Liverpool qualify for Champions League at the expense of Chelsea

Newcastle hosted Chelsea at St James’ Park with the away team looking for a win in hope of qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League. Liverpool sat in 4th place with a 2-point advantage over Chelsea in 5th. A result at St James’ Park would not be enough so they hoped that Liverpool would lose against Brighton. What a complex situation that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic is not comfortable with. The match kicked off and there was not much a difference between the two teams until Thibaut Courtois saved a rocket of a shot from Jonjo Shelvey who tried his luck 30 yards out. On the 22nd minute, Dwight Gayle scored the opener of the match from a rebound after Murphy’s effort was punched into his path by the Chelsea goalkeeper. That was the only goal of the first half in a must-win match for Chelsea who had their UEFA Champions League qualification on the line. The London side came close to scoring in the 52nd minute when Olivier Giroud connected to Ross Barkley’s cross before flicking it towards goal. The ball looked destined for goal and would have been a contender for one of the best goals of the EPL this season but Dubvraka was having none of that as he produced a fingertip save to deny the French striker. Ayoze Perez diverted in Shelvey’s shot on the 58th minute to make it 2-0 to Newcastle. The Spanish striker scored the third and final goal of the match from a pass by Florian Lejeune. This victory means that Chelsea will join Arsenal in the UEFA Europa League tournament next season.

In other news, Mo Salah broke the record of goals scored in 38-matches league. He converted his 32nd English Premier League goal in Liverpool’s 4-0 win against Brighton which means that he has scored more than EPL Legends like Shearer, Ronaldo, Van Persie, Van Nistelrooy etc. The African player has had an outstanding season having led his team to the UEFA Champions League final which will be played against Real Madrid on the 26th of May. His goal also managed to seal Liverpool’s participation in the UEFA Champions League for next season. The player walks home with the English Premier League Golden Boot. What an awesome season he has had.

Arsenal win on Wenger’s last match

Arsenal’s long-reigning manager, Arsene Wenger, took charge of his last match as the boss on Sunday against Huddersfield away from home. The club had not collected a single point since the turn of the year and were looking to end on a more favorable note in the Frenchman’s last match. A strong line-up was announced for the away side which saw an attacking trio of Aubameyang, Lacazette, and Mkhitaryan lead the line ahead of Ramsey, Iwobi, and Granit Xhaka. Nerves were flying high for the Arsenal team who were out to prove a point that they have potential to be great again under the right tutelage of a competent manager. Huddersfield had a better start and looked to spoil the party for Wenger’s farewell celebrations as Tom Ince failed to bury home a cut-back from Alex Pritchard. As the match progressed, two planes flew over the stadium paying tribute to Arsene Wenger. One had the hashtag #OneArseneWenger and the other with a message, “Merci Arsene. We’ll miss you too.”

It was such an emotional match and the manager’s last signing ever, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang stole the show as he finished off an Aaron Ramsey pass on the 38th minute. The Gabon international was out to thank the manager for believing in him and allowing him the opportunity to test himself out in the English Premier League. This goal against Huddersfield means that Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang has scored a total of 10 Premier League goals. The forward has already proved a gem for the team and the next manager would have to find ways to make him play against Lacazette because he can also create goals having assisted 4 since January. Arsenal resisted a couple of efforts from Huddersfield to grind out Arsene Wenger’s 716th win as well as picking up the club’s first points in 2018. It would have been better if he managed to win the UEFA Europa League this season but his team was eliminated by Atletico Madrid in the semifinals. We are grateful that he leaves the club with other memories such as winning the English Premier League in the 2001/02 season without losing a single match. Au revoir Arsene!

Juventus wins Coppa Italia 2018

In an old Italian rival clash between Juventus and AC Milan in the Coppa Italia final, three African players made it to the starting XI. Ghanaian midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah was deployed in the left back position for Juventus next to Morrocan defender Mehdi Benatia, while Ivory Coast international, Franck Kessié was at the heart of the midfield for Gattuso’s AC Milan. Asamoah and Kessié were looking to shine in a cup final because that’s all they had to fight for since their national teams failed to qualify to this year’s FIFA World Cup Russia 2018. As it was a final, there could only be one winner at the end of the match and Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus pulled through with a convincing 4-0 win.

