Conte’s Chelsea in Driving Seat for Premier League Title Triumph

on December 22, 2016 None comments

Simply put, Chelsea have been outstanding so far this season. Antonio Conte’s Italian revolution is well and truly underway at Stamford Bridge and the Blues are reaping rewards from his varied and extensive skillset in the dugout.

Since taking over at the helm, Conte has taken this Chelsea side from the brink of disaster to eleven consecutive Premier League wins. The Blues are now eyeing up Arsenal’s all-time top-flight record of successive victories and a fifth Premier League title could follow.

It is easy to forget that this is Conte’s first season in charge of a major club side outside of his native Italy – and that is testament to his ability to adapt and tweak his system and style to suit the English game.

Ultimately, Conte has managed to maintain his Italian principles of solid, consistent defending but has incorporated Premier League traditions of playing attacking, free-flowing football. This unique blend has confused their rivals and the Blues, who have now 11 on the spin, are looking unbeatable.

Chelsea’s recent run has been sensational to say the least but it is the manner of these wins that make them all the more impressive. Conte’s men have scored 25 goals during this spell whilst conceding just two – keeping nine clean sheets in the process.

If the former Italy boss can keep his players focused on the task at hand, the title race could be all but over by mid-April. The Blues have already built a six-point lead over nearest rivals Liverpool and both Manchester City and Arsenal are already feeling the heat.

As of December 22nd, Conte’s men are priced at 10/11 to win the title with Betway and plenty of neutrals will be backing Chelsea after their solid start to the campaign. The Blues have lost just once so far this season and that 3-0 defeat to Arsenal was the catalyst for Conte’s revolution to begin.

Prior to that defeat, the Italian was following English football’s tradition of playing four at the back but Chelsea have now reverted to a brand new 3-4-3 system and the rest of the Premier League just cannot figure out how to play against it.

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Eventually, teams will grow accustomed to Chelsea’s system but the Blues have enough quality in their ranks to adapt if needs be. Conte has managed to take Victor Moses, a player who made just one solitary performance for the club last season, and transform him into a reliable wing-back in the space of just three months.

By the same token, former Bolton Wanderers star Marcos Alonso is holding his own on a weekly basis. While he was touted as a superb prospect for the future, nobody expected Conte to get this much out of the Spaniard in his first season at Stamford Bridge.

But without beating about the bush, it would be fair to state that the biggest difference-maker has been Diego Costa. The Spain star has always played with vigour and determination and his new manager has channelled that aggression into goals – and Chelsea fans are now back on the Costa wagon after a hit-and-miss 2015/16 campaign.

Costa has already notched 13 league goals this season; more than anybody else in the top flight. The Golden Boot is well within his sights but a Premier League triumph is the main objective; Conte has got him playing for the shirt rather than for his own glory…

Chelsea still have plenty of work to do in the second half of the season but Conte will be ready for the title push. He has been there and done it all during his stints with Juventus and Italy but a Premier League crown in his first year in England would certainly send out a statement of intent. At 47 years old, Conte is here for the long run and an early title triumph could signal the start of an era of Blues dominance.

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Italy can progress in Euro 2016 despite a tough path

on June 27, 2016 None comments

The Italian national team has awoken a sense of hope in the country that has been a surprise and certainly was not expected. The nation as a rule, grows slowly into a tournament just like its team and in some sort of bizarre unity, they historically culminate in the knock out rounds as a force on both parts. Now after a smash and grab group stage, where the Italians unusually topped their group after two games, they ironically face champions Spain in the round of 16.  Despite a defeat in their final game to the Republic of Ireland, there is reason to be positive before this titanic clash.

Written off

‘The worst Italian squad in 50 years’ this was the yoke that the Italian national team had around their neck as they travelled to France. The lack of quality in the forward area was obvious and the nation’s media and fans questioned whether GrazianoPelle, Eder and Ciro Immobile could produce the magic that their predecessors had. After all a country that had given birth to Giuseppe Meazza, Paolo Rossi, Christian Vieri and ‘Pippo’ Inzaghi could perhaps feel as though they had been put on a crash diet when it came to forward quality. Italy’s midfield to had been decimated, as injuries to Claudio Marchisio and Marco Verratti had meant that the team was now reliant on its three man Juventus defence backed up by the ever young ‘Gigi’ Buffon.

