seestyle's Blog

seestyle

The New Year signals the start of the 2022 January transfer window, which offers agreat opportunity for a host of players to reignite their careers by making a move.Many high-profile names are currently stuck in unhappy situations and they will be desperate to leave their clubs in this window.Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may leave the Gunners in search of regular game time while Manchester Uniteds Donny van de Beek could also say goodbye to his present employers.1 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) Aubameyangs future at Arsenal is uncertain and https://www.lakershoponline.com/jordan-clarkson-jersey will be a huge subject of speculation this month. Mikel Arteta has refused to confirm whether the striker has a long-term future at the Emirates Stadium.However, the Spanish bo s didnt hesitate to strip the Gabon international of the captaincy after his latest disciplinary breach. And it may be that there is no way back for Aubameyang in the team.If the Gunners decide to put him up for sale, many clubs are likely to show https://www.lakershoponline.com/jamaal-wilkes-jersey interest in the striker despite his rule-breaking on several occasions.Newcastle United have been credited with an interest while Barcelona have also been linked (as per ).However, his enormous salary could prove to be a big hindrance in the way of a deal for the 32-year-old.2 Donny van de Beek (Manchester United)Van de Beek has been struggling for minutes this season, with the midfielder only making seven substitute appearances in the top-flight this season.His fortunes havent improved after Ralf Rangnick replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the dugout.It makes little sense for the Netherlands international to stay if he is only warming the bench at Old Trafford. Van de Beek will likely push for a move in January if he isnt given a surances of minutes.When the 24-year-old first came to the English shores in 2020, he boasted a glowing reputation having been part of the Ajax team that reached the 2019 Champions League semi-final. However, the talented midfielder has been reduced to a bench-warmer by the Red Devils.Van de Beek is desperate to play regular football again and could make a move in January.3 Lucas Digne (Everton)Dignes absence from Evertons squad in https://www.lakershoponline.com/byron-scott-jersey their 2-1 victory over Arsenal earlier this month was a big surprise, considering he was the Toffees only recognised left-back.However, it later emerged that the France international had argued with his manager Rafael Benitez over tactics.Since that incident, the France international has been out of the squad. And now it appears that he could leave Goodison Park in the January transfer window.According to the Mirror, Chelsea are reportedly considering a move for him, with Ben Chilwell sidelined for the remainder of the season.4 Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona)Coutinho is desperate to reignite his career by finding a new club. The Brazilian has been linked with a return to the Premier League with several English sides said to be interested in his services.His prospects dont look great under new bo s Xavi Hernandez, with some reports claiming that he has been told https://www.lakershoponline.com/nick-young-jersey by the manager to expect limited game time.Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Newcastle have been credited with an interest, and they could be tempted to make a move for him.5 Gareth Bale https://www.lakershoponline.com/ (Real Madrid)Bale hasnt played for Real Madrid since August, with injuries keeping him out of the squad.His lucrative contract at the Santiago Bernabeu is set to expire in the summer, but his present employers want to bank a transfer fee instead of letting him leave for nothing (as per ).Bale returned to Tottenham Hotspur last season but, aside from a few good displays, failed to impre s in north London.However, the 32-year-old boasts a wealth of experience and has won four Champions Leagues and two La Liga titles. He can still reignite his career by moving to another club.

Lees meer | 0 reactie(s)

seestyle

Two goals from Mario Gomez within the first 38 minutes of a crucial group B match at the Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv proved too much for an unusually non-clinical Dutch side.The match was surrounded with high anticipation seeing the worlds 3rd ranked team facing the 4th adding the fact that there had never been a competitive game without a goal between the nations. As expected the game didnt lack in goals, ending 2-1 on the https://www.fanbearsgear.com/Devin-Hester-Jersey night, with a late Robin Van Persie strike finding its way past Manuel Neuer.The inclusion of seven Bayern Munich players within the German starting line up has proved clinical for Joachim Loews side as they are favourites to progre s into the quarter finals with 6 points out of a po sible 6, https://www.fanbearsgear.com/Trey-Burton-Jersey topping the group. The heartbreak of the lo s in the Champions League final seems to be put aside, as Philipp Lahm and co continue to show why many have topped Germany to be lifting the trophy on the 1st of July in Kiev. Bastian Schweinsteiger was the pick of the bunch, as The Brain, threaded two immaculate pa ses through to Gomez for his 2nd and 3rd goals of the tournament.As in their first group game against Denmark, the Netherlands could have been two or three up within the first 15 minutes as Robin Van Persie uncharacteristically mi sed two good chances. The first saw Manuel Neuer thankfully receive a volley straight into his grasp, as Van Persie half heartedly connected with https://www.fanbearsgear.com/Mitchell-Trubisky-Jersey an exquisite Mark Van Bommel ball over the top of the German back-line. The second was dragged wide with a right footed effort that followed Arjen Robbens through ball. As in game week one the Dutch were punished for their mistakes, when in the 24th minute Thomas Mullers ball found Schweinsteiger, who played in Mario Gomez to finish with a right footed strike past Maarten Stekelenburgs outstretched left leg. Gomezs second came just fourteen minutes later when Schweinsteiger received the ball from the ever-impre sive Ozil, laying it off first time into Gomezs path who struck the Tango12 into the upper left side netting of the goal. Van Marwijk reacted to the first half performance, bringing on Tottenham Hotspurs Rafael Van der Vaart and Schalkes Klaas-Jan Huntelaar for the anonymous Ibrahim Afellay and the tiring Van Bommel. Van der Vaart, who impre sed when brought on against Denmark, and Huntelaar, with 48 goals for Schalke this season, were met by the ever resolute German defence. However the Dutch provided an interesting https://www.fanbearsgear.com/Joel-Iyiegbuniwe-Jersey last half hour when Sneijder went close twice, the first a cleanly struck shot from range which swept past Neuers left hand post and the second blocked by Jerome Boateng. Van Persie also came close after connecting with Arjen Robbens cro s, bringing a fine save out of https://www.fanbearsgear.com/Buster-Skrine-Jersey Manuel Neuer diving down to his right hand side. Van Persie eventually found the net, when in the 73rd minute the Arsenal striker cleanly struck the ball with a right footed effort between Holger Badstubers legs and into the bottom right corner of the goal.The late goal hinted at a spirited finish to the match by the Dutch, but the ever robust Germans held out to collect all three points. Gomez, Ozil, Schweinsteiger, Lahm and Mats Hummels all impre sed and if the Germans keep progre sing to the latter stages Loew will be relying on the consistency of his key players to see the nation collect its 4thEuropean Football Championship trophy.

