Featured

Get thrilled by in-depth analysis of weekend and midweek football action as well as interesting football articles from International action, the Premier League, and major leagues across the world

Featured

It’s do or die day in Euro 2020’s Group of Death

The Euro 2020 competition may not get any fiercer than it will be on Saturday when Germany face Portugal in the second round of group games in the competition's group of death. Group F was tagged group of death after Germany, Portugal, and France were drawn together alongside Hungary who are the whipping boys of the group. The first round of games saw France beat the Germans 1 nil in a game they dominated whilst Portugal thrashed Hungary 3 nil. Therefore, the German's go into the game against Portugal knowing that a loss must be avoided by all means and that a draw may not be good enough. Meanwhile, France will be playing away to Hungary in a game where they are overwhelming favorites. Getting maximum points would see them qualify for the next stage of the competition with a ga...
Premier League’s Top Teams of the Season
Featured

Premier League’s Top Teams of the Season

  Another season of English football is in the history books. This year, the Premier League was rife with fearsome competition as clubs across the country battled it out to determine who is truly the best. In many ways, this was a difficult season for everyone involved, but winners always manage to push through the adversity. With the Premier League champion crowned and numerous other tournaments completed, now is the time to look back and analyze the best teams of the season and review their efforts.  Manchester City As expected, Manchester City entered this season as the clear favorites and they did not disappoint. After walking away with the Premier League title after a 27-5-6 season, there are no arguments left. Manchester City may have had their shortcomings early on, bu...
Euro 2020 age spectrum: Oldest and youngest players revealed
Featured

Euro 2020 age spectrum: Oldest and youngest players revealed

Months following the completion of venues, health regulations, and fixtures, the Euro 2020 is finally around the corner with the announcement of the official squads by the national team managers. As expected, there are also changes regarding the number of players due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of the standard 23 players, the committee raised the bar to 26 to reduce the workload on teams if one of the members tested positive for the virus.  While it’s interesting to know about the key players for each team or see which are the most represented clubs, it’s also intriguing to find out the age spectrum in this championship. From the oldest captains and squads to the youngest goalkeepers and outfielders, find out who these football stars are. READ: Haaland to Chelsea? Can he br...
Featured

Euro 2020 team profile: Group F – Germany and France

GERMANY  Head coach: Joachim Löw (German) Captain: Manuel Neuer Most capped player: Lothar Matthäus (150) Top scorer: Miroslav Klose (71) FIFA ranking: 12 European Championship appearances: 13 (first in 1972) Best run: Champions (1972, 1980, 1996) Group rivals: France, Portugal, and Hungary Key players: Manuel Neuer, Toni Kroos, İlkay Gündoğan, Timo Werner, Antonio Rudiger, Joshua Kimmich Status: Germany is one of the most decorated footballing nations in the world with four World Cup titles, three European Championships, and a Confederations Cup in its illustrious trophy cabinet.  Die Mannschaft have, however, struggled to find the form that put them up there as the most feared national team in the world, winning the World Cup in 2014.  They were knoc...
Featured

Euro 2020 team profile: Group E – Poland, Sweden and Slovakia

POLAND Head coach: Paulo Sousa (Portuguese) Captain: Robert Lewandowski Most capped player: Robert Lewandowski (118) Top scorer: Robert Lewandowski (66) FIFA ranking: 21 European Championship appearances: 3 (first in 2008) Best run: Quarter-finals in 2016 Group rivals: Spain, Sweden, and Slovakia Key players: Robert Lewandowski, Wojciech Szczesny, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Kamil Glik, Maciej Rybus, Przemasław Frankowski, Arkadiusz Milik, Krzysztof Piątek, Bartosz Bereszynski. Status: Poland are a solid side. They have one of the best strikers in the world in the person of Robert Lewandowski.  They have also found a quality in Paulo Sousa and with the Portuguese at the helm, they will be hoping to better their best-ever European Championship result of a quarter...
Featured

Who are the Golden Boot Favorites Ahead of the Euros?