Belgium, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland stood in their way and as the Azzurri went into their opening game against the Red Devils ‘Golden generation’ there was not much hope given. Despite the prediction that Antonio Conte would play a very defensive game that operated solely on counter attacks, the team instead started with pace and a direct style that shocked their opponents. Despite commentators talking about Italy being a defensive unit they were ambitious and got their rewards for this.

Pressing

The way that Conte had his team drilled was impressive and his team transformed from a 3-5-2 to a 3-3-4 when in attack and then a 5-3-2 when defending. Buffon was the antithesis of this as he played almost as a sweeper when the team was attacking, similar to Manuel Neuer. When the team defended as a five the veteran goalkeeper did not move out of his six-yard box but the understanding of when he would come for the ball was understood well by his Juventus team mates.

This was also evident against Sweden but despite Eder’s killer goal the team still do look a little bit lightweight up front. The rest of the team however, operate as a cohesive unit that arguably is the most fluid yet structured in the competition. Conte looks to operate with a ‘freedom within structure’ mentality and it has proved effective. He knows he hasn’t got the best tool in his tool box but he knows what kit he needs to do the job well.

It was the realisation of this that enthused the Italian public and media and even saw the GazzettaDello Sport say that ‘We want our Italy back’ after they lost their final group game to the Republic of Ireland. Conte made eight changes in this game and two if those were enforced as Buffon had the flu and Antonio Candreva had pulled his hamstring against Sweden. The rest simply were experimental and whilst the team came in for criticism, it did allow the coach to see what options he could call upon. Lorenzo Insigne was one of these players who, whilst given only a few minutes, showed that he could replicate his club form for Napoli on the national stage.

Italy have to face Spain and then if they progress they will face Germany but they should not be worried. The team has already impressed her apathetic fans and there is little expectation but yet there is room for optimism. Defensively the team are arguably the best in the tournament and if Lorenzo Insigne is given licence to roam then the Azzurri may be the may turn heads even if for cohesion rather than style.

 

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Soccer themed slots machines

on June 8, 2016 None comments

Soccer themed slots machines are common on most of the online casino websites that people are going to find today. They aren’t common to the point of excess, where people can more or less find several different soccer themed slots machines in every row of a casino slot game listing. However, when people play free slot machines at Royal Vegas casino, they are going to find it easy to locate soccer themed slots machines.

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The popularity of soccer themed slots machines is not a surprise. For one thing, soccer is one of the most popular games all around the world as it is, even though most of the world calls it football instead. The United States might call football soccer and it might not be as popular in the United States as it is in many other countries of a similar cultural background, but it is popular even in the United States. Many online casino games are not going to be available to United States players as it is, so pleasing the theoretical Americans in the audience isn’t going to make a difference to the developers of the online casino games. They know that a good portion of their audience is European, and a good portion of their very European audience is going to adore soccer themed slots machines.

Microgaming is itself a software provider that was established in the United Kingdom, and this is a casino gaming software provider that has helped to create a huge portion of the online casino games that are in use today. Many of the other software providers, even if they originate in other countries or if they tend to serve audiences in other countries, are going to partly model their output after Microgaming. They know that this is a website that has a proven set of formulas, and they are interested in fully exploring all of the implications of those formulas.

Soccer themed slots are definitely popular games, so it makes sense to create a number of them. Of course, soccer is also a theme that just works well for slot games in the first place. This is a sport that relies on chance to a certain extent, even if it is primarily a game of skill and not a game of chance. Adrenaline and beating the odds and racing against time is also a huge part of playing soccer. People are going to need to think about all of those things and more when they actually decide to play online casino slot games. It makes sense that they would decide to adapt those basic emotional parameters to the slot games themselves, allowing the two activities to feed into each other to a certain extent.

Or course, people like familiar imagery of all kinds. When people play free slot machines at Royal Vegas casino, they want to be able to see images that remind them of the other things that they like. A good portion of the audience for this website likes soccer. Soccer games are going to be everywhere.

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The 24 Best Euro 2016 Fantasy Football Team Names

on May 13, 2016 None comments

Love a good pun?  Fantasy football is a very popular part of every major international football tournament, and some of you spend more time on your team name than you do picking the players.

With help from Paddy Power we have come up with a team name for each of the 24 nations participating in France this summer to help you decide what to call yours.