Lees meer | 0 reactie(s)

seestyle

After their 5-1 humbling against the USA post-season the last thing the Scotland players needed was another confidence sapping, friendly defeat. Fortunately, Craig Leviens men rallied to the cause and beat an Australian team placed far higher in the FIFA rankings.Despite going behind to a fine Bresciano strike and losing Alan McGregor to a freak injury early on Scotland battled back to record an impre sive 3 1 home win and set themselves up nicely for the coming World Cup qualifiers. Jordan Rhodes and Ro s McCormack grabbed fine goals either side of a Davidson own goal to secure a rare friendly home win at Easter Road, https://www.pistonstoreonline.com/caron-butler-jersey Edinburgh.The performance of Jordan Rhodes was particularly pleasing considering it was only his first start in the dark blue. He expertly headed a Danny Fox cro s past the Ozzie keeper to open his international tally and hastled the defence throughout his game. With Kenny Miller in the twilight of his career and playing in the MLS, Rhodes may be used as Scotlands main striker, although Jamie Mackie and Craig Mackail Smith may have something to say about that.Ro s McCormack did well to weave into the Australian box then dispatch his goal and there were impre sive displays for Danny Fox, Charlie Adam and Alan Hutton. That being said there were some worrying defensive lapses by Scotland against the off-colour Socceroos and these mistakes will be more ruthle sly punished in https://www.pistonstoreonline.com/ish-smith-jersey the qualifiers.After last years claims of a Scottish mafia ruling the management cla s of the English Premier League this year looks le s impre sive. This has been mainly due to the sacking of Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool) and Alex McLeish (Aston Villa) along with the demotion of Steve Kean (Blackburn) and Owen Coyle (Bolton), and while Steve Clarke has picked a new job at West Brom and Paul Lambert has moved to Aston Villa it leaves Scotland with only 4 EPL manager/coach representatives;Aston Villa Paul https://www.pistonstoreonline.com/isiah-thomas-jersey LambertEverton David MoyesMan United Alex FergusonWest Brom Steve ClarkIn regards to players it looks a little healthier than years before although most of the Scots play for teams that shall probably be fighting against relegation in 2012/13. With the transfer window still wide open many some players may move into the EPL while others could drop down to the championship etc.Disappointingly, there are no Scots in the top 6 first teams apart from Darren Fletcher who is currently side-lined with a chronic, long-term illne s. It is looking likely that Charlie Adam will move away from Anfield and similarly it remains to be seen If Danny Wilson can remain at Liverpool.Steven Naismith chose to release himself from the new-co Rangers and secured a contract with Everton while Steven Whittaker did the same with Norwich. As Internationals and with Champions League experience behind them both should cope with the higher level in the EPL.Robert Snodgra s (Leeds to Norwich) and Frazer Fyvie (Aberdeen to Wigan) have transferred up a level while Danny Fox and Alex Pearce benefit from promotion.Alan Hutton, Barry Bannan (Aston Villa)Charlie Adam, Danny Wilson (Liverpool)Darren Fletcher (Man United)Danny Fox (Southampton)Alex Pearce (Reading)Ru sell Martin, Steven Whittaker, Robert Snodgra s, Simon Lapin https://www.pistonstoreonline.com/bill-laimbeer-jersey (Norwich City)Gary Caldwell, Shaun Maloney, James McArthur, Frazer Fyvie (Wigan Athletic)Graham Dorrans, Scott Allan, James Morrison (West Brom)Phillip Bardsley (Sunderland)Jamie Mackie (QPR)Steven Naismith (Everton)Christophe Berra and Steven Fletcher are looking to move on from demoted Wolves and should find an EPL club in the coming weeks however Craig Gordon and James McFadden are free agents and it remains to be seen if they can find a club at EPL level.Jordan Rhodes has been attracting interest from various EPL clubs after his recent high scoring but he may choose to stay at Huddersfield for another year.Many may argue whether the EPL is better than La Liga or Bundesliga but it is streets ahead of the SPL and https://www.pistonstoreonline.com/jerry-stackhouse-jersey the Championship from where most of the Scottish national team has previously been chosen.Although we have no superstars akin to Greame Soune s, Kenny Dalglish or Gordon Strachan anymore (or even any John Collins, Ally McCoists, Craig Burleys or Paul Lamberts) any greater EPL influence should benefit the national team.Like many Scottish fans I still have my doubts about coach/manager Craig Levein. His handling of the recent Ian Black/Lee Wallace controversy has not been handled well and his relationship with tabloid media is beginning to sour.Scotland coach Craig LeveinThe Levein/Houston partnership has not borne much succe s so far and with such a hard qualifying group (Group A: Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, SCOTLAND, Macedonia, Wales) I fear that this pair are not up to the task.I hope I am proved wrong and pleasantly surprised.

