Donny van de Beek: The star in the midfield

 

He was just five years old when Andre van Beek took him to the stadium to watch the match of Ajax. Andre is a diehard supporter of Ajax and loves cheering for his team from the stadium. The electrifying atmosphere at the stadium created a huge impact in the mind and heart of that five-year-old boy. He and his brother Rody would play the beautiful game in the backyards and streets.

Back in Holland, they have the role models, ideal football culture, and the best academies to produce the stars for the future – among others; Ajax is rated as one of the best football academies in the world. From Johan Cruyff to Marco van Basten to Dennis Bergkamp – Ajax have given world football plenty.

The likes of Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt, and Donny van de Beek are the latest prodigies of Ajax who have already started to stamp their authority at the top level.

Frankie and Matthijs have flown to Camp Nou and Turin respectively, but Donny is yet to move to a high profile club. After the magnificent 2018-19 season, Florentino Perez, the boss of Real Madrid, showed interest in Donny, but later on, Real did not advance further, this gave other clubs to sign the brilliant midfielder in their team.

The newly appointed head coach of Barcelona, Ronald Koeman was upbeat regarding the signing of Donny; but right now, it seems, Donny’s final destination would be at Old Trafford.

The early days

Donny van de Beek began his career as a boy with the local Veensche Boys' academy where his father, Andre, once played.

In 2014, he joined the Ajax youth academy signing a three-year contract, and was assigned to the D-team. He progressed further through the academy and featured in the A1 team Supercup victory against the Feyenoord A1 team.

In 2015, he signed a contract extension, to keep him at the club until mid-2018.

Van de Beek made his debut for Jong Ajax - the Ajax reserve team - in the Eerste Divisie against Sparta Rotterdam in January 2015.

Two months later, manager Frank de Boer called him to the senior team for a league match against ADO Den Haag as an injury replacement.

However, he was an unused substitute in that match.

At the end of the 2014–15 season, he won the AFC Ajax Talent of the Future award.

The most wanted Dutch

In 2015 November, was called to the senior team for a UEFA Europa League match against Scottish club Celtic.

He made his European debut in the match, which Ajax won by a score of 2–1.[13] He termed his debut as “beautiful” and added, “I have taken my duels well. It was of course difficult because the game went back and forth continuously. But I think I did fine.”  

Three days later, Van de Beek made his first-team debut in a 2–0 league victory against PEC Zwolle.

 In the following month, he scored his first goal for Ajax in a 1–1 draw against Norwegian club Molde FK.

As he scored the goal, his head collided with opposition player Joona Toivio's causing his left eyebrow to bleed.

Commenting on the goal, he said that he would not soon forget it.

The goal also won him the club's Goal of the Month Award.

Voetbal International reported in January 2016 that manager De Boer was impressed by Van de Beek and said he would continue to play with the first team “until further notice.”

After the departures of John Heitinga and Yaya Sanogo, he was officially promoted to the first team on 16 February. Media reports in March suggested that German club Bayern Munich was interested in signing him. By the end of the 2015–16 season, he cemented his position with the first team and was also playing regularly for the Ajax under-19 team in the UEFA Youth League.

Mundo Deportivo reported that Barcelona was considering options to secure his services.

Donny made his debut in the Champions League back in 2016-17under the newly appointed manager - Peter Bosz. While playing for the reserves during the season he and Abdelhak Nouri were the only players who were given more than a seven rating on average by Voetbal International.

In November 2016, he was included in the UEFA Europa League Team of the Week for his performance against Panathinaikos. He was a part of a midfield trio with Nouri and Lasse Schöne.

In 2017, the Daily Express reported that Barcelona and Bayern Munich were scouting Van de Beek. Van de Beek replaced Schöne in the 70th minute of the Europa League final against Manchester United, with Ajax losing the match 2–0.

Commenting on Van de Beek's 2017–18 pre-season matches, the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad wrote that he had successfully filled the void created by the departure of Davy Klaassen who had recently moved to English club Everton.

In October, English club Tottenham Hotspur scouted him in the Netherlands. He scored a goal in both legs of the Champions League qualifier against French club Nice. In the first leg, he scored an equalizer in the 36th minute of the 1–1 draw; taking an advantage of an error made by opposition goalkeeper Yoan Cardinale.

 In the second leg, he found the net in the first half of the 2–2 draw.

In November 2019, Van de Beek scored a hat-trick in an 8–0 league victory against NAC Breda. Ajax captain Joel Veltman hailed the feat as “extra nice.”

He featured 34 times in the league and scored 11 times, besides adding six assists. In July 2018, he rejected an offer made by Italian club Roma citing that “Ajax is the right place for his development.”

Van de Beek played a pivotal role as the central attacking midfielder for Ajax in the 2018−19 season, starting almost every match in all competitions, as the team won their first league title in five years and surprisingly qualified for the semi-final of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League.

Van de Beek scored against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus in the second leg of the quarter-final to help his team knock out the Italian champion with a 3–2 on aggregate.

In the first leg of the semifinals, he scored against Tottenham Hotspurs in the first leg, which resulted in a 1−0 away victory for Ajax. Nonetheless, Ajax did not manage to advance to the final, losing the tie on away goals after a 2−3 defeat at home, courtesy of a Lucas Moura magic.

In the 2019–20 Champions League season, Van de Beek scored against Valencia in a 3–0 away win and Chelsea in a 4–4 draw; however, Ajax lost at home 0–1 to Valencia to be eliminated from the group stages.

The star in the midfield

Mundo Deportivo writes that he plays a more offensive role compared to his counterparts on other teams.

According to Ajax manager Frank de Boer, Van de Beek plays best at the number six position - central midfield position.

At the center of the park, he can dictate the game, has an excellent control over the ball and a great eye for a pass as he links up with the attack and is dangerous as he makes runs into the box – he is well-equipped to play in between the lines, like to do layoffs and play short-passes and providing key passes is one of his specialty.

That is why the big fishes in Europe always wanted to have Donny in their side.

How Donny might fit in Manchester United?

But at the moment, Manchester United are closing in on the signing of Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek after the two clubs agreed on a fee in the region of £40m.

The Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a huge admirer of Donny.

It is understood that Manchester United have now firmed up their interest with medical and personal terms still to be concluded.

The transfer is expected to be finalized within days.

Van de Beek is set to sign a five-year deal, which should allow him to be available for United's opening game of the 2020-21-season, against Crystal Palace on 19 September.

Donny would be a great addition to Manchester United who are going through a transition period.

At Ajax, Van de Beek is described as a central midfielder.

But he has featured as a central attacking midfielder and defensive midfielder as well.

According to smarterscout:

Positions played during the Champions League 2019/20 season, according to smarterscout: CAM/SS (345 minutes), CM (210), DM (181)

Positions played during Champions League 2018/19 season: CAM/SS (1,223 minutes), CM (17), DM (72)

The numbers suggest Donny spent most of the time in that central attacking position under Erik ten Hag.  And, in fact, Donny delivered his best from that position. But in Manchester United, right now, Bruno Fernades occupies that position – playing just behind Anthony Martial with Marcus Rashford occupying the left side and Mason Greenwood on the right of midfield in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

If the central attacking position is occupied, then, Ole might play Donny either on the right side of the midfield at the cost of Greenwood. But keeping in mind the kind of contributions Greenwood provide, might force Ole to use Donny as a pure central or defensive midfielder along with Paul Pogba, thus, forming the double pivot.

As WhoScored suggests, as a central and defensive midfielder; Donny has a rating of 7.36 and 7.54 respectively, which is better than his role as a central attacking midfielder and this can inspire Ole to use all the better options he has at the moment.

Let us wait and see how impactful the star in the midfield could be in the Premier League.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 31/08/2020 Donny van de Beek: The star in the midfield

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The stars who shocked Barcelona

 

Whether Lionel Messi would stay or not still remains unclear. According to various reports and speculations, the whole saga has become a game of chess, where only can win. Again, it seems, the Barca President, Josep Maria Bartomeu has been treated unfairly rather than highlighting the matter of player-power in Camp Nou, which has clearly polluted the environment.

Even though it is expected, in the end, sanity will prevail in Camp Nouand Messi would stay; but if he leaves Camp Nou, then it would not only be a telling blow to Barca, but La Liga as well.

If Messi leaves Camp Nou then he would join the league of legends who shocked Barcelona before.

As Marca reported:

Diego Maradona

Though he was at Barcelona for nowhere near as long as Messi, arriving in 1982 and leaving in 1984, Maradona defined an era in Catalonia.

He also left the club after disputes with the board and ended up at Napoli, where his legend grew ever stronger.

Bernd Schuster

The German midfielder dazzled Barcelona supporters with his play, but the most defining moment of his time with the club came during the European Cup final of 1986.

He had been due to take Barcelona's first penalty in the shootout, but on being substituted in the 85th minute by boss Terry Venables, Schuster left the ground and went back to his hotel, watching the denouement there.