Whether you’re supporting England, Wales, Ireland or whoever this summer, here’s an idea for your Euro 2016 fantasy football team name:

Albania: Dude, Where’s My Cana?

The former Sunderland midfielder now plays for Nantes in Ligue 1 and captained his nation to qualifying for their first-ever major international tournament.  Albania’s previous best qualifying was fifth in a group of seven in a failed effort to make Euro 2008.

Austria: For Fuchs Sake

Many may have thought Christian Fuchs was taking a step down when he left Schalke 04 to join Leicester City last summer.  However, the Austrian left-back is now a Premier League winner, whilst his former club have still never won the German Bundesliga.

Belgium: Benteke Fried Chicken

Christian Benteke faces stiff competition from the likes of Divock Origi and Romelu Lukaku to start for Belgium this summer.  His £32.5 million move to Liverpool this summer backfired after being ditched by Jürgen Klopp for the majority of the 2015-16 season.

Croatia: Fun Lovren Criminals

The Liverpool centre-back has found his form this season playing alongside Mamadou Sakho and under Jürgen Klopp.  Croatia are in a group with Spain, Czech Republic and Turkey so the former-Southampton man can expect a busy tournament.

Czech Republic: Martin Frýdek and Rice

The Czech Republic defender is no certainty to be selected by Pavel Vrba for the tournament but with a name like this he had to make our list.  His father, also named Martin Frýdek, was part of the squad that finished runners-up at Euro 96.

England: Rooney Tunes

The England captain is heading into Euro 2016 off the back of a poor end to the season following a lengthy injury.  Wayne Rooney faces stiff competition from both Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy to start up front, and then from Dele Alli in the number 10 role.  No doubt Roy Hodgson will start him though.

France: Kingsley Coman the Barbarian

19 years old and he has already won the French Ligue 1, Italian Serie A and now the German Bundesliga.  Want to test your ability in the English Premier League, Kingsley Coman?

Germany: Thomas Müller Corner

A key part of Germany’s success two years ago, Thomas Müller will be hoping to add to his large trophy collection this summer as one of the favourites to win the Golden Boot and playing for one of the favourites to win the tournament.

Hungary: The Király Kid

Former-Crystal Palace goalkeeper GáborKirály is still going strong in his homeland at 40.  He has over 100 caps for the Hungarian national team and is expected to be their number 1 in France.

Iceland: Gylfi Pleasures

The Swansea City playmaker heads into Euro 2016 in good club form and will be hoping to make an impression in what will be Iceland’s first-ever major international tournament.  Iceland’s qualification to this tournament included finishing above the Netherlands.

Italy: Balotelli-Tubbies

Whether or not the controversial striker makes the finals or not, we couldn’t ignore a fantasy football team name like this.  Mario Balotelli has really struggled for both game time and goals with AC Milan this season.

Northern Ireland: Grin and Baird It

Derby County backup and Fulham loaneeChris Baird will do well to get in the Northern Ireland squad this summer having not been a big part of Darren Wassall’s plans before getting a couple of games back at Craven Cottage.  But would you have preferred us to suggest The Green Kyleor Debbie Does Stuart Dallas??

Poland: The Big Lewandowski

The Bayern Munich striker is set to face several of his teammates in Saint-Denis in game two when Germany meet Poland.  Much will be expected of Robert Lewandowski after a fantastic qualifying campaign that saw him tie David Healy’s all-time European Championship qualifying record of 13 goals.  He will come up against Northern Ireland and Ukraine in his group too.

Portugal: Million Dollar Bebé

This Manchester United flop has proven to be one of Rayo Vallecano’s top stars in what has been a disappointing campaign for the Madrid side in La Liga.  The 25-year-old has never been capped by the Portuguese national team unfortunately so perhaps you may want to reconsider naming your team after Bebé this summer.

Republic of Ireland: 50 Shades of O’Shea

Republic of Ireland took four points off World Champions Germany to reach Euro 2016 – only their third-ever appearance in this tournament.  Sunderland defender John O’Shea faces a tough task if they’re to progress from the group – facing Sweden, Belgium and Italy.