Lees meer | 0 reactie(s)

seestyle

Portugal survived in the group of death and managed to reach semi finals of Euro 2012 by edging out Czech Republic in quarter-finals with the only goal from Ronaldo in the 78th minute of the game. Spain was drawn in Group C with Italy and the defending Europe and world champions topped the group with 2 wins and a draw. Spain entered the semis by beating France 2-0 in the quarter-finals as Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso scored a brace.Road to semi-finals:Group StagesPortugal SpainGermany 0-1 Match 1 Italy 1-1Denmark 3-2 Match 2 Ireland 4-0Holland 2-1 Match 3 Croatia 1-0 Quarter-finalsCzech Republic 1-0 France 2-0Del Bosques Spain will be most probably going with the same line-up, which was started against France in quarter-finals https://www.bucksjerseyssale.com/khris-middleton-jersey with Cesc Fabregas playing in the centre portion of the attack along side, David Silva and Andres Iniesta; whereas Bentos Portugal will be replacing the injured Zaragoza striker Postiga (the only survivor from Portugals Euro 2012 squad along with Ronaldo) with Besiktass Almeida in its starting XI.Spain Defense vs Portugal Attack:In World Cup 2010, Sergio Ramos played as right back; Puyol and Pique as centre backs and Capdevilla in the left back. Due to the injury to Puyol, Ramos who played almost all the matches https://www.bucksjerseyssale.com/kareem-abdul-jabbar-jersey in CB last season for Real Madrid, has pulled to play in the heart of the defense by Del Bosque and thereby letting the way for Arbeloa to play as right back. Might be considering the ageing factor, Del Bosque opted influential Valencias left back Jodi Alba ahead of Capdevilla to play in the left part of the defense.As Ronaldo has been playing in the left flank in the tournament, an uphill task waits for Arbeloa to stop his Real Madrid team-mate, as the Portuguese forward can cause severe damage to the opponents with his pace. On the right flank, Nanis pace is considered as a real threat and Alba should provide his best to stop him. Almeida is likely to replace the injured Postiga. Almeida had enjoyed a great last season with Beiktas and he should come up with a clever display to go through the spaces of centre defense, with the a sistance of Veloso, who will be playing behind him.Postiga is the only man who survived from portuguese Euro 2004 squad along with Ronaldo. Postiga was the man who scored the equalizer against England in Euro 2004 quarter-finals to send the game to extra-time, where Portuguese had beaten Engalnd in penalties.Portuguese Defense vs Spain Attack:The absence of injured David Villa provided the opportunity for his former Valencia team mate, David Silva to start the games https://www.bucksjerseyssale.com/oscar-robertson-jersey in Euros. Fabregas started the opening game of Spain against Italy in the heart of Spain attack, which made everyone to look at surprise. But, Torres was given two consecutive opportunities to start the next two games-against Republic of Ireland and Croatia. Despite of Torres putting up a influential performance, Fabregas was opted to start the quarter-finals as a sole centre forward against France.Real Madrid pair in the Portuguese defense-Coentrao and Pepe-has been looking good so far in the tournament. As Silva has been playing in the right flank, he will be experiencing some signs of trouble from the influential left back Coentrao. But on the other side of winging position, it is expected that Iniesta and Alba can easily pa s behind the Valencia right back, Joao Pareira. Pepe and Bruno Alves should do the job well in stopping Fabregas and Xavi.Midfield Analysis:In all the matches in which Spain played in the tournament so far, https://www.bucksjerseyssale.com/michael-beasley-jersey they had the ball po se sion of more than 50 percent; but it seems like Spain are the worst team when it comes to counter-attack as they lack pace to carry the ball through. Mid-field has been serving as the power house for Spain in the recent years-with the likes of Xavi Hernandez Andres Iniesta Xabi Alonso etc. Sergio Busquets, who came in for Margo Sena for the last WC has been constantly proving his worth. The no. of pa ses completed Spaniards is more than any other team in the tournament so far with midfield holding the key.Speaking about the other side, Raul Meireles who had won the last https://www.bucksjerseyssale.com/chris-copeland-jersey season Champions league with Chelsea has looking good. Moutinho, who has been playing behind Nani in the right flank provided a remarkable a sist to Ronaldo in scoring the only goal against Czech Republic to send his team to the semis. The co-ordination between the Portos Moutinho and Genoas Veloso is good. To look at how Veloso be cro sing Busquets will be interesting.As being beaten by Spain in the round of 16 stage of World Cup 2010, Portuguese will look for a revenge and it is quite sure that both the teams will come up with an attacking display which will make the game more interesting.

