Edinson Cavani, Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes combine for a world class display

Roma were leading and at one point, Manchester United unleashed the beast that devoured Roma as if it was hungry for many years – hungry for goals, hungry for success. The Red Devils ended the night with an unassailable advantage that all but places them in the Europa League final next month.

It was the night where the Uruguayan legend Edinson Cavani reminded the world of his class and why he deserves a place among the best footballers in the last ten years – surely the tall and strong Uruguayan is a part of the country’s list of great footballers and even at this age he has not lost the hunger and creative prowess that made him the most feared forward over the last ten years.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer surfaced a strong lineup that featured Cavani up front, Pogba wide left, and David de Gea in goal, against Roma – who are placed seventh in the Italian Serie A.

Paulo Fonseca’s lineup included Chris Smalling and Henrikh Mkhitaryan – the stars of Manchester United’s Europa League triumph against Ajax in 2017. Roma’s plan was disrupted when Jordan Veretout pulled a muscle inside three minutes, with Gonzalo Villar replacing him. 

Manchester United started brightly – Luke Shaw pushed one to Pogba, who rolled Smalling and discovered Cavani and he passed to Fernandes and, as Pau Lopez advanced, he dinked over the goalkeeper.

The tempo was with the home team, but the setback was around the corner! 

When Rick Karsdorp skipped along the right he was chased by Pogba; his cross hit the arm of Pogba and the referee called for the spot-kick.

Lorenzo Pellegrini, the Roma captain, smashed in to De Gea’s right.

United responded with an attacking intent - Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Cavani, and Aaron-Wan Bissaka put Roma on the back foot.

Pogba threatened with a curling 25-yard effort that had Lopez flying left before he became the second visitor to be replaced after he injured a shoulder. Antonio Mirante took the gloves in his place.

Then Pogba won a free-kick that was driven in by Fernandes from the left - Smalling headed it away.

A smart pass by Mkhitaryan found Pellegrini in the space and despite Harry Maguire and Shaw trying to sandwich Dzeko, they could not stop him sliding home.

Against the run of play, United were trailing and it reignited the unit.

After the break, Pogba passed to Cavani and his lay-off went to Fernandes and his return ball to Cavani was instant, who smashed the ball past the Roma keeper for the equalizer.

United switched to the fifth gear - Pogba and Shaw combined for an opportunity for Cavani whose strike was not accurate enough, but his intent was clear – Cavani wants to rule the roost.

After an hour, Cavani made no mistake when he bagged his second goal: the ball went from Shaw to Pogba to Fernandes to Wan-Bissaka, left to right and Bissaka offloaded- Mirante saved but Cavani was there to beat him.

The floodgates were open and Manchester United added three more.

Cavani scored twice and provided another two assists, while Pogba controlled the show and Fernandes aided the two. 

The combination of Pogba, Cavani, and Fernandes have been like a fireball combined with all the elements of the earth to crush the defence when they are in a mood.

Roma experienced the heat of the United fireball, but they are not unknown to comebacks and perhaps, the comeback of Partizan Belgrade against Queens Park Rangers at Highbury in 1984. 

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 30/04/2021 Edinson Cavani, Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes combine for a world class display

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Faisal Caesar 

Disappointing Mikel Arteta

The UEFA Europa League is more often known as the Unai Emery League because he boasts a fantastic record in this competition and right now, after being sacked from North London, he has taken Villarreal to the semifinals of the Europa League and started off with a victory. Still, the threat remains because Arsenal have an away-goal advantage.

This was Villarreal’s fifth European semi-final. The previous four times they had fallen; none hurt more than against Arsenal in the 2006 Champions League. By the stadium, a banner said simply: Vendetta!

For Villarreal, there is a lead but also a feeling of lost opportunity. “They got out of here alive!  We should have killed them off,” said Trigueros afterward.

Just when their European journey and their season appeared over, down to 10 men and trailing 2-0 through goals from Manu Trigueros and Raul Albiol, Bukayo Saka won a penalty that gave them hope when Villarreal would visit North London. Still, the kind of display Mikel Arteta’s side exhibited in Spain, it was heavily disappointing.

Tactically Arteta was miserable and it seems that patience would run out any time. On many occasions this season, the fans bemoaned their side’s rotten luck, but in Spain, they could only thank the lady luck.

Apart from that spot-kick, throughout the match, the Gunners were nowhere near the quality of their Spanish rivals.

The decision to start with False by benching Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Eddie Nketiah, and Gabriel Martinelli were staggering.

The attack became toothless.

Regarding this decision, Arteta said to BT Sports, “It's the way we prepared the game and the decision that I made, thinking that it was the best way to play, but the game was different after four minutes.”

“So it's difficult to assess if it would work or not, considering the set pieces as well changed it and after, we have to approach it in a different way.”

“The main reason [the system didn't work] was that after conceding the goal, we disorganized ourselves... We didn't give ourselves the chance to get set in the final third to do what we wanted to do because we weren't precise on the ball as well so overall, it was not the best.”

“We started the second half with the same players in a completely different way. We played with three strikers sometimes, and we didn't score any goals many times in the season, so it's a decision that I made and that's it.”

Under Arteta, Martinelli is struggling to find a place in the starting XI whereas he is known as the future of the Gunners and is expected to go a long way.

“I’ve been concerned as to why that player is not playing,” former Arsenal defender Martin Keown told BT Sport.

Asked why Martinelli continues to be overlooked, with the 19-year-old seeing just 27 minutes of action in a 2-1 Europa League semi-final defeat to Villarreal, Keown added, “Because the manager doesn’t like him. It’s as simple as that.”

“I’m not there every day; I’m not on the training ground.”

“I thought it was very interesting that [Martin] Odegaard had gone internationally and said ‘in training this is the best young player I’ve ever seen’. And he’s from Real Madrid.”

“So now it’s time to let him fly. Let’s look at the positives. Let’s support him.”

“When he came into the team I thought he did a great job. Not only was he making runs down the middle but he was coming back. He was like a Duracell battery. “

“Keep him in the team. Play him. You’ve seen what you’ve done with [Emile] Smith Rowe and [Bukayo] Saka. Support the young player, that’s where the energy is coming from.”

Unai Emery identified Arsenal's left side as a weakness and clearly instructed Juan Foyth to push from the right-back position with the intention to create an overload due to Granit Xhaka's reluctance to step forward.

 It was an obvious tactic applied by the former Gunners boss Unai Emery, but Arteta remained less spontaneous about the issue.

The Swiss international, to his credit, wasn't often exposed by the rapid Samuel Chukwueze but he and Dani Ceballos should have been composed enough during the opener.

The improvement in the backline has started to regress and time and again Arteta is not learning from the mistakes.

Keown believes changes have to be made, with the Gunners being urged to move Granit Xhaka out of a makeshift left-back berth and field Saka in a position that is a more natural fit for him. He said, with questions also being asked of Dani Ceballos on the back of his red card against Villarreal, “It’s about the manager creating the strongest fist he can as a team with what’s available.”

“Saka was picked to play for England in the November World Cup qualifiers as a left-back. We know he’s in the squad as a forward player but that’s how versatile he is so play him at left-back.”

“Then Martinelli can play, [Nicolas] Pepe can play. There’s still plenty of talent but it’s a better XI.”

“And I felt when Ceballos went off what was really telling was we didn’t look any worse down to 10 men than we did with 11. That should tell the manager something and he has to learn quickly because we’re running out of time now.”

"We didn't want to come here and lose obviously but the way the game developed, being 2-0 down and with 10 men, it's probably the best result we could have," Arteta told BT Sport.

“They were two different halves. We started to be us. In the first half, there were so many moments that we weren't us. We weren't clear with our high press, we were disorganized, we were not precise with the ball and we didn't have enough control.”

“We didn't have enough threat or desire to attack the box but in the second half it was completely different.”

It was an incompetent display and until and unless Arteta does not keep it simple, Arsenal would have to rely on such slices of luck.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 30/04/2021 Disappointing Mikel Arteta

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Faisal Caesar 

Granada conquer Camp Nou

When the opportunities are there to hug, hug them – well, the story is different in the title race for the La Liga this season. Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have wasted good chances to secure the place at the top and last night Barcelona did the same – Granada stunned for the first time at Camp Nou. The title race has become fascinating again.

Obviously, the Catalans were the favourites against Granada and their authority was confirmed when Lionel Messi gave them the lead within 23 minutes - He played the ball into Antoine Griezmann, who turned clear of his marker and played a neat through ball into Messi’s path and he got his head down and guided a brilliant finish across Escandell.

It was his 26th goal in La Liga this season.