The result, however, could not have been predicted after having watched the first period of the match. The Bianconeri were on par with AC Milan as both teams failed to score a single goal even though they both created a few decent chances. The second half saw a mean-looking Juventus side that has been dominating Italy in the past decade. First, it was Miralem Pjanic’s corner that found its way to an unmarked Mehdi Benatia who headed past Gianluigi Donnarumma on the 56th minute. The goalkeeper could not keep out Douglas Costa’s shot from going in just 6 minutes later as his effort bounced off the keeper’s chest before finding its way into the net. Morrocan international Benatia was at hand again to score Juventus’ 3rd goal after Donnarumma dropped it in the box. Pjanic once again delivered a cross that was flicked in by Kalinic to confirm Juventus’ 4-0 against AC Milan in the cup final. Congrats to the Bianconeri!

Sir Alex Ferguson recovering from brain surgery

One of football’s legends and former Manchester United coach, Sir Alex Ferguson, was admitted to the hospital and underwent an emergency surgery for a brain hemorrhage. This news came as a shocker to the football world to hear that the former manager who looked in perfect condition recently as he handed Wenger a trophy on Arsenal’s clash against Manchester United was now in intensive care at Salford Royal Hospital.

His former club, Manchester United, released a statement, “Manchester United would like to thank its friends in the wider football world for the countless messages of support that have been conveyed following the news that Sir Alex Ferguson underwent emergency surgery on Saturday evening.”

The club were not alone in sending him warm and touching comments as some players like Lingard, Rooney, Carrick, etc. all had something to say to a man who once managed them at the club. The manager who won 13 Premier League titles at Old Trafford has reported being out of intensive care and is continuing his recovery from the surgery. More information is now coming out about the incident leading to hospitalization which states that the former rival of Arsene Wenger was taken ill after falling at home.

Join us in wishing him a speedy recovery as he continues his rehabilitation in private as requested by his family.

Aubameyang scores but Arsenal’s woes continue

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been nothing short of spectacular since his move from Borussia Dortmund. The Gabon international has come to the English Premier League deemed the most competitive of them all and has already managed to score 9 goals and provide 4 assists in just 10 starts as according to WhoScored. The African player had already done the most in the Germany where he scored 21 goals in all competitions at club level. Combined, the Aubameyang has scored 30 goals in all competitions this season excluding the one goal he scored for his nation in an international friendly game. This deserves so much praise for a player who joined a team in the middle of the season just like some international players like Alexis Sanchez but has still managed to outscore them. Of those goals, one of them came from today’s match between Arsenal and Leicester City.

Iheanacho opened the scoring in the 14th minute. The Nigerian international has not been in the best of form this season unlike his fellow African counterpart Aubameyang as this is only his second goal in the league. Iheanacho was dangerous on the night though as he was clean through on goal before being brought down by young Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos. The Greek defender was shown a red card and Arsenal were short. Arsenal held on until Aubameyang came to the rescue and score in the 53rd minute. Arsenal was level on matters and was looking to pull a comeback but their hopes were shattered by Jamie Vardy’s penalty who scored after Grey was brought down in the box by Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Another African player claimed a stake from the match between the two teams. Algerian born winger Riyad Mahrez scored the 3rd and final goal for Leicester to seal their 3-1 win against Arsenal. Arsenal have not won a single point this year away from home which can be a mental challenge for the players that the incoming Arsenal coach has to deal with in the new season. Wenger has one final chance to win on a note and win points away from in their match against Huddersfield on the 13th of May.

Besitkas banned after Turkish Cup drama with Fenerbache

If you live for drama, then this one’s for you. FirstTouch shared stories about Mamelodi Sundowns’ unthinkable 24-0 win against Powerlines FC, the gun incident, banishment of players etc. and today’s no different. We zoomed into Turkey to understand the buzz around the Fenerbahce and Besiktas game that took place on Thursday. Besiktas refused to show up for the resumption of semifinal cup tie against Fenerbahce. The match was originally abandoned last month due to violence from the crowd and they had rescheduled it for May 3, 2018. The match was in the 57th minute before the head coach of Besiktas was attacked by some fans. Senol Gunes was struck by an object that was thrown from the stands and it hit his head. The coach was rushed to the hospital only to get 5 stitches in the head because of that violent scene. The match was supposed to resume from the 57th minute behind closed doors and Fenerbahce were fined £175,000 by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF). In addition to that, their stadium was closed to supporters for three matches.