President Josep Luis Nunez terminated his contract as a result.

Michael Laudrup

Laudrup didn't have the best relationship with his coach Johan Cruyff, and it ended with the Dane making a move to Real Madrid.

He spent two seasons there and lifted the league title in 1995.

Romario

He was a wonderful footballer, and one of the best finishers Barcelona ever had.

But like many of the clubs best players, his stay ended badly after a run-in with Cruyff during the 1994-95 season.

After winning the World Cup in 1994, the Brazilian wanted more time off and didn't turn up for pre-season training.

He came back late, but the damage had been done.

Ronaldo

Bobby Robson had demanded the Brazilian forward in his squad, and with 47 goals in 49 games in his first season, the English coach was vindicated.

But Ronaldo didn't feel wanted at the club, and Inter bought him for a then record fee of 25 million euros in 1997.

Luis Figo

No Barcelona fan can forget Figo's defection to Real Madrid.

The Portuguese didn't get an improved contract that he wanted from the Blaugrana, and that saw him become part of the Florentino Perez 'galacticos' project in Madrid.

Figo's transfer fee was 61 million euros.

Ronaldinho

The Brazilian lit up the Camp Nou during his time in Barcelona - and even received a standing ovation at the Estadio Bernabeu.

But his penchant for partying saw him ultimately frozen out by Pep Guardiola, who sold him to AC Milan for 25 million euros in 2008.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

The Swedish frontman arrived in Barcelona for 78 million euros in 2009, but left for AC Milan for just 25 million euros the season after.

His relationship breakdown with Guardiola was the reason for his exit, but it was also a time when Messi was beginning to play more and more in Ibrahimovic's favoured central striker position.

Neymar

Neymar thrilled the Camp Nou during his time in Barcelona, forming the lethal 'MSN' trident with Messi and Luis Suarez.

But the riches of Paris Saint-Germain came calling and the forward set about emerging from Messi's shadow.

Barcelona have since tried to buy back the 28-year-old on numerous occasions, but with no success.

Note: This article has been posted in Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 30/08/2020 The stars who shocked Barcelona

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If Luis Suarez leaves then Barcelona will miss him the most

 

Since Ronald Koeman has been appointed as the head coach of Barcelona, there has been news circulating in the social media that Koeman wishes to clean the house and Suarez is not part of his plans for the next season.

But Luis Suarez took to his Instagram account and produced an Instagram story where he took aim at those criticizing him after it was revealed that new FC Barcelona head coach Koeman has told the striker that there is no place for the Uruguayan in his set-up.

"There are people using my name and saying things about me, people that I've had nothing to do within years. I'll speak for myself when that time comes about".

The post was accompanied by the hashtag #notodoesverdad #NotEverythingIsTrue.

The club's third top goal-scorer of all time was informed of his situation at Camp Nou some 24 hours before Leo Messi sent the club a burofax stating his interest to leave the Catalan side. It's expected that Suarez will now negotiate an exit from the club that will see an annulling in what remains of his contract.

The hype about Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona is immense, but very few are realizing the fact, if Suarez leaves Camp Nou, he would be missed the most.

Ever since Suarez at the club, both Messi and he have led the way in Barcelona's success and there have been countless trophies won - In six years together, they have conquered Spain, Europe, and the world.

Jointly, they have accounted for almost half (47.6 percent) of the goals scored by Barcelona in La Liga this past term.

As Marca stated:

Barcelona's total goals and Messi and Suarez's joint goals

2019/20: Barcelona 86; Messi and Suarez 41

2018/19: Barcelona 90; Messi and Suarez 57

2017/18: Barcelona 99; Messi and Suarez 59

2016/17: Barcelona 116; Messi and Suarez 66

2015/16: Barcelona 112; Messi and Suarez 66

Without the pair, Barcelona would have scored just 45 league goals, fewer than any team in Europe.

Reflecting back at the four years before, there is an average of 44.4 goals and 21.2 assists per season for Messi, and 34.6 goals and 17.2 assists per season for Suarez.

That total of 79 goals and 38.4 assists will be very difficult to replace.

Clubs like Juventus have enough interest in signing Suarez and Pirlo would be delighted to have him up front alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. Then the door of Ajax – his former club – is always open and not to forget, Paris Saint-Germain would not miss the opportunity to sign him and build a frontline, which would include Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Suarez.

Suarez has aged. But still, his goal-scoring abilities have not waned and his experience as a number 9 cannot be undermined by any means.

If Suarez leaves Barcelona, the Catalans would miss an impactful player.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 29/08/2020 If Luis Suarez leaves then Barcelona will miss him the most

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Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona: A fourth U-turn is coming?

 

For the last couple of days, the media is busy with the drama named Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona. After a disastrous 8-2 defeat against Bayern Munich, the Barca hierarchy and fan base had been shaken terribly. The manager was sacked and anew one has been signed. The dismal display against Bayern, a disorganized unit, and plan for the future; all have been overshadowed by the Messi drama.

But will Lionel Messi really leave Barcelona?

Cricketsoccer explained this a few days back – it is not that easy.

By the way, this is not the first time that Messi was set to leave Camp Nou.

He was close to leaving Barcelona in 2014 and 2016, two occasions in which a bad season and tax issues made him imagine life beyond the Camp Nou, but he eventually decided to stay.Much like when he announced his retirement from international duty with Argentina in 2016, he changed his mind.

As Marca posted accordingly:

2014: The year of Tata

Tata Martino was in charge in 2013/14 after replacing the sick Tito Vilanova and it was a bad season for Messi.

Continual injuries, erratic form from the team, a defeat to a Cristiano Ronaldo-less Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final, a loss to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals and seeing Atleti win LaLiga Santander at the Camp Nou was hard to take.

Weeks before the end of the season, Messi visited the late Vilanova in hospital and floated the idea of leaving, but his former coach convinced him to stay.

“It was a time when Tito was at a delicate point and it's true that at that time Leo wasn't clear on staying,” recalled Vilanova's assistant Jordi Roura in 2019.

“They met and, although I wasn't there, I know they were talking for hours.”

“From there, he changed his mind and saw some things more clearly.”

“I don't know what they spoke about, but Messi decided to stay and we hope he does for many years.”

2016: Tax troubles

In September 2015, tax authorities asked judges to investigate Messi for fiscal crimes and this caused an earthquake in Spain, which Messi felt was a persecution of him.

“At that time I thought about leaving, not because I wanted to leave Barcelona but because I thought about leaving Spain,” Messi admitted to RAC1 last year.

“I felt badly treated and I didn't want to be here any longer.”

“I had the door open to many teams, even if there were no official offers because they all knew I wanted to stay at Barcelona.”

“In that case, the situation went beyond what I felt for my home.”

“It was a personal issue.”

Playing alongside friends Luis Suarez and Neymar, settled in Castelldefels and at the club and winning a double that season, he decided not to leave despite being handed a suspended prison sentence and fine.

2016: Goodbye to Argentina

Losing the 2016 Copa America final against Chile on penalties was the final straw for Messi, who exploded in the mixed zone after the match.

“In the dressing room I thought that my time with the national team has finished, it's not for me and that's how I feel right now,” he said at the time.

“We don't settle for getting to the final and not winning it.”

“I tried a lot to be a champion with Argentina, but it didn't happen, I couldn't achieve it.”

In September, just months later, he returned to the scene.

“When I spoke with [coach Edgardo] Bauza and the guys, I couldn't not come back,” he said.

“I believe in this group.”

“We have been doing things very well despite the lost finals.”

“At the time, we were very down.”

“It was a very hard blow, another one, but afterwards I recovered.”

Now, Barcelona fans will be hoping there is a fourth U-turn from their hero.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 28/08/2020 Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona: A fourth U-turn is coming?

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Chelsea are on a mission, but they need to deliver

 

While the big clubs in Europe have remained pretty defensive financially during this COVID-19 Pandemic, Chelsea seem to be unaffected and are on a mission to build a team for the future.  

The arrival of Ben Chilwell at Chelsea means, Chelsea have spent £134m ($177m) on three players ahead of the new season, with the England international following in the footsteps of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner after their transfers from Ajax and RB Leipzig respectively.

That expenditure is set to break the £200m ($264m) mark once Kai Havertz's move from Bayer Leverkusen is confirmed, with the west London outfit having agreed to pay an initial £72m ($95m) to secure the Germany international's signature in a club-record deal.

 Free-agent center-backs Thiago Silva and Malang Sarr are all set to join the Chelsea adventure 2020-21 with the Blues’ aggressive summer recruitment drive coming after 12 months which saw them shackled firstly by their FIFA-imposed transfer ban over the summer, and then a lack of viable options in January.

Roman Abramovich, who provides all the finances of the club by himself, has decided to bring the Blue Train back on track and he is supporting Frank Lampard fully.