After two minutes, Barca very nearly gifted Granada an immediate equalizer.

Busquets was robbed of possession on the edge of his own box, but Herrera’s resulting shot was a poor one which trickled wide.

And then Messi missed a golden opportunity to stretch the lead after thirteen minutes.

He beat Granada’s offside trap and took a brilliant touch to control a ball over the top. However, Escandell just managed to close the angle enough to get a touch on Messi’s attempt.

Granada have conceded in each of their 24 away La Liga games against Barca, failing to score in 15 of those matches, including the last six – their last goal at Camp Nou in the competition came back in March 2012.

In the first half they did not have enough to say, still, threatened, but Barca had the utmost authority and looked to bury the game after the break.

But after the break, came the shock!

Barca were controlling the game and after one hour mark, Granada struck.

Mingueza failed to deal with a loose ball and the Granada forward, who had got the better of Roberto, was on hand to get on the end of it and squeeze a finish beyond Ter Stegen.

Things turned worse for Barca when Ronald Koeman was shown a red card as he could not hold back in airing his frustration down on the touchline.

Barca’s high line gave Granada plenty of space to exploit behind, and the visitors were certainly doing that on the counter as Barca press forward in search of a goal to get themselves back in front.

 With just ten minutes remaining, a cross from the left is met by Molina, and the veteran campaigner diverts a wonderful header across Ter Stegen to make it 2-1 in favour of Granada.

The result remained the same till the final whistle.

“We lost our focus in the second half and made errors at the back,” Koeman told Movistar. “We need to accept the fact we’ve lost, that’s the reality of things. We had chances to win the game, but that’s that. We’ve got five more games to go and each of the sides (in the title race) will have difficulties moving forwards.

“We’re still in the mix and have a chance. We need to accept this, move on, and prepare for the next one. We tried but weren’t able to make many chances when they scored their goals. They closed shop well and we couldn’t create.”

Barca had won their entire home LaLiga matches against Granada before today, but that record has now bitten the dust, and the Blaugrana remain third, a point above Sevilla, level with Madrid, and two behind Atleti with four games remaining.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 30/4/2021 Granada conquer Camp Nou

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Faisal Caesar 

Manchester City take the upper hand in Paris

 

The transformation of a setback into a comeback requires patience, composure, and tactical tweaks. Even though, the examples of a moment of individual brilliance exist; but without the above-mentioned criteria, it is quite hard to essay a comeback within 90 minutes.

It’s never too late for a comeback; rather, it is all about exploiting the right moments. This is what Pep Guardiola did in Paris and took the upper hand in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal.

Successive exists in the quarterfinal stages of the Champions League have roasted Guardiola and his tactical where he was heavily criticized for over-thinking in crucial matches and perhaps that is why he opted to keep things simple last night.

The center-backs of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) dropped deeper and stayed beside Keylor Navas that allowed the full-backs to push high-up the pitch. The intention was to attack and dominate through the flanks but the attempt made the midfield of PSG stagnant.

During this phase, City switched to a 4-4-2 formation and pressed forward with Bernardo Silva and Kevin de Bruyne pairing up front – Silva pressed the center-backs while de Bruyne was tracking Leandro Paredes.

The wing-backs of City sat deeper and the advancement of City led by Silva and de Bruyne left spaces in between the center-backs and the two pivots – Ilkay Gundogan and Rodrigo. The center-backs were reluctant to push high because of the pace of Kylian Mbappe, meanwhile, Marquinhos exploited the pocket of space on the right and moved confidently through that route.

Those acres of space in between the backline and pivots allowed Neymar to wander freely and he was always a constant threat along with the experience and skill of Angel Di Maria.  

Idrissa Gana Gueye checked Gundogan and Neymar dropped deeply to receive the ball and mobilize the stagnant midfield and form the connection with Di Maria and Marquinhos – the build was solid and PSG put City on the back foot.

Silva was often caught in his halfway position between pressing high and playing the role of a midfielder – Marco Veratti checked his movement.

When City was pressing, there was a warning sign – notably the chance Phil Foden drove straight at Keylor Navas – PSG probably should have been more than one up at half-time. City had rushed their moves for most of the first half, wanting to get forward too quickly – PSG had the upper hand.

Marquinhos struck gold when he rose unchallenged to head Di Maria’s corner inside the far post. The delivery was marvelous, flat, and quick and Marquinhos quickly outweighed Gundogan and City’s zonal marking and gave the home side the lead.

Neymar was at his best in the first half – he was a cocktail of balance, quick foot movement, and explosiveness.  He had a second-minute chance after Rodri was baffled and Mbappe released him only to shoot at Ederson while it was his shot that forced the corner that led to the breakthrough. Among Neymar’s many other moments before the interval was the corner that Leandro Paredes glanced narrowly wide at the near post.

After the break, pep set free his wing-backs and City started to regain control over the game.

They started to overload the flanks – especially the left region: Silva stayed narrow dragging Bakker, Veratti went in a narrower position with Joao Cancelo ready for the exploitation of the players upfront.

City did not play a striker and used de Bruyne as the false number 9 and he struggled against Mauricio Pochettino’s 4-4-1-1 compactness.

But when the wing-backs advanced and kept PSG occupied – de Bruyne and players like Riyad Mahrez had space to cash in.

City pinned the home side back inside their own half, which in turn panicked a settled defence and forced them into aimless balls that ensured Neymar and Kylian Mbappe were kept well away from Ederson's goal.

Kevin de Bruyne reminded Neymar of Kazan - substitute Oleksandr Zinchenko passed the ball to the Belgian on the left-hand side of the PSG area which he bent at the far post, hoping that Ruben Dias or even the late-arriving John Stones could meet it – rather – it did more than enough – beat Navas and brought City back into the contest – of course, it should have put chills down the spine of Neymar because he experienced such three years ago and when de Bruyne is in a mood, it would certainly not be your night.

A few moments later, Mahrez took a snapshot from the free-kick spot: His effort flew straight at the wall and then straight through it! The wall was breached, Paredes and Kimpembe allowed the ball to whistle between them and into the bottom left – Navas had no time to react.

PSG panicked and it led to the red card of Gueye.

Well, PSG remain poor on home soil and better away – Pep knows this very well and he is well aware that they can turn things around in Eithad; but at the moment, he would relish but keep his feet on the ground, while thinking about the night in Paris – City has the upper hand at the moment.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 29/04/2021 Manchester City take the upper hand in Paris

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Faisal Caesar 

Real Madrid stay alive

 

“It was a display where Real Madrid were given a stern test of temperament and till now they are alive in the contest. A much bigger test waits at Stamford Bridge”

While Real Madrid prepared to face the rejuvenated Blues for the Champions League semifinals – the dark foreboding skies over Valdebevas warned the Los Blancos and their manager that it would not easier on the pitch. Yes, it was not easy but the Royal Whites are still alive in the competition in which they are the ultimate champions.

In this season, each and every topside needed different approaches for every match due to the testing circumstances and those teams with character and swagger moved on. Among the four teams competing in the semifinals of the Champions League – Real Madrid and Chelsea experienced a tough ride. While Chelsea struggled due to the lack of an organized plan of Frank Lampard; the story of Los Blancos has been different and more challenging than the Blues, Manchester City, and Paris saint-Germain – a rough sailing experience through the angry sea.

And, guess what, the storm broke through in Valdebevas and it seemed that the angry sky was trying to pour cold water on Real Madrid’s intent like the football world did to Florentino Perez’s super ambitious European Super League.

Still, the Royal Whites survived despite the heavy toll of the workload and over 50 injuries this season!

This is the Real Madrid of Zinedine Zidane!

Zidane opted for three center-backs in defence, meaning Dani Carvajal and Marcelo played as wing-backs on the right and left respectively. The tweak in the formation meant only two men could slot in attack, with Vinicius Junior chosen to play alongside Benzema instead of Marco Asensio.

Chelsea put the paddle on the front foot and pressed with front two – Christian Pulisic and Timo Werner while Mason Mount and N’Golo Kante were on the two pivots of Real Madrid with Jorginho shielding them and the wing-backs joined the pressing as well.

This ploy suffocated the center of the park and made things tougher for Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.

Chelsea looked more confident because they were dominating the midfield and flanks - Thibaut Courtois was called on early to rescue his side when he used his foot to save a shot from Timo Werner, who looked set to score off a headed pass from Pulisic.

The American would handle matters himself minutes later and earned Chelsea a 0-1 lead by collecting a ball over the top from Antonio Rudiger, avoiding Courtois and rifling a shot that took a slight deflection off the back of Raphael Varane before finding the back of the net.