Besiktas regret the decision of defaulting the match and they tried to overturn it in court but their appeal was rejected on Wednesday. The match was recorded as a forfeit and Fenerbahce are through to the final by default. They will play Akhisarspor in the final. What an odd thing to happen in football. A team decides not to show up for a match. We might not know the reasons behind this but we can clearly see the impact on them as they have been ordered to pay back the £700,000 they earned from the competition this year as well as being banned from competing in that tournament next year.

Sarr’s team makes it to the UEFA Europa League Final

Recently, we reflected on Bouna Sarr’s decision to reject Senegal for France. Today we look at his performance in a UEFA Europa League semifinal clash with RB Salzburg. The Marseille right-back was present and ever ready to pitch himself to Didier Deschamps, the French national team coach, as he represented his club in a competitive tournament. He was part of the team that won the first leg 2-0 and was hoping to replicate that kind of performance today. Marseille were rock solid at the back today thanks to Sarr and his teammates but the second half was a bit challenging for Marseille.

Amadou Haidara from Mali started off a Salzburg comeback by scoring from an amazing run that saw him finish past Pele after flying past 6 players. 1-0 at 53 minutes and Salzburg became dangerous. It was not long until they piled more pressure on Marseille for the second. This time, it was Bouna Sarr who was unlucky to score an own goal in the 65th minute. The scoreline was 2-0 at the end of the 90 minutes which meant that the tie was level on aggregate 2-2 so it needed to be settled in extra-time or eventually penalties if no team had scored. Lucky enough, the former happened as substitute Rolando came on to volley home from a corner kick in the 115th minute. Salzburg were gutted by this blow and did not make a difference in the end as the aforementioned Mali player got sent off. Marseille are through to the final thanks to Rolando’s goal. Another African born player who plays for Portugal.

Arsenal familiarize themselves with disappointment in 2-1 loss to ATM

It must be really tough to be an Arsenal fan. The English club went into the match with an aim to score one goal and prevent Atletico Madrid from scoring. That’s all they needed, one goal unlike teams like AS Roma who needed about 5 goals to turn the tie. Wenger used the same team that played against Atletico Madrid last week which meant that Mkhitaryan could only afford a place on the bench. Diego Simeone shacked things up a bit as he trusted his most versatile player, Thomas Partey, in right back as opposed to his usual midfield role. The Ghanaian defensive midfielder has been one of the standout players in both ties against Arsenal. He was trusted to cover at right back in the last stages of the first leg clash and that performance was enough to convince Simeone to trust him in that position once more. Arsenal failed to score a goal in the first half thanks to his interceptions and blocks which prevented the gunners from whipping in dangerous crosses from the right. It was in the 45th minute that Partey’s teammate, Diego Costa scored the goal to give the advantage to Atletico Madrid. The second half was even better by the English side as they tried to instigate attacks but the Ghanaian player blocked most of those attempts by intercepting crucial passes by Ozil, Ramsey, Monreal, and Xhaka on the right. Even when Mkhitaryan was called upon the pitch to replace Wilshere, Arsenal never produced enough to worry his defense. The few opportunities created by Ozil went begging as there was no one in the right spot to parry it home. Godin took most of the shine as well for clearing these useless attempts.

This match was meant to be a memorable night for Wenger in his last away match in European competition as Arsenal boss. He was seen squatting near the touchline from the 85th minute but his team could not produce a result. Much credit to Partey and his manager Simeone who coached his team from the stands. He prepared the team for this fight and they succeeded in knocking out Arsenal out of the UEFA Europa tournament. Simeone is on to the final. Maybe if he is announced as the next Arsenal boss, he should bring the African player to Arsenal and solve the defensive problems they have been having since Patrick Vieira left in July 2005. These disappointing results from a team with a weak mentality is what the new coach will have to deal with. What a tough ask!

Liverpool’s Number 2 in line to become the next Arsenal boss

Jurgen Klopp’s assistant manager for 17 years has decided to take some time off the first team duties because of personal reasons. The man in question Zeljko Buvac who has worked with Sven Mislintat before at Borussia Dortmund and the new Arsenal’s head of recruitment is believed to be an admirer of Klopp’s number 2. He is reported to be pushing for him to become the next Arsenal manager after Wenger leaves at the end of this season. Buvac has worked with Klopp since his days at Mainz and he has been called ‘the best signing ever’ by the Liverpool boss. He is believed to be the brains behind the German coach’s success which is no surprise why Sven Mislintat is vouching for him. These reports are starting to paint a picture of the type of manager that Arsenal is looking for. They are more into someone who has experience with big clubs whether being a coach, assistant or even a retired player who played at the highest level and understands the pressure of having to win every match.