The 2019-20 season had been an average one – they did secure the spot in the Champions League next season, but losing the finals of the FA Cup and that thrashing at the hands of the Champions of Europe Bayern Munich hinted that the Blues needed to organize the house without wasting any time.

Abramovich breaking the bank.

Lampard using his brain to organize the Blue Train.

As the Goal reported, “Chelsea's transfer policy has always revolved around using the money raised from player sales to fund their own spending, and this summer is no different, even if the arrivals have come before the departures.”

Bakayoko, Emerson Palmieri, and Michy Batshuayi are all understood to be on the chopping block, with it expected that their sales alone will raise £60m ($79m).

“Few, if any clubs could realistically follow up annual losses of £96.6m ($127m) and the removal of matchday income with this scale of spending. But few, if any, have a Russian billionaire backing them.”

“Abramovich is able to cover any temporary shortfall, and with Champions League football secured for a second successive season after Lampard guided the Blues to a fourth-place finish last term, the accounts should look rosier heading into the new decade.”

“The 53-year-old has also overseen the building of the club's world-class academy and gave Marina Granovskaia - who now has a reputation as one of the best negotiators in Europe - a seat on the board.”

“Such decisions mean Chelsea now find themselves in the enviable position of having a first-team squad full of world-class talent that is part-homegrown and part-signed from elsewhere without ever having been forced to truly break the bank.”

But how the Chelsea line-up would look in the next season, remains a moot question.

Throughout the last season, there was a lot of debate surrounding what should be the ideal starting line-up of the Blues if all the players were fit and available for selection. And it’ll be the same for next season, especially considering the stature of players coming in.

Although he experimented with other formations during his first season as Chelsea manager, Lampard may look to utilize the 4-3-3 to get the best out of those at his disposal.

The Blues have not spent anything on the shot-stopper position. Thus, despite a poor 2019-20 season, Kepa Arrizabalaga would maintain his position. Cesar Azpilicueta at right-back for the experience and defensively solidity with Chilwell would be the automatic choice on the left.

Kart Zouma would the ideal center-back to partner with Thiago Silva.

At the center of the park, N’Golo Kante would drop deeper and display his defensive abilities more, thus, giving the look a bit like 4-1-2-3: Now, it would be tough decision to choose the best two from the likes of Mateo Kovacic, who was named the Chelsea's Player of the Season, Mason Mount, who had an outstanding last season and the new recruit Kai Havretz.

If Lampard has to make a hard choice then he might go with Mount and Havretz.

The frontline would be a headache for the opponents: Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner, and Hakim Ziyech.

Tammy Abraham did his job well last season, but Werner’s prowess in front of goal could be a difference changer, scoring 28 goals in 34 Bundesliga appearances for RB Leipzig last season.

Then, there remains that attacking intent of Lampard, which cost him the defence last season.

If he really wishes to go with the Julen Nigelsmann way then he must strengthen the flank with the two full-backs in the midfield with Kante playing the defensive role in the center and both Mount and Kovacic playing the creative role to aid the support for two forwards upfront: Havretz and Werner – Pulisic and Ziyech have to be sacrificed and at the back Zouma and Silva would be supported by Christensen.

The shape would be like a 3-5-2, but to get best out of the players signed this season, the 4-3-3 would suit the Blues better and in a fairly long season, players could be rotated accordingly when the momentum is gained.

At the end of the day, each and everyone would demand the desired results.

Despite signing such world-class talents, if the Blues fail to deliver, then the expectations would take a telling blow.

Note: This article has been posted by Cricketsocer as CSdesk on 27/08/2020 Chelsea are on a mission, but they need to deliver

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Explanation of the clause triggered by Lionel Messi

 

World football has been turned upside down by one of the best footballers in the world named Lionel Messi.  has demanded to leave Barcelona by activating a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave on a free transfer. The 33-year-old has sent a fax to Barcelona communicating his intention to leave behind the club he's played at for 20 years.

Although his contract is set to expire at the end of the 2020-21 season, Messi and his legal team believe the clause will allow him to terminate his deal unilaterally.

It is all about the clause that has triggered the exit of the Argentine and Barcelona hierarchy and co are pondering over the matter.

What is the clause?

 In September last year, it emerged that a clause in Messi’s contract allowed him to unilaterally leave the club at the end of each season.

The clause was inserted due to a hefty buyout package, which would make a normal transfer unaffordable for most clubs. However, as per the contract, Messi is liable to inform the club on or before May 31, the date when a football contract generally ends worldwide, as it marks the end of a season.

Why is Messi triggering it now?

According to Marca, Messi has triggered this clause at this point of time because of the prevailing Covid-19 situation, which has severely altered all contracts.

This year, because of the pandemic, the football season did not end by May 31. Barcelona were leading the Spanish League, which had been suspended, and still in contention in the Champions League, where they had drawn the first leg of their quarterfinal with Napoli 1-1. Now that the season is officially over, Messi has triggered the clause.

The request of Messi is belated, and whether Barca would accept it or not remains a moot question

According to the Associated Press, the Barca hierarchy have confirmed they have received the request from Messi. However, according to Spanish media, the club is likely to examine the legality of Messi’s belated request.

Barca deny to accept the request pof Messi, then what will happen?

In such a scenario, Messi will have the option to put in a transfer request. ‘Marca’ reported that last Friday he spoke to Barcelona’s new coach Ronald Koeman. and has already shared his intentions. Once Messi officially asks for a move to another club, the buyout clause will come into play.

In football, a buyout clause in a contract indicates an asking price set, which if met in a transfer bid, must be accepted by the club. In Messi’s case, the release clause is set at 700 million euros. That means, if a club manages to cough up that much money, Barcelona will be obliged to sell the player.

Will the transfer of Messi happen?

This is not the first time that the rumours of Messi leaving Barcelona cropped, but we have expereinced such in the past as well. This time around, the scenario has been rather dramatic.

 There are suggestions that this could be to drive out Barca President Bartomeu from the club before next year’s elections.

It must be noted that even with Argentina, Messi had ‘retired’ after developing differences with the country’s federation. He made a U-turn and returned to the international fold after changes in the higher management.

Again, there remains a big question of which club might buy him.

Various sources sharing their speculative thoughts but after the COVID-19 Pandemic, the financial status of many clubs, except few, such Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Inter etc. suffered a telling blow.

It won’t be easier to manage such amount of money for a 33-year-old, rather clubs would be interested to invest in young guns and build for the future.

The Messi-leaving-Barcelona-drama is still on.

Let us wait and watch about the outcome.   

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 26/08/2020 Explanation of the clause triggered by Lionel Messi

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What's next for PSG?

 

Finally, the long and tough football season has come to an end with Bayern Munich having the last laugh. The German Giants had been the worthy winners at Lisbon and very would argue with that. They celebrated the treble hard and while they celebrated with their charismatic manager, Hansi Flick, at the other end, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and their staff were left thinking about the missed opportunities and the lack of ability to react aggressively and intelligently when the situation demanded.

The French champions were left to pay the price for failing to convert the opportunities that came their way - Neymar was notably denied by a fine Manuel Neuer save early on, but Kylian Mbappe really should have done better than shoot straight at the goalkeeper just before half-time. Then Marquinhos and Choupo Mouting missed the opportunities to equalize.

One could say, luck was not in favour of PSG on that night, but one can point a finger towards the inability of the manager to respond in the decisive moments.

After being 1-0 down, Thomas Tuchel should have brought on Mauro Icardi instead of Choupo Mouting. Tuchel also did not bring on Pablo Sarabia - who is PSG’s top goalscorer this season - with these decisions showing a lack of ability to react quickly in the decisive moments.

But, nevertheless, PSG have impressed everyone this season – rather than choking in the knockouts, they broke the jinx of featuring in the finals in Europe’s most prestigious competitions. It was PSG’s first finals in the Champions League and they lacked the experience and depth of how to plan and respond accordingly on such a big moment.    

PSG have the cash and they spent heavily on buying big stars, but what they did not do and which is, buy the right players in the right positions – teams like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Liverpool spend money as well, but they plan not only to rule the roost in domestic arena, but the world and that is where PSG need to improve in the coming days.

Football is a team game and the aliens don’t play on earth. Here, each and everyone is interlinked with another and support each other. Individual charisma matters, but it cannot deliver everyday because the opposition would plan accordingly to shut him down.

In the finals of the UEFA Champions League between Barcelona and Arsenal in 2005-06, Ronaldinho was not playing well, but still, he could pull things off because Barca had invested smartly – they had a creative midfield and solid backline, which stepped up when they witnessed, Arsene Wenger had planned well to disturb the rhythm of Ronaldinho.

The Catalans were 1-0 down, in required momentum and Frank Rijkaard brought on Henrik Larsson and adjusted the defence by substituting  Oleguer, who was replaced by right-back Juliano Belletti.