Real Madrid split their center-backs with the intention to unsettle the pressing of the front two of Chelsea.

The ball was moved faster in the wider areas – Varane stayed in the center and Militao and Nacho Fernandez were seen staying in the respective outside halves to receive the ball from Varane and dictate the game.

And that is where the momentum started to change – Kroos dropped on the pocket formed at the left center-back position and managed to pull the strings. Nacho moved into the left-back position, Marcelo became the inverted midfielder, and took the position of Kroos with Vinicius Junior advancing much higher.

The gap between Modric and Kroos was bigger and rather than pairing up in the midfield – both of them decided to dictate terms from deeper positions – Modric was almost at the right center-back position and combined with Dani Carvajal to exploit the right side – but there was no winger at the right and for which Karim Benzema had to move from center to the wider regions more often.

The positions of Kroos and Modric disrupted the pressing of the Blues in the midfield and Casemiro took over to do his work in the midfield.

A Benzema shot glanced off the post midway through the first half was the stimulus for the home side.

The near-miss brought Los Blancos to life and a short corner kick led to Marcelo playing in a cross that was kept alive thanks to Casemiro and Militao's headers, and Benzema was happy to take advantage by taking the ball off his chest and hammering in a volley to bring his side level 1-1.

It was Benzema’s sixth goal in this season's Champions League – the most he has netted in a single campaign since 2014-15, and his 71st strike overall, drawing him level with another Real Madrid legend, Raul, in fourth place. Only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski have now scored more goals in this tournament.

After the break – Kroos played at the center-back position and joined with Modric to interchange the ball and control the game.

The tempo slowed down after the break but Real Madrid regaining control over matters using a high line of pressure and preventing Chelsea from penetrating deep into their own half.

Still, Chelsea worked the ball straight to Cesar Azplicueta from the back who drew others into him 0 especially Marcelo with Nacho drawn out of his position with Kroos covering Pulisic, and this situation created spaces to exploit.

The weakness of Real Madrid during the transitions was evident and Chelsea’s better control over the ball and pace caught Madrid on the back foot – thankfully the Lon Blancos were much organized at the back where Casemiro, Kroos, and Modric aided the defenders – especially, Militao had an outstanding match yet again.

N’Golo Kante, who was having one of the best nights at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium as a holding midfielder and attacker as well – worked the ball through the flank and move it to the hit-man available in the center.

When a Real Madrid center-back tracked down a Chelsea attacker – as like Nacho trying to cover Pulisic – the space created was occupied by Kante who outweighed Kroos with his pace – Modric was left out wide to press Rudiger and it left Casemiro and Kroos face the heat of the Chelsea pivots – Mount and Pulisic posed threats.

Mount moved from forward to midfield and his movements unsettled the Real midfield.

Even in the wider regions whenever spaces were formed, Chilwell and Cesar were there to test the Real Backline.

Well, Real Madrid maintained their compactness and solidity by staying narrow and firm.

It was a display where Real Madrid were given a stern test of temperament and till now they are alive in the contest.

A much bigger test waits at Stamford Bridge.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketosccer on 28/04/2021 Real Madrid stay alive

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Faisal Caesar 

 

Dull end at Pallekele: Test cricket does not deserve dead decks

 

“Dead decks kill Test cricket”

The first Test match played at Pallekle was way back in 2010 where the West Indies managed to post 303 for 8 in three days in the third Test because of the continuous interruption by inclement weather and in the end the match and the series ended without any results. In the following year, Australia visited Sri Lanka and the second Test at the same venue ended in a draw while in 2012, the 3^rd Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka faced the same fate.  

Three years later in an exciting Test match and series, Pakistan broke the deadlock by chasing 382 runs in the fourth innings and forced a result for the first time at Pallekele. Then the Australians visited in 2016, which was one of the glorious Test series in the history of Test series, Pallekele produced not only a result but one of the magnificent comebacks by the home side. It produced result in the 2017-18 series against India and 2018-19 series against England and thus, the same was expected in the first test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in 2021.

But what we witnessed was a dull end to the affair that was evident from the word go.

On the first day, the Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella was collecting the ball at knee height. In the first hour, the ball bounced and moved because it was hard and new and with the progress of time, the lack of movement off the pitch and in the air, that diminished.

The Sri Lankan bowlers, trying to exhibit their aggressive intent, struggled to maintain their discipline and the visiting batsmen cashed in big time.

By mid-morning, the Bangladeshi batsmen were confidently pulling and hooking Lahiru Kumara’s fast and aggressive bouncers in front of the square and with ease.

The under-fire Nazmul Hossain was able to execute shots early with minimum technical efficiency and Mominul Haque enjoyed the deck better than anyone because he is an absolute beast on such impotent tracks. Even if the ball was on a length or back of a length, short or full, it was very easy to play shots all around the park by being on the front foot more often - so easy! 

It was a hard time for the bowlers and picnic mood for the batters - The Bangladeshi batsmen, at least, maintained their composure on this impotent deck and scored runs by curbing their poor temperament and spent time at the crease – Nazmul Hossain chipped in with a hundred while skipper Mominul Haque notched up his first-ever Test ton outside the home – Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium to be specific. The tempo was set by Tamim Iqbal and the rest followed.

Neither there was any evidence of turn on the deck – the pitch was held itself well like a modern-day impotent Twenty20 or 50-over deck, where only the runs galore at the cost of the extremely hard work for the bowlers from both side.  

While the response of the Sri Lankan batsmen was the same – they batted out Bangladesh by taking a lead more than a hundred where the skipper Dimuth Karunaratne and Dhanajaya de Silva smashed daddy hundreds to make the Bangladeshi bowlers toil hard under the hot sun.

Other than boosting the personal records Pallekele witnessed nothing.

Perhaps fortunes might have tilted here and there if the rain did not visit on Day 5 and bad light interfered on the other days, but otherwise, the impotent deck completely killed the Test at Pallekele.

Cricket is already a world for the batsmen and at least one format deserves a bit more for the bowlers and that is Test cricket. For the sake of business and the so-called modernization of cricket, the bowlers are like a bowling machine that runs in and bowl only to get hit and left stranded with a Parkinson-face.  

There was a time when the critics, journalists and players themselves criticized when the tracks were dead - the majority backed the sporting decks and never complained if the ball bounced, swung or turned.

Today it's different. If the ball bounces, swings or turns; immediately the quality of the deck is questioned, but if runs galore like Pallekele, it is termed as a good track. The conception of a good wicket means run-scoring should be easy and people come to see boundaries and sixes have paved the way for the shortest formats to rule.

Dead decks kill Test cricket.

Sri Lanka has a history of producing some of the death decks ever but in the meantime, they produced some of the testing decks as well which offered some outstanding Test matches. The batsmen are needed to be tested and as usual, only then a contest would become fascinating. Surely, Sri Lanka would not disappoint in the second Test.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 25/03/2021 Dull end at Pallekele: Test cricket does not deserve dead decks

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Faisal Caesar 

 

Real Madrid drop points

 

The clash against Real Betis was very important. Yes, the schedule is hectic and there are injury issues, but still, Real Madrid have been pulling things off amid the crisis – a victory against Betis would have been beneficial in a tight title race, sadly, it seems that the opportunity to defend the La Liga title looks thin.

The Los Blancos were missing the inventiveness and cutting edge that they exhibited in midweek at Cadiz and now find themselves two points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid.

Zinedine Zidane rolled out a starting XI that excluded Vinicius Junior in attack but saw Nacho Fernandez come in at left-back in place of Ferland Mendy, while Luka Modric once again got the nod in midfield.

Back-to-back chances came from Rodrygo Goes and Karim Benzema, the latter forcing a diving save from Betis goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, Real Madrid were largely held in check for the first half.

Real Betis didn't muster enough chances as the toothless display by the home side helped their cause.

After the break the heavens opened up and Rodrygo was keen to try his luck from a tight angle with an audacious right-footed cross-shot that peeled some paint off the crossbar.

Just shy of the hour mark, Zidane went to his bench for the first time, with Vinicius coming on for Rodrygo, but the next chance went Betis' way when Guido Rodriguez got loose in space outside the Real Madrid area but shot directly at Courtois.

That was followed shortly by a Canales ball into Borja Iglesias, who could not find a way past the big Belgian.

Zidane went to his bench to try to wrestle back some control - wing-backs Alvaro Odriozola and Marcelo were summoned for Dani Carvajal and Isco respectively.

Things were wide open going into the final quarter of an hour. 

Betis surged forward when they could in search of a goal, while Real Madrid showed their fangs on the counter-attack.