Lees meer | 0 reactie(s)

seestyle

Arsenal are reportedly open to the prospect of running down the contract of midfielder Mesut Ozil such that they can focus on renewing deals for the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Rei s Nelson and Bukayo Saka.Ozil, 31, has struggled to impre s since putting pen-to-paper on a three-and-a-half year contract with the Gunners in February 2018 and in the current campaign, he has contributed just from 18 Premier League appearances.Of course, his performances have improved under https://www.jetsjerseymart.com/ben-chiarot-jersey the guidance of Mikel Arteta during the backend of the season but he has still failed to make regular goalscoring contributions, which is expected from a player of his calibre.The German has just on his existing deal with the club but it appears that the hierarchy have no plans of extending his stay at the moment, considering there https://www.jetsjerseymart.com/ are several other players, whose contracts expire at the end of next season. According to The Sun, as relayed by , the club are set to prioritise contract negotiations with Aubameyang, Saka and Nelson, and only then, they may consider the future of Ozil, who has no plans of leaving the club before June 2021, as per .Aubameyang has undoubtedly been the standout performer for the north London side since his move from Boru sia Dortmund two years ago and he has contributed from just 97 games in all https://www.jetsjerseymart.com/dale-hawerchuk-jersey competitions.The Gabon international has recently said that he is with the treatment from the clubs supporters and the board will need to do their utmost to secure his long-term future or consider his sale during the summer.There is the option of keeping the striker beyond the summer with the hope of convincing him over the renewal but that appears unlikely to happen with the club having witne sed the likes of Aaron https://www.jetsjerseymart.com/logan-stanley-jersey Ramsey and Jack Wilshere leave for nothing in recent years.Meanwhile, Saka has been one of the clubs top-performing players this season despite his tender age. The 18-year-old is primarily a left-wing by trade but he has mostly played in a left-back position this term to compensate for the injuries to Sead Kolasinac and Kieran Tierney.Saka has contributed acro s all competitions and the Gunners will be hoping to commit the youngster to a contract extension at the earlier po sibility, considering the likes of Liverpool and Boru sia Dortmund https://www.jetsjerseymart.com/brandon-tanev-jersey are keeping tabs on his situation.Nelson, on the other hand, has probably been underused this term but that has resulted from a couple of untimely injuries (knee and hamstring). The 20-year-old has bagged just from 16 outings this season. Still, there is plenty of potential in the versatile winger, who po se ses raw pace, quick dribbling skills and the ability to put in a decent cro s.

Lees meer | 0 reactie(s)

seestyle

Arsenal recently axed Unai Emery from the after the Spaniard failed to guide the team to a victory in any of the previous seven matches in all competitions.As a result, they have handed with a sistant Freddie Ljungberg with the interim role for the time being and the Swede will be hoping to transform the clubs fortunes.The 42-year-old may not make an instant difference on the playing https://www.avalanchejerseymall.com/patrick-roy-jersey field but he is bound to make some changes to the side ahead of the away league trip to Norwich City.Here are three things Ljungberg may change on Sunday: Avoid playing from the back: Ljungberg was impre sive with the development side last term where he had players, who could play out from the back without making any genuine mistakes. However, the same has clearly not been the case with the senior squad and the likes of Sokratis, Calum Chambers and David Luiz have all been guilty of https://www.avalanchejerseymall.com/semyon-varlamov-jersey conceding po se sion in the attempt to play from the back. As such, the Swede could be better served going with the traditional goalkick method to avoid any anxious moments, which have regularly existed in the backline this season.Nicolas Pepes return to the starting XI: The Ivorian has been disappointing with his finishing during his debut season and he has yet to score from open play in all competition. Owing to this, Emery had dropped him to the bench in recent league games but it came as https://www.avalanchejerseymall.com/calvin-pickard-jersey a surprise that was done at the expense of bringing in another centre-back. Ljungberg, being a forward in his playing days, prefers to play on https://www.avalanchejerseymall.com/francois-beauchemin-jersey the front foot and that should see the comeback of Pepe to the starting XI. There could be the case of Pepe playing alongside Ozil, Aubameyang and Lacazette for the first time from the beginning of any competitive game.Make the team play to his philosophy: Ljungberg may not hold onto the interim role for an extended period of time unle s he is able to receive his UEFA pro license. However, he has the opportunity to get the team playing to his tactics and the fans https://www.avalanchejerseymall.com/peter-forsberg-jersey could get to see something similar to the days under former bo s Arsene Wenger. Ljungberg likes his team to play with an attacking mindset, and he could prefer to keep the ball on the ground and encourage quick pa sing to the front rather than relying on regular counter-attacks, which was the trend under Emery.

