Tag Archives: football

Will Barcelona breeze to another title?

on August 12, 2019 None comments

All summer, the focus has very much been on Barcelona’s arch-rivals, Real Madrid. Zinedine Zidane hasn’t been afraid to throw Real’s money about, as he looks to re-energise a side who failed to land a blow last campaign. The obvious starting point is the addition of Eden Hazard from Chelsea, who will no doubt be their star player next season.

Real Madrid have strengthened in every area, but it was obvious they needed to. After finishing 19 points off Barcelona and eight points off Atletico Madrid, it is fair to say Real Madrid were embarrassed several times last season.

But with all the focus on Real Madrid, are people forgetting Barcelona’s dominance in domestic football? They may have been dumped out of the Champions League with their tail between their leagues for a second year in a row, after being smashed by Liverpool at Anfield, but they have dominated La Liga for years. La Liga betting shows Barcelona are the favourites to retain their title, with Real Madrid second favourites at 13-8. Despite finishing second, Atletico Madrid are third favourites at 12-1 with Bet365.

Atletico Madrid have lost a large chunk of their defence, with Diego Godin heading to Inter Milan, Lucas Hernandez moving to Bayern Munich, Juanfran joining Sao Paolo and Filipe Luis returning to Brazil to see out his final few years before he retires. Joao Felix has been brought in for a record fee of 126 million euros from Benfica, with a lot of expectation to deliver this season. However, he is just the poster boy of what has been a large rebuild for Atleti over the summer.

Last year, Barcelona secured their eighth title in 11 seasons, and with ease. Not only did they win La Liga in style, but they have brought in Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann, who has been Atletico’s star man for several years. Griezmann is one of the most talented attackers in world football, so his arrival adds to an already potent forward line. The additions of Frenkie de Jong and Junior Firpo strengthen two key areas of the squad, while Neto ensures they have depth in the goalkeeping position, and they have been able to move on a number of players who were surplus to requirements.

Barcelona’s star player, Lionel Messi, took to the pitch after their 2-1 pre-season friendly against Arsenal to address the Camp Nou crowd. The Argentine told the sell-out crowd that Barcelona’s success in the domestic league was not to be sniffed at, despite failing to win the Champions League the past two seasons.

Barcelona will probably prefer the attention to be away from them after their disappointing defeat to Liverpool. But they have nothing to prove on home soil and are likely to once again show why they are the best team in Spain come May next year. It will take an awful lot to prevent Messi and co. from securing their ninth title in twelve seasons, that is for sure.

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Who’s up for the drop?

on November 20, 2018 None comments

The Premier League season is now in full swing and no surprises that defending champions Manchester City and Liverpool sit at the head of the table. They have squads stacked with talent so are expected to fight it out for the title until the end of the season. But what about the other end of the Premier League table? Which clubs are looking most likely for the drop even at this early stage?

Typically each season the newly promoted clubs start as the favourites for the drop and it was a similar story on https://www.betfair.com/exchange/plus/football/today. Wolves, however, have started with high expectations following their dominant campaign in the Championship last season that saw them runaway with the title. Money has been pumped into the club and they now have a very exciting squad on their hands with expectations growing with each positive result. You only have to look at what can be done in a similar scenario such as at Leicester.

It will be a huge shock were Wolves to face the drop and it is difficult to call at present. Newcastle, Burnley and Fulham are all potential sides who are in danger of the drop looking at the current odds at Betfair. Fulham are 2/1 as they sit near the bottom of the table with just one victory from their opening seven fixtures. Burnley have started slowly with just two victories and are 15/8 for the drop. They achieved incredible things last season so possibly came in to this season with expectations too high but it would still come as a surprise if they were to be relegated this season.

Newcastle are one of three sides yet to win a Premier League game this season. They continue to struggle with the troubles of ownership so is it just a matter of time before they face the drop? Betfair make them 7/4 to do so. A club of Newcastle’s size with their incredible fan base need to remain in the Premier League so they need to find a way out of their troubles and find their form again on the pitch.

As things stand there are two sides who have an ominous task on their hands in order to remain in the league. They are Huddersfield Town and Cardiff City. Both sit at the bottom of the table without a victory as pressure continues to pile on both clubs. Huddersfield at present are 1/3 to face the drop and with just three points at present you can see why. They have had a difficult run of fixtures to start the season,with heavy defeats to the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, so it could just be matter of time before their fortunes change.. Huddersfield now have a run of fixtures that includes several of teams around them in the table so it will become much clearer where they stand. They must begin to pick up points before the pressure continues to pile on the squad.

The favourites to go down at present are Cardiff City who also have just two points following the opening seven fixtures. They had started the season as the favourites to face the drop following their promotion back to the Premier League, with their odds now as short as 1/5 with Betfair.They are really struggling for goals which is resulting in their failure to pick up points. They are another side to face heavy defeats against Chelsea and Manchester City. They now have a run of fixtures that includes tough games against both Liverpool and Leicester City. At present it looks like it is going to take a miracle for Cardiff City to extend their stay in the Premier League to next season.

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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.

via GIPHY

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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Matic rejoins Chelsea

on January 16, 2014 None comments

The Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic rejoined Chelsea and signed a five-and-a-half year contract.
Chelsea have confirmed they have re-signed Matic from Benfica but didn’t reveal  the transfer fee. The British media reports suggest that Chelsea have paid around £21 million to bring Matic back to Stanford Bridge.

The 25 years old midfielder declared that he is very happy to be back to the club where he spent three seasons.
In the previous spell  he was too young to impose into the first team but now he is confident that he can be an important player.

Jose Mourinho believes the same thing and he declared that his quality could prove to be decisive for Chelsea’s progress this season.
Nemanja Matic has started his football career at Red Star Belgrade youth  team and then he moved to Partizan. His senior debut was at Jedinstvo Ub in 2005 and two years later he signed for Kosice.

On 18 August 2009 Matic was transferred to Chelsea where he made just three substitute appearances. At the end of January 2011 Matic signed for Benfica as part of David Luiz deal. Matic has made 9 appearances for the Serbian national team.

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