Questions have been raised about Buvac though by analysts like the former Liverpool midfielder, Danny Murphy. He said, “I would find it unbelievable to appoint someone who has never, ever managed as a number one at a club like Arsenal. I think that would be ridiculous for a club like Arsenal.” The former defender does not care how intelligent Buvac might be because he has not proved his worth as the main guy. Therefore, he is not ready for a big club like Arsenal. Do you think Murphy is right?

Liverpool book a date with Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Final

Liverpool have been the surprise package in this year’s UEFA Champions League tournament. They have swooped past some teams in style with their free-scoring abilities. The Jurgen press has been effective in their games as they have knocked an attacking team like Manchester City and beating Roma 5-2 in the first leg of the semifinals. It was not going to be easy for them to replicate that scoreline especially considering what Roma did against Barcelona. They were aware of the fact that they could not afford to rest and allow Roma to come to them and counter on the break. Klopp asked his men for more and Sadio Mane delivered the first goal for Liverpool. It was a mountain to climb for Roma who needed to score 4 to qualify without a reply from Liverpool. They reduced that goal count to just 3 when Milner scored an own goal from a dangerous cross by Florenzi on the right.

Roma failed to capitalize on the countless chances that they were creating and they were punished by Wijnaldum who scored Liverpool’s second of the night. From then, it was all Roma. Daniel De Rossi showed his class as he was instigating the attacks by his Pirlo-like passes as well as controlling the tempo. Roma looked a different team in the second period which gave them confidence leading to Dzeko’s goal. Time was running out for the Italian team with the scoreline at 2-2. Nainggolan did what he does best, as he connected to a pass from the left and he scored a 25-yard drive past Karius.

Game on, it was. Roma created chances in a match that was full of penalty claims by both teams. The referee finally gave a penalty to Roma and Nainggolan who scored in the 94th minute. All they needed was just a goal to take the tie to extra-time. It would have been another amazing comeback but they were out of time. The referee blew the whistle soon after Liverpool played from the center. What an amazing run it has been for Klopp and his team? They have secured a medal for themselves. It is just a matter of finding out whether it will be gold or silver as they take on the Los Blancos in the final.

3 Peat? Real Madrid through to the UEFA Champions League Final

Real Madrid have shown that they are not all that as they have shipped in a lot of goals when playing with teams like Tottenham, Juventus, and Paris Saint-Germain. Bayern Munich came into the game with the intention to press Real Madrid high up the pitch and score some goals if they were to stand a chance of qualifying to the final. They received a boost in welcoming Alaba back to the team who missed the first leg of the clash because of a thigh injury. Real Madrid had Benzema up front alongside Ronaldo and Zidane omitted his most preferred defensive midfielder, Casemiro.

The game was off to an interesting start as Joshua Kimmich repeated his heroic efforts in the first leg as he scored the opener for Bayern in just the 3rd minute. They succeeded in marking Ronaldo who has been a threat since the beginning of the tournament but what they did not realize is that their plan was predictable. Zidane knew that they would do that so he focused his team’s attack on Benzema who has been out of form. The Frenchman scored the equalizer for the defending champions in the 11th minute from a cross by Marcelo. Bayern Munich had the opportunity to go into the break with a lead but on-loan Real Madrid midfielder, James Rodriguez unbelievably blazed over the bar from two yards out.

Benzema scored the second for again for Madrid after Ulreich’s bizarre mistake. The goalkeeper lets a back pass from Thiago run past him because of indecision. He looked like he wanted to catch the ball before remembering the indirect rule so ended up sliding and attempting to kick the ball. Real Madrid capitalized on that and they were once again ahead in the tie. Now, Bayern needed two goals to make to the next round. James Rodriguez scored one and Bayern gave their all in search of a second. Thomas Muller had the very last chance of the game when the ball fell to him but he failed to score and Real are through to the final on aggregate. 3-2 was enough to see them through to the third final in a row. What can easily be concluded is that they are not as scary as people thought. They showed their weaknesses against Tottenham, Juventus, and Bayern but were lucky to pull through. Will they get away with it again in the final?