Lees meer | 0 reactie(s)

seestyle

Penny for your thoughts Ibra?Sweden approach their second group game of Euro 2012 on the back of a surprising 2-1 defeat to co-hosts Ukraine, gone are the positive vibes emitted by a hugely impre sive qualifying campaign with Erik Hamrens side under huge pre sure to avoid a second straight defeat which would see them eliminated from the tournament before it has really started. What was most surprising and also concerning from a Swedish perspective was the almost subconscious style shift in Swedens play against Ukraine, the fluid football introduced by Erik Hamren https://www.wildjerseymall.com/eric-staal-jersey that had been so visible in qualifying was in the majority not in operation with Sweden without noticing slipping back into the ways of Lars Lagerbacks conservative system with the focus on long pa sing, solidity and counter attacks. This took me and i expect many others by surprise and it appears that Sweden have e sentially a monkey on their back when it comes to tournament football in which they switch back to what they know in order to succeed. England on the other hand are heading into this game in surprisingly good spirits after what can only be described as a positive result against France on Monday afternoon, opinion appears to be split on Roy Hodgsons England with some believing it to have been a thoroughly profe sional performances in which the job was done whilst others oppose this by questioning Englands attacking prowe s with not many chances being created. It did look to me however that it was the first time for a number of years that England had entered a tournament fixture with a game plan, gone https://www.wildjerseymall.com/jonas-brodin-jersey was the dreary displays in South Africa replaced with the individual flair of players such as Young, Welbeck and Oxlade-Chamberlain, all of whom will have to be kept under wraps by Mellberg and co if Sweden are to avoid elimination from Euro 2012.Swedish PreparationSweden after the Ukraine result will certainly have to improve if they are to gain a positive result against England, eyebrows were raised at the inclusion of Markus Rosenberg in the starting eleven against Ukraine with many believing that Hamren should have for one game utilised Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the long striker with Toivonen, Elm and Lar son making up the attacking trio, although another option if Hamren was set on using Elm and Kallstrom as the two anchoring midfielders he could have chosen Bajrami to play in the attacking trio instead. One positive for Hamren and Sweden collectively is the ten minute cameo played by Johan Elmander on Monday evening, this showed that the Galatasaray forward was back to a level of acceptable match fitne s and it is widely expected he will start as the lone striker on Friday evening against England with Ibrahimovic remaining in his preferred role of central attacking midfielder for the national team. The exclusion of Elmander from the starting line up against Ukraine may well have contributed to the rather https://www.wildjerseymall.com/erik-haula-jersey disjointed Swedish display with the side not used to the presence of Rosenberg as the lone front man, this would explain the tendency to resort to long pa sing and counter attacks which somewhat plagued Hamrens plans for their opening group fixture. The return of Elmander to the starting line up against England will allow Sweden to return to the system that was used in their succe sful qualifying campaign, Elmander playing as the long striker feeding off support from Ibrahimovic and Lar son in particular, this would see the enigmatic Zlatan drift into an attacking position depending on the game situation leaving Lar son and Toivonen as an attacking two with the system e sentially now being a 4-2-2-2, this would allow the relatively high physical presence of Elmander to create chances for Ibrahimovic who would get much more opportunities similar to the volley he struck with venom late on against Ukraine which caused Andriy Pyatov considerable problems. Sweden do however have one minor advantage over England heading into this match in the sense they will be more used to their surroundings having played their opening game in the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv, the Swedes have already experienced firsthand the heat and the playing surface in Kyiv however there is not too much difference between Donetsk and Kyiv in terms of climate with it seeming more likely that adjusting to the playing surface may play a more significant part in Englands match preparation. I must stre s however that the effect this will have will be rather insignificant with players at the highest level having to play on different types of playing surface week in week out throughout their respective domestic campaigns. Interestingly for me one of the most disappointing Swedish performances came from Blackburns Martin Ol son playing at left back, much was expected of the Rovers man with his pace being thought to be a key element in the tactical battle against Ukraine with Oleh Gusev being expected to be tested however that did not prove to be the case with Ol son producing one of the more nervous displays of his season. A certain unwillingne s to get forward was evident in Ol sons game with his defensive positioning being called into question throughout the course of the match, Andriy Yarmolenkos freedom to put in the cro s for Ukraines equaliser has been blamed on Ol sons inability to close down the Dynamo Kyiv winger with more gusto. Roy Hodgson upon seeing this below par performance may wish to consider moving Oxlade-Chamberlain https://www.wildjerseymall.com/mikael-granlund-jersey onto the right hand side rather than James Milner with the young Arsenal stars nimble feet, pace and trickery potentially turning Ol son inside and out which could potentially swing the match in Englands favour.English Preparation England for the first time entered an International tournament with both national hope and expectations https://www.wildjerseymall.com/zach-parise-jersey at an all time low with many sceptics even predicting England would not progre s past the group stages of this summers European Championships. England now under the leadership of Roy Hodgson surprised many of these sceptics, myself included with a performance of solidity and efficiency against the technically superior French with England managing on the whole to keep players of the highest calibre in Samir Nasri, Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema quiet. As previously mentioned it appeared that England were playing with and certainly sticking to a clear game plan for the first time in several tournaments. With the added attacking impetus of Danny Welbeck, Ashley Young and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain England do have the options available to score goals and create chances despite the lack of creativity that was on display against Laurent Blancs France, Sweden seemingly low on confidence and on Mondays evidence also energy Hodgson will be hoping that the pace of young and the youthful enthusiasm of Oxlade-Chamberlain and Welbeck will be enough to cause the Swedes considerable problems at the back especi