The Golden Boot award at the European Championship and the World Cup is one of the most coveted individual awards in world football. Some of Europe’s best-ever players have earned this trophy in past tournaments. Michel Platini led France to their first-ever Euro’s title with nine goals in the 1984 tournament.  Marco van Basten won the Golden Boot as the Netherlands won their first international accolade in 1988. David Villa and Fernando Torres also finished as top-scorers in 2008 and 2012, respectively, when Spain won two consecutive Euros.  With a host of world-class attacking talent included at Euro 2020, there will be plenty of in-form strikers vying for this year’s Golden Boot. In a tournament that is packed with attacking talent, it may come as a surprise to most, but the av...
Featured

Wondering what will be if Tottenham hire Antonio Conte

Antonio Conte shockingly left his role as Inter Milan boss some days back and he is being linked with a Premier League return with Tottenham Hotspur. The Italian manager has established himself as the go-to man for sides that need to win a laurel and the North Londoners are one. Conte also has a reputation for not condoning excesses at any club by player or club hierarchy. You give him what he wants or he walks and if a player doesn't meet his standard, he has to walk regardless of his reputation at the club. The likes of Diego Costa, Mauro Icardi, and Radja Nainggolan at Chelsea and Inter Milan respectively can attest to the ruthlessness of the Italian manager. His love for the 3 at the back flanked by 2 wingbacks is what his sides must get accustomed to. READ: Kevin De Bruyne se...
Featured

Euro 2020 team profile: Group E – Spain

Post Credit - MC Nitro SPAIN  Head coach: Luis Enrique (Spanish) Captain: Sergio Busquets Most capped player: Sergio Ramos (180) Top scorer: David Villa (59) FIFA ranking: 6 European Championship appearances: 11 (first in 1964) Best run: Champions in 1964, 2008 and 2012 Group rivals: Sweden, Poland, and Slovakia Key players: Koke, Sergio Busquets, Alvaro Morata, Jordi Alba, Thiago. Status: La Furia Roja dominated world and European football between 2008 and 2014, winning back-to-back Euros and the World Cup in 2010 while playing scintillating football, the best ever seen in that period.  READ: David Moyes among nominees for Barclays Manager of the season The team made up of that golden generation chiefly made up of players from Clasico rivals, Real Madrid...
Assessing Steve Bruce’s performance as Newcastle manager
Featured

Assessing Steve Bruce’s performance as Newcastle manager

It’s fair to say that, on reflection, a 12th-place finish in the Premier League table does not quite represent how much of a struggle things were at times for Newcastle United and manager Steve Bruce. Amongst fans of the Magpies, there has been plenty of disgruntlement at the style of play deployed by Bruce, and his assertion that the club’s minimum requirement was to stay in the division. And yet, it’s hard to argue with the result. Bruce achieved his goal of keeping Newcastle up with plenty to spare. In fact, thanks to a fine run of form at the end of the campaign, they recorded their best Premier League points tally since the 2013-14 campaign. Is it wrong to suggest that Bruce has done a good job? Managing expectations Given the fact that Newcastle are unable to spend big in the...
Featured

Euro 2020 team profile: Group D – Czech Republic and Croatia

Post Credit - MC Nitro CZECH REPUBLIC  Head coach: Jaroslav Šilhavý (Czech Republic) Captain: Vladimir Darida Most capped player: Petr Čech (124) Top scorer: Jan Koller (55) FIFA ranking: 40 European Championship appearances: 7 (first in 1996) Best run: Winners 1976 (As Czechoslovakia) Runners-up 1996 (Czech Republic) Group rivals: England, Croatia, and Scotland. Key players: Tomáš Vaclik, Ondřej Čelůstka, Vladimir Darida, Tomáš Souček, Jakub Jankto, Matěj Vydra, Patrik Schick. Status: Since gaining independence from Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic have been ever-present at European championships. In 2016, their journey ended in the group stages.  They'll however be looking to better their record of the last tournament and probably match their best rec...