Bouna Sarr refuses to represent Senegal at the FIFA World Cup 2018

Bouna Sarr is a defender who plays for Marseille in the French Ligue 1. He is a son of a Senegalese father and a Guinea mother who was born in France in 1992. The player has never represented a national team in his whole career, and is now 26 years of age. He got an opportunity of a lifetime to go and play at the FIFA World Cup this year in Russia, an opportunity that some of the greatest legends in football like Ryan Giggs never got until they retired. However, this did not prevent him for declining the chance to represent Senegal. He said, “It’s France and nothing else, nothing else is a big word, but I always dreamed of playing for the French team.”

This is not the first time that the player has declined the opportunity to play for an African team. He once also rejected to play for Guinea in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations saying that, “I’m French, I was born here I only have an attraction for the Blues.” Current Arsenal player, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang was also born in Laval, France but chose to represent the nation of his parents in Gabon. How odd is that?

Bouna Sarr is not the first player to reject the chance to represent African teams. In fact, there are so many other players in the past, some are even football legends, who chose to play for other nations like France, Italy and Portugal, even though they either were of African descent or they were born in the motherland. Let’s take a look at some of these players.

Firstly, the English Premier League was graced with a fantastic player in Patrick Vieira who played and captained Arsenal for many years. He was part of the famous ‘Invincible’ squad that went the whole season without losing a single match. He is also a World Cup winner with France having lifted the trophy in 1998. But did you know that he was born in Dakar, Senegal? Patrick began his career at Cannes in 1994 after his family moved from Dreux when he was eight years old. His surname, Vieira, is Portuguese and is the maiden name of his mother who also hails from Cape Verde. African blood in his veins and also born in Africa, but he chose to represent France because of reasons unknown. What we appreciate is his contribution to the game and creating a legacy where new players who play in a similar position are dubbed ‘the new Patrick Vieira’. Imagine what could have been had he represented the Senegalese nation?

Cristiano Ronaldo is the face of the Portuguese nation. Hold your horses there! We are not saying he is African, but…he shares the dressing room with someone from Africa. There was once a time when Manchester United produced a talent that looked like he was capable of equaling the player’s greatness. Louis Nani is the name of the player in question who was a promise but eventually failed to leave up to the hype. He, much like Ronaldo, represents the Portuguese nation and was part of the squad that lifted Portugal’s first major title in the UEFA Euro 2016. What most people might not know is the fact that the player is descendent from a small but beautiful island in Africa. Cape Verde is one of the tourist destinations in the continent with numerous beaches and has traditional morna music that Nani is familiar with because of his parents. There are some reports that he was born in Praia, Cape Verde but chose to represent Portugal and his decision is arguably justified after playing a part in the history-making Euros 2016.

Also, Super Mario is another player of African descent who chose to represent Italy instead of Ghana. Of course, we do not mean the game. Mario Balotelli, a striker that has represented clubs like Liverpool, Manchester City, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Nice, is a son of Ghanaian parents. He was approached by the African team to represent them in 2008, but he refused because he was waiting for Italy to give him the nod. It is entirely a surprise why he is someone of questionable behaviour considering the way African parents discipline their kids. Mario is a wild card that has given headaches to his managers, Mourinho and Mancini because of his unpredictable behaviour. He is capable of skipping practice sessions without any reason, start a fight with teammates or even try some of the silliest things on the football pitch like doing a 360 turn alone when he is through on goal. The player is currently on a forced sabbatical from the national team after being exiled by the former Italy boss, Ventura who thought the player disrupted the camp.

Some so many players represented European sides. Some names worth mentioning include Zinedine Zidane (the current Real Madrid coach) of Algerian descent, Makelele born in Congo, N’golo Kante from Mali etc. Who else can you think of that we could have mentioned?