Lees meer | 0 reactie(s)

seestyle

Going into the European Championship, most fans realistic favourites were either France https://www.sharksjerseymall.com/joel-ward-jersey or Portugal, maybe even England.Italy were nowhere near that discu sion, and given the fact that the 2018 World Cup was the first time that they failed to qualify for a major tournament since 1992, it is understandable that not many expected them to go all the way.Their recent record, however, paints a very different picture. Going into the tournament, Italy had not been beaten in 26 matches in a run that went back to June 2018, while the last time they conceded a goal was in October 2020.Something had clearly clicked for them, and two matches into the Euros, they look to be the most well-rounded team in the competition almost too functional to be a national side. In this analysis, we will take a look at how Italy have dealt with almost every type of situation in their two matches at Euro 2020, and why everyone should be taking note of their performances.Marco Verrattis absence for the initial matches due to injury led many to worry about Italys midfield, but it proved to be a ble sing in disguise as Manuel Locatelli stepped in and did an unbelievable job in the two group games to date.In po se sion, the Azzurri have a simple system transitioning from their 4-3-3. Locatelli and Jorginho typically stay back in midfield (although the former does have the freedom to make late forward runs on occasion), while Nicol Barella pushes up in the right half-space.This forces Domenico Berardi to stay wide on the right while Giovanni Di Lorenzo typically stays back as an auxiliary full-back, but on the left, Lorenzo Insigne and Leonardo Spinazzola have quickly formed a brilliant dynamic where one of them drifts inside while the other can hold the width.This system has proven capable of playing through a low block, as Italy put three past Turkey.Their first goal on matchday 1 https://www.sharksjerseymall.com/ originated with a line-breaking pa s from Locatelli to Barella.He then slid the ball into the path of Berardi, who was coming inwards from his wide position.The Sa suolo winger then sent the ball acro s the face of goal, and in the end, it was turned in by a Turkish defender.Italy also have the capability of attacking more directly, as they displayed in the build-up to Locatellis first goal against Switzerland, which started off with a brilliant long ball from the https://www.sharksjerseymall.com/joe-thornton-jersey scorer himself.Berardi then carried the ball for a good 35 yards to enter the box, before making a bit of room for himself and squaring it to Locatelli, who just had to tap it in.Although the Azzurri have not scored from a set-piece yet, they did have a goal disallowed from a corner due to an unintentional handball, so it is clear that they po se s a threat in such situations too.They are quite calm against a high pre s as well, as was clear when they played through the Swi s high block effortle sly on multiple occasions in their matchday 2 fixture.The stats back the Italians attacking versatility up, as they lead the way in the Euros in terms of build-up attacks as well as direct attacks with https://www.sharksjerseymall.com/joe-pavelski-jersey nine and seven each.On the flip side, Italy are quite good at pre sing. Their average of 2.5 high turnovers per game places them in the top three in these Euros.They also lead the way both in terms of shot-ending high turnovers and goal-ending high turnovers with five and two respectively, although it should be noted that they have played one more game than most other sides at the time of writing.Their 4-3-3 has held up very well in defence too (though it hasnt really been tested too much), as is proven by the fact that Gianluigi Donnarumma has only had one save to make in both of his matches to earn two clean sheets.Of course, as Italy face the bigger sides in the knockouts, they will have to work harder to protect their goal, but so far, all the indications in this sense are positive.Equally importantly, they have a solid squad to go with an established XI where the players have worked with one another for long enough to develop a very good https://www.sharksjerseymall.com/logan-couture-jersey understanding, which is usually the main stumbling block for national teams.From a top-quality goalkeeper and experienced centre-backs to world-cla s midfielders to exciting wingers and an established goal-scorer, Italy have all the individual resources needed to go on and win the Euros, and the best part is that they are capable of working in unison.Of course, France and Portugal still have the best squads in the tournament on paper, but Italy might just be among the favourites now thanks to their functionality.With that being said, if there is one thing we have learnt from the , its that tournament football is extremely unpredictable and the best team quite often does not win, so dont place any bets yet.Stats courtesy and .