Next, Iniesta sent a pass through the inside-left channel to Larsson whose one-touch, right-footed lay-off quickly released Eto'o to equalize for Barcelona. Four minutes later, Larsson was again the provider, playing a one-two with Belletti in the inside-right channel, before the Brazilian full-back shot right-footed through Almunia's legs to score at the near post.

It was not Ronaldinho but the fair investments, which helped to strengthen the bench and the response in decisive moments by Rijkaard saved the night for Barcelona.

It was their first Champions League title since 1992.

What PSG should do in the next season is the plan to become the best in the world rather than enjoying the jolly-bash in Ligue 1.

Firstly, they need to think beyond Tuchel and bring a dynamic manager who would galvanize the whole unit. Someone like Mauricio Pochettino would be ideal to carry on the momentum gained in this season and take it to the next level. Pochettino is a risk-taker and bears a sharp footballing brain.

“Would I like to return to Paris one day? Why not? Coaching PSG one day would be fantastic. It’s one of my dreams,” Pochettino said such not so long ago.

Secondly, smart distribution of workload – Neymar should remain in his usual central position and the rest should distribute the workload accordingly. And to make this work, smart investments are needed to buy quality defenders, creative and defensive midfielders. For PSG, a double pivot midfield with a 4-2-3-1 midfield would work better.

Thirdly, a better medical and physio unit – Injuries have been a major issue for PSG over the years. Even in this season, it haunted them. They lost the services of Marco Veratti and in the past, Neymar suffered a lot. They need to reorganize their medical and physio unit so that the fitness of the players is fully ensured and the team suffers less.

Finally, the change of mentality – the time has come for PSG to think big and smartly. Enough of spending cash and show-offs. Rather, let the cash be utilized to share the platform with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Players like Neymar and Mbappe deserve more.

Losing the final at Lisbon does not mean that it is the end of the world for PSG, but it should work as a motivating factor for them like the 2018 final did for Liverpool – it helped Jurgen Klopp to transform them into world-beaters.

PSG should come stronger in the upcoming season.  

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 25/08/2020 What's next for PSG?

Thank You

Faisal Caesar  

The name of the master is Hans-Dieter Flick

 

When he played football, the Berlin Wall was still not broken and the Cold War devoured Europe and the rest of the world. German Football gained popularity worldwide as West Germany while their neighbours, the communist Eastern zone, remained behind the Red Curtains.

In the mid-80s, West Germany was in a rebuilding process under the great Franz Beckenbauer. There was an influx of talented players amid, which someone named Hans-Dieter Flick failed to showcase his talent as a footballer. Even in club football, he was an unknown figure – just a decent player.

As a player, he was a midfielder who played 104 matches for Bayern Munich and scored five goals between 1985 and 1990. He later played 44 matches for Koln before retiring from professional football in 1993 due to injuries. His last spell as a footballer was with Victoria Bammental from 1994 until 2000.

He never played for the German National Team, but he made two appearances for the Germany under-18 team, in the group stage of the 1983 UEFA European Under-18 Championship on 15 and 17 May 1983, in a 1–0 win over Sweden and in a 3–1 win over Bulgaria, respectively.

Flick's managerial career began in 1996 as player-manager of Viktoria Bammental, which was playing in the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg at that time. At the end of the 1998-99 season, the club was relegated to the Verbandsliga Baden, but Flick remained their coach for one more season.

In July 2000, he became a manager of the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg side 1899 Hoffenheim, winning the league and gaining promotion to the Regionalliga Süd in his first season at the club. After four unsuccessful attempts to reach the 2. Bundesliga, he was released from duties on 19 November 2005.

Flick then worked briefly as an assistant of Giovanni Trapattoni and Lothar Matthäus and sporting coordinator at Red Bull Salzburg.

Flick stated that his work under Trapattoni, one of the world's most renowned managers, taught him many things, especially on tactics and in developing relations with players, but also said that he disagreed with Trapattoni's defence-first approach.

He was named the assistant coach for Germany on August 23, 2006.

Although not listed as an officially recognized manager by the Officials of German Football, due to the sending off of Joachim Low in the previous game, Flick was technically the German manager for the UEFA Euro 2008 quarterfinal against Portugal, which ended in a 3–2 win for Germany.

 After finishing second at the UEFA Euro 2008 and third at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he reached the semi-finals at the UEFA Euro 2012 and won the 2014 FIFA World Cup as assistant coach of Germany. He became the sporting director at the German Football Association after the 2014 World Cup until January 16, 2017.

On July 1, 2019, he joined Bayern Munich as an assistant coach, under the management of Niko Kovac.

Bayern Munich as a club was not having a rosy period under Kovac. They were losing their cutting edge and dynamism each day and looked rudderless as they capitulated 5-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt back in November. Morale was shot, Bayern's rivals looked strong, and Niko Kovac was shown the door.

It was a telling blow to the self-respect of such giant club, who, all of a sudden, lost their way in the ocean and it seemed their ship was sinking.

Flick was promoted to the interim manager position. Flick was expected to just steady the floundering behemoth of German football before a long-term coaching solution was found. Instead, he miraculously transformed Bayern into Europe's best club side.

In his first match in charge, Bayern defeated Olympiacos 2–0 in the UEFA Champions League group stage on 6 November 2019. After a satisfying spell as the interim coach, Bayern announced on December 22, 2019, that Flick will remain manager until the end of the season.

Neither anyone even thought of a Bayern resurgence arriving with such venom, nor anyone predicted the delightful style with which it would be delivered.

Neither the fans nor the experts thought of such a brilliant managerial debut back in November 2019.

After ten months – Flick is regarded as the master who changed Bayern Munich and brought back the respect they deserve.

The signs were there when he masterminded a 4-0 rout against Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund in his first match on the sidelines. He not only returned Bayern to winning ways, but he also did it the Mia san Mia way — a necessity for the club's hierarchy and its most ardent supporters.

High-octane pressing, smart, short passing, coolness in playing out from the back, productive possession, and lightning-quick transitions to hurt teams on the counterattack became Bayern staples. It was frightening to watch as Bayern tore teams to pieces — both at home and abroad.

Before Flick, it seemed that the careers of Manuel Neuer, Thomas Muller, and Jerome Boateng were over while the likes of Joshua Kimmich and Alphonso Davies would not flourish further.

But Flick not only revived the careers of the old guards but brought the best out of the young guns.

Muller has been an absolute revolution under Flick – he was given the Raumdeuter role, which he relishes the most. Muller became deadlier than ever while Neuer and Boateng were freed from the shackles of being pragmatic – both of them displayed their brilliance in the last 10 months.

Joshua Kimmich was handed his favored role in midfield full-time and Alphonso Davies was given the opportunity to develop into the world's most dangerous left-back.

Trust in his players to implement his demanding tactics and trust in his team to make changes independently during matches where a fresh impetus was necessary.

Flick's man-management is fantastic and is perhaps only matched Europe-wide by the players in Liverpool have experienced under Jurgen Klopp.

Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge summed it up when Flick signed a three-year deal to be the head coach in April, “For many years now, Bayern have stood for possession, dominance on the ball, a strong positional game and lots of goals. Hansi Flick has brought that philosophy back.”

The ingredients were all there for Bayern Munich.

They needed someone to make the right use of those.

Flick found the right method and motivation – Bayern Munich have achieved the treble again!

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSesk on 24/08/2020 The name of the master is Hans-Dieter Flick

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

PSG outweighed by Thomas Muller and his Raumdeuter

 

“We have heard of terms like Regista, False 9, and Libero in football; but Raumdeuter is something which is created by Muller and perhaps, he would be the first and last player in world football to exhibit this”

 With 30 minutes remaining, Joshua Kimmich provided the most accurate crosses at the left-hand corner where Kingsley Coman was waiting. Coman jumped, beat the marker, and headed home the decider. In a tight and tense final, Bayern Munich lifted the trophy and the way they played throughout the tournament, especially in the knockout stages, they deserve the treble.

Until the Coman goal, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) did not let Bayern Munich ran riot as they did against Chelsea, Barcelona and Olympique Lyon.

The PSG center-backs: Thiago Silva and Kimpembe sat deeper, which allowed the Bayern forwards to press inside, but Kaylor Navas, not as great as Manuel Neuer, with the ball at his feet, cleared the ball either on the center and flanks. The PSG full-backs: Bernart and Kehrer went wider and in the first 30 minutes they were fouled a couple of times and forced the dangerous Alphonso Davies walking on a tight rope.

The PSG midfield kept narrow and allowed a lesser amount of breathing space to the free-flowing midfield of Bayern in the first half.

Neymar, yet again, drew the opposition center-back: this time Jerome Boateng towards him and exploited the spaces him. PSG split-opened the Bayern defence and posed threats, but it was one of those nights, where Manuel Neuer would be at his pristine best, Kylian Mbappe would lack the power to finish and sadly, lady luck would not smile upon the French team.