Zidane's final two changes saw the returning Eden Hazard replace Marco Asensio, while youngster Antonio Blanco replaced Modric.

The final minutes belonged to Real Madrid, but breaching Bravo and the Betis defence was an obstacle too many, leaving Zidane's men settling for a point.

Zinedine Zidane isn't concerned about his Real Madrid team after their draw against Real Betis on Saturday night.

“We dropped two points, that's clear,” Zidane said after the game.

“We're very good defensively but lacked a lot in attack. We lacked something, we weren't great up top.”

“But we drop two points and it's as though we're bad. We've lost two points, but we're focused on Tuesday. There's a long way to go in La Liga and we're going to fight until the end. It's not over today.”

“We're ready for the next game, which is going to be our most difficult of the entire season.”

“We were lacking something to win, that's true, but we're fine.”

Eden Hazard made his latest injury comeback by coming off the bench for the final 15 minutes and made a good impression.

“He was really impressive,” Zidane said about his No.7.

“We're happy to see Eden because he's a player who is going to contribute for us.”

Dani Carvajal also featured again, having done so in midweek as well. His availability against Chelsea remains uncertain.

“We'll see what part he plays,” Zidane added.

“The other day I played 20 minutes and played a little more today.”

“The plan is to get Ferland [Mendy] back and to get Toni [Kroos] back. But we have to wait. We have to recover.”

Note: This article was posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk Real Madrid drop points

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Faisal Caesar 

What a frustrating result for Liverpool!

 

Will we see Liverpool in next year’s Champions League? Maybe they will make it in the end, but the fear is evident – this season the holders have been very inconsistent and they do have reasons to back that, but as you know, the champions always fight back against all sorts of adversities and for which, why Jurgen Klopp’s men failed to deliver time and again remains a moot question.

Against Newcastle United, at Anfield, they squandered opportunities benefited from a VAR decision to disallow Callum Wilson’s goal in the second minute of second-half added time and then at the fag end of the match lost it completely. They just collapsed – collapsed like the European Super League project.

Substitute Joe Willock secured a potentially invaluable point for Newcastle with a shot that deflected off Fabinho and dropped two late points for the second time in a tumultuous week.

Fans and pundits reacted furiously to the news of a proposed breakaway project announced on Sunday, only for the six English clubs involved to pull out 48 hours later.

Klopp stated his belief that the outrage must be curbed somewhat since the announcement that the 'Bix Six' would no longer be taking part, suggesting that continuing to fan the flames of protest could lead to a rise in coronavirus cases.

At least the outrage was over and it was history when Mohamed Salah gave the hosts a perfect start when capitalizing on weak defending early in the first half.

Sadio Mane created space to cross from the left and Ciaran Clark glanced an attempted headed clearance on to Salah at the back post.

The Egyptian superstar held off Matt Ritchie with ease, turned and swept an unstoppable finish into the roof of Dubravka’s goal and became the Premier League era to score 20 league goals in a season for the third time. Robbie Fowler and Luis Suarez achieved the feat twice.

The Reds could be blamed for sloppiness on possession and after the break, the substitutes of Newcastle took the game back to the opponents.

In the 95th minute, a simple long ball wasn’t cleared. Gayle heads down into the path of Willock, whose shot is deflected past Alisson and into the corner and that was it – Liverpool were stunned.

Willock celebrated wildly while  Salah storms down the tunnel in despair.

“It is very tough to take but nobody knows that better than us,” the Liverpool manager said. “We kept the game open for them. You better use your chances when you have them or they will come back again. That’s what happened and why Newcastle deserve a point.

“They scored a goal that was disallowed – it is the first present I can remember from VAR – but then we gave them another one.

“Why it happened, I don’t know. We had to keep the ball. In a specific way, we don’t fight enough. Keep ourselves in a position where we dominate the game. We had 70% of the ball, we should have 80%. We created a lot of chances, didn’t score with them, so we have to create more. That is how it is. We don’t do that well at the moment. It feels like a defeat. If you deserve it, you deserve it. I didn’t see us deserve it today, playing Champions League next year.”

“We have to do something about VAR, this rule. It ruins the spectacle,” the Newcastle manager said.

“What an absolutely ridiculous decision not to allow the goal. We are going to have to look at this crazy rule because VAR is becoming laughable with this letter-of-the-law interpretation. It doesn’t make sense. We have just closed down a Super League with the opinions of lots of people. Can we not do the same in the Premier League? VAR was brought in for clear and obvious errors but it has become nonsense and not a great spectacle.”

Klopp and his men are in a shaky state right now.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 24/03/2021 What a frustrating result for Liverpool!

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Who is Ryan Mason?

He was born at Enfield in 1991 – a decade when cricket was still highly competitive and football was welcoming new stars to rule the roost. English Football was yet to experience the rush of adrenaline of the Premier League, Liverpool were too good, Blackburn Rovers were peaking, Manchester united were waiting to showcase their talent and in Europe, AC Milan was the ultimate champions and first choice of everyone.

The little boy dreamed of becoming a footballer like any other English kid in Enfield and thus at the age of eight, he joined the Tottenham Hotspur Academy. 29 years later, the boy has been given the task to play the role of an interim coach of the club that he wished to become like Harry Kane, Gareth Bale and Heung-Min Son. Certainly, Ryan Mason has come a long way at the age of 29!

Mason made history on Wednesday, becoming the youngest manager in Premier League history while winning his debut in charge of Tottenham.

Mason, taking over Spurs on a caretaker basis after Jose Mourinho's sacking earlier this week, saw his side come back to defeat Southampton 2-1 on Wednesday.

At 29 years, 312 days old, Mason broke the previous record by nearly three years.

Mason made his first-team debut in the group stages of the UEFA Cup in 2008, coming on as an added-time substitute for David Bentley in a 1–0 away win against Dutch club NEC. During the 2008–09 season, he topped the Academy scoring sheets with 29 goals in 31 matches as Spurs finished runners-up in the Premier Academy League.

In 2009, Mason went on loan to League One club Yeovil Town, along with teammate Steven Caulker. He made his league debut in a 2–0 win against Tranmere Rovers at Huish Park. Mason made a promising start to his time at Yeovil, scoring from a free kick in his second match against Colchester United albeit in a 1–2 away defeat and from a long-range strike in their next match against Exeter City to earn an away draw.[10] The goal against Exeter was included in BBC Sport's Goals of the Week.

According to the Spurs website, “after impressing for Terry Skiverton's men at the start of the 2009–10 season, the loan deal was extended for a further three months.”

Along with fellow Tottenham loanees, Caulker and Jonathan Obika, Mason's loan was extended until May 2010. He was recalled prematurely, in March 2010, after playing 28-league matches and scoring six goals for Yeovil.

Mason was loaned for the first time to Championship team Doncaster Rovers on a two-month loan deal in the same year and made five appearances. In 2011, he was loaned back to Doncaster until the end of the season and made a further ten appearances. The same year, Mason signed a new two-year contract with Tottenham, keeping him at the club until June 2013. He was then immediately loaned back to Doncaster on a season-long loan.

Mason was recalled back to Tottenham in November 2011 after making five appearances since the start of the season. In December 2011, Mason and teammate Harry Kane agreed on a loan deal with Championship club Millwall from January until the end of the season.

While Kane was a forward Mason concentrated on dictating terms from the midfield.

After a successful pre-season in the United States with Spurs, Mason was included in Mauricio Pochettino's Premier League squad. In 2014, he made his first appearance of the season as well as scoring his first goal for Tottenham, an equalizer in a League Cup fixture against Nottingham Forest.

On 2 November 2014, against Aston Villa, Mason stuck his head in the chest of opponent Christian Benteke, who reacted by striking him with his hand. Referee Neil Swarbrick sent off Benteke but took no action against Mason.

The incident led to both clubs being fined £20,000 by The Football Association for failing to keep their players under control.

In 2015, Mason was awarded a five-and-a-half-year contract, keeping him at the club until 2020. He started in the 2015 League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium against Chelsea where they lost.

He made his presence felt by scoring in the Premier League against Swansea City and a few months later he scored against Sunderland that earned him the Man of the Match award.

He received an injury in the 2015-16 season but did make a comeback – the cutting edge was missing.

After a disappointing 2015–16 campaign with only eight league starts, Mason was bought by Hull City on August 2016, for a fee believed to be around £13 million, a club record.

On January 22 2017, in a Premier League match against Chelsea, Mason suffered a fractured skull that required surgery after a clash of heads with defender Gary Cahill.