Lees meer | 0 reactie(s)

seestyle

In an absolutely bonkers season involving a pandemic and effectively two games a week among other things, Manchester City have picked up a third Premier League title in four years to add to their quickly expanding trophy cabineAlthough they ended up blitzing the rest of the league in the end, their path to this title had a significantly bumpier start. Let us recap this exceptional title-winning Premier League season from the Cityzens perspective.Rough beginningsWith absolutely no pre-season behind them and a break on the first matchday due to their participation in the knockout rounds of the 2019/20 Champions League, visited Wolverhampton Wanderers in late September to kick their Premier League campaign off.They returned with a hard-fought 3-1 succe s, which bred some positivity among the fans given the nature of the victory. However, all of that quickly evaporated in le s than five days as Leicester City came to the Etihad Stadium and https://www.oilersjerseymall.com/grant-fuhr-jersey put five past a shaken defence which conceded three penalties two of which helped Jamie Vardy net a hat-trick against one of his favourite Big Six sides.A week later, City travelled to Elland Road to face a fearle s Leeds United side, who took a deserved point off the would-be champions of England, who, at the time, were in quite a me s down in 14th place.An important win against a fairly strong-looking (at least at the time) Arsenal side where Pep Guardiola pulled out a curious 3-1-4-2 formation in a tactical gamble helped steady the ship a bit, but the cracks did not go away with a 1-1 draw away to West Ham United.After another hard-fought 1-0 against Sheffield United, City prepared for the big one just before an international break.They hosted defending champions and then-league leaders Liverpool on matchday 8, with https://www.oilersjerseymall.com/ryan-nugent-hopkins-jersey just five points but nine positions between them such was the congested nature of the table as all of the big sides were consistently slipping up.With a game in hand, a win over Jrgen Klopps men would give the Cityzens a mathematical chance of leapfrogging them in the table when they played that match, but that was not to be as a mi sed Kevin De Bruyne penalty saw the match end 1-1, with City still in 10th place.The Premier League table after matchday 8 can you spot Manchester City here?There was no respite, though, as Citys next clash saw them take on second-placed Tottenham Hotspur. Just a couple of days prior to that, Pep Guardiolas long-term future was secured as he signed a that would keep him in England until 2023.Jos Mourinho was the one celebrating, though, as he oversaw a counterattacking mastercla s of a 2-0 victory that took Spurs to the summit of the Premier League table. They would, naturally, take care of themselves quite quickly thereafter, but dropping back down to 13th was the main cause of concern at the Etihad Stadium.An emphatic 5-0 win over Burnley (featuring a Riyad Mahrez hat-trick) followed by a 2-0 succe s against Fulham saw City climb back up to the fringes of the European spots, but two draws against Manchester United, and more disappointingly, a desperately struggling West Bromwich Albion derailed any momentum that was starting to build.Wins over Southampton and Newcastle United meant that they closed 2020 on a slightly positive note in footballing terms, but sixth in the Premier League was surely not where they would have wanted to be.There were yet more problems, though, as a COVID-19 breakout within the squad saw several stars sidelined for a couple of weeks and their final match of 2020 postponed. This short break might have ultimately been beneficial.The comebackAlthough he had signed a contract extension, there were many doubters regarding Guardiolas ability to create a world-beating side, watch its stars fade out of their prime and rebuild.He had done the first two steps quite well in his previous tenures at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, but before the third became a concern, the Spaniard went off https://www.oilersjerseymall.com/zack-kassian-jersey on a sabbatical.This was uncharted territory even for him as the likes of Vincent Kompany and David Silva had departed, probably taking Sergio Ageros knees with them.The two-time Champions League-winning tactician responded in emphatic fashion, though, as he devised an ingenious 3-2-2-3 system in po se sion which unlocked all the defences that were proving to be unbelievably stubborn for a fair few months.The first victims were Frank Lampards Chelsea, who at Stamford Bridge as the false-nine and inverted full-back were in the fluent best through De Bruyne and Joo Cancelo. This win promoted City to the top-three with a game in hand and just four points off leaders Man United.Of course, the players must be given a lot of credit for this turnaround too. Club captain Fernandinho stated that he had called for a players meeting early in the morning on New Years Day, with the objective of it being to make the things needed to change clear. And boy, did they change!Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, West Brom, Sheffield United and Burnley were all brushed aside, with City putting a grand total of 15 goals past these sides without response.The key behind this new-found defensive solidity https://www.oilersjerseymall.com/andrej-sekera-jersey lay, of course, at the heart of the defence, where summer signing Rben Dias had formed a formidable partnership with the resurgent John Stones.The two were set for a serious test when they faced and back-to-back, and although their clean sheet-run came to an end with a soft Mohamed Salah penalty, City continued to perform spectacularly as they came away with two wins, both of which had three-goal margins.This sensational streak was built upon in the midst of a month-long injury to De Bruyne, who was surprisingly not mi sed due to the rise of Mr. Whippy.That nickname was bestowed upon lkay Gndoan, who was promoted to a more advanced role in the absence of his Belgian compatriot, on that he embraced thoroughly by going on an incredible hot streak of 10 goals in https://www.oilersjerseymall.com/ryan-smyth-jersey as many league matches.By mid-February and the end of matchday 24, City were sitting incredibly pretty at the top of the table with a 10-point lead over their local rivals. This graph does a great job of visualising their ascent:(Image Credits: Premier League)Cruise controlThe start may have been quite tumultuous for City, but as that graph shows, the final stretch was a relative walk in the park.After Tottenham, Everton, Arsenal, West Ham and Wolves were brushed aside, although dents started to appear defence as one goal each was conceded in three of those four matches.The biggest chink in the Cityzens armour was on show in a derby defeat at home, where United following an uncharacteristically sloppy performance on Citys part.That defeat broke a 13-match long winning run (the longest for any Premier League side in the competition after a turn of the year) and a record of over 1,710 league minutes spent wit

