot form before his latest injury as he had scored 29 goals and provided 19 assists in just 30 matches across all competitions. It is believed that someone close to the player is the one who is being used as a spokesman to attract the attention of Real Madrid who have already tried to sign the player three times in the past. If that is to happen, Madrid would have to fork out something around €400m to lure him from PSG. Whether the club would actually allow him to leave is another story. What is to expect is an increase in the number of articles published between now and the end of season about Neymar and his possible transfer to different clubs in Europe.

Sanchez's Manchester United Career Off to a Mixed Start

Alexis Sanchez switched from Arsenal to Manchester United in a swap deal that involved Henrikh Mkhitaryan going the other way. The player was frustrated by the lack of ambition that is surrounding the Emirates Stadium. What he probably did not expect was that his move to the Red Devils would not yield instant results like he did at Arsenal. Most recently, his coach Jose Mourinho admitted that the team is not getting the best out of the forward. This is because he came in as a big profile signing that was expected to bring back the attacking aura to the second placed team but had little time to gel with the philosophy of the coach and the chemistry of the team. That is still yet to happen. In his defense, Mourinho is a defensive minded coach and his tactics are mostly centered on counter-attacking the opposition which does not suit the winger who always demands the ball and wants to have a go at defenders. Time is running out for the winger before critics start calling him a flop because his current return of 1 goal in 441 minutes in the Premier League is quite shocking for a player with his abilities. After turning in his best performance to date in a 2-1 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford, he will be looking to build some momentum both in the league and Manchester United's upcoming 2nd leg against Sevilla in the Champions League. 

Race For EPL Top Goalscorer

Mohamed Salah of Liverpool is on par with Harry Kane as the English Premier League top goal scorer with 24 already to his name this season. The Egyptian winger is the talk of the moment and was interviewed by former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher on Friday. The player reflected on the fact that he has managed to score against all the other top 6 teams except for Manchester United and he feels he still has some unfinished business. He recalls the missed chances in the game played at Anfield and has been studying De Gea’s weaknesses because he is planning on scoring past the goalkeeper who is in the form of his career as well. The player says he looks for a goal in each game and wants to continue with his impressive form and go on to win the golden boot ahead of the best strikers in England. Do you think the Egyptian has what it takes to outscore Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero and the rest? Drop your comments below.