Someone named, Thomas Muller, controlled the game in such a fashion that lady luck could not but deny this German legend from gifting the title.

PSG maintained their compactness, but despite that narrowness in the midfield, occupying the flanks and allowing Bayern lesser spaces; Muller and his Raumdeuter proved handy for PSG.

We have heard of terms like Regista, False 9, and Libero in football; but Raumdeuter is something which is created by Muller and perhaps, he would be the first and last player in world football to exhibit this.

Raumdeuter can be roughly translated as an ‘interpreter of space’.

Unlike the Regista, the Raumdeuter came about simply through Müller’s response to a question. Asked what it is that makes him special, he answered: “Ich bin ein Raumdeuter.”

Raumdeuter is still not in practice in football because it requires special qualities to display and only Muller has this – the user of spaces, no matter how smaller the spaces could be, Muller would occupy there and snatch the game into his pocket.

This Raumdeuter requires a player to roam from a wide starting position, find space and operate as a controller of the game or a poacher. According to Muller,  “It’s all about the timing between the person who plays the pass and the person making a run into the right zone.”

Space is as crucial to Muller’s game - Having the ability to read the game, occupy the right areas on the pitch, and illusively avoid the attention of defenders is a talent that few players possess. In such a tactic, instinct plays a huge part, but the thought process and decision making in that minimum of seconds totally changes the scenario of the game.

Muller is a player most wouldn’t consider exceptionally technically gifted. He is not an outstanding dribbler or passer – often his appearance could be regarded as unwanted, but that defines the Raumdeuter; a manipulator of space, a reader of the game, and in Muller’s case, a player whose unorthodox idiosyncrasies represent a role, which has proved to be crucial.

During the time of Pep Guardiola, he noticed that his possession-based football would not work in Germany, and Muller, in particular, was not one of those materials to materialize his tiki-taka.

Marti Perarnau puts it in his book Pep Guardiola: The Evolution wrote, “Müller has lost more balls than any other Bayern player over the past two and a half years. He doesn’t dribble particularly well and he’s never been the fastest guy. His headers are unexceptional and he could use some work on his shooting. He loves to press but often does so with his head turned towards his own team-mates. And yet this is a prodigiously talented footballer.”

Muller is talented and what was his talent, none could guess except Muller himself.

The arrival of Pep did not make him nervous of getting out of the starting XI, but just made his excited because the reputation Pep held at that time.

Muller had been a regular at Bayern since rising through Hermann Gerland’s youth system and breaking into the first team under Louis van Gaal. He had already top-scored at a World Cup in South Africa, featured prominently in Jupp Heynckes’ treble-winning team, and had already demonstrated on numerous occasions his uncanny ability to find space.

But whether he would fit in Pep’s plan or not remained a moot question.

Pep was well aware of Muller’s reputation as a player and goal-scorer, but he would need to exploit this German talent.

The development of Raumdeuter would start.

Muller had won the World Cup in Brazil and came back home as a superstar.

Bayern Munich’s start to the 2014-15 season was imperious.

They traveled to Frankfurt. The team lined up in a way similar to that of the attacking set-up in Guardiola’s third season, and it was this that allowed Müller to do such terminal damage. Müller started on the left of a narrow attacking trio, alongside Franck Ribery and Robert Lewandowski, given scope to make use of his “inexorably elusive movement.”

Muller’s first goal came after 22 minutes - His first effort was blocked on the line from close range, but he eventually managed to bundle the ball in with his knee in what was a strangely typical Thomas Müller goal. No touch of glamour, but extremely effective.

After an hour or so, Mario Gotze played the ball to Ribery, who witnessed Muller and Lewandowski upfront – Lewandowski was marked and left without any spaces, but Muller on the left was ready to exploit the minimum space.

He was picked out and slotted home to double his and Bayern’s scoring. And three minutes later, he had completed his hat-trick, this time running from deep to latch onto a Götze through ball and slide past the keeper.

The goals came from different situations, from different positions; they were opportunistic, space was certainly interpreted.

Despite this excellent display, though, it wasn’t until Pep’s third and final season that the Raumdeuter role truly became a vital and indispensable part of Bayern’s system. And when it did, Müller would find the best form of his career.

During the 2013-14 and 2014-15 season, Pep used Muller as a false 9, winger on either side, attacking midfielder and center-forward. But it was noticed that Muller was all about roaming freely and exploiting the spaces. Pep was searching for a solution to bring more out of Muller and he found it in the 2015-16 season.

Pep created what Marti Perarnau describes as an attacking ‘ecosystem’, in an attacking front four with two wide wingers. This meant that Müller was effectively something of a shadow striker to Lewandowski, although in actual fact, the new system simplified his game and allowed him the space to move freely while the build-up play was largely taken care of by others.

It was a Raumdeuter in its purest form, a role requiring little else other than anticipation, intelligence, and the ability to finish, all of which Müller has in abundance.

The Raumdeuter is less visible, more of an abstract concept than that of the false 9, but Muller, as the Raumdeuter had been made notably more effective. Lewandowski was able to occupy defenders, leaving Muller, already difficult enough for defenders to mark, with even more space to occupy.

Four years ago, Raumdeuter was under development and the managers around the world did not emphasize it enough.

But over the years, Muller has taken this concept to a new level.

Who else but Barcelona tasted the devastating nature Raumdeuter and PSG experienced it in the final, how tough it is to track Muller.

As the PSG defenders sat deeper and Navas started to build from the back with Silva, Lewandowski dropped deeper and lied behind Marquinhos – a space was visible because the PSG flank moved wider realizing Navas would play the ball wider – Muller occupied that space as a free-roaming midfielder. He moved to the right and blocked the passing lanes between Ander Herrera and Kehrer and pressed Herrera to disturb his progress.

In an open play, Silva started to build up with Marquinhos and Paredes sitting in pivots.

Bayern changed their shape – Muller and Lewandowski formed pivots behind Marquinhos and Paredes with Coman lying in front of Marquinhos and the deeper midfielders – Thiago Alcantara and Goretzka following the movement, thus leaving Kehrer unable to utilize the half-spaces on the right.

But PSG broke the lines more often and found Neymar to expose Bayern defence.

Bayern noticed it and in the second half, Muller utilized the narrow midfield of PSG and marshaled the likes of Goretzka and Alcantara to overload the flanks by exploiting the spaces on the right.

Neymar was totally dispossessed on the left and center.

Muller and co pressed powerfully – the best exponent of Raumdeuter was in a mission.

Goretzka played a long ball into the PSG danger zone. Muller just touched it to Kimmich by dragging the players towards him intelligently. Kimmich was free and the rest is history.

Muller moved in between the spaces and PSG midfield and flank became frustrated and frustrated.

PSG were outweighed by the Raumdeter role of one man and that is Thomas Muller.   

Note: This article has posted at Cricketsoccer on 24/08/2020 PSG outweighed by Thomas Muller and his Raumdeuter

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

The redemption of Julen Lopetegui

 

Julen Lopetegui, the manager of Sevilla, was reduced to tears after the end of the match.

Indeed, it was cracking final of the UEFA Europa League where Lopetegui’s side, yet again, came from behind to win the title for the sixth time.

 A rare lapse from Ever Banega on the edge of the Inter box allowed the Italians to break, and pantomime villain Diego Carlos then took center-stage.

Carlos, who conceded penalties against both Wolves and Manchester United, continued his bizarre streak as he found himself the wrong side of Romelu Lukaku, who he eventually hauled down in the area.

Inter were awarded a penalty, but Carlos escaped a red card.

Lukaku scored from the penalty spot and equaled Ronaldo O Fenomeno’s 34-goal record in one season for Inter back in 1997-98.

Lopetegui’s side regrouped and start fighting back.

Luuk de Jong, one of the most heavily criticized players in Spain this season, again showed his worth as he did with the winner in the semi-final.

A clever stooping header from Jesus' Navas' cross gave Samir Handanovic too much to do, and he soon followed that up with an even better goal – again with his head – as he met a marvelous delivery from the exceptional Ever Banega.

Given he had previously lost his place in the team to Youssef En-Nesyri, being restored to the line-up was a big call by Lopetegui, but the Dutchman – scorer of just eight goals before this game – vindicated the decision.

Carlos was again under the microscope for the equalizer. His needless foul led to Marcelo Brozovic's free-kick, and Diego Godin lost the former Nantes defender to nod home.

The second half was a tensed affair.

Sevilla continued to see more of the ball, but Inter appeared to have a greater threat in attack.

Lukaku failed to beat Yassine Bounou when one-one-one and Sevilla took full advantage.

Inter failed to clear a corner and Diego Carlos unleashed a bicycle-kick, which Lukaku turned into his own net with 16 minutes to go.