Romania: Bogdan & Clyde

Qualifying from arguably the weakest group, Romania will be appearing in their fifth European Championship finals this summer.  Like the Republic of Ireland, they have only ever won one match, and like Ireland, that was versus England (Euro 2000).  Gençlerbirliği striker Bogdan Stancu should be leading the line for the Romanians in France who are involved in the tournament’s opening game versus the hosts.

Russia: The Akinfeev Diet

The CSKA Moscow goalkeeper remains Russia’s number one despite a howler in Brazil two years ago.  Igor Akinfeev is closing in on the century mark of caps for his country and will be expecting to make it out of a group that contains England, Wales and Slovakia, despite the country’s poor showing in all but one of the previous seven major tournaments they have qualified for.

Slovakia: Teenage Mutant Ninja Škrtels

Liverpool centre-back Martin Škrtel was part of the Slovakia national team that qualified for their first-ever European Championship finals.  They had previously had moderate records in qualifying, neither here nor there before JánKozák gave them something to cheer about last year, finishing second in a group where they took three points off the current holders, Spain.

Spain: Absolutely Fàbregas

After a dreadful World Cup, Spain are among the favourites once again as they bid to win a record third consecutive European Championships.  Chelsea midfielder CescFàbregas is coming off a very disappointing Premier League campaign but will be hoping to find his form again in France among a very strong squad.

Sweden: How About Zlat?

Zlatan Ibrahimović is set to star in his fourth European Championships having previously played in 2004, 2008 and 2012.  Sweden beat fellow Scandinavians Denmark 4-3 in the playoffs to set them up to face Ireland, Italy and Belgium in the group stage this summer.

Switzerland: Enter Shaqiri

Xherdan Shaqiri’s career hasn’t blossomed since his move to Bayern Munich back in 2009.  A brief stint at Internazionale before joining Stoke City this season where he has delighted fans at the Britannia Stadium.  Switzerland face Albania in the second match at Euro 2016.

Turkey: Turannosaurus Rex

His move to Barcelona hasn’t worked out great in his first season but ArdaTuran has still collected a La Liga winners’ medal.  Unavailable until January and then a bit-part player in Luis Enrique’s side, the Turkish playmaker certainly can’t complain of fatigue during the summer!

Ukraine: Rotan Tomatoes

The experienced Ukrainian midfielder Ruslan Rotan will be hoping to make MykhayloFomenko’s squad this summer having previously participated in both Euro 2012 and the 2006 World Cup – the only previous tournaments Ukraine have qualified for since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Wales: Out on Bale

Gareth Bale was one of the stars as Wales took six points off Belgium in qualifying for their first-ever European Championships finals.  They will be looking to take three points off rivals England in a group they shouldn’t have too much fear in.

 

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Enjoy Online Gambling & Stay Safe with Proper Online Banking Methods

on December 3, 2015 None comments

The genre of gambling is not just confined to the land based casinos and with the introduction of technology, gambling has been taken to a whole new paradigm. With online gambling the entire industry has experienced major expansions and in this regard online gambling definitely leads the show.

However, the risk of losing money in online gambling looms large primarily because of some fraudulent casinos that indulges in unfair activities. The lack of proper knowledge about safe banking methods in online gambling also has its share in the havoc played against you.

Majority of online casinos don’t accept credit cards for receiving payment and in this regard adhering to the online payment modes is a better option. You can also do safe transactions through various trusted online brokers. Additionally, it’s the duty of the online casinos to keep an eye on the online payment methods opted by individual customers.

Amex (American Express) offers a safe and secure online payment platform and is used widely across US. It’s also valid in few other countries and is a reliable source for quick and safe online transactions. You just have to enter the card details and your payment is made safely.

Neteller is another very reliable e-wallet used for online transactions globally. Another name that you can trust among e-wallet types is the MoneyBookers. With more than 5 million users,this brand specializes in offering instant money transfer online and their registration process is very easy and hassle free. No fees is charged for withdrawing money and for deposits a nominal 50 Euros is all that you pay.  EcoCard, an electronic replica of a normal debit card, allows speedy online money transactions.

All these banking methods feature high security services and so your chances of losing money to unfair online gambling institutions are minimized to a greater extent. However, before you take the final plunge it’s important that you must do proper research about the different online banking methods that are guaranteed to render safe transaction services. Most people end up in trouble with the payments because they are ignorant of the safe methods as well as the trusted casinos that guarantee to keep their deposits safe and secured.

 

 

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