UCL Road to Kiev Final: Roma vs Liverpool

The story of the season so far has been the meteoric rise of Mohamed Salah. Purchased from Roma last summer for what was then a highly scrutinized fee, Liverpool have given him the stage to show his many talents and take that next step in becoming a truly World Class player. The first leg was symbolic of his entire season. With 2 goals and 2 assists, it wasn’t until he was substituted that Roma looked to have any advantages in the game. Roma have proven that they can find a solution for 3 goal deficits to Barcelona’s chagrin, and they will be hoping the Stadio Olympico inspires another comeback on Wednesday. After winning 4-1 at the weekend in their Serie A match against Crotone, they will be hoping for the same exact scoreline against Liverpool. Credit must be given to Jurgen Klopp who has inspired his side this far in the Champions League and brought back genuine excitement amongst the rabid Liverpool fans.

The winner of this tie will already know who they are facing in the final in Kiev on May 26th. Di Francesco will need to make sure his tactics are better than they were in the first leg if he is to hope for another dramatic comeback like the one he produced against Barcelona. With a newly signed contract extension, Roberto Firmino will be leading the line and hope to lead Liverpool to their first Champions League final in over a decade. All eyes will be on how Liverpool handle the early moments of the game, however, especially given that Manchester City scored early against them the last tie, but Klopp’s men were able to still produce a clinical display of quick, sharp counterattacking football to dispose of Manchester City. Dzeko vs Salah will prove to be the matchup that in all likelihood shapes how this second leg will play out.

Roma could dispose of Liverpool with the same 3-0 scoreline they produced the last time they played at the Stadio Olimpico.

Liverpool will be hoping Mane is fit and ready to go after reportedly visiting a hospital after the first leg. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will, unfortunately, miss out after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the first leg.

James Milner is a player reborn with Liverpool and leads all players in assists this campaign with a record 9 assists this season in Champions League.

UCL Road to Kiev Final: Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich

The stars seemed to be aligned for Madrid this season. After eliminating two perennial Champions League favorites in PSG and Juventus in the previous knockout rounds, Zidane’s men are 90 minutes away from a third consecutive Champions League final. What has been key for Real Madrid has been their ability to score goals in crucial moments during these matches. The first leg was massively disappointing for Jupp Heynckes’s men and they must feel frustrated having to arrive in Madrid with a 2-1 deficit to overturn. Lewandowski will be hoping for a better performance in the second leg and with a returning David Alaba and Javi Martinez, Bayern may be able to do what PSG and Juventus previously failed to do.

Both sides rested their key players at the weekend, with Heynckes going as far as rotating 8 different players into the lineup for their Bundesliga game. Bayern won comfortably regardless of the rotations, defeating Eintracht Frankfurt 4-1. Zidane also had the luxury of resting his key players with La Liga beyond Madrid at this point of the season, and his side won 2-1 at the weekend against Leganes.  Bayern have already won the Bundesliga title and the DFB Cup final also awaits them, but the Champions League is the trophy they will want to win the most this season. Madrid have nothing left to play for other than defending their European dominance for a second straight time, which has yet to be accomplished or even attempted in the modern Champions League era. James Rodriguez vs Isco will be the duel that could prove key for both sides because both players will be looking to provide that spark for their goal-scorers in Lewandowski and Cristiano. With a goal at the weekend for Madrid, Gareth Bale may also have a say in this tie, however, Marco Asensio and Lucas Vasquez have both provided valuable contributions so far in the knockout rounds. Bayern may rue all of the chances they missed in the first leg, but they will know that Madrid have proved vulnerable at home after seeing Juventus come within minutes of victory in the last tie.

Cristiano failed to score for the first time in a Champions League game this season, which is an incredible statistic, but he will look to score in the second leg to lead his team to the final in Kiev.

Lewandowski’s future has been subject to intense speculation these last few months, which can sometimes unsettle a player, but he will certainly put in a better performance in the second leg for his potential new employers

Bayern will be without key men Arturo Vidal and Arjen Robben in the second leg. Madrid will also be without key man Dani Carvajal. It will be interesting to see how Zidane covers that position knowing that Ribery was one of Bayern’s best players in the first leg.

Spotlight: Who is Yaya Toure?

As we approach the end of the English Premier League season, FirstTouch takes time to look back and appreciate one of the most influential players in the league. Yaya Toure, an all-round midfielder from Cote d’Ivoire, played for Barcelona and Manchester City in the best years of his career. The 33-year old is approaching the end of his time at the Etihad with his contract set to expire at the end of the 2017/18 season. Let’s look at what Yaya Toure has been through during his stay at the above-mentioned clubs in Europe.   