Mason underwent a successful operation on the head injury and throughout the rest of 2017 went through a rehabilitation process in an attempt to return to play. After the operation, he had 14 metal plates in his skull, with 28 screws holding them in place. He also had 45 staples and a six-inch scar across his head.

On February 13 2018, it was confirmed that due to risks associated with the extent of Mason's injury, he would be retiring from professional football.

But his passion for football never let him stay away from the game and two months later he joined the coaching staff of the Spurs.

In February 2019, he suggested that heading should be banned for children.

He was made the official academy coach for the Under-19 UEFA Youth League side in July 2019 and then the head of player development (Under-17 to Under-23) in August 2020.

And on April 19, 2021, he was appointed as the interim coach of the Spurs for the rest of the 2020-21 season.

“It's no secret I love this club. To spend 20 years of my 29 years involved, it's in my heart, my blood,” he said after being appointed as the interim coach.

“I've always felt a massive connection with the fans. I've always felt loved.”

“I'll give my all to this group of players to win matches. I feel immense pride.”

He started off with a victory and after the match, Mason told Sky Sports, “I thought it was fantastic, so proud of the boys - So much energy, so much bravery, especially after the first 20-30 minutes as well.”

“I thought [Southampton] came out the blocks, they were very good in the first half, we found it difficult at times.”

“But the guys showed belief, they stuck to the plan and full credit to the guys because the energy, the commitment, bravery and I'll be honest: I thought there was only one team that was going to win it.”

The comeback win meant Mason has equalled Mourinho's total of Premier League matches won when the team trailed at half-time (W1 D2 L11).

With the victory over Southampton, Tottenham moved to within two points of Chelsea, who occupy the fourth and final Champions League place in the table.  

But on Wednesday, that boy from Enfield, who dreamed of achieving something big through playing football, certainly, thought that after the tragic end to his career, his passion for the game has rewarded him with something big – Mason has the strong mentality to move on and work harder to improve. The 29-year-old can be an asset to football.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 22/04/2021 Who is Ryan Mason?

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Real Madrid thrash Cadiz

 

The brouhaha about the European Super League still exists and in between the backlash and varied opinions from every corner of the globe the midweek football is active because the show must go on. It was time for Real Madrid to face Cadiz after the dull draw a few days back and this time around there was no shock, rather, a dominating victory.

Cadiz managed to sneak away with all three points last time out after recording a 1-0 at Valdebebas, and with player and staff focus more than likely belonging elsewhere recently, this important game could prove to be just as tricky.

Zinedine Zidane pulled out a surprise in his starting XI with the inclusion of 20-year-old Antonio Blanco, who made his first-team debut over the weekend at Getafe and started in a depleted midfield missing Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. Meanwhile, in the attack, both Isco and Marco Asensio were left on the bench, with Zidane opting for a trio of Benzema, Vinicius and Rodrygo.

Despite a cagey start the Los Blancos settled quickly and foot the foot on the right paddle – they looked sharper enough.

Just shy of the half-hour mark, VAR stepped in to alert referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz of a possible penalty and the spot-kick was quickly given when he saw that Iza had stepped on the foot of Vinicius, fouling the young Brazilian inside the area. 

Karim Benzema was tasked with penalty duties and slammed his attempt past Cadiz goalkeeper Jeremias Ledesma.

The goal was a big lift for Real Madrid and, just a few minutes later, a cross on a silver platter from Benzema found Odriozola at the back post and allowed the right-back to thump a header in to double the advantage.

It should have been three shortly thereafter, with Benzema once again playing the role of playmaker, but an under-pressure Casemiro missed over the crossbar after receiving the headed pass.

Those same two players would link up again, except this time it was Casemiro serving up the pass and Benzema showed him how it's done with a strong header into the net to extend the lead to 3-0.

Karim Benzema wrote himself into Real Madrid history with two goals against Cadiz on Wednesday night.

The Frenchman scored against his 35th different team in LaLiga Santander, which equals Raul as the most opponents scored against for Real Madrid. Not even Cristiano Ronaldo reached this milestone.

What's more, Benzema has now scored at least one goal in nine successive appearances in LaLiga Santander, netting 11 in the process.

His goals have contributed to a 12-match unbeaten run for Real Madrid in LaLiga Santander, as they now sit top of the table.

 Real Madrid easily saw things out the rest of the way to collect the three points and put pressure on Atletico Madrid.

“The important thing for us is to be up for it and know how to defend,” Zidane said at full time.

“We defended really well again. For me, that's key.”

“I'm happy with what he's doing, not only with his goals,” Zidane said about Benzema.

“I'm happy with what he's doing, we're enjoying him and we hope we can enjoy him for a lot longer.”

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 22/04/2021 Real Madrid thrash Cadiz

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

 

 

 

On the UEFA Champions League format change

 

World football is yet to recover from the topsy-turvy last two days and while each and everyone was busy with protesting against the European Super League; UEFA officially announced the changes in the format of the Champions League which would be active from the 2024-25 season.

The number of teams

On April 19, 2021 – after the executive meeting of the UEFA decided to say goodbye to the 32-team format competition and increase it to 36.

The present Champions League season begins with the teams divided into eight groups of four. From the 2024-25 season, there will be a single league made up of all 36 competing clubs and which would give four more sides the opportunity to compete against the best clubs in Europe.

How will the format work?  

In the new format – the teams will play four matches more than is currently the case. They will no longer play three opponents twice – home and away – but will instead face fixtures against 10 different teams, half of them at home and half of them away.

This gives the opportunity for the clubs to test themselves against a wider range of opponents – and also raises the prospect of fans seeing the top teams go head to head more often earlier in the competition and the new format demands more competitive matches until the final.

Selection of the additional four teams

According to UEFA Official website:

Qualification for the Champions League will continue to be open and depend on a club’s final position in the previous season’s domestic league competition. The additional four slots available in 2024-25 will be allocated according to three different criteria:

Slot one: awarded to a club from the country placed fifth in UEFA’s national association coefficient rankings. Each association's coefficient is based on the results of its clubs’ performances in five previous Champions League and Europa League seasons.

Slot two: awarded to the domestic league champion with the highest club coefficient among all other domestic champions that have not automatically qualified for the Champions League’s league stage.

Slots three and four: awarded to the two clubs with the highest club coefficients that have not qualified automatically for the Champions League’s league stage, but have qualified either for the Champions League qualification phase or the Europa League/the Europa Conference League (due to start in the 2021-22 season).

The Round of 16

According to the UEFA Website:

The results of each match will decide the overall ranking in the new league, with three points for a win and one for a draw still applying.

While the top eight teams will advance automatically to the round of 16, those sides placed between ninth and 24th will enter a play-off round. Those who finished between ninth and 16th will be seeded in the play-off draw, meaning they will face a team placed 17th to 24th – with home advantage in the second-leg match. Teams who finish 25th or lower will be eliminated, with no access to the UEFA Europa League.

The eight clubs who prevail in the play-offs will then progress to the round of 16 where they will each face one of the top-eight finishers.

There will be no Group Stages

The biggest alteration is that the group stage will essentially be axed, replaced with a single league stage that includes all participating teams.

The matches will also be played on Thursdays instead of Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

These changes will also be made for the Europa League (eight matches in the initial league stage), as well as the new Europa Conference League set to begin its inaugural season later in 2021 (six matches in the league stage).

These two lower-division competitions will also be expanded to 36 teams in each league stage.

 Harsh reaction

Former Bayern Munich and Liverpool defender Markus Babbel has said that UEFA must be “laughing its head off”, stating that Europe's governing body is just as interested in making money as those involved in the failed Super League plans.

Babbel told Goal and SPOX, “The 2024 Champions League is also sh*t to the power of 10. Nobody can take that seriously either because it's all about more games and more money.”

“From my point of view, the reforms are a disaster, but at least the teams still have a chance to qualify based on sporting merit.”

Back in April 16, Bayern Munich fans have joined supporters of clubs across Europe in drafting an open letter of condemnation to the European Club Association and its chairman Andrea Agnelli over the latest proposal for the rules and setup of the UEFA Champions League. They were joined by supporters from Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Ajax, Anderlecht, Atletico Madrid, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, FC Copenhagen, Fenerbache, Young Boys, and Lyon.

In the open letter they said:

Your plans to restructure the Champions League by increasing the number of games, introducing qualification based on past achievements, and monopolising commercial rights present a serious threat to the entire game,’ said the joint letter, which has been coordinated by Football Supporters Europe, a coalition of fan groups across the continent.

You will only make the gap between the rich and the rest bigger, wreck domestic calendars and expect fans to sacrifice yet more time and money.