Lopetegui’s redemption was completed.

 A highly-rated coach in Spain’s youth set-up, Lopetegui landed the first job in elite club coaching when he took over at Portuguese giants Porto in 2014 but was sacked 18 months later after failing to win a trophy.

He was named Spain coach and led his nation to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in style but his stay in Russia ended in surreal circumstances when he was sacked a day before the tournament kicked off when news leaked out that he had negotiated a move to Real Madrid.

He then had a nightmare stay in the Spanish capital, losing the UEFA Super Cup to Atletico Madrid and then saw his side thrashed 5-1 by Barcelona. He was sacked the next day, only three months into the job.

Since his Madrid sacking, Lopetegui nearly became the manager of English side Wolverhampton Wanderers and was also reportedly rejected for the role of United States national team coach in 2018.

But he was hired by Sevilla at the start of the 2019-20 season and guided them to a top-four finish in La Liga, while he also masterminded the Europa League success which saw them beat Roma, Manchester United and of course Antonio Conte’s rejuvenated Inter Milan in the final.

The last two years have been tough for Lopetegui and all those dramas with the national team and nightmares in Real Madrid made him a forgotten identity in the football coaching fraternity.

But Lopetgui kept going and in the end, the ghost of the World Cup in Russia and the nightmare in Real Madrid have been buried.

“Lopetegui works 24 hours a day, he has given everything for us and he has got the best out of us. He deserves everything,” said Jesus Navas.

After the match, Lopetegui dedicated the trophy win to the Sevilla fans who have lost their lives due to the coronavirus pandemic while also paid tribute to late ex-Sevilla stars Jose Antonio Reyes and Antonio Puerta.

The coach said, “My players are very great, they have worked a lot. They have always put hope and desire.”

Lopetegui stated that his boys never surrender and certainly, the way Lopetegui fought back during the tough times, the same spirit was evident among the players of Sevilla throughout the tournament.

From moulding together what was essentially a brand new squad, to establishing a new style of play that secured Champions League football and another European success for Sevilla, Lopetegui answered his critics resoundingly.

What an amazing tale of redemption!  

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 22/08/2020 The redemption of Julen Lopetegui

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

 

Will Lionel Messi leave Barcelona? NO! Even if he wishes to leave, let him GO!

 

Ronald Koeman, the former Dutch and Barcelona star, returned to Camp Nou after almost three decades. He replaced Quique Setien, another manager, who created enough hype not so long ago. Koeman has been appointed as the manager to bring the club back on track. The Dutch have challenges to overcome and one of the toughest challenges would be to gel with the Barca superstar, Messi.

According to RAC1, Messi interrupted his holidays and returned to Catalonia to meet with Koeman and discuss the plan for the next season.  

Messi sees himself more outside than inside Barcelona in the near future, but he is aware that it will be difficult to leave the club as he has another year left in his contract as RCA1 reported.

Koeman stated that Messi would the pillar in the next season, but also emphasized that he has no interest in those who are not fully committed to the team.

After a below-par La Liga season, Barcelona’s progress in the Champions League ended up with eggs on their faces because Bayern Munich gifted them an eight-goal disgrace, which would haunt them for a long, long time.

No sooner had the nightmare in Cristiano Ronaldo’s country ended, the rumour of Messi leaving Barcelona next season gained the momentum. The football fans are quite familiar with such rumours but in the end, Messi stays in Barcelona.

To leave his comfort zone like Cristiano Ronaldo or Neymar and exhibit his guts somewhere else has been never been Messi’s style – but he feeds in a supporting system, which helps him very much. Over the last ten years, it is evident, Messi melts under adversity.

Neither has he the qualities of Pele nor Garrincha nor Diego Maradona nor Ronald O Fenomeno nor Cristiano Ronaldo, who will show his very best when the going gets tougher.

Messi is someone who loves the hype to hide from all the problems rather than solving them. We witnessed this after the tragic loss against Chile in the finals of Copa America and now we are witnessing this in Camp Nou.

Clearly, he lacks the leadership qualities and the plan to gel with Messi first and then proceed accordingly has not given Barcelona anything for the last five years.

If Messi really wishes to leave, Josep Maria Bartomeu should let him GO!

The time has come to build a team for the future and no football would want Barcelona to face a tragic fate because it would kill the charm in world football.

If Messi is sold for a high price, this money could be used to fund a move for another top player to take his place.

Yes, it would not be easier to move on without Messi, but Florentino Perez and Real Madrid have shown how things can be done even without Cristiano Ronaldo.

The time has come for Bartomeu to learn from their arch-rivals!

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 21/08/2020 Will Lionel Messi leave Barcelona? NO! Even if he wishes to leave, let him GO! 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar    

 

The reincarnation of Serge Gnabry

 

According to many, the second semifinal clash between Bayern Munich and Olympique Lyon was a mismatch. But the way Rudi Garcia’s Lyon stunned Manchester City the other night, Hansi Flick, the smart manager of Bayern, was well aware that Lyon should not be taken lightly.

Lyon showed their ability to upset the German Giants pretty early in the match - Memphis Depay shot wide when attempting to round Manuel Neuer following a rare Thiago Alcantara error and Karl Toko Ekambi struck the post as Lyon threatened dangerously early on the break.

The German winger Serge Gnabry proved influential, smashing in a stunning 18th-minute opener following a lively Lyon start before adding a much easier second.

The prolific Robert Lewandowski added his 55th goal of an incredible season in the closing stages and that was it.

Lyon found some encouragement in the second half but there is little doubt Bayern deserve their spot in the showpiece on Sunday, when they will aim to complete a second treble in seven years.

The influence of Gnabry was evident last night, and not only in the match against Lyon, but since he joined Bayern Munich, the resurgence of this German player surprised and thrilled many.

It has been a reincarnation.

Gnabry was born in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, to an Ivorian father and a German mother. In his youth, Gnabry was a talented sprinter but ultimately chose football over track and field.

In Stuttgart, the talent of Gnabry was recognized.

His father, Jean-Hermann, who is of Ivorian descent, took an active interest in his son’s career, going from amateur sides like TSV Ditzingen, GSV Hemmingen, SpvGG Feuerbach and Stuttgart Kickers to VfB Stuttgart. Such was his talent and impressive potential that Peter Clark, a scout for Arsenal, decided to bring him to England – with Gnabry claiming he was told by Clark that it took ten minutes for him to make the decision.

Gnabry's former club VfB Stuttgart agreed to a £100,000 deal with Premier League side Arsenal in 2010, but he had to wait until 2011, when he was 16, to join the English side.

Gnabry officially joined Arsenal for the 2011–12 season. He played for the under-18s for the majority of the season but was then promoted to the reserves after impressive displays.

By the end of the season, Gnabry had played six games, scoring two goals.

The 2012–13 season started off well for Gnabry after he was called up to the Arsenal first team for a pre-season friendly against FC Köln. He played 24 minutes after coming on at half-time and was replaced by Marouane Chamakh in the 69th minute.

He then made his professional first-team debut for Arsenal on 26 September 2012 against Coventry City in the League Cup as a 72nd-minute substitute for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as Arsenal routed Coventry 6–1.

In October 2012, he made his Premier League debut in the 1–0 defeat against Norwich City at Carrow Road. At 17 years and 98 days, he became Arsenal's second-youngest player in the league's history after Jack Wilshere.

Four days later, he made his Champions League debut, coming on as a substitute in Arsenal's 2–0 home loss to FC Schalke 04.

In 2013, Gnabry scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over CSKA Moscow U19s in the quarter-finals of the NextGen Series.

He scored a late equalizer against Chelsea U19s to make it 3–3 in the semi-finals of the same competition before Arsenal lost 4–3 in extra time.

In the following game on 8 April, Gnabry scored a goal against Liverpool U21s in an eventual 3–2 away defeat.

In the first game of the 2013–14 season, Gnabry was included in Arsenal's first-team squad against Aston Villa and started the game on the bench.

He then made his first start for the club on 22 September 2013 in the Premier League against Stoke City after Theo Walcott was ruled out just before kick-off. He played 73 minutes before being subbed out for Ryo Miyaichi as Arsenal won the match 3–1.

He scored his first professional goal in the next league match against Swansea City to lead Arsenal to a 2–1 victory and leave them top of the Premier League table.

He won a penalty away at Crystal Palace in an eventual 2–0 victory for Arsenal.

Gnabry's impressive start to the season resulted in a nomination for the 2013 Golden Boy Award, and a new five-year contract with Arsenal.

Gnabry went on to make 14 appearances in the 2013–14 season, including impressive performances in the FA Cup against Tottenham and Coventry,with Gnabry helping Arsenal go on to win the tournament that year, featuring on the bench in the next two games against Liverpool and Everton.