First off, let’s focus on his time at Barcelona. Yaya Toure joined Barcelona from Monaco in 2007 for £6.7m after being an influential midfielder for the French side where he rescued them from relegation. However, Toure had problems with the previous manager of the club, Laszlo Boloni, who was not playing him in his midfield most preferred position. When he joined Barcelona, he enjoyed the first season under Rijkaard where he made a total of 40 appearances which managed two goals. Yaya Toure was still in the shadow of big brother Kolo who was making a name for himself at Arsenal as a rock solid defender in the EPL. Guardiola took over the reins just a year later, and he preferred Busquets to Yaya Toure as the defensive midfielder for Barcelona in 2008. The promise of first-team football in his preferred position at Barcelona was not going to be possible. Guardiola used the player as a center-back in the UEFA Champions League final in 2009 when the team suffered from injuries. He was later allowed to move to the club of his dream in 2010.

Manchester City approached Toure and he, initially thought that he would be joining Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. It was his agent who clarified that he was joining the team who wears blue and he was excited by the challenge of joining a club that was in the shadow of their local rivals. Manchester City paid £24.6 million for the services of a player who was pretty much a reserve player and Toure was going to be receiving £139,000 a week. The journey of the African player to become a legend at the Etihad Stadium was set on course.

2012 was a year of history for the cash-rich Manchester club. It is the year that the club beat Manchester United to the title on goal difference. Sergio Aguero scored the winner for Manchester City in stoppage time of the last game in the 2011/12 season. Yaya Toure was an integral part of the club’s midfield. This earned him much respect in the English Premier League and comparisons with some of the greatest midfielders in the league like Keane, Vieira, etc. was just a moment away. Toure came out and thanked his teammates for the title and paid tribute to his manager for trusting in him and playing him in a position that he found difficult to maintain in the previous clubs he represented.

In addition to that, Toure evolved to become a ruthless attacker who scored goals that are still admired today. In the 2013/14 season, Yaya Toure assumed a more attacking role in Manchester City and even though he was primarily deployed as a defensive midfielder. This season, Yaya Toure managed to score 20 goals in the English Premier League which was unspoken off considering that he came from deep to set himself up and his contribution won his club the English Premier League title again as well as the FA Cup. At this moment, Yaya Toure had become the more popular player in his family and had stepped out of the shadow of the former Arsenal player.

His career might sound smooth when reading this piece, but Toure has had his fair share of controversy during his time at City. The player once threatened to leave the club because they had forgotten to show him love on his 31st birthday. His agent, Dimitry Seluk, is the one that confirmed the story that the player felt disrespected and the club was put under pressure. Some saw this incident as a stunt by the pair to pressurize the club to improve the terms of the contract, and the club fell for it. His contract saw him being the highest paid player in English football at $334,000 a week. All this was soon going to fade away with the player approaching the ‘old age’ years.

The manager who pushed him out of the club at Barcelona and laughed at Toure for joining a ‘s**t’ team eventually found his way to Toure’s home. Pep Guardiola has announced the new boss at Manchester City in 2016, and the Ivorian player probably knew that he was doomed. It is no secret that the pair had a rocky relationship because of the way the manager treated Toure at Barcelona and eventually forced him to move to the Citizens. This time, Guardiola took over a club where Toure was already a legend and was the focal point of the team before Aguero. The Spaniard soon changed that and eventually left Yaya out of the first team after his manager after Toure’s agent, Dimitry Seluk, called out Guardiola on his hypocrisy in coming to England after making fun of the club in 2010. This did not sit down well with Guardiola, and he punished the player because of his agent’s words. The fans were heartbroken by this situation but the relationship was mended, and Yaya was restored to the first team early last year. He played enough to earn another year in an extension.

This season seems like it will be his last at Manchester City and he has been ousted again for the third time in his career by the same manager. Guardiola brought replacements for the player because he does not believe in his abilities and it is about time that the player takes the next step in his career. Toure played in the 4-1 win against West Ham today, and he could only manage a second-half appearance even when the team has been confirmed champions of the Premier League this season. It is evident that Guardiola never like him and the African player will probably leave in the summer. It has been quite a journey for the Ivorian midfielder who won the La Liga (twice), Copa del Rey, UEFA Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, FA Cup, League Cup (twice), and the English Premier League on three occasions. He has undoubtedly subscribed his name in the Hall of Fame of not just English football, but on the European scene and he will be missed if he decides to call his time at the end of the season.