According to Mirror UK, “So effectively clubs with good recent European histories will be given a safety net to get into the Champions League, even if they don't finish in the qualifying positions.”

“Liverpool, for example, would get in if these reforms were in place for next season but they still only finish sixth or seventh this season.”

“The 'Big Six' English clubs look to be in a strong position to benefit from this ruling given the fact that, as it stands, at least two of them will miss out on the Champions League every season.”

“They are likely to face competition from clubs in Italy, Germany and Spain for extra spots, but they will surely see their introduction as a Champions League backup plan, as even in their poorer seasons they would fancy their chances of finishing in the top seven.”

Popular Bayern Munich blogging site Bavarian Football Works posted:

“Where the controversy, and arguably the biggest negative in this, comes in is how the extra four qualifying spots will be awarded.”

“The first will go to Ligue 1, which will have their number of automatic bids increase from three to four, to match their status with the likes of the Premier League, the Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga.”

“The second spot will go to a team that performed well in a past tournament that would normally need to go through the first qualifying stage of games to make the Group Stages. The most recent example of this would be the Ajax team who made the semifinals of the 2018-19 Champions League. The Eredivisie, along with leagues like the Scottish Premiership and the Swedish Allskvensan, do not have automatic qualifying spots. Instead, teams need to play through two qualifying rounds having two legs each in order to make the Group Stages.”

“But the most controversial part of qualifying lies in the last two spots. Under the new system, UEFA will give spots to the two teams with the best club coefficient ranking who did not qualify for the Champions League outright but managed to finish between 5th and 7th in their domestic leagues. The club coefficient is a FIFA metric used to determine how good a club is based on their past performances in Europe.”

“This provides a safety net to the major clubs instead of giving automatic spots to smaller clubs who actually won their domestic leagues. Using the 2019-20 season as an example, those spots would have gone to Tottenham Hostpur — who finished 6th in the Premier League — and SSC Napoli — who finished 7th in Serie A.”

“Moreover, the final spots are not league restricted, meaning it’s entirely possible that any of the top five leagues in Europe could send six teams to the tournament.”

“In addition, under the new system, the top five leagues are only allowed seven European spots in total. Using the Bundesliga as an example, if Bayer Leverkusen — a team with a high club coefficient — finished 6th but was called up to the Champions League, then only one team would be sent to the Europa League from Germany. If that team finished 7th, then it’s highly likely that no team from Germany would compete in the UEFA Europa Conference League.”

The Pros and Cons

According to Bavarian Football Works:

“The two bodies that will benefit the most from this are the existing national leagues and the teams that are lowest on the proverbial totem pole.”

“By setting up this format, it gives incentive for the major European teams to stay in their respective national leagues as this seems very similar to what was proposed in the European Super League. With the top clubs getting more opportunities to play each other, the demand for a mass exodus from the top leagues on the continent will die down.”

“On the flip side, smaller teams that qualify will be able to play more games which increase their earning potential. The current format eliminates half of the 32 teams after they’ve only played six games. By adding four more games plus the playoff structure, it will only send 12 teams home early.”

“However, this also has the potential to increase the number of games down the line. European soccer has one of the shortest off-seasons in world sports and an increase in games can lead to more injuries and longer seasons. This format could see match increases on a much larger scale in the years to come, adding to an already congested football calendar.”

“That last point is what fans are protesting. By increasing the number of matches and disproportionally favoring bigger leagues and clubs, fans argue they will only increase the wealth inequality between “rich” and “poor” teams.

“It doesn’t help either that the ECA reportedly wants to gain more control of the distribution rights to the money earned in the Champions League from UEFA, naturally benefiting their larger members.”

“With money being the driving force in world football, it’s hard to see this plan being rejected. As the importance of the Champions League rises, the domestic leagues are more likely to hurt the most from it.”

“This almost seems like a discount version of the European Super League, and we could still see that vision become a reality. If the power given to the top clubs and the ECA explodes until we reach that point, we can point to this moment as the match that lit the fuse.”

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 21/03/2021 On the UEFA Champions League format change

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

European Super League collapse, victory for the passionate football fans

The match between Chelsea and Brighton ended in a 0-0 draw, but it was not just about the match – rather the brutal backlash by the Chelsea fans dominated the proceedings.

Chelsea were portrayed as the super-villains, who undermined the 125-year old history.

 The t-shirts worn by Brighton during their warm-up summed up the feelings of the outraged majority: “Earn it; football is for the fans.”

The Chelsea supporters made it very clear before kick-off that they shared that sentiment. Even owner Roman Abramovich wasn't spared their backlash. They called on him to give Chelsea back to the fans, despite 17 years of titles and trophies under the Russian.

Fittingly, the protest took place outside the Butcher's Hook pub - formerly The Rising Sun - where Chelsea Football Club was established in 1905.

The outrage was all over the globe and the football community was united against a devilish concept.

What a tumultuous 48 hours it had been!

The elite clubs in Europe unleashed the idea of a breakaway football league known as the European Super League and triggered a Football War that almost threatened to tear the game apart. The concept of the Super League is all about money and football is not all about money, rather it is known as the game of the people that unites the world and even stops a war.  

The Super League started to brand the concept by playing the victim card, blame game, modernization of football, young fans need something new and so on – the similar way once upon a time England branded Twenty20 Cricket and later on, a thug named Lalit Modi created the demon – Indian Premier League and completely disturbed the balance of world cricket.

The concept of Super League was almost heading that way, but the good thing is that in football the fans are much sensible and most of the players, experts, ex-footballers and journalists are not the puppets of the cash-thirsty souls. In football, one can try hard to become the BCCI – but still cannot be such because the majority of the people in football have the spine, courage and true love and passion for football.  

And for which, they never accepted the Super League concept and the protest was huge across the globe.

Guess what, the passion of the fans won!

The U-turn of the Big Six of Premier League

Bayern Munich, one of the biggest clubs in Europe, already expressed their lack of interest in the concept while Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund followed the path and as the protest gathered momentum outside Anfield, Eithad and Stamford Bridge; the Super League experienced premature death.

According to the Guardian, “The Premier League’s Big Six clubs were forced into humiliating U-turns after a day of intrigue and outrage to leave the proposal of a European Super League in tatters.”

“Chelsea were the first to brief their withdrawal and, after Manchester City announced they were following suit, the final four – Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham – read the final rites over the breakaway competition just before 11pm with statements that ranged from the terse to the shame-faced.”

“There was a broad acknowledgement that the rebels had listened to their fans or, in Liverpool’s case “key stakeholders, both internally and externally”, although only Arsenal actually apologized for behaviour that, collectively, has been widely condemned as brazenly self-serving. The Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy, did “regret the anxiety and upset caused by the ESL proposal”.

“The Football Association had taken a key stand earlier on Tuesday when it warned that any club involved would be banned from the Premier League and all domestic competitions. Before Liverpool’s statement, to which nobody at the owner, Fenway Sports Group, put their name, two key figures from the club had voiced their opposition to the plan.”

“The captain, Jordan Henderson, said on behalf of the squad, “We don’t like it and we don’t want it to happen. This is our collective position,” while Kenny Dalglish urged the owners to “do the right thing”.

“The FA’s chief executive, Mark Bullingham, emboldened by the UK government’s pledge to do whatever it took in legislative terms to block the breakaway tournament, said his organization would take an uncompromising line with the rebel clubs.”

“Bullingham articulated the FA’s stance in a meeting with Premier League officials, including the chief executive, Richard Masters, and the division’s other 14 clubs, who were united in their opposition to the big six’s scheme. The FA is empowered to license clubs to compete – or otherwise. Bullingham and Masters had come off a separate call with Boris Johnson, who had reassured them that the government would move to support them if they encountered any issues with competition law. Put simply, Johnson said they would introduce new laws, if needed.”

“Bullingham also told the meeting the FA would refuse to grant governing body endorsements – essentially work permits – for overseas players at clubs that participated in the Super League. The meeting, which began at 11am, was marked by a sense that each of the 14 clubs wanted the same thing – which is not always the case – and, as the day wore on, there would be a growing optimism that the breakaway had lost its impetus.”

“The Premier League had said in a strongly-worded statement after its meeting that the 14 clubs “unanimously and vigorously rejected the plans” for a Super League. It went on that it was “considering all actions available to prevent it from progressing, as well as holding those shareholders involved to account under its rules.”

“Everton had earlier been fierce in their condemnation of the six English clubs involved in the Super League, accusing them of preposterous arrogance, subversive practices and disenfranchising their own supporters. Everton’s owner, Farhad Moshiri, told TalkSport: “This is six clubs attacking the very heart of the Premier League, and I think they should be disciplined.”