But the 2014-15 season was not good - one long-term knee injury, one loan spell consisting of 12 minutes of Premier League football, and a scathing review by Pulis led many to question his talent. Speaking about Gnabry, the Pulis said, “Serge has come here to play games but he just hasn’t been for me, at the moment, at that level to play the games. He’s come from academy football and not played much league football. Does academy football really prepare players for league football? We’re talking about Premier League football here.”

At that point of time West Broom relied more on the ultra-defensive and hard-hitting style of football and for a free-flowing winger like Gnabry, such a system would not fit and thus, he failed to impress.

Gnabry was a late inclusion in Horst Hrubesch’s German side that was to fly out for the Olympics in 2016 in Brazil.

He finished the tournament as the top scorer, netting six goals. Three of them were strikingly similar: runs from the left followed by a neat finish. Gnabry found the net against South Korea, Fiji, Mexico and Portugal, but in the end, could only claim the silver medal as hosts Brazil, inspired by Neymar, took gold at Maracana.

Nonetheless, this was the break Gnabry needed to remind everyone of his talent and just why Arsenal brought him in four years prior.

His teammate at the Gunners, Mesut Ozil, took to Instagram to praise the youngster’s performances, while Hrubesch was critical of the club for not giving him much of a chance. He said, “He’s shown everybody what he can do.  I’m just annoyed he’s never shown enough faith by his club. You can see what an important player he can be and the kind of level he can play at. Now hopefully he can get in the team and get opportunities to play.”

Gnabry returned to Bundesliga in 2016 and joined  Werder Bremen for a reported transfer fee of £5 million.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had wanted to extend Gnabry's contract at Arsenal before his move, but a lack of first-team opportunities meant that the winger sought a move elsewhere.

Ozil and Per Mertesacker, both were positive that this was the right club for him to flourish.

There were also strong suggestions that Bayern Munich were keen on acquiring his signature, thus getting involved in the deal themselves. Some outlets reported that the Bavarians had paid the fee themselves, while others said there was a clause in his contract that allowed him to move to the Allianz Arena.

In Bremen, Gnabry was given the chance to flourish and add to his improving reputation. He joined the club at a time where they were looking to return to the European scene after a few seasons of inconsistency and added some solid talent to get there. The likes of Max Kruse, Florian Kainz, and Izet Hajrović propelled the Werder team to the top half of the Bundesliga, and Gnabry was fortunate to get so much game time.

Kainz was the first-choice man on the left, but injury concerns gave Gnabry a chance!

He made a bright start, and by the midway point in the season already bagged ten goals in all competitions.

Along the way, he also received his first call-up for the national team – reportedly advocated for by Ozil and Mertesacker – and his debut couldn’t have been better.

A hat-trick in an 8-0 thrashing of San Marino was vindication for the player, who felt he now had the platform to show his best form.

Injury problems struck Gnabry at Werder, too, however. After the winter break, the winger would have trouble with his knee and missed much of the final third of the campaign. He had done enough to win people over, though, and ended the campaign with a solid total of 11 goals in 27 appearances across all competitions. The changing of managers from Viktor Skryunyk to Alexander Nouri was also important, as the latter’s attacking style encouraged players with as much flair as Gnabry.

Speaking about his transfer, Gnabry knew it was right for him to leave Arsenal and return home: “The move was more from my side. The most important point was that I would get playing time here, instead of staying another year in the shadows or starting from behind, because there are so many people in front of you at Arsenal. I just said, ‘I need to be somewhere I can play regularly now, and maybe in one or two years things will be different again – once I get my confidence back, once I am in physical shape.’

Gnabry’s form was so impressive that he moved to the crème de la crème in German football, Bayern Munich, sparking further rumours that they were initially involved in the deal to take him to Bremen in the first place. However, his journey to Säbener Straße had one final stopover at Hoffenheim.

A loan move to Sinsheim was a match made in heaven. Julian Nagelsmann was the manager who was making use of modern coaching methods and technology to overachieve with his team. What struck most from this deal was that Nagelsmann, eight years Gnabry’s senior, was often regarded as a ‘Menschenfänger’ – a coach with extraordinary human qualities who can inspire players to reach the next level.

This was a club that had European football and was undergoing a transition.

Over the course of the season, their impressive form attracted many clubs and they had their best talent taken from them. Niklas Süle, Sebastian Rudy and Sandro Wagner were off to Bayern Munich, while Jeremy Toljan went to Borussia Dortmund.

Still, the coach’s talents stood out, and that allowed his players’ talents to shine.

The season started with a play-off defeat in the Champions League against eventual finalists Liverpool, but their season wasn’t to be deterred.

In an enticing 3-1-4-2 set-up, Gnabry was part of a midfield that was crucial at both ends of the pitch. Whilst also helping out in defence, their main role was to push wide and exploit opposition defences with their full-backs or forwards. With a player as pacey as Gnabry, it was a perfect fit and the additional space created for him by his teammates’ shrewd movement gave him room to weave his magic.

In a game against title-chasing RB Leipzig, he netted twice, including a stunning strike from 40 yards out. Then, in a 6-0 thrashing of Köln, he scored another brace, which included two wonderful solo goals. Perhaps real beauty is in simplicity, and in a match against Augsburg, Nagelsmann and Gnabry showed exactly what they were all about.

The manager and his team were known for their swift counter-attacks, and there was no better player than Gnabry to carry out the orders. In the match against the Bavarians, he received the ball from a clearance in his own half and, with a sweet touch and turn, got the best of two players and left a team behind him trailing. Surging forward, he played a quick give-and-go with Andrej Kramarić before slotting home with ease.

Both player and manager were great for each other, and Gnabry is full of praise for the boss: “Julian Nagelsmann fascinated me. Before that, the season before I had played against Hoffenheim and in the second half of the season …well, we took real hiding, but their style of play appealed to me, it was so attacking.”

Gnabry could cover several positions - while the midfield was his primary role, he didn’t mind covering at wing-back, forward or an out-and-out winger, and that made him an invaluable asset in this impressive team.

Hoffenheim finished third – their best placing in the Bundesliga – qualifying for the Champions League group stage proper for the first time in their history and scoring 66 goals that season, second only to champions Bayern Munich.

Gnabry was involved in 18 goals across all competitions – ten goals and eight assists – and he went to Munich in the best form of his career.

The talent of Gnabry was maturing and thus Bayern Munich announced the signing of the winger on a three-year deal for €8 million after activating a clause in his contract with Werder Bremen in 2017.

It was a time Bayern Munich were undergoing a transition period under Niko Kovac. The golden days of legends like Arjen Robben Franck Ribbery were coming to an end and Bayern were looking for their replacement.

Serge Gnabry had started ahead of Robben under Niko Kovac in 2018-19, yet Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was giving interviews claiming he believed Manchester City's Leroy Sane  “would be the successor of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery.”

Gnabry knew he had to prove a point.

On September 1, 2018, Gnabry made his Bundesliga debut for Bayern Munich in a 3–0 win at Stuttgart when he came on as a substitute in the 77th minute.

Two months later, Gnabry scored his first Bundesliga goal for Bayern Munich in a 1–1 draw against Freiburg. Then he scored two goals in a 2–1 win against his former club Werder Bremen. In 2019, Gnabry scored Bayern Munich's 4000th Bundesliga goal during a 5–1 win over Gladbach, helping the club become the first team to achieve the milestone.

Gnabry finished the Bundesliga season as Bayern's second top scorer with 10 goals in 30 matches. Gnabry won his first Bundesliga title as Bayern finished two points above Dortmund with 78 points.

In the ongoing 2019-20 season, the talent of Gnabry seems to have completed a full circle.

He has been a goal-scoring machine alongside the big guns: Thomas Muller and Lewandowski.

Gnabry scored four goals in the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League 7–2 away win against Tottenham Hotspur.

The performance against Tottenham hinted that the talent is turning into deeds. Following the win, he returned to his hotel to meet Clark, the man who took him to Arsenal.

He scored a brace against Chelsea in the first leg of Champions League round of 16 in a 3–0 away win. This made him the first player to score six away goals in London in a single edition of the Champions League.

In the thrashing mission of Barcelona he scored once and after the double-strike against Lyon – Ganbry scored nine times in the Champions League this season, which is simply brilliant.

Kovac exploited his talents better and under Flick, Gnabry seems to be evolving every minute.

Deployed on either wing, his quick cuts inside were similar to Robben.

His former manager at Werder Bremen, Nouri, recognized the changes over time and could only heap praise, “He is lightning quick, a clinical finisher, but he puts a lot of work now in his defence – that was something he was missing before. Now he’s taking these deep runs back to his own box defending. He’s capable of doing this work while on the other hand making deep runs for the offence. Before he wasn’t able to do it because of a lack of strength physically. After a long period with no injuries, he could build up that strength – now he is a complete player.”

After Robben and Ribery’s departures, Gnabry fit their shoes well.