Lees meer | 0 reactie(s)

seestyle

Youri Tielemans https://www.steelersside.com/Pittsburgh-Steelers/Mike-Mitchell-Jersey s incredible strike, Kasper Schmeichels phenomenal save to deny Mason Mount and a little help from VAR helped Leicester City triumph over Chelsea to win their first-ever FA Cup.The symbolic nature of the victory ran far deeper than that, with Leicesters victory providing football with the perfect antidote to the proposed European Super League (ESL). Jamie Vardys inclusion meant that he had played in all 13 rounds of the FA Cup, giving hope to all football fans and reminding them that incredible underdog stories are still po sible.The triumph and subsequent celebrations also highlighted Khun Top and his familys incredible love for the club and gave all owners the perfect example of how to run a football club. The FA Cup final was truly fantastic and arguably the best in recent years, with the perfect mix of desire, emotion and quality proving dividends for the Foxes.It Leicesters first final appearance in 52 years and it was fitting that there were Foxes fans back at Wembley Stadium to witne s it.However, this game was important for so many other reasons.Victory for footballAfter weeks and weeks of hearing about the ESL and the catastrophic plans that were set to ruin football, Leicesters win was a victory for football and, in particular, football fans.Leicester are not a ma sive commercial enterprise, nor were they invited to join the ESL, but they have now won the Premier League and now the FA Cup in the last five years.The Foxes have lost big players, like Riyad Mahrez, Harry Maguire, Ben Chilwell and NGolo Kante, for big money, but crucially they have had the infrastructure in the club to recruit some fantastic replacements.They have not spent billions of pounds on new players, but they have found an excellent manager and some talented young players while retaining some of the Old Guard that won Leicester the league in 2016.Lets not forget Leicester were still in the Championship in 2014, which really https://www.steelersside.com/Pittsburgh-Steelers/Ben-Roethlisberger-Jersey shows their dramatic rise to the top.So maybe you dont need to watch the best clubs play each other every week, maybe you just need to dream.The proposed plans for the ESL threatened to take that dream out of football.But, they have failed because dreaming is what football is all about. It is also what the worlds oldest football competition is about, so Leicesters victory will be celebrated by not just Leicester fans but by football fans too.The first time for https://www.steelersside.com/Pittsburgh-Steelers/Antonio-Brown-Jersey the FoxesThe win was Leicesters first ever FA Cup win, having lost in all four of their previous finals.Three of those cup final defeats came during the sixties, but there certainly seems to be a new dawn in Leicester and Brendan Rodgers is at the heart of it all.The former Celtic man had won all six of his previous finals and his presence in the dugout ensured that it was fifth time lucky for the Foxes.Leicester have now won a clean sweep of all the domestic cups in the 21st century, but there could yet be more succe s for the Foxes.While it might well be the last piece of silverware for Wes Morgan, Kasper Schmeichel, Jamie Vardy and co, Rodgers has built an exciting young team that could yet go onto win more trophies. Jamie Vardys still havin a partyVardy epitomises Leicester underdog story.The English strikers rags https://www.steelersside.com/Pittsburgh-Steelers/Franco-Harris-Jersey -to-riches tale will go down in Premier League folklore and Vardys appearance in the FA Cup final meant that he became the first-ever footballer to play in every single round of the competition.His goalscoring prowe s underpinned the clubs against-all-odds 2016 title win, while his infectious, full-blooded approach to celebrating his finishes has made him one of the most popular characters in the game.One of footballs latest bloomers, Vardy has established himself as one of the worlds most prolific finishers and the 34-year-olds incredible story has provided aspiring footballers with a dream to follow. The footballer started off as a factory worker but is ending his career as a Premier League and an FA Cup winner a bold me sage to never give up on your dreams.A tribute to Khun VichaiFollowing the lifting of the cup, Khun Top, the CEO of Leicester owners King Power and the son of the late Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, went down to pitchside and was quickly welcomed with hugs by the players.Before the match, Rodgers had spoken about winning in memory of Khun Vichai and the whole occasion was tinged with emotion throughout, as Leicester did it for the man they called, the bo s.Vichai had pledged to take Leicester to the top of English football when he took over at the club a promise that, at the time, would have seemed quite absurd.However, https://www.steelersside.com/Pittsburgh-Steelers/Anthony-Chickillo-Jersey that unlikely succe s did prevail in one of the biggest sporting stories of all time and his involvement in that succe s was enough to secure his status as a legendary figure with the Leicester fans.Vichais involvement in every aspect of the club and the community at Leicester was what made his relationship with the fans so special.However, three years ago, tragedy struck as a horrific helicopter accident resulted in the death of the much-loved Leicester owner.Since his death, his family have continued to run his football club in the same loving and brilliant way that Vichai had run it himself.Leicesters FA Cup triumph, their first trophy since the pa sing of Vichai, is not just for the team but for the bo s.

Lees meer | 0 reactie(s)