Unity is strength

The Super League was not just the abandonment of UEFA and its cup competitions; it was a threat to the competitiveness of the Premier League, La Liga and Italian Serie A.

It was a threat to the tradition and legacy for which a fan of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool or AC Milan held his or her head high and spoke about his club proudly.

The Super League was nothing but an attack on the sporting merit, and an affront to the fans who invest so much time and money in their beloved clubs.

For now, the Super League has been laid to rest. But one should not sit back and relax because the attempt to kick start this passion-killing idea would try to show their ugly face once again.

And, if they try to show up again, the fans across the globe would reunite.

Unity is strength and the majority of the football community showed those power-hungry people what football is all about.

Never forget, football is the game of the people.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 21/04/2021 European Super League collapse, victory for the passionate football fans

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

European Super League: Don’t embarrass the fans who love football

 

“Just keep in mind, if a system remains unchecked and unquestioned, it starts to create its own rules and force others to follow it”

 A football fan hear the beating of drums in Europe and it is not the music a football fan would love to listen to; rather it is the music of war and not football carnival, which is about to hamper the harmony and peace in world football. The game of the people is set to face the greed and ego of a group of people and this has come as an unexpected welcome to the fans that eat, sleep and drink football.

According to Reuters, “Twelve of Europe’s top football clubs launched a breakaway Super League on Sunday, launching what is certain to be a bitter battle for control of the game and its lucrative revenue.”

“The move sets up a rival to UEFA's established Champions League competition and was condemned by football authorities and political leaders.”

“Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus are among the leading members of the new league but UEFA has threatened to ban them from domestic and international competition and vowed to fight the move.”

“French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson both issued statements condemning a breakaway and supporting UEFA's position.”

“As well as United, Premier League clubs Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have signed up to the plans.”

“Barcelona and Atletico Madrid from Spain join Real. AC Milan and Inter Milan make up the trio from Italy along with Juventus.”

“The Super League said that they aimed to have 15 founding members and a 20-team league with five other clubs qualifying each season.”

“The clubs would share a fund of 3.5 billion euros ($4.19 billion) to spend on infrastructure projects and to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The money would not be available to spend on players.”

No German or French clubs have yet to be associated with the mega-plan.

Strong reactions from the heavyweights

World soccer's governing body FIFA expressed its “disapproval to a 'closed European breakaway league' outside of the international football structures.”

But noticeably there was no mention of a previous threat from FIFA to ban any players taking part in a breakaway from participating in World Cups.

The announcement came just hours before UEFA is due to sign off on its own plans for an expanded and restructured 36-team Champions League on Monday.

 UEFA issued a strong statement jointly with English, Spanish and Italian leagues and football federations, saying they were ready to use all measures to confront any breakaway and saying any participating clubs would be banned from domestic leagues, such as the Premier League.

“The clubs concerned will be banned from playing in any other competition at domestic, European or world level, and their players could be denied the opportunity to represent their national teams,” UEFA said.

“We thank those clubs in other countries, especially the French and German clubs, who have refused to sign up to this. We call on all lovers of football, supporters and politicians, to join us in fighting against such a project if it were to be announced. This persistent self-interest of a few has been going on for too long. Enough is enough.”

Disgraceful

“Talk of a Super League is a move away from 70 years of European club football,” Sir Alex Ferguson told Reuters.

“Both as a player for a provincial team Dunfermline in the 60s and as a manager at Aberdeen winning the European Cup Winners' Cup, for a small provincial club in Scotland it was like climbing Mount Everest.”

“Everton are spending £500 million to build a new stadium with the ambition to play in the Champions League. Fans all over love the competition as it is.”

“In my time at United, we played in four Champions League finals and they were always the most special of nights.”

Gary Neville was critical of this idea.

“I'm not against the modernization of football competitions, with have the Premier League, we have the Champions League,” he said.

“But to bring forward proposals in the midst of COVID, in the midst of the economic crisis that exists for all clubs is an absolute scandal.”

“United and the rest of the big six clubs that have signed up to it against the rest of the Premier League should be ashamed of themselves.

“Are Arsenal in that? They have just drawn with Fulham, Manchester United are drawing with Burnley. I cannot concentrate on the game. To sign up to the Super League during a season is a joke, they should deduct points off all six of them.”

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy told BBC, “The plans ... sound soulless! We've already seen strong opposition from leagues and federations who would be affected, and fans as well. Next, I think we will see a backlash from managers and players too.”

“You're also being told you can no longer play for your country if you are part of this," he added. "Again, that's what you dream of doing as a kid, so I just don't see many footballers agreeing to that, which actually gives me hope that this whole idea will quickly fall apart.”

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane said the Super League was all about “money and greed.”

“Let's hope it's stopped in its tracks,” he told Sky Sports.

“We talk about big clubs, Bayern Munich are one of the biggest clubs in the world. At least they've made a stance, which is a good start.”

Don’t embarrass the fans

The football world is in a mess when each and every one is fighting against a deadly pandemic and this is the time, unity was much needed and in the past, the football world had shown their dignity and sensibility of highest level during the crisis. But, the idea of the European Super League has come as a shock to the fans who love the nights of the Champions League and for a brief period this has become a legacy and the tool to forget the little battles the middle class and lower middle class overcome in their everyday life.

A Champions League night means a lot to the fans in South East Asia, Middle East, South America and Africa – and it would be quite embarrassing for them to know that the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, Juventus, AC Milan, Arsenal or Manchester United are involved in such a project that is termed as disgraceful and greedy.  

The idea of damage-control due to the Pandemic is nothing but a shield not only to inject short term cash but long term absolute control over the Champions League – these big clubs want to run the Champions League instead of UEFA who thought that they had kicked down the road until they were blindsided over the weekend.

When a system is remote-controlled by a bunch of cash and power-hungry people, it cannot maintain its transparency. One can bring the example of cricket here, where the majority bears the school of thought that each and everything is controlled by one particular cricket board and the rest are their puppets – at present, the transparency in cricket is always under the scrutiny and the emergence of cash-rich franchise shorter-format tournaments have only disturbed the charm of cricket – everyone knows it but none could speak against it because the mouths are shut by dollars.

Once upon a time, there was one funny circus show in England and India; but right now, this has spread everywhere like a disease – participating in those franchise leagues remain the topmost priority than representing the country.

 The European nights cannot be just about 12 teams; rather it should be about the participation of everyone – Lyon taming Manchester City or AS Roma stunning Barcelona or Shakhtar Donetsk beating Real Madrid in their own backyard is what makes those Champions League nights thrilling and that is why we love football.

Just keep in mind, if a system remains unchecked and unquestioned, it starts to create its own rules and force others to follow it. 

Football cannot bear the disaster and this need to be checked for the sake of the fans.

If those 12 clubs really love the fans and respect their passion, they would not trigger the button of destruction.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 19/04/2021 European Super League: Don’t embarrass the fans who love football

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Zinedine Zidane tames Liverpool at their own backyard

 

“On the 109th anniversary of the maritime disaster, Real Madrid, with their patched-up unit, defended by dropping the anchor and would not let Liverpool’s heavy-pressing-intent destroy their plan. Zidane has galvanized a fragile unit that was down and out six months ago and has achieved success with those players who have spent the season on the fringes”

 It was another stern test for Zinedine Zidane at Anfield. He had in his mind the dramatic comeback of Monaco back in 2004 and the famous choke by Barca in 2019 at Anfield. Liverpool might be having a bad time in the Premier League, but in the Champions League, they have been better. The opponents were Real Madrid, who, like the Reds, are bruised and cornered – but in the battle of tactics and mental strength, Zidane showed everyone, who the real boss is!

Like Barca, the Royal Whites took a lead to Merseyside, a 3-1 first-leg advantage and they did not choke as Real Madrid are on their way to the 2020-21 Champions League semifinals thanks to a 0-0 draw with Liverpool in their quarterfinal second leg on Wednesday night at Anfield.

The Los Blancos soaked up all the pressure from the Reds thanks to some top goalkeeping from Thibaut Courtois and strong defending from centre-backs Nacho Fernandez and Eder Militao, superb display from the make-shift right wing-back Fede Valverde and obviously the destroyer in the midfield, Casemiro.   

With his side suffering from a slew of injuries and absences, Zidane had to reshuffle in the defence, so Valverde was picked over Alvaro Odriozola to start at right-back, joining Militao, Nacho and Ferland Mendy on the back-line. Meanwhile, up top in attack, Marcos Asensio was back in the mix alongside Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema.

Zidane stuck to the 4-3-3 formation and Jurgen Klopp opted for the same.