Allardyce facing scrutiny

Everton boss Sam Allardyce is in a situation that he cannot help. The former England boss is at a club that was struggling at the beginning of the season and were looking like they would be facing the relegation battle if they could not change their ways. Big Sam was hired to replace Koeman and he has been out of favor because of his style of play. His team is set up in a way that is more defensive and plays for the counter attacks which has produced results ever since taking over as they are in 8th position already. However, this does not sit down well with the fans who are looking for an attractive football that means being attacking and dominating other teams which is not really much of an ask from a squad that was invested in a lot more than ever seen before with the recruitment of players like Walcott, Tosun, Sigurdsson, Rooney, Pickford, Klassen, Michael Keane among others. The problem with that style is that it has not produced results when Koeman was in charge. Arsenal are more likely to face the same challenge when they replace Wenger in the summer. If they bring in a manager who produces results but has a style of play that does not satisfy the fans, it is likely that the stadium will not be filled on the matchday.

Sam Allardyce said, “I can't honestly produce any more than I'm doing. What can I say when you've got 14 points out of seven games when you were faced with the club being in a very difficult position when you arrived? I can only say it's just one of those things, and if we keep winning hopefully they (the fans) might change it to love.”

It is unfortunate that the fans are not appreciating his work even when he is producing good results. What happens when he gets fed up the negative energy and leaves? Will Everton find a person who can meet the expectations of the fans which mean both playing good football and getting results? Engage with us in the comment section.

Zaha influential in Crystal Palace’s 5-0 win against Leicester

The game started with Crystal Palace at 35 points and needing to beat Leicester to have a chance at survival in the relegation battle. The club has been lifted by Zaha’s return from injury who has been influential in some of their best performances ever since he rejoined the club from Manchester United. The Cote d’Ivoire forward opened the first goal of the game after receiving a brilliantly flicked pass from McArthur before slotting in the top right corner of the net. 1-0 up against Leicester at home, Palace were looking for the perfect night. But all this came after two chances that were cleared from the line by both teams. Iheanacho blocked Tomkin’s header for Palace while Joel Ward saved Vardy’s shot. Palace then gained control of the game and Zaha gave a slick through ball to McArthur who shot on the turn and watched his shot roll into the bottom left corner of the goal. That was it for the first half.

Marc Albrighton was sent off on the 56th minute for dragging down Zaha as the last man. The rest of the show was reserved for the last minutes of the match where Loftus-Cheek scored the third goal on the 81st as he beat the goalkeeper one-on-one after receiving a defense splitting pass from Mamadou Sakho. Patrick Van Aanholt scored the 4th of the night after Hamer’s failed attempt at clearing the ball gifted the Palace player the opportunity to curl into the bottom right corner. Benteke came off the bench to score a penalty after he was brought down in the penalty area by Maguire in stoppage time.

Bale scores in a 2-1 win for Madrid against Leganes

In the wake of the 2-1 win against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, Zinedine Zidane made the decision that he would rest his star players in the coming weekend to make sure that they are at their best when they play the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid faced Leganes on Saturday and the boss lined up a much-changed squad that saw players like Llorente, Ceballos, Borja Mayoral, Achraf, Vallejo and Theo Hernandez all getting starts alongside Gareth Bale, who has been rumored to be out of favor at the club. The Welshman scored the opener on the 8th minute after Karim Benzema’s shot was blocked by a defender before falling in the path of Bale who volleyed the ball past Cuellar who could not help but watch the ball pass between his legs and into the net.

Much like the Los Blancos, we have seen all season in La Liga, a lapse in concentration was bound to happen. The first came through Miguel Angel Guerrero and he failed to convert a cross-come-shot into the net as he tried a fancy flick. Nordin Amrabat also found space and hit a shot that beat Casilla in goal but could only hit the crossbar before it whiskered away into the stands. Borja Mayoral Moya then scored the second for Real Madrid in the 45th minute from a cross by Mateo Kovacic on the left.

Leganes found a consolation Darko Brasanac in the 66th minute who was assisted by Amrabat after he comfortably beat Theo Hernandez before sliding into the unmarked player. 10 changes but still Real Madrid manage to win. This means that they are 1 point behind second-placed Atletico Madrid and 12 behind Barcelona in first place.