Sane has arrived in Munich, but Ganbry has reached a level, where he can be tagged as the worthy torch-bearer of Robben.

Gnabry is just one match away from achieving glory.

But before that, Bayern and Gnabry have to get past the magical trio of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, and Angel Di Maria.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 20/08/2020 The reincarnation of Serge Gnabry

Thank You

Faisal Caesar  

Will Ronald Koeman become another scapegoat?

 

Ronald Koeman has been appointed Barcelona head coach on a two-year deal.

 Barcelona also announced on Wednesday that Ramon Planes is the club’s new technical secretary, a day after Eric Abidal was sacked from the post.

 The 57-year-old Dutchman replaces Quique Setien, who was sacked following Barca's humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

 Koeman, who spent six years as a player at Barcelona and was a member of Johan Cruyff's legendary 'Dream Team', has taken on the job after he left his role as manager of the Netherlands, which he had held since 2018.

 He would take the responsibility of a team that is in tatters and Koeman has a tough task ahead of him.

 As a coach, he has the experience, but the journey has not been up to the mark.  

 Ronald Koeman was a fantastic player for the Netherlands during his playing days.

 He was not only a tough center-back but was one of those defenders in the 90s, who could score goals and led the team from the front. He was one of the vital cogs of the Dutch side that conquered former West Germany in 1988 and brought Barcelona glory in the European competitions back in 1992. Again, he was the driving force of that much-hyped Barcelona team of Johan Cruyff back in the early 90s.

 After six years and over 200 appearances at Barcelona, Koeman left Catalonia to return to the Netherlands in 1995.

 In joining Feyenoord, he became one of the few players to represent all of Dutch football's "Big Three". Koeman spent two seasons in Rotterdam, captaining Feyenoord to third- and second-place finishes in the Eredivisie respectively.

 Koeman ended his career with 193 league goals from 533 matches (ahead of Daniel Passarella, who netted 182 goals in 556 matches) during his career, more than any other defender in the history of football.

 Having retired as a player after his stint with Feyenoord, Koeman became a member of the coaching staff of Guus Hiddink during the 1998 World Cup along with Johan Neeskens and Frank Rijkaard. After the tournament, Koeman was appointed the assistant coach of Barcelona, and in 2000, he was handed his first managerial job as the head coach of Vitesse, where he led the team to a UEFA Cup spot on a relatively limited budget.

 Koeman was appointed the manager of Ajax in 2001. Ajax's fortunes suffered a steady decline after Koeman got off to a successful start at the Amsterdam Arena, winning a domestic double in 2001–02. Despite regaining the title in 2003–04, Ajax had fallen eight points behind rivals PSV in the Eredivisie. This situation, coupled with Ajax being knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Auxerre, 3–2 on aggregate, led Koeman to resign the following day on February 25, 2005.

 Koeman bounced back quickly from a disappointing end to his reign at Ajax in February 2005, taking up the vacant position at Portuguese champions Benfica following the departure of legendary Italian Giovanni Trapattoni.

 In Benfica, Koeman only won the Portuguese Super Cup; the team finished the Portuguese League in third place - behind rivals Porto and Sporting CP and was knocked out of the Taça de Portugal in the quarter-finals (after losing to Vitória de Guimarães).

 This, along with an offer from PSV, sufficed for the manager to leave one year before the end of his contract. Under Koeman Benfica did reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League; eliminating Manchester United in the final game of the group stage and Liverpool in the first knockout stage, before losing to Barcelona, who ended up winning the trophy.

 In the 2006–07 season, Koeman served as head coach of PSV, as the successor to Guus Hiddink. PSV dominated the first season half, keeping competitors AZ and Ajax at a reasonable distance, and PSV seemed almost destined to become champions again. PSV, however, suffered in the second half of the season, also because of injuries of players Jefferson Farfán, Alex, and Ibrahim Afellay, obtaining only 19 out of 39 possible points.

 AZ and Ajax regained their momentum, making for a close finish, with all three teams tied at 72 points before the last competition day. AZ played struggling Excelsior in their final match but did not manage to win. Ajax played at Willem II, but did not score enough goals; it was PSV eventually who triumphed, winning at home 5–1 against Vitesse Arnhem, and thereby becoming Eredivisie champions, one goal ahead of Ajax.

 For the second consecutive season, he guided a team to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, this time defeating another English club in the shape of Arsenal in the first knockout stage, before losing to Liverpool in the quarterfinals.

 In October 2007 Koeman agreed to coach the Spanish club Valencia.

 With Valencia, he won the 2007–08 Copa del Rey, a tournament he previously won as a player with Barcelona. This was Valencia's first Copa del Rey, since 1999.

 A good start, but the remainder of his regime in Valencia had been utterly disappointing.

 The team would slump to 15th in the league, only two points above the relegation zone, as well as finishing bottom of their Champions League group. A 5–1 defeat by Athletic Bilbao would prove the final straw for Koeman's time with Valencia. He was sacked the following day, on April 2008.

He returned to coach AZ and it was disappointing as well.

In June 2014, Koeman was announced as the replacement for Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino, signing a three-year deal with the club. His brother Erwin was appointed assistant manager.

 In June 2014, Koeman was announced as the replacement for Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino, signing a three-year deal with the club. His brother Erwin was appointed assistant manager.

 In his first six Premier League games in charge of the club, Koeman managed four wins, a draw, and a defeat, propelling Southampton to second place in the league standings and resulting in Koeman being named Premier League Manager of the Month for September.

 In January 2015, Southampton won all three of their matches, including a first win at Manchester United since 1988, and Koeman was again named Manager of the Month.

 He led Southampton to a seventh-place finish at the end of the season.

 Koeman won his third Premier League Manager of the Month for January 2016, on the way to Southampton's highest ever Premier League finish, sixth place, highest ever Premier League points total, 63, and qualification for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League.

 The time at Southampton was very good and it led Everton to sign him as the manager in 2016.

 In his first season, Koeman led Everton to qualification for the Europa League.

 Prior to the 2017–18 season, Koeman was given the largest budget in Everton's history to spend on new players.

 An estimated £150 million was spent on new players, but Koeman admitted that he had not bought a center-forward to replace Romelu Lukaku, the previous season's squad top scorer who had been sold to Manchester United.

 Koeman was sacked by the club on 23 October 2017, after his side fell into the relegation zone, following a 5–2 home defeat against Arsenal the previous day.

  Koeman later stated his belief that the failure to sign Olivier Giroud in the summer transfer window contributed to his sacking.

 In February 2018, Koeman was appointed manager of the Netherlands national football team on a four-and-half-year contract up to and including the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He replaced Dick Advocaat who resigned after failing to guide the Netherlands to the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

 Under his regime, The Oranje finished as the runners-up in the UEFA Nations Cup.

 He was entrusted with the responsibility to bring the Dutch team back to track, but failed to ignore the lucrative and challenging offer from Josep Maria Bartomeu.

 “Everyone knows that Barcelona is my dream club,” Koeman told the Dutch Football Association’s website. “It feels very special to me to be able to become a coach there.”

 “It was an honour to be the national coach of the Netherlands. Over the past two and a half years, I have done everything I can to achieve success. I look back with pride on what we have achieved together in that period. The Dutch national team has a bright future, I am convinced of that.”

 Victor Font is the frontrunner to be the club’s next president and he has pledged to bring in legend Xavi as coach. So, any decisions Koeman makes may prove wasteful and irrelevant, within the space of a year.

 “We have to be grateful that Koeman wants to come to Barcelona in these circumstances but it’s a pity,” said Font on Tuesday night, speaking to RAC1 radio.

 “He arrives for a project with no structure and no future. It’s a risk that should be avoided. If we come out on top (in the elections), we will not bet on him as our manager.”

 Indeed, right now, all is not well in Barcelona.

 The most important job for Koeman would not be to bring on players and play them according to his pan, but how he gels with the most protected player in this world – Lionel Messi - would be the subject of interest of many in Camp Nou.

 Over the years, Barcelona have become a club, where coaches and players, except Messi, have become like the sacrificial lambs – it is never easy for a coach to manage a team by giving the priority of one player’s comfort zone and then arrange a team – Ernesto Valverde and Setien were a cruel victim of the power of a cult figure.

 In Barcelona, all can be blamed or made a scapegoat, but not Lionel Messi and that is why Barcelona have been suffering.

 They forget that football is a team game and each and every player is equal and no one is above the team.     

 Whether Koeman would be able to break this mind-boggling practice of individual worship culture in Barcelona one cannot predict, but until and unless Koeman ends this practice, Barcelona cannot become better as a team and might face the worst outcomes in future.

 Koeman has come to Camp Nou by creating a lot of buzz.

 But how long will it continue remains a moot question!

 Will Koeman be the next scapegoat?

 Only time will tell.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 19/08/2020 Will Ronald Koeman become another scapegoat?

Thank You

Faisal Caesar