Liverpool came out howling at the Los Blancos after building from the back – they were aggressive and searched for goals, even if it was at the cost of taking risks.

Real Madrid did not press immediately, rather stayed composed enough to weather the storm.

As soon as the Liverpool wing-backs moved higher, Benzema was seen to press the two centre-backs only to cut the horizontal passing lanes and Real started to press higher with the intention to exploit the spaces left by the advancing Reds.

Now, this ploy made Andy Robertson drop deeper only to collect the ball in the wider region and outweigh Benzema, but in turn, this ploy forced the Reds to stay deeper enough to the benefit of the visitors – because the more they stay deeper, the more they would not be able to attack.

Fabinho dropped himself in between the centre-backs to outnumber Benzema so that the wing-backs can push higher.

With Benzema left alone, Luka Modric joined the press backed up by the rest of the team.

Benzema and Modric stayed in between the 3-men backline and it allowed one of the forwards – Marco Asensio to win back the ball.

At the centre of the park, Toni Kroos and Casemiro stayed firm and that meant Roberto Firmino dropped from his centre-forward role to outnumber them in the midfield.

Upfront and in the midfield Liverpool made it 3 vs 2 situations and made the pressing difficult for Real Madrid.

It turned out to be a well-set trap by Liverpool and attract the centre-backs of Real Madrid switch to a highline defence and left spaces.

But they did not fall into that trap, rather stayed focused and disciplined.

Militao, Nacho, Valverde and Mendy were rock solid and their composure hardly let the Reds break the resistance.

The Reds pressurized and Real Madrid switched to a 4-4-1-1 formation with Kroos sitting on Fabinho and Gini Wijnaldum.

The Real Madrid defenders minimized the spaces in between the lines led by the destroyer Casemiro, who showed the Reds who the best defensive midfielder in the world is – in one of the defining moments of the night, he scythed James Milner down to the ground – a reply to what he did against Benzema. There was an altercation between him and the Reds with Zidane laughing at the background – the boss knows what his boy is up to.

Casemiro aka The Tank not only guarded the defence but provided key passes and won duels like a boss.

When the Reds advanced with a 2-3-5 formation, Casemiro along with Kroos stayed narrower to cut off the threats from Milner while Militao and Naco had been outstanding in neutralizing the ground and aerial threats.

Liverpool crowded the Real Madrid penalty area and threw everything and which left spaces for Vinicius Junior during transitions – he looked dangerous and his pace outweighed the Liverpool defenders.

 Then, Thibaut Courtois had to produce two top-drawer saves in the opening stages, as Liverpool tried to take advantage of Uruguay midfielder Valverde’s inexperience in defence.

The Belgian reacted well to deny Mohamed Salah after he was set up by Sadio Mane and then clawed away a James Milner curler which was ducking into his top corner.

Valverde produced a crucial block from Firmino in the second half to maintain Madrid’s two-goal advantage and stop any wobbles before Courtois denied Salah again in stoppage time to kill Liverpool’s last hopes.

On the 109th anniversary of the maritime disaster, Real Madrid, with their patched-up unit, defended by dropping the anchor and would not let Liverpool’s heavy-pressing-intent destroy their plan. Zidane has galvanized a fragile unit that was down and out six months ago and has achieved success with those players who have spent the season on the fringes.  

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 15/04/2021 Zinedine Zidane tames Liverpool at their own backyard

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

It’s that man Neymar again

“Neymar dropped to the midfield again and received the ball – whenever the defence pushed up they created spaces in behind them and Neymar pulled the strings from the midfield by releasing Mbappe to exploit those spaces. Angel Di Maria followed the runs of Mbappe down the right flank – the counters were orchestrated by Neymar”

The photo of Neymar holding the Man of the Match award after the match might not have impressed his critics because at present the performance of a player is judged more on the basis of how many goals he scored and assists provided, but one of the best performances can come even without those and when a player does such, you have to realize the greatness of that player.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) may have lost the second leg but ultimately triumphed from a thrilling duel thanks to the three goals they had scored in the first leg and a second leg display which possessed a lot of character.  

Neymar was the leader of the men once again!

 Both Mauricio Pochetttino and Hansi Flick opted to stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation and Bayern Munich started to build from the back and when they were progressing after the first phase, PSG pressed higher.

Now, what did Neymar do during this press?

Neymar was tracking down the dangerous Joshua Kimmich and sat on him – this is not his job, but he decided to track him with the intention to lessen his versatility at the centre of the park.

But Bayern Munich are a smarter unit and when Gortezka witnessed Neymar tracking down Kimmich, he progressed further and at one point formed the double pivot with David Alaba operating deeper – at this point, Neymar positioned himself in between Gortezka and Kimmich.

It was a 2 vs 1 situation and Neymar swapped his position and joined Kylian Mbappe to press with Bayern centre-backs and the PSG midfielders stayed narrower to cut off the passing lane – the change of Neymar’s position led to a 4-4-2 formation and PSG stayed compact.

To break the compactness, Bayern centre-backs stayed disciplined and tried to outnumber the press of Neymar and Mbappe by forming a 3-men backline with Alphonso Davis moving to the wider of the left-flank.

Bayern witnessed the advancement of Davis and Thomas Muller – whose role was as an attacking midfielder, moved high up, joined Eric Maxim Choupo-Mouting as the second forward to create a 2 vs2 situation in the midfield and 4 vs 4 in the final third – the shape of Bayern changed to 4-2-4 against PSG’s compact 4-4-2.

PSG were forced to drop deeper and the space created in the midfield helped Muller to move in between the forward and midfield region – in the midfield, he often created a 3 vs 2 situations, which allowed Kimmich to receive the ball in between the lines.

Muller’s movement could have encouraged a more centrally oriented attack, but Bayern chose the flanks, especially the left flank with Davis being more proactive.  

Alaba moved wider with Kingsley Coman and created 2 vs 2 situations and allowed Coman with a 1 vs 1 situation against Dagba. The crosses came in the central zone and it proved worthy.

Bayern Munich attacked and created a lot of chances, but credit goes to the discipline and grit exhibited by the hosts.

PSG were positive from the start - Kylian Mbappe nearly extended it after less than three minutes. But after being released down the right by Neymar, rifled a low shot wide of the far post.

PSG proved to be tighter than expected, regularly preventing Coman and Leroy Sane from finding teammates despite frequent raids down the wings.

For all Bayern’s pressure, PSG looked far more menacing on the counter. Mbappé bamboozled Benjamin Pavard in the area and cut the ball back for Neymar, whose shot was blocked by Manuel Neuer.

Bayern had a clear plan to subdue Neymar by ambushing him in numbers every time he had the ball at his feet - found ingenious ways to wriggle free whenever PSG broke.

Neuer had to rush out to deny him in the 27th minute after another counterattack led by Mbappe. Then Neymar struck the frame of the goal twice in three minutes – at first, he curled an outrageous shot against the crossbar from over 20 yards after duping Coman skillfully; then he nudged a shot against a post from eight yards after being set up by Mbappe at the end of a lovely move.

It was from that first effort against the post that Bayern broke down the other end and got themselves ahead.

Keylor Navas' initial stop looped into the path of Choupo-Moting who converted from close range – a change in shape to 4-2-4 did the trick.

But it was time for Neymar to lead from the front.

Bayern were desperately searching for a goal and in turn, this attacking intent led their defence to be on a highline – Neymar and Mbappe were in 2 vs 2 situations.

Neymar dropped to the midfield again and received the ball – whenever the defence pushed up they created spaces in behind them and Neymar pulled the strings from the midfield by releasing Mbappe to exploit those spaces. Angel Di Maria followed the runs of Mbappe down the right flank – the counters were orchestrated by Neymar.

Neymar knew that among the pivots of PSG – Idrissa Gueye was not as brilliant as Leandro Paredes and thus, he stayed deeper and in front of the pivots because the Bayern players always tried to win the ball back from Gueye whenever he received it – that required protection and for which Neymar more often tried to connect with Paredes aided by Di Maria staying closer to them in the midfield.

Neymar contributed to another marvellous attack in the 53rd minute but, after sumptuous skill from Di María, came millimetres short of prodding the ball over the line.

Bayern attacked, PSG counterattacked led by Neymar, while Navas and the defenders remained disciplined.

It was a blistering game from start to finish at the Parc des Princes with multiple chances at either end.

PSG advance to the semifinals, courtesy of the discipline by the shot-stopper, backline, Paredes as a pivot and the leadership qualities of Neymar. 

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 14/04/2021 It’s that man Neymar again

Thank You

Faisal Caesar